First leg of trip complete!

I am typing you from The Coffee Depot in Warren, Rhode Island. I'd include photos but i forgot the cable to connect the camera to my computer. Photos will come later! It's a really cute coffee shop with real WIFI, not the kind that is somewhat free, only if you already subscribe to their wireless service.

My host housing is GeWilli . He and his family (erin and kids kailey and lindsay) are great! The kids keep me thoroughly entertained while Geoff and Erin have been making sure that my needs are met - feeding me incredibly tasty organic vegan meals, etc! I am so truly lucky - and full!

Leading up to this trip, the past few days have been so hectic with packing for Gloucester, MA (the gloucester link is to a video of the race) races, for Belgium, organizing sponsorship stuff, doing PR stuff (very , very part-time job), saying goodbye to friends, making deadline for writing gigs, doing a couple of email interviews, etc that i only finished packing at 1:30am wednesday morning - and that's with the ULTRA_MEGA SUPPORT of Don Juan, my friend who houses me while i'm in California. After a 1.5 hour nap, i was up at 3 to head off to the airport. It was at 11pm that night that i finished unpacking and got on the trainer for a few minutes to decompress from the trip. Ugh! Travel sucks. Just can't wait till the Star Trek - beam-me-up, scotty- days are here!

After sleeping for THIRTEEN HOURS, I got up, had my oatmeal (thanks GeWilli) and went out for my first training ride in Providence today - in the rain. It is so dark and dreary outside - good preparation for my trip to Belgium next week. I have a feeling i may not see the sun until March when i am in NYC for a week. Be strong, peanut, be strong. HAHAHA. Actually i'm pretty over it already. Once i made the decision to be a cyclo-cross racer, I quickly came to the realization that sunny weather and tanned skin are not part of the package.

Anyway, tomorrow is another day to relax, then my first race of the season is Saturday! I am quite nervous but excited! My goal is to do everything right - correct breakfast, correct warmup, get to start line early, etc. The result is not so important compared to doing everything right - considering it is my first race AND it's against a bunch of strong women who already have multiple races under their belt.

Oh, and i hear there is a vegan lunch party to be held tomorrow in my honor! Wow - that really is an honor! I'll take photos of all the folks AND of course the food that we eat.

OK, i gotta go home now before the "sun" goes away. I left some vanderkitten stickers behind in the coffee shop. I wonder where they will end up!