Bowling!

What a great and crazy night this was! Here a few impressions:

 Silent Auction

Awesome knight mural 

I want countertops like that!  

How to Change a Flat Tire

Grmpf! Rusty Number 2 has caused me a lot of grief so far. Not sure why that is but I am getting ever so slightly annoyed.
Well, ok. I have to admit, this one I brought on myself. Remember this Training Ride and Bike Clinic I attended in March? Remember how I busted the valve of then still brand new Rusty Number 2? It's been holding up for a while now but lately the tire kept losing a bit of air. So I thought I should give it a good pump before my ride just to make sure the otherwise perfectly fine tube won't suffer any punctures. Everything seemed ok while pumping away. The tire felt just right. So I released the pump.
*PFFSH!!!*  Well, I'll be darned! All air escaped and the tire was as flat as Milwaukee's Best. The valve finally broke off completely. Argh! So I had to put the lessons learned to work and replace this otherwise perfectly fine tube! >:-(
Here's how:

"YOU’LL NEED THE FOLLOWING ITEMS:

TIRE IRONS, BIKE PUMP, PATCH KIT OR SPARE INNER TUBE

Follow these steps:


1] Remove the wheel and depress the valve stem to release any remaining air." That really wasn't necessary in my case.

"2] Insert the end of one tire iron under the tire edge and hook the other end to spoke. Start near the valve.

3] Insert the second tire iron  in a similar way a few inches from the first tire iron. Slide the second tire iron to pry the rest of tire edge off one side of the rim. Leave other side of tire edge on the rim.

4] Carefully remove the inner tube and locate the puncture by inflating the tube with your tire pump." Soo not necessary in my case. "To find the puncture, listen and feel for escaping air. If you’re at home, immerse the inflated tube in water and look for air bubbles. Inspect the inside of the tire and remove any sharp objects that may have caused the flat." Yeah, yeah, yeah, let's move on!

"If you’d rather replace your tube entirely, skip to step 9."  Skipping! Skipping ahead!!
 
5] After locating the puncture, rough up the area with sandpaper contained in your patch-kit.
 
6] Apply the rubber cement contained in your patch kit, and let dry for five minutes [or as patch kit manufacturer specifies].


7] While the rubber cement is drying, make sure the rubber inside the rim is on straight and covering the tops of the spokes.

8] Peel off the back of an adhesive tire patch and fasten the patch in place over the puncture.

9] Place tube back into tire. Place the valve stem back through the rim hole, and tuck the rest of the tube inside the tire - working away from the valve.

10] Using your hands, reinstall the tire onto the rim. Do not use tire irons, unless absolutely necessary.

11] Partially inflate tire and check that the tire edge is even all the way around and not pinched between the tire and the rim. Also, listen for the sound of escaping air from the tube. Inflate tire to the pressure marked on sidewall of tire.

12] Remount wheel on your bike, checking alignment and brake adjustment."
 
Done! Let's GO already!

My Crafty Self - Tee for the Cause

Back at the Orientation Session we all recieved a free T-Shirt. The Guildford Riders decided that it'd be really nice to wear them when we get together for funraising events. A great idea! But...
I have my problems with this T-Shirt. It doesn't fit me even though I picked the smallest size. I feel quite uncomfortable in it and would never wear it given the choice. Here's how it looked on me:

 Some may feel that this is perfectly fine. But I like my attire to fit me snugly, like so:

Now this is a nice fitting piece of clothing, isn't it?

I certainly don't want to be a party pooper and not wear the tee and come up with lame excuses (I forgot, I lost it, the dog ate it, ...) but I just wouldn't wear it the way it was. So what was there to do?

Good thing that I am in possession of a sewing machine, a daredevil spirit, and the inherited skills of two seamstress grandmothers (which I hardly put to use) who both have since passed on. But I'd like to think that their sewing ways are still very alive and well!

(Plus I could always ask the Foundation to please send me another T-Shirt, I have the feeling they have some extras laying around.)  

So! With no futher ado I give to you...

The Official 2010 Ride to Conquer Cancer fitted Tee!

Fetching, isn't it? Bowling night here I come!

(I wonder if my fellow female riders will notice and ask...)

Many thanks to Stacy from the Sewing Republic for her instructional video.

It helped me a lot, especially with the sleeve issue.

Jessica

Little Jessica Liggatt is the reason for the formation of our team, the Guildford Riders. She was a real trooper and it's hard to believe what she went through.

Here's what somebody wrote about her: 
"Jessica was diagnosed with a rare form of brain cancer in 2008. She was only 1 of 3 cases ever reported to have this kind ofbrain tumor.  She spent the next year going through high intensity Chemotherapy. In November 2008 the tumor was gone. Treatment was continued as a cautionary measure.
In April 2009 Jessica underwent a stemcell transplant to finalize her treatment. By June 2009 the aggressive tumor reappeared requiring Jessica to undergo high intensity radiation treatment. In August 2009
the tumor had dissolved and the young girl was free of cancer. 
Throughout her treatment Jessica remained positive, happy and full of live. She met many new friends and was always smiling, never allowing others or herself to be sad. She loved playing with her little sister Lybbie and her baby brother Dylan. She loved singing, dancing, music, and Yoga which she could always be found doing, even when she was so very ill. She got to see the Jonas Brothers in concert, attended the Juno Awards, and even met Zac Efron and Selena Gomez.
Her love for life was always her strength. Jessica’s biggest joy was to finally go back to school with all her friends and favourite teachers. She loved school.
On October 24th 2009 the tumor reappeared in a dangerous area of the brain which could not be treated.
Jessica lost her couragous battle on November 28th 2009 at the young age of eight."