And So On and So Forth

Classes keep on chugging along. Only 1/3 of the semester is left. Every semester I am stunned how fast it goes by. Now my mind is being occupied with the women's movement, managing a brand across cultures, data regression for marketing research, and life insurance. Since the semester is coming to a close, I am delighted to be bombarded with so many presentations, exams, projects, and homework assignments and a ton of reading...and only two and a half weeks of class left.

I had an awesome time last Friday with a few friends (hey Rhe!) at Master Pancake Theater's version of E.T. Wow I can't believe that movie is considered a kids' movie- it was scary! That night was probably my favorite lately. I think we're planning on going to the next Master Pancake as well as 1997 Sing-A-Longs there- I can't wait! Such an awesome group of friends.

I actually have a riding buddy now which is very exciting. Drew from Texas Cycling is joining me on the weekends now which makes 3.5 hours in zone 2-3 much more entertaining :-)

In the spring, I'll be taking on a larger role with Clif Bar, well, Luna Bar to be exact, doing more logistical work and project planning and implementation. I'm quite excited- I love the company and getting to take on a larger role will be great!

In other news, I think anyone that reads this thing probably knows me, but Peter (bf) is officially a pro cyclist- yippee for him! I'm so proud- I've never met such a sincerely hard worker. Today is actually our two year anniversary and we're celebrating by...celebrating tomorrow! We did train together this morning but then it was school, work for him, and soon meeting for me. Tomorrow will be enjoyable and perhaps I'll have photos!

Taking A Step Back

Being a senior getting ready to graduate in May, life can be a bit of a challenge sometimes, more so than I expected. Searching for a job is a very time consuming and daunting task. It is full of trials, tribulations, and plenty of rejection thrown in there. It's also an emotional roller coaster when you know you are a good fit for the company, some of them know that, but not all and you get rejected. That was the fun I had this past week, except I also had two papers, two major projects, and two midterms thrown in there.

Needless to say, it was a relief to have the week over. It also made me think a bit about where I am going. I love bike racing and I had previously decided that this next season is MY year to shine but it is easy to get caught up in the "OMG I have to get a job right now because I graduate in 8 months!"-thing that the business school has a reputation for. I've taken a step back, evaluated myself and my life experiences I've had and have told myself to be patient. I know that to be happy, I must work at a place with similar values to my own, only there can I truly have that passion and I know that that job will come along when the time is right. I am going to do well next season and I have worked hard for it so I need to see where that is going to take me next year as well before I give it up for a 50 hour a week job. A lot of my emotions that had previously been thrown at this job-hunt thing are now being thrown at racing and accomplishing those goals. I am still 100% still looking for a full-time position, but I am going to have more patience and what look at will be much more thought out.

Other than abstract, wishy-washy life things, I am now definitely training. I am riding 4 days a week with various intervals each of those days and have weight training and running the other days of the week. It sure makes for one sore Whitney, but I know it will also make one fast Whitney in a few months. I've really, really enjoyed the training and the results I feel from just a month now. The one downside is that the training is very regimented (which is good for me) but that means zero group rides right now.

Sadly, I pretty much missed Halloween. This past week wore me out to the extent I don't think I really left the house except to train. I did manage to make some Halloween cupcakes, but that is about the extent of it. Life happens sometimes, ya know?

This next week is pretty light for school which means I'll finally have time to catch up on my neglected government and some Texas Cycling stuff that needs to be taken care of...oh and sleep!

Riding and Golfing

Not too much to report from Austin. Life has been pretty jam-packed with life as usual. VPing Texas Cycling is actually kinda time consuming, but I think it's been worth it so far. We have a pretty big group that all likes to hang out and ride together- I think that's indicative of a job well done (I hope!). We had SBOBT last weekend and unfortunately the ride pretty much got rained out. We had to drive everyone back from the 10 mile rest stop back to their cars and to BBQ. People were happy with our driving service though- I think we made the best of our situation. We've had some fun events too- yoga class with Cecilia (think 8 giggling cyclists doing Warrior 3 in a living room) and Peter Pan mini golf on Friday. Both were a lot of fun and included too much laughing.

I've been doing a few Clif events- ACL a few weeks ago and I have a handmade bike festival coming up this weekend. The events sure make me busy to the brim, but it's good money and easiest to work 15-30 hours a week if it's all smooshed into 2-3 days.

Training is going well. I'm slowly building up the hours and the level of difficulty. It's good to get to ride 3 days a week now and I like the effects of strength training. I've been doing lots of yoga too which has had great benefits for me and my back. I've got all the team stuff secured for next season, yippee.

The job search is going alright. It is very time consuming looking for jobs, applying, going to info sessions, interviewing and all the other fun stuff that goes with that. I just need a full day to devote to that this week to feel better.

Classes are good. It seems like the busier you are the easier it is to get good grades. I guess it just makes one more disciplined in every aspect of life. It's hard to believe it is already time to pick my classes for my last semester as an undergraduate! Can you say YIKES?!

Full Speed Ahead

Life has been going about 1000 miles an hour and there is no relief in sight. Last weekend I worked 36 hours between Friday and Sunday at the Renewable Round-Up in Fredricksberg for Clif Bar. It was a fantastic event with all the renewable energy companies and eco-conscious companies from all over the state and some national companies. It was a good event for Clif Bar as well as many people weren't familiar with the company or the Mojo bar and they all wanted to hear what we had to say. Here are some fun picks to show you the weekend.

Organic T-shirts

This kid had about 5 samples in his mouth and he kept trying to smile.

Job interviews started for me this week and it seems like they and job research will never end. It's sure tough in this economy and there isn't a ton out there. Exams also started this week which isn't so fun, but I think I did well if that counts!

I also started training this week and, wow!, I'm so sore! The hours this week are next to none, but the gym workouts made me so sore and all the running too! It feels good to move again. I'm addicted :-)

Last night I got to hang out with friends! Pretty sad that that is very noteworthy, but I feel like I have so much on my plate right now that doesn't get to happen much. I went out with friend Sara and Kelsey to the Alamo Drafthouse Quote-Along of Office Space. It was fantastic. Everyone got flair and staplers, a guy and his wife dressed up as characters, some people had to go on stage and give their o-face, and then everyone got to smash a fax machine. It was way fun, except escaping the beating of the fax machine down a dark alley :-)

"Milton" and the victim printer

The Job Hunt

Looking for full-time positions is exhausting! I'm pretty sure I spend about as much time looking, applying, going to company nights, interviews, etc. as I do doing the rest of my homework! Phew. And this is for next year after I graduate. I'm happy things seem to be progressing with that though and it will be a relief when it is finished.

Friday night Peter and I saw Inglorious Basterds which we both thought was fabulous. Saturday was the first Collegiate Cycling Women's Nights of the year. I thought it was a good showing for being during the biggest football game of the year (oops). There were around 10 of us and I made the super-secret family calzone ;-) It was enjoyable and I think we'll have a fun year this year.

My training is still non-existant, but I've been so busy I've hardly noticed. I've run a few times on my own and with Peter which is fun except when he thinks it's funny to try to speed walk next to me :-( I'm trying to do more yoga because I always feel a lot better when I do it regularly. I'm starting up the season with a new coach, Simon Kessler of Simon Says Cycling. Some good goals have been set and I'm excited to start working with him next week.

I have a good amount of Clif events lined up for the fall which I am pretty excited about, including a few surfing tournaments :-) The first event is this weekend at the Renewable Round Up in Fredricksberg.

Still no pictures. I know, I know, I'm bad. I'll definitely have some this weekend though!

End of Season + My Mum Visits Austin

It's been a busy past few weeks on the homefront. Plans for 10K were cancelled at the last minute, so I opted to stay in Austin and race the Tour of Austin instead. Peter convinced me to do every single race I qualified for, so that's exactly what I did. I was in the mood to ride/race anyways (kinda) ;-)

Saturday and Sunday were pretty unnoteworthy. No one would let me get away for very long, no one wanted to do work, and no one wanted to bridge to breaks, so it was not a fun couple of days for me- just frustrating days, so I worked for my teammate. Sunday I did take a flier that Kate and Jen McCrae bridged to but no one would do work and then I was attacked with a lap to go and I was pretty beat by then- it was hot!

Sunday morning I had the "collegiate" race in which I was the only women so I had to race the guys. It was fun though and I actually tried and got 4th ;-)

Monday was my lucky day. There was a lull about halfway through the race so I took the opportunity to test the waters and see how poeple were reacting that day, but instead I ended up breaking away and gaining 24 seconds the first lap. Well, I just went into TT mode and kept a good pace for the final 8 laps. It got close a couple of times but then the gap would open up again when someone got tired of chasing. I ended up winning by like 7.999 seconds which was a fantastic way for me to end the season. It was an enjoyable weekend racing with teammate Lauren and seeing all my friends from Austin and racing with them one last time this season.

Last week was career week at school and we had hundreds of recruiters come to campus which meant lots of company research, networking with potential employers, and lots of business-suit-and-high-heel-wearing. It's crazy but I'm pretty much applying for jobs that don't start until the fall of 2010 right now. That whole job thing is occupying quite a bit of my time for the next month.

I've also been interviewing for part-time work now. I found work with a real estate agent in town for 2 hours a week and I'm still looking for some more work so I can save up for next season. I've had a few interviews, but it's a tough economy, even for part time work now.

My mom visited this last weekend which was fabulous. I don't get to see much of my parents these days now that they spend all their time "working" which means playing in Colorado ;-) Just kidding, except about the playing in Colorado part. My mom and I spent some good quality time together. Some highlights include an Indian cooking class at Whole Foods and Master Pancake theater's The Breakfast Club at the Alamo Drafthouse. We also managed to get rained on every day I believe! Unfortunately, I managed to not take any pictures at all which is sad :-( It always seems like when you see someone you care about after not seeing them for awhile, you realize even more how much you miss them.

This week is pretty busy like usual. I have a few company nights to go to so I can apply for the companies' jobs, Texas Cycling information sessions to help run, school projects to start, homework to do, my first week working with the real estate agent, church, a date night with Peter, and a Texas Cycling Ladies' Calzone night to host. You know, the usual :-) Training won't start until October. I probably won't be riding for the rest of the month, but I'll start dabbling into other fun activities like running and yoga and whatever I feel like to keep me mentally happy. Sorry for no pictures, it's harder when you aren't in a foreign country!! ;-)

First Week of Senior Year

Sadly enough, I've just finished my first week of my senior year of college. It's hard to believe how time flies. This year will be full of plenty adventures.

My classes this semester will be generally good. I don't have any unbearable classes and my teachers seem pretty passionate about the subjects they are teaching. I'm taking Brand Management, Information and Analysis (Marketing), Personal and Family Finance, and Current Issues (Government). Personal and Family Finance is pretty interesting- it's all about how to be a real adult and buy a car, a house, how to set up your 401k, how to invest, blah blah blah. It's all very useful information.

As far as the bike is concerned, I've already decided I'll be doing Collegiate Nationals and U23 Nationals this year. As far as what team, that is TBA. I can't jinx anything!

Life has been pretty dull with getting settled in still with the house, and cycling stuff, and training, and school. I did manage to get out for a nice long ride with the Austin Flyers and Shontelle. I'm just trying to get caught up and maybe even get ahead with life, so I can start enjoying it next week.

Next weekend is 10K in Atlanta, Georgia, the last NRC race of the year. After that it is break time for me :-) Pictures will follow next week!