Ridin' and kayakin' at Blackwater Wildlife Refuge

My very fit partner in crime through those 45 flat road biking miles...



Did you get your tickets.... to the GUN show???



Two of the several bold eagles we were able to see up close!



Clearly the "zoom" feature in my camera isn't so great...



Beautiful rural landscape all around us



Definitely a must-see place in the DC/Annapolis area. Closer than the beach, a lot more secluded, and the best biking Maryland has to offer!

Latin Rockets Can't Belly-Dance

... as evidenced by this photo...

After several attempts, we concluded that Latinas are used to moving the entire body when dancing, like when you dance Salsa... Belly dancing requires you to be very precise in your movements - you only move your hips while your torso and legs are completely still, or you move your shoulders while your hips stay still, or you move your head from side to side while your arms are still. Waaay too hard! I'll stick to running and dancing to 80's music like a madwoman...

The Rocket is Back!

Last weekend I joined my friend Ashley for the Pacer's Running Festival half marathon. It was a beautiful day, clear skies, warm but not too warm, a nice cool wind. I knew I wasn't in great shape, and since I wasn't going to get a personal record, I decided to run the whole thing with Ashley, whose pace is a little slower than mine. She appreciated the company, and I appreciated the fun of not having to run hard! As you can see from the picture, I had fun and felt good the entire time! After the race I saw this handsome young guy looking straight at me and smiling... wow, I still have it, ha? ... yeah, no... it was Eric, who had just finished a great race, and Allison, looking more beautiful (and taller!) than ever after running a fabulous 5k.

So, as you may suspect, I'm back to full-swing running! It's been about 2 months since I started back up without injuries, shin pains, or accidents. If all goes well, I'll be running all 26.2 miles of the Marine Corps Marathon this year in 3 hours 40 minutes and get a Boston qualifier for 2010! The American Institute for Cancer Research, the charity I was fundraising for last year before my injury/accident, is going to "take me back", so those of you who were so kind to donate to the cause last year will be credited for your generosity (Linda, Rich, that's for you!), and those of you who haven't and want to donate, the page will be up shortly!

After learning so much about shin splints, I want to write an in-depth post about my non-scientific "findings"... but the bottom line is, the only thing that ultimately worked for me is changing my stride - shortening it so that my feet touch the floor right under my body and not in front of it, and avoid heel-striking.

The last piece of good news is, after struggling with 20 pesky pounds of fat that didn't want to leave my body, I am only 3.5 lbs away from my absolutely ideal weight! This morning I was shocked as I looked at the scale... I had to weigh myself 4 times before I believed it. Right after confirming that was, in fact, my actual weight, I went straight into my closet to find the smalest pants I have, part of a purple suit combination. I slipped them on and bottoned them up as if they were part of my body. Rejoice, my friends, for my struggle is coming to an end!

With my new weight I'm hoping to run a whole lot faster... the first test will be this Sunday during the Capitol Hill Classic 10k... wish me luck!

Too good not to post...

These guys make treadmills look like fun... don't be fooled...

Un-be-lievable

I moved to the U.S. of A. since July of 1999. Prior to that, I was here on a temporary work visa in December of 1998. At that time, I applied for a Social Security card. Since then, I've held several jobs, I've gotten driver's licenses in several states, I got several credit cards and a loan to buy a car, checked my credit report every few years. I also became a U.S. Citizen and obtained a U.S. passport. I've been contributing to the Social Security System since then, and filed taxes every year. Moreover, when my citizenship status changed, I was required to get a new social security card, for which I went to the SSA office, waited several hours, filled out several forms, and later got the new card on the mail.

Until now...

The joy of being done with my income taxes and so easily file the paperwork electronically was shattered when I received an e-mail back from the IRS saying they were rejecting my tax return. Really? Rejected? I didn't even know they could do that! The birth date they have in the system for me doesn't match their records, which apparently they obtain from the Social Security Administration. A very nice SSA employee tells me the record has been wrong since the original application. How how how how is this possible? In 10 years, nobody (me included) noticed that my DOB was incorrect? My biggest worry: identity theft... could someone out there be pretending to be me but didn't think I was young enough so they changed it? Not funny.

Bottom line: The SSA will receive a visit from me once again, see my birth certificate, passport, drivers license, all of which show my correct DOB, and hopefully have it corrected so that I can, 10-16 days later, finally fill out my income tax return.

Does anyone else feel extremely uneasy about this?

Missing him...

You'd think that as time passes, it would get easier and easier to live far away from your family. Not the case. For the first time, 10 years after moving to the U.S., I cried at the airport in Buenos Aires before heading back to DC. My sister's baby boy, Joaquin, is just 2 years old, and I can't be there to watch him play, to take care of him while his parents are away, to celebrate Christmas, to help him do his homework, to read to him, to take him to the movies, to buy him junk food... (picture: with my 3 sisters, 2 nieces, and my nephew on my lap)

But, thanks to the All Mighty Internet, web cameras, video-enabled digital cameras and other technology gadgets, I can still "see" him and remind him of who I am so he doesn't forget his tia "Lucida" (that's what he called me, too cute). My two favorite men in the world: my dad and my nephew, in the picture.

I'll be back there to visit him soon...

Oh, yeah, I saw my family and friends too, they're all doing great and I had a fabulous time in Mi Buenos Aires Querido!

Past, present, future...

Two weeks ago I went over the handlebars... yes, again... This time, no broken bones, thankfully. Only a very bumped knee and a fat lip. Thankfully, the lip swelling went down quickly (too bad on a way, I spent all afternoon making up stories that I was going to tell my friends at a party that night about how it happened...) Unfortunately, the knee swelling didn't go down, and my knees still looked like this 13 days after the accident:



The scar on my right knee is from my October bike fall; it's the left leg that got damaged this time. Now both my knees are even.

After the doctor dranied the "bursitis" (they stick a needle into the "blister" that you have under the skin on top of the knee cap and scoop it out with a syringe), it looked much better. But then it started filling up with fluid again. Bummer. I'm icing and elevating the leg to see if it stops it... I don't want needles again, yuck!

This weekend the weather was un-be-lie-va-ble in DC. 60-70 degrees, some clouds, no wind... a perfect weekend to be stuck in the house studying... NOT! Thankfully, I have a back patio where I can study and enjoy the fresh air at the same time... Here we are, me and Salem, working hard...



... but the best news is: Next week I will be in Mi Buenos Aires Querido! I haven't been there in 2 years almost. It sucks. Really. As my parents get older and I start thinking about losing them, I'm thinking I need to travel there more often... I'm looking forward to seeing my family and friends, new babies, eat lots of alfajores, but most important of all, I'm going to see the love of my life, this beautiful guy:



Poor Joaquin... he has no idea her annoying aunt is coming!

Wish me luck in my exam tomorrow!