I participated in the 3rd annual JDRF “Cycling for a Cure” event this morning. It benefits the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, and through this event, over $100K was raised to help find a cure for a disease that affects nearly 3 million Americans.
Cycling for a Cure is a 12-hour indoor cycling marathon. Riders can cycle for the entire 12 hours on their own bike or participate as a relay team switching out in 1-2 hour increments. I participated with colleagues from my company, and we rode as a relay team. Since I had drama rehearsal from 1-6 today, I was only able to participate for an hour, but I had a blast!
They squeezed about 50 bikes into the spinning room at LifeTime Fitness in Allen and created a really cool environment for the riders. If you’ve been to a spinning class, it’ll sound familiar. The room was dim, lively music was playing, and cycling videos were displayed on large screens at the front of the room. A spinning instructor (and event creator) kept everyone entertained and led us through some of the spinning exercises to keep the energy level high and give everyone a great workout. Volunteers walked around with water, towels, fruit, and various snacks for the riders. We never had to leave our bikes; they had everything we needed. It was really neat.
Before and after riding, you could hang out in the rider’s room where they had lots of food and amenities for the riders. You could even get free chair massages, which is a nice treat after riding for a long time on the bike. Prize drawings took place throughout the day, but the real winners were the people who unselfishly raised lots of money to help find a cure.
Even though I could only participate for a short amount of time, I thoroughly enjoyed the event, and I plan to participate again next year — hopefully for a longer time!
For more info about JDRF, check out: www.jdrf.org. Together, we can help find a cure.
I don’t know what’s wrong with me this year, but I’m not interested in the Olympics — not even a little bit. The Winter games include my favorite sports (figure skating, skiing, snowboarding, speed skating, curling), but I just cant get into it. I’ve watched only a handful of events so far, and they all bored me. It’s a little annoying because I want to catch the Olympic spirit. I want to cheer for the US athletes. I want to join the online banter. Alas, I just can’t bring myself to do it.
So, in honor of my anti-Olympic spirit, instead of bringing you a glowing rendition of the games and highlighting how incredible these amazing athletes are, I’m bringing you bloopers. Why? Because in my current mood, it’s much more entertaining.
Maybe I’ll get my Olympic mojo back before the games end this year. Maybe I’ll just have to wait for 2014. Until then, enjoy the videos.
At first it was beautiful, a delightful treat. It was something very rare. Everyone was talking about it, expecting it, hoping for it. When it came, its beauty transformed everything it touched into a winter wonderland. Children were amazed, and adults relived their youthful days by going outside and playing in it.
Yes, those lovely white flakes called snow finally fell from the Dallas sky. Facebook lit up instantly with status updates, along with pictures of the scenery and kids playing. Schools were shut down. Snow men (and women) were built. Snow angels were created. Snow ball fights ensued. Yes, it was a fantastic gift — much preferred over the normal winter blast of ice and sleet. I loved it. Even though I didn’t get a “snow day” (the unfortunate consequence of being able to work from home), it was grand.
That was then.
This is now.
Okay, I don’t want to be labeled the “snow” grinch, but…enough already…seriously! I live in North Texas for a reason. I like warm winters. Snow once during the season is cool, but again and again and again….and again. That’s not cool. So far, we’ve recorded 15.7 inches of snowfall this winter. The second highest recorded in the history of North Texas. We’re only 2 inches away from breaking the all time record snowfall for a winter season — and that may happen tomorrow!
Breaking records is cool, but I’m sick of the cold. I’m SO ready for Spring…actually, I’m ready for Summer, but I’ll settle for Spring. After all, March is next week. It’s not supposed to be this cold, and we don’t need more snow…so much for global warming.
One of my favorite Broadway plays of all time is The Phantom of the Opera. I’ve seen it many times — even in the original playhouse in London’s West End — but I never lose my awe for it. I’m mesmerized by the music, acting, grand costumes, and amazing set design. If you’ve never seen it, buy ticketstoday and go as soon as you can. You won’t regret it. It’s a fantastic production!
The Phantom of the Opera is the winner of seven 1988 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, and has been seen by over 80 million people in 124 cities in 25 countries. On January 9, 2006, it became the longest-running show in Broadway history surpassing Cats’ record-holding run of 7,485 performances. Since then, the Broadway and US national touring companies have played more than 20,000 performances in the US! In 2008, the show celebrated an unprecedented milestone when it reached its twentieth anniversary on Broadway. And if all of that wasn’t impressive enough, the Phantom has grossed more than any film or stage play in history, surpassing Hollywood blockbusters like Titanic, ET, and Star Wars. Wow!
This year, Dallas Summer Musicals is celebrating 70 years of Broadway, and The Phantom of the Opera is kicking off their new season. Gary and I have season tickets, so we were really excited about the opportunity to see the show again. We trekked downtown tonight to enjoy it one more time before the tour ends. Once again, it blew me away. I absolutely LOVE this show. Andrew Lloyd Webber is a genius.
You can’t take pictures during the show, but here are a few images I captured with my iPhone before the opening and during intermission. Enjoy!
Opening stage set for the auction. The chandelier is covered in the middle of the stage.
Our souvenir tickets and the playbill
Inside the Music Hall at Fair Park before the show
Resetting the chandelier during intermission
The ornate facade of the majestic “Paris Opera House”
How many times have you held onto a check for weeks because you didn’t have time to stop by the bank and deposit it? Since I rarely make trips to the bank, I tend to keep them for a long time. I do everything online now…well, almost everything. Checks still present a pesky problem. I have to go to the bank (or find an ATM) to deposit them. It’s so archaic!
Now there’s a bank that’s making that inconvenience a thing of the past. USAA recently introduced a brilliant new feature for its iPhone banking application, a check deposit feature. Customers simply enter the dollar amount, take a picture of both side of the check with their iPhone, and click send. The image goes into USAA’s deposit-taking system just like any other check. Everything is handled electronically. It’s so cool! And it’s about time someone figured out how to do it.
Now I just have to wait for my bank to offer it too! For more info and a demo, check out the video below.
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