October 25, 2010 - A Day to Forget...

I suspected something was wrong on Saturday when I got some sort of alert message that someone in Nigeria was using my account and that I should immediately change my password. Without hesitation I jumped to the "change password" link...but hesitated. Was it real? A scam? So, instead I logged out and turned off the computer. Life was good again.

Then Monday morning...I logged into my account, no problem. Answered e-mails, paid a couple of bills. Then, in the middle of a 4-hour meeting...my phone (both work and cell) started to ring off the hook. Am I okay? Where am I? Yikes...sorry, but you are already logged on! So I spent the rest of the day trying to do work AND change passwords to various accounts. Do you think I have a written record of all the different accounts? Of course not! I'm supposed to be "green". And have you ever tried to think of a complicated password using numbers and letters, and oh, some sites don't accept sympbols, when you're under stress and in a hurry? And do you think I remember that password today?

So, it's Tuesday morning...and I'm still in Delaware and on pins and needles. Although the e-mail account has been recovered, I don't feel comfortable. All my contact information is gone, some of my files have been deleted, recent e-mails have been wiped out. Whether Google did that when they recovered my account, I don't know. I think there's more to it than just changing my password.

The one thing I did learn (aside from being very vulnerable) is that I have many friends. A lot more than I knew. People who really care. If it weren't for that, I would have surely lost it yesterday...

Ride to Eat, Eat to Ride

I started this a week ago but got side tracked by a hacker. So here it is a week later and life goes on.

Last Sunday (Oct 25) was White Clay Bicycle Club's Volunteers Brunch at Crabby Dick's in Delaware City. Crabby Dick's is located in what was the Old Canal Inn which was built in 1826 and served as a hotel for rich travelers. It sits at the end of Clinton Street overlooking the Delaware and is the oldest building in Delaware City.

Each year the club honors those who volunteer to help - either lead rides/tours, help on one of the major rides, or serve as a member of the executive committee. Since I led 3 tours this year, I qualified. I'm not sure of the exact count but there had to be 40-50 people. We had a room all to ourselves...and with good reason...have you ever been in a room full of sweaty cyclists??

Since Delaware City is only 4 miles from my house, I rode over to Newark to meet one of the other groups heading to the brunch. I needed to ride a few more miles to justify eating more food at the brunch than I would normally consume in week!

It was the usual brunch stuff - eggs, bacon, waffles, fruit, etc., and I made sure my plate was never empty, however, I don't quite have the bottomless pit that some of the riders have! While waiting for everyone to finish, I wondered around the restaurant. It wasn't very full at the time, most likely because the after church crowd wasn't there yet...or perhaps they got a whiff of a bunch of sweaty cyclists and decided to go elsewhere. I wondered into the bar...and there he was! Our eyes met - it was meant to be! This guy literally lost his head over me! Can't wait until next year when we meet again!!

Reality Check, Part 2

Well, John got a job offer - part time, $10/hr, no benefits. This means he'll have to take a 2nd part time job to bring him up to almost half of what he was making. The really sad part is he has to take the job. You don't get a choice. The way the system is set up, you can't turn down a job offer and still collect unemployment with the hopes of something better coming along. If you are "able to work" you have to take it. Otherwise, you lose the unemployment. No wonder the world is screwed up...

I guess we shouldn't complain.

Riding with the Governor

I'm not a political person and I probably shouldn't admit this, but I'm not even registered to vote. Last time I voted, I voted for Nixon...and we all know how that ended up. But that's another story and another time.

But I'm not going to pass up a bike ride on a perfect Fall day, and especially when it involves riding with Governor Jack Markell. I understand the ride started back when he was State Treasurer, and the ride covered the whole state over several days. But I don't think he gets to ride as often as he did before or as often as he'd like, so the ride was shortened to a 50-miler. The major of Delaware City, Mayor John Martin, who I found out is also a cyclist offered his city as a starting point. The only one missing from the mix was Senator Dave Sokola who has been busy campaigning, but he did show at the beginning to wish us well.

There had to be 30-40 people who showed! The weather was near perfect despite a chilly start and a pesky wind that picked up later in the day. It was quite a site to see the long string of cyclists on the road . I wonder how many cars that were delayed a few seconds before getting around us - and I'm certain were pissed off because of the delay - realized who they were passing!

We had a brief stop in Middletown and a second stop at Coleman's tree farm on Rt. 9, where we were treated to fruit, cookies, and subs. We finished the ride climbing back over the canal on the Reedy Point Bridge. What an outstanding day!

Savage vs Granogue

Today is WCBC's Savage Century. I'm missing it this year using John's layoff as the excuse. I don't like the ride to begin with, never have. Been riding it off and on since the late 80's. Didn't like it then, don't like it now. When I have ridden it I swear I'd never ride it again. So I'm glad I have a valid excuse this time.

This weekend is also the cyclocross race at Granogue. It's a 2-day affair this year, and it's also a UCI race. A request came out for people who would be willing to put up a rider for the weekend and we volunteered. I figured we wouldn't get anyone because we're 35-40 minutes away from the course. But almost instantly I was contacted by Nathan Wyatt. I was curious who this guy was and I looked him up on the usacycling.org site. He's a cat 1 elite rider, a young guy, 28 yrs old. He probably didn't realize he'd be staying with his "parents" for the weekend! What I really found interesting is he lives in the Asheville, NC, area. And why do I find this interesting? I lived in that general area many moons ago. His parents are both riders, and his father also races.

Just getting on the Granogue property is worth the trip. It is private land, owned, and still lived on, by the DuPont family. The entrance is very unassuming and under normal circumstances, you could ride right by it and not even realize. But once you turn into the driveway, the landscape is incredible. You can look in any direction and all you see is land. No big developments, no city skyline. It's a different world. You can feel the money.

We hung out for a couple of laps of Nathan's race before heading back to the real world.

The Saga Continues...

Revisiting the black and yellow garden spider who decided my garden was perfect for a summer home, I discovered the egg sack the other day after I cut down some spent flowers. Okay, so what do I do with it? Obviously she had no idea her work would eventually be exposed to the elements. Not really wanting to destroy it, I laid it on the ground, but unfortunately(??) I don't think it will survive, especially after getting soaked in yesterday's rain.

It's rather large in size - maybe slightly smaller than a ping pong ball - but then she was a big spider. I remember reading it would produce thousands of spiderettes...I can see why.

Reality Check

John applied for unemployment compensation and was approved to receive $330/week for 26 weeks. And $330/week is the MAXIMUM amount you can receive in Delaware! And of course, that's before taxes. This sheds a different light on my wants and needs. It makes me reconsider, re-evaluate whether that "need" isn't really a "want" in disguise.

BAD NEWS...

John lost his job this week. Laid off. Something we never thought would happen. I know times are tough, but surely there were other solutions. Cut his hours? Cut his pay? But not, he was laid off. He's a great mechanic, probably one of the best in the area. Hard working, too. He's never late, never calls in sick or otherwise. Has shown up for work during snowy conditions when most others stay home. Gets phone calls from people who have a mechanical question or problem and they know John can solve it. Certainly he's an asset to any company. But apparently not.

I have over 40 years with DuPont. I learned 20 years ago that it really doesn't matter whether you do a good job or not. It doesn't matter whether you're dedicated. It's all about cutting costs. And if it means getting rid of someone just because they cost you more, then so be it.

Things happen for a reason. Maybe it doesn't seem good or fair at the time, but I'm optimistic there's a good reason behind all of this. So now both of us have been put to the test whether we'll survive or not. I think we will, but only time will tell.