April 11, 2005 'Phlegm' is the word phlegm + snot rockets + loogies + lung butter = good times all around What a great word! Phlegm. It even looks gross with its awkward combination of letters and silent "G." Then say it out loud. "Phlegm." It bursts off the tongue and out of the mouth almost like a wad of spit.... Last week I was entirely focused on fighting off virions. My ammunition: Zinc, Vitamin C, tea, orange juice, lots of rest.... It's hard work, battling against these microscopic trouble makers. I'm still not 100% healthy, but I'm getting there (thanks in part to that virtual kiss from Dani W and Leo... thanks, I think). ;-) Things besides mucus Despite my headlines for the week, things did happen that had nothing to do with mucus. On Tuesday I went to Tossa with a bunch of the guides, who had the day off. Oh, wait a minute, I lied about this not having to do with mucus. My main reason for going to Tossa was to buy decongestents at the pharmacy to try to keep my phlegm production to a minimum. But, once I'd finished with that errand, I did some window shopping with the gang and walked home over the Col de Sastre with Natasha and Dario. That evening, the boys next door (Roger, Dominick and Buetzi) had a pre-dinner party. I was just expecting some good tunes, drinks and pretzels, but when I rang the doorbell, Buetzi (whose name is also Roger) greeted me (with his mohawk standing tall in all its splendour) and offered me red wine or orange juice (I opted for the juice, considering my precarious health and drinking spree from the previous weekend). On a table in the foyer stood a vase of orange and yellow gerberas. I took my drink onto the deck, which was packed with people chatting, lounging and snacking. Two round tables, decorated with flowers, provided various munchies: mini fruit and cheese skewers (handmade with love), vegetables and dip, nuts and Doritos. A poster informed guests that they were at an event called: 'Training mit Ambiente." The background music was provided by Stefan the in-house musician at Giverola. The guys in #815 had bought his first CD! I was very impressed with the amount of effort the guys put into the event. The best part was, every woman received a gerbera when she left! Photos from 'Training mit Ambiente' Wednesday I stayed in bed all day (B-O-R-I-N-G!) napping, reading, drinking tea and watching DVDs. Thursday Martina was kind enough to lead the Prologue by herself, as I still wasn't feeling well enough to ride for three hours, even if it was dead slow. But by the afternoon I was impatient (and well) enough to get out of the apartment. I walked slowly to Tossa and bought some essentials (Lindt 70% cocoa chocolate, hazelnut yogurt, choco muesli [granola with chunks of chocolate mixed in]). Back at home, I had a nap and then decided I needed to ride. I did an hour easy on the road and was relatively happy with how I felt. There's nothing like a string of 10 smooth, sweeping downhill corners at 40+kph to make you feel better. :-) Friday I went for a fun mountain bike ride by myself and got lost and rained on. Actually, I wasn't lost, I was 'exploring!' And besides, I found my way home. In the evening, the Swiss National Trials Team put on an entertaining show at the hotel. Photos from the trials show Rally! Saturday I woke to the sound of squealing tires and revving engines. The noises continued through breakfast. From the dining room, I watched cars zoom along the road on the opposite side of the bay and then about 30 seconds later, they careened past the hotel. After breakfast, I went outside and snapped some photos (just for you, Bruno)! However, I had to work in the shop that morning, so I didn't get to see the whole thing. Photos from the rally MTB Racing! When all the rally drivers were through and the road opened up again at about 1 p.m., Juerg, Martina and I jumped into the Silver Bullet (our Smart car) and sped (rally style) to Corro d'Amunt for a technical mountain bike time trial, which Martina won! Sunday morning we were in Corro d'Amunt again, this time for the Copa Catalana #2 XC race, where Martina placed 2nd! Click here for the full race report and photos >> Amigos vienen, amigos se van... Saturday we had to say goodbye to some more of our pals, including our roomie of three weeks here in apartment #813, Natascha! Dominick, Roger and Ueli also went back home to SNOW in Switzerland... hahahahaha! Boy of the Week -- Buetzi, 29, Delivers packages for the Swiss Post. Likes: mountain biking, hockey, long walks on the beach. Dislikes: mean people, baseball. http://www.bikehogs.ch Girl of the Week -- Andrea, 19, Student. Likes: pineapple, snowboarding, scary movies. Dislikes: fish, when Sandra scares her. P.S. Thank you Jeanine and Lisa for the care packages!!! They arrived on Thursday, when I needed them the most! You girls are the dreamiest of all dreamies! Lisa, do you recognize the fabric from the photo at the top of the page? PANTIES! (your fav. word)