Recently the bike part is severely lacking unless you count the time I spend with the Altitude Simulation Training.
The Quilter part - well happening, but not as much as I would like
The CRAZY part -oh yeah - in SPADES!!!!! And yesterday (Sunday) was NO EXCEPTION.
While at the bike show a couple of months ago, I ended up volunteering for the Toronto Marathon. Initially I was going to be a marshal on my bike. Why not - volunteer on my bike. Could be fun and I would get some bike time and volunteer at the same time. Then during the conversation, I mentioned that last time I worked one of these events, I had driven a truck for them. OOOPS - now I am driving a truck. Seems lots of people DO NOT want to drive a truck.
Several weeks ago, the organizer of the marathon and his logistics guy drove me around to show me where we would be driving. No problem - got that down pat.
Oh yes - I have changed the names in this story to protect the idio--- I mean INNOCENT!!!!
I arrive at Queen's Park at SIX AM!!!! OK - I'm tired already! Now we have to wait - well there are four trucks in all. The first two take off pretty much right away as they are fully staffed (two per truck) and they have the first pit stop stuff. Yes - that is what we had in the trucks - tables, chairs, gatorade, and other supplies. I am the last to leave because of the location of my stops. But where is my co-pilot????? Some idiot man did not show up. No problem - I am OK to drive the truck myself.
I arrive at the first pit stop - right outside the Hilton on University Street. Lesson learned - that little strip of rubber off the back step of the truck is NOT sturdy enough to support me. For some reason, the very FIRST time I get out of the back of the truck - I GRACEFULLY fell right onto University Street - right outside the Hilton. You are KIDDING ME!!!!!!
Thankfully I fell into the curb lane as there were cars coming - oh crap, but I hopped right back up and said "I'm OK!!!!!" even though there was no one to hear me. Thank god I did not have a co-pilot. Didn't appear to be any damage except that the fleshy part under my thumb was sore. Well no time to waste - let's get this truck unloaded. Fortunately the pit stop people were waiting by this time and they helped unload the truck.
Then off to the next top which was down by the Humber River foot bridge. The pit stop was in a park several hundred feet off the parking lot. There was a wide enough path to back the truck down and since I had time - I backed the truck down. Unloaded my stuff and off to the next stop. I was "fortunate" enough to get my co-pilot at this stop. A young fellow who was attending school to become a fire fighter.
We dropped off the rest of the stuff and all was very uneventful. Then we headed up to the beginning of the marathon (Mel Lastman Square) and started to pick up the stuff that had been dropped off.
Now if any of you have participated in a marathon, you know that people tend (especially on a cold, rainy day) to dress in layers and once they start running - they shed said layers. There were HEAPS and HEAPS of clothing at the start and for several kilometers - right on YONGE STREET. Anyway an organization was supposed to pick up the clothing, but they did not arrive - probably because it was raining. We each had something we were picking up - I got gatorade tubs - yeah - nice and light. But we helped each other. We were going to put the clothing (WET) into bags and drop them off at a shelter. FORGET THAT. It was a disaster and it all went onto the garbage truck.
This is our convoy. Now I have to tell you about my co-pilot. Although he was a good worker, he spent an enormous amount of time on the phone with his girl friend. And he got all soft and mushy when he talked to her. Yes - he was HEN PECKED!!!! At lunch he opted to get a ride back to his car and go home because she wasn't feeling well. Good grief!!!!! So yes - I was now by myself again. And I was OK with that.
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| Unloading the garbage truck |
Everything was going merrily along. We zigzagged across the city picking up clothes, garbage, tables, chairs, gatorade tubs and various other stuff. We unloaded the garbage truck and THEN we arrived at the parking lot which had the pit stop 200 meters off the parking lot. I suggested that rather than taking all four trucks down that path - that we take ONE truck down - load up all the stuff and back out. However remember that I was the ONLY woman on the truck crew and the other drivers and co-pilots were IDIOTS - I mean MEN. The guy with the empty truck went down the path and the others decided to follow. I WALKED. I grabbed my three gatorade tubs and walked back to my truck. I waited - one truck backed down the path, the second truck backed down the path and the third truck decided to TURN AROUND on the SOGGY GROUND.
Yep - you can guess what happened!!!!!
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| The STUCK truck - I am in the parking lot |
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| How many men does it take to determine that the truck is NOT going anywhere without a tow truck????? |
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| NOT going anywhere!!!! |
I watched the scenario from the parking lot. And I was yelling at the idiot who got stuck!!!!! Now we had radios in the truck and the poor fellow (idiot!) had to call our head guy who was somewhere else on the course and tell him that he was stuck!!! I thought I was going to die LAUGHING!!!!! Especially since this particular person said right to my face - OH NO PROBLEM - I can drive in there!!!! I thought I was going to have to use the porta potty. Anyway - after sitting in the truck yelling - I TOLD YOU SO and thinking it would be insulting to walk down to the stuck truck - I couldn't resist. And you bet I had my camera at the ready!!!!! Ended up that the idiot had to wait for a tow truck - a BIG tow truck while our poor leader was incredulous that a truck had got stuck there, especially after I had been warned and passed on the warning. Apparently this guy has a reputation for having a mishap with trucks in the past. I wonder if he will drive the next year???????
Do you know how many Gatorade tubs I picked up??????
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| A LOT - they go all the way to the front of the truck!!!! |
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| A lovely box of chocolate |
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| FOUR more boxes of chocolate |
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| ELEVEN more boxes of chocolate |
Each box had 7 bags of chocolate
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| And it is YUMMY!!!!!! |
So if you get chocolate from me in the next couple of weeks - you will know where it came from.
I also got a huge box of Vector cereal, and two other boxes of stuff - cold compress bandages and some vitamins or something.
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| Cereal boxes |
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| All the loot |
Overall it was a FUN day - a LONG day and a PHYSICALLY exhausting day. My poor arm was pretty sore for a couple of days after the fall but seems to be OK now. I was VERY lucky that nothing broke!!!!
Just another chapter in the crazy life of a cyclist that quilts!!!!
Have a great day!!!!
Ciao!!!!!
Somehow I don't think chocolate is enough after all that!
ReplyDeleteLaDonna