Hi guys, This is mighty unusual, but I feel this is a great cause and want to know if you would like to help your little swannie out here. Have you heard about the Heart & Stroke Big Bike Ride? Basically a group of us get together and raise money for heart & stroke by riding the world's biggest bike. This bike is retro-fotted for 30 riders!! Well. My work place is putting together a couple of teams. I want to extend a plea to you guys for sponsorship. I'm not asking to break the bank, but just a couple of dollars to aid in heart and stroke research. This means alot to me as I have family members who have suffered from strokes and heart attacks. More recently my neice has been diagnosed with a heart condition, and being that she's only 11, I hope that we can work together to find cures and whatnot ... Gee. I'm not too good at this, am I? Anyway. H&S has set up an online page for me to accept CC donations. If you'd like to donate and help me raise some money, please visit this site: Big Bike 2008 And put in my name: Yolanda Tran I'm with team Tip Top Tailors IF you can help out, awesome ... if not, that's groovy, just wish me luck on a giant bike next week. Thanks! SJ

Have fun riding SJ. I have seen it being ridden by different teams around the GTA at various times. My class just raised just over $400 for the Heart and Stroke foundation. I was really impressed with them.

Good luck on the ride! Before I became a mother I used to go cycling on weekends. I think my body would go into shock if I suddenly got on a bike again. I miss it though. Better than a spin class... I've started to learn to go jogging with a three wheeler pram... Good luck and I hope you raise a lot of money.

Thanks guys for your encouragement! I love the Big Bike Ride, it's a lot of fun and is for a great cause. Because we are Tip Top Tailors, we all have to wear suits on the bike ... Last year they made us girls wear tuxedos - it was damn hot, but damn we looked good! This year the boys wear suits and we gals wear business attire ... I'll post pics when we're done! I want to say a huge and heartfelt thanks to Ilborgia (almost typed your real name there, kiddo!) for her donation!! Girl, you are the best! Thank you so much! And now, back to work - sigh .... SJ

Good luck SJ and don't get a heart attack riding your bike too much.

I'm all for heart and stroke research -I swear, every male relative my boyfriend has, in his parent's generation, has had a heart attack (though they didn't all die) and now the BF is on Lipitor for his cholesterol!

What a great cause, SJ! Best of luck with the ride! <--- Hope this doesn't happen to you!.

Can't wait to see the pics...best of luck to the Tip Top Tailors!

Originally posted by lborgia88 I'm all for heart and stroke research -I swear, every male relative my boyfriend has, in his parent's generation, has had a heart attack (though they didn't all die) and now the BF is on Lipitor for his cholesterol!

My Dh has high cholesterol, but he refuses to take Lipitor...stubborn male...arrggghh

Originally posted by SJ_SwanJun Because we are Tip Top Tailors, we all have to wear suits on the bike ... Last year they made us girls wear tuxedos - it was damn hot, but damn we looked good! SJ

Oh, yes!! Now I remember you mentioning this last year. I watched for your team on the news. It must have been the same weekend last year, because I was up in Owen Sound that weekend as well. I hope it will be cooler for you this year.

Originally posted by Ebonyswanne

Originally posted by lborgia88 I'm all for heart and stroke research -I swear, every male relative my boyfriend has, in his parent's generation, has had a heart attack (though they didn't all die) and now the BF is on Lipitor for his cholesterol!

My Dh has high cholesterol, but he refuses to take Lipitor...stubborn male...arrggghh

I'm fortunate that my BF's line of work is hospital administration, so he always knows what the newest or most effective drugs are, and is quite willing to take them. His medicine cabinet is actually more of a medicine closet. I developed seasonal allergies a couple years ago (damned if I know why) and now, if I so much as sneeze, BF is after me with various pills. A couple months ago he had the flu and he was taking oxycodone (a narcotic) to help himself sleep better!

Yes...I'd say Oxycodone would help him sleep...when I had it...I ended up cleaning the entire apartment and decorated for Xmas! LOL Pain? What pain? Pneumonia? Never heard of it! But man, when it wore off... See kids...DON'T DO DRUGS! IT MAKES YOU DO HOUSEWORK! LOL

Now that's an anti-drug commercial if I ever heard one!

Kimi - My DH would by the store out if saw your post...

Originally posted by kimiko Yes...I'd say Oxycodone would help him sleep...when I had it...I ended up cleaning the entire apartment and decorated for Xmas! LOL Pain? What pain? Pneumonia? Never heard of it! But man, when it wore off... See kids...DON'T DO DRUGS! IT MAKES YOU DO HOUSEWORK! LOL

It didn't make my BF do housework! My only experience with the good stuff was codeine, after I had my wisdom teeth extracted when I was 15 -I was hallucinating that I was flying, doing loop-de-loops in the air in the backyard.

Hmmm...what can I say...CODEINE IS MY FRIEND!

Originally posted by SJ_SwanJun just wish me luck on a giant bike next week. Thanks! SJ

Good luck this weekend on the ride SJ. I will wish it now seeing as I will be away for the next week now that school/work is done for the summer, and my classroom is all packed up.

Codeine? That's the stuff that severely depresses my MIL. In hospital, in pain, and a painkiller that depresses her. I wonder how many others people are depressed in the hospital, and it's really a side-effect of the painkiller? Way to go Swannie! They do really good work. My 36 year old brother has level 4 heart failure, and a goodly number of Mom's family has heart problems. My donation for the year went through the kids for Jump Rope for Heart (580 kids earned over $7000!, great experience for them), but I'll be cheering you on in spirit.

I hope your bike ride went well, SJ!