Lessons Learned Updated

I shared my sad news about my house break-in a couple weeks ago. Now, I'll share an update about lessons learned...another lesson that I should have learned; my husband loves to bring home surprises. After the break-in he decided a nice big dog would be part of the home security updates. Actually, she is still a little dog. We have named her Bella, a tip of the hat to the German Shepherd we had years ago named Shayna. Both names mean Beautiful. Bella is now 9 weeks old and weighed 13.4 pounds as of last weekend. The receptionist at the Vet’s laughed at my daughter and said, “You probably won’t be carrying her next time you come”.

So, my house being broken into will end up costing us more money than what was taken, but our getting Bella will pay us back a thousand times over. R.

Lessons Learned

I have been with Kryptonite for almost 15 years, working in Customer Service. One of the unfortunate occurrences that Customer Service has to deal with is Bike Theft. Any type of theft is indeed a personal violation, and unfortunately it became all too personal to me last week.

I arrived home from work to find that my house had been broken into. Some small electronics were stolen. Ah, but let me talk about the jewelry….. My mother’s ring, which she inherited from my father’s mother….gone. That was the deepest cut of all. Also many other pieces of jewelry, jewelry received from my husband throughout our many years of marriage. My husband and daughter also lost jewelry. And no pictures and no receipts for that jewelry.

Other “things” were stolen; tote bags, a bike messenger bag, some antique sterling silver knick knacks that were also passed down from my parents. No receipts, no pictures…..no proof of ownership.

There is so much to be grateful for; no one was hurt, my “watch cats”, though ineffective, hid well and are safe.

My sense of security is gone. Thinking of my house as a safe haven….gone.

My advice to all: If you have any “thing” that is important to you or would be expensive to replace, take pictures of the items and the receipts. Keep them in a safe deposit box.

Security is my business. And I have to tell myself what I have told many before. We do the best we can to deter the thievery, but if someone wants something bad enough, they’re gonna get it!

Hmmm, I wonder how the watch cats would feel about a nice, big dog.

R.

The Perfect Storm

by Rob Zuraski, Director New Product Development

The planets seemed to align this past weekend to create the perfect storm this past Friday and ideal conditions to snowmobile up in northern NH. I was also surprised to come home after riding 90 miles Sunday morning to find perfect weather for an evening ride on the motorcycle.

Driving conditions were a bit rough on our trip up north and I had a first experience as a passenger in a powerslide in a truck towing a 4 place trailer after going through the Notch in northern NH. Luckily my friend Brad was able to recover after seeing the trailer on both sides of the truck. Whew!

If you are into snowmobiling or snow sports and need to get your last run in for the season there still appears to be plenty of snow up in NH but check the forecast before heading up. Here are some pictures from our trip!

Trail on way up to Stub Hill Pond

Stub Hill Pond

Perfectly groomed trails!

Unmanned gas pumps in the middle of no where just for us!

Perfect day for dog sledding too!

Devin, Brad and Tony

Congratulations Nicole & Gregg!

I mentioned a couple of months ago that there would be a few Team Kryptoniters getting married this year...first up...Nicole Hoffman!

Nicole married her long-time boyfriend, Gregg Roesch recently on the beach in Key West. How cool is that? Marriage must agree with her because we saw her last weekend at the powersports show and she was beaming from ear to ear all weekend.

Congrats to Nicole, Gregg and the pooches! We all wish you a lifetime of happiness and laughter.

All Things Perewitz

I went down to visit our friends at Perewitz Cycle Fab yesterday. I spent a lot of time with Dave, Susan and Jody talking over some things for next year. Got to see Dee and catch up with her for a bit. Jaren was on her way out the door (I'll bet she was going holiday shopping with the days ticking). Of course I got to spend some quality time with my buds Cheech, Louie & Zipp, too. Zipp even decided to take a nap on my lap. I just love that dog.

Didn't see even one of the guys in the shop because they were busy, busy, busy! But, I did pick up a few things I thought I'd share...

Dave and Susan just returned from Ft. Lauderdale where they were enjoying some warm weather and partcipating in the Toys in the Sun Run. It's a HUGE event with over 30,000 people. Can you imagine?! It's billed as the world's largest toy run. I wouldn't doubt it. They even close down Route 95, which is the main route from Maine to Florida, for hours! That's something to see. As a matter of fact, I found a couple of photos, one of the riders and one of the spectators. I'm sure there are more photos and I'd love to see them so leave a link in the comments section!

I hear that not only did Dave participate but he was also in the front of the parade of motorcycles with none other than Aerosmith's main man, Steven Tyler. It seems Steven has put his name on a line of motorcycles now. Good deal. That Dave knows just about everyone doesn't he?

And then there is Miss Jody....as most people who have ever been to Perewitz Cycle Fab or seen them on the road know, Jody is very involved with the business end of things - marketing, apparel, shows, travel etc. etc. etc. What many people don't know is that Jody builds motorcycles, too. It's not something she does all the time, but she can and she does. Well, now more people are about to find out about this talent of hers (seriously, do you doubt that there is talent in her genes?!). Anyway...Jody and Sara Liberte announced this week that they are building a Bobber for a Cure. They are going to do this live during three different Northeast Motorcycle Expos this winter/spring - Boston, Hartford and Long Island. The press release has all the dates.

Now, not only will you be able to see them working on this motorcycle - building it and rebuilding it three times - but you'll be able to buy raffle tickets and possibly win it in the end. All proceeds go to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. That's very cool!

What else? Oh, I've started to write for Life at Perewitz, the "Plog" of Perewitz Cycle Fab. Since I was there last night, I'll have my second post soon so visit often and find out who is on Santa Susan's Naughty List! You might not believe who it is!

And, finally, the gang at Perewitz Cycle Fab want to wish you a happy hoilday season. Their holiday open house is this weekend from 11-4. Santa will even be there to see the kids. I'll be there in the afternoon for sure. All the details are on their website.

Random Photos

I love taking photos, it's a hobby of mine. But, I also like to get photos to check out sometimes - breaks up the day and usually, the photos that are sent to me are interesting.

Here are some photos I've collected over the last couple of months. They are completely random, but I hope you find one or two interesting.

John K. sent me this photo taken this Fall in Washington state. Isn't that gorgeous?

Kryptonite in NYC!

Squid's been messengering in NYC for 15 years. Check out the lock that keeps his bike safe.

John B. sent us this photo of how he found his cable lock after returning from work one night. But, his bike was at the train station waiting for him (lock was opened by the owner, not the would-be thief)

Our friend Tim Jackson shows us all alternative uses for our products. Bling!

This is Sprocket. Sprocket belongs to Team Kryptonite member Nicole Hoffman and she did the whole "dress the doggie" for Halloween deal. Makes me giggle every time I look at it. I understand the dress the doggie bit because I used to dress up my Rottie...yes, I did....yea, she didn't think it was a good idea either, but she was very good about it. Sprocket looks ready to fly off that bed and tear into the costume. HA!

See You at the Perewitz Bike Night Tonight!

Tim and I will both be at the Perewitz Bike Night tonight. If you are in the area, c'mon down and say 'hi'. I haven't seen Dave, Jody, Susan and the rest of the team since Sturgis so I'm looking forward to hearing all about it. That, and seeing my four legged friends, too, of course.

Zipp's the official greeter at Perewitz Cycle Fab

See you there!

8 Random Things

My friend Tim tagged me....he wants to know (and wants all of you to know) 8 things about me that you didn't already know...seriously? 8 things...ok...here we go...

1. I've said before that I have an 'events background'. What does that mean? My first job out of college was working for the Boston Athletic Association. They are the organizers of the Boston Marathon. No, I wasn't a volunteer, I was an actual employee. I was there for 6 races. During that time, I was also a consultant for a company called DMSE. I'm a little biased, but I think they put on the best events anywhere. I learned so, so much from working with Dave McGillivray both at the marathon and at DMSE.

2. For the past 16 years or so, I have been involved with the Falmouth Road Race. It all started when I was at the Boston Marathon. I went down to volunteer in the press area for the lady who has had the biggest impact in my career, Sue Smith. Everyone needs a mentor and she has been mine; she provided the foundation for all of my career successes. Anyway...Falmouth...I went from volunteer to organizing the media efforts, back to volunteer (job change those years) and then back to organizing the media efforts and, in most recent years, working the media credentialing on race weekend and organizing the press tent and athlete escorts. I love every minute of it - hey, who wouldn't like "working" on the beach for a weekend? The Cigna Falmouth Road Race is in less than a week.....I can't wait to see the co-directors and the other dear friends that I don't see often enough!

3. The first person I met in the cycling industry (aside from the triathlon folks) was Rob Vandermark (long before Seven was formed). But, not in the capacity that you'd think. He had just created the first titanium racing wheelchair. It was light, fast and pretty darn cool - won a lot of races and set some world records, too.

4. The first bike race I attended was the Fitchburg Longsjo Classic back in 1991, with some friends. Didn't know a thing about bike racing; just went for the fun of being with friends. Went back to the same race in 1996, with a good friend to watch her new boyfriend compete. I learned a lot that year about tactics, teams and chalking the road (yes we did!). It was a blast - and the new boyfriend, who later became a husband to my friend, won the race.

5. Non-career fact? I don't eat meat. I'd say 'vegetarian' but I do eat fish sometimes so I don't know if that counts in the truest sense of vegetarianism, but no meat for me. Not since 1989.

6. I'm an animal lover (gee...you might have guessed by the previous fact). I love all kinds of animals, but I love big dogs the most, probably. Grew up with German Shepherds, but my favorite are Rotties. I had the friendliest doggie you'd ever meet who was a Rottie. Until she passed, she'd come here to the office and made friends with everyone in the company. Not a mean bone in her body.


7. I'm a NASCAR fan. Big. Huge. Grew up at race tracks in New England - racing is in my blood. On a Sunday I'm watchin' the race (or at least have it on while I'm doing other things). Favorite driver? Jeff Gordon. Hands down. But, I am also a Jimmie Johnson fan and a Dale Jr fan - I can't tell you how happy I am that they will all be racing for the same team next year. I've been to races at Loudon and Bristol. Been to Fontana but not for a NASCAR event, saw an IRL race there.

8. My favorite movie of all time is Moonstruck. Hands down. I just love all the nuances of the Italian family depicted in the movie. Perfect.

That's it...8 things you probably didn't know about me before right now. Do you feel better knowing all that? I can't imagine how, but I'll play along....so now I get to tag 5 people...

1. Carlton Reid - Quickrelease.tv
2. Roland Burns - R.E.Load bags
3. Jill Hamilton - Haro Bicycles
4. Jonathan Maus - Bike Portland
5. Chipps Chippendale - Singletrack Magazine

Can't wait to hear what you five have to say!

Congratulations, Nicole!

It must be wedding 'season' or something. Our very own Team Kryptonite member, Nicole Hoffman, has found a guy that can keep up with her speedy life. She's just announced her engagement to her beau, Gregg.

This also means that her pooch, Sproket, gets 2 instant playmates in Gregg's two Boxers. It's all good! (FYI - I'm sure all you readers will be meeting Sproket in the not-too-distant-future).

Congratulations Nicole and Gregg! We are all very happy for you.