Happy New Year!

2010 is finally at an end. Actually, this end has come rather quickly. As I look back over the year I have discovered a few things, or perhaps just come to realize the obvious. I didn't spend as many hours on the bike as I had told myself I would. The riding I did, though, seemed to be more productive than in years past. I feel my performance, though far from stellar, improved significantly. I didn't see the weight loss I had envisioned but, well, it took years to put on this extra baggage. It certainly will not go away overnight.

For years I tried to convince myself that I didn't need to entangle myself in a relationship, all the while trying to find 'the right one'. This year I finally hanged up my dancing shoes. I just decided to let the relationship I had been working on for some time fade away. It worked out pretty well, actually. We are still friends, I think. I just stopped putting in the fruitless effort. It has always felt as though every relationship was heavily dependent upon my efforts. I no longer put significant effort into associations with no return. If all of the effort is mine there is little potential for the future, at least a happy one. I feel no animosity here, just facing reality. A friend once told me he always thought of me as a loner. At the time I found that a bit disconcerting because I didn't really choose that route. But perhaps it is equally apt when it is a factor of the environment as when it is a choice. I always said I was alone by choice, just who's choice I was not sure.

I have been working a fair amount of overtime lately. Usually 6 days a week. I have never been a fan of OT and do as little as possible, and almost never voluntary. Right now it doesn't bother me much. I have little else going on and I can use the $$$. Unfortunately, the new year will likely bring a drop in demand at work meaning a drop in OT in the winter whenI have little I wish to do. The work load will probably start picking up right about the time the weather improves and I want to get the bikes out. When summer arrives I will probably be working a lot of Saturdays again. Oh well, maybe I can continue to use that as an excuse for not getting into shape.

I have no idea how 2011 is going to develop. There are a great many variables over which I have no control and little influence. That said, I fully intend to continue to make changes. This past year was a good one in many ways, and I hope to keep the progress going. So I say to myself, as well as to all of you out there who may stumble across this blog...Happy New Year!!!

ME

I've got to do it my way

I planned to do a lot of riding this year. I did do more than recent years, but not nearly as much as I had hoped. A little over 800 miles, actually. The odd part is how I look at the bikes these days.

I enjoy cycling. I always have, to varying degrees. There is a certain quiet freedom that comes from riding. Riding alone can be a great elixir. It is a feeling similar to the casual walk in the wilderness, though traffic does add a bit of modern, chaos to the mix. It is a time to reflect, to clear the head or maybe tune out completely. This is a rare time I think of nothing else that goes on in life. No work, no headlines, nothing but me and the road ahead.
I also enjoy riding with friends. It is a healthy activity to share with people as a common interest. Whether it is a shared interest in just the open road itself (a social event) or a competitive rivalry it helps strengthen relationships.

For me, there is a mechanical aspect to it as well. I tend to personalize my bikes to serve my distinct purposes. One major quirk involved here is the fact that I am very poor at traveling light. When I go to work I carry more tools than anyone outside of maintenance. When I travel to visit family I carry an excess of crap that I may or may not need. On the bike that leads to racks and bags.
On the mountain bike I put a rack on the back and a trunk type bag. I can carry a substantial amount of cargo in there. I then put a rack on the old 10-speed. Sometime after I got the recumbent I bought a rack for it as well. This all happened over a span of several years with a recent acceleration.

This year I decided I could use the mountain bike as a grocery getter so I bought a pair of grocery panniers. Tried them once with disappointing results. They fit the Blackburn rack I had on the bike but the rack lacked the extended rail on the rear to keep the bag from sagging and rubbing the tire. I upgraded to a Sunlite rack that appears as though it will solve the problem. I haven't had a chance to try it out yet.
I enjoy riding fairly long rides at times which may require more hauling capacity. In particular, some of the later rides of the year demand more clothing that may need to be shed later in the day. With the racks and bags I have on the three bikes listed above that is of little concern. On my old Cannondale the story is a little different.

The Cannondale lacks the eyelets found on the others for mounting accessories. I thought I would have to come up with some unique system to carry anything on that one. It is not something I would do often but I barely had enough room for my wallet and cell phone, much less a spare tube, tools, etc... that may be wise to carry on a long ride. I don't like carrying much in my jersey pockets. I just find it annoying.
I was just about to start working on schemes to remedy this situation when I stumbled across the Axiom Streamliner DLX rack. This is a rack designed for road bikes with a narrow profile, which is supposed to help keep the load closer to the center of gravity and crate less of an effect on aerodynamics. I have doubts about this latter point and really am not concerned about the former. For me the benefit of this rack is the mounting system. It attaches to the quick-release skewer and the brake-mounting bolt. From what I have read, this rack is not as stable with heavy loads as other racks but I don't envision that as an issue for me. I'll ride the others when I want to carry much weight.

This October I rode in the most rigorous tours I usually participate. The Great Pumpkin Metric and the Hilly Hundred. They were on consecutive weekends with a total of 172 miles. This year the GPM was as challenging as I have ever known it to be. It was cool, a high of around 60° and really windy. The following weekend I found the Saturday route on the Hilly easier than in years past, contrary to most of my friends. Maybe I was in better shape this time around or perhaps the GPM was a good warm-up for it.
The second day of the Hilly was new to me. I had never tried it before because in previous years I was too tired after Saturday's course to attempt it. I decided to take the heavier bike, the 10-speed, on Sunday, because I felt that the lighter Cannondale lacked the proper gearing for me to succeed on the climbs the second day. I was right. The 10-speed is about 6 pounds heavier but I have modified it with a huge 38 tooth 1st cog on the back. Originally it had a 28t and the Cannondale a 26t. I might have made it up most of the hills on the other bike but I am confident Mt. Tabor would have beaten me. It was tough with the big 38t.

As with everything I do, I am always looking for ways to improve my rides, or at least make the bikes more...me. Some day I will surely by a new bike, my road bikes are 18 and 27 years old, and that new bike will likely be changed in some way. Right now, however, I am happy with the ones I have. They need a little bit of tlc right now but have been very good to me.

ME

Back to the old grind...

Vacation is over and I must return to work tomorrow. In rare form I was pretty busy for most of my time off. It started with a cancelled ride. The Great Indy donut ride was set to kick off my vacation but the first real rain in months had to fall on that particular Saturday morning. Disappointing, but maybe it will be rescheduled. So I hit the road.

Sunday:
I drove to Evansville to spend a few days. A big part of that was the Great Pumpkin Metric, a bicycle tour I have enjoyed many times over the years. I first rode the GPM in 1985, on my ten-speed bike. Since then I have graduated from the 50k (about 31 miles) to the 100k (about 62 miles). It was particularly brutal this year because it was cold (high around 60°) and VERY windy. I chose to ride the same old 10-speed from my first GPM, though it has been through a number of changes since 1985. I enjoyed the 66 mile ride but was worn out. I didn't manage to warm up until I finally got into a hot shower.

Monday:
A short ride around Newburgh, about 14 miles. This terrain I rode many times as a kid but his time I was much heavier and still a bit fatigued from the previous day's riding. Then I tagged along with a friend and his family to check out the West side Nut Club Fall Festival. Pretty much the same as I remember this annual event. Mostly an event to eat the typical fair-type foods like corn dogs, monster ears and fried (insert item here).

Tuesday:
I finally got around to replacing the front brakes on my truck. I have been planning to do it for about a year now. As it turns out, I could have waited. 105,000 miles on the truck and the pads were barely more than half worn. It was an easy job though.

Wednesday:
Drove back home. I didn't really do much that day but I didn't feel like i really got a chance to relax yet.

Thursday:
I went over to a friend's house. I had obligated myself to help him with a repair project on his truck. That project ended up taking the whole day just to take it apart.

Friday:
Replace the lower intake manifold gaskets and reassembly of the various parts. Most of the day is gone.

Saturday:
I took my Cannondale down to Elletsville for Day 1 of the Hilly Hundred. 57 miles of riding with about 5000 other people on rural roads. Unlike the previous weekend's ride, the weather was terrific. Some tough hills but I made it through with no troubles. Saw a few people I know along the way and some great scenery. I should have taken more pictures...maybe next year.

Sunday:
Returned to Elletsville for Hilly Hundred Day 2. I had far less trouble on this day than I expected. This time I was back on the old 10-speed. It is much heavier than the Cannondale but I have a big 1st gear on it, good for climbing hills. I used it several times, especially on Mt. Tabor. That is the one hill I don't think I could have climbed on the other bike. It was a great ride and I still felt pretty good afterward.

Monday:
I was a little sore, a light fatigue, from the weekend. I had some chores I needed to do but chose instead to have a day of relaxation. I didn't do a thing, except started a pot of chili. It will stew over the night in the crock-pot and be really good and thick in the morning. It should be quite tasty.

I am already looking forward to the Hilly Hundred for next year. I just might try to actually train for it next time around...

ME

Time off...

Vacation. The word brings to mind images of tall, cool drinks on a sandy beach. Maybe you prefer a trip to the Rockies or a week in a tent at the local campground.

For me it is usually a week sitting on the couch doing nothing of interest. Rarely do I have any really ambitious plans. This time around I do have some plans. I plan to finally replace the front brakes on my truck. I guess 105,000 is a pretty good number for mileage on a set of brakes. I also have a couple of hundred miles I want to put on the bikes. There are a few other odd things I would like to get done but, well...we'll see.

ME

Graham cracker

I looked through a bit of a newspaper while on break at work. As usual, there was little of interest there. I did, however, run across Billy Graham's column.

A woman wrote asking about a friend. Her friend was a really nice person who was also an atheist. Billy Graham basically said her friend must either not be that nice or was not really an atheist. That is a cynical view of people and reeks of religious arrogance. To say that one must practice a religion to be a nice person is absurd.

Maybe Graham has forgotten the definition of atheist. Perhaps he confused atheist with satanist. That may be a little closer to the truth but still assumes much.

One does not have to believe in a god to be nice. Some people are nice because they have a nice personality. Others are nice because they believe that is the right way to behave.

Conversely, some very 'religious' people are anything but nice. I have known many of these people. The old "holier than thou" attitude is usually part of this. It can be debated whether these people are true believers but that is throwing out data simply because it doesn't lead to the desired result. Some people are just nasty.

The human personality in far too complex to be summed in so simplistic a manner. There is the basic nature of the individual, the socialization of the person (which can, but does not have to include religious teachings) and experiences and interactions with other people throughout one's life. There may be many other factors at play as well, such as environmental factors and habits.

Maybe the reverend has fallen into the trap so many leaders do. To close one's mind to anything that doesn't easily fit into his little paradigm. Even if one is to believe in a god as the "Alpha and Omega", does it make sense to believe he is micro-managing all aspects of who we are? what does that say about free will? Can I not be nice because it is in itself the right thing to do?

New focus

I wrote a draft on this post two months ago. I remember thinking it would be a more positive message dealing with a new focus and striving to make some big changes. I never finished it and have forgotten most of what I had in mind to say. What I had written even failed to bring to mind what I had to say.

So I deleted it to start over. All I do remember is a rare, foolishly optimistic feeling. I had some ideas about making some critical changes. As it turns out, whatever they were are lost in the chasm of a fragmented memory.

Whatever it was, it seems to have been lost for good reason. With every step toward the positive comes another hurdle, each greater than the last. Be it vocational, personal or whatever, the barriers just keep on coming. It is getting to the point that a mere mystery that a year ago would have been cause for optimism is today a point of concern.

Hope springs infernal...
ME

oops...sorry. Forgive me?

There are times I fall into a sort of a philosophical string. Usually it comes to me as I lie, trying to sleep. I typically just run it through until I finally fall into a slumber and it is forgotten. Sometimes I find it important enough, or interesting enough to remember.

Someone on Facebook posted a picture of my 8th grade graduation class. It is a small and grainy photo but it got a long series of comments going. One idea that came up in this discussion was the idea of a reunion....REALLY???

Surely most of them have much nicer memories of their time spent there than I. Most of them had a much better time there than did I, often at my expense. A few of them have tried to contact me, one trying to get in touch with all of us from that class. All but one were unceremoniously ignored.

A reunion sounds like a waste of time to me. I think I would rather curl up with a good book in the MIDDLE of a fire.

This whole line of thinking brought me to the concepts of apologies and forgiveness. Do any of those people owe me an apology? No, I suppose not. Apologies are generally meaningless anyway. They are fine if you accidentally step on someone's blue suede shoes. It really does not mean much if you try to cut off his feet.

Forgiveness is equally senseless. It is a fool's way of saying "the joke is on me. Do it again."

For children these ideas are good tools for training in humility but as adults they often serve little more purpose than to make one feel like they got away with something. It is much like the criminal who finds God in prison or on his deathbed. Never mind that you ruined lives and families with your activities. You are a good person now because you found a bible?

Sometimes we need to set an example by making people feel bad for doing bad things. You cannot expect to deter bad behaviors by rewarding them with kindness. The self serving nature of the human ne'er do well does not work that way.