Monday, June 26, 2006

Blog resolve fading

I've been terrible about posting. Sometimes I get on these kicks where I do something religiously (brush my teeth, cook for myself, bike every weekend, etc.) for a while, but then I skip one day and everything falls apart. Classes while I was in school were like this, as was martial arts when I did that, and fencing too. I don't like being the kind of person who is so flaky when it comes to commitments, especially self-commitments. I don't know if it's a responsibility thing, wanting to quit, or just laziness. In any case I don't want blogging to become like that. I really do want to learn to write better and I think that this is helping. By the way, harassing me about it won't help. As my friends and parents know, this can solidify my failure into a will to fail.

Wedding Attended:

My roommates got married last Saturday. It was a good ceremony and reception, not much more to say about that. They had some edible Legos as party favors (or whatever they're called at weddings) and that was pretty neat. As usual when I get dressed up I forgot something. This time I forgot my belt and had mismatched shoes. I tried to find a belt at my parents' house, but there was no hope of wearing the two belts I found in my father's closet. As for the mismatched shoes, I have two pairs of dress shoes and they look pretty similar. Every so often I grab the wrong two. At least this time I got a right and a left rather than two rights that I grabbed for another wedding.

Mountain bikes ridden:
Bob and I went biking at Seven Oaks after work today. According to Bob's cycle-computer the course is now a full 12 miles. Wow, it's tough. The first half is very tight and there is a lot of climbing and not a lot of opportunities for carrying speed or resting. The second half is much more relaxed and makes you feel like you can at least attempt another lap.


I only crashed a couple of times and I seem to be getting pretty good at the uphill switchbacks. The downhill switchbacks are another story however. I get unnerved and feel like I'm going to crash. One of these days I'll gain some confidence on these and then I'll be a much better rider. I'd better hurry though. 24 hours of 9 Mile is coming up soon. Oh, and if anyone is heading through or near Ames on their way up to Wausau and has room for another bike and rider I'd like to beg a ride.

Adding to the list of demoralizing things I've heard recently:
Dave Nice, the awesome guy whom I met on TI, had his bike stolen on the GDR. Add this to the rash of stolen seatposts and headlights in Ames, the theft of a good customer's new (and well deserved) bike, and a cyclist getting beaten up by an SUVer in Des Moines and you might say I'm not feeling so great about being a cyclist. Sometimes I feel like the whole world is against us. I know I shouldn't let it get me down, but somedays I feel like throwing in the towel, getting a car, a credit card, phone, mortgage, and taking up golf. I suppose golfers have their problems too.

5 comments:

mr. f. g. superman said...

Amen to the first part of your last statement, but poo poo to the secondly mentioned settling down to the regularly prescribed wastes of time. I admit I golf from time to time, but a pox upon normalcy.

By the way, I enjoy reading your blog...keep up the good work. Besides, at least you're more regular than Paul. Where are you?!?!?!?

mr. f. g. superman said...

I have been feeling a little mentally irregular...I'll take your advice. Anything you can recommend to loosen up the gray matter?

Matt Maxwell said...

Don't worry, I wasn't too serious about the second part. I couldn't be normal if I tried...and I haven't.

Anybody up for Seven Oaks this weekend?

mr. f. g. superman said...

I'd be game on Monday or Tuesday the 4th.

Anonymous said...

Yeah, I feel the drag of biking amongst all the Hummers down here in Jacksonville. I'm lucky in that my trip to work is relatively painless and I can safely stash my bike once I'm there. Good thing you're only joking about the very last bit... I might've had a heart attack or something. No abandoning the ranks of the weird! Too many people I know are getting married, buying houses, having kids, and becoming far, far too normal.