The Joy of Rediscovering Joy

I was at the bike shop today and Rich was talking about the ride they had that morning ("they" being a group of locals and visiting tourists). He had seen me the day before on my way to work and remarked that he caught sight of me passing them in the opposite direction and how I should join them for rides. I told him that I was actually riding my bike to work, and that it's really the only way lately that I've been able to get more miles out of an already jam packed schedule. Being married with a family, it's hard to work all day, go home, then suit up and hit the road for a three hour bike ride. That doesn't tend to go over too well if you pull that stunt three or four times a week.

So for the last month, or month and a half, I've been getting up earlier and earlier so I can spend more time riding into work, and getting as much riding in before everyone wakes up. That way my riding is out of the way and I don't have to spend evenings away from the munchkin.

I don't know that I'd call myself a "morning person" but I wouldn't NOT call myself a "morning person" if you get my drift. I've never been against getting up early, but life and lifestyle have worked together to ensure that the opposite was true. I wouldn't call myself "not a morning person" and would instead classify myself as "a late night person". Being a programmer, and working in advertising, it's not unusual for me to stay up late into the evening... um... working. Or, even if I'm not working, using that time to "unwind" with a little Xbox.

Okay, a LOT of Xbox.

But the last couple of months have been a real change for me. I've been riding my bike so much that I really am pretty much exhausted most evenings and have been going to bed earlier and earlier. As a result, I've been getting up earlier and earlier as well. It's now no big deal to set the alarm for 6 AM and find that I'm awake and ready to get out of bed thirty minutes or more before the alarm goes off. I'm not sluggishly getting out of bed either, but bounding out of bed, making breakfast, coffee, and finding that by the time the alarm's about ready to go off, I'm anxiously shuffling around the house getting cycling clothes on and filling water bottles.

So the day begins, and I have to tell you, I'm LOVING it. Getting up early is one thing, but getting on the bike, starting down the driveway, and heading out of the neighborhood as the sun's coming up is becoming one of life's great joys for me. It's tremendously rewarding to be getting out on the road at a time when nobody is about, and the only noises you hear are the sounds of the rest of the outdoors slowly waking up around you. Even in the middle of the summer there's the briefest of moments where the leftover chill of the previous evening still hangs in the air, and you're off on an easterly heading towards the constant roar of the ocean.

On most days in the summer you couldn't pay me to be down on Ocean Blvd, but I'm here to tell you right now, that Ocean Blvd is a totally different place when the sun's peeking up over the horizon. Being on the east coast, and particularly on the Grand Strand, the sun rises just to the north east, at about 2 o'clock on the horizon, so as I head north to work, it's just to my right and casts long diagonal shadows along the street in front of me. The air is crisp, there's the slightest hint of salt in the air, and you're reminded once again why you chose to live here, and why you fell in love with the ocean and living along the coast.

Now, most people don't even go to work along the ocean and even fewer ride a bicycle. So if you're reading this at home and doing the math, you're right, that's a pretty rare commodity. It's a nice feeling knowing that at 42 years old, you can still find joy and inspiration in the simplest of pleasures.

I think I'll add "Early morning bike rides along the ocean" to the list.

Eat This, Not That! - 10 secrets to picking the perfect protein.

When it comes to picking a protein, you'll find there's a lot to digest before you sit down to eat. Nearly everything you buy at the supermarket comes with a story, a collection of proclamations that are as ambiguous as they are bold. The USDA has its hands full trying to regulate these claims, leaving a gaping hole for manufacturers to fill with fluff. So whether you're planning to feast on fowl or binge on beef, be on high alert when meandering the meat section of your local market. Here are some clues to the most important-and commonly abused-terms in the industry.

Read More...

Joker Bobblehead!

Come on, click me. I bobble!

How could you not love something like this. Saw it on the DC Universe Online site and when I saw the little "share" button, I knew I had found my soulmate.

Bobble, bobble!

Teaching a man to fish... with a bicycle.

I've been pretty hardcore riding my bike now for about seven months. I've put almost 3000 miles on my Trek Alpha Series 2200 since January. In that time I've slowly been engulfed by the world of "cycling". I started reading "Bicycling" magazine in the bookstore, then decided that, at $11 a year, it was actually not a bad idea to subscribe to it, lest I generate ill will at Books-A-Million for being a lecherous loitering sort. I started following "cyclists" on Twitter and as a result have started to read more cycling blogs, visit more cycling websites, and subscribing to cycling email newsletters of all shapes and sizes. In short, I've pretty much "gotten into it".

I bought my Trek a few years ago. At the time, I was really into mountain biking and was taking regular trips up to Poinsett State Park in Sumter to ride the "Killer Three Loop". I was enjoying that so much that I thought maybe a road bike could help me build endurance during the week when I wasn't able to take off and get out of town. I wasn't really actively looking for a road bike, but would regularly visit my LBS ("Local Bike Shop" for those of you who aren't familiar with the jargon) and sort of wander around seeing what I could get that was in my price range of "I'm new and don't really need a $4000 carbon racing bike". Luckily, (or unluckily depending on who you are) somebody locally (I still don't know who) lost their wife tragically to breast cancer and as a result put both of "their" bikes up for consignment as "he" didn't really want to ride anymore without "her" (I know..sad, right?). So, being in the right place at the right time, I was able to get a really nice, what some would consider a somewhat high end road bike for just under my price/pain threshold. A couple of months of layaway later and I had a bike that I rode a little here and there, but never really gravitated to because of course at the time, my first love was my Cannondale F600 Mountain Bike.

That all changed over the winter when I finally decided that I was going to get into shape and improve my cardiovascular health in order to stay off cholesterol and high blood pressure medication. I bought some rollers, took the Trek into my LBS for a nice cleaning and overhaul, and started riding it in the garage nightly. When it got warm enough, I moved outside, increased my mileage and really haven't looked back. I recently started commuting to work in an effort to increase my miles per day (around 30 or so round trip), and I've really started to become passionate about riding my bike, or...as they say, "cycling".

Naturally, this led me to start thinking about upgrading my bike. This spring I started riding with a group of local cyclists and there's definitely a tendency to get caught up in the whole mentality of "man, I need to get a carbon frame" or "it sure would be nice to have some nicer wheels" or "how about that Dura-Ace group, eh?" and I absolutely was feeling that.

I call it, "Peloton Peer Pressure".

I began saving up money since about March or April and figured, with careful budgeting, and good timing (I get paid weekly on Thursday, but my bills are monthly, so months like July, which have 5 Thursdays in them are sort of considered "gimmes" with an extra paycheck) I'd have enough money to really throw down on a nice road bike in August. I've been looking at the 2010 Madones, some of the higher end carbon Felts, a couple of models of Cervelos, and I'd somewhat narrowed the field to the new Trek Madones (it is, after all, the bike "Lance Rides") and was just waiting to see what kind of deal my LBS could offer me if I paid cash.

Then I started to get cold feet.

Well, not really cold feet, but I started to think, "Do I really need a new bike?" and, "what would be a better use of my money?" I kept thinking how much I wanted to learn how to actually work on my bike. Not just clean and maintain it, but REALLY work on it. I realized if I could learn, and I mean really learn, how to work on my bike, I could not only prolong the life of my bike, but I could slowly replace older, worn out parts with much better parts over the course of the next year or so, and wind up with a much better bike. Then, rather than simply going out and buying a new bike, I could start to shop for a nicer frame, and by the time next summer rolled around, I could have a much better bike for far less money, not have to outlay a huge amount of money at once, and really go a long way towards being self sufficient in terms of being able to work on, and prolong the life of my bike. In other words, instead of going out and simply buying a fish, I'd concentrate on learning to fish.

So after a bit of Googling, and some followup conversations with some people that have chosen the same path, I decided to enroll in the United Bicycle Institute. Unfortunately, the bad news is that the October class for "Introduction to Bicycle Maintenance" is full, but the good news is, after contacting the UBI, I've learned that they're in the process of opening a second location in Portland Oregon and I'm now on the waiting list to get into the classes that they'll be launching this October!

I'm so excited. This feels like such a good decision. In keeping with 2009's theme of "self-improvement" I have to think that this is a much better use of my time, money, and energy!

Why Parents are Helpless Against Junk Food

I found this fascinating quote today:

"There is hope. But it requires strong willed parents who can help their children feel good about their food choices, and not feel like social outcasts."fooducate.com, Jul 2009

You should read the whole article.