Change in Plans

Well, this...

... isn't going to happen. Not this year. Oh well, no problem. I have this...

... which is still pretty kick ass. The funds just aren't available this year. Besides, why not wait until disc brakes are less of a novelty on 'cross bikes? I'm am still very excited about 'cross this year. I should have a new set of toobies to race on, and I'm really looking forward to dipping my toes into the Minnesota CX pond. 

I've been riding fairly consistently since mid-march, making sure to do something productive on the bike at least five days a week. I rarely have the time I'd like to dedicate to riding due to the little ones, but I am getting quality rides in, nonetheless. 

That's not a complaint about a lack of time, either. I'm actually really happy with the amount of time I've been able to put in this year. All things considered -- babies, and no plans to enter a road race -- I think I'm further along that I expected to be at this point. 

Really though, what difference does it make? I'm just doing this to stay in shape. 90 percent of the time I ride by myself, so who cares? I feel good, I'm not fat, and I'm happy. That's the whole point, I guess. 

'Cross on the Brain

I've got cyclocross on the brain. I can't stop thinking about it. This is my current rig, but I want something steel. Why? I don't know. Ok, I do know. For some reason, I think steel and cyclocross are meant to be together. I want to ditch this thing and get one of these:

Aside from it's redness, I love the simplicity of this bike. And I love the idea of steel soaking up the bumps in the course. Let's face it: yes, carbon damps vibration, but it doesn't smooth out bumps like steel. Sure, steel is heavier, less curvy, less stiff, but I don't care. I'll just ride more, get faster, and make up the difference by being awesome. 

Maybe I just think a steel cross bike is so much more elegant-looking than my bloated carbon Blue. Not that there's anything wrong with the Blue, whatsoever. It rides nice, handles spectacularly. I guess I'm just on the lookout for something new. As always... 

Today I Deleted My Facebook Account Because Some of My Friends Are Idiots, And So Am I

Today I deleted my Facebook account because some of my friends are idiots. Truth be told, I too, am an idiot, or rather, a dumbass. Truth also be told, it's because of politics. Wisconsin politics, of course. In this case, voter I.D. politics.

I don't understand the peculiar sort of idiot -- and by "idiot" I'm referring to someone incapable of participating, or unwilling to participate in a democratic society, not a dumbass, which is what I am -- that likens needing an I.D. to vote to needing one to buy liquor or Sudafed or some other such trivial item. I also don't understand the mind that can't fathom that not every U.S. citizen lives under the same set of circumstances, and as such, that not every single U.S. citizen has A) the need for an I.D., or B) access to one. One mindset I do understand is the one that believes people who can't afford an I.D., or who can't get to the D.M.V. to get one, shouldn't worry about voting; that they should focus on other priorities instead. I understand that someone who has such a personality is a asshole. (And an idiot.) (And a dumbass.) Is there any other American right more important than the right to vote? Whether a person has an I.D. or not?

I can only hope that these sorts of people who live in states with voter I.D. laws -- as Wisconsin nearly was, and may still turn out to be -- lose their wallets on the way to the polls. While I truly believe the Facebook (and real life) friend who set me off is very intelligent, and is someone with whom I think I would really enjoy a conversation on this topic over some beers, most of people who think like this are not smart enough to realize how important it is to be able to vote. Or that there might be countless reasons for a person not having a voter I.D. That is, of course, unless they themselves are not able to vote for lack of such an I.D. And even then I'm skeptical they would see the light. In any case, to hear them tell it, it's easy and convenient to get the proper I.D., so they'd have no problem heading to the D.M.V. to get a new one so they can vote next time. Hopefully with a new-found appreciation for their, and others', right to vote.

If a person who thinks in this manner is smart enough to realize that poor, elderly, and minority voters are more likely than, say, your average white man, to lack a voter I.D., as well as access to one,  and they still think a voter I.D. is cool, well then they're assholes. This means that they think people who are different than them shouldn't be able to express their voice at the polls. A wholly Un-American, and undemocratic point of view. And if they think it's a fair price to pay to ensure fraud-free elections, then they're dishonest, idiots, or dishonest idiots. Probably dumb-ass assholes, too, like me...

And quite frankly, I am a dumbass asshole for engaging, which I did, before deleting my account. I have my views and they have theirs, and no amount of "commenting" of Facebook is going to change either one of our minds. It's only going to anger us both, and make our next "real life" meeting awkward. 

But I digress.

Politics is not the only reason I quit Facebook. It's a waste of time. And so is this blog, sort of. But at least here I can express myself here in a way that makes sense to me, and be reasonably certain no one will read it unless I show it to them. Plus, blogging been a hobby of mine since about 2004 when I discovered Blogger.

Facebook is just useless voyeuristic web browsing. I don't really care what anyone says on Facebook, even my friends. I don't really care about being connected to people I haven't seen since high school, or other people from my past, either. And I don't really want to be the target of "social marketing" campaigns.

What's the point?

From all the 300 "friends" I had on Facebook, there is literally only one person from my past whom I was glad to "run into", and with whom would not have reconnected if it weren't for Facebook. For that single reconnection, I am indeed grateful because this particular friend is someone I now hang out with regularly, and that I look up to a lot as a fellow dad-type person. I suppose that could happen again, if I found another 300 "friends," but really, who cares? I now stay in regular contact with that one person, and I will continue to do so without Facebook. The rest of the people I care about, I will also maintain contact with, and was doing so without Facebook. Plus I'll have the added benefit of not having to hear about their political viewpoint unless I ask them for it.

On top of all that, Facebook just distracted me too much from my family. It's amazing how addicted I became to scrolling through post after post of shit I didn't care about. Only to get pissed about one measly and stupid political post, which would set me off for an entire day. Useless. Worthless. Waste of time and energy.

So, I downloaded an archive of my page in order to preserve whatever pictures I had posted (those are valuable), and deleted my account. Will this make me a better person? I doubt it. But maybe I'll be less distracted around my family, and less annoyed by people I care about, but whose political views I detest.

Bleeeyech...

Sunday Ride - 3.11.12

So far, the riding I've done in Eau Claire has been nothing short of spectacular. Yesterday (Sunday - 3.11.12) and Saturday, I got out for about three hours each day. Saturday I planned to ride that long, but Sunday I hadn't. It's not that I got lost, but I didn't really do a great job of estimating the distance on the old Googley. Oh well, it was an awesome day for a ride, nonetheless. 

I headed southwest (southwest? Right?) towards Mondovi, first via County F, then cutting over to County B on Cedar Road. I pedaled straight from B onto Double-B, and that's where it got really fun. So many of the roads I've scoped out here in E.C. are twisty, curvy, and hilly. Just the way I like them. It actually reminds me a lot of riding in Seattle. The hills aren't as big, but there's always another one around the next bend. It really takes the edge off a head-wind - you know you're about to be going uphill in the next few minutes anyway, so it's not like you'd be flying if weren't for the head wind.

I can see, too, that as spring progresses and the trees begin to bloom, many of these country roads will be surrounded by lush, green, fragrant foliage. I can't wait. 

Saturday's ride took me to Menominee, pretty much straight west of here, into a really, really wicked head/cross wind coming in west by southwest. It took me two hours to get there, fighting that headwind the whole way on County Roads C and J. Looking back, I probably could've chosen a more interesting route on the way out, but I've only been out on these roads a handful of times. And the rides I did last fall were all on one route that just worked out perfect for the time windows I had available at the time. 

In any case, on the way home, I allowed myself to meander a bit from my original plan both to save time, and just to explore a little. There are so many roads out there, I pretty much zig-zagged my way from Menominee to County E, just west of Old Elk Lake. The wind must have shifted a bit, because as I zigged back east, I had a cross/tail wind, and as I zagged south, it was a pretty stiff head wind. Once I hit E, though, I was pretty much a tailwind the whole way back home, which was great. I really needed some help after those first two hours into the wind. 

For the rest of this month, I'll look forward to riding outdoors mostly on the weekends. In between, I'm hitting the trainer for about 40 minutes two or three days per week. Just spinning on the power cranks as the boys' nap times allow. Two or three other days per week, I'm hitting the Y for some cardio and light weights. Nothing fancy. Just enough to keep from getting too fat. As the mornings provide earlier light, I'll get rid of the trainer and Y and hit the road outside as much as possible. 

Cyclocross is foremost on my mind. It's still six months away, but I'm so excited for it. More on that another time, I suppose.