Dave's Good Stuff

I’m not dead. I’m very much alive, in fact. I’ve just had precious little to write about with regards to the primary focus of this blog… cycling. So instead of blurring the focus of the subject matter, I’ve opted to just wait until I had more to write. However, it’s been a while and some of you know nothing about me but what you find out here. So…

Some very positive things happening personally. Since I decided long ago to keep such things off this blog, you’ll just have to wait to meet her. I will say this… she must be pretty special. I’ve not been to church in 20 years, and she’s gotten me there no less than 4 times since late December… and maybe 5. My attitude towards organized religion is perfectly summed up by the Mohandas Gandhi quote “I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.” That said, I have met quite a few very nice people through her and the friend that set us up together, all of whom go to their church. It’s an interesting change of pace for me… Besides Church, we’ve done quite a few things together, and have quite a few more on the plate for the next few months. I’m quite optimistic.

I’ve been very busy at work lately. In ’08 I was nearly desk bound the whole year working on this and that. In ’09 I will be much more involved in the daily lives of my fellow employees… not sure how well they’ll like that. I am the local representative for Information Security, after all. It’s like the police without the uniform, firearms, or authority. I can’t arrest anyone. I can’t have anyone fired. What I can do is make them feel really bad about what they’ve done. Sometimes, I get baked goods as apologies. I can live with that.

I’ve been playing a lot of pool lately. Monday night, Wednesday night and Thursday nights all see me at various pool halls in leagues the likes of which I’ve never seen. Wednesday is pretty standard in terms of competition, but Monday and Thursday… let’s just say that if I make one mistake, miss one ball, or dry break, I’m done for the game. The competition is fierce. I like it that way. It makes me really focus, though there are nights when it does get tiring.

Cycling has seen a dramatic decline so far this year… without my daily commuting (logistically impossible at this point, unfortunately – at least not without spending a lot of money on another form of motorized transportation to keep either at work or at home so I’m not bike-bound all day), and with the cold, I’m pretty much limited to roller training. While I did keep up with it for a while, I’ve since fallen into a rather “fat and happy” mindset, and haven’t felt the motivation to roll. The weather is looking to warm up soon, though, and I reckon I’ll get my expanding carcass out on that saddle for some long rides here real soon like. I have to, b/c word is that my brother, as well as our hosts in Colorado are training hard for the Triple Bypass… July 11th is fast approaching! I may not be as fast as I was last year, but I’ve no doubt whatsoever that I’ll make it over them there hills just fine and dandy.

That’s enough for now. Later.

Last night’s ride home was a glorious hammerfest through rain and puddles. I had to forego the riding glasses because the rain would have rendered them useless. Perhaps I’ll look into little tiny battery powered wipers for glasses. I had so much fun, I didn’t even realize until I was almost home that I made record time. 9.41 miles in 39:15 minutes for an average speed of 14.3mph. I finally broke the 40 minute barrier, and the 14mph hump on my 91st St. route!

This morning was another fine ride. Cool and misty, I could see the beams of light blasting from my CatEye headlight like afterburners. The damp roads glittered in the street lamps, and the misty air was illuminated everywhere I looked. There was such a sense of quiet peace on the roads without traffic that I wanted to just stop and soak it in. Alas, I had to get to work… aided by the slight tail wind, which made for a relaxing and easy ride after yesterday’s high energy ride through the rain.

The only moment of confusion this morning came at the roundabout at 110th and Lamar. A white Outback hurried around me to beat me to the roundabout, only to stop hurriedly as a car approached in the circle from the left. I didn’t have time to scoot in behind, and was forced to stop next to her (not where I’d prefer to be). I didn’t want to squeeze the juice out of the brakes, so I ended up slightly in front of her. Given that, I went ahead and spun up after the car passed, and wouldn’t you know it, so did the Outback. Fortunately, she swung wide, giving me plenty of room. Unfortunately, she needed to turn right immediately and had to wait for me, thus holding up traffic behind her. Had she waited for me to reach the roundabout to begin with, there would have been no confusion.

I never understood it when I drove more, and my increased time on my bike in traffic only highlights the phenomena, and does nothing to alleviate my confusion about it. So many drivers seem so desperate so often to shave 0.00089 seconds off their driving time, that they’ll risk their own lives and those around them to do so. The idiot in the Outback (at least) four lives at risk simply because she had to hurry around me to beat me to the intersection. On wet roads, no less.

I hope she gets where she’s going without hurting anyone.

People confound me sometimes.

Yesterday’s post with the Taoist parables got me thinking. I used to be very interested in Taoism and the “Be and Let Be” mentality. I used to be a lot more spiritual. Not religious, mind you. Never religious. Spiritual. Interested in the inner peace that comes from meditation and mindfulness (how’s that going, chernobylred?). Organized religion never held any attraction for me. My reading and studying of Eastern spirituality and philosophies in college brought me a lot of that internal peace.

Last night I picked up one of my old books right before bed and thumbed through it. I finally feel like my life is heading in the right direction again, and I want to wrap myself in the warm blanket of the simple joys again. Ironic, isn’t it, that when I needed that spirituality the most, I didn’t pursue it. Now that my life is settling down, I seek it out again.

I confound me sometimes.

Thanks to the new blog Veloquent (great name):

A Zen teacher saw five of his students returning from the market, riding their bicycles. When they arrived at the monastery and had dismounted, the teacher asked the students, “Why are you riding your bicycles?”

The first student replied, “The bicycle is carrying the sack of potatoes. I am glad that I do not have to carry them on my back!” The teacher praised the first student, “You are a smart boy! When you grow old, you will not walk hunched over like I do.”

The second student replied, “I love to watch the trees and fields pass by as I roll down the path!” The teacher commended the second student, “Your eyes are open, and you see the world.”

The third student replied, “When I ride my bicycle, I am content to chant nam myoho renge kyo.” The teacher gave praise to the third student, “Your mind will roll with the ease of a newly trued wheel.”

The fourth student replied, “Riding my bicycle, I live in harmony with all sentient beings.” The teacher was pleased, and said to the fourth student, “You are riding on the golden path of non-harming.”

The fifth student replied, “I ride my bicycle to ride my bicycle.” The teacher sat at the feet of the fifth student and said,”I am your student!”

And since I’ve always been a fan of such stories, parables, koans, etc… I give you this to ponder.

There was once a monk who would carry a mirror where ever he went. A priest noticed this one day and thought to himself “This monk is so preoccupied with the way he looks that he has to carry that mirror all the time to admire himself. He should not worry so about the way he looks on the outside, it’s what’s inside that counts.” So the priest went up to the monk and asked “Why do you always carry that mirror?” thinking for sure this would prove his theory and the monk’s guilt.

The monk pulled the mirror from his bag and faced it at priest. Then he said “I use it in times of trouble. I look into it and it shows me the source of my problems as well as the solution to my problems.”

And finally, one of my all time favorites.

A monk and his novice were walking through the forest. They come to a stream, and on the bank there was a beautifully dressed woman, crying. The monks asked her what was the matter. “I am on my way to a wedding. I have to cross the stream to get there, but the bridge has been washed away. I was searching for a place to cross where I wouldn’t ruin the dress, but I can’t find one and if I don’t make it across soon, I will be late.”

Without a word, the elder monk scooped her into his arms, waded across the stream, and deposited her on the other side. Ignoring her thanks, he waded back and the two monks resume their walk. They continued on their journey, but the younger monk was agitated and obviously had something on his mind. The elder monk stopped and asked him what was the matter.

“Elder, I am confused. Our vows prohibit us from fleshly contact with women, yet you embraced that woman in your arms. How can this be?” The elder monk eyed his novice with kindly concern. “Novice,” he asked, “I left her on the bank of the stream. Why do you still carry her?”

I can’t explain it, but that one gets me every time.