Transition
We got back from our no-bike-Costa Rican-honeymoon Saturday night. And while a whole lot of great stuff that is very interesting to my grandmother happened; I don't think it's really going to be of much interest to readers of The Big Bikes. So we're not going to talk about that too much. It was a tough transition coming back. We walked off the plane at Logan and we could feel the 40 MPH winds whipping through the cracks of the breezeway, coming in off the snowdrift-covered runway. I was wearing shorts, a T-Shirt, and flip flops. I was pissed, "why the fuck do we live here again?"
Imagine if Boston had nice weather and was actually a hospitable, pleasant place to live. It would be really crowded and traffic-snarled and the cost of living would be absurd. Just imagine.
No bikes were ridden in Costa Rica, but surfing was learned. Sort of. I felt it a couple times. I also felt it after I got all excited and spent an hour too many out in the hot sun trying to catch waves. That night my nose damn near fell off. I thought I was going to look like Michael Jackson in the morning. It was quite possibly one of the worst sun burns I have ever received. This kept me from surfing during our last two days in Playa Avellanas. Which was too bad. Aside from the obvious awesomeness of riding a wave, the paddling and the position you have to hold while paddling seemed like the perfect antidote to the constant hunching of cycling (or blogging). I've always been jealous of the surfer posture: head and arms back, almost behind the spine, chest out...OK, maybe I'm just jealous that their arms are bigger than my legs.
SSWC 2010 New Zealand
I was away from the internets when registration opened for SSWCs, but apparently it didn't fill up quite a fast as SSWC Durango or Napa. So I registered with no trouble yesterday. I still have no idea how I'm going to get there. I mean, when I punched my address and " New Zealand" into the Google Maps get directions box, this is what came up:
We could not calculate directions between
33 Irvington Rd, Somerville, MA 02144
and new zealand.
33 Irvington Rd, Somerville, MA 02144
and new zealand.
I start swim team this Thursday. If I work really hard maybe I can get swimming-fit enough to freestyle my way there. I couldn't find a "get swimming directions" function anywhere on the Google Maps site. I'll keep looking.
There's some crazy stuff going on over here, big changes...big changes. I'm not ready to make an official announcement, but I'll maybe drop a hint — I may have to change the subtitle of the blog for X.
7 comments:
"big changes. I'm not ready to make an official announcement......I may have to change the subtitle of the blog" to 'now that I'm married I have to stop this juvenile blogging and bike racing and get a real job'?
pansy.....
"big changes. I'm not ready to make an official announcement......I may have to change the subtitle of the blog" to 'GEARS or tears?'
pansy.....
hey, mr. zencycle, i resent that...i mean resemble that...wait no,resent...i mean the one that does not depict me as a dream crushing soul squashing warden. i let thom ride his bike at least once a week AND if there is a race near a mall (outlets rule!) and i can shop for a few hours...he can even race said bike. as for the blogging, it is so integral to who he is, that only a real biatch would try and squelch that, so as long as there is nothing left on the "honey do" list (i have this adorable pad of paper shaped like a wedge of honeydew melon that i write chores on..it's hilarious), he can blog at will.
so mr. zen. perhaps you need to redefine your ideas of marriage. perhaps the ol' ball and chain is not as bad as you think....especially if the ball is made out of cheese and the chain is actually a chain of tortilla chips.
Blogger Miriam K said...
"i mean the one that does not depict me as a dream crushing soul squashing warden."
Good. Now we have it in writing.
As far as the institution of marriage is concerned, I consider myself to be extraordinarily lucky. Not only does my wife put up with my obsession...er, I mean...'hobby', she actively encourages it. It's been more than once in my 15 years of wedded bliss that I've heard the phrase "just go ride your fuckin bike!"
That said, I've seen more than a few worthy racers capitulate to the Sam Kinneson version of marriage hell "LOVE HAS LIED TO ME AGAIN OW OOOOOWWWWWWWW!"
All kidding aside, My wife _is_ supportive of my training and racing. When we were discussing marriage, I made a very distinct point of 'racing isn't just a diversion, it's important to me and part of who I am. It isn't something I'm willing to change'.
My philosophy is, if she falls in love with an arrogant cycling bastard hard enough to marry him, then she shouldn't be trying to change or control that part of his personality. (Such folly can _only_ result in extreme animosity, Divorce, and the possibility of homicide by Bottom Bracket Thread Chaser.)
In return, I eschew judgment on issues of interior design and landscaping; I do housework; and I avail myself to her important social engagements and work schedule. If I have to miss one or two races a year to attend her family functions or do some home repair for her aging parents, that's a fair compromise.
Sure, we've had our issues, but it's never been over cycling.
So, newly-minted-Mrs. Parsons, I think I have a handle on that aspect of marriage. It sounds that Thom is indeed quite fortunate as well, in that you seem to not only recognize the inner child that in part makes Thom who he is, but that you appreciate it as well. This is a good thing.
Change can never be forced. Have I changed in the past 15 years? Certainly, but it's been as a result of recognizing what needs to be done to keep a happy stable relationship with the most wonderful woman I've ever met. I've made changes and accommodations because I wanted to, not because I was forced to (At least, that's what she lets me think ;-) ).
When I read Miriam K's comment I hear the voice of Chion Wolf.
Or Thom doing his best Monty Python female voice impression.
Try it.
do i smell farts?
I was a little more concerned about Thom adding a Burley trailer to his training regimen. Think about it... newlywed... just returned from a romantical trip in Costa Rica where he couldn't surf the last two days...
hmmmmmmm....
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