WWJD?

Occasionally I seek inspiration from a higher source. Most recently this came during a bicycle ride. I was a little tired and the pavement tilted up slightly. The easy thing to do was to slow down and pedal a little softer. This was the path of least resistance. Eventually I'll talk more about this path, for now we'll just note that it is not the correct answer.

To find the correct answer I had to dig deep. I had to consider, WWJD, What Would Justin Do? Most of the time, the people I am surrounded by and interact with daily , aren't accustomed to pushing through self-induced physical pain. I had to seek help from a source beyond my normal everyday reality. I had to go back in time to the good ol' days, the salad days as they say.

Back 'in the day', if the plan was to ride 'cross bikes at 7am in December in the rain or snow, that's exactly what would happen when the person I was riding with was Justin. When the plan was to ride mountain bikes for 6 hours trying to connect the two large trail networks for the first time, that's exactly what Justin and I did. A six hour bike ride in the snow with windchill in the negative double digits was not cause for alarm, we were just happy the roads were clear enough to ride outside. There were no excuses, you just did it. This was the norm, my baseline, my frame of reference.



So recently, as I lost speed up the incline, I just had to pretend I was riding with you know who. Then I started pedaling harder and suffering more because that's the logical choice, that's just what you do. So now when I'm in need of divine inspiration all I have to do is ask myself, WWJD?

Out of Hand

When I run out of things to say I usually talk about the weather. The past 10 days have been a little bit out of hand in terms of weather. Last Friday it was 60 and sunny. This past weekend it dropped like 50 degrees and rained all weekend. Today, Monday, it's snowing and the low was like 14. By Saturday we're scheduled for 70s and sun. WTF*?



*FYI, WTF is an abbrev. that is stands for "Why That Forecast"

Super TV

The abbrev TV is in reference to television, which has almost replaced regular vision as far as I can tell. Super means 'better than'. I'm pretty excited to offer this new product to the world, the super TV.

The super TV plays only the shows you like. There are no commercials. It uses little to no electricity. You can pause as long as you like and it remembers exactly where you left off. Missed you favorite scene? Not a problem on the super TV, you can instantly rewind or fast forward to any scene you like. The super TV is portable, you can fit one in a small school bag. The price is the best part, you local library loans these things out for free.



Some people call them books, I call those people nerds. They're called super TVs, because TV is cool. And super? Well 'nuff said.

Brunch

Non race Sundays (NRS) are currently in season. Naturally I want to take advantage of these to the best of my ability. Lately this means putting my feet up and enjoying free brunch with a few beers at the Saucer. Last Wednesday while at the Saucer I met a guy at the bar who was big into Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. As a fan of submission grappling, we talked about fighting in general for the better part of an hour. He noted that the gym he works out at has the local sheriff and a lot of SWAT team officers that come out to roll. This is a bonus because it's the only place he knows of where you can legally choke out a sheriff. Bonus. It turns out he also climbs trees for a living and looks like he could definitely beat up anyone I know.

He mentioned to me that he got to know one of the managers at the Saucer well enough that they were going to let him use the back room for his club meetings. After drinking 200 different beers at the saucer you get a plate on the wall with your name on it, he's about to get his plate unveiled. You also probably get to know the manager. I asked what kind of club, and he hesitated. Then he looked around to see who else was listening.

"well, I'll just tell you" he said reluctantly, as he produced half of a hand knit neck warmer from his pocket. "It's a knitting club, I'm making this for my sister".

Well I didn't see that coming at all. He then noted that the hat he was wearing was something he had also made and then invited me to join him the following Sunday at brunch. I tried knitting once before and I was terrible at it, but I do like a lot of things about knitting. I like knots, I like making things, I like creativity and customization involved, I like learning new skills, I like wool and other natural fibers, and with very little hair on my head I like the option to keep my head warm.

"I'll be there", I was sold. So although NRSs are becoming fewer and fewer I'll be spending the rest of them eating brunch, drinking a few beers, and now, knitting.

So good

Sometimes there's so much beauty in the world I feel like I can't take it. Lately this beauty has presented itself in the form of Norwegian black folk metal and fountain pens.

What?

Maybe this isn't the most obvious combination. Maybe it's less obvious than the name of the movie I almost quoted at the start of this ramble.

Please refer to exhibit A:





Now THAT'S what's up.

I'm looking to get my hands on the first one shown.

Now imagine writing with that pen while listening to Windir, yup exhibit 2:



(yes, I know I changed numbering conventions)

These dudes look like Halloween year round and sound like Ensiferum meets Fintroll. My heart feels like it's going to cave in, or explode. Maybe it's the caffeine.