Do I Ever Update Anymore? And Some Reviews
Answer: Rarely. But I really should. I spend most of my days at work sitting around waiting for someone to ask me to do some gruntwork they don't have time for. I don't mind the gruntwork so much, but being bored all the time is hard to take. I made a half hearted attempt to channel my boredome into writing fiction but I, like many an adult, lost the writing bug sometime in univserity and have failed to get it back. When I was in high school (and getting up early every morning to work on my novel before school) I just didn't understand all those adults around me who said they used to write but don't anymore. Now I understand.
Anyway, writing fiction hasn't been working out, but what if I put actual effort into my blog? When I first started it (in high school) I planned to write at least one thing of merit every week. I have failed utterly and fantastically, and since I barely sew anymore this blog is really just a bunch of self-indulgent whining.
I'm not really sure what to write about, but I've been slowly working my way through the archives of www.fatcyclist.com and really enjoying it. I'm really getting into biking again, and even got a new bike! (this one). Maybe I should talk about biking/exercise? Let's go with that for today, because talking about another one of my fish dying is just depressing.
So, today's topic: my new bike and gear.
I bought a new bike, a MEC Desire. It is the second brand new bike I've ever owned (the first being the terrible cruiser that was stolen and then returned a couple years ago). This one is actually of good quality and a much better ride, yet it looks like some pansy cruiser girl bike, which I think is awesome. It's quite comfortable but still reasonably efficient.
Desire is a hybrid meant for commuting with internal gears (8 of 'em) which are really, really handy for when you end up stopping unexpectedly and are in too high a gear to start again; however, It's not so great for hills and the gears reeeeally do not like shifting under pressure. I have outfitted it with a rack and fenders, and I'm glad I sprung for the fenders because I rode it in the rain yesterday and my butt stayed nice and dry. It weighs about a ton, but the shitty old mountain bike I've been riding weighs about a ton and a half, so that's ok. Desire has thinner tires and better brakes, so she's much more manoeverable. I'm still getting used to the better breaks and have skidded a couple of times (but not fallen). There was also some alarming squeaking after I'd been in the rain for a while, but I suspect it was just the water and mud and stuff and she'll be ok once she dries out.
I bought some other gear, including riding gloves with lots of padding and a new helmet. My favourite purchase of all of the gear is this panier bag. It is awesome. Since I don't bike everyday (I bussed it today because I've been feeling really run down and they're forcasting rain again) it's nice not to have to switch my stuff over all the time. It's also nice to be able to carry around the bag without having big hooks sticking out and getting caught on everything. It's not the best backback every, but I never need to carry it very far so that's ok. I wish it were a little bigger so I wouldn't have to carry my old panier bag as well, but so it goes. The zipper is a little annoying when I'm attaching the bag to the backboard, but very easy when I'm taking it off. It also has reflective stripes, which I like, especially because I realized my bike lights (the cheapest ones I could find) are woefully inadaquete in conditions where there is enough light but poor visibility (i.e. rain). My new jacket also lacks reflective surfaces. I initially bought this jacket in blue, but it fit weird (was so high in the front that it doesn't cover my utility belt, yet covers my butt in the back) and I found it so ugly I was compelled to return it. Plus it lacked a hood. I exchanged it for this one, in green. I still think the colour is ugly, and it doesn't fit well over my belt, but at least I don't feel stupid every time I wear it. Plus it's water proof, rather than water resistant, and kept me dry on my way home yesterday.
So I'm pretty happy with my purchases. Not happy enough to use them again today, but I'm really tired, you guys. It took me an hour and a half to ride home yesterday, when usually it takes an hour or less. I am planning another ride to Chestemere on Sunday, (about 55km round trip) so I don't feel too bad about resting up.
Now I will present to you the weekly distances I've ridden since I've started keeping track this spring. I know a string of numbers is the real reason you all are still reading, so here they are:
Week of April 30th: 20.8 km
Week of May 7: 51.1 km
Week of May 14: 77.6 km (first trip to Chestemere)
Week of May 28: 48.4 km
May total: 173.3km
Week of June 4: 91.4 km
Week of June 11: 59.6 km (so far)
I should also note that I rode my unicycle for about 5 km this week, but doubled the distance in my km count. I only have half the wheels, so I should get some credit, right? Especially, when you think about it, a unicycle is actually less than half of a bike. Plus I'm more than twice as tired as I would be riding a bike twice that distance. So there.
Also: next week I'm going to Vancouver for Mad Skillz, a prop festival. I'm sure I'll have lots to say about that. So maybe this will be a "Xena brags about her physical prowess" type blog. I like bragging about myself, so I may actually remember to update more than once every three months.
Anyway, writing fiction hasn't been working out, but what if I put actual effort into my blog? When I first started it (in high school) I planned to write at least one thing of merit every week. I have failed utterly and fantastically, and since I barely sew anymore this blog is really just a bunch of self-indulgent whining.
I'm not really sure what to write about, but I've been slowly working my way through the archives of www.fatcyclist.com and really enjoying it. I'm really getting into biking again, and even got a new bike! (this one). Maybe I should talk about biking/exercise? Let's go with that for today, because talking about another one of my fish dying is just depressing.
So, today's topic: my new bike and gear.
I bought a new bike, a MEC Desire. It is the second brand new bike I've ever owned (the first being the terrible cruiser that was stolen and then returned a couple years ago). This one is actually of good quality and a much better ride, yet it looks like some pansy cruiser girl bike, which I think is awesome. It's quite comfortable but still reasonably efficient.
Desire is a hybrid meant for commuting with internal gears (8 of 'em) which are really, really handy for when you end up stopping unexpectedly and are in too high a gear to start again; however, It's not so great for hills and the gears reeeeally do not like shifting under pressure. I have outfitted it with a rack and fenders, and I'm glad I sprung for the fenders because I rode it in the rain yesterday and my butt stayed nice and dry. It weighs about a ton, but the shitty old mountain bike I've been riding weighs about a ton and a half, so that's ok. Desire has thinner tires and better brakes, so she's much more manoeverable. I'm still getting used to the better breaks and have skidded a couple of times (but not fallen). There was also some alarming squeaking after I'd been in the rain for a while, but I suspect it was just the water and mud and stuff and she'll be ok once she dries out.
I bought some other gear, including riding gloves with lots of padding and a new helmet. My favourite purchase of all of the gear is this panier bag. It is awesome. Since I don't bike everyday (I bussed it today because I've been feeling really run down and they're forcasting rain again) it's nice not to have to switch my stuff over all the time. It's also nice to be able to carry around the bag without having big hooks sticking out and getting caught on everything. It's not the best backback every, but I never need to carry it very far so that's ok. I wish it were a little bigger so I wouldn't have to carry my old panier bag as well, but so it goes. The zipper is a little annoying when I'm attaching the bag to the backboard, but very easy when I'm taking it off. It also has reflective stripes, which I like, especially because I realized my bike lights (the cheapest ones I could find) are woefully inadaquete in conditions where there is enough light but poor visibility (i.e. rain). My new jacket also lacks reflective surfaces. I initially bought this jacket in blue, but it fit weird (was so high in the front that it doesn't cover my utility belt, yet covers my butt in the back) and I found it so ugly I was compelled to return it. Plus it lacked a hood. I exchanged it for this one, in green. I still think the colour is ugly, and it doesn't fit well over my belt, but at least I don't feel stupid every time I wear it. Plus it's water proof, rather than water resistant, and kept me dry on my way home yesterday.
So I'm pretty happy with my purchases. Not happy enough to use them again today, but I'm really tired, you guys. It took me an hour and a half to ride home yesterday, when usually it takes an hour or less. I am planning another ride to Chestemere on Sunday, (about 55km round trip) so I don't feel too bad about resting up.
Now I will present to you the weekly distances I've ridden since I've started keeping track this spring. I know a string of numbers is the real reason you all are still reading, so here they are:
Week of April 30th: 20.8 km
Week of May 7: 51.1 km
Week of May 14: 77.6 km (first trip to Chestemere)
Week of May 28: 48.4 km
May total: 173.3km
Week of June 4: 91.4 km
Week of June 11: 59.6 km (so far)
I should also note that I rode my unicycle for about 5 km this week, but doubled the distance in my km count. I only have half the wheels, so I should get some credit, right? Especially, when you think about it, a unicycle is actually less than half of a bike. Plus I'm more than twice as tired as I would be riding a bike twice that distance. So there.
Also: next week I'm going to Vancouver for Mad Skillz, a prop festival. I'm sure I'll have lots to say about that. So maybe this will be a "Xena brags about her physical prowess" type blog. I like bragging about myself, so I may actually remember to update more than once every three months.