(no subject)
my life is really not all that interesting. but, i did have a little adventure last friday. i went biking with a couple of guys from the department on albuquerque's beautiful greenway. about 20 miles north of UNM, i got separated from them. apparently, one guy came back to look for me after a while, but he couldn't find me. the way back was not straightforward, and i got a flat while trying to figure it out. several friendly riders pumped me up, and eventually, one guy rode to a bike store with me, so i get could a tube. they didn't have 650's, so i got a pump, hoping that would get me home. it didn't. i kept getting flat and more and more lost. eventually, i accidentally ended up on the highway (yes, i am a complete moron) and it was dark. i was freaking out, and i didn't have anyone's number because i really didn't know anyone yet. so, i called the police for help. i really didn't think they would help, but surprisingly, they sent a patrol car out to pick me up and bring me home. they were really nice. i am going to bake a pie and bring it to their station. they whole thing was pretty scary. apparently, new mexico has a lot of spiky plant material on the ground, called goatheads, and there are special tubes and tires here to deal with that. i have since gotten both of my bikes "new mexico ready".
it was kind of weird biking with all bioguys who don't know that i'm trans. i felt really pressured to keep up, even though they were all a lot taller and stronger than me. if you don't know, i am 5 feet and about 115 lbs. my bike has smaller (diameter) tires than most men's bikes, so i have to pedal more times to go the same distance. it was kind of stressful and i kept worrying about what would happen if i had to pee.
in other news, i am starting to meet people. i went to an FTM social event at a guys house on wednesday night. it was really fun, and i met some nice guys who i'm sure will become friends. i am also starting to hang out socially with some other engineering grads and undergrads. i have been doing thursday happy hour with some cool folks. i have found new mexicans to be much friendlier than florida folks, in general. i mean as acquaintances, not as friends. people have really gone out of their way to be helpful and inclusive.
so, i even have kind of a "date" this weekend with a woman i met online. considering what a computer geek i am, it's kind of shocking that i've never met anyone online before. we'll see how this goes. i'm also going riding with another guy in the department who promised he was a little slower than the "pros" i rode with before. it was funny, they all showed up completely spandexed!! he seems like a nice guy. he's an exchange grad student from ireland, complete with red hair and a cute irish brogue. hopefully, this will be a more successful venture. BTW--the guys i rode with before felt really bad about leaving me, but i decided to keep the whole police part to myself. i didn't want to come off completely helpless, so they don't know how bad things really got. that's fine. i'm glad they felt bad, and it didn't seem like they think i'm a bad rider. after i train a bit, i might try going with them again.
back to work...
it was kind of weird biking with all bioguys who don't know that i'm trans. i felt really pressured to keep up, even though they were all a lot taller and stronger than me. if you don't know, i am 5 feet and about 115 lbs. my bike has smaller (diameter) tires than most men's bikes, so i have to pedal more times to go the same distance. it was kind of stressful and i kept worrying about what would happen if i had to pee.
in other news, i am starting to meet people. i went to an FTM social event at a guys house on wednesday night. it was really fun, and i met some nice guys who i'm sure will become friends. i am also starting to hang out socially with some other engineering grads and undergrads. i have been doing thursday happy hour with some cool folks. i have found new mexicans to be much friendlier than florida folks, in general. i mean as acquaintances, not as friends. people have really gone out of their way to be helpful and inclusive.
so, i even have kind of a "date" this weekend with a woman i met online. considering what a computer geek i am, it's kind of shocking that i've never met anyone online before. we'll see how this goes. i'm also going riding with another guy in the department who promised he was a little slower than the "pros" i rode with before. it was funny, they all showed up completely spandexed!! he seems like a nice guy. he's an exchange grad student from ireland, complete with red hair and a cute irish brogue. hopefully, this will be a more successful venture. BTW--the guys i rode with before felt really bad about leaving me, but i decided to keep the whole police part to myself. i didn't want to come off completely helpless, so they don't know how bad things really got. that's fine. i'm glad they felt bad, and it didn't seem like they think i'm a bad rider. after i train a bit, i might try going with them again.
back to work...