Friday Five #47
Do you enjoy the cold weather and snow for the holidays?
Well, I’m a high summer sort of person, really. Autumn really depresses me, because it heralds the end of the world and eight months of cold, barren, deadness. On the other hand, winter biking can be a lot of fun; it’s a good challenge, there are fewer people out, it’s more peaceful, and everyone thinks you’re insane. As for the holidays, I think I’ve already said enough about that in my recent friends-only tirade.
What is your ideal holiday celebration? How, where, with whom would you celebrate to make things perfect? But no, you had to keep poking, didn’t you? Okay, then. I celebrate the solar holidays, not the secular or Xist ones. My ideal celebration, therefore, is somewhere off amidst the power and beauty of nature, far away from man. Recently I have tended to frequent a few specific spots, including Castle Island, which is a tiny outcropping in the middle of Boston Harbor, or the Arnold Arboretum’s Conifer Path, or atop Great Blue Hill.
Do you do have any holiday traditions? See above.
Do you do anything to help the needy? Sometimes, if a close friend has a catastrophic need, I help if I can afford to, but in general the charity that I support is the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, through my annual Pan-Mass Challenge rides.
What one gift would you like... Well, a new job is the number one goal right now. But if we’re limiting ourselves to traditional petty western materialism, two things I’ve wanted for some time are the Ciclosport 434 cyclocomputer and cadence kit, which includes altimeter and inclinometer functions; and the Garmin Etrex Vista handheld GPS, which is like my original Etrex but also includes base maps and an altimeter, as well as a number of other new functions. But the easiest thing for people to get me would be a gift certificate to www.performancebike.com, www.coloradocyclist.com, or www.nashbar.com.
What is your ideal holiday celebration? How, where, with whom would you celebrate to make things perfect? But no, you had to keep poking, didn’t you? Okay, then. I celebrate the solar holidays, not the secular or Xist ones. My ideal celebration, therefore, is somewhere off amidst the power and beauty of nature, far away from man. Recently I have tended to frequent a few specific spots, including Castle Island, which is a tiny outcropping in the middle of Boston Harbor, or the Arnold Arboretum’s Conifer Path, or atop Great Blue Hill.
Do you do have any holiday traditions? See above.
Do you do anything to help the needy? Sometimes, if a close friend has a catastrophic need, I help if I can afford to, but in general the charity that I support is the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, through my annual Pan-Mass Challenge rides.
What one gift would you like... Well, a new job is the number one goal right now. But if we’re limiting ourselves to traditional petty western materialism, two things I’ve wanted for some time are the Ciclosport 434 cyclocomputer and cadence kit, which includes altimeter and inclinometer functions; and the Garmin Etrex Vista handheld GPS, which is like my original Etrex but also includes base maps and an altimeter, as well as a number of other new functions. But the easiest thing for people to get me would be a gift certificate to www.performancebike.com, www.coloradocyclist.com, or www.nashbar.com.