Live Life: The Joy of Pain and Agony of Winning

I feel bad for people who don't do anything. I am active, always have been.  I love adventure.  I crave adventure.  I am not content watching television, playing video games all night (sleeping most of the day), fantasy football, or those card games (magic stuff and Pokemon).  These things do not satisfy me and I don't believe it truly satisfies those people who become consumed by them.  Bodies and minds crave stimulating activity and exertion.  Humans were not designed to be idle and humans have not adapted well to a sedentary lifestyle. 

I wonder what kind of stories they will tell when they get old; "one time I found myself backed into a corner and I had to use my level 10 wizard to destroy your ogre and your spell of something pointless?" And by ogre I clearly am not speaking of the Surly Ogre on which I have embarked on challenging adventures. What will their obituary will say; "John spent his life sitting in his basement mostly in the dark mastering a video game and interacting with others like him instead of developing a relationship and exploring the wonders of the natural world." That rocks.

But not for me.  I often look at people in their fancy cars with heated seats while I am on my Mukluk at -15 degrees and 30 mph wind gusts.  As they look at me, I wonder if they wish they were riding a bike.  Then I realize that is a stupid question......of course they do.  Secretly I wish I had a heated seat.   

I come from a long line of people who do stuff. They got out of the comfort zone and competed; took action vs sit and let the world go by. 

They felt the joy of pain and agony that always accompanies winning!  Yes, I said that right.

We walked away from that one!

Now I am not saying that watching a sporting event or playing cards isn't a good pass time every now and then but those are not activities or hobbies in my opinion.  Those are sufficient to pass time but not to LIVE LIFE.  While my life is not always the adventure I want it to be; I constantly seek it out.  I have to balance everything in my life.  My kids, wife, and job consume most of my life but I have no regrets when it comes to living life to its fullest.  Fortunately they all provide enough adventure to satisfy enough to enjoy life.  The good thing is that I am still young and in good shape (no broken parts) and there is plenty of opportunity.

Winning!  The Chick on her way back before anyone else could get to the wall.

  My daughter is beginning to understand this a little.  Things are not often fun until you get good at them.  That is the joy of pain and agony of winning.  I want my kids to have activities that can be enjoyed for life (as long as the body is willing and capable of course).  I don't want them to sit around and play fantasy sports while reminiscing about how good they were once upon a time. 

I want them to enjoy the activity of life as I do.  That is why I love fly fishing, backpacking, and bicycling.  Each of these require activity (I don't fish from a chair).  I can tell stories of nearly drowning in pursuing fish in fast moving rivers and creeks.  I can tell of sleepless nights in the mountains of Montana and New Mexico, wondering if the lighting could get any closer while on mountain tops.  The list can and will continue to grow. 

Food For Thought, the world is changing!

   

I Like Fall

I think that fall is by far the most beautiful season.  Spring still has the hangover of winter; it is not quite green, and is a little grungy and muddy.  Winter, though beautiful has the challenge of being cold which complicates outdoor activities.

I can't put my arms down!

Summer has nice long days but it has bugs and heat.  When it comes down to it, fall is probably the best season for riding or any activity.  I love the sound of the leaves crunching under my feet or tires.  I like it when a leaf becomes lodged in bottom bracket region of my bike and rubs on the tire creating a sound that reminds me of using a playing card and clothes pin to make motorcycle sounds on my BMX bike as a kid.

Here are some pictures from Sylvan Island, my new favorite location for Forced Family Outings (FFOs).  Though it doesn't provide a ton of mountain biking trails, the random nature of them coupled with the industrial obstacles makes it fun.  It is amazing how nature can reclaim itself.  While "scars" still exist from a steel mill, Sylvan Island still provides a healthy dose of nature.

 

Conspiracy Theory: Selling you crap

Today I am going to be writing about a very “sensitive issue.” In recent years there has been much discussion about the damaging effect that bicycle seats can have on a person's love life. This is due to the devastation that the bicycle saddle can have on the perineum. This problem is so serious that The New York Times ran an article on this topic. I am not a doctor and I do believe I get dumber every day so I will allow the “experts” to explain in detail. A quick sidebar though, I found something to be interesting about this particular web page.

Coincidence? I don't think so!

Back to the point. This issue has caused so much concern, that in recent years a great deal of research and development has gone into solving what is clearly one of the world's greatest health issues (even more so then health care reform). I am going to post several examples of Plastic Crap from China (PCC) that the industry would like you to purchase. Yes, I am talking about a conspiracy between the seat makers of the world and medical professionals. Then I will conclude with several examples of why I think this is a marketing tool aimed at extorting people for large amounts of money.

Examples of stupid stuff:

One of the first items I came across was the Derri-Air bicycles seats. They provide "luxury gel" seats and covers. I was so intrigued by these that I had to visit their testimonials. I found this testimonial to be interesting, I don't know who Robert C. is, but I think I figured out one of his problems:

Maybe the problem isn't so much that standard seats cut like knives, but that he weighs 270 lbs. That alone would put pressure on any perineum. But (no pun intended) at least he has found an 11 inch wide seat that works for him.

The next interesting product that I found is the Spongy Wonder. I would like to meet the marketing genius that came up with that name! From looking at the description below, even Robert C. at a husky 270 lbs can use the MK9A Model.

All I can say is if you are worried about a traditional seat ruining your love life, wait until she sees you on this.

The final model I would like to point out is the Hobson Noseless Saddle. Not only has Hobson sold about 1/2 million of these bad boys, but they have also created a market for sheepskin covers (scroll down the page). Below is a list of reasons to buy the Hobson Noseless saddle. I added a couple of other reason at the bottom of each column:

As stated earlier, I am not a doctor. I have not conducted numerous studies about the effects. I have suffered the numbness that accompanies 50+ mile rides. I will agree that the discomfort is unpleasant. However, I do not believe that it is so serious that it requires the extremes listed above. I do believe there are a number of examples that counter the medical professionals and the wacky bike seat designer.

Example #1: China

China is known as "the bicycle kingdom" where estimates range from 1 bike to every 2-3 people. That means about 1/2 billion people ride bikes as a form of transportation. In spite of all 1/2 billion perinea screaming out in pain, China has managed to grow to a population of 1.6 billion people. Incontinence.....I think not. Even if you take the staggering number of 1/2 million Hobson saddles that have been sold and send them to China, it is but a mere fraction of the total number of bikes and riders.

Example #2: Olivia my 7 year-old

Example #3 Vance my 4 year-old

Example #4 Simon my 2 year-old

Example #5 Noah (aka Newbie) my 1 month-old

Examples #2-5 demonstrate that countless hours in the saddle have not had a negative impact on my life. Either that or I am superhuman. In fact, I think I may be a better example then China; they are only allowed 1 child per family, therefore not having as much statistical, scientific evidence, or clout as I have provided in having produced four.

Maybe I need Robert C.'s old seat as described in the Derri-Air seat testimony above. He stated that his seat cut like a knife, if you know what I mean.