Hello, friends!
Today, depending on who you ask, is either Halloween, All Hallow's Eve, All Saint's Day, Reformation Day, or Thursday. Either way, it's raining and Megan and I have a bunch of stuff we want to give away to kids. =0).
I was thinking about it today and I realized that I have a kind of up and down history with Halloween. From what I can tell, we used to be all about it but then the family kind of waned from it. But then we got back into it. And then we weren't. And here we are. Here's a brief history:
0-4: As far as I know, there are no photos of me being dressed up in funny costumes as a baby so I am going to assume that isn't the case.
5-8: I believe this was the time in elementary school when we had the Halloween parade. All the grades would walk around the playground while their parents took photos. I don't remember what I was for most of the years but it must not have been very memorable. Well, that's not true. One time I think I was a clown (this was pre-my discovery that they are evil) and one year I think I wrapped myself in bandages and called myself "injured." Good times.
9-11: For a few years our church did a "Harvest Night," which apparently is pretty popular around these parts in Columbia. I've always been torn about these. I think they are actually great opportunities to keep kids safe and also outreach to the local community. On the other hand, it also has the potential to be an insular kind of thing. Either way, I think we did those until for a while, which was fine.
12-13: This would be the years where I was too cool to dress up but still wanted candy. It was a rough time. My friends and I still hit the streets but now that I think about it, we weren't much more than a street gang. Our favorite spots were the ones where folk just left the bowls outside and said "take one." Guess who usually took more than one. =0).
After that, I'm not sure that I did anything for Halloween more than 3 or 4 times in the last 15 years or so. Maybe I did, maybe I didn't. Either way, it stopped being a big deal for me. I'm not opposed to it or anything. I just don't like spending money on costumes I suppose.
But, of course, don't let me rain on your parade! Enjoy dressing up! Have fun eating boatloads of candy and getting spooked at haunted houses. As for me, I'll just be biking in the fall weather, happy that it isn't too hot and waiting for the snow to fall.
Stats:
Distance: 6.5 miles ($.51)
Meters: 2 hours downtown ($1.20) + 10 hours on campus ($10)
Total: $11.71
Grand Total: $401.43
Left to Save: $181.60
Happy Biking!
~Adam
The story of a guy trying to rationalize the money he spent on his bike and other random thoughts.
Thursday, October 31, 2013
Thursday, October 24, 2013
Winter Clothes...
Hello, friends!
Today the high in Columbia was supposed to be 47 degrees. I am going to assume that we got there but I can tell you that it certainly didn't feel like it from my vantage point. Biking in such cold weather is no fun at all. It could be that I've become a bit of a wimp. It could be that since I've lost some weight I no longer have any fat to keep me warm. Either way, what I do know is that for the past few days, I have been rocking my winter gear while biking.
I actually have three levels of winter clothes. Right now we are in Level 1 of winter clothes, which is pretty much my medium jacket, my light gloves, and my earmuffs. Level 2 will add the scarf, the winter coat and the balaclava. Level 3 is when things get really fun. That's when we throw in the long underwear and possibly wearing the sweatpants over the regular pants. It's been a while since we've gotten to Level 3 but I'm already rockin' Level 1 here in October so come January, things may be a little different.
Here's what I've learned is the hardest thing about biking in the cold. It's not actually wearing all the extra clothing. It's not the wind chill or your hands getting a little numb. It's not even the prospect of rain, snow, or ice being on your path, although that is pretty dangerous. No, friends, the hardest thing about biking in the cold is that my glasses get fogged up. =0).
When I'm in Level 2 or Level 3 of winter clothes, I'm wearing a scarf that covers my neck and face or a balaclava that does the same. Sometimes I'll even wear both. When this happens, breathing becomes a little hazardous. When I breathe through my nose, the hot breath hits the face covering and shoots back up to my glasses where they fog. It happens less so when I'm breathing through my mouth but then you have the hazard of your face freezing because the balaclava or scarf get wet with breath then frozen by the outside. Thankfully, I've never crashed because of my glasses being fogged (although I've crashed for lots of other reasons). Let's hope that this streak continues.
Stats:
Distance: 4.5 miles ($.38)
Meters: 5 hours on campus ($5) + 2.5 hours downtown ($1.5)
Total: $6.88
Grand Total: $389.72
Left to Save: $193.31 (hooray!!!)
Happy Biking!
~Adam
Today the high in Columbia was supposed to be 47 degrees. I am going to assume that we got there but I can tell you that it certainly didn't feel like it from my vantage point. Biking in such cold weather is no fun at all. It could be that I've become a bit of a wimp. It could be that since I've lost some weight I no longer have any fat to keep me warm. Either way, what I do know is that for the past few days, I have been rocking my winter gear while biking.
I actually have three levels of winter clothes. Right now we are in Level 1 of winter clothes, which is pretty much my medium jacket, my light gloves, and my earmuffs. Level 2 will add the scarf, the winter coat and the balaclava. Level 3 is when things get really fun. That's when we throw in the long underwear and possibly wearing the sweatpants over the regular pants. It's been a while since we've gotten to Level 3 but I'm already rockin' Level 1 here in October so come January, things may be a little different.
Here's what I've learned is the hardest thing about biking in the cold. It's not actually wearing all the extra clothing. It's not the wind chill or your hands getting a little numb. It's not even the prospect of rain, snow, or ice being on your path, although that is pretty dangerous. No, friends, the hardest thing about biking in the cold is that my glasses get fogged up. =0).
When I'm in Level 2 or Level 3 of winter clothes, I'm wearing a scarf that covers my neck and face or a balaclava that does the same. Sometimes I'll even wear both. When this happens, breathing becomes a little hazardous. When I breathe through my nose, the hot breath hits the face covering and shoots back up to my glasses where they fog. It happens less so when I'm breathing through my mouth but then you have the hazard of your face freezing because the balaclava or scarf get wet with breath then frozen by the outside. Thankfully, I've never crashed because of my glasses being fogged (although I've crashed for lots of other reasons). Let's hope that this streak continues.
Stats:
Distance: 4.5 miles ($.38)
Meters: 5 hours on campus ($5) + 2.5 hours downtown ($1.5)
Total: $6.88
Grand Total: $389.72
Left to Save: $193.31 (hooray!!!)
Happy Biking!
~Adam
Thursday, October 17, 2013
Ok, We're Back!!!
Hello, friends!
It's been over a month since Sulu was hijacked and so far there has been no sign of him. I'm still holding out hope that he'll be recovered at some point but it is time to move on.
There was a serious question from me as to whether or not how I should continue with this blog. The purpose of the blog was to justify the purchase of Sulu by documenting all the miles I bike and hours I spend not doing meters. With Sulu gone, does that mean I should stop blogging since I'm not saving any money by using Sulu? If I use another bike, does it mean that my efforts do not count toward the original purpose of the blog?
As I thought and prayed about it more, I decided that really, this blog was about more than just one bike. It was about me attempting to adopt a healthier and more efficient lifestyle. Biking has been such a blessing to me, not only in terms of money saved but also in making me think more intentionally about my health and my time.
So, I have decided to keep going. Thanks to a generous gift from someone who knew about my bike being stolen, I was able to get most of the costs of getting my old bike repaired covered. I've also spent some time on campus and downtown in the past week or so to recoup pretty much all of the sunk costs.
Of course, there are lessons to be learned from all this. Locking up my bike, especially when it is out in the open, is a high priority. (Duh). But I think the big takeaway for me is what is happening moving forward from here.
Here's the new goal: +$600 so I can buy a new bike. I'm going to stick with the bike I have until I can save up enough to buy a new bike. We'll see how this goes. =0).
Stats:
Bike repair: $79.60
Gift: $65
Distances: 9 miles ($.75)
Meters: 4 hours downtown ($4.80) + 10 hours on campus ($10)
Total: $.95
Grand Total: $382.84
Left to Save: $200.19
Happy Biking!
~Adam
It's been over a month since Sulu was hijacked and so far there has been no sign of him. I'm still holding out hope that he'll be recovered at some point but it is time to move on.
There was a serious question from me as to whether or not how I should continue with this blog. The purpose of the blog was to justify the purchase of Sulu by documenting all the miles I bike and hours I spend not doing meters. With Sulu gone, does that mean I should stop blogging since I'm not saving any money by using Sulu? If I use another bike, does it mean that my efforts do not count toward the original purpose of the blog?
As I thought and prayed about it more, I decided that really, this blog was about more than just one bike. It was about me attempting to adopt a healthier and more efficient lifestyle. Biking has been such a blessing to me, not only in terms of money saved but also in making me think more intentionally about my health and my time.
So, I have decided to keep going. Thanks to a generous gift from someone who knew about my bike being stolen, I was able to get most of the costs of getting my old bike repaired covered. I've also spent some time on campus and downtown in the past week or so to recoup pretty much all of the sunk costs.
Of course, there are lessons to be learned from all this. Locking up my bike, especially when it is out in the open, is a high priority. (Duh). But I think the big takeaway for me is what is happening moving forward from here.
Here's the new goal: +$600 so I can buy a new bike. I'm going to stick with the bike I have until I can save up enough to buy a new bike. We'll see how this goes. =0).
Stats:
Bike repair: $79.60
Gift: $65
Distances: 9 miles ($.75)
Meters: 4 hours downtown ($4.80) + 10 hours on campus ($10)
Total: $.95
Grand Total: $382.84
Left to Save: $200.19
Happy Biking!
~Adam
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