Hello, friends!
Today, I am mighty sore. It is probably the sorest I have been in a long time. Why? Because on Tuesday I got to play flag football for the first time in years. Allow me to break it down for you.
Back in the day, one of my favorite things to do in the whole wide world was play flag football. ACF (Asian Christian Fellowship) had a team and I was the captain and quarterback. We had speed in Darryl Toma. Quickness in Victor Lin and Alex Lo. My protection was provided by Henry Tsay. Peter Chieng and Kirk Lin were my always sure handed safety valves. We weren't the best team in the league, having never won "the shirt," but boy did we have fun. My first two years at Mizzou I organized a scrimmage between WashU and Mizzou. I even played for the mens and coed team and helped coach for a bit. But, as things got busier, my time grew limited, and my passion for flag football had to be put on hold.
Fast forward to a few weeks ago. I was talking to Dane, the captain, quarterback, and all-star of Mizzou's AAA (Asian American Association) flag football team. I asked him how the team was going and he said it was a little frustrating because they had to forfeit a game due to lack of players. I told him, if he ever needed a sub, let me know and I'd do what I could. Guess what happened on Tuesday? AAA needed a sub and I was in.
Understand, friends, that I am not in the same kind of shape that I was back in college. I am a few steps slower, a few pounds heavier, and a few years older than I was back then. But, since I have been biking more and training for the triathlons, I would consider myself in pretty solid shape. I played center, got a few blocks in, caught a few passes, played safety on defense, had a few tackles, and we won in a laugher 33-6. I played a solid 40 minutes of football (two, twenty-minute halves) and it felt great to be out there again. I even got an invite to play on the coed team on Sunday.
So why am I so sore today? I was talking to one of my students about it at lunch today and he made an interesting point that I had not considered before. He reminded me that in football, it is the constant starting and stopping that gets to you. I thought back on the game and he was absolutely right. What I did on Tuesday was pretty much a series of sprints. I sprinted to block downfield. I sprinted to run my routes. I sprinted to make the tackle. I was constantly starting and stopping. I was also using muscles I hadn't used in a while. Biking, swimming, and running are one thing, but it takes a whole different set of muscles to play football. Some are the places where I am hurting now I would not be hurting if I just did 40 minutes on the bike or in the pool.
Would I do it again? In a heartbeat. In fact, I plan on playing again on Sunday night. =0).
Stats:
Distance Traveled: 6 miles ($.57)
Meters: 9.5 hours on campus ($9.50)
Total: $10.07
Grand Total: $153.09
Left to Save: $421.54
Happy Biking!
~Adam
The story of a guy trying to rationalize the money he spent on his bike and other random thoughts.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Friday, February 24, 2012
Rest for the Weary....
Hello, friends!
Ever heard of the Sabbath? Probably. I like to call it the "forgotten commandment." Most of us know parts of the Ten Commandments. We don't steal, lie, or commit adultery (or at least we try not to). We even do our best to honor our parents. But too often, in our workaholic society, we neglect to take proper rest. We keep going, keep going, keep going, and never even think about stopping. We live in a 24-7 news cycle and I don't see that coming to and end anytime soon. One of the things that I appreciate so much about my job is that my supervisor and coworkers actually encourage and keep me accountable to taking a regular day of rest.
I think that regula rest is a good thing, not just because it is commanded, but because it is good for us too. This is why we take vacations. This is why we look forward to the weekend. This is also why we have so much stress in our lives and nervous breakdowns are all too common today.
What does this have to do with penny peddling? Well, Wednesday, I decided to take a day of bicycle rest. Instead of biking to campus and around town, I drove the Rolla. It actually felt kind of nice. There's something about being able to listen to the radio while traveling and getting places a little bit quicker.
Don't get me wrong, I am still absolutely biking everywhere that I can. I just think it's a good idea every once in a while to not feel like I HAVE to bike everywhere just for the sake of saving a few dollars. Besides, maybe Sulu doesn't mind the rest every now and then. =0).
Stats:
Places traveled: Pretty much back and forth to campus with a few stops and Subway and the plasma place.
Distance traveled: 6 miles ($.55)
Meters: 12 hours on campus ($12) + 5 hours downtown ($3)
Total: $15.55
Grand Total: $143.02
Left to Save: $431.61
Happy Biking!
~Adam
Ever heard of the Sabbath? Probably. I like to call it the "forgotten commandment." Most of us know parts of the Ten Commandments. We don't steal, lie, or commit adultery (or at least we try not to). We even do our best to honor our parents. But too often, in our workaholic society, we neglect to take proper rest. We keep going, keep going, keep going, and never even think about stopping. We live in a 24-7 news cycle and I don't see that coming to and end anytime soon. One of the things that I appreciate so much about my job is that my supervisor and coworkers actually encourage and keep me accountable to taking a regular day of rest.
I think that regula rest is a good thing, not just because it is commanded, but because it is good for us too. This is why we take vacations. This is why we look forward to the weekend. This is also why we have so much stress in our lives and nervous breakdowns are all too common today.
What does this have to do with penny peddling? Well, Wednesday, I decided to take a day of bicycle rest. Instead of biking to campus and around town, I drove the Rolla. It actually felt kind of nice. There's something about being able to listen to the radio while traveling and getting places a little bit quicker.
Don't get me wrong, I am still absolutely biking everywhere that I can. I just think it's a good idea every once in a while to not feel like I HAVE to bike everywhere just for the sake of saving a few dollars. Besides, maybe Sulu doesn't mind the rest every now and then. =0).
Stats:
Places traveled: Pretty much back and forth to campus with a few stops and Subway and the plasma place.
Distance traveled: 6 miles ($.55)
Meters: 12 hours on campus ($12) + 5 hours downtown ($3)
Total: $15.55
Grand Total: $143.02
Left to Save: $431.61
Happy Biking!
~Adam
Friday, February 17, 2012
2 Weeks in Review
Hello, friends!
Has it really been 2 weeks since I posted last? Man, that is rough. Apologies to all of you.
When I realized that it had been 2 weeks since my last post, I thought to myself, "self, why has it taken so long for you to post?" The answer was actually a little disheartening: I haven't been riding much and I'm a little bit boring.
The stats for the past 2 weeks will look as follows: I went to campus and back 7 times for about 20 hours worth of meter time. The most exciting thing that happened to me during that time was my bike light ran out of battery about halfway through one trip home and by hitting it a few times I was able to bring it back to life. These past few weeks have been pretty chill. I'm not complaining, I'm just saying that I think there's a reason as to why I wasn't super motivated to post.
I wonder why that could be. Maybe my legs are tired from all that biking I did for my camping trip. I was sick for a few days so I wasn't able to bike at all. I'm sure that had something to do with it. Maybe I need to ride to more exciting places or have more adventures...
Yes! That must be it! You, fair reader, are the first to witness my biking renaissance. I will be in Saint Louis this weekend, but when I return, I resolve to bike more and to do more fun things while I bike. Maybe I'll take some photos! Maybe I'll get in a wreck. Maybe I'll come to the harsh realization that there really isn't anything exciting to do out here in Columbia. Either way, stay tuned, because there will be posts!
Stats:
Places traveled: Campus... a lot
Distance: 14 miles. (Do you really need to see the map? I didn't think so). ($1.28)
Meters: 20 hours on campus ($20)
Total: $21.28
Grand Total: $148.75
Left to Save: $425.88
Happy Biking!
~Adam
Has it really been 2 weeks since I posted last? Man, that is rough. Apologies to all of you.
When I realized that it had been 2 weeks since my last post, I thought to myself, "self, why has it taken so long for you to post?" The answer was actually a little disheartening: I haven't been riding much and I'm a little bit boring.
The stats for the past 2 weeks will look as follows: I went to campus and back 7 times for about 20 hours worth of meter time. The most exciting thing that happened to me during that time was my bike light ran out of battery about halfway through one trip home and by hitting it a few times I was able to bring it back to life. These past few weeks have been pretty chill. I'm not complaining, I'm just saying that I think there's a reason as to why I wasn't super motivated to post.
I wonder why that could be. Maybe my legs are tired from all that biking I did for my camping trip. I was sick for a few days so I wasn't able to bike at all. I'm sure that had something to do with it. Maybe I need to ride to more exciting places or have more adventures...
Yes! That must be it! You, fair reader, are the first to witness my biking renaissance. I will be in Saint Louis this weekend, but when I return, I resolve to bike more and to do more fun things while I bike. Maybe I'll take some photos! Maybe I'll get in a wreck. Maybe I'll come to the harsh realization that there really isn't anything exciting to do out here in Columbia. Either way, stay tuned, because there will be posts!
Stats:
Places traveled: Campus... a lot
Distance: 14 miles. (Do you really need to see the map? I didn't think so). ($1.28)
Meters: 20 hours on campus ($20)
Total: $21.28
Grand Total: $148.75
Left to Save: $425.88
Happy Biking!
~Adam
Monday, February 6, 2012
Biking in the dark...
Hello, friends!
A few days ago I decided to go camping. Random, I know, right? It had been forever since I'd done anything close to camping (ok, maybe 8 months, but it still felt like a long time) and I had a free night so I figured I would go for it.
One of the things that I love about CoMo is that it is very bike friendly and is actually very close to other bike friendly venues. There is a sweet trail about 9 miles from CoMo called the Katy Trail that pretty much follows the Missouri river all the way to Saint Charles. There's also a trail from CoMo called the MKT Trail that leads right to the Katy Trail. Pretty convenient, right?
There was one flaw in my plan, and that was that it is still winter. In fact, we're just about in the middle of winter. While it hasn't been super cold, there's always the chance for weather to make things crazy. The weather report said that Thursday (the day I left) was going to be clear, but that Friday was probably going to have rain. I may be an Eagle Scout, but if there's a way for me to avoid getting rained on, I am all about it.
I biked out to Easley, MO, which is about 15 miles from CoMo, and it was a pretty easy ride. The one thing that was a little rough was that I left about an hour later than I wanted so I was biking in the dark. The harder part was getting up at 5 in the morning and biking back the 15 miles after not enough sleep so I would beat the rain (I beat it). The camp site was nice and the weather was cool but not cold with just a slight wind. Honestly, I would totally do that again and just add a few days to the trip.
What's the moral of the story? Biking + Camping = Awesome.
Stats:
Places traveled: Walt's, campus, Walt's, home, Easley, home, plasma, campus, home
Distance: 41.4 miles ($3.67)
Meters: 6 hours on campus ($6) + 2 hours downtown ($1.20)
Total: $11.87
Grand Total: $127.47
Left to Save: $447.16
Happy Biking!
~Adam
A few days ago I decided to go camping. Random, I know, right? It had been forever since I'd done anything close to camping (ok, maybe 8 months, but it still felt like a long time) and I had a free night so I figured I would go for it.
One of the things that I love about CoMo is that it is very bike friendly and is actually very close to other bike friendly venues. There is a sweet trail about 9 miles from CoMo called the Katy Trail that pretty much follows the Missouri river all the way to Saint Charles. There's also a trail from CoMo called the MKT Trail that leads right to the Katy Trail. Pretty convenient, right?
There was one flaw in my plan, and that was that it is still winter. In fact, we're just about in the middle of winter. While it hasn't been super cold, there's always the chance for weather to make things crazy. The weather report said that Thursday (the day I left) was going to be clear, but that Friday was probably going to have rain. I may be an Eagle Scout, but if there's a way for me to avoid getting rained on, I am all about it.
I biked out to Easley, MO, which is about 15 miles from CoMo, and it was a pretty easy ride. The one thing that was a little rough was that I left about an hour later than I wanted so I was biking in the dark. The harder part was getting up at 5 in the morning and biking back the 15 miles after not enough sleep so I would beat the rain (I beat it). The camp site was nice and the weather was cool but not cold with just a slight wind. Honestly, I would totally do that again and just add a few days to the trip.
What's the moral of the story? Biking + Camping = Awesome.
Stats:
Places traveled: Walt's, campus, Walt's, home, Easley, home, plasma, campus, home
Distance: 41.4 miles ($3.67)
Meters: 6 hours on campus ($6) + 2 hours downtown ($1.20)
Total: $11.87
Grand Total: $127.47
Left to Save: $447.16
Happy Biking!
~Adam
Monday, January 30, 2012
Lights Will Guide You Home...
Hello, friends!
If you remember, I went on a bit of a hiatus over December and January. It was because I was traveling quite a bit and away from Sulu and CoMo as a whole. When I finally did return home, I turned on the Rolla (my car) and was very dismayed to find that the battery was on its way out. Or, at least I thought it was on its way out.
See, when I turned on the car, I noticed that the dashboard lights looked dim. Instead of being bright an happy, they looked like they were a little dingy and struggling to keep everything lit. The car didn't have any trouble turning over, which was a good thing, but I was already lamenting the cost for a new battery, or perhaps something worse.
I am writing about that experience today because just today I realized that nothing is wrong with the Rolla at all. I was on my way to bible study when I started the car and it hit me. Everything looked just right. But how could that be? I figured it out. Really, it's all relative!
While I was on my hiatus, I was in California with my parents, driving around their much newer cars with fancy digital displays. When I got back to the Rolla, it wasn't a matter of the Rolla battery dying, it was just how the Rolla has always been. Relative to the newer cars the lights look dim and weak, but after a while, they begin to look normal.
All this was a reminder that the Rolla is no spring chicken. It has 258,000 miles and still going strong, but it isn't going to last forever. That's one more good reason to keep penny peddling. Every day that I bike instead of drive is a day that I get to keep the Rolla from meeting its end. Hooray!
Stats:
Places traveled since my last post: Rec, Plasma, Post office, home, campus, Subway, home, Noodles, home, Plasma, campus, bank, campus, home (oy!)
Distance traveled: 13.2 miles ($1.17)
Meters: Campus 9 hours ($9.00) + Downtown 4 hours ($2.40)
Total: $12.57
Grand Total: $115.60
Left to Save: $459.03
Happy Biking!
~Adam
If you remember, I went on a bit of a hiatus over December and January. It was because I was traveling quite a bit and away from Sulu and CoMo as a whole. When I finally did return home, I turned on the Rolla (my car) and was very dismayed to find that the battery was on its way out. Or, at least I thought it was on its way out.
See, when I turned on the car, I noticed that the dashboard lights looked dim. Instead of being bright an happy, they looked like they were a little dingy and struggling to keep everything lit. The car didn't have any trouble turning over, which was a good thing, but I was already lamenting the cost for a new battery, or perhaps something worse.
I am writing about that experience today because just today I realized that nothing is wrong with the Rolla at all. I was on my way to bible study when I started the car and it hit me. Everything looked just right. But how could that be? I figured it out. Really, it's all relative!
While I was on my hiatus, I was in California with my parents, driving around their much newer cars with fancy digital displays. When I got back to the Rolla, it wasn't a matter of the Rolla battery dying, it was just how the Rolla has always been. Relative to the newer cars the lights look dim and weak, but after a while, they begin to look normal.
All this was a reminder that the Rolla is no spring chicken. It has 258,000 miles and still going strong, but it isn't going to last forever. That's one more good reason to keep penny peddling. Every day that I bike instead of drive is a day that I get to keep the Rolla from meeting its end. Hooray!
Stats:
Places traveled since my last post: Rec, Plasma, Post office, home, campus, Subway, home, Noodles, home, Plasma, campus, bank, campus, home (oy!)
Distance traveled: 13.2 miles ($1.17)
Meters: Campus 9 hours ($9.00) + Downtown 4 hours ($2.40)
Total: $12.57
Grand Total: $115.60
Left to Save: $459.03
Happy Biking!
~Adam
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Turning Two into Twenty...
Hello, friends!
Confession, I have never lived in a city with a spectacular public transportation system. In Orange County, everything was far too spread out to be useful. In Saint Louis they have the Metro, which is great for going to the airport, but not too much else. In Columbia, the busses run, but not for very long, and not to anywhere west of downtown. That is one of the reasons why I love biking so much. I can go pretty much anywhere on Sulu. There is one downside to biking instead of driving. It sometimes takes me a touch longer to get places. Sometimes that touch longer can lead to a big difference.
Yesterday I had to head up to Staples to make some copies so I could bring them to campus. It was a simple, 5 minute job. All I needed was 20 copies of a flyer on cardstock then cut into quarters. Simple enough, right? Since I would be heading straight to campus from Staples for a meeting, it made sense for me to bike there then bike straight to Mizzou. All said and done, it's probably about 2 minutes faster to drive than to bike, which is usually worth it.
EXCEPT, when getting there two minutes later means you end up BEHIND the guy with the really long order instead of BEFORE him. Oy.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not faulting the guy for having a large and complicated order. He got there before I did and he had every right to ask for his photos to be copied on a certain type of paper. It is not wrong for him to have multiple sheets that needed to be copied in different quantities. Please understand that he did nothing wrong. Nor did the gal behind the desk. She was attentive to the customer and making sure she got the order right. Everyone did exactly as they should have done.
But understanding the situation doesn't mean I get to cut in line. So, as a 5 minute job turned into 20 minutes of waiting for a 5 minute job, I started to freak out a bit. Should I say something? No, I don't want to be THAT guy, right? Do I go without the copies so I can make it to my meeting on time? No, I need those copies to give to students so they can promote our upcoming event. I was stuck.
Fear not, dear reader. I eventually got my copies done and my student was very gracious in my being late (I texted her beforehand) so everything worked out ok. It just made me think about how two minutes can turn into twenty. It's like missing the subway or bus (here's the public transportation tie in. I'll bet you were wondering what that first paragraph had to do with anything, right?). Another one will come along soon enough, so there's no need to worry. But, it'll be a bit, so a small miscalculation leads to big(ger) ramifications.
Stats:
Places traveled: Staples, Campus, Home, Campus, Downtown, and back Home
Distance traveled: 10.5 miles ($.88)
Meters: Campus 4 hours ($4.00) + Downtown 2 hours ($1.20) + Campus 1 hour ($1.00)
Total: $8.08
Grand Total: $103.03
Left to Save: $471.60
Happy Biking!
~Adam
Confession, I have never lived in a city with a spectacular public transportation system. In Orange County, everything was far too spread out to be useful. In Saint Louis they have the Metro, which is great for going to the airport, but not too much else. In Columbia, the busses run, but not for very long, and not to anywhere west of downtown. That is one of the reasons why I love biking so much. I can go pretty much anywhere on Sulu. There is one downside to biking instead of driving. It sometimes takes me a touch longer to get places. Sometimes that touch longer can lead to a big difference.
Yesterday I had to head up to Staples to make some copies so I could bring them to campus. It was a simple, 5 minute job. All I needed was 20 copies of a flyer on cardstock then cut into quarters. Simple enough, right? Since I would be heading straight to campus from Staples for a meeting, it made sense for me to bike there then bike straight to Mizzou. All said and done, it's probably about 2 minutes faster to drive than to bike, which is usually worth it.
EXCEPT, when getting there two minutes later means you end up BEHIND the guy with the really long order instead of BEFORE him. Oy.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not faulting the guy for having a large and complicated order. He got there before I did and he had every right to ask for his photos to be copied on a certain type of paper. It is not wrong for him to have multiple sheets that needed to be copied in different quantities. Please understand that he did nothing wrong. Nor did the gal behind the desk. She was attentive to the customer and making sure she got the order right. Everyone did exactly as they should have done.
But understanding the situation doesn't mean I get to cut in line. So, as a 5 minute job turned into 20 minutes of waiting for a 5 minute job, I started to freak out a bit. Should I say something? No, I don't want to be THAT guy, right? Do I go without the copies so I can make it to my meeting on time? No, I need those copies to give to students so they can promote our upcoming event. I was stuck.
Fear not, dear reader. I eventually got my copies done and my student was very gracious in my being late (I texted her beforehand) so everything worked out ok. It just made me think about how two minutes can turn into twenty. It's like missing the subway or bus (here's the public transportation tie in. I'll bet you were wondering what that first paragraph had to do with anything, right?). Another one will come along soon enough, so there's no need to worry. But, it'll be a bit, so a small miscalculation leads to big(ger) ramifications.
Stats:
Places traveled: Staples, Campus, Home, Campus, Downtown, and back Home
Distance traveled: 10.5 miles ($.88)
Meters: Campus 4 hours ($4.00) + Downtown 2 hours ($1.20) + Campus 1 hour ($1.00)
Total: $8.08
Grand Total: $103.03
Left to Save: $471.60
Happy Biking!
~Adam
Thursday, January 19, 2012
If you give a bike a fender...
Hello, friends!
First of all, it is GREAT to be back and riding again. While I was traveling the world (ok, so it was Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, and California) I very much missed riding my bike as well as blogging about it! I'm sure you, my faithful 10 readers are glad to see me back too. (Here's hoping 10 isn't too generous). =0).
Do y'all remember the children's book, "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie"? I can't say that it was one of my favorites (that would be reserved for "I'll Love You Forever") but it's a solid kids book. The basic premise is that this kid gives a mouse a cookie, which leads to the mouse wanting milk, then something else, then something else, until it leads to this big ordeal that was much bigger than just a cookie. Honestly, whenever I read the book I got a little bit miffed at the mouse because I thought he was being greedy and also at the kid because he was being pushed around by a mouse.
Anyway, I think the moral of the story is about incidentals. Nothing is ever just what you think it is. It is sort of like the second part of Murphy's Law: everything will cost more and take longer.
The reason I started thinking about this is because I broke down and bought the fenders for my bike. The weather is great now, but I know it will be turning nasty at some point and I'd like to keep myself clean. I figured $30 was worth not being ridiculed by students for muddy clothes.
I took Sulu down to Josh at Walt's, my friendly neighborhood bike shop and he did a great job putting the fenders on. He was a little backed up when I dropped it off so I picked it up the next day on my way to something else.
Here's where it starts to get into mouse-cookie territory. I toss my bike into the back seat of my car like I normally do, but now the fender sticks out so the car door won't shut comfortably! I do a little adjusting, eventually get it in there, slam the door, and I'm on my way. Later, I take the bike out to go for a ride, but the fender was bent by the car door! Thankfully, it was an easy fix, but now I have a situation.
What I really should do is get a bike rack for my car so I can transport the bike without messing up the fender. But if I get the bike rack then I need to get more gas because the wind resistance caused by having a bike hanging off my trunk will hurt my fuel efficiency. And so the story goes...
You see where this is going right? I'm sure it's not as bad as it seems, but right now I am a bit perplexed. Here's hoping I don't end up with too many more steps in this conundrum.
Stats:
Places traveled: None
Meters: None
Cost of Fender: $32.19
Total: $32.19
Grand Total: $94.95
Left to save: $479.68
Happy Biking!
~Adam
First of all, it is GREAT to be back and riding again. While I was traveling the world (ok, so it was Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, and California) I very much missed riding my bike as well as blogging about it! I'm sure you, my faithful 10 readers are glad to see me back too. (Here's hoping 10 isn't too generous). =0).
| Greedy mouse probably wants a bike too! |
Anyway, I think the moral of the story is about incidentals. Nothing is ever just what you think it is. It is sort of like the second part of Murphy's Law: everything will cost more and take longer.
The reason I started thinking about this is because I broke down and bought the fenders for my bike. The weather is great now, but I know it will be turning nasty at some point and I'd like to keep myself clean. I figured $30 was worth not being ridiculed by students for muddy clothes.
I took Sulu down to Josh at Walt's, my friendly neighborhood bike shop and he did a great job putting the fenders on. He was a little backed up when I dropped it off so I picked it up the next day on my way to something else.
Here's where it starts to get into mouse-cookie territory. I toss my bike into the back seat of my car like I normally do, but now the fender sticks out so the car door won't shut comfortably! I do a little adjusting, eventually get it in there, slam the door, and I'm on my way. Later, I take the bike out to go for a ride, but the fender was bent by the car door! Thankfully, it was an easy fix, but now I have a situation.
What I really should do is get a bike rack for my car so I can transport the bike without messing up the fender. But if I get the bike rack then I need to get more gas because the wind resistance caused by having a bike hanging off my trunk will hurt my fuel efficiency. And so the story goes...
You see where this is going right? I'm sure it's not as bad as it seems, but right now I am a bit perplexed. Here's hoping I don't end up with too many more steps in this conundrum.
Stats:
Places traveled: None
Meters: None
Cost of Fender: $32.19
Total: $32.19
Grand Total: $94.95
Left to save: $479.68
Happy Biking!
~Adam
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