Take This Job…

Recently, while at my nine to fiver, I was talking with a friend who I happen to be doing some business with. While on the phone, we engaged in some general small-talk before getting to the actual work matter at hand. At one point, Roman (not his real name) asked me how things were going at work. I replied that it was work and I didn’t like doing it. This response led us down a road of comical and profound discussion.

See, the way I figure it, nobody, and I mean nobody, likes their job. They don’t like to work, and they don’t want to go to work. I’d be willing to bet that, if given the choice, no one would actually say that they were completely satisfied going to the office whether it be in the home or at a remote location. I will concede that some people tolerate their specific vocation enough to not want to jump off a bridge, but there isn’t a single person that dreads five o’clock and the close of business (personal home life is not considered in this equation).

To prove my point, I ask you this; when was the last time you woke up and said to yourself, “YES!” “I’m awake and get to spend another day doing (insert lame job here)!” Or, when was the last time a Friday rolled around and you were sad to have several days away from work? For that matter, when was the last time you weren’t thinking about the weekend on a Thursday afternoon?

Now, you may be saying there are plenty of people (maybe you’re one of them) that LOVE their jobs. I would say you’re a liar and that you don’t actually have a job. You instead have a hobby. People that have jobs need them to pay the bills and to maintain a certain lifestyle. People who say they love their “jobs” have the means to quit them at any point, thus making it a hobby.

While I don’t necessarily like my job, I’m happy to have one. I don’t completely hate it but there are definitely days that I would prefer doing something else. If I had the means to maintain my current gear habit I would quit my job in a heartbeat and pick up a hobby. Of course I don’t see that happening anytime soon so I guess I’ll be back flying my desk on Monday morning and counting the hours until Friday afternoon.

Wedding Bells

While it should come as no surprise, I’m highly exhausted. This weekend was more intense and action packed then most. It involved yard work, bike rides, entertaining, and, most importantly, a wedding. Apparently this time of year seems to be good for weddings since I know three couples that are getting hitched in the next few weeks, but this past Saturday was all about Herm and Justine.

As luck would have it, the weather cooperated and the rain that has been pummeling us took a break. This allowed the outdoor ceremony to go off without issue. It was a grand affair that went well into the night with bonfires and camping and fireworks. Personally, I had a great time so I’ll just assume everyone else did too. Congratulations Mike and Justine and thanks for throwing such a wonderful party.

Behind Bars for Life

This Sunday was the annual Nittany Mountain Bike Association’s “picnic/bike ride/membership drive/wash-your-bike-in-the-creek/here’s mud in your eye” event. While it wasn’t officially billed that way (the printing costs were prohibitive), it kind of turned out that way. You see, for the past several years the NMBA has gotten together in the spring for a group ride followed by a picnic with time to relax and enjoy the company of like minded people.

Typically the ride goes off from Greenwood Furnace State Park. It’s a bit of a drive at a whopping 40 minutes but when single-track is in your back yard, that’s an awfully long way to go. Not to mention, the ride started at ten in the morning which added to the early start. This year, the weather was less than ideal. The temperatures were spot on, but the forecast was for rain, and lots of it.

About fifteen people showed for the ride and we set out as a group. After a short but spry warm up, I decided to jump on some single-track and deviate slightly from the rest of the group. Fortunately, the rain had started about the same time we rolled out therefore the roots and rocks were extra slimy.

After about three minutes on the trial, I decided it would be a good idea to catch a flat and spend some time getting rained on while I fixed it. It wasn’t a major setback, but enough to harsh my mellow. By the time I got rolling again, I was far enough off the back that I wasn’t going to catch the group. This was okay because I had a slightly different ride plan in mind and could now execute it. I ended up riding solo for the rest of the day and enjoyed some flowy albeit slippery trails. It was raining hard, the mud was kicking up into my face, and the grit was caking my bike and my body.

Upon my return to the park, I found additional non-riding people that had come out just for the picnic. I also found myself and others bathing their flesh and bikes in the nearby stream since everything was covered in a nice layer of muck. For an added bonus, however, the sun came out and it turned into a great day to enjoy some burgers and merriment following an overall decent ride with the local mountain bike club.

Four or More

Finally, after long last, we had a break from the cold and the weather stayed above sixty for several days in a row. Not knowing how long this show of meteorological goodness would last, I decided to make the most of it and ride bikes. I wasn’t going to be particular and wanted to give my mountain bike and road bike some much needed attention.

It all started with a day off of work on Thursday. Fortunately, it was Cathy’s birthday so I had a good excuse to not go to work. Of course any excuse would have been okay with me. After a filling breakfast Cathy, Brian, Frank, and I went into Cooper’s Gap for some of the sweetest single-track on the east coast. The weather was ideal for riding trails and the conditions were phenomenal.

Friday I was back at the office for the day but made plans to ride some of the neighborhood trails with Jeremy and his dog. These trails are practically in my backyard so getting there takes all of about two minutes but they provide a solid hour of continuous single-track without riding the same trails twice. It’s just one of the many advantages to living in the Heights. We only rode for about any hour but it was a spirited pace that wore me out.

Saturday was more of the same. Jeremy and I took the dog out again for another loop at the short-track which is only about a five minute bike ride from the house. We were almost done with our first loop on the trails when the sky opened up and a cold rain started to fall hard. It was almost painful to ride back home but the rain felt good on the warm afternoon. Fortunately we managed about an hour of riding before calling it a day.

Sunday I decided to switch it up and get on the road bike to spin for a few hours. I tried to find people to ride with me but no one was available. I was okay with that and set out towards Spruce Creek. It was a glorious day with sun and just enough wind to be annoying. I ended up riding for almost three hours and gave my legs a healthy workout.

The interesting thing about the past four days is that I think it’s the first time I’ve ever ridden on four consecutive days. I’d like to keep this trend going and see how many days in a row I can ride because I’ve missed being on a bike, of any kind. There’s something oddly relaxing about turning over pedals and using my own power to go places, even if it is just to get me back home. I don’t know if I have the legs to keep this up, but it’ll sure be nice to try.

Two for the Road

As promised, but with a short delay of several weeks, I finally managed to get away from the SC for a few days. On Friday morning I loaded up my car and made the “shorter than expected but still really long trip” to Atlanta to visit Sean and Lucy. This would be the first time seeing Sean and Lucy in just over a year, but it was also going to be my first foray back to Georgia since I left six years ago. The plan was to spend some quality time hanging out, enjoying the cozy north Georgia sunshine, and riding mountain bikes.

Upon my arrival at Sean and Lucy’s I was greeted with that often talked about Southern hospitality. That is to say neither one of them was home. Since I felt like I had been folded in half from sitting in the car for twelve hours I decided to relax under the magnolia tree in their front yard and wait for someone to show up. After a short wait, Sean rolled up on his motorcycle and he escorted me in for a beer in their courtyard while we got caught up on old times. About an hour later Lucy arrived and we decided to head out for some dinner.

Saturday morning came early but also included coffee and bagels. The plan was to ride mountain bikes on the Chicopee Trails, then head into Athens for some dinner and also to watch the Twilight Criterium. The Twilight Criterium is kind of major bicycle race that’s been held in downtown Athens for about thirty years and is crazy exciting to watch because it’s a short course and is wicked fast. That alone would have been more than enough excitement for one trip. Fortunately, there was more fun to be had.

Sunday morning Lucy and I headed out for breakfast while Sean stayed home to do school work (as he’s working on his MBA). The afternoon involved Sean and I heading to northern Georgia for some more mountain biking at Bull Mountain while Lucy went to work for a few hours. I had done plenty of road rides in north Georgia but never any trails so that was a treat to be had. After several hours of suffering on the red clay we made our way back to the house for some burgers and beers.

Unfortunately I had to get up crazy early today and drive back to the SC. Now, I’m extremely tired and a day late on my blog. I guess the bright side is that while I was in Atlanta Sean and Lucy not only got to spend time with me but they each got new boots. Of course, Lucy didn’t get to keep hers, but in this case that's a good thing.