Get Your Grump on Thursdays - Was (What's chapping my @ss today?)

I am out of shape AND unmotivated.

I have more plans and ideas for this fall than I have dollars at the moment.

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Originally Posted by mjbabcock

Fuck you.







Oh, sorry, that's my response to everything right now.

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I have a 23-month old, who was on the verge of "failure to thrive" at 2-3 months, colic, spitting up half a dozen times after every meal, and everything else that went with it... Now, he wears bike t-shirts and is redefining table tennis. So, Houston is not wrong.

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Originally Posted by Britishbane

Ugh, been there. Took 2+ years but I just quit last week. My grump: moving sucks.

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Your ride report photos have been great(er) though.

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No serious grump other than we're departing 5am tomorrow - driving to CO for a week to celebrate our 20th anniversary. I still need to replace a battery in the Jeep, mow, repair a half dozen fence pickets, go grocery shopping and then pack for a family of four. Might as well start driving at 2am when I'm finished. Might beat the western KS heat. Lunch Cheladas in Ellis!

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Originally Posted by -Dustin

today is my 1yr + 1 day at this job. WTF am I still doing here?

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9 years, 2 months here. Same question.

Condos!
five and six story condo buildings going up all over this town without any commercial or retail space on the ground floors.
all developed by out of town corporations... many of these projects helped along with economic incentives from the city and county budgets.

Longfellow from Boston is getting tens of millions in economic incentives to start an "innovation district" in the formerly industrial mix neighborhood my studio is in.

Durham ID - Research Triangle

when they start talking about the creative class you can bet your bottom dollar the true creative class will be priced out of the region.

and then cnbc is celebrating our "startup culture" which excuse me but seems like it is celebrating get rich quick schemes as much as it is celebrating organic sustainable small business growth.
Durham, NC sparks a Tobacco Road business revival

yeah, I got the gentrification blues.. an old story I know.. I'll drop and do my twenty now.

praise be that I get to worship at the church of two wheels this evening.

I'm going to wake up really early tomorrow, drive ~5hrs, spend a lot of money on something ridiculous, turn around and drive ~5hrs straight back home.

Texas is way too big.

Friday post: this ridiculous thing is something I've fantasized about for years. I like rice and beans anyway.

we can hop over to the Friday thread, if you'd like. My other grump for the day has been my stapler, which has been a total piece of crap, that's seen an excessive amount of use the past 2 days.

Until I fixed it today, which totally made my week.

Been tapped for a big promotion which will tear me away for my wife and family and bike. My ego and my loves are in a big fight.

Heading out on a ride this AM I pull up to 4-way two blocks from home. I slow to a stop (as usual) and seeing a ped in the crosswalk I unclip instead of track stand. She turns to me and apologizes profusely for not waiting to cross so I could roll through. That's what most people think the average cyclist wants to do and it pisses me off.

Job. Family. Lifestyle. Pick two. (slight sarcasm)

My grump. I don't have hypothyroidism so back to chronic fatigue or depression diagnosis. Specialists coming up.

And another. Like the guys above I'm still wondering why I'm doing this job and I've only been here 2 months. Working very hard at the hobby though. Maybe one day.

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Originally Posted by Matthew Strongin

9 years, 2 months here. Same question.

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26 years, 353 days... I stopped asking long ago - too depressing.

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Originally Posted by David Tollefson

26 years, 353 days... I stopped asking long ago - too depressing.

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Trying to pack the moving van by myself in 95degree, 100% humidity, no breeze North F'ing Carolina. All so I can start on the next job that will inevitably piss me off. I'm too tired to continue, and it's not going to fit. I'll be up all night, and have to drive 800 miles and unpack by myself and not be able to find clean underwear. There won't be any place to park in Chicago, and I almost wish I hadn't told my boss what I told him... Nah, who am I kidding. I should have *really* ripped. :)

But back to Thursday... if it weren't for buying nice stuff, I'd LOVE to just walk away from an apartment and let the next guy keep what he likes.

Come around hairpin turn last sunday, not super fast. I saw a dog and a runner on the other side through the trees. OK, no big deal. But, no, when they actually come into visibility, turns out there are 4 runners and an off leash dog spread out across two lanes of road. WTF. As I adjust my line to avoid them. I say, "Please don't do that and keep your dog on a leash" Seriously, I said exactly that. Response? "Fuck you". Well, great. My response, "Ya, I'm just a dick about safety."

So, basically, I'm grumping about people who cannot fathom that there is anyone else in the world, and, if there are, they are without rights.

Grrrr.

Jon

today was the third fatality on bike&build. first two were '10 and '11.
all of them so far have been trip leaders; i led a trip in '12. very close to home :(

killed by someone on their phone on an extremely open, high-visibility road on a sunny morning.
http://bikeandbuild.org/Patrick%20Letter.pdf

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Originally Posted by seanile

today was the third fatality on bike&build. first two were '10 and '11.
all of them so far have been trip leaders; i led a trip in '12. very close to home :(

killed by someone on their phone on an extremely open, high-visibility road on a sunny morning.
http://bikeandbuild.org/Patrick%20Letter.pdf

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Goddammit this pisses me off.

It's no consolation. But law enforcement here in NH have been very pleased - shocked even - about how few drivers have been written up for the new hands-free law that went into effect on the first of July. May not make an overwhelming difference, but it couldn't hurt to put such laws on the books in all 50. Laws may not ensure behavior change, but it's a good start.

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Originally Posted by monadnocky

Goddammit this pisses me off.

It's no consolation. But law enforcement here in NH have been very pleased - shocked even - about how few drivers have been written up for the new hands-free law that went into effect on the first of July. May not make an overwhelming difference, but it couldn't hurt to put such laws on the books in all 50. Laws may not ensure behavior change, but it's a good start.

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Last night while driving home from work, I was following a car that went straight a few times when the road curved left. The third time the car hit the guard rail, hub cap and car parts in the air, the startled driver over-corrected and went into the on-coming traffic. Then, by some miracle, the car was back in my lane without hitting another car. It was a young driver texting, of course. Open road, wide shoulder clear day, etc. I ride that stretch occasionally and I'm glad I was in the car then.

The mobile phone is an addictive device. Why else would a driver come near to an accident twice and keep texting ? I don't know what the solution is, but immobilizing mobile phone when mobile would be a good start.

There is nothing that makes me think about my own mortality than stuff like this. The cardiac thread is really hitting home, too (about two years ago I had a strange sensation when climbing hard - like my heart kind of skipping a beat - that made me totally freak out, PCP says everything sounds fine, but still...)

I can accept sudden death in all sorts of ways, although I, um... don't really look forward to it. The thought, however, of being taken out in my 40's by some idiot 17 year old girl texting about where the party is tonight or some guy sending out dick pics is a whole different thing.

And going across country? Damn. I was planning on doing this again in a few years, I don't know now. Just seems so dangerous compared to 1994. And his poor partner... can't imagine what she saw if she was conscious, can't imagine what she felt.

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Originally Posted by joosttx

Been tapped for a big promotion which will tear me away for my wife and family and bike. My ego and my loves are in a big fight.

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Ah, an added capacity to buy more nice bikes and less time to ride them. A familiar conundrum. At least I'll be better able to keep up with you.

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Originally Posted by joosttx

Been tapped for a big promotion which will tear me away for my wife and family and bike. My ego and my loves are in a big fight.

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don't do it man. $$ can't buy happiness.