i've started training for the chicago triathlon coming up in august. clearly this represents a huge commitment of time and energy and in fact resources, as i will require a wetsuit and a bike.
swim (1.5K; Sprint .75K) - this is what i'm most worried about. i haven't been in the water for years, and i've never tried to swim competitively. it's a whole new ball of wax for me, and apparently there's gear involved. entry level wetsuits start at around $150, and pro level gear is over $600. clearly, since this will be my first (not necessarily, but maybe, last) go at it, i'll be fine with the schmo level gear.
bike (40K; Sprint 22K) - i feel most confident about this leg. i've casually ridden 25 miles with no issue, never after swimming, but i'm confident. i'm not confident about my bikes. either of them. i have a 90's era Trek hybrid and a 70's era Univega 16 speed with friction shifters (stem mounted). neither of those will be competitive on a race course without major overhaul. maybe the Univega with a single speed hub, bullhorn bars (debating aero bars) and aero rims. but it's got a lugged fork, clearly not made to race. i could (probably will) do a whole post on this leg of the race.
run (10K; Sprint 5K) - i really hate running. the internet is jam packed with running tips, schedules, gear, groups, etc. running is my least favorite of all activities, including chores. i would rather clean my apartment top to bottom than run. i'd rather go to the dentist and the urologist than run. i hope this is abundantly clear. i just ran a little more than a 5K with my friend Joel and we're neither of us athletes (any more) but we're going to train together. on our run today we talked about how much we hate running.
the reason i listed all the distances and sprint distances is that we're not sure which to do yet. we have several months to train, so we're going to train for the sprint for the next month and if that seems like it's well within our ability we're going to stretch to the full distance. might as well right? we also talked today about how much more fulfilling and driving it is to have a goal for why we're working out beyond to "be in shape". that's for the birds. working out for the sake of working out is like writing book after book and never trying to get published. but the ChiTri is in our sights. we're aiming at that. and perhaps beyond, but who knows. one thing at a time. what are you up to lately?
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
yoga, bikes and smoking
i've started taking yoga, and i like it a lot. it's almost bicycle season, which excites me to no end. i think it's really time to give the old college try to kicking the smokes, although i never went to college and there's a camel blue resting on the ashtray as i type this.
yoga is one of those rare athletic endeavors that i not only enjoy, but also gives me a group of aftereffects that i can only describe as spiritual fulfillment, achievement and drive to improve. i also want to continue, which is the rarest effect a physical activity has ever had on me. i lifted weights, but i hated doing it. i swam, but never enjoyed it. i ran and nearly cut my feet off to avoid it. but yoga... seems to be giving me harmony i've scarcely known, and often sought.
temperatures are ebbing up toward the low fifties, and a week of fifty degree days (seven consecutive) marks the start of my bike commuting season. it's a time of year that offers me freedom, fitness, and unparalleled learning opportunities about the streets and paths of our sweet home: chicago. my plan this year is to ride the trek hybrid and slowly convert the eighties era univega (stem shift) to a single speed. i've been studying online and it seems doable with minimal expense and an acceptable learning curve. we'll see.
smoking. it's not healthy, it's expensive, it's smelly, on and on ad nauseam; i get it. my mother, strangers, exes, everyone who has an opinion has been telling me longer than i care to think about that i oughta quit. but none of that counts for squat unless i want to quit, trust me. but now i think i want to. yoga is helping me realize that i'm holding my body back from it's potential, and that is something i really won't tolerate. so that's my go at that. i just need a kick start to get going.
any ideas?
yoga is one of those rare athletic endeavors that i not only enjoy, but also gives me a group of aftereffects that i can only describe as spiritual fulfillment, achievement and drive to improve. i also want to continue, which is the rarest effect a physical activity has ever had on me. i lifted weights, but i hated doing it. i swam, but never enjoyed it. i ran and nearly cut my feet off to avoid it. but yoga... seems to be giving me harmony i've scarcely known, and often sought.
temperatures are ebbing up toward the low fifties, and a week of fifty degree days (seven consecutive) marks the start of my bike commuting season. it's a time of year that offers me freedom, fitness, and unparalleled learning opportunities about the streets and paths of our sweet home: chicago. my plan this year is to ride the trek hybrid and slowly convert the eighties era univega (stem shift) to a single speed. i've been studying online and it seems doable with minimal expense and an acceptable learning curve. we'll see.
smoking. it's not healthy, it's expensive, it's smelly, on and on ad nauseam; i get it. my mother, strangers, exes, everyone who has an opinion has been telling me longer than i care to think about that i oughta quit. but none of that counts for squat unless i want to quit, trust me. but now i think i want to. yoga is helping me realize that i'm holding my body back from it's potential, and that is something i really won't tolerate. so that's my go at that. i just need a kick start to get going.
any ideas?
Sunday, March 20, 2011
time management
i can't help myself. i agree to everything offered to me, on the spot. plans, events, dinners, coffee, all of it. and then i'm doomed trying to make it all happen.
it's just that spending time with people is something that i consider to be the most important expenditure in my life. i want to do all these things because they're with people i genuinely enjoy being around. denying plans, to me, seems like denying the importance of these people in my mind.
so i've tried carrying a planner - i forget it at home. tried scheduling in my blackberry - the battery dies. even tried saying no to everything - i end up sitting alone in my apartment and pouting.
so here's the plan: maybe.
if i just say maybe to everything, hopes are mitigated and i can get a more realistic hold of my schedule.
yes, that is the best i've got. you know something better?
it's just that spending time with people is something that i consider to be the most important expenditure in my life. i want to do all these things because they're with people i genuinely enjoy being around. denying plans, to me, seems like denying the importance of these people in my mind.
so i've tried carrying a planner - i forget it at home. tried scheduling in my blackberry - the battery dies. even tried saying no to everything - i end up sitting alone in my apartment and pouting.
so here's the plan: maybe.
if i just say maybe to everything, hopes are mitigated and i can get a more realistic hold of my schedule.
yes, that is the best i've got. you know something better?
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
shopohol
i have a problem. i buy things, lots of them. mostly clothes and books, some video games. nothing ridiculous. except that i don't necessarily need them.
i recently came into a modest sum of money. i used it to pay off my credit cards, put down the last installment on a trip to ireland (more to come on that later), and buy a car. well, put a healthy down payment on a car. the rest... i spent. a first edition of a book that changed my life, some designer jeans, and yada yada yada.
savings holds no interest for me. i don't necessarily believe in the future, so holding on to money to prepare for a time that doesn't exist, doesn't make sense. not only that, i see credit as a way to bet that the future doesn't exist, a bet that i constantly, painfully slowly, lose.
so after my little shopping spree, i not only have nothing left, i am in debt again. not serious debt, i'll pay it off inside six months; if i can stop spending.
here's my plan:
1. in Chicago i'll only spend money on groceries and live entertainment.
2. on vacation i'll have a strict $50 a day spending limit on usable souvenirs.
3. once bills are paid (including groceries) i'll hand off $100 per pay check to a third party to begin a savings plan.
4. the rest of my money will be put toward the credit card bills until they are 100% paid off.
of course, having spent the last five days on a spending binge, it's not hard to say now that i'll go through with this plan. hopefully i can learn a little discipline and creative living to make sure i stay on target. i'll report back.
what's your guilty pleasure? do you have any intention of stopping, or do you like it just too much to stop?
i recently came into a modest sum of money. i used it to pay off my credit cards, put down the last installment on a trip to ireland (more to come on that later), and buy a car. well, put a healthy down payment on a car. the rest... i spent. a first edition of a book that changed my life, some designer jeans, and yada yada yada.
savings holds no interest for me. i don't necessarily believe in the future, so holding on to money to prepare for a time that doesn't exist, doesn't make sense. not only that, i see credit as a way to bet that the future doesn't exist, a bet that i constantly, painfully slowly, lose.
so after my little shopping spree, i not only have nothing left, i am in debt again. not serious debt, i'll pay it off inside six months; if i can stop spending.
here's my plan:
1. in Chicago i'll only spend money on groceries and live entertainment.
2. on vacation i'll have a strict $50 a day spending limit on usable souvenirs.
3. once bills are paid (including groceries) i'll hand off $100 per pay check to a third party to begin a savings plan.
4. the rest of my money will be put toward the credit card bills until they are 100% paid off.
of course, having spent the last five days on a spending binge, it's not hard to say now that i'll go through with this plan. hopefully i can learn a little discipline and creative living to make sure i stay on target. i'll report back.
what's your guilty pleasure? do you have any intention of stopping, or do you like it just too much to stop?
Sunday, March 6, 2011
candles and paint
i'm oblivious to most things regarding my home. i live in a loft-ish two bedroom with my roommate, Rose. the only things i really like for decor are books and coffee. everything else seems 'nice to have' (quite low on the IT/SE priority scale).
one thing i've noticed of late is that candles add a lot for not much expense. it's no longer quite cold enough to haul wood home (4th floor) to light the fireplace, but a softly dancing flame gives the home a feeling of calm and warmth. i really like waxman candles. they have unique scents, are made in the back of the shop and the company was born where i was: Lawrence, Kansas. the store provides an olfactory cornucopia. go see them on Lincoln between Barry and Wellington. Cheryl told me about it; she would want you to know that.
i just had a gentleman here who was giving me and estimate to paint the place. white walls can drive a man to fidget. it was a bit higher than i thought. i'm going to get another quote and see what's up. his work looks amazing and Yelp loves him, but it's certainly not a crime to shop. i should know.
trader joe's pistachios and cashews are calling my name for late lunch. what's your living space like?
one thing i've noticed of late is that candles add a lot for not much expense. it's no longer quite cold enough to haul wood home (4th floor) to light the fireplace, but a softly dancing flame gives the home a feeling of calm and warmth. i really like waxman candles. they have unique scents, are made in the back of the shop and the company was born where i was: Lawrence, Kansas. the store provides an olfactory cornucopia. go see them on Lincoln between Barry and Wellington. Cheryl told me about it; she would want you to know that.
i just had a gentleman here who was giving me and estimate to paint the place. white walls can drive a man to fidget. it was a bit higher than i thought. i'm going to get another quote and see what's up. his work looks amazing and Yelp loves him, but it's certainly not a crime to shop. i should know.
trader joe's pistachios and cashews are calling my name for late lunch. what's your living space like?
Thursday, March 3, 2011
anticipation-free
i recall as a child having to wait for things. and plan. and think quickly. communication technology has come a long way toward relieving me of those burdens.
in the fall of the years of my youth, our home would eagerly await the catalog deliveries preceding Christmas season. my sister and i would earnestly and diligently peruse, upon their arrival, catalogs from Sears, Kohl's, Montgomery Ward and the like, searching for items that were within a reasonable price range and that we considered fun - or at least useful - to utilize for the next year. we dog-eared pages, marked items, prioritized our wishes and presented the catalog back to our mother months in advance of that winter spectacle. and then we waited. we waited, not knowing what of our myriad selections would arrive, carefully wrapped on that magical morning.
i also recall visiting stores with little or no knowledge of what i would find. searching not for the item i wanted, but discovering my desire right in it's physical presence. a book, a ninja turtle action figure, a colorfully boxed breakfast cereal. i never knew what was available, and trips to the store were journeys, adventures beginning with a car ride full of potential and discussion.
as i grew older my social circle became wider than the Oldsmobile Forenza that carried my mother, sister and me on our errands and commutes. plans were made and phone calls were placed. from land lines. there was a magical moment that existed just after dialing, and before a "hello?" could be heard. in it, an infinite possibility and planning occurred. if my intended recipient answered, the dam of conversation could break instantly, or some other member of their household could answer and depending on my relationship with them i could make small talk or ask directly for my destination. or the dreaded answering machine would pick up and a clipped, one sided conversation could be recorded. but the instant existed where it was impossible to tell. schrödinger's phone conversation.
none of these occurrences exist in my world any longer. during gift seasons i email links to my family. usually just one or two; items i could easily buy for myself. the grocery is the only store i visit, and being a single person with limited culinary skill, i typically refresh stocks of my staple items with little variation. other items i buy online and arrive at my home without much thought or expectation. i text message friends. i call cell phones, generally controlled by a dedicated operator, no risk of unexpected conversations. i don't leave voice mails.
there is no buildup. i research large purchases and obtain the exact model i have decided on, without input from sales staff. i know what's out there, i saw a digital picture online.
i crave anticipation like some people crave ice cream or bacon or sex. i purposely bleed my finances so that i can eagerly await my next paycheck. i make plans weeks in advance to give myself unbendable purpose. usually.
currently i have nowhere to be, no one to see, and no concrete plans but the few tasks on my "things to do" list which bear no real importance. i'm anticipating nothing. i'm adrift in a sea of instant gratification, all my needs and wants at my fingertips. i am content. it's not so bad.
in the fall of the years of my youth, our home would eagerly await the catalog deliveries preceding Christmas season. my sister and i would earnestly and diligently peruse, upon their arrival, catalogs from Sears, Kohl's, Montgomery Ward and the like, searching for items that were within a reasonable price range and that we considered fun - or at least useful - to utilize for the next year. we dog-eared pages, marked items, prioritized our wishes and presented the catalog back to our mother months in advance of that winter spectacle. and then we waited. we waited, not knowing what of our myriad selections would arrive, carefully wrapped on that magical morning.
i also recall visiting stores with little or no knowledge of what i would find. searching not for the item i wanted, but discovering my desire right in it's physical presence. a book, a ninja turtle action figure, a colorfully boxed breakfast cereal. i never knew what was available, and trips to the store were journeys, adventures beginning with a car ride full of potential and discussion.
as i grew older my social circle became wider than the Oldsmobile Forenza that carried my mother, sister and me on our errands and commutes. plans were made and phone calls were placed. from land lines. there was a magical moment that existed just after dialing, and before a "hello?" could be heard. in it, an infinite possibility and planning occurred. if my intended recipient answered, the dam of conversation could break instantly, or some other member of their household could answer and depending on my relationship with them i could make small talk or ask directly for my destination. or the dreaded answering machine would pick up and a clipped, one sided conversation could be recorded. but the instant existed where it was impossible to tell. schrödinger's phone conversation.
none of these occurrences exist in my world any longer. during gift seasons i email links to my family. usually just one or two; items i could easily buy for myself. the grocery is the only store i visit, and being a single person with limited culinary skill, i typically refresh stocks of my staple items with little variation. other items i buy online and arrive at my home without much thought or expectation. i text message friends. i call cell phones, generally controlled by a dedicated operator, no risk of unexpected conversations. i don't leave voice mails.
there is no buildup. i research large purchases and obtain the exact model i have decided on, without input from sales staff. i know what's out there, i saw a digital picture online.
i crave anticipation like some people crave ice cream or bacon or sex. i purposely bleed my finances so that i can eagerly await my next paycheck. i make plans weeks in advance to give myself unbendable purpose. usually.
currently i have nowhere to be, no one to see, and no concrete plans but the few tasks on my "things to do" list which bear no real importance. i'm anticipating nothing. i'm adrift in a sea of instant gratification, all my needs and wants at my fingertips. i am content. it's not so bad.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
baseless assurance
it's a fine, fine line between confident and cocky. unless i'm dealing with romance; in that arena my fine line is between cowardice and social ineptitude. but, this post is not about romance. it's about a dishwasher and premature mental defeat.
my sister's husband is installing a new dishwasher at their house. he is not a plumber, nor is he an electrician. or for that matter a carpenter, stonemason, architect, mechanic or in any way related to a building profession. his father is a judge in a small town, and he works retail logistics. he's a smart man, with a bachelor's degree in the agricultural economics.
they bought their house shortly before they were married in the fall of 2010 and it needed a little work. so they did it. replacing cabinet doors, no problem. painting, done in a jiffy. moving boxes, furniture, kids; done, done, done. appliances... "maybe we should call a professional" my sister suggested. if i know him, he stood quietly, arms crossed, inspecting his foe for a moment. "i think i got it" he probably mused.
there lay his fatal error. yoda said "do or do not. there is no try." yoda was entirely correct.
defeat lies in the mind, and attacking anything - learning guitar, cooking, rock climbing, financial success - generally requires that one be able to presuppose success. there are exceptions, last ditch efforts, miracles (coincidences), that sort of thing, but rarely do they intervene in such a mundane task as appliance installation. also, assuming success means that failure is not an endpoint, but a mile marker on the path to achievement. it's just what not to do next time.
that's a long road to my point, which is that i can't seem to approach a task or challenge without assuming it's accomplishable, defeatable, surmountable. not to put forth that i've never failed, but failing spectacularly is, in it's way, a success.
do you mentally defeat yourself before approaching a task or challenge? have you tried baselessly assuring yourself that you can, and will, succeed? it works wonders.
my sister's husband is installing a new dishwasher at their house. he is not a plumber, nor is he an electrician. or for that matter a carpenter, stonemason, architect, mechanic or in any way related to a building profession. his father is a judge in a small town, and he works retail logistics. he's a smart man, with a bachelor's degree in the agricultural economics.
they bought their house shortly before they were married in the fall of 2010 and it needed a little work. so they did it. replacing cabinet doors, no problem. painting, done in a jiffy. moving boxes, furniture, kids; done, done, done. appliances... "maybe we should call a professional" my sister suggested. if i know him, he stood quietly, arms crossed, inspecting his foe for a moment. "i think i got it" he probably mused.
there lay his fatal error. yoda said "do or do not. there is no try." yoda was entirely correct.
defeat lies in the mind, and attacking anything - learning guitar, cooking, rock climbing, financial success - generally requires that one be able to presuppose success. there are exceptions, last ditch efforts, miracles (coincidences), that sort of thing, but rarely do they intervene in such a mundane task as appliance installation. also, assuming success means that failure is not an endpoint, but a mile marker on the path to achievement. it's just what not to do next time.
that's a long road to my point, which is that i can't seem to approach a task or challenge without assuming it's accomplishable, defeatable, surmountable. not to put forth that i've never failed, but failing spectacularly is, in it's way, a success.
do you mentally defeat yourself before approaching a task or challenge? have you tried baselessly assuring yourself that you can, and will, succeed? it works wonders.
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