Mile 344: The Surfer's Lament

I just found Marvel's Create-Your-Own Comic site and have been goofing off creating this:

I love living in the future where things like this exist.

Mile 313: The Facts of Life

When I was in fourth grade, my sister announced some exciting news to me.

"Last night Mom gave me a talk about the Facts of Life".

Holy smokes, I thought, here's my chance for finally figuring this all out! All along my parents knew what the Facts are, and they haven't told me! They've left me to try and hash out this mess for myself. What is school? Why are some people mean? What exactly are all of us doing here, anyway? Mysteries heaped on top of mysteries. What are mosquitos good for? Who invented food? I looked forward to settling some of these confusing questions, now that it was clear that my parents had The Facts.

I approached my dad, and told him that Jennifer had had a talk with Mom about the Facts of Life, and now I wished him to share that knowledge with me too. He agreed, sat at the foot of my bed and told me things about penises, vaginas, various fluids, babies, love, marriage; that kind of stuff. Nothing like the Facts I imagined. Just more mystery and confusion: Who came up with all this scary stuff? Why is it so complicated? How soon before I can use my penis on a woman?

Recovery followed. I didn't have the guts to ask what I really wanted to know partly out of fear that it would let loose another torrent. This whole world and life seemed so odd to me and I wanted an explanation for all of the weirdness. Over the next few years, it would dawn on me that no one really had the answers, no matter how I put the questions.

I've come to peace with the fact that if you follow any chain of inquiry long enough, you end up back at the Old Mystery of "Just why is all of this stuff here, really? And why am I here to comtemplate it all?" I'm no closer to the big Facts of Life, and never will be.

Mile 275: Hello 2010, You Magnificent Bastard

Lots of rain recently, but warm weather. Bike rides have come steadily, but I'm not yet up to my training goals. The goal is simple: pull multiple 50-mile days without going into a coma. I've done a few 30-35 milers, and been pretty fine, but they've been on standalone days.

My legs feel really strong, though. The last eight months of consistent riding have got me feeling pretty good. If I'm going up a semi-steep grade, I don't bother with Granny Gear any more. Mostly I keep in on the middle wheel-chain (I think that's the term) and grind it out. Keeping that up for a mile or so isn't a problem. Seeing how I do on an actual mountain pass will be interesting to see.

The new bike has also changed the way I ride quite a bit. On the Grey Goose, I would power up hills by standing up. Now, I stay seating and grind it out. It's a more sustainable way to get up a slope, at least on the Surly. Also, my Corpse Toe complaint has gone away via a combination of looser laces and warmer socks. I'm very happy about that.

Had an old friend visit over New Year's and it was quite the experience. We were tight way when we were kids. We met at gymnastics class, back when I was 10-14 or so. Back then, he was a hyper, funny friend, and we goofed off a lot together in the way that 10-14 year old boys do: farting, boogers, movies and skateboarding.

Now he's 33 and broken down in ways I never thought I'd see: physically and emotionally he's the most damaged person I've been close to. He's been through it all, and continues to go through it on a daily basis. Mostly, his current personality is subsumed by addiction, which make being his friend an impossibility. At best, I can be a crutch. It was a hard visit, which I managed to get through with a combination of bike riding, whiskey and Judd Apatow comedies.