After staring at my bike for three days I made myself a pledge to get out and ride it over the weekend. I found a bike shop up the road, had her tuned and given the once over by people who understand today’s convoluted shifting systems (my last bike was a 12-speed road bike purchased in the last 1980s–bikes, like everything else, have come a long way), bought some “essentials,” like a minipump, a lock and an onboard computer, and took her out for a spin.

My bike has shock absorbers on the front tire. This looks very cool. It will also probably be very helpful once I start riding it on trails and such. As it is, riding on paved paths, they’re a little weird to get used to. They bounce. Standing up to increase momentum while peddling up a hill has this whole added dimension to it because you’re not so much pushing off the ground as you are bouncing up and down on the shocks.

Life could use a pair of shock absorbers. Bouncing is frequently preferable to pushing into a hard surface. But in biking, I kind of like the power you get off the ground. Hmmm.

Speaking of hard surfaces…

First week on the job was really great but also really overwhelming. By the time Friday rolled around I was so wiped out I could have slept in my truck. I spent some time thinking about it this weekend and recognized that I’ve got to establish some rules for myself to prevent this kind of drain. My counselor would call this “boundary setting.”

And you wouldn’t think that a person would have to establish a policy about eating lunch but if I don’t make it a brain-saving goal, I’ll sit right there at my desk and work right through while gnawing on sandwich. Getting up and walking away for a little while is a good thing.

You don’t need to hear all of them but that’s what I’m working on this week. It’s one thing to want to work hard and do well, it’s another thing all together to come to the end of a week wanting to crawl into a dark hole and pass out.

Coming Up…

This weekend is my first exposure to the Columbus Pride festivities and also the Community Festival, which is held simultaneously in a different park. I’m thinking about taking my bike and shuttling back and forth between the two. I’ll hopefully get to spend some time with Jamie and some of his friends, and with Jen and Chris.

It won’t be Atlanta but I have a feeling it’s going to be pretty nice. Here’s hoping the weather holds.