An Essence of Suffering

The experience of life holds so many joys and so many adventures. The anticipation which builds before a new experience; attending university, attempting an epic bike trip, or traveling to a new part of the world (close or far) for example. All of these events have three stages the first which I have already mentioned, anticipation. I like to think of anticipation as the nervous excitement we feel as we contemplate what the adventure will hold, the nervousness is sometimes accompanied by a small amount of stress as we wonder how the whole ordeal will turn out.

The second stage is the experience itself, the real deal, the culmination of all preparation and planning however short they were!

The third stage is the memories which the event has sowed in our minds. We look back and laugh or simply muse, replaying pieces of the event in our minds, perhaps unintentionally changing certain details so as to mature the experience into an idyllic memory. I often do this with my bike adventures. There are times in many of my trips where I alone, or my friends and I certainly were ‘suffering’ up a seemingly endless hill, or seriously contemplating how many revolutions our legs had left, or hoping for our tires to hold out just a few more miles. However these details get shaded in the memory process of the experience, for the better I think.

At certain times, maybe inevitably, there is a fourth stage to an experience. This is the stage of longing and wishing. It could simply be human nature to long for familiar places and comfortable environments, but however futile this aspect of our nature is; we cannot deny its power. If only we could be back in the experience feeling the same pains, pleasures, speaking the forgotten words of that day. Re-living the joy. But as we all know, this is impossible. In short, this is an essence of our suffering.

Commuting Statistics

61% of American Adults are obese. (www.cbef.org)

54% of Americans live less than 5 miles from their jobs. (Bicycling Magazine)

1.67% of Americans commute by bicycle. (Washington State Energy Office Extension Services)

1.26 Million - Number of Road deaths in 2000. (World Health Organization)

Traffic kills 4 times as many people as wars (World Health Organization)

Cyclists who wear a helmet, ride sober, use proper lighting, and ride with traffic are 99.999% likely to survive their ride. (John Hopkins)

Ok, given the obvious benefits of cycling (zero environmental impact, healthy, no noise pollution, less conducive to violence, economical) I am only left with one question. What the hell is wrong with us Americans?

Carl Sagan's Demon Haunted World

While this is not necessarily a bike related topic I feel the need to write a bit about the book I’ve been reading lately. I recently picked up Carl Sagan’s “The Demon Haunted World” in a small bookstore in Homer. I’ve read a few of Sagan’s essays in the past, and discussed him briefly in a few different philosophy classes at University, but I had yet to delve into any of his works deeply. I never knew what I was missing...

Macbook & Cannondale Prophet Reviews

Another 9-5 entry... I feel busy today. I posted a review concerning my new baby, a Macbook. If you are considering what type of computer to spend your hard earned dollars on, check this out.
After nearly two years of riding, I've finally got around to reviewing my trusty steed, a Cannondale Prophet

Wikipedia

I don't know about anyone else, but I'm starting to use wikipedia almost more than the empire that is google. In light of this fact I've been thinking a bit about the nature of the wikipedia beast and what it means in this information age. Here's some thoughts:

Wikipedia: A Restructuring of Power Relations

Hiking

Took the girlfriend hiking up Skyline trail here on the beautiful Kenai Peninsula. I thought I caught her giving me the "what the hell have you got me into" look a couple times, but she said she loved the trip. The views were good, the air crisp with a hint of fall, all in all a great day. Last time I was here I hiked my bike up, and rode down... insane fun, but if you attempt it, get yourself a downhill bike with 8" in the front and at least that much in the rear. I rode down on my Cannondale Prophet with 5.5 inches in the rear (Swinger 6-way) and 6 in the front on my Sherman Flick. Lets just say it wasn't enough.

Line-ups, Wishing

Now is that time of the year when the new '07 rides start materializing, and I coincidentally start wishing I had more money in my bank account. Konas still at it, continuing down the refinement road, while Specialized has mustered quite the balls to attempt a suspension revolution.

I'll probably end up choosing Surly when I start building a commuter rig later this winter because you just can't go wrong with a company who builds a rig like the Pugsley. Commuting through the ice and snow on 4 inch wide tires sounds like a blast, laughing at all the suckers stuck in traffic fidgeting with their heaters.