Monday, April 30, 2012

30 Day of Biking Completed!



I did it.  I said.... I DID IT!!  I set out to ride my bike every day in the month of April, and get this....I did it.  Feels kind of good.  It was much less of a physical challenge than it sounds (as some days, I merely rode around the block).  It was however a challenge and test of discipline and time management.  I like challenges like this.... ones that are doable, but can be a true test of creativity and imagination as well.  I didn't write on my blog for about a month, because I felt like I couldn't write without posting photos, but I didn't want to post only some of the bike photos.  So...here they are...all 30 photos of my bike this month.
Day 1 - Fueled by Spontaneity
Day 2 - Fueled by Jameson
Day 3 - Fueled by Friends
Day 4 - Fueled by a Busy Schedule
Day 5 - Fueled by Dreams of Justice

Day 6 - Fueled by Momentum
Day 7 - Fueled by History
Day 8 - Fueled by Desperation
Day 9 - Fueled by Mega Churches in Suburbs
Day 10 - Fueled by Nordeast
Day 11 - Fueled by Extra Innings
Day 12 - Fueled by Pessimism
Day 13 - Fueled by Separation
Day 14 - Fueled by 94.
Day 15 - Fueled by Irritating Commitment and Guilt
Day 16 - Fueled by Vegetarians
Day 17 - Fueled by Memories
Day 18 - Fueled by Tacos
Day 19 - Fueled by Being Different
Day 20 - Fueled by Pedal Pubs for One
Day 21 - Fueled by Rain Delays
Day 22 - Fueled by Earth Day + Clean Air
Day 23 - Fueled by Lost Childhoods
Day 24 - Fueled by Blue Skies
Day 25 - Fueled by Jesus
Day 26 - Fueled by Emptiness
Day 27 - Fueled by Life
Day 28 - Fueled by Deadlines
Day 29 - Fueled by Small Worlds
Day 30 - Fueled by 30 Days of Biking Completed!!


Monday, April 2, 2012

30 Days of Biking


There's this online challenge to ride your bike everyday in the month of April.  I've decided to do it.  You can find out more HERE.

The idea is to ride everyday, and distance doesn't matter.  The part I don't really understand is how you report it.  The instructions say to share it online...but does that mean a quick one liner about where I went?  Or a photo?  Or a big long detailed story?  I'm not sure... 

Yesterday, I went on a ride with my friend G.  We rode to the river and sat by Tony's rock, talking about life, women, men, school, etc.  It was a beautiful day, with a beautiful friend.  I'm not sure if I'll blog about my rides everyday, but the plan is definitely to get on my bike everyday.  We'll see how it goes!

April 1, 2012.  Day 1 of the bike challenge. 

0.03 Percent Update


I spoke with a (teacher) friend about my most recent blog post.  "Do you think I'm a jerk?" I asked her.  She said no.  I asked what she would have done if in my shoes...

I would have said "Well, we better get you signed up for a lot of basketball teams then, because it's going to take a lot of practice to play pro basketball," she told me.  She also told me that to be an "expert" at anything, research says it takes about 20,000 hours of practice.  Wow.  That's a lot of practice.

I saw the kid a few days later, walking with his peers.  "Hey," I hollered out.  "I found the statistics on playing professional basketball."  He and his friends stopped to listen.  "0.03 percent," I told him.  His friends laughed.  "That's less than 1 percent, dude, so it's gonna take some work.  If you're not already, you may want to sign up for a couple of basketball teams, and start thinking about when you can practice.  It takes 20,000 hours to become an expert at something, so consider how you might manage your time.  It may mean working out before school, going to school, doing homework, and then practicing for an additional 3-4 hours."  

"Daaaayum," his friends said, "that's a lot of practice."  "It is, but if you want to play pro ball, you gotta put in the work.  And I'm happy to support you as best I can...you just have to let me know what you need from me."  "Cool," he said, and walked down the hall with his friends.  "20,000 hours, damn bro, you got hella work to do," his friend yelled out.  

I felt okay about this conversation.... I didn't crush the dudes dreams.  I offered a few suggestions, and my support.  That's about all I really can do.  It will be interesting to see what he does in the future.  I wish him all the best.  (<-- and not in the "save the children" kind of way, but in that I hope he follows his dreams and feels supported and cared for). He deserves it.