Dreaming of a Life Less Ordinary

  We failed last year when we went to Santa Rosa and tried to do the Tour de Fuzz.  It doesn't matter how many times I tell myself I couldn't do anything about my seat post cracking at mile seven, it feels like unfinished business.  On one hand I feel like the course got the better of me.  On the other hand I didn't see my goal through to completion.  Now, I get it, life is about the journey not the destination.  I wouldn't change anything about last summer, and my return to cycling.  Even with that being said though, I feel like there is unfinished business up there.  So, on May 7, 2023 I am going back to Santa Rosa with the Beav (and hopefully Rachel too), not to mention the rest of the Evil Empire (Mark and Emily) and I amgoint to take my second attempt at doing a metric century and ride 63 miles.    My, my, my, the cows of certainly come home to roost.  Wait, what... No, I am really excited about going back up there and challenging myself.  I am also really looking

  What I see on the Zwift App, well that isn't me but what one sees Do I hate my Neo?  No, I don't hate it at all.  Why then such a dramatic title to the blog entry?  Sticking with sequel names like I did on the last entry, I decided to go with my favorite threequel or 3 movie title of all time, which is honestly a movie I have never seen and will probably never see, I just loved hearing how terrible the title was and that of course is Darkman: Die Darkman Die.  I mean it is simple but amazing at the same time.  It is the moment you see the series going from theater releases to straight to VHS.  Who knows I might actually like Darkman: Die Darkman Die if I every stopped to watch it, but ya, I have waited this long and probably will keep on the list of things I never want to watch list.  Afterall, the original Darkman did nothing for me.  It was a let down of epic proportions.   So, I did my training this a.m. on Zwift + Neo combo.  While, I won't sit here and say it was all

  That was harder than I expected :) I didn't know you had to be really smart to use a smart bike trainer, but you sort of have to be. Maybe, not smart, but a little tech savvy at least.  I am getting my cycle training through Training Peaks.  Which is super awesome, then you connect Training Peaks to Zwift.  Then you connect Zwift to your Neo. Then  the Leg bone is connected to the knee bone, then the knee bone is connect to the thigh bone, then the thing bone is... well you get the point there are a lot of connections to be made.  I honestly, didn't think I was going to be smart enough to pull it off, but I was.   So today I took the Neo out for the first spin.  I called the Neo 2 - the spinning b/c it sounded like an 80's movie title to me.  Like Break in 2 - the electric boogaloo or Highlander II - the Quickening, which was that in the 80's or 90's doesn't matter it sucked either way.  What didn't suck was the Neo.   It was harder than I expected and I w

  It took me a while to make up my mind and and finally pull the trigger on a Smart Trainer for my bike but I did it and went with a Tacx Neo 2T Smart Trainer.  It arrived here on Saturday night.  Today I took it to the bike shop and got the Cassette mounted on the Neo.  It wasn’t as easy as i made it sound.    I called the shop.  They told me what I thought just come in with he Neo and the back tire, they would take care of everything else.  One day I will learn how to mount a cassette myself, but today wasn’t that day.  I had some work to get done and I don’t have all the tools either, so I figured I would get some help.  I mean Billy b Bike Mechanic has a great ring to it right.  I see myself with a mobile shop where I can go customer to customer working on their bike.  Wow, that would be a good life.   All bikes all the time.  Anyway, I digress.   I drive to trek, I lug the big ass box into the store, and give it to Benji, who is freaking awesome.  Super nice guy and super helpful.

Billy b - ready for his first night out in a long time - 1/10/2023   I won't sit here and try to tell you that I am an expert on Happiness.  I am not.  I have been trying to follow the path of the Action for Happiness for a long time. It has been over four years because I found Action for Happiness when I was at my old company, and that will be 4 years ago in April.  However, I do listen, and I do try to follow the path.  This year (All 11 days of it) I have been walking the path.  I feel good and energized.  As part of my path right now, I am turning off the TV, setting down the phone and all screens every night at 9 p.m. and opening my journal and writing down my goals for tomorrow, what I am grateful for, and what negative thoughts I am having.  Then I open my bible. Now my bible isn't the good book you are thinking about, not rather is a book on the G.R.E.A.T.  D.R.E.AM. The book itself is from one of the members of Action for Happiness.   I read at least ten pages, usually

  I had to ask myself last night when I was reading this what is something kind for myself?  I really didn't know.  Was it going out and getting a massage?  Was it buying myself something new.  Was it exercise?  So, I do what I always do when I am in a conundrum.  I googled it.  On Fatherly a website, I really don't know much about I came across this really cool list of  55 Small, Nice Things to do for Yourself.   What I learned is it can be just about anything. Some suggestions were: Go for a walk in nature. Create a playlist of old music you love.   Call an old Friend. Think about how you talk to yourself.   Plant something Write an angry letter to a person and then toss it Yoga Make a Pact to read more good news. Fuck up and go easy on yourself. The list goes on and it was really cool.  It was a great read. So today, on my last day of peace before going back to war tomorrow at work.  I decided to write an angry letter to someone whom I have been frustrated with.  I expressed

Find three things you are looking forward to in the New Year? Riding - I Can’t wait to start riding on a regular schedule in 2023.  I have a rough outline of some tours that I want to do already in 2023, but that outline is very rough and can be updated at any moment.  As of riding that list of rides is weighted to the back half of 2023, but as ride dates get settled and websites get updated I’ll start hammering out a more serious bike schedule.  It is going to be a great year on the bike! Spending time with friends and family.  I already know that I’m going back to Arkansas in May for a graduation.  If it’s half as fun as my last trip there I’m in for a real treat.  Im also heading back for Indiana for the Indy 500 this year on the same trip I’m going to Arkansas.   So, that will be time well spent with with new friends and old friends and more time with the family.  Im really looking forward to that :) Continue my self-improvement and happiness goals into 2023.  Im looking forward to