He that knows not

A neat proverb I came across today:

 

"He that knows not, and knows not that he knows not is a fool.
Shun him

He that knows not, and knows that he knows not is a pupil.
Teach him.

He that knows, and knows not that he knows is asleep
Wake him.

He that knows, and knows that he knows is a teacher.
Follow him."

- Arabic proverb

 

What category do I fall into? Hopefully mostly the pupil. Sometimes maybe the teacher. But too often the fool. How can I remain more a pupil than a fool?

 

Don't mess with my routine

So, I think anyone that knows me knows that I can be a man of tradition. If I find a burger that I like at a particular restaurant, I will order that same burger every time I go there for the rest of my life. My mornings before work are very much ‘routine’. Get up, get dressed, do the bathroom things, make my lunch, have devotions, go to work. I get up at the same time and leave at the same time.

 

Now, as I’m commuting to work, I have fallen into a routine for the first while at work as well. I get to the office, put my bike up and log on. Turn on the fan (yes, I’m very hot from the ride!), and log my ride progress (speed, etc.). Then, I’ve even started blogging about my ride as well (www.kamloopscommute.blogspot.com). At that point, I’m usually cooled down enough so I go get changed and cleaned up for work. Then I get my Gatorade, coffee and toast and start the day.

 

Rinse, lather and repeat.

 

I realized today that I REALLY get annoyed if someone breaks that routine. Yes, if I am interrupted before I get changed, I get annoyed. If someone interrupts me while my toast is in the toaster, I get annoyed (this one is particularly bad because if I’m not there when the toast pops and it gets cold before I can butter it, then it is a waste of good toast and that REALLY annoys me...). I’ve even had people interrupt me while I was eating my toast with some “emergency” that really could not wait 5 minutes. No “When you’re done, can you come check this out...” Nope, just “Come now”. But I’m eating!!!

 

Anyways, just a realization this morning that as a creature of considerable habit, I really do not appreciate it when someone breaks that habit or routine of mine. It throws my day off! If I don’t get my toast before 9:30, then I’m not hungry for lunch, so I’ll eat late, which means I’m still full and digesting by the time my ride starts home which means my ride isn’t as enjoyable, I can’t catch my breath, I’m slow, etc. All because my routine was messed up!

 

So there. Don’t mess with my routine. It works, it’s efficient and the rest of my day benefits from everything else falling properly into place...

 

HAHA! I’m really not this serious about it all, just minor-ly annoyed really...

Life is getting so connected

There’s an RVing commercial lately that states “Don’t let the things that connect us keep us from being together” (or something to that effect). It shows the family as Dad comes home from work (texting on his Blackberry). Son is playing on his PSP or something, Daughter is on her cell phone and Mom is... Well, I don’t know what she’s doing, but the point is they’re all so ‘connected’ to their gadgets that they don’t even say ‘Hi’ when Dad comes in the door. Disgusting!!!!

 

So, for myself, I can at least enjoy the squeals and yells of my kids for a few more years until they too become ‘connected’.

 

This isn’t really a rant per se, as I love technology. I have a smart phone (although no data plan or texting, hah!!!). I have our Xbox connected to our desktop which is networked wirelessly with our laptop... In fact, I had the cable coming through my Xbox at one point so we could pause, rewind and record live TV! I love being connected.

 

Granted, enough is enough. It seems nowadays that to leave a cell phone at home is cause for a National emergency. It warrants return trips home, being late for work/school, wasting gas, money and time just to go back and get it. It wasn’t that long ago that NOBODY had a cell phone and everyone seemed to survive OK. Just a few weeks ago Corrie and I noticed a boy riding his bicycle and texting! And then that same weekend, two girls out horseback riding on a beautiful mountain side with grand views of the Kamloops valley and one of them was texting!

 

So, I’m not really ranting, only that now I have discovered this option to post to my blog via email (who needs the inconvenience of actually going to a website, logging on, typing all of this up when I can just send it right from my email?). So, in essence, I’m testing this process. I’m sending this post from my email account. Sure, if this works, I will probably use it a lot. Post from anywhere! Heck, once I can afford a data plan (which will probably coincide with the same time that I can afford a Porsche and a big house... These plans in Canada are retarded, but that’s fodder for a different rant and post), I might even post to my blog from my phone!

 

Maybe I’ll be able to post from my Xbox wirelessly through my laptop connected to my TV and then through my truck’s OnStar system some day...

The dreaded black steel rim season

Ok, I live in Canada. We get snow and lots of it in probably 95% of this country. So no matter where you live, people are starting to wise up and buy winter tires so they can handle the conditions. That's great! The more traction these bad driver's have, the better chance we all can get through our days alive...

However, the amount of BUTT UGLY steel rims that come out in spades when the snow flies really bugs me! I hate the things. There could be nothing uglier on a vehicle than these rims. Ok, maybe a wooden spoiler made out of 2x6's would be uglier (I did see that once!). However, these rims are a blight on the nation!

Ok, they're cheaper than aluminum rims, sure. I can buy a cheap aluminum rim for about $100, but a steel rim will run me around $60 or $70. So, that's a decent amount of savings really. I've also heard the arguement that it's cheaper than paying a shop to re-mount the tires each season.

Let me debate both of these points. First of all, winter is long in Canada. You will drive around probably half the year with these abominations just to save a few hundred bucks? I see the need for a little bit of pride in ownership here! It's not like this is just for a month or two. Whatever, money talks so this one is hard to debate on principle alone.

As for the second point, though, hear me out. Two shop visits a year, 4 tires for $50 equals $100 a year spent. Over two years (the average life of a winter tire), you'd have spent $200, or the cost of 4 very cheap winter rims. Where is the savings there? Unless you're running your winters into 3 or 4 seasons and therefore really missing the point of the tire in the first place...

Now, whatever, cost is cost and people will cheap out when needed. Fine. But, please, if you can afford a $60,000 Denali or Caddilac, PLEEEEEAAAASSSEEE don't put cheap black rims on!!! Granted, when this happens you are happily broadcasting to the world that "I cannot afford the life I want to live, but I have to try and keep up with the Joneses" and that does give me a little pleasure...

Until next time!

Diesels and Ignorance - Yes, they often do go together!

Well, as I am now biking to work (I suppose the proper term is 'commuting'), and only riding the streets 1/2 the time, I have quite a lot less things to rant about lately!

However, there are two things that do bother me now that I am riding that deserve a ranting post... First of all, DIESELS!!!

I absolutely am becoming a HATER of the diesel engine. Sure, it's great torque and power... WHATEVER! When I'm huffing up a hill grasping at any bit of breath I can manage, I really am not pleased when a dirty, black trail of diesel smoke is left by some redneck (usually Dodge's are the absolute worst for polluting). Yay! Now I get to breath this crap in spades!!!

On this note, why do we look down at the odd gasoline engine that is smoking, but no mention is made of the disgusting pollution left by most of the older diesels??? They are absolutely morbid in the black clouds of pollution they leave everywhere! I'm really excited about the new bluetec diesels coming out, that is great! And most of the trucks/cars are OK (aside from being astronomically noisy), but seriously. Do we have to put up with this?

Ok, my second rant is for those putzs out there that think they can drive as close to me and my bike as possible. You know what? For the most part, whatever. I can handle it. But what if I have to swerve for a rock or hole? What if a tire blows and I'm thrown off my bike? What if you're just plain oblivious and clip me? Why take the chance?

When I'm riding on multi-use trails, I do not fly right close to hikers or joggers or even other bikers. I will slow down, and take them as wide as I can. Why? Because everyone is unpredictable, and I do not need to crash with another person when it is completely avoidable. And that crash would most likely only result in a minor bump and/or bruise. Getting run over by a car? Quite another matter.

Last summer, a cyclist was killed in Kamloops because a blown tire threw him onto the highway where he was hit by a dump truck. Had that truck had the place of mind to get into the other lane (he had two, he did not need to be in the right line next to the cyclist), that man would be alive today with his wife and kids. As it is, one oblivious driver, one freak accident, and the results are unbelievably tragic. And for what?

Why not move over motorists? What is the huge inconvenience? Please! Have some common sense and decency. Give cyclists some respect.