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Changing Gears

January 10, 2007

Things are already looking better for the approaching year. Within the next two months, I have trips locked and loaded for San Francisco, Hawaii, and Austin. I'm pretty excited about that, especially considering two of those trips will be to warmer climates. Getting out of the cold, wet, and gloom of winter in Seattle is essential to maintaining sanity. I'm also doing research and making plans for a European trip in the fall, so it looks like my plan to take advantage of more travel opportunities in 2007 is working out.

I generally don't have a problem facing winter in the great Northwest. Compared to the Midwest and Northeast, the winters here are pretty tame, it's just that the rain is persistent. This year, it's getting old a little faster than usual due to some nasty storms in the past few months. I heard on the news the other night that we've received 30 inches of rain since October, and our annual average is 37. My home isn't prone to flooding, so I don't take issue with the rain. However, when combined with the wind we've had, it becomes a pain in the ass. As a result of a storm in December featuring 60mph gusts, I lost a handful of shingles off of the house and a nice size patch off the detached garage and patio. A new fence that I had installed, not even a year old, is now leaning out of alignment in one spot due to the ground being so soft (and the wind pushing it that direction). Last night, snow was predicted along with more wind. By the time I arrived home after work, a temporary patch of roofing over the patio had already blown off, so I added that debris to the two trash cans full of roofing material from the last storm. Lots of stuff was wet inside the patio, but it's an outdoor area and it usually takes a beating this time of year anyway. The snow was a joke, but since we're up on a hill there was a good quarter inch dusting everything this morning.

The point being that I generally get a little frustrated this time of year. Lots of stuff outdoors tends to get trashed, and there's nothing you can really do except wait for spring to clean it up and prepare for battle the following season. I thought I had everything buttoned down pretty good, then old man winter shows up and points out where I need to make improvements. Bastard. This is why I'm really looking forward to getting out of town the next couple of months. 80 degree temperatures? Yes, please.

Transportation

Since the sale of my old pickup, I've been contemplating what kind of vehicle to replace it with. I was initially looking for something with ridiculously high gas mileage that's really compact. You know, the kind of car you'd never buy if you were single. Maybe a wagon or a hatchback. Hybrids are still too damn expensive, and I don't want a car payment. After some discussion, I decided what to replace the truck with: Nothing.

I've been looking for a way to get some exercise, and gyms are about the most uncomfortable social setting I can think of. Instead, I'm going to get a bike. Not a Harley, a bicycle, powered by the awesomeness of me. I've wanted to do this for a long time, and compared to purchasing a vehicle, the cash I'll spend on some decent equipment seems trivial. With my growing interest in the environment, pollution, and promoting alternative methods of transportation, this seems to fit in better. Much more so than a kick-ass hot rod, as much as I loved it. Time to put my money where my mouth is, as they say, and get healthy in the process. I have my eye on one of the nerdiest options available, but I think it will be a lot of fun. Fun and practical seems like a good place to start, and of course, I'll go here to get set up. That's a no-brainer. I still have a lot of research and trial and error to go through before I'm up and running, so hopefully I haven't jinxed it by mentioning it prematurely. You can bet that I'll be babbling about it plenty when the time arrives. I figure it will be an interesting transition to follow, since I have no prior knowledge of cycling, nor am I in shape for it. I'm not exactly out of shape, but commuting to work should be a hefty challenge.

Posted by Aaron on January 10, 2007 11:50 AM| Permalink