Thursday, September 24, 2009

Re-lo-kay-shun

So, as you may well know by now, I have relocated, mostly against my will, to the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. Yeah, I know, I throw up in my mouth a little when I hear that too... But, I am doing my best to keep an open mind and remind myself that it's for the best. Basically, things were not working out in Austin, and UT, well... yeah, uh, fuck that. Anyway, I am here now, working at a restaurant, trying to pick up a second job to repay my debt and begin saving money in hopes of leaving Texas by next summer. Where to?

The land of red rocks, Colorado! I have always wanted to live there, and it's time to start making those dreams into realities. I do miss Austin, very much so, and it hasn't even been a month since I've been away, but I think once I get to Denver, I won't miss it so much. Plus, Austin isn't going anywhere, and there's a whole lot of world out there to see!

Anyway, I managed to find a job up here at a restaurant. It's alright, and it pays, so it'll do. I've got a lead for another part-time gig that will hopefully turn out for me, and then I will have insurance too! Yay!

Being in cookie-cutter suburbia, life is a bit different, to say the least. The biggest change is the amount of driving I have been doing and the amount of time spent indoors. It's a fucking concrete jungle here, and it's hard to deal with sometimes. But, with the weather FINALLY giving us some relief, hopefully that will begin to change.

I managed to break my streak of inactivity last week, as I began riding with a local team on their weekly rides. It's your standard hammerfest, except it's all juniors and older dudes. I'm the only person in the group between the ages of 17 and 45. The first time I showed up, I chilled at the back to get a feel for the ride, and got dropped like a bad habit as the juniors attacked up front and I got stuck behind the older guys trying to keep up, and got yo-yoed off the back. They don't like to call out turns, and some even ride with aerobars, so that made me a bit nervous about riding in the pack as well.

This week, I still got dropped by the juniors, but hung with a group of 3 other older guys who were still quite strong. I took a few pulls, but overall, they kicked my ass. But, I enjoyed myself, probably more than any other road ride I have done in this area. I think the secret is simply in going harder. There's not really any enjoyable scenery or terrain out here, so to make up for it, just hammer and focus on the wheel in front of you. I dunno, but I think I'm going to keep riding with these guys. There's also one other local group that host rides I want to check out.

Also, my dad goes to work out at the city's rec center almost nightly, and after two weeks of turning him down when he asked if I wanted to join him, I told myself that if I have not yet done any physical activity that day and do not have to work that evening, that I have to go with him. As a result, I have resumed weight training and core workouts, after more than a year's hiatus. Also, he and my brother play racquetball frequently, and I have been joining them and very much enjoying myself.

That's about it for now. I have been bored and wasting a lot of time online since I have been here, so I figured I could use some of it to write here. I guess I could also work on finishing up that other blog I started a while ago...

And, I've been lonely, so there's another reason you may see me here more often.

Until next time, keep riding!