In the immortal words of Tony! Toni! Toné!

It Feels Good!

Happy Birthday, Marlene

One year ago today we took out first step. And we're still stepping forward.

I rode a bike today...

And I liked it.

OK, before I say anything, yes, it probably wasn't a good idea to jump on the bike and start attacking hills so soon. And yes, I will pay dearly over the next few days. And yes, I knew it would hurt and have no one to blame but myself. But like a very wise man once said, "Sometimes you gotta run before you can walk."

It wasn't very long, maybe 8-9 miles, but it wasn't flat either. There were far more hills than I should have attempted right out of the gate. Steep, punchy hills that required me to stand up and mash. Surprisingly, my legs and lungs felt ok. But my back protested fiercely.

The real pain seems to settle in after I exercise, but once my body warms up the pain is bearable during the activity.  So based on recent patterns I expect some serious fire over the next couple days.

But was it worth it? $%#@&% yeah it was! The depths of depression I've been slogging through have been suffocating at times. So for a brief moment today my brain felt nothing but joy. And that should carry my for a while.

Bikes bikes bikes bikes bikes!

Peace out my friends!

I want candy!

Like most healthy teenage boys in the 80's I had a massive crush on Annabella, lead singer for Bow Wow Wow.  How does Annabella figure into my first post in over a month, you say? 

The other day I was pedaling furiously on the stationary bike at the ocean-view gym on the UCSC campus, rocking out to the 80's medley on my iPhone 3 that just refuses to die. I have a tendency to bounce around when listening to music, tap the bars, even belt out a chorus or two. If you know the song, the intro to 'I Want Candy' has a distinctive percussion sound that commands you to keep the beat.

While pedaling along to Annabella gyrating on the beach in my mind, a young student on the bike next to me waved his hand to get my attention. I removed my earbud and asked if there was a problem. He very politely and almost innocently asked me what I was listening to. I mentioned the song, which he'd clearly never heard of before. He was 18, 19 tops. 

Something about him struck me as genuine. He wasn't a smart ass kid messing with the middle aged guy at the college gym. He was just a nice, goofy kid trying to make conversation. Then he made a strange and confusing request. "You wanna switch?" he asked. I thought he meant the bikes, so I asked if his bike was broken. And he responded, "No, you wanna switch music?"

Normally I'd laugh off a request like this and keep on pedaling, but as far from left field as this kid came, he was oddly sincere. So I thought, what the hell. I handed over my iPhone 3 and he gave me his new fangled Android device, replete with contemporary rap and pop music. His choice in music seemed to represent the listening habits of the modern day teen, much like my vast collection of Dexy's Midnight Runners, Soft Cell and the Gap Band represented my teenage years.

With every song, this kid held up my phone and would either say, "This is a cool song!" or "I totally know this one!" He seemed excited to hear so many new-to-him songs, like he was discovering some dust covered records buried deep on a shelf in an old music store.

After around 20 minutes he jumped off his bike and we exchanged phones again. He simply said thanks, and scooted away. A strange, yet pure moment. 

Oh yeah, how am I doing? Pretty fucking decent. Still improving inch by inch and slowly getting my swag back. I just got back from a week in Amsterdam, and the flight out and back, while a bit unpleasant at times, wasn't a complete torture session. And as I progress on the stationary bike, it's looking like my goal of being on the road by spring is looking very optimistic.

To optimism, my friends!