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Barry Gaudet

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'A man's got to know his limitations'

- Clint Eastwood

I like to set goals for myself. This summer I have a two-fold goal. I've explored to the south, the
west, and the north. By process of elimination, like a tapeworm, that leaves me with the option to,
'Go east young man'. As well I'm thinking about trying a 50/50/50 day. Over the winter I've built
myself up to 50 minute swim sets. So I figure a 50 minute morning swim, 50 km ride to the east and
a 50 minute evening swim. Maybe as another goal I'll try to beat my personal best of 115 km on
trails on a mountain bike.

Does anyone else set goals for the season?

--
'They paved paradise And put up a parking lot' -Joni Mitchell
 
In article <[email protected]>, Barry Gaudet <[email protected]> writes:

> Does anyone else set goals for the season?

I'd rather not set goals. Goals entail commitment. I prefer to do what I want, when I want, as the
whims & muses playfully, teasingly suggest.

But I'm not criticizing people who do set goals. Chaque a son gout. Some folks are predilected to
order and structure; others, to impulsivity.

For those times when I want to ride but don't have anywhere in particular to go, I wrote myself a
little shell script that randomly selects a direction in which to head off to. Here it is:

#!/bin/sh

#FILENAME: direction

seed=`jot -r 1 10000 999999`

echo -n "Thinking ... Hmm, let's go ... " sleep 1 number=`jot -r 1 1 4 $seed`

case $number in
1) echo "north.";;
2) echo "east.";;
3) echo "west.";;
4) echo "south.";; esac

Actually, my main ride *is* due for it's routine Spring overhaul. So I guess I have to resort to
structure, order and commitment sometimes, too.

All I've gotta do, is to work up the ambition to get into my scruffy bike-working clothes, and do
the work. I hate rendering the bike even temporarily unridable, though. What if something comes up,
and I need it? I suppose can always turn to the standby bikes, but those are just second-stringers.

cheers, Tom

--
-- Powered by FreeBSD Above address is just a spam midden. I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn
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In article <[email protected]>, Tom Keats <[email protected]> wrote:

>For those times when I want to ride but don't have anywhere in particular to go, I wrote myself a
>little shell script that randomly selects a direction in which to head off to.

Software solution.... I prefer the hardware solution. I flip a four-sided coin.

--
--
LITTLE KNOWN FACT: Did you know that 90% of North Americans cannot taste the difference between
fried dog and fried cat?
 
>All I've gotta do, is to work up the ambition to get into my scruffy bike-working clothes, and do
>the work. I hate rendering the bike even temporarily unridable, though. What if something comes up,
>and I need it?

What if a giant asteroid were to hit the Earth, you'd die with a dirty bike.

Heh heh.

--

_______________________ALL AMIGA IN MY MIND_______________________ ------------------"Buddy Holly,
the Texas Elvis"------------------
__________306.350.357.38>>[email protected]__________
 
In article <[email protected]>, "Eric S. Sande" <[email protected]> writes:
>
>>All I've gotta do, is to work up the ambition to get into my scruffy bike-working clothes, and do
>>the work. I hate rendering the bike even temporarily unridable, though. What if something comes
>>up, and I need it?
>
> What if a giant asteroid were to hit the Earth, you'd die with a dirty bike.
>
> Heh heh.

That would be bad.

But what would really suck, would be if the asteroid hit while I was counting hub bearing balls out
ot their coal-oil bath. What would be unbearable, would be if I lost one out of the tweezers, and it
rolled under something- or-other, to be irretrievably lost, down here in the basement.

I'd bawl-out God with some choice words, in such a predicament. Then, She would teach me an humbling
lesson, in a Karmic way. I'm no certainly no better than Jonah[*]. Eventually, things would settle
down, and return to normal.

I just hope it doesn't happen while I'm looking for that stupid, renegade bearing-ball under the hot
water tank, while being blown into the ionosphere.

cheers, Tom

[*] "Never give a sucker an even break." -- God

--
-- Powered by FreeBSD Above address is just a spam midden. I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn
[point] bc [point] ca
 
Tom Keats <[email protected]> wrote:
: In article <[email protected]>,
: Barry Gaudet <[email protected]> writes:

:> Does anyone else set goals for the season?
: I'd rather not set goals. Goals entail commitment.

Really???? Don't you take pride in a sense of accomplishment at achieving something? A hill that
was always a b*tch? Going further than you manged before? Surpassing a personal best? Maybe my
goals are pathetic some , or even unattainable to others but they allow, for me, the challenging of
self. [ugggh!! horrible sentence structue!]

But as you say, in paraphrase: To each his own.

: I prefer to do what I want, when I want, as the whims & muses playfully, teasingly suggest.

Certainly. But days of general personal goals don't preclude the whimsy and muse of other days.

[...]
: in particular to go, I wrote myself a little shell script that randomly selects a direction in
: which to head off to. Here it is:

My avoidance of the east had more to do with the topography. It doesn't seem, at first glance, to
be the best choice. But I've been pleasantly surprised before.

--
'They paved paradise And put up a parking lot' -Joni Mitchell
 
>I just hope it doesn't happen while I'm looking for that stupid, renegade bearing-ball under the
>hot water tank, while being blown into the ionosphere.

Me either. In any event it is trivial to clean, repack and adjust bearings without chasing them
around the basement. A pie plate, a towel that you don't like, some Simple Green and some
appropriate grease should be all you need apart fron the tools.

Running water to get rid of the Simple Green.

I can't believe this is a problem, I clean, repack and adjust on a regular basis on my frequently
used bikes (six months) and it doesn't get into an Augean task.

--

_______________________ALL AMIGA IN MY MIND_______________________ ------------------"Buddy Holly,
the Texas Elvis"------------------
__________306.350.357.38>>[email protected]__________
 
In article <[email protected]>, Barry Gaudet <[email protected]> writes:
> Tom Keats <[email protected]> wrote:
>: In article <[email protected]>,
>: Barry Gaudet <[email protected]> writes:
>
>:> Does anyone else set goals for the season?
>: I'd rather not set goals. Goals entail commitment.
>
> Really???? Don't you take pride in a sense of accomplishment at achieving something?

Sometimes. But it can be impromptu, rather than sought & planned.

And the results often can be better.

But, screw pride. I just wanna ride.

Sometimes, it's nice to be free of having to achieve stuff, and just do stuff for the hell of it
instead. I think that's called "therapy" :)

I guess I *do* have goals, but I tend to store them away, and then pick them out & tackle them at a
moment's notice, when the timing seems right. It's just one, personal approach.

cheers, Tom

--
-- Powered by FreeBSD Above address is just a spam midden. I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn
[point] bc [point] ca
 
In article <[email protected]>, "Eric S. Sande" <[email protected]> writes:

> I can't believe this is a problem

It usually isn't for me, either.

But sometimes I'm hapless. But I always eventually come out on top.

Nothing is safe from me. Despite the rooming-house tenants that sometimes come down to mooch stuff
of me, and accidentally kick my laid-out parts around in the process.

Lockable doors are a blessing. Sometimes, I've just gotta remember to use 'em.

cheers, Tom

--
-- Powered by FreeBSD Above address is just a spam midden. I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn
[point] bc [point] ca
 
>>I can't believe this is a problem.

>It usually isn't for me, either.

Case noted and filed. You still have options. No cyclist who can use UNIX and ride in the street is
without options.

It's your choice, Keats. You have the tools and the abilities, all I'm saying is do that bicycle
maintenance.

You are one of my favorite people, even though you are a damn disorganized Canadian individual.

I'd ride with you anywhere.

--

_______________________ALL AMIGA IN MY MIND_______________________ ------------------"Buddy Holly,
the Texas Elvis"------------------
__________306.350.357.38>>[email protected]__________
 
"Barry Gaudet" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> 'A man's got to know his limitations' -Clint Eastwood
>
>
> I like to set goals for myself. This summer I have a two-fold goal. I've explored to the south,
> the west, and the north. By process of elimination, like a tapeworm, that leaves me with the
> option to, 'Go east young man'. As well I'm thinking about trying a 50/50/50 day. Over the winter
> I've built myself up to 50 minute swim sets. So I figure a 50 minute morning swim, 50 km ride to
> the east and a 50 minute evening swim. Maybe as another goal I'll try to beat my personal best of
> 115 km on trails on a mountain bike.
>
>
> Does anyone else set goals for the season?

Yes. My goal is to ride my bike when I can, and have fun doing it. Fitness comes along for the ride.
Riding a recumbent makes it all the more enjoyable.

Good luck.

-Barry
 
"Barry Gaudet" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> 'A man's got to know his limitations' -Clint Eastwood
>
>
> I like to set goals for myself. This summer I have a two-fold goal. I've explored to the south,
> the west, and the north. By process of elimination, like a tapeworm, that leaves me with the
> option to, 'Go east young man'. As well I'm thinking about trying a 50/50/50 day. Over the winter
> I've built myself up to 50 minute swim sets. So I figure a 50 minute morning swim, 50 km ride to
> the east and a 50 minute evening swim. Maybe as another goal I'll try to beat my personal best of
> 115 km on trails on a mountain bike.
>
>
> Does anyone else set goals for the season?

Oh yeah: Go fishing, to the exclusion of all else. True religion. Maybe bike in to some trout ponds
in the mountains, if I can ever make up my mind about which bike I want.
 
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