Stationary Bike

I rode the stationary this morning. Getting up 30 minutes early to ride wasn’t a big deal but I don’t get a lot of sleep as it is so I need to be careful that I don’t cause one problem by trying to solve another.

I don’t hate riding the stationary bike. This shouldn’t be confused with actually enjoying it. I enjoy riding outside in good weather; I will be in a meeting at work discussing some work related thing but I keep thinking about single-track. I don’t feel too guilty about letting my mind wonder at work because I think about work a lot when I ride. Riding offers clarity. Maybe it is because there are less distractions riding than during the rest of my day. Maybe it is the flood of endorphins. Maybe if everyone at GM rode we wouldn’t be in the mess we are now.

I am passionate about GM; it is more than a job to me. I don’t think I could be passionate about designing appliances. I turned down a position at Nuke Proof to work at GM. Cars are more than transportation despite what congress thinks. I was watching TV with Cin the other day. There was a commercial for the new VW van. In the commercial, Brook Shields is a reporter that is overly concerned that women are having children just so they can experience German engineering. Cin says “that’s a nice minivan.” I am a quiet person that doesn’t get worked up about much but I yelled out “it’s just a damn Chrysler!” Chrysler makes the VW minivan on the same assembly line that it makes its own minivans. Don’t get me wrong, Chrysler does a great job (kudos to the engineers in Auburn Hills) but still the VW is just a Chrysler with a VW emblem. The thought of women falling over on their backs with their feet in the air just so they can drive a van with a VW emblem bothers me to no end. This convoluted perception of cars is what is going to sink the domestic auto industry.