Blue Skies

The furnace went out last night leaving me calm in the assurance that this year cannot possible get any worse; therefore, it must, by default, get better. I can live with that. I started slacking as things got a little messed up this year. I recommitted myself to suck it up and do the things I know I should.

I told myself I would ride yesterday. Fridays are tricky since it is movie night for the kids and me. Since I avoid riding when the kids are around, I rode after they fell asleep. And since they fell asleep sometime after 11:00, my Friday ride spilled over into Saturday but that's fine.

I also committed to volunteering 40 hours this year with the MMBA. This morning I helped build a board walk over a swampy part of the Poto trail. Normally I only volunteer when they are cleaning up the Brighton Req Area after a storm since it feels like they are working on my trail. I like Poto but it isn't "my" trail. I'm glad I helped; they had Bell's Winter Ale afterwords.

I decided before going to the Poto that I would make an effort to talk to people I didn't know instead of staying in the little group of guys I ride with. No big deal for a normal person but I tend to fall more towards the introverted end of the spectrum. It was a good decision. Everyone I had a conversation with was interesting and one even owns a Yamaha RD350 like mine. Funny, I thought I was the only person hip enough in Michigan to have affection for these vintage race bikes. My Yamaha wasn't vintage when I bought it, I smuggled it across the Canadian border when it was new since they weren't legal in the States. Perhaps I'm not old, I'm vintage. I can live with that.