Book Review

Although my life has been busy for the last couple of months I did manage to read a few good books. I try to read a book or two a month because I enjoy reading and learning about a lot of different subjects. The last book I just finished was "The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck". I read it mostly because I liked the title. The basic message of the book is that you have only so many fucks to give so figure out what you care about and don't give a fuck about anything else, Part of his message is also don't bullshit yourself into thinking you're better than you are. If you think you are not getting ahead because of the system or people keeping you down you are probably not being honest with yourself. We are all good at denial and thinking there are external forces keeping us from living our dreams but the truth is most of us don't take an honest look at our real problems and do the hard work needed to fix them.

There was nothing earth shattering in this book and a lot of it boils down to just be yourself and don't give a fuck about what anyone else thinks about you. He has a very irreverent style of writing that is some what entertaining. Anyone who can use the phrase "magic fuck giving fair dust" in a sentence knows how to correctly use profanity that can be enjoyed. I won't recommend buying this book but if you can get it from a local library (like I did electronically)  its worth a read.

The other book I really enjoyed this past month was "Satchel: The Life and Times of an American Legend". I bought this book after my visit to the Negro League Baseball Museum because I wanted to learn more about the negro league and some of the more famous players. This book was mainly about Satchel Paige who was probably one of the best baseball pitchers that ever lived. The book traces him from his birth in Mobile Alabama in 1906 to his death in 1982. He really had a fascinating life and went from growing up in the poverty to be inducted into the baseball hall of fame. This was even more impressive as he did this in the era of segregation and Jim Crow. Satchel wasn't a perfect person and had a lot of flaws but he cared about baseball and because of his skill got away with a lot of things other player couldn't (He knew what to give a fuck about). He did however use his fame to make baseball better for the players and help make the argument for integration. He would have definitely been a cool person to meet. This book made me want to learn more about the negro league and the history of baseball in general so I will be looking for similar books in the future to read.

Today I was off from work and my wife is walking (slowly) so I can do rides further from home again. I did a 40 mile ride from Rocky Hill to Neshanic. It felt good to ride in the hills again. I should be able to start getting back in hill shape and will soon be leading some rides again.

Slow Goings

At this time of the year I am usually doing longer and hillier rides but because of my wife's surgery to remove a heel spur I am limited to shorter rides close to home. My schedule has also been a little unpredictable so I am squeezing rides in when I can. Today I ended having to ride in the afternoon because of some yard work that needed to get done.

My wife's recovery is going well but slower than expected. It will be a couple of more weeks before she will be walking again and a few more weeks after that before she will be able to drive. It has been a lot of work doing all the things my wife normally does and has limited my free time to ride. I really don't mind doing all the extra work as it is a minor inconvenience compared to my wife is dealing with. You don't realize how hard it is to do normal day to day things with only one good foot. Its hard to get around the house (even with the knee cart), you can't really stand anywhere for long. Just getting out of a chair or bed is no easy task and taking a shower is a major ordeal.

My wife is dealing with it pretty well however although this is the time of year where she starts spending time at the beach so she is a little depressed that she won't be able to get to the beach until mid July.

Most of the rides I have been doing have been in the 35-45 mile range and are the routes I normally do in the winter close to home. I have been riding by myself although I do occasionally run into other rider and sometimes hang with them for a few miles. Last week I came across this turtle in the middle of the road and didn't want a car to run over it. While I was trying to figure out how to move to turtle to the other side of the road with out getting my fingers bit off, another biker came by and we grabbed a stick and pushed him into the grass. We then road together trading stories for about 5 miles.

Although I did a couple of group rides memorial day weekend I do not expect to get the insane bike posse back together until the beginning of July. Until then I will try to get what miles I can in to try and stay in somewhat reasonable shape.