Rt # 555 - End of An Era - Doing the Math

Today is the final roundtrip day.

Having drove the Lizard to work today, I was already awake and got hit with a dose of sentimentality about my Manhattan bike path and figured it'd be a swell idea to take my vid camera with me to document what the normal ride is like. Since today is in the 40s I lucked out.

Let's do the math -- say roundtrip it's 250 calories. 130 in the morning b/c it's longer and 120 on the way back, maybe, b/c it's more intense (though shorter). And we'll include carrying it up and down steps.

555 x 250 = 138,750 calories / 3500 (1lb) -- that's 39.6 pounds I kept off by sticking to this regiment. Granted, my vacation time has increased since this began and in the past couple of months I've shortened a few rides by leaving from Bklyn. There were a handful of days where the return ride, while ultimately to Penn, had detours at Baruch. Still, the thought that I could conceivably be almost 200 pounds is thankfully just that. A thought.

555 x 7 = 3885 miles. Let's cut us the slack of having to re-map everything for brooklyn's sake. From what I understand, I've biked the equivalent of to Florida and back.

Money is a tougher one. In order to get a minimum for what I've "not spent" there's a couple of equations. The easiest is to assume that I did 100 RTs at $4 per RT (the price of a roundtrip increased by 50cents in 2009) + 450 at $4.50.

100 x $4 = $400
450 x 4.50= $2025
$2,425 not spent, on a per-ride basis since aug 08.

Then there's the idea that I never would've bought the monthly unlimited anyway.

$2,425 -- minus maybe 300 bucks for repairs and maintenance, the purchase of a 250 dollar POS bike, and a $450 new bike, and that's $1425 (a close guesstimation) not spent. I never once bought an unlimited monthly.

Then there are other reasons for avoiding the subway.
1. It's gross.
2. I have a lot of energy in the morning. I don't want to merely stand.
3. I feel for the cold and destitute out here, I truly do. And when appropriate, I give them food and some change. But I don't want that in my face every morning.
4. Get the cobwebs out of my head.
5. Break in new music. Break out old stuff.
6. Take in the view.
7. That high-pitch frequency combined with the sound of the trains' brakes are more damaging to my ears than the quality of "Death Magnetic."
8. If it breaks down, I'm stuck underground.
9. Someone's almost always looking for a fight.
10. People spill their stuff all over you.

So there you have it.

A cop didn't like that I was taking video. He asked where I was from. I told him the answer, but really, WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE? I know what he was getting at, though, and honestly, who cares?

There are parts of the area I will miss and I will miss the satisfaction of using this all to my advantage but I am adaptable, so I will make my new situation work out. It's good that I'm already signed up for the triathlon so I will force myself to keep in shape once my body realizes it's not getting the normal cardio.

I will have to come up with another theme for a new blog.

Thank you for reading.

Rt # 554

Hoping I get one more day of roundtripping, so that I end on a somewhat significant number.
The ride to the new office will be all of 5 minutes, which has now been confirmed at least 2x.
I am actually pretty run-down but it's all right. Had a long day & late nite on Tuesday which put me out of commission yesterday. If you aren't feeling well enough to go to work (and being too tired to do anyone any good counts) then do not go. The sick days are there for a reason.
This will be my penultimate ride. Of course there are far more important things going on in the world and I will stop thinking about only knowing the self pretty soon. My work is important but it's not the be-all-end-all so it's time to reassess once I get acclimated.
This may be my last day with Mr. Smithers and I cannot be happier about that, though there is something to be said for having a nemesis.
More importantly, not having my friends 50 feet away is going to suck and I'll have to work something out.
Thank you for reading.

Counting Down

This is the last Monday I'll be in the Wall St. office.
An interesting thought. Big deal. Keep moving.
Tomorrow there will be a ticker tape parade for the Giants on Broadway. Last time this happened I got horribly delayed as I was on a bike. As fate would have it I am going to see Mark Lanegan live tomorrow nite so I won't be on a bike and I'll be coming from Bklyn, straight under the building so it's going to be fine for me.
Last nite we had my parents over for a Superbowl fiesta and I am a little shaky in my stomach mostly b/c there's too much stuff in there. I had to eat some oatmeal this morning but that was all I could do. I knew drinking coffee would be a bad move so I avoided it.
I hit the gym yesterday and worked out the tris, pecs and back. My bench press sessions are good, but I think I'm going to switch to heavier weights at less reps. The definition of my abs is fading and I'm getting sick of myself.
I finished Agent 6 yesterday. Mr. Smith is now up there as one of my very top fav contemporary fiction writers. He's second probably only to Mr. Leonard -- who has to be the fav. as I have read more than 20 of his works. But as far as a trilogy/character is concerned, this is easily the best one I've ever read. All the ideas in terms of tone, scope and emotion that I had for "Black Market Babies" were executed perfectly in this last book.
Am taking my supervisor to the Capital Grille for lunch, and have slightly nicer clothes in the bag today to blend in nicely. Looking forward to today.
Thank you for reading.

Getting the timing down

Today's interesting only really b/c I was able to time myself, from the moment I got on to the street to the moment I'd turn to get to my new building from Flatbush Ave. Takes 5 minutes. Going to be a piece of cake whether on wheels or foot. The problem is going to be the almost-inevitable weight gain. How will combat that?
I'm operating on little sleep for reasons I cannot provide with any real clarity. Probably anxiety, stress, slightly scratchy throat and excitement.
This will be one of the last rides over the Bridge.
Agent 6 rocks.
Thank you for reading.

Rt # 551

Feeling pretty good once again. Waking up well, eating breakfast. If I could just hustle a little more in the house I'd be set.

Listening to Chickenfoot III because I worked out pretty hard last nite (tris, legs, chest, back) and all the negative intensity is out of me.

Reading Agent 6 still, at a 60-pg daily count, and it has taken some turns I wouldn't have expected at around pg 160. There are jumps in time now and next time I pick it up I'll be in 1980. They've skipped what, if any, relationship Leo had with the girls upon their return from the US and now he's been caught trying to get across the border, shot in the shoulder.

It's going to be day 2 of unofficial orientation and I continue to feel confident about my new position. "Outlook is good" is what my magic 8-ball would display.

It's not as warm as Tues & Weds, but it's mild for Feb. 2 years ago almost to the day, it was a blizzard and I was trekking to see Pop in his bed. That I don't need a wool hat exemplifies the contrast.

Thank you for reading.

Gertrude Stein can learn a thing or two from Mr. Smith.

Almost made the 806 but that's alright, I was early for the 813 even after buying a new monthly ticket.
Loving Agent 6. Pages are turning and I am interested. Gertrude Stein can learn a thing or two from Mr. Smith.
It's over 50 degrees outside, or it will be soon. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? It's fantastic! I'm wearing my Key West longsleeve and it feels like Spring. Breaking in the new Metallica EP that came out yesterday. I got it for 5 bucks. 4 songs, 30 minutes. Good deal. These songs are good and certainly will be on my workout playlists. I've decided that only a handful of the Death Magnetic tunes are ones that really resonate on an emotional level, specifically 1-3 and 10. The rest are all really good and I love listening to them but the lyrics don't connect to me beyond wanting to lift, punch, pedal and run. And that's fine.

Today is my first day going over to my new office just to slowly get acclimated for a couple of hrs. I'm excited and taking it very seriously. I think a lot about what the "manager" part of my title will entail and I will emulate the actions of some of the wonderful managers I have worked for and with, and just as effective are the couple of managers I don't see eye-to-eye with, as they have exhibited what NOT to do. Chiefly among them, I am never going to say to anyone: "If I don't talk to you, it means you are doing well." I don't want people having to dread talking to me and I want them to know that I will know that they are doing a good job and that it's valued and recognized. For too long, I've done extra work for a few people who have not acknowledged, nor thanked me for it ("how are you doing?" is not the same as "nice job") and it's not that I didn't know that it wasn't the way to treat people, but b/c I've been exposed to this management style, it's foremost on my mind not to do it. I should never expect loyalty just because I am moving up, the fact is it's a karmic process and I will be the first to put out the good feelings, because I believe in it and it's the right thing to do.
Knowing this in my head and heart fills me with joyful anticipation. Even these bleak Metallica songs cannot bring me down. If anything, they "fuel" me.
Thank you for reading.