I've noticed how I become lazy when it comes to my cycling when I haven got a goal to aim for. I miss club rides and other cycling opportunities from time to time. The only constant is my commute which is always by bike (except when it's thick ice or snow).
Because of this I've set myself 2 new goals over the next 12 months which should kick me up the arse. Firstly I plan to ride the 65 Roses Holme Moss Classic Sportive again in September (it was an amazing experience last year) and secondly I've signed up to ride the Maserati Tour de Yorkshire Sportive. Both are challenging rides which should give me the focus I've been looking for.
Never seen this before but there seems to be a few spiritual gurus knocking about. One of these cards was pushed through my door the other was slipped under my windscreen wiper on my car. At first I found them odd, then I found them amusing.
Today it was planned that Morticia and I would be enjoying a meal for 2 in a nice restaurant somewhere. Then I found out this was the date set for my friend's stag do.
I've not been on many stag nights in the past, that's what comes of having a small circle of friends. I organised my best mate's years ago when I served as his best man. It was a difficult one as he kept cancelling so it ended up just being some drinks in town followed by a curry. My stag do was better (at least it had a stripper!). All this was many years ago, now the last of my group of friends is getting married and it's time to give him a 'send off'.
As a night out it was a good night. But was it a good stag? I suppose that's not for me to say, maybe that is the option of the stag? However this is my blog not his so my opinion is that it was too be considered a poor stag, at least until the point where I left it. Maybe after that they got to a strip club, maybe the stag is still taped naked to a lamppost somewhere just off Division Street? Somehow I do doubt it (I've asked for an update).
An impression of how the night
should have progressed
The problem in the first part was the numbers. There were a total of 3 participants (a 4th arrived late on just as I left). Having said that it was a good night.
I left to catch the last bus (23:50) which was the usual zoo of great unwashed. I was been stared at creepily by an Asian guy (who was either high on some substance or maybe suffering from a mental illness) and listening to the xenophobic views of a couple of drunk guys loudly discussing the Europe exit and immigration policy.
For the record it was a good night with good friends.
So my birthday is over for another year. I worked a day shift which was horrendous. Seriously it should be compulsory to get the day off - really it should be law!
I had no plans for the evening, except Morticia baked me a minced beef pasty (a favourite). I don't drink much but I do enjoy the odd ale, I have a small stash which I dipped into and enjoyed a Brains SA (to remind me of my favourite place in the world).
My gifts included pants, socks, a Kelo Ren glass, assorted chocolate and Sea Monkeys (I'm sure I'll be talking about them in the future).
Morticia's birthday is the day after mine, she is so much more popular than me, her cards outnumber mine threefold. We went to a local carvery as a family for a combined birthday treat.
Most people see today as the day they cast their vote in the local elections. I see it as my birthday.
I voted earlier in the week via postal vote as I didn't wanted to be bothered by it on my birthday. I've said many times that voting is important and I always make the effort.
My ballot papers
I'm working today so yesterday I had to go out and buy buns and biscuits for the team. It was challenging getting them to work on my bag. I'm glad I fitted panniers.
I'll say more about my day tomorrow when I can evaluate the occasion.
I make no apology for the Star Wars analogy and I'm certainly not making light of my situation.
Star Wars (force awakens) became poignant for me whilst thinking about current aspects of my life. Part of the story deals with a child who rebels against their parents and crosses over to the dark side. I feel this as my eldest daughter went over to the "dark side" 4 years ago. I also feel like Han Solo, as if I've taken a lightsabre to the heart. The hurt is always there and never goes away.
It's always hardest around birthdays and Christmas, she is missed by us all.
It's been the Tour de Yorkshire this weekend and once again I haven't been out to see it. I'm still carrying something on my chest which combined with recent events at work and my upcoming birthday have made me feel pretty low lately. It was decided that today we would do something special. Morticia's friend has her birthday today so combined with mine and Morticia's (next week) we thought it might be a good idea. Morticia is no good on fairground rides so I'm usually alone when it comes to that sort of thing. So is Morticia's friend. As a birthday treat we thought we'd take in Sheffield's newest attraction: The Sheffield Starflyer.
We went with Rags and our friends, Det and Moby. First thing I noticed when we arrived in the town centre was how busy it was. We only just managed to get a parking space (in the second car park we visited). I guess it was busy because it's the bank holiday combined with the World Snooker Finals. With that in mind I thought that there would be a queue and I was regretting not booking in advance. As it was there was no queue.
Morticia wasn't going on (not in a million years), neither was Rags nor Moby. It was just Det and me. I seem to surround myself with wusses when it comes to fairground rides. We paid our money and chose a pair of seats. We were the first on and we're made to wait whilst the rest of the seats filled up. This took about half a bloody hour, the attendants didn't mention the wait when we arrived. Anyway, we were in good spirits and the moment arrived where we were airborne.
Ride afforded great views but was over very quickly so not much time to take in the urban vistas (you can see other pictures on my Instagram).
Afterwards we had a walk to the Crucible Theatre and then through the Winter Gardens (which doubles for the TV studio for the snooker in the early rounds) and the Peace Gardens.
We went for a meal at Yates on Division Street, it was busy and a little rowdy, a little like a Saturday night, but we got seated. The food was ok but nothing really to write home about, and the portion was a little small. Not a patch on Wetherspoons'.
Morticia is of out with friends so I will be home with Rags. We've decided to have the household premiere of STAR WARS - THE FORCE AWAKENS. We haven't seen it since the cinema back in December.
We've also been to Iceland for a microwave curry. We're all set for an afternoon in front of the TV. I'm looking forward to seeing it again and re-appreciating the whole phenomenon. After this showing I'll be watching and analyzing ready for the next movie.
I know it's not Star Wars Day until Wednesday but it's the perfect opportunity to enjoy in peace (Morticia hates Star Wars). The curtains will be drawn and the phone on silent.
I'm constantly trying to improve my blogging experience and management. To this end I've been experimenting with Disqus, a 3rd party commenting system, to manage my comments (or rather your comments). Since I do most of this on my smartphone it would help that I can keep the comments together and respond / manage with ease.
It was a bit fiddly to set up but it seemed to work ok on both mobile and desktop formats. At the moment I have it disabled although I may activate it later today, I'm still not sure.
My worry is that the change would be detrimental for my current readers, you guys. You can still use your Google account as well as other authentication methods (like Facebook) but it does ask you to set up a password for a basic Disqus account.
I do love receiving comments, makes me feel like I'm not shouting into the void.
Supplemental 14:57; Disqus is now live as the comments engine. I'll be evaluating it fully over the next week.
Since the back end of last year I've been growing my beard. It has until last week become very thick and bushy. It's been great fun caring and grooming it over the winter.
The beard at its bushiest
It's getting to that time of year where it starts to get warmer (although you wouldn't think that with the cold snap we're currently experiencing) so I thought it'd be best to trim it down a little. As it goes I've left the length but it's not got the bushiness. I may keep thinning it down as the seasons continue but I'm really thinking of making it a seasonal thing, so from the end of the year it grows until the summer?
