That was a Fast 20 Years!

Twenty years ago this afternoon, I had an encounter with a rambunctious loose pup while riding my bike north of Northfield. It was an encounter that would land me not only in the emergency room of the Northfield hospital but it would also land me on the set of the Judge Judy show a few months later.

For those who haven't already seen the video, I'll post it below. Had it not been for my then-10-year-old daughter Rachel, I never would've agreed to stand in front of Judge Judy but there was no way I could say no to Rachel's request. She even offered all of her stuffed animals for me to practice speaking in front of in preparation for the show with a viewership of some 10,000,000 people. How sweet was that!?

Like most everyone else, I was familiar with the show having watched it numerous times but never did I ever imagine appearing on it. I sometimes wondered how they found out about our pending small claims court case and have since learned that the program has a staff of 60+ researchers across the country who spend their days going over lawsuits filed in small claims courts. Cases that look like they might make for interesting viewing are forwarded to the show's producers who follow up with the litigants. Approximately only 3% of cases sent to the producers are tried before Judge Judy. If you're wondering how the producers are able to convince obviously guilty people to appear before the judge and be humiliated in front of such a large TV audience, it's simple — the production company pays whatever damages are awarded to the plaintiff. Also, all costs for travel, hotel and meals are paid for by the production company as well. 

That was a fast 20 years!

Speaking of a fast 20 years, I was texting with a nephew of mine this morning. Brent is training for his 2nd Ironman Triathlon in a few months. We'll occasionally talk about our workouts or our newest gadgets or finds. I was telling him that I'm envious of his youth. I'm enjoying my retirement, but to be honest, I'd go back to being a youthful air traffic controller working the crazy schedule I worked — with no hesitation. How I would love to be in my 40s again with a body that would allow me to do the things I would like it to, not inhibited by years of wear and tear on aging joints and not so slow to recover from hard efforts. I always suspected I would struggle mentally a little when I got to this point in my life, and it appears I'm there. Everything is relative and rather than comparing my performances with what I used to be able to do, I need to remind myself that for my age, I do quite well, and rest in that understanding. Still, it's hard letting go of my former self and trying to hang on as best I can to the fitness I have. My goal is to be that 80-year-old in lycra cycling shorts leaving home on a ride as Tammy rolls her eyes! That goal, I think I can manage. 

The cycling videos I stitch together and share here and elsewhere have a larger purpose for me other than simply for the here and now. I know for certain that they've encouraged others in my life to take up cycling and that alone should be enough but just as important to me, it's my hope that I'll want to look back on them in the years to come when I'm no longer able to do the things I do today. I imagine they'll bring me some joy as I reminisce (I've always been one to reminisce) about my life and recall the fun I had on two wheels. How I would love to have had a GoPro camera on my bike when I first began to take riding seriously while stationed in San Diego when I was in the Navy in the mid to late '70s. I won't have that regret about these days in another 20 years. My experiences will be preserved in a series of ones and zeros to help refresh my fading memory. I take some comfort in that. 

I've been enjoying a new cycling program that allows me to track which roads I've yet to ride. It's called wandrer.earth and it's quite cool. It also plays really well with my OCD inclinations as it allows me to neatly check off roads I've ridden. It sort of reminds me of Pac-Man, the video game where a player tries to gobble up as many dots as possible. A road in red on my Garmin Edge 830 indicates that I've not yet ridden it. They stand out and must be neutralized by riding them, or at least that's what I tell myself. In this screenshot, the blue lines indicate roads I've biked while the purple lines are places I've walked. After uploading my ride data to my Strava account, the app sends me an email telling me how many miles of new-to-me roads I rode on during a ride while appending this data to the associated Strava link. Like I said, it's quite cool.

It appears our excessive heatwave is beginning to wane. For the past two weeks we've been in the grip of some unseasonably hot and humid weather — I mean, relentlessly hot stifling air. You couldn't pay me to live in a place where this is the norm. I thrive mostly in cooler conditions. 

I'm still recovering from my Memorial Day OTB crash along the river bottoms. Rib injuries are always very slow to recover from, at least for me. I'm riding again but I'm still not able to swing a golf club with more than 60-70% strength due to pain. I hope to be able to make it out to the range later this week and hit some easy shots or just work on my short game. 

In a previous life, I was a step-father to David and Joe. Unfortunately, I have very little contact with either of them outside of an occasional message on Instagram where I'm connected with Joe who turned 45 today. That doesn't seem right to me. How can that possibly be? Dave will turn 50 in September. 

The world keeps spinning. And so do my wheels. 

That's all I've got.