So yesterday I went to see “Supersize Me”. It’s a documentary that demonizes the food industry, especially fast food for marketing poison to the people. It also points out that people are really stupid for eating too much crap, which is my opinion. Anyway, in the movie the guy eats 3 meals of McDonald’s a day for 30 days. He gains a ton of weight, a gut and nearly destroys his liver.
A few weeks ago the company I work for ran the Chase Corporate Challenge. It was a big evil corporate hoo-hah, but besides that I ran 3.5 miles. In High School I ran 1 mile at least twice a week, in gym class that is. Since then my exercise has been limited to Dance Dance Revolution. And since I don’t play that nearly as much as I used to, my shape has gone downhill. My arm muscles were always week and I always had a gut. My leg muscles are still strong as ever. But my respiratory and circulatory system “cardiovascular” if you will is weaker than it was. I get tired and out of breath too quick. Quicker than I used to, and too quick for my taste.
Now, you gotta understand something. I’m not even close to fat. In fact, my physical body is flawless. I’m almost immune to all disease. I am allergic to poison ivy and that’s it. I eat when I’m hungry and I eat what my body craves. I only drink water, 100% juice and whole (3%) milk. I wont drink anything else. Well, fresh squeezed lemonade or a milk shake occasionally. Anyway, there is nothing wrong with my body except minor skin problems and a slight arch in my back. But what’s to be expected from a computer geek who writes in C all day?
So until now I’ve been out of shape, and I really didn’t care because I wasn’t ill and I didn’t need to be in shape. But you know, damn those documentaries. Sure I can think logically and I can avoid all kinds of advertising and all kinds of coercion. Mainly thanks to Douglass Rushkoff. But a documentary is the most coercive media format in existence. It shows you the real deal and the cold facts. Facts that are guaranteed to shock, surprise and sway you. Even though I know this in my head, I still feel the need to get my ass up out of my computer chair.
Now. I’ve had this exercise policy. I figure it like this. I’m 22. If I run a mile every day. It takes me 7 to 8 minutes to do. Add the time to go to the running place and back. 20 minutes a day. If for each of those 20 minutes I add 20 minutes to the end of my life its a bad deal. I’m trading young years for old years. I want young years, more free time when I’m 99 just means more shuffleboard before I bite the dust. And since I don’t find running a mile enjoyable I’m pretty much trading potential young healthy joy time for old crochety time.
So today I got my credit card down to $0. Hooray for me! I have a job! When I got the job I made a list of things to buy. Anyting over $50 I would not buy if it wasn’t on the list. The only things left on the list are iPod mini (unless a newer one comes out) and a new cell phone (Treo 610 is current desire). The bicycle I bought today is the only exception.
When I was a little kid I rode my bike all around the block. Every day. I didn’t even think of it as exercise. It was just the thing. Get home, get on bike, go. Sometimes we just rode around, most of the time it was transportation to the house of the friend down the road. I wonder whatever happened to that kid, I should use the Internet and find out… Anyway. In like 6th or 7th grade when I was at summer camp my 10 speed bike was stolen. I haven’t had a bike since. I’ve ridden since then, most memorably in Israel, and I still can. But I realized. Bike == fun and exercise. I can get back in shape, and have fun at the same time. So I’m no longer trading young years for old years. I’m Getting more out of my young years.
Besides, my current situation is pretty grim. I work 9 to 5 5 days a week. I come home, and all of my college friends are either graduated or home for summer. I still live in my college apartment because the work is near here and my house isn’t. Plus I get to stay on the OC3 Internet of doom. So since my friends left my after-work entertainment has been Puzzle Pirates, web sites, dvds and eating. But now, on every single day of good weather I’m going to get home, change, get my ass on my bike and go. I’m going to go until I can’t go no more. Then I’ll turn around and go home. It’s the best. Today I rode all over RIT. I zipped around campus in places I couldn’t go with my car. I passed rollerbladers and other bikers. It was fantastic.
Oh yeah, I bought this bike today at a bike shop. Just a normal mountain bike. Here it is. I added a lock and a kick stand, necessities. I’m going to get a helmet and blinking red light for the back and maybe a headlight. I wont use the helmet unless I’m riding on roads as opposed to just college campus. The bike shop was really cool too. I get to come back before 30 days to get it re-tuned up for free, and it has super maintenance and warranty of doom. I can pretty much go there to get anything fixed for free. I should set up a computer store with the same kind of business model.
So I got a bike. Fat people suck. I have something to do with my spare time. And I can improve my health and hopefully delay my inevitable heart attack. Oh steak, how I pine for thee. Either tomorrow or Monday my $120 160 gigabyte Serial ATA hard drive should show up. I’m going to back up all my files and start using Linux for everything except for Steam. And as soon as WineX supports Steam/Half-Life 2 I’m going to hit that shit. Also I will have adventures trying to make a DOS partition, oooh. Stay tuned for more fun.
Oh, and because this needs to have its google pagerank increased dramatically. Gentoo Linux is for Ricers. I must say I am a proud Gentoo zeal^H^H^H^H user. It’s the first distribution I’ve felt to provide me with what I really need in a linux. I also wholeheartedly agree that gentoo is for ricers. I think at heart I am the king of ricers. While I don’t have tons of money or a cool Japanese car, I do desire one. And I just love customizing the fuck out of everything. Got Rice?
