Mama Said...

There'd be days like this.

Saturday's ride in Savannah was just one of those days.

Within minutes of leaving the Savannah playhouse (I mean, Jen's house), I got a nice dose of harassment. Riding up behind me, laying on your horn and then stopping in the middle of the road (on a residential street) really isn't a smart idea. I resisted the urge to fling a bottle through their window, knowing that: 1) I had three hours of riding ahead of me; 2) it had my name on it.

I tried to snap a picture of the car but, as usual, there isn't any useful information in it. They got stopped at a redlight, and we had a nice friendly conversation. I won't repeat that conversation here.

About an hour and a half later, more excitement. What I thought was a very large bumblebee decided to take up residence in one of my helmet vents. Rolling down a straight, flat piece of tarmac, I sat up and took my helmet off. When I did that, my earphones came out of my ears and fell into my drivetrain, getting tangled in my chain and cassette. Of course, I didn't realize that this is what happened initially. All I knew was that I had both of my hands off my bars, my helmet off my head and that my back wheel was locked and skidding across the road.

All of this took approximately .35 seconds. I got the bike stopped, realized that the giant bumblebee was actually a cicada, and set about to untangling my headphones to I could ride home. I had to use my drivers license to get the last bit of plastic out from between the cassette and hub flange so I could actually coast for the rest of the ride.

Once I was just about to get up and get moving again, pssssssss... My tube decided that being a tube was hard, and evacuated all of its air.

I assumed that the flat had something to do with my skid stop or that the tube just quit after sitting in the sun for 30 minutes, but I still checked the inside of the tire just to be sure. Nothing there. New tube in and I was on my way.

I guess thirty minutes later, the same tire went flat. I rolled in the grass the extra few meters to get to a gas station so I could have a Cheerwine while I changed my SECOND flat.

I assumed that the second flat was the result of a bad spare tube. Again, I checked the inside of the tire, taking it completely off and feeling around to be sure there was nothing sharp in there. Assumptions are stupid.

Clouds were starting to build, and Jen was texting me worried about how long I had been out. I sent her a Glympse link and asked her to be on standby in case I had another flat.

I made it home safely, went to the shop that afternoon and restocked on tubes. I went out for a ride the next day and, of course, had another flat. This time I was 4 miles from the house. Apparently my Velox tape folded back, exposing a few spoke holes, and destroying every tube and dream I had. I turned around and went home, knowing that riding bikes just wasn't in the cards today.

The weekend rides brought at least one smile ^^^.

The rest of the weekend was the polar opposite of those two rides. All sorts of guests were in and out of Jen's house and we took time to explore, and eat, as much of Savannah as possible. One of Jen's old classmates from SCAD and his girlfriend were down from New York and both of Jen's brothers also came to town. It was cool to hang out with the whole lot of Huling kids, and this was the first time the three of them had been together in around three years.

It also provided a wonderful opportunity of Cards Against Humanity, and a Westbrook Mexican Cake. Mexican Cake might be my favorite beer in the world, and it looks like I'll only have my hands on one bottle this year. 

Everyone went their separate ways Sunday evening and Jen and I got to actually hangout without being hosts and tour guides. I realized that Sunday night would be my last night in Savannah as a guest (at least for the summer). The next time I go down there, I'll be carrying all sorts of crap and squatting for two months. Summer in Savannah begins!

Of course my tour guide gig fell through. The company's owner told me I was taking too long to get started, and accused me of costing him business, despite knowing when he offered me the position that I wouldn't be moving until after the 13th. So, this will also be the summer of ramen!




Post script: had a fourth flat on my ride tonight. This time it was a pinch flat on my cyclo-cross bike.

Moving Forward

On Tuesday, I scheduled my appointment to take the Georgia Assessment for the Certification of Educators. To be a teacher's certification exam, you'd think they could give it more straightforward and less jumbled name- the Georgia Educators' Certification Assessment (or Exam) maybe? I guess then it wouldn't have a cool abbreviation (GACE). I've told a few people that I'm taking the GACE exam in June and they usually mishear it and say something along the lines of the "WHAT EXAM?"

The GACE is all a part of the admissions process for Armstrong Atlantic State University (rumor has it that they're attempting to change their name to Armstrong State University, which would be much easier to say/type). Of course, I guess certification is a part of getting a job in Georgia one day, also. One step at a time though, guys. I've already filled out my admissions application, and I'm steadily working through the rest of the grad school admissions checklist. I still have to apply to Carolina as well. Jeez.

I'm not exactly stoked on taking a certification exam, but it's a necessary evil, I suppose. Luckily, my summer situation will allow maximum study time. The poor, minimally employed bike racer lifestyle is really just an investment in my future career, I swear.

That's not the only exam I have to take in Savannah. I still have to take my tour guides' licensing exam before I can start my new tour job. This, of course, also means studying the 100+ page history of Savannah and memorizing a load of squares. I'm not sure I've ever done this much work just to get a job, but I'm excited to show tourists around my future hometown. Plus, it'll be like leading a field trip... a slightly inebriated field trip of adults.

As of this week, I'm back on the bike too. The beginning of base training is probably my favorite time of the year. Long hours fall away under tires and solo miles are logged. There's a sense of hope and expectation for the coming fall. I'm excited to go into this season full bore and I'm grateful that I have a support structure around me that has allowed me to do this for five years.

I'm Savannah-bound again this weekend. Hanging out with our new friends and laying down roots in a new city. Piling some more stuff into Jen's house and getting a taste of what near-distance is like. If we could turn the heat down, I think this would be the ideal summer.

Coming Out

Hello. I'm Justin. I'm a 25 year old child.

Long discussion regarding finances, jobs and bike racing over dinner tonight. What was supposed to be my mom's Mother's Day dinner, turned into another realization that I'm broke, and that life might get hard after leaving my job...

Oh yea! I quit my job Monday. I put in a month+a day's notice. It was a long time coming, but it's still weird knowing that I'm leaving a company that I've been with for nearly 7 years.

My step-dad told me that it would make more sense to work this summer, save money and then leave work in the fall to race. I'm going to make more fitness improvements over the summer than during race season, and this is the only chance that Jen and I have to live together before I go to grad school. Neither one of us wants to find out that we can't stand living in each other's mess after I've changed schools, so now's the time to test the waters.

I do realize how absurd it sounds to quit a steady job, leave home for two months and only work part-time, but I also realize that I need to take this chance when it comes, and this is the only time it's coming. At dinner I said, "if I put in work this fall, and become an elite racer, then maybe a team will find me that wants to pay for my entries next year."

I know it's a long-shot, but it is a shot. Next fall, no matter what city I'm in, my hierarchy of needs isn't going to be the same as the past five years. I can't screw around once I start grad school, and paying the bills may mean taking a job that requires I work on the weekends and nights. As long as I get my studying done, working may take precedence over bike riding. This is probably my last chance to try to become an elite bike racer. It's also my last chance to move to a colonial port city to live with my girlfriend mostly worry-free before adulthood starts. I HAVE to take it. It'd be absurd not to.

Savannah Weekend

Just like most Friday nights for the past year and a half, I packed my crap and set sail for Savannah this weekend. This time was different though since the only thing I brought home was an empty bag. Everything else stayed in Georgia.

Of course, I was also heading down I-95 with a short stack of resumes and an interview lined up for Saturday morning. Not a regular occurrence when I go to visit Jen.

I met with Jeff from Full Moon Tours at a local coffee shop Saturday. We discussed the requirements for a tour guide license and my potential role with his tour group. If all goes as planned, I would be responsible for one haunted pub tour a week, herding a group of tourists around the historic district, guiding them to a few bars and throwing stories at them that they're likely not paying attention to.

I like this idea because I would work once a week for maybe 2.5 hours, leaving an abundance of time for base miles, napping and reading. Of course, it also means attempting to live off of $50+tips a week, and I don't know if I can ride 20 hours a week on ramen.

The interview went well, but I decided to drop off a few resumes around town, including at the coffee shop where we met. After discussing their training process and how they avoid college student employees who leave every few months, the owner left me under the impression that I'd need to keep looking. Despite my resume listing a home address 3 hours away, I got a text shortly after offering me a shift from 3-10pm. I didn't go in.

Following up on my morning interview, Jen and I went to Jeff's tour that evening at 7:30. I wouldn't say I believe in ghosts but I think ghost stories are fun and, at their most basic level, they're just spooky history stories. I am a history major, after all.

I have a feeling that most of the folks on the tour were just there to take advantage of Savannah's open container law but it was a good time. The decibel levels definitely rose after the third and final bar, but no one was out of hand. I'm pretty positive I can bring the necessary energy to make the ~2 hour tours fun, and not go crazy dealing with drunks and ghouls.

Since I'm not riding right now, we slept in Sunday and went down to Whole Foods for breakfast from the hot bar. I always forget how pricey that is until I pile a pound and a half of potatoes and eggs on the compostable plate.

We took advantage of having an entire day without obligations and got in the car for a trip to Statesboro to spend the afternoon in the sun. Our friend Matt will be moving away from Statesboro soon but I'm going to need to figure out an excuse to go back. I think there are more dirt roads than paved in that town.

I showed off my athletic prowess throwing the football around and climbed a tree. A solid wrap to a fun, bike-free weekend. It's nice to remember normal life every once in a while.

Just a few more weeks until "summer break". Which means that base miles, and a semi-permanent Savannah State of Mind are right around the corner. I'm looking forward to it, but not the ramen.

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