The day was quite excellent, but first, I invented a riddle; and it’s based on a true story.
I was chatting with Joon and I told him, “I woke up yesterday morning and called my daughter-in-law to wish her a happy birthday. Then before I went to bed last night, I called my mother to wish her a happy birthday.” He said, “Oh, they have the same birthday?” and I said, “No.”
How could that be?
Well, for people who know me, my mother, and my daughter-in-law, it’s easy. But for the regular old American, it could be harder to answer. My daughter-in-law’s birthday is on one day, while my mother’s is on the next; and since I live in Korea, it was the evening of my daughter-in-law’s birthday when I woke up, and the morning of my mothers’s when I went to bed.
As for the ride…
I wasn’t feeling up for it this morning. I mean, who wants to get up at 3:45am for a 5 o’clock start (I have a routine that includes breakfast, coffee, and other conveniences)? But, if things could only stay true to form, the ride would cure me.
Now, there are two kinds of “I don’t feel like it” rides. The first is when I’m physically ill — nothing serious, just kind of blah. Weak and tired. The second is when I’m just not up to getting out of bed. When I’m feeling out of sorts. Not so much “lazy,” as I generally love getting up early and enjoying life before everyone else around me. More of a, “Do I really want to bother with it?” kind of deal. I could take it or leave it.
With the former, it’s hit-or-miss. I usually feel better on the road, but it’s not guaranteed. With the latter, 99 times out of 100, I’ll come back fresh and reinvigorated. Today was this kind of ride. I hadn’t planned it around any history or anything in particular of interest, and yet we did a couple of climbs that were absolutely beautiful and pleasant. We also discovered a bonus at Suwon’s Hwaseong Fortress that will have me planning a Suwon city tour quite soon (probably next weekend).
Add to that, a quick stop at the Giant store in Osan (where I bought the bike) to tighten a few things up and put a bit more sealant in one of the tires (great mechanic there), and the end result of the day was near perfect. I think not topping 70 probably helped too, but in the end, it’s really quite satisfying knowing that I’m close to getting the new ride dialed in.
