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Friends Loyalty Loyalty: Why I stay, and why it's a core value for me. Fun Other things I do |
contact me at:
justin (@) deepdrift dot com
GyozaQuest is a non profitable site,
By land, by sea, by air.
Land,
As with most guys, I'm into cars, motorcycles, bikes, roller blades, scooters, pretty much anything with wheels.I've also been rock climbing, ocean kayaking, white water kayaking, hiking (that's not really mountain climbing) as technically I've never had to put crampons on my boots.
I suppose for the summer, I've got on my list jet-skiing, motor boating, dirt-biking, and mountain biking. Although knowing my habits, the mountain biking will be in the same section of single track I have been tackling for years. As I think it's more a fact that my lungs don't hold out rather than not having the skills.
I've seen the changes in mountain bikes, they've figured out the front suspension to the point where it's standard issue, even on the cheap wal mart specials. Although they've still got weight issues with rear suspension, it's getting to the point where it's pretty seamless. I've owned steel, aluminum and carbon fiber bikes (but no titanium). Cantilever breaks, begat V-Brakes, which are migrating into disc brakes.
I gave up my motorcycle this year (it needs a battery, a voltage regulator, and a turn signal) and instead invested in another bicycle, the type you pedal. I hadn't though of it but it did fit into my goals this year, and the running wasn't working as well as I would have thought. At one time in my younger years I actually did ride quite a bit. But I like to think that it lasted longer than it actually did. So no I ride to work, when the weather is nice. Thank goodness there's a shower there.
Plus the usual swimming and biking, skiing. Oh I snow board too. Not too well, but I've done it and I won't fall flat on my face. But I'm not going to fall flat on my face, well I still might, but that's another story.
I've done some nutty things, like cross country skied to work when I was working in at a previous job. Hey, I only lived a 10 minute walk from work, and it seemed like something different, unfortunately all the snow melted by the time to go home, so I was schlepping the skis home.
In my younger years, I had some mountain bike tires where I drilled over a hundred 3/8" pan head sheet metal screws, (facing out) so I could go mountain biking across a frozen lake. That was fun, but there are so few days when the conditions merit such equipment. And I must be getting older, as more often than not I'm not too inclined to do anymore. But every so often when the conditions are just about right, usually right after a blizzard, the temptation to go out and
There's a skateboard under the desk in my office, and yes I've practiced skateboarding in the office.
The point of pride for me happens to be the time I put my roller blades on, to get to the connecting gate at London Heathrow Airport. The sign said it was a 25 minute walk to the gate, so I zipped along past the security then proceeded to grab hold of one of the electric golf-cart looking contraptions going in my direction, much to the bemusement of the passengers being shuttled around in the car, and all the pedestrians walking by. The driver didn't seem to care, let alone acknowledge what I was doing.
Sea,
I sail, it's postmodern, modern and traditional.
It's an anachronism, a motorboat is faster, more reliable, more spacious. And for the same peformance probably less expensive as well.
Yet there's an incredible amount of high technology, not to mention money (look at our friends Larry and Craig) which can be consumed in pursuit of sailing speed.
There's a love for it, something that people don't really see in motor boating. And what originally drew men to the ocean is slowly ending. The ocean is for primarily for cargo only to be replaced by air travel.
I don't really sail, I've never been on a real voyage on a boat. I sail by sight, and by instinct. I have trouble holding a course. I tend to capsize boats. I can't read a nautical chart. I couldn't pick out markers, for goodness sake I can barely tell the difference between a nun and a can.
Air
When it comes to travel efficiency, there's no comparison. If you need to get somewhere fast, or in some cases, just need to get somewhere, without it being cost prohibitive, or it being inordinately complex. You've got to fly. Without air travel we'd still spend weeks in small boats trekking across oceans. While cargo is still transported across oceans, most people travel rarely by ship, it's a luxury, or recreation mostly.Indeed flying makes our world smaller, talk to anyone who's migrated to the United States. While my ancestors arrived to America on boats. Nowadays very few immigrants here come by boat, most come by air. To poll my friends here, most of them have at one time in their life flown on an airplane.
I'm a frequent flyer, what more can I say. Flying is part of my job, and I suppose it's seeped into my character. Although I wouldn't describe myself as much of a road warrior, able to live out of suitcases for months at a time.
Although flying across the country is still quite a trip, it's not something that could be considered a grand adventure. I often forget how routine air travel has become to me.
updated 7/15/2003
