TMD: Bicycling

I looooove bicycling. I used to own this silver Diamondback bike and I named her Silver Bullet. I used to ride her everywhere throughout Cupertino. She was my ticket to freedom. I would explore down McClellan Rd. into the thickets of Blackberry Farm. I would go down Hollenback into the Beauchamps neighborhoods then ride into Seven Springs and down Bubb, past Kennedy, between Monta Vista and Lincoln and back home. I would ride down Stevens Creek all the way to Cupertino High School just for fun.

Sometimes, I would pretend that I was a Jedi and Silver Bullet was my X-Wing, or A-Wing. I've always had the A-Wing in a special place in my heart because it looked the coolest, it had the most maneuverability out of all the starships, and no one else cared about it. There were two bolts between the handle bars and I would pretend they were buttons that would engage the proton torpedoes from my A-Wing named Silver Bullet. I thank my imagination due to my childhood without any siblings, forcing me to be creative to keep myself from being bored.

But there was one benefiting byproduct from bicycling that I hadn't realize until now. Biking really enabled me to be quick on my feet. It worked out my quads like no other exercise. I was able to run faster and jump higher than the average Junior High/High School person. That's why I was so excited to have borrowed my friend's bike recently that I took it out at 10:30 at night to ride around. And by doing so, it brought back all the joys of childhood. But there several key differences that changed the way I rode.

First, I was really rusty. I still could ride the bike, but not like before. Before, I was a pro-biker. I could do jumps, I could drift, I could ride with no hands, I could ride with one hand, I could weave in and out of places, I could ride and squeeze through the tightest spots with ease. The bike was essentially a part of me. Now, I cant. I'm afraid of losing my balance, falling, and hurting myself. I tried to ride with only one hand and it scared the crap out of me. I could easily blame low visibility due to the time of day, but I wont. I'll admit I was super rusty.

Second, the bike wasn't in ideal conditions. The brakes needed adjusting. I was going full speed and I was about to make a sharp turn. As I hit the brakes, it bike didn't respond. So I almost crashed into a bush/tree. But that's okay.

Third, I felt like Carl Johnson from GTA San Andreas. Instead of my sexy A-Wing and photon cannons, it was a black man running from the cops. Oh dear...

Nonetheless, the joy of riding hasn't disappeared. I absolutely cannot wait to ride again today. Woohoo!