Thursday, April 27, 2017

A New Noun....

Top of the evening everyone.

Apparently, there is a new noun.  I think it originated in England, which makes it the Queen's English.

Our new word, or so I thought, is 'mamil.'  This is an acronym.  It is short for 'middle-aged man in lycra.'

Lycra is the fabric from which cycling shorts are made.  It is stretchy, and really has no respect for my sense of modesty.

I rediscovered this noun earlier this week trying to find a blog.  Before I found it, I found a rather amusing article written by the spouse of a mamil.  Here is the link: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2869069/Oh-shame-married-MAMIL-s-Middle-Aged-Man-Lycra.html.

When I finally found the blog, the most recent entry started off by saying that Jewish law requires parents to teach their children to swim.  This is true, and can be found in the Babylonian Talmud in the tractate of Kiddushin.

Anyway, I would like to advise Jennifer that I am not headed down this road...at least not yet...ummmm...I do not think so.  I do not see the purpose of having more and more expensive equipment, except in certain circumstances, and one must be prepared.

I am thinking about bringing one of my bicycles on our next trip east.  It is a wonderful way to get out of the car.  The boys and I rented bicycles last summer on PEI.  We had a delightful day.

I have also started reading a couple of cycling magazines on line.

I went riding on a longer ride last Shabbat.  Am I ready for a three-hour tour?  A three-hour tour?!  We will see how the weather is.

Apparently, men of my certain age are starting to take up cycling.  Good for us.  We can get out, see the world, or at least the neighbourhood, and do something for our health.  Go men!!

None of this hides a much greater issue.  The man in the article cited above was 41 at the time the article was written two years ago.  He is a mamil.  I am 47.  I am not ready to be middle-aged.

Easy riding everyone.

R/SCG

Saturday, April 22, 2017

I Have Not Been Blogging Much Lately...

Top of the evening everyone...

I have not been blogging much lately.  I am not sure as to why.  One of my loyal readers told me the other day that she misses my missives.  Now I am feeling pressure.

You may remember last year that I won a bicycle last year in a contest.  That was amazing.  I then had two bicycles.  The one I won was a little bit more mini-van than sports car, but that is okay.  I teased it up a little.  The free bicycle ended up costing almost $500.

We were visiting my in-laws in December.  One of Rav Jen's friends from USY came up to visit us.  While we were chatting, it turned out that he likes to ride.  He is much more serious.  He rides triathlons.  I use that word playing Scrabble.  He said he had an extra road bike and offered it to me.

After spending several minutes confirming that he was serious, I said sure.  We would swing through Philadelphia in February to get it.  I told him to attempt to sell it before then.  He said he was either going to keep it or give it to me.  We picked up the bicycle in February.  He will not miss it.  He has five or six other rides.

Another free bicycle...yes, and another $500 from my wallet.  I have got to stop getting free bicycles.  It needed pedals, a tune-up, the right kind of shoes, and a saddle.

I can lift this bicycle with two fingers.  I took it for a ride last week.  Clip-in pedals take some getting used to.  I did not fall, but I humbly thank a congregant for being next to me at a moment when I lost my balance (I was standing still at the time).

I took it for a longer ride today.  I have to tell you...you all know that I fully support the idea of riding on Shabbat.  I do not know what it was, but I felt utterly free while I was out today.  That feeling of freedom is what Shabbat is supposed to be about.

The really good news is that I have a road bike...a really good one.  I also have two other bicycles.  One of them will go to Jesse as soon as he tells me wants it.

The only thing left to do is to convince my daughter that riding is almost as good as chocolate.

Have a great evening.

R/SCG