Get a Life

During the Olympics, I was very lucky to live with these Guys. I've never really admired someone or persons before, but their commitment was just unbelievable.

I suppose that is what the difference is between Pros and us mere mortals.
Commitment.

I am weak, that's it, I have said it.

When it comes to being outside on the bike or doing sports, I am strong, very strong willed and minded, but at home, I fail, succumb to all bad things around me (although the wife is not at all bad)

This includes and is not exhaustive to beer and snacks.

Last week at the Cyclo Cross, I was given several bottles of beer. Yippeee I thought (at the time), I even did an amazing job of being a domestique, carrying 8 bottles at once in my short sleeve cycling top.

Problem now being, I have a fridge full of beer, and this is were I am weak. Snacks in the cupboard, beer in the fridge, and freshly bought DVD, just equates to one thing.

I need more miles in the saddle.

I suppose I have always had a weakness for snacks, I even remember as a child, missing out on school lunches and eating snacks instead, it's no wonder that my teeth are aweful (but I put that down to too much Gatorade, and the odd crash into trees)

Being with the Guys for 10 days in a holding camp, north of Beijing taught me a lot, but now, I have slipped back into my old evil ways, and with the multitude of parties coming along, I can either be rude, a party pooper or just except that this is the way it is.

I don't have an excuse, I am not at a level were I can command an excuse of something along the lines of

"Sorry Mate, can't drink anymore, got Worlds to prepare for" If that was the case, the answer back would be,

"FFS, that's not until next October, get a life"

So I suppose there is only one way to go about it, enjoy, take the rough with the smooth, work hard and play harder.

A Free Thing

When something is bad, and is free, is it still bad?

A local bar is providing free beer for us on Friday, because they are sort of sponsoring the Cyclo Cross race. Sort of because Trek, the main sponsors are paying the bar bill.

Rather jolly of them, one does think.

So, the local brew, is well known for giving a headache, nothing to do with the quantities that maybe consumed, honest, I do hear that it is something they put inside beer in tropical places, to stop it fermenting. Anyway, it still leaves me feeling rather like a typical English day, cloudy and dull.
Or is that age? You know the older one gets, the longer it takes to recover from a hangover, or is it, that hangovers have become like an unwanted house guest, and just doesn't know when to leave?

Anyway, so, the beer is free, and being free, makes it somewhat easier to swallow

~oholic

It is coming towards that time of the year, when the ~oholic takes over the better part of people. This maybe shop~, al~, choc~, Internet~ etc okay, now I am making it up, but you know my meaning. My wife has taken to Cranberry Breezer, now anyone who knows my wife, will find this very strange, as she doesn't drink. Period. Until now, at the moment life is stressful for us, so 1 bottle every couple of days, puts her into a deep sleep and she feels better in the morning. Now I know it's not good to use alcohol to get rid of stress, but it's not a lot, and she only drinks at home. If we go out with friends, she doesn't drink.

I have weakness for snack food, biscuits, crisps that sort of thing. I now ban them from the house, just because if it's there, I'll eat it. Which is not good for my preparations next year. I need to control and watch my weight.

January is fast approaching, and is very important for our household, not only because it's Spring Festival (major Chinese New Year) but also because I have some friends returning to Laoshan. This time I'll be a mechanic, although I have no skills apart from my ability to speak the local lingo. Can't wait.

In this country in the dismissal of beliefs in deities, commercialism is taking over. Christmas is fast approaching, and for the first time I cast my eyes on an Advent Calender. Of course, this is to help us count down the days to the Pagan festival so that we can pray for a good harvest next year.
Bowing to China's new found fondness of purchasing, I couldn't resist buying one myself. This is for 2 reasons.
1. So that I can teach my wife some of the fun things of this holiday.
2. I can have a daily dose of Choc~