Winter

Over the past month I've been hanging onto the hope that the weather would allow me to get one more ride on the bike in, but unfortunately that hasn't happened. I had to leave town for work after my last blog entry, and when I returned 11 days later, the ground was covered with more than a foot of snow. There was also a lot of snow pack on the streets, which is gone now, but has been replaced by cold weather. I've shifted my hopes now to an early spring, it can't come early enough now that I finally own a motorcycle. This picture was taken on October 13, the last day I was able to get a ride in.

I picked up the bike on May 23, so it ends up being less than 5 months of riding for this year. Total kilometers for the season was 10,889. Fortunately I should be able to start the riding season much earlier next year, and am expecting to get many more kilometers of traveling.

Speaking of traveling, I've been spending some time planning trips, and going over different routes in the last few weeks. There are so many places and things I want to see, and there's never enough time or money it seems. I've made plans for at least a month off in early summer, financed by the money I used to spend on cigarettes.

It's been almost 12 weeks now as a non-smoker, and I've finally gotten to the point where I actually don't think about it as much anymore. There are times when something will trigger me to reach for a cigarette, or where I get a craving, but it's much different than it was. A craving now is not really intense, more like a passing feeling or thought. Even the smell of cigarettes isn't as awesome as it was when I quit, and it smells much worse in a small space. There is a sense of relief and thankfulness as well now that I've finally quit the habit. I keep putting away money each week, and watching that account grow is a reward in itself. Although I don't really notice myself feeling any better, I think once I can drop the weight I've gained since quitting, I will notice improvements in how I feel as well.

The rowing machine arrived, and I've been working out on it for a little over two weeks now. Most days it feels like it will kill me! I haven't seen any results from it yet, but I think with time it will certainly begin to whip me into shape. My eating habits are also terrible, and hopefully I can learn to improve them as well. It seems like getting rid of the smoking habit has opened my eyes to how unhealthy I've become, and I would like to get into better shape now that nothing is holding me back.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank all the veterans that have served, and are serving, in the armed forces. I will never understand the true price they paid for my freedom, and therefore will never be able to thank them enough.

First snow

We got our first snow up here today, it started coming down early in the afternoon. Hard to believe just yesterday I was golfing, getting in a round on the last day that the course was open this year. Most of the snow just melted away throughout the afternoon, but the last of it to come down has stayed on the ground.

The prospect of the looming winter is bringing me down, as it means there will be no golf or riding the scooter for the next 6-7 months. Every year at this time I wonder why I still live way up north here. The summers are beautiful, not too hot and long daylight hours. Winter, on the other hand, is bitterly cold and it's dark when I get up and dark when I get home from work. This year I find myself dreading winter even more because of the fact that I won't be able to ride the bike. I suppose it's a good time to work more and save the money to take a long vacation once the summer arrives again.

Today marked 7 weeks cigarette-free for me, a milestone I really didn't think I would reach. The cravings have been quite intense in the last few days as I struggle to picture a future free of cigarettes. I know in the long run deciding to quit will be worth it, but it's been hard to stick to the plan. The money that I've been putting away every week is starting to build up, almost as quickly as my weight has shot up. I've gained around 10 pounds since giving up cigarettes, something that I need to deal with.

I haven't felt good about the weight gain, or about how out of shape I've become. To try and lose weight and get my cardiovascular strength back up, I ordered a water rowing machine. This will give me something to focus on during the long winter months, and I'm actually really looking forward to the challenge of getting into better shape. I don't have too many expectations as far as weight loss, but if I could find a way to lose at least 20-25 pounds by spring I would be very happy.

Looking around my place, I can tell there are a lot of things that need attention, but were pushed off as I tried to make the most of the last good weather. I guess it's time to tackle some of them now. Hopefully we get a few nice days yet in the next couple weeks so I can take another ride or two before winter shuts riding down for good.

Ramble

Played the Club Championship today, played great in the front (40) but managed to blow up in the back (48), to shoot the same score I did last year. Golf has been quite frustrating for me this summer, basically averaging the same score I did last year. After learning so much since I took up the game in the spring of 2009, this is the first time that my scoring hasn't improved dramatically from season to season. I'm really hoping that I can finish strong in the final month of the season.

The quest to stop smoking is still going well, as I have gone almost 4 weeks without so much as a puff on a cigarette. There have been many tough times so far, and I'm sure many more tough times to come, but this is the best I've ever done as far as I can remember. I often find myself yearning for a cigarette, even though I know it wouldn't be nearly as good as I imagine. The mental battle has been the hardest part so far, though I'm slowly becoming stronger in my resolve. Every week I transfer $100, which was approximately what I spent on cigarettes, into a savings account. Watching the money grow, and seeing that the funds will allow me to take more time off next summer to travel, has certainly helped to stay cigarette free.

Speaking of traveling, there are so many places that I want to see after being bitten hard by the travel bug last year. The trip to Texas last spring, and then the trip to Washington D.C. opened my eyes to how much fun it is to see new places. Buying the Harley that I've dreamed of for 20 years, and finding out how much fun it is to ride made me realize that I could now finally take some of the trips that I've dreamed of. The plan is to take around two months off in spring to take a long trip on the bike, although routes and destinations have still not been hashed out.

This blog was originally started to document trips I will be taking, although there will be times where I take it in a totally different direction. Golf is another hobby that I really enjoy, so there will be reports on that at time as well.