48°

     48 degrees. My first ride of the year was on a beautiful 48 degree day here in Pittsburgh. I started my day with the gym where I had about 10 minutes of light cardio then worked on my triceps and chest. I went home, at some garbage and then decided it was a nice enough day to get out into the sunshine and ride my bicycle down the the History Center to check out Mister Rogers Neighborhood!

     The ride began in Millvale. Aside from the roads in Millvale being pothole stricken (much like the rest of the city), the ride was dry with very little traffic. It was 1 o'clock on a Monday, I wasn't really expecting much anyhow. As soon as I got toward Route 28, I had to detour around some road construction. Despite the nice new bike lane that was put in on the on ramp to the 40th street bridge, I took the sidewalk. It was my opinion I was much safer on the sidewalk across the bridge then I would have been if I took the bike lane. The bike lanes seems to dump cyclists right into the cross hairs of any motorist making a left onto the bridge. The cyclist begins left of the motorist then has to somehow cross in front of them in order to get onto the bridge. I took the sidewalk, like I always have and had no issues except an excess salt and muck left over from winter. 

Mister Rogers and his Neighborhood. My final destination.

     Getting onto Butler Street was like seeing an old friend. I love being in traffic. I pumped my legs hard and kept up with the cars taking the full lane until 30 somethingth Street when I made my right and jumped down onto Smallman Street. Smallman was a ghost town. I was passed by very few cars inbound however, I was went and I don't have fenders. My little butt was rather damp. There were also some potholes that took extra caution to get around without getting in the way of passing vehicles. I had no issue with any vehicles until Smallman gets narrow just before Lidia's in the Strip District and a Cadillac decided I had no right to be where I was (still taking the lane) and passed me dangerously close as I was bottle necked with no other choice but to be almost under him by jersey barriers. I averaged 10mph for 5 miles and it took me- you guessed it- 30 minutes! Not too bad for the first ride since September. 

     Bike parked and into the History Center I went with my good friend Steve. Steve and I have known one another for 15 years now so it was no wonder we had a blast. The Mister Rogers exhibit was underwhelming. I guess I expected more out of it than just a was figure of the guy and a couple small pieces of the set. At any rate, we took the 'Smart Steps' through all 6 floors of the museum and got all our stamps. When we returned to the bottom floor we claimed our prize at the museum shop- a pickle pin! The History Center is a lot of fun and if you haven't gone you should. I was very happy to get in for just $6.00 with my student ID.

Steve put his Pickle in his car. True Pittsburgh.

I wished they had the trolley wrapped around the castle. They didn't. However, they do have it on display.

     Steve drove me and my bike home, which I had mixed feelings about. I learned real quick when I didn't have a car to never to decline a ride home if it is offered! Happy Riding! 

Fauna

Do The Work

 Eight weeks ago I made the choice to start going to the gym and if you follow me on any social media you know it has been working. I have noticed a common theme that comes up a lot at the gym; "Do the work." It is no secret that results don't come for those who slack off. My muscle definition is at a place I haven't seen in over 12 years. My endurance has reached a new high. The more sweat that drips down my face the closer I know I am to reaching my goal. Work is hard, but it pays off. This is not only true at the gym, but in the rest of your life as well.

    Would you like to better your life? I have news for you, you can but you are going to have to do the work. Last year I hit a low and decided to change my own life. I researched programs, applied to Universities, wrote essays and collected letters of recommendation in order to get into the school I chose. I got in but it doesn't stop there. I now have to work to get to my next goal. It isn't easy work because it requires loans, dedication and focus. However, if I never decided to do the work, I wouldn't have seen and won't see any results in my future. The work I would have been doing would not have yielded positive results. This is the part where I tell you there is a such thing as good-for-you work and shit work. Shit work yields misery, despair and hopelessness. Do not take shit work. Good work makes you feel...well, good! It makes your life better, helps you reach your goals and allows you to step back and say, "Damn, I worked hard for that."

    How would you like to feel better about yourself? I can tell you first hand it won't be easy, but you are going to have to do the work. Counseling is something that is good for everyone, not just the crazies. Everyone gets a little out of whack, sad, or downright depressed. Whether it is seasonal, situational or persistent, going to talk to a professional is not as taboo as it once was. I think the reason people choose not to seek help is because at the end of the day they are afraid to do the work. Therapy is hard work but the payoffs are worth it. It makes you feel good. Therapy is good, hard work.

    Do you have an excellent idea for a new start up company? Startups are a lot of work. There are plenty of people out there who can tell you that if they didn't get up everyday and do the work we wouldn't have companies like Facebook, Microsoft and Apple. How about companies like Google? Do you think Google became Google without doing the work? Now think of companies who no longer exist or are in danger of going under. How do you think they got that way? My best guess is a small part of it has to do with someone not doing the work to uncover [insert any part of maintaining a successful and changing business here]. Someone was riding high on the MySpace wagon when they should have been working. Is this making sense? I hope so.

    What does your retirement look like? How do you see yourself? How will you get there? I hope you get there by doing something you love to do. I hope at the end of your career you can look back and say, "All that hard work, overtime, effort and passion paid off. Look at where I am! Look at what I did! I feel good about this life! I worked so hard to get here today and damn, life is good!"

    So how about it? Are you ready to live your life? Are you ready to change your own life forever? Do you think you can do the work? If you could change one thing about yourself or your life, what would it be? Are you ready to do the work in order to change it? I bet you can. In fact, I know you can because I am doing it each and everyday. Sometimes the barbell is too heavy and I have to take a little bit of weight off. I don't mind those days because I know it means I think I am stronger than I am. On that day I feel stronger than I ever was and it gives me something to work toward. When I finally reach that new goal I subconsciously set for myself I will feel awesome. I will know all that sweat, effort, passion and work was paying off. So go for it. Do the work. See the changes. Just feel good doing it and if you fail, do it again until you reach that goal. Remember: Avoid shit work and I think you should be fine.

Cheers, ya bastards. (Aye, you didn't really think I could be lovey the whole way through, did you?)

Fauna