Don't Ever Change; I always want to be better than you.

This on the back of a septic tank service truck.

I had a good ride this morning. Except for the part where the cop was going to give me a ticket.
I did two thirds the distance of last Saturday's LSD ride with only minimal bum pain, whereas at that distance point Saturday I was in agony. This stretching bit may actually make a difference. And I've figured out that I can sit on the floor to stretch and read on my laptop at the same time.

On the route I did this morning there's a section of road that's being widened and resurfaced. They've done that bit where they run a big machine over the existing road that levels it by taking out small chunks with what appears to be a drum of some sort. Miserable to ride over! And because of the widening process, they've used cones to narrow that cobblestone-like pavement to two very narrow lanes, one each direction, for about a quarter mile stretch.
I normally ride as far to the right as possible, often in a designated bike lane, so cars and trucks can get by me. But through this section the lane is too narrow between the cones for anyone to get by my bike. I ride it as fast as I can given the surface but vehicles have to wait to get by.
This morning I could feel a pickup truck behind me so at the first opportunity I swung to the right of a cone. He passed and I came back. I could then hear/sense a motorcycle behind me but he'd have room. No problem.
Except he was a cop who wanted to talk with me. He said I was impeding traffic and in violation of the law. I countered that I didn't have any choice but to ride between the cones since to the right of almost all the cones was dirt. Also, according to AZ law I'm bound by the same laws that govern motor vehicles except that I must ride as far to the right as is safe, while cars must give me at least six feet of clearance. What was I to do? Then he countered with, "This can be an informational stop or a ticket. It's up to you." I shrugged, he rode on, and so did I. (Again, what option did I have? Flight wasn't going to work.)
I thought afterward, how was he going to give me a ticket? No driver's license. My name? "George Castanza." My address? "1600 Pennsylvania Ave." Date of birth? "3/16/87."
After I got back from my ride I packed up my things and went up to Paradise Bakery to work on Sunday stuff. As I pulled up what should I see but three cops talking. I asked one of them for his opinion. Understandably reluctant to disagree with another officer he agreed I was in a catch-22. I was indeed impeding traffic but no other option existed and the law gives me the right to use the roadway under those conditions.
I didn't press him for a judgment call but what he said did convince me that if I do ever get a ticket for something like that I'll fight it. I think a reasonable judge would see my problem. Of course if I get an unreasonable judge, well, George Castanza is going to have a $145 ticket to pay.

I am not a conspiracy theorist and I think the press sometimes gets accused unfairly of a liberal bias. Sometimes.
A headline on CNN.com today reads: "Republicans seize on Obama comments to House Democrats." In a closed-door meeting Obama told those Democrats that his trip to Europe convinced him that "This is the moment the world has been waiting for." He also said that he has become "a symbol of the possibility of America returning to our best traditions."
Indeed, some Republicans are saying that these comments illustrate the arrogance, presumption and elitism of Obama's campaign. But notice the difference between a report that focuses on what Obama said and a report that focuses on the Republican's criticism of what Obama said. If McCain had said the same thing with a similar response from Democrats, which way would the story have gone?
I'm just sayin'.....

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A conversation that started at lunch last Saturday has me thinking.
I started running in my late 20's, the first athletic activity I'd ever undertaken. It requires no coordination beyond putting one foot in front of another. Do it as fast as you can for as long as you can and you'll surprise yourself with successes. I did 100 or more 5 k's and 10 k's and two marathons. But about five years ago the arthritis in my hips forced me to give it up. That was not a happy time in my life!
I began riding bike in my early 30's in order to get some cross training into my regimen. I've done a few century rides over the years, but mostly my riding was recreational. It's fun to go further in the same amount of time. You get to see more stuff. Now that running is out of the question I put more effort into my riding, and my regimen is focused. Yeah, but what about cross training? And what do I do when (not if) my hips and knees can't do biking either?

Swimming! It's low impact, exercises the entire body and can be as aerobically strenuous as you want.

There's an Olympic-size lap pool down at the rec center where I go to work out. I see some pretty old people swimming back and forth from one end to the other with grace and efficiency. It looks like relaxation and exercise all in one effort.
Why can't I do that?
Because God forgot to put something inside me that allows for anything where the words "efficiency" and "grace" are used.
I can swim, if thrashing sufficiently to prevent drowning counts. When I've tried to swim a freestyle stoke from one end of a pool to the other it looks like a disaster in the making. For some reason the back half of my body drags behind me at a 45-degree angle down in the water. My arms aren't capable of dragging my arse and it's appendages along for more than 20' or so before I'm totally winded.
So am I biologically incapable? Or are there technique issues? (Option 3: I'm mentally incapable)
And assuming it's not Option One or Three, what can I do about it? Will the videos about swimming that I've watched on YouTube help? Should I enlist the aid of one of those old people in the pool?
I'm open to advice and suggestions.