Links

Audax Australia
This is the umbrella organisation running long distance cycling events in Australia Their website includes a calendar of events.

Bikejournal
A place where cyclist can keep track of their mileage and any number of other statistics, as well as an attached forum.

Bikeforums
A set of discussion forums covering almost every conceivable cycling related topic.

Cycling Adventurer
The Cycling Adventurer has tossed in the structured life of an urbanite to explore the world by bicycle. A well-written site detailing how he came to cycling, and what he learned along the way.

Crazy Guy on a Bike

Bicycle touring journals from all over the world, including a couple of my own.

Johns Cycles

This is my LBS on the Gold Coast. While they cater more to the racing market, their service, advice and workmanship is the best on the coast.

St Kilda Cycles

Importers of all manner of things hard to find in Australia, including the legendary Schmidt hub dynamo & E6 lights.

Blogs

Bicycle-eye
Wonderings and wanderings out and about in Portland, Oregon, US

The Journey
The journey begins in Perth, Western Australia.

Lance Notstrong
The "other" Lance!

Ms Mittens
The Wired Cat on-line

Iron Gambit
.

Aussie Writer and Cycletourist
A blog chronicling the writing and cycling of a seaside baby boomer.

Up in Alaska
Jill's subarctic journal about ice, bears and distant dreams of the midnight sun.

The Kin Chronicles
Taking mediocrity to a new level of ordinary.

Allez
Riding and running with a vengeance.

London Cycling Diary
Pedalling across the capital since August 2005.

CouchPilot-2-BikePilot (Zin's cycling blog)
Living an adventurous life with Type-2-Diabetes.

The adventures of Crazy Biker Chick
... Including cycling, adventuring, cooking, knitting and ranting.

Redneck Espanol
The two wheeled Spanish redneck.

Treadly and me
"Work is something I do between riding my bicycle".

Crowlie
Womanist philosophy and theology. Cycling, climbing, art, single-motherhood and fire-twirling.

Adrian Fitch's random rambling.
A bit about cycling, a bit about genealogy, a bit about radio but mostly a lot about nothing at all.

Geo's big adventure
The life and times of Geo.

It's about the bike
Musings on the cycling life.

Spinopsys
Various cycling tidbits.

Industry Outsider
A blog about bikes and stuff.

Tweed Coast Treadly
An old man's bicycle riding diary.

A cyclist's life in Tenerife
(Canary Islands).

Bike to work to live to bike
It's never too late to get back on the bike

Stupid Hurts
Just the random scribblings of a guy with a bicycle

I'm not drunk enough for this
Really, I'm not.

BikeHacks
What can I say? Just read it.

Mozam's cycling adventures
A random collection of the things I like to do most, and mostly that is to ride my bikes, bicycles that is... My musings from competitive riding, long distance endurance to puttering around the neighborhood..

More cycling blogs

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Friday, December 08, 2006

Every year I lose a little more of the Christmas spirit

When I was a kid I used to look forward to this time of year. Just decorating the tree used to get me excited. Back then I suppose I hadn't seen very many things, and all the tinsel and the hype seemed to mean something, or maybe it was just the thought of all the gifts I'd supposedly be getting. Perhaps I used to just believe all the hype without questioning it. Whatever it was, now that I'm 30, the allure of Christmas seems to have totally worn off.

Perhaps it's the fact that at this time of year it's impossible to turn around without someone putting their hand out for money "because it's Christmas" (and that complaint isn't directed at charities, who are far from being the worst offenders, and who at least usually have a worthy cause behind them). Perhaps it's the fact that it's virtually impossible to go anywhere or do anything moderately exciting during the so-called "holiday". Perhaps it's just a mild annoyance at the knowledge that the temperature on Christmas day will be 39 degrees C.

I'm tired of seeing the tacky decorations going up in September at various shopping centres. I'm sick of the price of virtually everything in sight being jacked up simply because of the time of year (although the tourist season may have something to do with that). You see, the post Christmas "sales" aren't so much discounts as the prices of various things being returned to normal levels as the demand for them dissipates. Still, those can be entertaining for an onlooker, thousands of idiot shoppers pushing and shoving each other in a desperate effort to get the one bargain... When there really is, only, the one bargain.

Most of all, however, I'm sick and tired of being expected to mouth false platitudes at all times and of pricks who think they can behave in whatever crude way they like in public without ever being called on it. I remember one particular relative who I only ever hear from once a year -- on Christmas day. Usually it's after this person has had more than a few drinks and is put on some guilt trip by whoever they're with at the time, and only because "it's Christmas". How about getting to talk to them on June 12 when they aren't drunk and when I don't have every other idiot in the world trying to ask for a "favour" because "it's Christmas"? No f*cking chance.

Of course, if, God forbid, I dared to give an honest opinion in any of the above situations I'd be the worst in the world -- that already happened a few years ago when I steadfastly refused to pay $70 for a lunch that would have been worth $5 on any other day of the year. The thing is, in those situations it wouldn't be my opinion which caused the problem -- I'm vain enough to admit that most people usually find some validity (if not total agreement) in my opinions on sober reflection. No, the problem would be because I dared to voice the opinion at Christmas.

Either way, I'm over it. I suppose I'll put on a happy face on the day itself, then look forward to just riding my bike on Boxing Day.

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