spascual

Las Vegas, New Years Eve…thousands upon thousands of people get on the road and walk up and down, partying the year away…in the middle of the crowd, its chaotic, being pushed all sorts of ways with very little foot or body control, similar to a beach/pool drowning situation.

Got out of that mess to the fenced off area, where it was surprisingly pretty empty, and just watched the throng for a bit. Then it happens, I see a young woman fall a few feet from the gate and I rushed over to pick her up by the arms…doesnt hurt that shes smokin hot too hehe (which is technically how I saw her in the first place, as I was in “scan-mode” at the time)...grabbed her before she got trampled, brought her to the gate and she thanked me profusely, which I was getting ready to “gracefully” accept…until her boyfriend came and started thanking me too for saving her (he also got tripped up but made it to safety on his own). Gave the obligatory macho saying “its ok, dont worry about it” to the dude, gave the equally if not more macho “hard handshake” to him, and then walked off into the night a lifesaver in both their eyes. Hahaha if he only knew that I was previously scoping his lady before this all happened.

For me, im sure she probably wouldnt have died but I guess I can take some of the credit…who says girl watching doesnt pay off? And yes of course, I could have the save-er to anyone that night, the save-ee just “happened” to be a hot brunette with a miniskirt…what was I supposed to do? Its Vegas, remember?

After 3 tries as well, I can safely say that I can now ride a bike. To all those that are 20 years old and up, its different for us as adults to learn…I researched and tried out the “practice balancing first, THEN pedalling” method which us oldies seem to gravitate to. Being older (im turning 31 in 2 weeks), you start thinking too much about riding (what do I look like, what if I fall, im too old for this, etc.), instead of just hopping on and trying. Use this overengineering trait to your advantage and overthink HOW to get by this obstacle. For me it was this:

1. Borrowed a bike, dropped the seat all the way down, and found a minorly sloped sidewalk (didnt bother taking off the pedals though as most did). Had my ipod too in one ear so I could subconciously relax and not worry about other stuff, while still being able to hear the outside world somewhat.

2. Practiced for a while just coasting, trying to keep balanced WITHOUT pedaling. Your feet can touch the ground to save you from falling. Then at the bottom of the slope, I got off and walked the bike back up and started again. That was the key, I think…I overthought this situation and likened it to a ski slope…you go down the bunny trail and then go back up the lift…if you TRY to ski uphill, as a beginner, you will never learn properly, so I figured the same goes for biking. Get off at the bottom, walk the bike back up and try again at the top.

3. Once I got the hang of the balancing thing (two 30 min sessions), I tried a slightly longer slope, and just tried pedalling after and BOOM!

To all the other bike learners, just remember, its ok to fall…dont get discouraged and just make sure you get up and try again. Scars build character, and once you get this goal crossed off, youll be proud to show’em off, especially if you learned on your own.

Now im all bike-crazy, going to all these stores looking for accessories for my new bike that I got for my early birthday gift. Cross this goal off the list, baby!

Playing one of those sit down racing games at D&Bs and I looked down to see what gear I was shifting to…and then boom face first into the mountain side fence, off the cliff. Not a great start.

And its because of that, my buddy now doesnt want to teach me. Hello, its not like theres any mountains around here in Toronto!
Ill learn eventually, from somebody else of course, but I dont see this goal as too important yet…maybe within a year or 2.