Make do with what you got.

So happy to admit that on the blog front lately I've taken the easy option of embedding other peoples shit. Mainly I've been feeling like crap, still do, or doing other things and posting other places. Well I took the day off with the plan of sleeping and chilling out in an attempt to get rid of a cough that's been hanging around for ages.

I started the day with a big coffee and watching a mtbiking dvd, Kranked Revelove. Basically this is my normal Sunday morning routing with the variation being the DVD and the amount of coffee. I'll admit I started feeling a little sorry for myself. Health wise for reasons mentioned, life wise coz I'm waiting for something that can't come soon enough but is still ages away, psychomologically coz I'd rather be riding with friends in BC, anjoying the warm weather and generally kicking it. The fact that I'd been watching epic trails on the hypnobox didn't help.

But the sun was shining so I decided to head to the local dj's. Not expecting much as it was still kinda frosty and they basically don't dry out in winter so lots of lines gte shut down. I got over there and added to feeling sorry for my sorry ass self...out of gas and coughing up horrible shit by the time I got there...... big puddle heading into where I normally like 180 out of, 'nother line being worked on so shut down.....greasy mud shit everywhere...argh.

Basically the only option was mucking around on little stuff or hitting the big line cold, and as I haven't been riding for an age I didn't feel like this was viable. And that's about when I started having fun, mucking around on the small stuff trying things that you don't normally think about or don't seem worth trying straight up on the big stuff. I kept thinking about an article Cam McCaul wrote in a recent decline magazine about confronting your fears and taking satisfaction from facing them rather than depression from shying away....something to do with guinea pigging stuff.

I wound up trying a right foot over the top tube to landing side saddle...stoopid but fun. And I realized that at the very least a 1 foot can is achievable and maybe even a no foot can....but that's another days fear.

I think what I'm getting at is make do with what you got, whatever you're in to. It may not be the best in the world but push it as far as you can, use it in a way that gets your stoke on and most of all have fun.

I know this was the title of the last post, but really.....WHAT THE?

What the?

Not sure some of this stuff even has names but is a good indicator that I need to have more days off to get better on the bicycle. Also why the old victorian adage that "children should be seen and not heard" needs to be changed to "not seen or heard". Bloody showoff.

Erik Elstran - April 2009 from North of Ten on Vimeo.

D60 & a headlamp...ah, good times

Ch.ch.check it

Black Market Inc- Adam Hauck from Taylor Sage on Vimeo.

Sunday dj's

Gotta do something before a Sunday roast............mmm, freerange, corn fed chickeny goodness.  Props to BJ and Anthony for the Beetroot brownies and home grown lettuce, props to Steve and Ana for the illicitly procured blackboy peaches, hokey pokey ice cream and beers.

Been raining pretty hard lately so there's a few puddles that have shut down a couple of lines.  Start of the big line is still on though and with a little improv you get  180 footplant instead of a wierd gap to a 180 step up thing.

Craigeburn styles.

This is what Alannis Morrisette was talking about....irony.  The irony being it was the first uphill ride in ages (6 months?), I'm halfway up the hill feeling like shite and, just before the steep bit, I come across a rusted out old "one man power" grader...which as you're guessing is a long way from how I was feeling.  The fact that the ironically, mocking sign was actually made of iron just added salt to the wound.

Was a bit of a chilly day too, with last weeks snow still on the ground at the ticket office, though the traverse across the scree was free of it.  As it turns out riding a cross country bike clipped in is absolutely terrifying, so I was glad I at least had grip.  Funny thing is a couple of years ago I though that about riding flats.  Maybe it's just what you're used to...and currently I'm used to bikes that sit down in corners and rail, as opposed to having twitching steering and bounce off things coz' they're so light.