TV Vs Truth

I finished watching the second season of 'Orange Is The New Black' (no spoilers here) and while I enjoyed it, I have to question 'Did that really happen or was that made for TV?"

I have Piper Kerman's biography on my to buy list, but I have other books to read first.

Back to the show, it was nice seeing several characters backgrounds and we got into Red's story a little more. I'm hoping Samira Wiley (Poussey Washington) gets nominated for her performance. Her character grew over the course of the story and Samira did an excellent job portraying it.

Also, Uzo Aduba (Crazy Eyes Warren) was amazing, she could give Summer Glau a run for her money in playing a 'crazy girl'.

Now begins the wait for season 3...

A Perfect Analogy

Last weekend I went riding on the Old Croton Aqueduct trail after a year long break. My initial plan was to ride on the level part only, but as I made my way towards a hill that voice in my head started talking.

“Do or do not. You won’t know if you can make it up the hill till you try.”

Then the other voice argued “You haven’t ridden since last summer, you won’t be able to make it up the hill. You’ll end up pushing the bike up. You can’t do it.”

Both these voices sound like me.

I got to the first hill and started riding up. Switching gears made it easier, but halfway up, I stood on my pedals to keep the bike moving. The tires slipped on the loose rocks, my breath got deeper, my legs started to burn.

I made it up the hill.

At first I was going to rest, but I kept going. Pedaling at a relaxing pace, I went over the bridge to the next hill. This one is long, with a gentle incline. The best part is after it, there’s a long decline I get to coast down and enjoy the cool air.

The trail after this point is level so I could leisurely pedal and enjoy the view. Until the next hill came into view, steep but small. I pedalled faster and shot up the hill, only slowing at the top before it leveled off.

I kept riding till the parking lot across from the Sleepy Hollow Golf Course and took a five minute break. I was proud of myself that I managed to ride the same course.

Going back there was one problem, on the way up a hill my foot slipped off the pedal and I lost my momentum. I got back on and kept riding.

The next hill (long decline) has always challenged me. Last summer, even with weeks of riding under my belt this hill reminded me that I needed to ride more. I was listening to my iPod the entire ride and it started playing Deadmau5’s ‘Cthulhu Steps’ which was the perfect motivation/theme for the ascent. The music slowed down as I did, but it only inspired me to keep going. Even with my legs aching, and heart pounding I pushed on. When I got to the top, I smiled. Because I didn’t listen to my negative self, I had a great time. I tried something and completed it. I need to apply this to all aspects of my life so I could feel the same happiness.

For the rest of the ride, I took it easy as I was getting saddle sore as well. When I got back to the beginning, I took another break and removed my helmet. My plan was to ride to the first hill, but as made my way to it, I got tired. Checking my Garmin, I had ridden 8.74 miles, and burned 1,222 calories. I felt good about my progress for the day and was content to call it a ride.

In The Cucina With Seamas

Last night I bought jalapeno cheddar cheese from Mint Premium Foods in Tarrytown. I wanted to make a grilled cheese sammich with it. I cut my quarter pound piece in half, then into small cubes. Going old school with butter on the bread in a pan, I started cooking.

After ten minutes, I had my dinner. The cheese lost a little of the kick but overall it was good. Maybe I'll add sriracha next time. 

The cheese would be great on a cracker.

Laugh

i want to laugh till i cackle

i want to laugh till tears run down my cheeks

i want to laugh till i can’t breathe

i want to laugh till my friends look at me like i’m crazy

i want to laugh

The Weight Of Words

A while ago I made a book of my favorite quotes from thechive.com, on the cover I put Neil Gaiman’s "This is how you do it: you sit down at the keyboard and you put one word after another until its done. It's that easy, and that hard.”

I keep this book in my messenger bag, along with my journal, notebook, and chromebook which I take to work every day. As I walk from my apartment to my car, from my car to my desk, I feel the weight of these items.

This weight reminds me of all I’ve written so far, what I’m working on, and ideas for later.

When I haven’t written in a while, this weight is heavier.