Spiritually materialistic.

Keeping my mind and hands busy at the keyboard rather than Netflix and Chill™ isn’t the only change I am trying to make in my life.

I have cut back on alcohol. Instead of having 3-5 alcoholic drinks a week, I only have about one. Please excuse me if I don’t seem as fun.

As of October 2017, I identify as a pescatarian, which is fancy for saying “I don’t eat cute animals”. It says that I care about animal welfare… but notthat much. I even only eat eggs laid by partially liberated chicken.

As of some time not too long ago, I decided that I’d make more of an effort to be less materialistic. Before every change of address, I am blown away by the amount of stuff that I had managed to accumulate. I already have everything I need; I should not have to move out of a place with more boxes than it took to move in.

Now that I am sharing a small place with Yann, I am finding that we have zero space for anything new. This has been helpful in reminding myself to not buy more shit, no matter how cute it is. The satisfaction a new purchase gives you is fleeting.

That being said, I am still funneling money into my bikes. I do feel that it is more justified as the euphoria that comes with riding either bike is recurring.

I did not get into cycling until I ended up with a nice bike after my mediocre bike got stolen in 2011. Cycling is hardly enjoyable when you have a crummy bike. It’s comparable to trying to get into running with oxford shoes that are also two sizes too big.

Having two amazing bikes make me genuinely excited about riding them. Today, Yann and I gave my road bike a complete overhaul. Some things were totally necessary, such as replacing the brake and shifter cables/housing.

I felt shame when I realized that this had happened to my shifter housing:

This is usually the first thing that needs to be replaced on a bike, the second being the chain which was also replaced.

Being a bike mechanic comes with its perks: access to a fully equipped workshop, and special deals on parts. In theory, this should save me money but it has had the opposite effect.

I bought myself a new handlebar, brake calipers, and pedals. Mostly for aesthetics, although one cannot say it’s not a good idea to have really good brakes on a bike that can take you at speeds in excess of 70km/h.

This is the before photo, featuring the “nasty OEM housing job” as Yann calls it:

The only reason the housing should be so long that you can turn your front wheel 90° is so that you can fit the bike in the back of a small car. Otherwise…

Look, I went with aero handlebars! Because going 70km/h isn’t scary enough!

Although the quality of my road bike is excessive for my riding ability (I won’t actually be a better rider with these upgrades) it does have a rather minimalistic look to it, doesn’t it?