A Taste of the Village

I have arrived to the Paralympic Games. I am stoked to be here. The Village is awesome. I haven't even explored but a tiny bit of the whole thing. We are staying a football field away from the cafeteria and the transportation depot. I am looking forward to exploring the next couple of days. There are different gardens in between each building and a stream going in between the two USA buildings, that I know of so far. The people are very nice here and very helpful. The US delegation staff seem really cool and nice to be around. Greta Neimanas is my roommate and we are already setting up everything. I have taken my bike out of the box and there seems to be no damage, yeah. I liked the set up here because we got to see our luggage at all of the check points and make sure there was no damage. Once we got off of the plane and through security our bags were there and there were tons of people to herd us around and help out. When then got to be reunited with our bags when we checked in for the first time at the village and then the bags made it to our dorm pretty much the same time that we had gotten our keys to the room. I think that these games are going to go very well. I do wish I had some family here but it is nice not having to worry about them and their safety.

We are going to ride the road course in the morning then off to the velodrome in the afternoon. I can't wait to see either site. The weather is really nice and comfortable. I expected more humidity but it isn't that bad, nice mix between Colorado and Oregon mountains. Flying over what I think should be what the road course should look like I am looking forward to it. Everything is lush and green here.

Once I can get my brain cells working I will be able to describe more but for right now I need to go build a bike and get shit ready for tomorrow.

The Travel

I write to you today from the airport in San Fransico. I am on my brief time off of a plane awaiting the long haul over to Beijing. I am so stoked for this. I feel that all I have to do is ride my bike. There is last minute getting to know my bike or bike repairs that I must accomplish before I can start traning and racing in upcoming couple of weeks. The anticipation is here and I am excited. I am ready for this spectacular event not matter the outcome because I know that I am going to do my best.

About the trip so far. I finished every thing that needed to be done around 12:00 am. I got to double check everything before eating breakfast at 12:15 am. Justin spent the wee hours in the evening/morning sleeping while I finished my stuff. He walked me to the bus and then said farewell. We left the OTC a little after 1:00am. I slept the majority of the bus ride up to DIA. They had all of our gear lineded up and ready to check in. After waiting 15mins or so we were checking in and then heading over to security, ask me about that some other time. I slept some more at the gate before sweet talking my way up to business where I slept through everything but the food and beverages. Now I sit here waiting to get onto the next flight over the pond and into Beijing.

I will update the rest of my travels once I am in China.

The Undiscovered Country

If you know anything about "The Undiscovered Country" you would know what it is. It is "Time". You never know what is to come. You never know what to expect. Well you would have an idea but you never really know what lies waiting for you. I can tell you that in 20 days I will be in China. What I will be doing I do not know. I am so completely anxious for these games. I feel like a cyclist, I look it.

Long Island RailRoad

I find it very amusing to take in the scenery well riding the Long Island Railway. The further you get from Manhattan the nicer the houses look a street or two away from the tracks. The tracks look like any other track system, really shitty next to but fine a stones throw away. There are the buildings that are so nice, the ma and pa porch swinging type, but then you look closer at the neighborhood and realize you have a better chance of being mugged then being greeted by the girl scouts selling cookies. Steadily the cars get nicer, the yards more manicured, and children's toys left outside. There is the occasional dismantled car lot where the piece is more valuable then the whole.

Then there is the "Drunken Dunkin". I was just sitting there killing time, feeling guilty about not buying anything, and low and behold I was being asked out on a date by a toothless stranger. It started off with gentleman asking for bus schedule, me not being the local am clueless, then making conversation. The typical question for the beginning of any hit-on conversation, "what is Colorado like? Cold?". No actually it was 104 last week. Straight into can I give you my phone number, to if you have time I could take you out, show you the town, and get to know each other. I was trying not to laugh the entire time. He was so cute, the way you think a 3 legged bunny is cute, and I couldn't understand half the words that came out of his mouth. I was the no thanks responder, not that I have had a lot experience or anything, I just couldn't think of any thing else to say with busting out laughing.

Tour de Airports

Ooh, how I hate the Colorado Springs airport. Small town people meet main stream travel and world. It is funny to sit and watch those non-savey travelers try to get their large electronics out of their bags, take there shoes off, take their belts off, pack only small amounts of liquid and put them into a clear bag, and then to finally remember to keep their boarding pass and ID on them when going through the metal detector. You could make great reality tv by just setting up camera at security.

The angry travler is also just as amusing. All rational thinking has long disappeared and stupidity is in full swing. Agro people are just to funny to watch. You can see them getting more and more frustrated with no real cause. They stomp up and down trying to get retorical questions answered that won't slove any problem at all.

Then there is he happy family, where the kids are in a fantisy land full to exploration and mom's and dad's chasing after them. The parents allow the kids to be happy as long as possible because they are about to co fine the kids to a small seat for the next 3 hours where the child is going to go from sweet and innocent to noncompliant and unknown frustrations. Hopefully they will wear themselves out and fall asleep as soon as they are on the plane.

Denver got smart and put in a new belgium brew pub so that have the chance to numb yourself before boarding the plane. The best flight is where you fall asleep before take off and wake up after landing. That is the best way to spend the 3 hours of being confined with 300 other people in a 20ft wide flying metal tube. If you can't fall asleep music and a book or a movie is another survival trick. Keep the mind occupied

Serenity

It is in amazement that I am now riding as well as I am. The rides that I used to save for special suffering are now plain endurance rides. I used to ride into my reserves without knowing it and end up useless the next ride. I am now riding there with no worry of the bonk occurring. I ride to ride not to train. Knowing that each ride I go on is leading to an ultimate moment of glory, no matter what the result is I will know that I will have given it my all on the day of competition and the weeks, months, and years leading up to it.

It is not every day that you can think of one thing and not freak your self out. I don't worry about the outcome just the journey to get there. I met a person who is now regretting their past because of what it has done to their body. I will never regret a thing. Yeah I will make some decisions that could really screw things up but they are just apart of the journey. If every thing were to go as planned then thing would be really monotonous and boring. To look at an obstacle and laugh is the best look on life that one could take. I have seen many obstacles and I am still here today. If I were to regret any decision I would never of accepted have excepted who I am.

You can sit here today and judge what you look like, how you behave, and what your decision should be, but you will never you. I am me and that is all I have ever asked to be. I am the jack of all traits and have no allegiances to one stereotype of being. I represent my self to the best of my abilities and that is all ask to do. I may ask questions about others but it is only to get insight into what the reasoning was and to understand it, not to judge it. I don't want to be judged but to be excepted for me.

Giggles

I get the giggles every time I fathom me starting a Blog. I then realized that there is only one way for people to really understand who I am is to tell them. Everybody can see the external reactions to life and in general they are interpreted right but never really sure so I want to make sure that I am seen for who I am.

I will give you insight to where I am right now. I am getting ready for the Beijing Paralympic Games and I am very happy. I am riding really well right now. I think I have a handle on life and I am finally taking control of where my life is going. I can go either direction in my life and still be completely satisfied with my life. I am no longer being guided by my family but taking their advise into consideration and then making up my own life.

I ride my bike almost everyday and each ride I do gets a little easier or I go a little farther in the same time. I can see the results in both my riding and in my body. I have never been in this good of shape in my life. I want to do more though. I feel as though I have just scratched the surface of my potential and I want to take it for a ride. I want to branch out and find a living that is for me. That fulfills my dreams and aspirations.

As you read this you can be questioning the dreams that I have already accomplished. I have skied for my entire life and I have done really well at that. I haven't seen the world outside of skiing though. Every where I go is winter, snow, cold, skis, and no external memories. I want to go around the world and experience it. I have been to New Zealand and actually seen it but every where I go I do not get to see it.

One day in the not so distant future I will find it and I will exploit it for what it is truly worth.