Dont work on your bike if your angry or depressed !!!!

[jsanford]

You've done it all?  Find a new "all" to do.

Get a 'script for some antidepressants, and try this:  train for an ultramarathon bicycle race.

[fastwin]

Came real close to being dead or paralyzed while riding a bike. It changed my previously shitty attitude about life. The daily physical pain is bad. But it makes me say every day how glad I am to still be here. I am not paralyzed. I am not dead. I did nothing wrong. Just at the wrong place at the wrong time. I could get all pissy and be depressed about it. That would be real easy to do. I choose not to. Sure, I still piss and moan about crap. Can't change everything. But I am so much better than before.

Was diagnosed with a brain tumor July 25, 1991. Funny... I'm still here. Actually it made me a better person. More appreciative. My bike "incident" did the same. Guess I needed a reminder.

Hang in there brother. Find what turns you around. It's there in front of you... you just can't see it yet. Sort of a "can't see the forest for the trees" thing. Thankfully you have unseen friends here that support you and offer help. Lots of folks don't even have that. Hopefully you will realize that you really are blessed and will focus on that one thing that makes you happy.

Good luck my friend. [moto] Hell, go for a ride!

[Desmostro]

Gemini.

Oh dude. However sappy this fact is, it may be your nature to get this way sometimes.
Before imparting the proverbial gem of wisdom, here is my partial list, and I'm not embellishing.

I crashed and broke my neck - took a year to regain faculties.
Mom died recently, just after the big D with the gemini.
I've been "terminally ill" 4 times. The most recent diagnosis was 3 weeks ago. Expiration date? The doctor told me, "any minute." 
No shit, right there in his office, "You could go any minute."

We all go through things like this. What do we get from them?
Imagine you hear this, "you have 3 days to live." What would you be doing; who would you never talk to again? Who would you go find?"
Vegas anyone?

OK 6 months?
Bahamas anyone?

Couple of years, MAX, but that's it?
Find a cure, date rock star, publish book, ride a lot, make porn, save a life, invent something that saves dolphins  why not?

Where would you be, what would you be doing?
People freaking drop dead all the time. There is no guarantee you'll have 3 months. That should be an exciting thought.

Here's the point finally:
You get to put what ever you want in your head. You like horror movies? Then that's what you'll have upstairs.
It takes work to put in your head only what is useful and desired.

Put on some good music, read a good book, blog, do yoga, run, go outside for 5 minutes and stand in the damn rain. DO what it takes to get positive and happy. Get rid of the ugly thoughts. Whenever they come, DO SOMETHING. Take action, use your body while you've got one.

Do not waste time because time will waste you.
Good luck man. You are not alone at all. Choose wisely what's next. Divorce is an amputation. 


(ps. Looks like a misdiagnosis on the #4 terminal ill thing. But there were a few weeks of thinking really hard about this. )

[jerryz]

I understand what u guys are telling me ,  I too have been very ill , actually back in 1990 i spent 9 months in ICU was told ytou will never walk or have sex ever again, then 18 months in a wheelchair but I did make a 90% recovery, have since fathered kids and work etc.But the negative vibes eat at my soul.

Today i filled my brain up with Zombie Meds ( citalopram) and actually spent 2 hours working on the bike ,put all the mistakes right , but then found I need spares that I cannot get in Thailand so although I will be able to mostly reassemble the bike ,I wont be able to run it ,until I return from UK .
I need swingarm shims some more opener and closer shims , K&N filter ,new clutch pack and basket,springs and cover.

Went out got drunk tonight and am now going to bed ...alone . Still have no idea how to deal with the bad feelings and negativity but i reckon I have been misdiagnosed for the last 45 years as a Depressive ,I have been treated since I was 6.Drugs ,therapy,,etc thats why i dont trust the system,

But i reckon I am a manic depressive

[ducpainter]

Don't take this the wrong way.....

What do you want from life? (The Tubes)

[the_Journeyman]

Here.  This popped in my head this morning between mile post 15 and mile post 3 in I-40 this morning around 5AM.  I've had entirely too much time to think entire too early in the morning for the past three weeks.  It's a motorcycle-related look at mood changes.

The Dinosaur affair

It had been a long day at work.  Not really a bad day, just long and a bit aggravating and still far from a good or easy day.  I stepped out into the warm afternoon sun.  Being aggravated about the workday made me grumble about it making my motorcycle gear seem too hot.  I walk over to my motorcycle, or well, dinosaur by modern standards. 

A dinosaur you say?  Yes, a dinosaur.  Bikes like this just aren't built anymore.  Sure, they build faster bikes; ones that make riding a runaway engine from a 747 seem less intimidating.  However, those have modern frames and suspension and can manage a corner fairly well.  Not so much for the dinosaur.  At the time of our affair, the dinosaur's frame, brake and suspension technology was 23 years old.  This kind if machine is extinct, mostly because of their appetite for their own rider.  The dinosaur knew how to go fast, really fast, since a previous owner put some aftermarket cams in it.  It outruns its brakes the moment the cavernous pistons start gulping unleaded like a wino gulps his Wild Irish Rose.

As I head out, I think “What a boring commute.”   Uninteresting surface streets, two miles of highway, more surface streets.  I could take the long way home, but I don't' really feel like going all the way to the edge of the county just to come back.  I decide I'd probably get stuck behind some traffic anyway and proceed on my way with the raucous rumble of only a dinosaur could make.  Head out, make a left make a right cross the slightly elevated railroad tracks and putt-putt down the 20mph section.

Putt-putt?  Just like in a cartoon, a tiny devil pops up on my right shoulder, whispering in my ear.  Then the angel pops up on my left shoulder whispering in my other ear.  Just like a bunch of frat-boys cheering on their buddy's next shot of Jagermeister, the devil is screaming; “Do it! Do it!” in my right ear, the angel gently reminding me I should behave and set a good example in my left ear.  Again, just like in a cartoon, a devilish grin appears and *flick* the angel gets airmailed to the sidewalk.  I twist the throttle right as I'm about to descend off the rise caused by the railroad crossing launching me forward while the dinosaur a emits the growl of an angry demon.  Perfect timing, the front wheel stays elevated a foot or so as the rear follows the descent from the railroad crossing.  Of course, the old man that rebuilds interesting old cars is glaring at me from within his garage yelling something I can't hear.  He'll probably call the police about hooligan biker terrorizing his neighborhood.  Again.  I needed the tiny adrenaline rush, so he'll get over it.

Make a left onto the next street.  Straight, boring and stuck behind a car going below the 35mph speed limit is no way to ride a motorcycle.  Traffic is backed up at the light.  My gear is too hot for a sunny day.  Take a right and head for the exit ramp.

Exit ramp?  The devil and angel return to their respective places on my shoulders.  Apparently the angel caught back up.  “Twist it! Twist it!” races down my right ear canal while. “BEHAVE!” races down the right ear canal.  Another quick flick airmails the angel to the safety rail.  Leaning into the smooth curve of the exit ramp, clicking into second gear, I twist the throttle with reckless abandon.  The suspension and swing arm writhe and twist in pain as each of the four pistons have their way with them.  Passing 5,000 RPM, the engine goes from the sound of an angry demon to the shriek of a banshee hell-bent on destruction.   The tortured the rear tire grapples for asphalt, and the front suspension extends to the limit of its travel.  Squirming in discomfort, the frame attempts to keep the dinosaur pointed in the proper direction and hold everything together.  I try to not death-grip the bars as the hotted cam hits tis sweet spot and the solid-rocket booster ignites.  The dinosaur and I share an evil laugh that would make the vilest villain proud.

Man, is the highway boring, even at a speed not legal in most states.  Good thing traffic is nearly non-existent.  I don't have to worry about cars cutting me off or being in my way or slowing me down.  Dial up a little more speed and make this highway disappear.

Speed?  Yup, they're back.  The angel is a bit miffed at this point and just throws its hands up in exasperation as I twist the throttle into the stop and tuck a little tighter so I don't get sucked right off the back.  Rocketing through the dip, my next exit ramp appears.  It appears entirely too fast.  Slamming down on the twin-disc, opposed piston binders, they grab the slotted discs with all their might.  The nearly 600lb dinosaur slows its pace as it's skinny front forks nearly compress to the stops.  I can feel the buzz of the slots on the rotors ripping bits of brake pad away with each pass through the calipers.   

This is a 270º exit ramp, no way I can trust this dinosaur to take it at any speed.  It's only an affair, I can't put my trust in this dinosaur.  More surface streets, complete with two back-to-back red lights.  Man, this thing is a pain to maneuver in tight places like the garage.  Maybe I should move on.

[jerryz]

Don't take this the wrong way.....

What do you want from life? (The Tubes)

thanks ,, I remember seeing The Tubes live in london Brighton 1979 and 1980 .may be I need to go back to the past to regain  the future.

in those days i was A drug crazed sex maniac boooze monstering biker riding a Chopped Harley with a genuine 138mph super hotted up 77''sporster engine ,hardtail and Girder forks, worked as a Recording studio technician/roady and partime drug dealer .

[Desmostro]

thanks ,, I remember seeing The Tubes live in london Brighton 1979 and 1980 .may be I need to go back to the past to regain  the future.

in those days i was A drug crazed sex maniac boooze monstering biker riding a Chopped Harley with a genuine 138mph super hotted up 77''sporster engine ,hardtail and Girder forks, worked as a Recording studio technician/roady and partime drug dealer .

Geez! I wish you would start writing again. That sounds like a good book! 
You live in Thailand?! and travel to the UK? That can't suck too bad.
Sometimes I "write" with photographs.  - You've got to have a fairly astounding visual world around you. Creating something that only you control, like a journal of great things in your day is one of my favorite things that brings me perspective and presence of mind across years.  I go back to old ones in sucky moments a remember how temporary sucky moments are.

The TUBES made my day. I completely forgot they existed. 

[Raux]

thanks ,, I remember seeing The Tubes live in london Brighton 1979 and 1980 .may be I need to go back to the past to regain  the future.

in those days i was A drug crazed sex maniac boooze monstering biker riding a Chopped Harley with a genuine 138mph super hotted up 77''sporster engine ,hardtail and Girder forks, worked as a Recording studio technician/roady and partime drug dealer .

alright already. you have lived... now i want to hear more.

[Drunken Monkey]

<modhat>
Let's not turn this into a religious debate. Mmmkay?
</modhat>

[oldjackbob]

I'm 55 years old, and here's my advice:

If you don't have a bicycle, get one. If you already have one, get on it and start pedaling.

It doesn't matter whether it's a road bike or a mountain bike. I have both (hey, sometimes I like to go fast, and sometimes I like to get dirty!).

Find someplace where you can ride -- I mean really ride. And Ride. Hard. Push yourself (within your limits, of course -- you know your limits). Sustained physical exertion is mentally (and physically) cleansing, and you'll sleep like a baby that night. When you recover from the initial ride (and that will probably be a couple of days), get on the bike again and you'll find that your very next ride will be measurably superior, performance-wise, compared to the first time. Keep it up -- in two weeks you'll be amazed, even astounded, at how hard you can mash the pedals, and how far you can ride hard without any more next-day muscle soreness. Your legs will feel like steel springs, your stamina will go through the roof, and the sense of reward is uncommonly satisfying.

And get past the "spandex shorts" hangup that some people have, and get yourself some proper gear -- padded shorts, gloves and a well-ventilated helmet (trust me, "well-ventilated" is important).

Stay with it, long term. Your riding technique will constantly improve, and you'll find yourself actually looking forward to the afternoons so you can get in a few miles after work. It may sounds absurd to you right now, but a Saturday 40-miler isn't at all unusual for a regular cyclist -- and afterwards you feel spent, but also deeply satisfied, and quite peaceful inside.

I'm seriously tellin' ya, Jerry...IMO, you owe it to yourself, and to everyone who loves you, to go mash some pedals, dude!   

[bigiain]

I'm seriously tellin' ya, Jerry...IMO, you owe it to yourself, and to everyone who loves you, to go mash some pedals, dude!   

+1

It doesn't have to be a bicycle, but regular exercise is a well known technique for overcoming depression. It doesn't work for everyone, and even for the people it does work for it's often hard to gather up the motivation to do it when you need it most, but it's at least as likely to help as invisible friends  (sorry DM...)

big

[oldjackbob]

+1

It doesn't have to be a bicycle, but regular exercise is a well known technique for overcoming depression...[but]...it's often hard to gather up the motivation to do it when you need it most...

Agreed, and that's the great thing about bicycling (as compared to, say, weightlifting) -- you can ride as hard or as easy as you want to, and you can ride for as long, or short, as you want to. You can do a short hard ride, or you can do a long easy ride.

That said,...Ride Hard!   

[sbrguy]

Agreed, and that's the great thing about bicycling (as compared to, say, weightlifting) -- you can ride as hard or as easy as you want to, and you can ride for as long, or short, as you want to. You can do a short hard ride, or you can do a long easy ride.

That said,...Ride Hard!   

Wow, a motorcycle guy telling someone that they should learn to enjoy riding a bicycle.. that's original   

all joking aside, i have to agree, cycling is a great sport and basically is perfect to do on a nice day.  All the things that you like about motorcycle are the same with bicycles, only the engine is you... thus the enjoyment of motorcycles, i finally can go uphill without having to cough up a lunch or have it take hours, ie a mountain pass of 9 miles at 7% grade.. that hurts on a bicycle, but is really fun.

if you like riding motorcycles, i guarantee that you will like at least a few aspects of cycling bc they take indentical skills at times.

[jerryz]

To those of you with religious faith I would like to point out that i am a fervent atheist... my wife is a devout Bhuddist my parents are Jewish and I was  educated in a Christian school and have lived and worked in Muslim countries.  I know god does not exist but I have met the devil walking down the street many times...he is not so bad if you kick his arse first.