Disconnecting.
It's disgusting.
Both sides are acting like children, either throwing tantrums because they didn't get their way or smugly proclaiming that they would have "respected the process". Bullshit. You're no better or worse than them. Your reaction might have taken a different form, but at its core you would have done the same thing if it had gone the other way.
I got drawn into the whole thing on Facebook, clicking on link after link. Eventually I had enough and shut the laptop off and kitted up.
The air was much cooler than it has been. Something like a 20 degree drop. I picked a road I hadn't explored much and started turning the cranks. The unproductive tension dissolved. I found I could push higher wattage than I had on other solo rides, thanks to the air cooling my fat rolls more effectively. I was comfortable again. I wasn't greasy with sweat.
If it wasn't for the dark reducing the world to the small circle illuminated by my headlight, I would have kept riding, but since I hadn't eaten much beforehand I decided I had done enough. At the very least, my outrage at the state of civilization had abated significantly.
My advice to everyone is to get as far from the echo chambers of outrage as you can. Go find someplace quiet. Find a good dog to pet. Eat a good meal. Go for a ride or a walk. Marvel at the simplest things. Unplug, if only for a little while, all of the flashy, blinky things that complicate life. The world is a wonderful thing when you take time to notice.
When I got home, I showered, threw on some shorts and a t-shirt, and went out to dinner. The guy seating us was wearing the thickest fleece hoody I've ever seen and a ballistic-grade down vest. The other patrons were all done up in their winter best. The temperature was in the low 60s.
I need to disconnect my ass back to Alaska.
Both sides are acting like children, either throwing tantrums because they didn't get their way or smugly proclaiming that they would have "respected the process". Bullshit. You're no better or worse than them. Your reaction might have taken a different form, but at its core you would have done the same thing if it had gone the other way.
I got drawn into the whole thing on Facebook, clicking on link after link. Eventually I had enough and shut the laptop off and kitted up.
The air was much cooler than it has been. Something like a 20 degree drop. I picked a road I hadn't explored much and started turning the cranks. The unproductive tension dissolved. I found I could push higher wattage than I had on other solo rides, thanks to the air cooling my fat rolls more effectively. I was comfortable again. I wasn't greasy with sweat.
If it wasn't for the dark reducing the world to the small circle illuminated by my headlight, I would have kept riding, but since I hadn't eaten much beforehand I decided I had done enough. At the very least, my outrage at the state of civilization had abated significantly.
My advice to everyone is to get as far from the echo chambers of outrage as you can. Go find someplace quiet. Find a good dog to pet. Eat a good meal. Go for a ride or a walk. Marvel at the simplest things. Unplug, if only for a little while, all of the flashy, blinky things that complicate life. The world is a wonderful thing when you take time to notice.
When I got home, I showered, threw on some shorts and a t-shirt, and went out to dinner. The guy seating us was wearing the thickest fleece hoody I've ever seen and a ballistic-grade down vest. The other patrons were all done up in their winter best. The temperature was in the low 60s.
I need to disconnect my ass back to Alaska.
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