I'm going to Mexico!

My blog updates have been sparse since I arrived in Massachusetts.  I wish I could say it was because I was too busy having crazy adventures to have time to write about them, but really it's because 200 games of Yahtzee with my parents doesn't make for an interesting story.

So what have I been doing?

Watching Football
I know this might not seem like a worthwhile event, but this Sunday my father and I went to one of his friend's houses to watch the Patriots game.  Ten year-old me would be absolutely horrified to know that this was the first Patriots game I've watched this season.  It's actually the first football game I've watched in its entirely this year.  It's not that I don't enjoy football.  I actually really like watching the game, but between my absolute disgust over the character of the people who play the game, and the shocking amount of harm the game does to their bodies (one would think I would like a game that hurts people I don't like, but I've never been a big fan of retribution).  As for the game itself, it was pretty good.  After a horrendous first quarter, the Patriots defense managed to force enough turnovers to overcome their incompetence, and the offense had a strong outing to give the team a win.

Bicycle Riding
Two weeks in Massachusetts is nearly a death sentence for this season's cycling aspirations.  I'll probably gain  3-5 pounds while I'm home, and won't be able to log nearly the hours on my bike that the season deserves.  After an unsuccessful 10 minutes trying to ride my mother's stationary bicycle, which began with the seat slipping, and ended with my knees bleeding from repeatedly hitting the handlebars, I knew I had to try something else.  Though Massachusetts roads are usually covered with ice and snow this year, an unusually mild winter left them in pretty good condition.  Though the temperature was still in the 20s/30s, I figured I might give riding outdoors a shot.

With my road bike and spandex still in Oregon, I (literally) dusted off my old mountain bike.  It wasn't going to be pretty, but it would have to do.  I tossed on my heavy winter coat, a bike helmet, and in my jeans and running shoes, I just went for a ride.  It was actually a little liberating to not spend 45 minutes layering spandex, greasing my scrotum, and carefully mixing just the right intensity Gatorade.  I just started riding.  The speed wasn't there, but so long as I kept going up the steepest hills I could find, it didn't really matter.  The whole thing ended up being more fun than I expected, and a surprisingly good workout.  If I can keep this up for the next 6 months, I might actually start winning races.

Though my bike had far less carbon fire and Dura Ace than I am accustomed to, the two things I missed most from my road bike were my shoes, and my powertap.  Cycling in sneakers just isn't very comfortable.

Passport
My parents have been bugging me for some time to get a passport.  You never know when you'll need to take an emergency trip to Ottawa.  Plus, then the only thing stopping me from visiting Yuji will be the airfare, and the language barrier.  The first step was to go get a passport photo taken.  I knew CVS did passport photos, so naturally my mother took me to two stores that definitely didn't do passport photos, because allegedly some businesses that used to operate in the same building used to to passport photos 20 years ago.  Our third stop was CVS, where I got my picture taken and, if I may say so, I was looking pretty good.

I mean, not good by normal person standards, but at least I don't look like a terrorist.  With picture in hand, it was off to the post office to hand in the paperwork.  Once again, I was pleasantly surprised with the service at the post office.  It's a shame they're losing billions of dollars, because other than that, they do a really good job.

In 3-4 weeks, I should officially be able to leave the country.  Not that I want to.

Christmas Shopping
I'm screwed.  I still need to find gifts for my parents.  I've been brainstorming for the past month and a half, but so far the best I've come up with is a new tool belt for my mom, and some dirty roots for my dad.  I went out the other day hoping to find inspiration, and I came back with nothing but a half a bag of M&M's.  I now have two days to find the perfect gifts for my parents.  I already told Katie her and Richard's Christmas presents would arrive in the middle of January, so I have a little more time with that.