food for thought on a hot humid windy ride

It has become apparent that I am either have to get up earlier (boo!) , continually push myself to ride faster than a 14 mph average , learn to accept a shorter training ride or else I am going to end up with fried brains. Today is day three of "feels like" triple digit temps around here.(Last summer the streak went for 72 days in a row.) At least there was a bit of cloud cover which hung around for the first hour or so but by the time I got off the road at 11:00 it was full sun, 95 degrees drippy humid,and no breeze. Sigh..

There was an interesting juxtaposition of radio commentary and pithy sign as I pulled into the parking lot at the hs where my friend Len and I start from. I had been listening to a commentary on the latest Kraft salad dressing ad, the one featuring the toothsome guy who always manages to lose his shirt (are those ABs real?) and is always going on about "How zesty do you want it? How hot do you like it ?" in a deep sexy voice and the fact the A Million Moms has issued a statement with sentiments" like no longer will Christians be able to buy Kraft dressing" and "We urge all good Christians to boycott Craft dressing products." The pithy sign informed me that"Dear Congress, 95% of Christians believe in God."

So I spent a lot of time on the ride contemplating whether this meant God in its broadest sense, male moral majority God, God as a universal source of life or power. Did they mean only male patriarchical God or could it be any God, were female gods or goddesses excluded and what about multiple aspected gods? Then I went on to contemplate the rigidity and exclusiveness of the attitude ( my god is the real one, yours is the false,) and in the day to day living of putting one foot in front of the other, why exactly should it matter?

I tell you-- fried brains.

The brain does seem to "wander" while cycling. I actually like that a lot. Crazy where it can go though.

I'm in the mild/damp, occasionally warm and nice, Pac. NW and the only way I can ever get out of 14mph avg. is by slipping into the 13s!!!! Give me any type of hill and watch me slow way down! Even the fast down hill doesn't seem to make up for my long, slow climb. No humidity to blame for my lack of speed! Will I ever get to a 15mph avg.?????

I do think you're weather would be really rough though. Keep up the good work.

I have to admit I wondered how you could call yourself a Christian and not believe in God. Seems like it would be a requirement.

ahh...but which God?

Quite a change from west Acton, Marni...
The temps would fry my brain, but the political commentary would make it boil.

Politics in Texas certainly make me roll my eyes. It's a good thing that I'm naturally cold, so it takes me longer to get hot, though with the way things are going with the weather I'm quickly getting there.

As far as which God I'd have to say if you're Christian it has to be Christ. If you're Budhist it would be Budha, Muslim Muhammad, etc.

You would think that a Budhist would believe in Budha and not Christ, but my mom, a self proclaimed Budhist recently asked me if I thought it would be ok for her to start attending Mass and just sitting in the back to pray. It was kind of an odd conversation since I didn't think you could believe in both but whatever.

My brain doesn't even need to fry to wander. I call it "shiny ball" syndrome and it happens all the time. I had a really deeply theological conversation with myself about what purgatory might actually be but then the next ride I perfect my buttercream frosting recipe and then I might just spend my rides taking random roads to see how many cows I can count before I get home. It nice to just let my mind wander.

Mph, we have wind here to contend with. It's amazing how just 15 miles inland where I lived for a few years when I moved home has soooo much less wind! It's hillier so I got a great work out, but I never had to contend with the wind I have now being right on lake erie. On a perfect day with next to no wind I'll be cruising around 17-19 mph, but that damn wind kicks up and I'm luck to hover around 14.

Actually there are many Buddhist Christians ... including many priests and ministers. Buddhism doesn't affirm the existence or nonexistence of deities. Some Buddhist sects incorporate deities that were worshipped in their respective cultures before Buddhism; others don't. Your mom might be interested in this piece about Buddhist Catholics. http://ncronline.org/news/double-bel...hristian-faith

(Also, Muslims believe that Muhammad was a prophet, not a deity ... Muslims worship the same Father God that Christians and Jews do, that's why all three are considered Abrahamic religions ...)

I would think that the percentage of practicing Christians who don't actually believe in God is actually a bit higher than that 5%. But if 5% will admit to not believing in God at all, then it stands to reason that some other proportion would have a concept of god that's at odds with Christian orthodoxy, right?

It's neither here nor there to me, but I don't see how you could call yourself a Christian and not believe in Christ (hence the name.)

Now I can see how you could attend church, mass, whatever and not believe in God.

I don’t know about Texas Christianity but for me….

“You say Lord I say Christ
I don't believe in Peter Pan
Frankenstein or Superman
All I wanna do is

Bicycle bicycle bicycle
I want to ride my bicycle bicycle bicycle
I want to ride my bicycle
I want to ride my bike
I want to ride my bicycle”
--Queen

and of course
http://www.smugmug.com/photos/i-QPt2...-QPt2X8b-L.jpg

I know she does.....

Love the shirt :-)

This thread made me laugh. From the first post all the way through.