The Joe Show

Discus Thrower

Originally uploaded by technicolor

I have been pondering this for a few days now, and thought that this would make a good blog post. You see, now that I am running, everyone is calling me a ‘runner’, problem is I just don’t think of myself as a runner. I mean, runners are insane, they get up run, eat, run, crap, and they run.  They run great distances in punishing conditions, and for some reason enjoy it. I don’t think of myself in that crowd.

I also have a screen name on just about every online service imaginable of mtnbkr1, short for mountain biker. I chose this screen name back in college when you had to have a 7 character name, including a number. I was riding my mountain bike quite extensively then, and rather than switch after graduation, I simply stuck with it. Thing is, I don’t consider myself a mountain biker either. (Mostly because I don’t ride very often anymore – something else I am going to change). I also have been competing in motorcycle road racing with the AFM (come find me riding the #424 machine!) although I don’t consider myself a road racer either.

When people refer to those terms – runner, mountain biker, road racer – they seem mutually exclusive. If you are one, you can’t be another. I rejected all of those labels mostly because while I am good at those things, I am no Michael Phelps or Dean Karnasis. I guess where I am going with this is that I came to realize that I am none of these things, yet all of these things and more.

I am an Athlete.

Tasty (Chocolate) Eyeballs
Originally uploaded by Sifter

So tomorrow I finally have decided to take the plunge and get Lasik surgery on my eyes. My eye sight really isn’t all that bad, just enough to keep me out of flying fighter jets, yet good enough for just about everything else. Why am I getting Lasik? Well, I have always had a problem putting contacts into my eyes (I HATE sticking my fingers in my eyes) and my glasses always bothered me. No matter what style glasses I have, I always see the rims in the periphery , and quite frankly, that bugs the shit out of me. In addition, I like to think that I am somewhat active, and I have recently taken up motorcycle racing, which happens to require good eyesight. Funny how that works.

A few years ago, I started researching Lasik and went into a doctors office to gt all the details. The doctor was great and the seminar was very informative, and at the end, a patient came in and we got to watch the surgery. The idea is that it was supposed to show us how quick, painless and easy the surgery is. The Reality? Let’s just say that I don’t think it is natural to have our eye sliced open and a focused beam of light shined onto the windows of anyone’s soul.

It’s taken me a few years to build up the courage and the bank roll necessary to move forward, and after a friend of mine – Thanks Amy! – had her eyes done, I figured there’s no better time than the present. She had great results, and I expect the same.

Tomorrow afternoon is the surgery, let’s see (ha ha) how this goes.
- Joe

Hello everyone. Welcome to The Joe Show. I figured I might as well get this first posting out of the way so I can get on with some real updates, so I’ll keep this short. I created this blog to keep up with friends, family, and anyone who might be interested in reading what sort of nonsense I put on this page. What can you expect from me in the future? Prolly updates on my hobbies (currently racing motorcycles, politics and drinking, and with any luck, I’ll even get back into mountain biking).

I expect to post fairly random things from fairly random places and only when I have something to say. We’ll see where this goes, who knows, I might just be the next Shakespeare after all, but I wouldn’t hold your breath.

Joe

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