Addictions

eBay is evil.
If you ride your bicycle with any sort of frequency then you will probably agree. Why is it that bicycle enthusiasts are also obsessive compulsive personalities? Wait. I take that question back. Make that some enthusiasts.
When I purchased my first bicycle ten months ago, I never imagined where it would lead. Wait. That's a lie. If there is one person I know well, it's myself and knowing myself as I do I should have foreseen where this would end up. So I buy this bike thinking that I'm just going to ride around to the store and stuff, you know to buy bread and cigarettes, but instead I end up riding all over the creation like some psychotic nomad that is hell bent on getting nowhere as fast as he can. I literally ride around sometimes telling myself that I'm going somewhere when I don't have any destination at all. Well, I do have a destination. Home.
I start off at home and end up at home so it's like I haven't really gone anywhere, right? I mean I just rode around for two hours so I must have gone somewhere, right?I know I left home, but now I'm back home so....I think I went somewhere.
I'm not compulsive about riding. Really, I'm not. I think about it alot and I guess I do ride alot but it's not like I have to ride. I don't ride when it's raining and I don't ride when...when it's raining. No I am not obsessive about riding.
I am obsessive about my bicycle.
When I bought by first bicycle, I told myself that if I put X amount of miles on it then and only then would I think about upgrading. I will be truthful here and say that putting on all those miles were basically an excuse to buy a new bike. In fact all my riding now is basically an excuse for me to purchase new bike bling.
When I first got my bike I wasn't employed so I basically rode everyday it wasn't raining. I also spent every night raining or not on the internet researching bicycles. When I finally decided on my current bike, I would pull up the website and stare at it until my screensaver saved my brain. I still go to the website sometimes so I can look at the picture and marvel at the fact that that very same bicycle is now right in front of me. Well, it's not really the same. I've changed some stuff on it.
Now when I finally got my 29er, I was still unemployed so how I upgraded had to be planned out very carefully. No, I didn't wait until no one was looking, I paid for my bling. What I mean is I couldn't just make wholesale changes. My upgrades were based on performance and not aesthetics. I had to justify the changes. Okay, I'll admit, I really can't feel any performance difference but my ride looks pretty nice.
Now that I am gainfully employed, I find myself obsessing over my bicycle differently. Now, I don't pretend to justify the upgrades at all. I don't really need that anodized seat post collar now do I? Hmmmm...Yes I do.
The thing is, if I am going to be speeding around Kailua aimlessly I might as well look good doing it, right? And to top it all off I went ahead and bought another bicycle (see below)!
Oh, yeah. eBay is evil.