The Exercise Bike

I got my wife an exercise bike.  It has since occurred to me that it is possibly the least altruistic thing I have ever done for her. (Also in proof reading this, it has also occurred to me that "got" is a useless and terminally unimaginative way of denoting procurement.  Yet I allow it to remain because that's what I did; I got it.)
First, I am a cyclist and she is not.  This bike will very conveniently double as a winter trainer for me.
Second, it was free.  While surfing Craig's List looking for a good deal on a new bike (Which I have recently begun the process of lusting after) I came across a free exercise bike.  The seller noted that the pedal needed some work.  I reasoned that with the bike being free and having a problem so insignificant as a pedal (who needs 2 right?), driving to San Francisco on a Sunday afternoon was a safe gamble.  Turns out the seller was right; the pedal needed help, and even on exercise bikes the second pedal comes in handy.  The good news is that my limited supply of bike repair tools happened to have just what I needed to facilitate the repair.  In total the bike cost me nearly nothing, and within only a few hours my wife was pumping away, toning and firming those muscles and burning calories.
So this brings me to the third reason that this purchase was less than altruistic...  Yeah.

Another great thing about the bike is that it has given me something to write about on a rainy Sunday afternoon.  It seems like every winter we athletes who blog, write about the same things: Getting in workouts around the rain, working out in the dark, complaining about the rain and the dark, etc.  I have avoided those types of posts this year by - not posting much at all.  And that's the other thing we write about - the fact that we have so little to write about.  It would be natural to think that if there is nothing to write about, then don't write.  And if you think that way, then you have obviously never kept a blog.  Our readers are hungry with anticipation - right readers?  I can hear your literary stomachs growling - yes?

But stating that we have nothing to write about is pitiful, as is resorting to coercion or begging to get people to read your blog.  So as my ever-cuter wife whirs away those extra Christmas goodies, I will be reminded to write wise and witty things to my faithful audience of - Mom.

Oh yeah, I guess this should be my Christmas blog post, so unless I'm moved by the elusive "muse of fire" in the next day or so- this is Merry Christmas.