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Anne Shilton's Journal
you put your right foot in
posted by AC Shilton at 07:52 PM on August 21, 2007
Riders club, how I love thee, let me count the ways…
I grew up in the internet generation which means that I am thoroughly versed in Facebook, Myspace, Friendster, Youtube, and Google groups, Napster, AIM, and the like. I can file share with the best of 'em, and avoid copy write laws like certain politicians can avoid recalling past events. (Shall we see how many more people I can offend before this journal entry is done??)
At any rate my point is that this by far is my favorite of all the various websites I have at one point held a membership to. And this is not because I work for Specialized and have maybe drunken more than my fair share of the Specialized kool-aide. This is because unlike any other site out there I actually share something in common with the rest of you. On Myspace you can pretend you share something with the other members, but you never really know if your new myspace friend actually loves good movies and all things French just as you do, or by good movies he means StarTrek and by all things French he means French Fries and French Onion dip which he loves to eat by the spoonful while sitting in his underwear in his parents basement.
I have a passion for bikes. You all too have a passion for bikes, otherwise we wouldn't be here- we would be sitting in our parent’s basement eating hot pockets and trying to meet cute girls on Facebook. But we have been blessed (or cursed as some spouses may see it) with the innate need for the wind our face, the burn of lactic acid in our legs, and the powerful one-ness between human and machine that can only come when you are on a bike. We share this condition, and that is why we are here.
If you are here for the free stuff you have come for the wrong reason. If you are here to share a passion, and to help create a strong community of cyclists, welcome.
What you will get out of riders club, if you have come for this reason is so much more that the value of the things that come free with membership. However like the hokie pokie riders club, and what you get from it, depends more on what you put into the club than anything else.
As I travel the country doing my demo gig I always am looking up people in the areas where I am going to be. I email them and often we go out and ride together while I am in town. The people I tend to pick to ride with tend to be those with pictures, journals, ride reviews and videos on their page. You can't leave your page totally blank and then expect people to seek you out. Get in it, have a little fun, and see what the return is then. So that's the point of the Hokie title (get it, hokie, like hokie pokie....) There are people on this site who are having a blast, making new friends and using it for all that it is worth- whether you want to be in that group or not is up to you- put something into it and you will be amazed what you get out.
And now, I will get off my soap box.
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Comments (4)
05:46 AM on August 22, 2007 UTC Wiley wrote:
Right on sista', this whole thing is what we all make it. Should I be offended by the parent's basement thing? Probably not I really do not like French Onion dip...
04:55 PM on August 22, 2007 UTC Blaze Davies wrote:
i heard that you came in 6th at irongirl...keep eatin' french onion dip
06:00 AM on August 23, 2007 UTC Blaze Davies wrote:
I told Wiley that if I entered one of those events, I'd have a little boat stashed in the weeds for the water part.
05:26 AM on June 05, 2008 UTC Paddy (the F&*#ing Irish Mountain Goat) wrote:
Ha ha. Yes, my spouse does think that its not a blessing. You have a wicked sense of humour, so dont stop. Keep that soap box handy. And for all those who feel insulted- remember that its only an insult if its not true!