One thing about not drinking I have noticed, in addition to making dating highly awkward, is that I like to have an escape route planned.

When I was drinking I liked to have people pick me up and take me wherever so I wouldn’t have a car to worry about the next day. And I liked riding together in a car with a friend when going out.

Now I prefer it if people are going out near my house so I can ride my bike and leave whenever I want, which is usually pretty soon after I get there. I like seeing everyone and hugging my friends and then planning an escape.

A lot of times I’ll just sneak out when no one is looking.

If the sun is up and the weather is good, I want to be riding bikes. If it’s not, I pretty much want to be asleep.

And I like being by myself. I still love people but I’ve really been enjoying not having them around as much lately.

I wanted to go see Flight of the Conchords this weekend, and my former girlfriend Emily had tickets, but I started thinking about being there with no easy escape and everyone being drinking and all that and I just bailed.

I went bar hopping on a bike with my cycling friends instead and ate popcorn at Moe’s n Joe’s.

Partying and doing the night life thing just doesn’t feel all cool and fun to me anymore.

I swam and rode bikes today and I am tired but I can’t sleep. My stomach is growly.

I pulled into a parking space behind an Acura. The last “a” had fallen off, so it read “Acur”. That’s what I felt like. A cur.

I hunched over my yogurt and fruit and ate them like a cur.

Then I went into a toy store and bought a miniature teddy bear. When I put it down on the counter I did so firmly. Like a cur.

I ran 10 miles tonight and it hurt. I think i am still screwed up from my marathon, even though its been a week and a half. I am annoyed with my legs for not getting their act together.

Today I got a flat riding to my Toastmaster’s meeting, so I had to walk the 4 miles or so home. I bought a Co2 inflater later in the day, so I should be good if it happens again.

I’m having one of those days where I have eaten until my belly is stuffed but I am still unsatisfied. I probably output around 2000 calories today between biking and walking and my 10 mile run.

Tomorrow I think I’m going to swim and then go riding with my team guys. Then Friday I will do another run I think.

Also today I fixed my shuddering car with my new intake hose that came in the mail, so I can drive around without having to work the clutch like a freak.

And I just registered for my first mountain bike race. If it’s fun, I’m screwed. I already have like nine million other kinds of racing I want to do all summer.

I swam 12x100m swims today. My arms were pretty tired still from my 2500m swim last night.

My friend Kate was there swimming super fast with me this morning. I told her she was like a torpedo. She did great.

Today two apartment complex workmen came to try to do something about the horrible stench in my apartment. They brought a machine that creates ozone, as near as I can gather. The gentleman who explained it to me said that it removed oxygen from the air and that I didn’t want to be in the same room with it when it was running or it would make me cough.

I’m not sure I believe that, but it does seem to help the smell. The stench is not entirely gone, though. They said they found a bird carcass in one of the vents and removed it, but there’s still that puppy chow plus peanut butter plus rotting carcass smell whenever the heat comes on.

I played trivia with my friends tonight. Team name: The Torpedoes. We got third place and would have done better had we known that Gone With The Wind is the highest grossing movie of all time adjusted for inflation.

My boy Sam invited me to come hang in Florida for about ten days later on in the week. I could bring my bike AND get in some open water swims, so it would be kind of nice for training purposes, but I worry about spending too much money. I can do all my work from anywhere that has internet, though. I might do it. The open water swimming is the big draw.

Tonight I worked some on my new training plan, and asked some questions of my tri group. I wish I could afford a coach to make me a training plan and a sports nutritionist to tell me exactly what to eat and when based on my schedule. When I’m rich, that’s what I’ll do.

And I’ll have some pretty sweet bikes too.