29 May 2013

Side Mirror

Over the past years I reluctantly change styles and equipment on advice of others.   For example fenders, wider tyres, friction shifting, gearing, etc.  I will make another post explaining these changes but today I want to talk about my mirror.

My first reaction was " no way".  They look stupid and I can just turn my head, and they will get in the way, and the dork factor is high.

My friend Sekiji ordered one and gave it to me as a gift.  Despite the high dork factor I felt obligated to try it.  The first few days I could hardly see anything in it, and the few moments I did see something in the mirror  it didn't seem to help.

Sekiji advised me to keep trying .  After about a week I got the hang of it and started to use it.  After a month I started to depend upon it to know what is going on behind me, and turn around much less.

HOWEVER.
People notice it like crazy and comment.  Like today,  I was sitting at a traffic light to turn right.  The cars going straight got the green light and a matatu mini bus starts beeping behind me and not going straight.  I look over and the whole bus is looking at me and laughing and I hear "side mirror".

If you read some of the old posts I want to blend into the scenery and not be visible and noticed.  the mirror is small so it surprises me how many people notice it, and thus how many people are checking me out.  It is enough I consider ditching the mirror.

So what do I do?

Retire or become a businessman.

That question , should I retire or become a businessman, relates to my biking .  If I retire, then I would ride to South Africa and explore Tanzania more.  If I become a businessman then I have less time for my small adventures.



I have changed some in the last 5 years.  I have accepted the fact I am a businessman (and not a radical) , I stopped being a technical person,  am happy and positive by choice.  And maybe soon I will believe in myself more.  Yesterday the managers had a "breaking out" retreat.   Most feel they stay because they want to work for me, and would even  work for less money.

So I will not retire any time soon and hopefully before I am too old to do the long tour.



Dear Readers

I know I dont post as much.  If one in every ten times you read if you could put up a comment.  This does not pertain to mine only but to all blogs.  A simple statement like:
-Enjoyed the post.
-I don't agree but thats okay.
-thanks.