Tuesdays with Dirty: Bookmarks

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I enjoy reading books immensely, but it seems like I haven’t really been doing it enough recently. Between the trials and tribulations everyday life and cramming as much fun as I possibly can into my days off. There just hasn’t been the time to sit still, have a stiff drink, and read a book. This week I made it a point to slow down and stay close to home long enough to sort through all of my half-read books and actually finish some of them. The first three books I grabbed off the shelf had come along with me on some pretty great trips. I found it comical that the pieces of paper marking where the reading stopped and I most likely fell asleep were either boarding passes or TSA pamphlets. If there was one place I sat still long enough to read a book this past year it was in an airplane and these bookmarks were the  proof.

When I was younger, my biggest goal in life was to travel as many places as I could with my bike and “taste as much different dirt as possible” and I can honestly say that it’s what I am doing. It might not be quite the way my 17 year old self imagined it, but I’m getting it done. I don’t have have a lot of nice stuff and I rent a tiny, unimpressive apartment in a college town but I sure have ridden some amazing trails in some pretty interesting places.

I was talking with a friend of mine the other day and she said “you know you don’t really have a career, you are just sponsored by your job”. I had never really thought of it that way before but she hit the nail right on the head. It provides me with bikes, airfare, camping gear, whiskey, beer, and burritos. It really is one hell of a sponsor.

I hear it all the time: “Don’t you work? How do you have so much time to do all the things you do” and I just chuckle. I should just tell them it’s because I am sponsored.  I work plenty and I work hard, but when I clock out I’m gone. It is the furthest thing from my mind and my employment doesn’t define me. You see, I learned a long time ago that my employer doesn’t really care about me. There is no loyalty in corporate America and I am just a tool to for them to make their widgets. That is totally fine, really it is, because I have zero loyalty in return. I go through the motions to make my sponsor happy and they give me the means collect my bookmarks.

I sat and stared at those three books for a while today and recalled each trip I took them on. The singletrack, the climbs, the descents, the people I met and the things I saw. It is a dream come true to be able to have those bookmarks and I am going to keep collecting them as long as I possibly can.

Keep it dirty…

 

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About dirty biker

I am a fan of singletrack, singlespeeds, single women and single malt. Currently in Carbondale, CO Follow on Instagram @dirty_biker

18 Replies to “Tuesdays with Dirty: Bookmarks”

  1. Nice. Hemmingway’s philosophy of write drunk and edit sober worked well for me since the 3rd grade. But really, I mainly fit in my reading time while I drop a 20 minute duece at work or while eating weed candy on those lazy tuesday mornings. Thoreau is keen to these things.

  2. Kewl. I did the same thing throughout my career, using boarding passes as bookmarks. I still have a huge, random stack of them on one of my bookshelves, I may never run out.

    As for making associations, for me it was music. Back in the days that dinosaurs ruled the earth, I’d hunt up cool record stores in the various towns I traveled to, and I’d try to buy “local” music. I didn’t mean to, it just sort of happened. For instance, Hüsker Dü always reminds me of Minneapolis, the Pixies remind me of Boston, etc.

    Play it loud, lads.

  3. I like your philosophy, Dearest Dirty.

    “Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence” (Aristotle.) The man who figures that one out early in life has a leg up on everyone else. He is the one destined to become his best possible self.

    Plus he gets to wear a shit-eating grin most of his days, and in the end, that’s what matters, isn’t it?

  4. I’ve often wondered how you find time to take all your cool adventures. I thought you might be a trust fund kid but I don’t think there are too many of them here on DC.

    I’ve tried to do exactly what you’re doing but never made enough money or found the wherewithal to make it happen. With the exception of my 3 year trip around North America searching for wild things, it’s pretty much keep my nose to the grindstone and live for those few days off I can get.

    The other day I found a box full of Deutschmarks, swiss francs, Czech crowns, East german coins and Italian liras that I was saving from previous trips to Europe. I held onto them expecting I would go back to the continent someday and spend them. The euro currency killed that plan. They’re just mementos now.

    I guess I’ll have to live vicariously through your adventures. Keep on exploring, DB!

  5. …your job is what ‘cha do, not who you are…

    …there are those who’s work makes the crossover & if one can find that balance, more power to you…

  6. Really, this is a very sad story. Your employer does not care about you and you dont care about your job? This is why shit made by corporate America; the shit you make is crap. Joseph Cambell said ” Any man who takes a job for the money has chose to make himself a slave”. Instead of feeling self -rightous for understanding that you are being used, why dont you do something to change your situation; make a living from your passion. This whole article reminds me of the occupy wall streeters, who spent 4 years in expensive universities learning how to be corporate cubicle farmers, and then bitch and moan about the system when their opportunity to sell-out was not there like it was promised. The only people who should be involved in corporate America, are those without the intelligence or originality to survive without a corporate pimp. Your attitude about not giving a damn and using your employer as a sponser, may make you feel better, but, really it is just sad. Think how much better life would be if going to work was as much fun as going for a ride; all it takes is some motivation and original thinking. Trust me I was in the same trap, Then one day I looked around at all the vacant stares of my co- workers, thought about how our last two CEOs had died of heart attacks withen in a year, and walked the fuck out the door. Like they say: jump and the net will appear. Now somedays I wake up and am happier to go to work than to go for a ride. Figure out a way to stop hoing and start living, if you do it right you can take away a nice little severence package from your current pimp to help ya move along. You only get one life, you right the narrative, make it bitchin.

  7. I’m living my dream. Happy as a pig in shit, every day i wake up and put my feet on the floor and I am stoked to have another day. If going for a ride is a 10, performing my job is probably a 9. I actually enjoy it, but it doesn’t define me. Judging somebody’s work ethic and purpose in life over 500 typed words on a yellow web page is pretty silly. From my high horse, I toast you in your ivory tower. Cheers!

  8. Thats more like it…
    I just meet so many folks who bitch and moan about the work they do day in and day out, but, never do anything about it. I find that sad. I was truely trying to give a little kick in the ass to someone who seemed to hate what they did 8 hours a day. If you dont love what you do then you will never do it well enough to warrant getting paid. Think how much better society would be if everyone could say their work rates a 9. Like I said, in life you are allowed to write your own narrative. Surprising how many people who honestly dont believe that. Happy trails.