Comments on: Me and My Shadow

By: Angie

Angie — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 21:32:01 +0000

Hi Elden,
I’ve been reading your archives trying to catch up. I’ve been at it for months now. I thought I would start commenting when I reach the current time, but at the rate I’m going, that will take me years. So, hello! I love you blog. One of the things I love is that you talk about things that I’ve always thought about but never verbalized…. like my shadow. I too check out my shadow every chance I get. I especially like when I am on my mt bike and I corner tightly, leaning the bike, and find that I look like a down hill rider laying the bike down! Well, sort of like that…

By: David

David — Thu, 27 Apr 2006 17:34:11 +0000

"I’m sure no other cyclists ever stare at their shadows, right?"

Only after surging on my pull and hammering hard – to check if that guy/gal behind me is still there (they always are, dunno why I look). ;-)

By: Peter

Peter — Tue, 18 Apr 2006 08:35:13 +0000

I’m a sucker for watching my spokes. I have no idea why, but I seem to get an inordinate amount of pleasure watching them go round and round. Especially when they’re nice and true. That of course leads us to the incredibly embarrassing situation when I smacked into the back of a park car whilst watching aforementioned spokes. *sigh*. At least the bike wasn’t hurt. My pride suffered a fair bruise though.

By: Seattlite Lost

Seattlite Lost — Mon, 17 Apr 2006 02:03:47 +0000

Well, shadows in Seattle can be deceptive. Yet, shadows in LA are strangely truthful. I do not like it. As a fellow fat washingtonian, I feel your shadow pain. Perhaps one day we will all be able to live together in skinny harmony.
Until then, shadows beware.

By: Ariane

Ariane — Sun, 16 Apr 2006 16:51:22 +0000

My shadow looks best when the legs half remains stretched along the ground and just its torso is projected on to a wall/rock/wooden fence. Lemme tell ya.. legs up to here, little bitty waist… Way cuter than I am on my best day…

Stupid shadow; bet it starves itself when no one’s watching.

By: Unknown

Unknown — Fri, 14 Apr 2006 18:10:54 +0000

I assert that your shadow is only a slight over-exaggeration of your true self. If you are fat in your shadow, you are likely fat. And all of the other options, too. It’s the sun’s clever way of gently telling you the truth. That’s why fat people should live in the Pacific Northwest, where the shadow gets a rendering only a few days a year. On the other hand, fat guys should not live in the northern hemisphere where the sun never sets, as in Finland or Alaska, for example. That constant image of one’s shadow could induce suicide if one tends toward the girthy side.

By: Rebecca

Rebecca — Fri, 14 Apr 2006 04:11:24 +0000

A friend of mine, an honestly talented triathlete, sent me your "Open Letter to Triathletes," which nearly caused me to faint from laughing so hard. I am actually a triathlete, although a really bad one, and swimming is the absolute worst part. I often spin long diatribes in my head about how awful it is – usually while I am doing it – that I long to write up and send around. Why bother when you’ve done it – and with such a delightfully ascerbic tone!

I shared some of your other triathlon ideas with some friends; we probably wasted at least another hour creating new triathlons, many of which involved "skeet." One of my friends is obsessed with skeet.

I continue to do triathlons for the mental and physical challenge. My favorite part is the biking – it is the closest I think I’ll ever feel to flying, and I don’t even feel much like a troll (until I see my shadow).

At any rate, I have now become a FR of Fat Cyclist. FR being "frequent reader." People seem to give you a boatload of crap, and honestly get very offended at what you say. Most of them should lighten up. Almost every post you make gets me to laugh out loud. Keep up the great work, and perhaps one day you’ll see some posting about The Adventures of the Troll and the Praying Mantis.

Keep riding,
The Troll

By: Kelly

Kelly — Fri, 14 Apr 2006 03:14:45 +0000

Awwwww, Fatty. I usually wonder just whose freakin’ shadow that is because it’s surely not mine. I’m not fond of my larger-than-my-husbands calves. It’s just not fair. I tell myself they belong to him when I see them but I really don’t believe me.

Hey, hope the move stuff is still going smoothly. Sure do miss seeing you around.

By: BIg Mike In Oz

BIg Mike In Oz — Thu, 13 Apr 2006 21:54:01 +0000

I think it’s funny how hyper-defensive all the semant’s get when faced with a little verballing. Personally, as a verbal half-breed (my mother was a pun and my father was alliterate) I try to avoid judging others by the way they wear their words.

As far as the shadow goes: I haven’t seen mine for quite a few weeks. I’ve slipped out a few times to train before the sun got up and it looks like my shadow is lacking a little in the fitness so it struggles to keep up when I go out in the daylight. But with teh Easter long weekend upon us, my shadow promised to go out and do wome big miles while I stay home and play with the kids. Maybe next week my shadow will be able to come through and do a turn on some of the gentler rides.

By: Tim D

Tim D — Thu, 13 Apr 2006 21:43:48 +0000

I used to have a shadow, but it dropped me on a climb and I could never get back on. We don’t ride together anymore.

Tim