Long-time readers may have noticed that I've kinda stopped doing "Random Fridays."If you're new: "Random Friday" was a Friday post with a bunch of short news items, cartoons, and other truly random links. Often these would have nothing to do with health or fitness, unless one can define "cute cat videos" as health and fitness.
Now we seem to be doing giveaways instead. Because, well, people like free stuff, right? But to be honest, part of the reason I'm doing giveaways instead of Random Friday was that Random Friday was becoming a Random Pain in the Ass.
It started off as just nifty place to put links I had handy and wanted to mention, even if they didn't happen to fit in with a "regular" post. But then it became a Thing, and so I turned it into this big production (in my own mind). I felt like I had to find links for it every week, and some of them had to be very silly, and some had to be scientific, and some should mention great blog posts from Cranky-Friendly blogs, and the whole thing needed the right picture and maybe a theme if possible, and there couldn't be too many of this and there had to be enough of that...
Have I mentioned I'm neurotic?
Also, I was starting to use it as an excuse to surf the web for hours and hours, just, um, "looking for 'Random Friday' links!"
Note: Inventing reasons to sit on your ass for hour after hour surfing the web for random amusing stuff is not necessarily compatible with health and fitness.
So I stopped.
But now I seem to have no place to put the random links that I find without even looking for them, the links I want to tell you all about. I'm back to where I started!
So it's possible that a new, low-key version of Random Friday may pop up now and then. But it's going to behave itself this time and not get all greedy and out of control. It may just contain a link or two I want to mention and no smart ass commentary or cartoons or anything.
Links like this blog post by Tokaiangel that just blew me away with its eloquence and humor and honesty. Check out "I Know What the Boys Like;" it's fascinating.
Or links like this crazy-ass but intriguing mass transport idea that Mary Anne from Kentucky alerted me too. It's a human-powered monorail, and it's adorable. It has these little capsules you climb in and pedal. They can go pretty fast, and they swing out when you go around curves. It sounds like a blast.
But the best thing? It's called "The Shweeb."
How can you not love something called a Shweeb!!!
But skimming the article, I had one question: if everyone starts using it to commute someday, and the pods are rigged up on little tracks, how the hell do you pass people? I found myself already getting pissed off at the imaginary Shweeber ahead of me too busy texting his girlfriend to remember to pedal. C'mon already! Move it!
But I read more closely, and here's the deal: "When a fit rider comes up behind a slower rider, the impact is cushioned and they act as a single unit. The rider at the rear...is able to put all their power into pushing the lead vehicle. Two Shweebs acting together will always travel faster than either rider separately."
Just add a drink holder for my morning coffee, and I'm there. I want me some Shweeb!
And if you're an urban or suburban person who wonders how those rural types can stay in shape without fancy gyms and personal trainers and elaborate equipment and such? Check out the Bag Lady's amusing fitness Product Review round-up.
(OK, so the real truth behind why I had to kill off Random Friday? The Cupcakes didn't approve. And everyone knows that it's dangerous to piss off a cupcake...)
