Jim, there’s been a Disturbance

It’s the LBS with two big, round papasan chairs just inside the front door even though its inventory is busting out the walls. It’s the only one in its chain of stores. Buzzing in-n-out for a quick spare tube or brake pad just doesn’t happen: there’s always someone and something to be talked to and about. There’s BS to fling in the midst of business to conduct. There are frames to debate, suppositions to be supposed, and -- on Fridays at closing time -- beer to be had.

It’s a guy-thing, the Friday beer. But, since I tend to happen by now and again at the end of the week AND, since I need to await the reversal of metro traffic patterns, I’ll tip one or at least BS for a bit before hitting the road.

Sometimes the group is just hanging, but last Friday the new service-area addition was in full-swing: Joe was working on his new build, while Joe was installing a new cassette/chain combo and is that wheel outta true??

I’d walked toward the door several times only to get caught up in the latest bicycle rag or in the end-of-day customer who’s getting a new carbon TT rig in lieu of an engagement ring this woman rocks! So, I eventually grab my bag and wave my final goodbyes. From the other room, Joe hollers: see-ya Jeanne.

I hear a different JOE: the Old Bag?!

WHOA. Rift in the space-time continuum.

For an instant, the real me and the online me stood side-by-side. While in the comfort of my own home I know I’m both, but in the real-time space of 3D existence, the two haven’t ever met much less been called-out by someone I don’t know. Like many others, when I started blogging my online persona was an anonymous one. But after enough entries and comments, intersections are established and it’s only a matter of time before direction arrows are posted. People eventually travel the roadway between the stories they read and the person behind them.

JOE came through the doorway: I’m JOE -- I'm TGD!

I KNOW THIS GUY! We’ve never met! Until that moment, I wouldn't have been able to point him out to anyone. He's a fairly new blogger whose entries pack a punch -- what a writer. We chatted about education, women in sport, blogging, racing, babies.

I was once asked by an older-than-me :-] co-worker about blogging and whether or not I consider the bloggers I know to be friends. I wasn’t sure how to answer. We know a bit about each other’s families and work, we share some humor, we have common threads. We’ve had similar experiences. We worry, we encourage, we share advice. We know each other well enough that when we finally meet we smile and say oh man, how are you?! like buddies who haven’t seen each other since last cycling season. If we could, we’d all hang-out after a ride and tell some war stories over a beer.

Isn’t that how it all starts?

- TOB