WanderingJustin.com

01/09/2022

You won't believe this, but I got myself a commuter bike.

There's a long list of reasons why -- mostly because I feel ridiculous driving a car on a four-mile round trip to get coffee. That's just such overkill.

One of my concerns going into it is whether my spoiled bike snob ass would be happy riding something that's way heavier and less aggressive-handling than my usual bikes.

I definitely notice the differernce in pep and brake power. Still, I'm totally OK with the compromises I made to get a decent commuter bike.

Want to know more about which bike I picked and why? I've got some details for you.

In July 2022, I picked up a Marin Presidio 2 commuter bike. This is not my usual type of bike or riding at all. I’m typically on a mountain bike or road/gravel bike and ride 2-7 hours at a time. I decided it was time

21/08/2022

Sometimes, you're gonna get in over your head. Like I did at open hockey this week. Word is there was a minor-league pro out there along with some upper-level college players.

This was also my third skate of the week, so I was a bit worked already!

This is just a small percentage of all the rubber that got dumped on me. It was a breakawayfest for sure, with the occasional 2-0 to make things extra tough on me.

I think the hardest part of it shifting back to a level of play more in line with my skills. Going below that is almost even worse because I'm expecting everything to happen so much faster.

Anyway, I decided to make a series of these videos. Here's the first of the new episodes!

This video contains just a fraction of the breakaways and 2-on-0 situations I faced. Some of the players had skills I am just not equipped to deal with -- bu...

17/08/2022

Everybody who goes to Paris wants to tell you all about the Eifel Tower and the Louvre and all that. Great. Those are all great.

But you really need to leave some time in your plans to just pick a direction and walk. Don't look for anything in the guidebook. Just go. Stumble across stuff that nobody tells you about.

When we went to Paris in May, some of the best times we had were from finding something we didn't expect. From coffeehouses to parks packed with activities for kids, we found something interesting in every direction. I especially liked the elevated walkway built on top of an old railroad bridge. So cool!

There's an amazing amount of shade and green space, which also makes it more pleasant to hoof it all day.

Anyway, here's a roundup of some of what we found while walking around in Paris, plus a few things we'd like to see if we go back sometimes.

https://bit.ly/3QRVTE1

01/08/2022

Every time I jump on a loose puck, I think "the video of this is going to look so cool!" Then I get home and watch it ... and I'm completely underwhelmed. This video is about how mundane it looks when I dive on a loose puck compared to the way it feels in the moment!

14/07/2022

Alright, here are my two saves of the week from this week's scrimmages!

Yes, glove saves are flashy and dramatic. But what really makes these my favorite saves is the post-to-post movement. That's not something I could do when I first started playing ice hockey a few months ago.

Want to see ALL the saves, plus the goals I allowed? (I swear, one barely trickled over the line...)

https://youtu.be/ri83bhpoqt4

29/06/2022

During my ride last weekend, I saw this little contraption in the wild for the first time. The Solo EV. https://electrameccanica.com/solo/

Make getting to your destination more efficient and exhilarating. At Electra Meccanica we create vehicles that excite both the heart and the mind, purpose-built around the needs of our drivers, and delivered through elegantly bold designs that ignite their passion.

28/06/2022

Ready for a little more video from my adventures? Here's what happened when the coaches at the skills clinic basically threw everyone on the ice at once for a giant scrimmage.

They were trying to make an important point: that having more players on the ice would drive the goalies insane!

No, no, no - sorry, the real points were to know what's happening around you, have a plan before you get the puck and be decisive. Tormenting the goalies was just a side benefit!

28/06/2022

I love flying. Whenever I get to cross an ocean, I'm happy. I often book different airlines each way just to test things out.

On our recent trip to Europe, we flew from Phoenix to Calgary and on to Paris with WestJet. It was also my daughter's first time on a 787 Dreamliner, and she was impressed!

On the way back, we flew from Copenhagen to Frankfurt and onto Phoenix on Lufthansa and Condor Airlines, respectively. Condor used a 767.

Want to know all the details? I've got a blog post all about it.

(We also had a nice flight on SAS - Scandinavian Airlines from Paris to Copenhagen -- I've never had a bad experience on SAS.)

https://www.wanderingjustin.com/condor-airlines-versus-westjet-phoenix-to-europe/

14/06/2022

A few months ago, I did something unexpected -- I decided to start playing ice hockey. Here's what I've learned so far about being an ice hockey goalie.
https://www.wanderingjustin.com/goalie/