Tyler Groff - AmeriCorps Recruiter

Dear friends, family, and most importantly, regular readers;
I'm sorry I haven't kept everyone up to date on my latest and greatest adventures and activities. The truth is my adventures have simply been too late and too great to actually share.
And so I'll just give you all a very quick update on the life and times of the one and only, Tyler K Groff.
Just yesterday, I officially and technically committed to living at the YAV (Young Adult Volunteers) house. To be clear, I will simply be a community member and just rent a room in the house. I'm not actually doing the YAV program. I'm excited to be living with people again!

Speaking of programs... the Bizanteen Bikes program is actively seeking AmeriCorps members for this coming year. At first glace Bizanteen is all about teaching youth how to do bike maintenance, refurbishing bikes, and selling said bikes. However, on the day to day level its more about interacting with youth who are going through some tough times. Over the past week I've dealt with someone who suddenly found out that they were going to be homeless that night. I've helped someone else find ways to get extra community service hours. In general my job has become so much more than just teaching someone how to make their wheels straight.
Furthermore, and rather importantly, we are in desperate need of additional volunteers. AmeriCorps' got a pretty cool thing going on. The term runs for a full year (although it is potentially possible shorten the term to your own needs), and is a half time position (900 hours). There is a $5,700 living allowance dispersed every two weeks, and a $2,362.50 educational reward granted at the completion of the 900 hours.
And so, if you know of someone looking to get involved in a cool program, someone who wants to be a good influence on teens, or wants to learn and teach bike stuff, let me know!
This next week we're hoping to get a more specific and solid job description nailed down. I'll be back on the recruitment campaign again when that happens, until then, spread the word!
Thanks.

Biek Rides and Long Socks

Being Studly

'twas a big mountain.

I've been feeling pretty great lately. I've got my bib-shorts, slick jersey, bright green glasses. I've been riding a lot, riding fast, and riding pretty hard. Its been hard to not start getting a bit full of myself. Luckily I have a couple effective measures to combat such tendencies.

Tall Socks!!!

In this way I make my own small stand against the cycling elite's attempt to make us all into tightwadds. Also, please note the frame mounted pump, the saddle-bag, and all the other stuff I could've taken off.
In the end though, if I am ever confronted by one of the esteemed 'keepers' and forced to explain my blatant rule breaking I will just claim an attempt towards the fifth.
And, if the socks isn't enough to bring me back down to earth there's always this:

The most effective form of watching is to just watch the first couple of seconds in rapid succession.


In other news, my housing situation has changed yet again! Not nearly as dramatically as it has in the past though. Really all thats happened is that Zander has moved out to go on a pretty epic summer adventure, but more on that later. So, its now basically as if I've just moved into my own place! suddenly its just me in this place. I get to organize things as I will and basically have the place to myself! Or at least thats how I was feeling earlier this week. Last night I was reminded that of course I still have my weekend roomie who works and lives in Phoenix during the week...

Regular readers may also remember a moonlit night ride that was publicized. It was a great time, some of the Mennos and Zander were a long. Well, sadly I have no stunning moon photos to share, but I can say that it was a very lovely time and I fully intend to go on another great laid back biek ride with my friends next time it comes around.




Although frankly, I really don't think you need to wait till next month to ride in the light of full moon....

APRIL FOOLS!

Hey everybody! April fools is awesome and I pulled some super sweet pranks!

The New Newest

I also got  a new bike. as of last Wednesday  the 27th. I'm sorry I've been so slow with the news but I'm sure no one will notice anyway. except that I just pointed it out... But yeah, 100 bucks for that slick piece of machinery! I'm pretty happy with it.
Regardless though, I've been having a blast. I'm able to just fly on my way to work and since I have atleast a 20 mile bike ride every day that I work at Performance (generally just M, Th, F; Weekends have a different mile count) I'm very glad to have that extra zip. It also really helps my options for drafting busses and vans and SUVs. quite a thrill, I must say.
In addition to the New Newest I also had bought a bike computer. Here are some of the stats from the past week:
TM: 4:23
AVS: 11.3
MXS: 34.3
DST: 50.14
ODO: 50.14

In addition to the New Newest and the bike computer I also just got some climbing shoes in the mail! Katie Jantzen is the coolest and when she heard of potential deal she remembered me! Luckily they fit just great, and I can't wait to use them. Unluckily I left them at the YAV's and so I'll have to get a photo with them in the next edition.

In addition to the New Newest and the bike computer and the climbing shoes I'm also about to get a new place to live! Good ol' Zander saves the day. Luckily he was able to work it out with his current landlord/ sometimes-roommate and its cool for me to stay! Honestly its a rather funny situation. Brian the Roomie works in Phoenix and lives there most of the week. He then comes back on the weekends and lives in his apartment for a night or two. I'm not sure how space is going to work on those nights, but I'm sure we'll figure it out.

In addition to the New Newest, the bike computer and the climbing shoes and the new place, I'm about to go to bed! Goodnight y'all.

Its not a shed!

I've moved! Thanks to Jon for helping me do so. Like the title implies, the new place is not a shed. But sadly, its honestly only just a bit better. These past several months have really made me realize how great it is to have great people to live with. I don't think I realized before how blessed I've been over the years. I have gotten to live with some great people. We've had good times and have grown to be good friends through it. Now I just wish I could move back in with any of you!
When I went to move in to my new place I had to call Zach to wake him up. Walking in Jon and I are assaulted by a mess of a place. The first time I went to visit it was a mess but they (Zach and Bailey) had promised to get it all cleaned up and that that it was normally cleaner. Well... Its a mess. The biggest problem is that they don't have a vacuum cleaner. and they do have a cat. And thats just the beginning of it! That is just the superficial stuff that affects me. More significantly, this past week Bailey found out that she's pregnant. She's 19. Zach is 18. When I first met him I thought he was at least 20. She's getting an abortion this friday and they've broken up. even though they are still living together... I think my fear of relationship-y drama is going to be inevitable.
But hey, maybe I just need to help them find a vacuum cleaner, kindly encourage Zach to be more responsible and do the dishes and maybe mediate a conversation or two! This first two days I've been pretty negative about the whole thing. I guess coming home Saturday night to Zach sitting there in the middle of the dump of a living room smoking weed doesn't help. But still, its true that I wont be home much. Last night I had dinner with the YAV's (Young Adult Volunteers) and helped some of them with their bike problems, Saturday I spent at the Menno Mansion and watched Space Jam for Jon's birthday, and this coming week I'll be starting my new job at Performance Bikes! (which I should probably say a word or two about soon) but the point is, I wont be home much! Maybe I'll just deal with it. Also, I'm going to get a motorcycle, probably this one, so that'll help with being able to go visit people and generally just be out of the house.

Whew, well now that that's all out, maybe I can start refocusing my attention on HAVING A NEW JOB!!! That really should be the headline here. They are working on filing paper work now and I'm hoping to get a call soon saying that I can go in some morning this week to get started! I'm going to be really busy soon but I'm going to keep in mind that its all for good things! Its for summer travel, its for a motorcycle, its for Brazil 2014.

On the up and up!

The big new is... I have a job interview! Which is great! except that all of a sudden I begin to think about all the exciting things that I'm going to do next!!!
First I'm going to get a motorcycle!
Then I'm going to work like mad for a year! make a bunch of money and go to Brazil!!! As you all should know, the World Cup is being held there from June 12 to July 13 and I plan on being there. I dont know how I'm going to do that yet... maybe I can get Lucas to bring the good Ol Hippie Van and we can drive it a couple of miles, break down and then bus the rest of the way. Or maybe I'll bike! or maybe public transportation! the possibilities are endless! but it will happen. and I am super excited.

In other news, I'm going to be moving tomorrow. The Shed Life  is now behind me. I am moving on. The new place is going to have a pool and two roommates. They are a dating couple. I'm hoping that relationship drama isn't an issue. Originally I was only just a bit concerned. But then, just this past week the news came that Bailey is PREGNANT! WHAT?!?! yep. So we'll see what that means, but I think drama will be inevitable. www.tucson.craigslist.com/roo will still be one of my favorite websites.

And in closing, my good buddy David Rudy stopped by for bit! David is a skilled singer and has the honor of singing on Hesston's Choir. They just so happened to stop by Shalom Mennonite for some singing. It was very good stuff. It was extra cool to see David here because he and his brother were integral part of my Nov '12 travels. Also this one.
At one point a soloist sang this song. Its a good one.

Shed Life

Figuring out my new life here in Tucson has been tough. I don’t think its overly cocky to say that I’m doing a pretty good job of getting by, and being patient, and making the best of things, but despite that it's still tough. There are many things about these early days that are interrelating and obviously affect the other aspects of my life so I’m not sure which to put first. But basically this whole episode is going to be one of complaining, whining, or general expression of looking forward to better things. 

Most generally, its tough not knowing people, or not being near those you do. I’m just under an hour bike ride from the MVSers, especially if I don't want to show up sweaty and gross. So hanging out with them has proven to be a weekly event reserved for the weekends. Unless of course they’re in Mexico at the beach. Then I just get jealous. To add to the jealousy... My more regular readers will remember Derek my mountain biking friend, he’s a great guy. Expect that he too is in Mexico enjoying the beach with some friends.

But hey! I’m good at entertaining myself. I went mountain biking on Saturday (more on that further down), cruised around downtown and played darts with some random dude at a bar on Friday and went to church on Sunday. So I would be misleading my dear reader if I were to imply that social connections were my only concern. 

Its also tough when what's supposed to be a balmy sunny paradise, is actually cold windy and wet! Well... at least its colder, windyer, and wetter than I thought it would be. But its not like I'm unprepared. I've got enough clothing, bedding, etc. but it can’t be denied that this cooler weather has a way of encouraging indoor activities; activities that make it harder to go meet new people, that make it harder to visit those I do, or even just entertain myself with the grand outdoor adventuring I normally go in search of.
Of course, it really should be said that the weather isn't all that bad. The majority of my time it has been fine and pleasant. My particular current disdain for it stems from the bitter and strong winds that led me to take the bus home from church on Sunday and stay cooped up in my hovel watching a poor quality pirated version of The Godfather, and some West Wing.

Then there's the dogs! I used to like dogs. Along two sides of this property are dogs that get very close to driving me berserk. Their vehement and continuous! barking means that I generally avoid being seen outside, even with nice weather, to clip my nails, or change my tires, or read my book. And it's not just my neighbor dogs. I've gone jogging a time or two. The whole way down the street my movement can be audibly tracked from the resounding aggression of these beasts who are seemingly bent on tearing my apart.

And so, I often find myself working on figuring out how to make this stupid 8x8 box of a home of mine as livable as possible. Since the acquisition of my rice cooker and electric skillet, my food prep capabilities have dramatically improved.

BACON!

However, despite such wonderful conveniences I am still nearly constantly left pining for such simple things as counter space. Or a chopping knife (I have been checking goodwill regularly btw). Or a real fridge! Mine is so small I can only fit the bare essentials in it. Milk, cheese, bacon, salad dressing, maybe a few vegetables, maybe some spaghetti sauce, or an open can of beans.

ANYWAAAAY... I think I'm done being childish, churlish and cantankerous for now. 

In other news I have restarted the housing hunt. Just this morning I visited one place that seems pretty great, except for the price tag. rent is $410 (utilities included). That compared to my current $150 would take some getting used to. There is another place a bit further away for a much more manageable $260, but it would be sharing an apartment with a young couple and I can imagine that getting kinda weird. We shall see. I hope to meet them soon.


More excitingly, the mountain bike ride on Saturday. It was super gnarly. This is same loop that I did with Derek the week previous, but this time I took a left instead of a right and that kept me on the trail and off the road a bit longer. It was a harrowing descent full of large drop offs and sharp corners. These pictures are two view of the same scene hopefully demonstrating the 90 degree nature of this corner. In a couple cases I had to pop up on the front wheel and swing the back around just to take the corner. In other cases I just jumped off to avoid tumbling into a sharp rocks and even sharper thorns.

Brakes, Housing, Work and Biking!

I bled my brakes early this past week. It was a fun time. Getting bubbles out of brake fluid sucks. Otherwise though its great and makes for awesome braking power! unless of course... you contaminate the pads. In which all the sqeezing in the world doesn't do much. After spending much of the week lamenting the cost in both time and energy required of these marvelous pieces of cycling engineering and getting myself mentally prepared to maybe spend even more! I have come to find that my brakes seem to starting to work again... its really weird. But hey, I'm happy!!

In housing news, I might be moving out of the shed here in a bit. I found a guy on craigslist who needs help with his rent (even though its a one bedroom house) so I'll be taking the living room and we'll set up curtains or something to make it a regular ol' room! The guy seems like a cool dude and it'll be nice to have a kitchen right there with real sized burners and a full sized fridge and counter space and silverware utensils and pots and pans! and a bathroom!  Anyway, I think it'll be well worth the ~$80 bump in rent.

Work... I probably actually should say too much, especially not out here in the interwebs. I mostly just want to complain about slow progress and the difficulties of starting a new program. There's a lot that needs done although too often I've found myself with nothing to do!

Most interestingly though! I finally went mountain biking! My newest biking buddy Derek and I went out to the Tucson Mountain park and did some good old fashioned exploring. Although it took more time than it should've, we eventually realized that hiking our bikes straight up the side of a steep slope with loose gravel and cacti attacking us was a sign that we were not on the right course any more. Once we corrected our ways we tore off! Although soon the thrill of the ride proved too much as Derek ended up trying to eat the handlebars. Which, as it turns out, is a bad idea. Three stitches on the lip will help us keep that in mind. But, between a busted a lip and some bruises on his part and a flat tire on mine I think we can call that first short foray into desert mountain a relative success. especially when compared to not biking at all!

Once again, I find myself sadly apologizing for the lack of pictures. I guess this edition is one of the boring ones. I'll do better next time.