The grass IS greener

This past week I have been feeling very restless. I feel like I should be out in the world doing something. I cannot wait to start biking again. I feel cooped up, and anxious. I need to start doing something. I know that this has been my most successful semester in school, but I still feel like I’m spinning my wheels.
This past Wednesday I went to a lecture about a guy who biked across the Himalayas. Needless to say, it struck a vein. I have not stopped thinking about how I could just pack my stuff, put on my helmet, clip in, and pedal across the country. It never fails to amaze me how one person can just throw all caution to the wind and set out on a journey like that. I am the kind of person who must have all bases covered when I travel. I am secretly terrified of leaving something behind that I'll need. If you were to randomly look through the things I put in my luggage, you would probably be able to stock a small CVS or Walgreens. For instance band aids; when I’m at home I never use band aids. But sit me in a car or on a plane, and chances are I’ll have enough band aids to cover weeks and weeks of paper cuts and scraped knees.
Another thing that keeps me from touring the world perched upon my bike is that I’m scared of what will happen to my head. I’m afraid that after a week or two of me and the open road, I’ll fall off the deep end. I’ll grow a beard, and let my hair get long, but not too long, and maybe start wearing earthy necklaces. You know the type. The kind of person who if asked why they rode their bike from coast to coast they answer, “To kill time”, or “Just to go”, or “To see stuff”.
I knew some twins in high school, who have since gotten into cycling. They used to live down the street from me. We had the kind of friendship that if no one else was able to hang out, we would. Last resort friends I guess. We don’t keep in touch, but I see their Facebook updates from time to time. One is in the military and living in Hawaii. He will post things like, ____ just got 14th in the Big Island tri, or ____ is ready to dominate Makaha cat 4/5 (Which is a category 4 and 5 time trial). Whenever I see stuff like that I have this unique feeling of jealousy. I always feel so petty Facebook stalking them, even more so for feeling so jealous.
Every year about this time, I experience the same feeling. Like I want to travel, or build something, any activity with a purpose. I know I only lived in Colorado for a month or so, but it felt longer than that. It was long enough that I knew the highways, I knew plenty of good places to eat, where to buy groceries, how to get to the airport; I felt like a local. Most importantly, I felt like my life had a purpose. Seeing God’s work being done everyday in that warehouse was unlike anything I have ever been a part of. I loved it. Each day had a purpose, and the progress was measurable. Every morning as I walked in I could check the big sign and see how many boxes we had processed. Now that I’m back into my normal routine in Indianapolis, I feel like I don’t know what my purpose is.
It’s a grass is always greener thing. The grass is greener in Hawaii, where you can bike and be outside year-round. The grass is greener in Colorado, because of the mountains, and the skiing, and awesome, well awesome everything. The grass is greener wherever it is warm and people can enjoy being outside. The grass is greener anywhere with a view. Where is the grass not green? Indiana; it’s under a foot of snow.

Putting the right foot foward, and then the left

In the past week I have come to realize that having an outlet like keeping a journal or blogging is a great release for all of that stuff swirling around inside. I have always felt like blogging may be a little bit silly, but it is not about who reads it, it's about what you write. So here we go!
My goal is to write about my passions in life; I have a few. Things like food, biking, traveling, cars, and culture come to mind. I share many of these passions with my better half Sarah. You can read about her at sperrott.blogspot.com. She has a hand in my start to blogging. Actually she has been a source of inspiration for just about every area of my life.
I like eating. I like eating a lot. Sometimes I like to fancy myself as a host on a Travel Channel program when I try new foods, or restaurants. In my head I critique the food in various ways; taste, texture, presentation, smell, etc. Some day I hope to open my own burger and sandwich shop. It's an idea I have been tossing around for many years, but only until recently have I seriously been considering it. I have even gone as far as create a mock menu, and design my ideal layout. I'm not talking about your daddy's burgers either; no grey ground beef grilled burgers. I'm talking about top notch sirloin or pork burgers stuffed with all kinds of yummy things. Mmm, I like eating.
I also like to drive. I like driving a lot. I enjoy going fast; really fast. Sometimes I like to go slow; not too slow. Depending on my mood I'll scoot around town as fast as I can, or head downtown to drive slow and look at all of the buildings. I like the ebb and flow of metropolitan areas. If I'm really feeling ambitious I'll head south of the city and find a deserted back road with plenty of dips, and dives, and twists, and turns.
Often while I driving slowly around town I'll scope out possible venues for my burger joint. It isn't easy trying to decide where to start a restaurant. Do I rent space downtown in the hustle and bustle? Do I build a primo spot out in the burbs? Maybe both? What city is ideal for my burger renaissance? Most importantly, how to I even begin to pay for this?
I think that it is important for new hospitality venues to be active in their community. It is important for several reasons. One, it gets your name out into the marketplace. Two, the more you network, the more will increase your customer base. Three, it is a good way to find a segment or niche in the community, which helps with stability. Four, most importantly it is a way to give back to the community. I enjoy thinking of ways that I could do this through a baller burger joint. Maybe I could host a summer concert series, or a weekly bicycle or motorcycle night. I really like the idea of a weekly bike night, or sponsor bike rides.

Like I said, I like to eat. I think I will like blogging too!