After 10 weeks of unemployment, today is officially my first day back to work. For anyone who has not experienced a layoff or any other forced or voluntary time off, the whole expirience has a sort of life cycle. The first week is exciting, you run through the laundry list of tasks and projects that you can complete now that you have your daytime free. You think, of course, of all the extra riding you are going to do. You no longer have hurry home two nights a week just to get a couple humdrum miles in with the club. Here is your one opportunity to do some crazy long distance riding and maybe do an overnighter or three-day. This feeling of boundless potential will continue on in to the second week and you will really really like it. Then, suddenly, somewhere between the second and third week of unemployment (relaxation), your spouse begins to ask how the job hunt is going. “Job hunt? Oh, yeahhhh, the job hunt!”…“I’m suppose to be looking for a job aren’t I?” (It is recommended you don’t say that part out loud.) Instead, you keep that to yourself and say, “Great! The job hunt is going great!”

Week 3: Begin the job hunt! (Unless of course you are single, in that case just do what you want!)

From week 3 through 8 you go through a roller coaster ride of varying motivation and self confidence. Send out about two dozen resume, then rewrite your resume, then send out another two dozen then rewrite it again. And repeat.

Somewhere around week 7 or 8 you will stumble upon an opportunity that looks like a good fit, and after all the negotiations and details are worked out it’s week 10 and you are headed back to work. Hey wait, what happened to all that riding you were going to do, what about all those projects your finally going to put to bed? Well, Monday you go for a nice long ride; Tuesday you clean out the garage; Wednesday you do the laundry, and Thursday you go back to work.

That said, I can think of no more perfect bicycle to post on my first day back to work than this Motobecane Super Tour sent in by Paul. The Super Tour would be a great choice for all those multi-day rides I was going to (didn’t) do during my 10 weeks of relaxation (unemployment). And upon returning to work without accomplishing all that adventure, this Super Tour would make excellent commuter for a schlep who had 10 weeks and blew ’em.

Thanks Paul