On Friday, I picked up my new bike, which was a birthday present. You may be asking yourself, "Why did he need a new bike? Does he get one every birthday?" Well, my wheels, saddle and post were stolen from inside my apartment building last October, which made it tough to ride. Since the bike was over 10 years old and it would have cost over $200 to replace everything, I decided it was time for a new ride.

Biking is one of my favorite ways to get around the neighborhood, but in the past I've also used my bike to commute to work. Excited about my new acquisition, I made the trip to work yesterday, which wasn't the brightest idea.

My ride is somewhere between 8 and 9 miles each way, which is a 17 mile roundtrip for those with addition issues. Now, I haven't intentionally done any aerobic activity in about three months and I haven't riden my bike since the fall. Given this information, you would think I could have predicted the results of riding 17 miles today. As I hinted in the subject line, things were a little rougher than I had expected.

Aside from making me feel like a lazy schlub, which I am, it reminded me that I will forever be losing brain cells and this mound in the middle of my body, which only showed up in the last couple years, isn't going anywhere. On Thursday I turn 25, which may seem young to many of you, but to me it is a reminder that my body now requires upkeep. That's really too bad as I could spend the rest of my days eating pizza, surfing the web and playing videogames if it wouldn't result in an even bigger belly and a heart attack at 35.

Despite my complaining, I'm not really depressed about my birthday. The truth is that I revel in getting older and experiencing new stages of life, I just wish I could do it with my body circa 1998. Instead of getting down about it all, I'm going to eat ice cream with my friends and assume that Aubery de Grey is right about living to be 1,000. If he isn't, then at least I'll die knowing I could finish a ten-scoop sundae.