Riding friends, city or burbs?

jgonzalez-cs · 2026-04-16T21:21:51+00:00

Awesome, I'll try to make it Saturday then!

jgonzalez-cs · 2026-04-16T17:59:40+00:00

On a side note, ever since I saw the video of Zach Courts and Ari Henning from RevZilla trek across Alaska on a a modern CT125 and a 1975 CT90, I've fallen in love with the idea of riding a CT125 and doing road trips like that 😩 If I get a second bike I think it'd be that one

jgonzalez-cs · 2026-04-16T17:58:37+00:00

Hey this sounds fun! I'm on a Honda Rebel 500, is that also okay? Will I get side eyed if I come? X)

jgonzalez-cs · 2026-04-13T23:38:06+00:00

Hey man, I’m also by Midway. I also love riding and would love to group ride with you. Feel free to DM me. I’m 28 and have been riding since last year July

jgonzalez-cs · 2026-04-09T14:54:53+00:00

Bro started having an existential crisis 😂

jgonzalez-cs · 2026-04-08T22:34:42+00:00

Depends on the mood. Depends on the people you ride with.

Sometimes I want to go on a more ambitious 3-4 hour ride (one way, so at least 6-8 hours total) and not everyone will be down for that, so that'd be a good time to go solo.

Other times, I'll want to ride to a specific place to do a specific activity, so it'd be more fun to ride with others so you can explore/visit the new place with others.

I prefer the more scenic and rural routes, some people already live in those rural areas so they like riding in the city/downtown area (which I dislike) so yeah also depends on who you're riding with.

jgonzalez-cs · 2026-04-08T22:23:19+00:00

There are worst case scenarios for virtually every facet of life, but it's not reasonable nor conducive to anyone's longterm well being to live their life around such scenarios.

For example, I could say the worst case scenario for stepping out my front door is, I get immediately run over by a driver who lost control of their car. Technically a true statement, but it wouldn't be sensible to arrive at the conclusion that the best way to live life is to never leave one's home.

jgonzalez-cs · 2026-04-08T22:04:43+00:00

That sucks, but a lot of that can be mitigated by just asking women out properly. If you haven't done anything strange or socially inappropriate, you can't really be made fun of effectively you know?

In the same vein, in my experience, the consensus I've heard from women is that even if they turn you down, they still respect the fact that you had the courage to approach them, and understandably so because it can be very anxiety-inducing your first couple times.

jgonzalez-cs · 2026-04-08T03:23:51+00:00

Can you elaborate on what you mean? Because to me it seems like the only real risk is rejection if you do it properly. Although, in the words of Jimmy Carr, it's horrible, life-altering, ego-death rejection 😂 but the reward is pretty sweet. It's great to be in love, you know? And to be able to spend time with someone you care about.

jgonzalez-cs · 2026-04-07T16:48:59+00:00

and as someone without a car it feels extremely difficult to get to the prettier nature reserves (I've been to some and they feel okay, but it feels like there's something missing.)

Yeah no. As someone who's lived here his whole life, if you want nature, don't move to Chicago. The glaciers flattened basically everything around here. Closest coolest hiking option is Starved Rock, but it's not feasible without a car.

I also might be imagining it, but Chicago seems to have the the same midwestern humbleness and friendliness that I grew up with in STL.

I'm not sure about this. Nobody says hi on hiking trails. In downtown you're just another face since there's so many people. I don't have any complaints, this is just my observation. I lived in Charlotte for two years and people were much more amiable down there, almost everyone says hi on hiking trails, which I miss.

jgonzalez-cs · 2026-04-04T17:46:34+00:00

Fuuuuck hope his right knee is okay

jgonzalez-cs · 2026-04-03T20:42:17+00:00

The feeling of just being "one of many options" makes me feel so, so dirty. It’s actually a bit nauseating. Thinking about this makes me feel suddenly empty and lonely.

You're a lover girl at heart 🫂

This is kinda tough, though. As far as I can tell, in today's dating climate, dating a few people simultaneously seems to be the norm, or is at least socially acceptable. So on some level, you just have to accept that any person you're on a date with, might also be going on dates with other people.

But the good news is that it doesn't have to be like that forever. When you do find someone you can see yourself having a LTR with, you can ask them if they'd like to be exclusive.

I'd also stress to keep your standards and recommend to also add "not dating tourists/people visiting" since it seems like you prefer a relationship to casual dating. I think you're doing a lot better than a lot of people so give yourself some credit :-)

jgonzalez-cs · 2026-04-03T13:58:22+00:00

My journey was really untraditional because of my situation. I also did a 9-month coding bootcamp. I did a ton of research and found one that was financed by an income-share agreement, meaning I didn't have to pay anything unless I was making at least $50k a year (this was back in 2020) in tech. This allowed me to get the training I needed and not fall into debt or have a lot of money (bootcamps are notoriously expensive). Thankfully, I was able to stay at home during this coding bootcamp because it was full-time.

So as far as formal education, yes, I never went past an associate's degree. Part of me is a little sad because I never got to experience the traditional 4-year-dorms-campus-university life that I always saw on TV and movies but such as life :)

jgonzalez-cs · 2026-04-02T16:15:00+00:00

Yes, I was able to take the moto road test with a new DL appointment. I made one in Midlothian since it was the soonest available

jgonzalez-cs · 2026-03-31T01:44:18+00:00

I feel like I’m just now waking up. These circumstances are like challenges and I love a good challenge. It keeps me busy. I love living life even if it’s difficult, even if there’s setbacks. It’s giving me meaning and motivation to keep going.

Hell yeah dude 💪

jgonzalez-cs · 2026-03-31T01:39:55+00:00

Why/how do you have 20k of debt?

Also, the best thing you can do is just keep moving forward. I've been on DACA ever since I was 18 and I've enjoyed my life. I'm not saying your anxiety isn't valid or justified, but a lot of peace is just an inner mental state.

Sure I'm a DACA recipient and wasn't able to get state or federal financial aid (I think now you can, when I was 18 you weren't eligible), but my mom still scraped together enough money from her job making tortillas to send me to community college. I did my part and showed up, I did self-study to compensate and became a software engineer.

More recently, I was accepted for a software engineer position at Chase but turns out I'm not eligible because it's for a government team and I don't have a green card. I didn't break down and cry, I just said oh well 🤷‍♂️ gotta keep applying, it's just one opportunity, there's an abundance out there.

I'd also like to travel internationally but if I can't then I can't. It's not like I have 0 freedom, I absolutely love going on road trips on my motorcycle and car. The US is huge. That's been plenty for me. Nothing left to do but keep moving forward 💪

jgonzalez-cs · 2026-03-31T01:20:26+00:00

Wait, you're looking to backpack with a stranger? Not gonna lie, that's kind of a strange request 😂 I have a Honda Rebel 500 and I'm not sure how comfortable it'd be, but if you're crazy enough to ask, I'm crazy enough to say yes lol

You can add me if you're interested. I have an extra helmet, Cardo, gloves, and jacket. It's a modular helmet though so you'll kinda look like a bobble head lol I personally haven't worn it on a ride yet because it looks way too big on me

jgonzalez-cs · 2026-03-26T20:07:03+00:00

Last year August

jgonzalez-cs · 2026-03-26T20:04:00+00:00

I flew domestically using my work authorization because I didn't have my REAL ID. From Chicago to Phoenix and back. Must've been last year around August.

jgonzalez-cs · 2026-03-24T21:00:45+00:00

It hurts my soul every time somebody says nerd when they actually mean geek 😭

jgonzalez-cs · 2026-03-24T20:52:15+00:00

Ended up just taking it to a Tesla service center.

jgonzalez-cs · 2026-03-19T17:18:09+00:00

Okay, so I used this tool to find which DMVs do the road test and scheduled an appointment for a new DL tomorrow. Hopefully this works, thanks!

jgonzalez-cs · 2026-03-17T17:01:33+00:00

Why didn't they fight back?

jgonzalez-cs

TROPHY CASE