Male Obsession BugI’m out of control. I have fallen back in love with bicycling and I have a full-on outbreak of the ‘Male Obsession Bug.’ If you’re female, you’ve seen it in action and if you’re a guy, then you know what I’m talking about. 🙂 The Male Obsession Bug can strike at any time, on any subject. for some it’s sports, for others, it’s a recreational hobby. Regardless of the obsession, the affects of the ‘bug’ are easy to detect.

For one, the infected subject can’t stop talking about his new obsession. In my case, this is cycling. So, regardless of the conversation, I can find some relevance to cycling and will use any excuse to divert the topic to cycling. For example, let’s say that someone brings up the subject of the new Palm Zire 71 handheld. Now, how in the world could a Palm OS handheld have anything to do with cycling? Well, a man’s infected brain might mention the fact that there is a product called the Bike Brain that can connect a Palm device to the bicycle for recording all sorts of information. Then he might mention that he’s thinking about using Bicycling Journal to record his rides for posting on his weblog.

How can you prevent this from happening? That, I don’t know, but there is an early warning sign that you can be on the lookout for – research. When the obsession is first taking hold of the un-suspecting man, the first thing he will be compelled to do is research on the subject. This typically involves magazines and catalogs on the subject. For example, you might find an issue of Bicycling Magazine next to the bed, the latest catalog from Bike Nashbar in the bathroom, and product brochures scattered throughout the house. These indicators would clearly show a man completely infected by the “Male Obsession Bug.” If he has any literature on very obscure minutia related to his obsession, such as a The Rivendell Reader, then it’s definitely too late.

Unfortunately, there is no known cure – you simply have to let the bug run it’s course. The only thing you can do from a preventative standpoint is hide any “extra” money that you might have, because the “Male Obsession Bug” has a voracious appetite. 😀