Friday, May 09, 2008
Along for a Walk
While riding home on Thursday, I spied my friend Nate walking his bike along the side of the road. Naturally I pulled over to check in and say hi, see what was up, though anyone could have guessed it was a flat necessitating his pushing his bike home. And it was, he didn't know what caused it. Just rode into campus in the morning fine, then come to get his bike for the return trip in the late afternoon, and flatness greeted him.
So I hadn't seen Nate to chat in a while, and this was a good opportunity to do so. Our routes are the same, at least they were today as I was not veering off the main road but just intent on getting home. So I walked him to his apartment house before continuing on further to mine.
This just reminds me though of one of the reasons why, when distance and time is not a factor, that I have been choosing to walk rather than bike. We speed by each other most of the time when on bikes just as if we are in cars. Sure there is the occasional pulling up to a stoplight at the same time and exchanging a few words, but nothing like walking and talking for 20 or 30 minutes will get you. And in general I find my mind works better when my legs are doing their job. Whether it is just chatting, or believe it or not, studying for an exam, or practicing a presentation, getting the whole body in motion energizes the mind, and I find at least, energizes a conversation as well.
So I hadn't seen Nate to chat in a while, and this was a good opportunity to do so. Our routes are the same, at least they were today as I was not veering off the main road but just intent on getting home. So I walked him to his apartment house before continuing on further to mine.
This just reminds me though of one of the reasons why, when distance and time is not a factor, that I have been choosing to walk rather than bike. We speed by each other most of the time when on bikes just as if we are in cars. Sure there is the occasional pulling up to a stoplight at the same time and exchanging a few words, but nothing like walking and talking for 20 or 30 minutes will get you. And in general I find my mind works better when my legs are doing their job. Whether it is just chatting, or believe it or not, studying for an exam, or practicing a presentation, getting the whole body in motion energizes the mind, and I find at least, energizes a conversation as well.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Busy, Busy, Busy
First off, I apologize for te broken picture links on the main page here at bcn. Somehow they have just started failing to work, so I need to go check with the site where they have been hosted. I'll get to it soon I promise. It's just been very busy, busy, busy with Earth Week festivities and planning, and finals week coming up.
On a lighter note, I found a brief extra half hour to print out some graphics and have a friend (Marcia) laminate some spoke cards for me the morning of the Earth Day event yesterday (Saturday). We only made up about 9 cards (all the laminate I had on hand), but it was enough unfortunately as only one person showed up on bike, with child in tow no less via trailer. Anyway, here;s a quick pic, nothing special, just our group logo and website, and the event flyer in miniature. We'll get more funky next time for sure.
Be sure to visit alchemicalnursery.collectivex.com
On a lighter note, I found a brief extra half hour to print out some graphics and have a friend (Marcia) laminate some spoke cards for me the morning of the Earth Day event yesterday (Saturday). We only made up about 9 cards (all the laminate I had on hand), but it was enough unfortunately as only one person showed up on bike, with child in tow no less via trailer. Anyway, here;s a quick pic, nothing special, just our group logo and website, and the event flyer in miniature. We'll get more funky next time for sure.
Be sure to visit alchemicalnursery.collectivex.com
Friday, April 25, 2008
Earth Day at Lipe Art Park
Monday, April 21, 2008
Can you feel my speed?
Word has it that you don't need to stop at traffic lights or stop signs, nor do you need to yield at yield signs, if you are riding a bicycle. This would have made a good April Fool's post, no?
It ain't true of course. Myself, on a bicycle, I often am buzzed by bicyclists who are not stopping when they should be, and end up almost running into me. Case in point, the other day I am stopped at a 4-way stop sign, and proceeding to make a right, when the bicyclists coming straight from the left blows his stop sign and we are forced to swerve away from each other. If this bothers me, and other fellow bicyclists, do you imagine what choice words car drivers are having for these folks? Way to garner that good will for sharing the road, my fellow cyclists, keep up the good work (sarcasm in case you didn't get it)!
So I get passed many, many times when I am sitting at a red light, and a cyclist comes up along my right side and blows through the light without even slowing down. Incredulity rises within me at moments like these, and I take it upon myself to hunt them down and blow past them on the next straight-away, just to prove that all that not-stopping ain't getting them anywhere quicker than me, who was stopped, and just because it makes me feel good to hammer it down and fly by. Jerk. ; > )
It ain't true of course. Myself, on a bicycle, I often am buzzed by bicyclists who are not stopping when they should be, and end up almost running into me. Case in point, the other day I am stopped at a 4-way stop sign, and proceeding to make a right, when the bicyclists coming straight from the left blows his stop sign and we are forced to swerve away from each other. If this bothers me, and other fellow bicyclists, do you imagine what choice words car drivers are having for these folks? Way to garner that good will for sharing the road, my fellow cyclists, keep up the good work (sarcasm in case you didn't get it)!
So I get passed many, many times when I am sitting at a red light, and a cyclist comes up along my right side and blows through the light without even slowing down. Incredulity rises within me at moments like these, and I take it upon myself to hunt them down and blow past them on the next straight-away, just to prove that all that not-stopping ain't getting them anywhere quicker than me, who was stopped, and just because it makes me feel good to hammer it down and fly by. Jerk. ; > )
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Spoke Cards!
Anyone out there make, collect, trade spoke cards? I am thinking about making up a few to hand out at the Earth Day event to commemorate it to those who arrive by bicycle. Tell me about your experiences with spoke cards.
Labels: spoke card
Bereft
Well this entry isn't specifically about bike riding, but I like to think that this blog has more breadth and depth to it than that. I just basically wanted to talk about this feeling of being isolated that I experienced twice in the past two days, and it all relates to technology - the cell phone specifically.
Yesterday, I was walking around Lipe Art Park, refamiliarizing myself with the layout in anticipation of my role there for the Earth Day event that is coming soon (I will write an entry on that in a day or so). I walked to the end of the park and crossed an overpass above S. Geddes St. finding myself in a derilect area of abandoned squats, graffiti canvases, and abandoned tires and other trash. A few paths wove here and there, a dead skunk lay staring up at me as I moved along.
And at some point I realized that this is a different experience for me being that I had my cell phone in my pocket. I did not feel quite like I was in "another world" as I might have in the past exploring edgy types of landscapes. I don't know how I feel about this quite yet.
In any case, I left the house this morning without my cell phone, totally unbeknownst to me. This is the first time I have ever done that, maybe not that amazing since I have only had a cell phone since last September, but never-the-less I was hit with an astounding "oh my God" when I realized half way to my destination that I didn't have it with me. How would people contact me, how would I contact them? What if I broke down on the side of the road? This disturbs me.
This relates to bicycling in that it is a commentary about how we interact with the world. Riding a bicycle or walking brings us closer to our surroundings, does having a cell phone someone take us away from those surroundings in some way?
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Step Right Up and Win a Prize!
I've never won a bicycle in my life, you know as a prize, but I certainly feel like I should have, I mean who doesn't, who doesn't feel that sense of elect? "I should/will win that bike because I deserve it". And I'm talking bikes now because this is bcn of course, but also because bicycles seem to be one of the prizes that so many contests turn to in their time of need. I have a applied for so many raffles, contests, etc that had a bicycle as a prize, just two most recently in fact.
One I don't even remember where I applied, it is such a commonplace thing to do so. The other was a sponsored raffle drawing by a company vendor at Natur-Tyme health and natural foods store. And the thing is, I don't need a bike. I love the one I got baby. But we always want to win something don't we. So that brings me to the speculation of how many bicycles are sitting in garages going unused because people enter contests for them who are not going to use them?
I for one, would use a bike I won or find a good home for it if it didn't fit for example. I am sometimes on the lookout for a good second bike, not that I don't like the blue Giant I have, just that it is a tad too small for my frame. Can you not imagine the 45 year old housewife shopping at the grocery store, entering the contest, telling herself she will start riding the bike, then having it sit in the corner for years to come? Hopefully, she has children or grandkids to bestow the treasure upon.
I'm just wildly speculating here, it is early, I am up up and can't get back to sleep, not even to dream about a shiny new bike.
One I don't even remember where I applied, it is such a commonplace thing to do so. The other was a sponsored raffle drawing by a company vendor at Natur-Tyme health and natural foods store. And the thing is, I don't need a bike. I love the one I got baby. But we always want to win something don't we. So that brings me to the speculation of how many bicycles are sitting in garages going unused because people enter contests for them who are not going to use them?
I for one, would use a bike I won or find a good home for it if it didn't fit for example. I am sometimes on the lookout for a good second bike, not that I don't like the blue Giant I have, just that it is a tad too small for my frame. Can you not imagine the 45 year old housewife shopping at the grocery store, entering the contest, telling herself she will start riding the bike, then having it sit in the corner for years to come? Hopefully, she has children or grandkids to bestow the treasure upon.
I'm just wildly speculating here, it is early, I am up up and can't get back to sleep, not even to dream about a shiny new bike.
Labels: contest prize
