Yeah. That's right. 50 degrees and I said SHORTS AND SHORT SLEEVES! And it was wonderful. Blissfully pleasant. Heck even a couple times I wish I hadn't put the sleeveless baselayer on under the VERGE team kit I was so warm.
Heard a bit of gossip from Ask the Doc this morning on the ride in (stopped to chat). Always good to hear what she has to say. Damn smart woman that Doc. Nothing earth shattering. Just good stuff.
Struck me as odd, 'round here people don't ask who you are voting for (it is polling day - i'm voting tonight - and don't ask I ain't telling), they ask "Obama or Clinton?" No room for McCain. It is either one or the other. Kinda funny. Still after a handful of years a very refreshing change. Not so much that I'm solidly one party or another, but in that some places for the past 15 years the democrats act like underground resistance members. Waiting for secret codes or phrases before opening up and pouring out their political passion. So worked up and afraid of the rebublican vindictive Rush types out there who are willing to crucify publicly or privately anyone with a view deviant from the "neo-con" handbook. That bugged me more than the damn handbook.
There was a big meeting in the town here about bike lanes. Lots of "Lets be like Portland - bike lanes make me feel safe and I know that more people will use them because they feel safer in a bike lane." Other comments were mostly "i want a bike lane because it will slow traffic down in front of my house."
I'm not going into the full details of the meeting. Saving that for another time and another place. But it was kinda cool to feel that note taking skill flush itself out, I got a ton of pages of stuff to sift through. Lots of repetition but some good nuggets and quotes.
So Leaving the meeting, brain absolutely fired up, talk some politics with my mother on the phone heading home. Wound up. Figured, well maybe I'll finish the last few kilos of Krabbe's book. And that feeling of awe crap, I remember the end. I hate that ending. I am reading it and in my head shouting "STAY ON LUBUSQUE'S WHEEL DUMBASS, STAY ON HIS WHEEL!" NOOOOOOOOOOOO don't attack NOW!!!! Awe crap.
And the nagging sprinting expert "You sprinted like a JACKASS"
tough book. Sorry to spoil an ending, but I hope by now I can safely assume that everyone's read that book 3-4 times already.
So. That book over. Brain even more riled up. Pick up Pollan's new book, remark that this might be the most recent book I've purchased, recent meaning I dunno how many new releases I've personally bought, damn i'm a cheap bastard.
Of course reading the intro was like adding coal to the fire. Damn well written, good use of polysyllabic words (unlike Hillary's rally speech in Ohio I heard on the way to the meeting - honestly it seems like she's courting George dubya Bush's electorate with that kinda talk). And it makes sense. So that fueled more.
Politics, Cycling advocacy, food, eating, training, round and round and round and round and round and round and talk about restless night. No to little sleep all night. Brain too fired up.
At about midnight I thought "I just need to yank out the laptop and start writing."
But that never helps. Just gets me more wound up.
To make it worse (i am just now remember this) I read one of Maynard's essays about going to Italy and riding around there. What it is like. Reminds me of providence. So it was all in all sickly cerebral. Heck I even go to thinking, I wonder what my brain looks like on an MRI right now. Gotta be lit up like a Christmas tree...
I think too damn much
heddwch
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Tuesday, March 04, 2008
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7 comments:
My first day of the year commuting to work in shorts (I've been traveling a bit so I missed some warm days).
Always a special day - one of my most favorite ones of the year.
Yay bike commuting!
That meeting kept me up too.
This isn't Portland it Providence. Damn hippies.
What riles me is that the East Side haves can't understand that it's not intended to be a multi use path. THey only hear what they want and don't mind using cyclists as living (for now) speed bumps.
Another cool thing they're experimenting with here in hippyville is "sharrows." I think it's a very good idea.
http://bikeportland.org/2005/09/28/new-sharrow-markings-in-nw/
Bike lanes are, of course, very nice. For some reason, the road sweepers seem to forget to sweep them sometimes, so a lot of the (hippy) 700x23 crowd end up riding in the road, anyway.
Yeah I saw the Sharrows thing. Actually first at Bike Providence
Yes. There are lots of people who want to make PVD the next PDX.
Problem I got with the Sharrows or mostly the damn cones. My trailer would either knock the cones over or make me head over to traffic lanes anyway.
Me? I ain't got a problem with the way things are. Confidence and safety. Defensive and aware (not to mention well lit).
yeah - sweepers...
they don't sweep nuttin around here...
might as well build a sandbox on the shoulders/bike lane this time of year
Problem I got with the Sharrows or mostly the damn cones. My trailer would either knock the cones over or make me head over to traffic lanes anyway.
Um, what makes you think that the cones are permanent and not just marking the wet paint in that picture?
Um, what makes you think that the cones are permanent and not just marking the wet paint in that picture?
what makes you think they are just marking wet paint?
Oh you mean the fact that they are only in one of all the pictures of it.
/sarcasm
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