O! It's windy!

April 29, 2011

As I was wending my windy way home today, I struggled to stay focused on the path which lay ahead of me. As you may know or imagine, it is not easy to stay focused on your way in the occasionally bustling, metropolisish city of Omaha. Let me start a numbered list (one of my favorite activities these days, I think it helps me focus) of the reasons it can be hard to stay focused on the road/multi-use path/sidewalk/traffic while riding:

1. The ocean-like wind that often buffets our humble, land-locked hills of concrete and grass-clad loess

2. The wind is a bringer of curiosities: this wind had been so unrelentingly diligent in its purpose that it had apparently actually separated this comfortable looking sock from a baby’s foot!



Disembodied adult foot added for scale.


3. There are numerous pieces of tantric-looking public sculptures, sidewalk art and the occasional encouraging motorists honking like friendly geese as we fly to our individual feeding waters/fields/garbage cans.

Yes, our fair city has come a long way since the days of my youth, when I was not quite as thrilled with my surroundings. We have more multi-use paths, and a bewildering number of sporting events and stadiums. Not a half-bad music scene, either.

Speaking of music. I was thrilled to have the opportunity to stop in the used CD shop to pick up some new tunes this afternoon. As I was browsing as happily as a goose in a delicious lichen-infested , cool pond, I looked out the window only to find that the Old Bastard (my bicycle) was once again lying down gracelessly locked to a fixed object. Not only that, he was being sprinkled. No that is not kind of kinky, he was being sprinkled by a sprinkler system.

Ah, my faithful, long-suffering companion. Not the worst thing you’ve endured, but not exactly a heroic pose, either. Luckily, Old Bastard baby’s got back, which I like to think caused the second fall to be fairly low impact.

(Sorry ODB, I thought it would be a more secure location…..awkward tailing off towards the end)

Well, ODB’s ignominious ordeal was not to be in vain, for after being alerted of the shop’s buy 2 get 1 free offer, I became the proud owner of six of my new all-time favorite sensitive, atmospheric, pop-folk artist Badly Drawn Boy. So excited was I to have stumbled upon such an aural treasure-trove that I neglected to look for discs from his fellow Manchester (England, that is!) musical brethren The Happy Mondays. Oh well. Luckily I had just joined an exclusive club which would make my purchasing of used CDs and DVDs even more rewarding than usual (details available at your local CD Trading Post)!  I'll be back for you Mondays, oh yes, I'll be well-padded back.

As I pointed ODB’s stout backside downwind and aimed towards home I almost thought to myself “Home-aha, you’re alright by me.”

Now if only Badly Drawn Boy could come and play an outdoor venue near me sometime this summer. Ah, yes, now that might call for adding another “!” to some of our Os!!