Coasting into the mica green

March 12, 2017

Happy springing and shillelaghs ahead.  Yes, it is a springy time of year with many changes and opportunities.  There is a bicycle swap meet today.  There was a bicycle-related story from down in Wichita recently.  And there was also a St. Paddy’s Day parade down in Wichita yesterday.  Here is a tricycle that was involved.

I also recently altered my commuting route so that I could avoid some traffic and roll down this sweet incline.  

Avoiding traffic is fun.  New routes are fun.  And rolling down grassy inclines is even more fun.  So that is what I’ve been up to lately. 

There is also some excitement related to the upcoming inaugural Nebraska Bike/Walk Summit.  Here is one speaker that will be involved, and here is another.  They have important things to teach us all about bicycling.  Here are a couple other things about bicycling:  It is a fun and practical way to get around.  

What else is going on these days?  Nebraska Bicycling Alliance has recently had a bunch of great updates:  here is a sad story about a Lincoln pedestrian and a police officer.  

and here is a story about a bill to make texting while driving a primary offense.  I think this is a great idea.  Let's get serious about preventing distracted driving by getting offenders off the street.  This is a good step in the right direction.  I heard a story on the radio yesterday in which a DUI offense was referred to as a "minor offense."  Depending upon level of intoxication, I consider drunk driving a minor offense in the same way that firing a gun into someone's house without hitting anyone is a minor offense.  The potential to kill or seriously injure someone is certainly present in both cases.  Once someone is killed or seriously injured, the legal aspects of the situation are not going to offer much comfort to the family of the deceased/injured.  Laws are better when they prevent.  Punishment after the fact may help prevent additional tragedies, but it's too late for the first victim(s).  So let's try to get some common sense laws in place before it's too late for anyone else!

And now, on a more cheery note, let's talk pantaloons!

A while ago, I aroused my card creditor’s suspicion by making an international purchase from a Canadian online vendor known as Mountain Equipment Co-op or MEC for the sake of brevity.  And now without further ado – BEHOLD!

Shiny Micas left, Raggedy Rads right

Yes, they are beautiful, in a way.  That colour is Discontinued Blue.  And I purchased them for only $52 C-bucks/Canadian rupees.  Any other colour was a whopping $75 C-notes, not to mention a hefty shipping surcharge. 

So how are they?  They are great!  We are still in the honeymoon phase, but I expect them to be as wonderful, if not possibly slightly more wonderful than my beloved Rad pants.  We will see how they hold up.  Here is a table:

Rad Pants	Mica pants
·      cuffed pant leg (durable, wide elastic band) ·      5 deep pockets ·      rustle ·      non-stretchy ·      wind-resistant ·      makes wearer feel like a ninja or SWAT team member ·      built-in belt ·      durable	·      cuffed pant leg (internal, skinny elastic) ·      4 average pockets (missing a low/side pocket on right side) ·      don’t rustle ·      stretchy ·      wind-resistant ·      makes wearer feel like they are at a pajama party ·      built-in external drawstring/tie ·      durable?

So let's get micaceously green and coast into the glorious spring!  Glory awaits!
-BS

Springing onwards!

April 23, 2016

Hello and good evening.  I hope that you were able to get out and enjoy some outdoor activity today.  I took Snot Jr. to the big forest and chased some turkeys.  

Not every day this week was as beatific.  Why, it seems like just last Wednesday that I got very soggy whilst bicycling to my humble place of work at the Schilling dispensary.  Although I wrung them out as best I could, my shoes were still very soggy when I put them on after work to return to my humble abode 

Although the visual evidence is flimsy, at best, trust me - soggy doggies.

(I did have an extra pair of dry socks, but I draw the line at carrying extra shoes on rainy days). 

This Every month is national WATCH OUT FOR KIDS PLAYING IN THE STREET! month, and we’ve had some great, unnatural-looking characters out to promote it. 

I think this is great.  I may even try to get one to wear as a backpack and to stare down any inattentive motorists who might be menacing my backside.  But in the meantime, I’ve deepened my relationship with this Serfas triangle light that I kept faithfully attached to my helmet until the batteries died a month and a half ago or so.  I think they lasted about 3 months, which is not bad but of course not as good as I hoped for.  It was a challenge for me to change the batteries.  At first I didn't realize that you had to unscrew three tiny Phillips screws to remove the red translucent casing.  So I pried at the tab thing until it got fairly mangled.  Then I didn't have a screwdriver that would fit so I had to go buy one. Grrrrr.

But now I’ve found some replacement batteries.  I bought two pair so I could have one around for next time. 

They were not that expensive, but not as cheap as I hoped.  

That's right.  $17.10 for 4 batteries (but now I've got a backup set).

You’re right, though, Serfas; my life is worth it.  

What else is happening these days? 

Well, as you may have noticed, Prince died.  Here is a real photo taken a few weeks before his demise and an alleged photo of him bicycling almost immediately prior to his demise.

http://www.tmz.com/2016/04/23/prince-riding-bike-photos/

Everybody loved Prince, just as everybody now loves Bernie Sanders.  Even the people of New York who did not vote for him still love him.  How could you not?  There is a strong link between Bernie and Prince, and his name is Jon Fishman (of Phish).  Although to most of you that will immediately make sense, for the other of you I will explain that JF was out to support Bernie in Philly and some other places, and he is also fond of performing Purple Rain when on tour with Phish.  Here is a video.

Also LB716 passed in its best, unamended form, as reported by the dauntless Julie Harris of Nebraska Bicycling Alliance.   

Way to go Nebraska!  Let's pedal!