Greetings. What are
you up to these days? Oh. That sounds great. I’m sick and my internet doesn’t work, which
are unfortunate. On the other hand Baby
Snot Jr. is asleep and I’ve got a nice cup of hot tea, which are
fortunate. Nearly a fortnight ago Yesterday Tomorrow is was the big Bike Swap
down at the College of Saint Mary. I
will was not be there to infect anyone with my bronchitis-like illness and attempts
to sell my Take-a-look bicycle mirror that has only been dropped on concrete
once. $10 it’s yours! And I’ll stop coughing on you! Heh, heh, cough, cough, hawwwkkk!
Here are 2 different car hoods in very different conditions.
Car hoods can be very expressive.Car hoods can even be used to ride on, but,
unlike bicycle+bicyclers, typically require a separate source of energy to
move.But what will we bicyclers do to
express our hopes, dreams, fears, and favorite movies/bands?Well, perhaps you remember those big patches
you could get sewn onto the back of your jean jackets?
Maybe on the back of your panniers? How about adding some reflective
outlines?Hmm. Maybe...Here is another fun thing to do with a car
hood.
Today A while back was also the Democratic caucuses here in
Nebraska.They are actually now
over.But if you live in a part of US
that hasn’t undergone a primary/caucus yet, here are some photos to help you
decide.
Saturday June 25 is Bike for Sight out at Miller's Landing.
As I was bicycling
blithely along the other week, I was happy to see that the potholes that I had
blamed for a recent de-saddling I incurred were now fixed.
Thanks City of Omaha representatives!Let’s have a nice cup of tea together!Care for a bike mirror?Reflective back patch?Let’s ride!
March 1612, 2016
Well, I missed the bike swap.Darn.Well, I guess I probably don’t really need any more bike stuff.I’ve got plenty in the garage.I could use a new saddle, but I’m not sure if
I’m going to go with my usual WTB Rocket V or if I want to try one of those
Brooks saddle that people seem to be fond of.Maybe a Cambium.
Ever wondered if your company would contribute towards your bicycle commuting habit? Are you done laughing? It actually can happen! Check this out!
Good traveling to you good people. I will see you on the roads! Ride on!
It is now nearly the time of the Red Fire Cupid, aka
Valentine’s Day.So act quickly, if you
haven’t planned for it!Here is what I
saw on my way home that made me feel the love that is required of all in order
to survive the cold mid Febrrrruary.
Although it is impossible to tell from this vantage point, I was observing a loving duck and drake, keeping it hot after so many years together, even in the creek on a chilly February eve!
As I stated earlier, I have felt some chest tightness
recently, which I have since attributed to habitual shallow breathing.How and why did I start breathing too
shallowly?I’m not really sure, but I
think it might have to do somewhat with my attempts to avoid carbon monoxide
poisoning as I relax in my cozy basement.Here is what I was feeling like (but not looking like) at night.
Then I started focusing on my breathing and
there was a moment where I felt like the alp/night hag was leaving me.I felt relief and loss.Bye bye alp/hag.
Well, if you are like me, you attended the Inspired to Ride
showing down at Aksarben Cinema last Thursday.Before the show there were a few bike-related tables advertising various
events or shops.Here are a few things I
was informed of – Wear Yellow Ride on May 14, Tour for Hope Ride on May 22, as well as the Kelly Smith Memorial Ride on May 22.Eventually I grabbed my tall beer, took a deep breath, and headed into
the theater with my dad and my friend Bob.
This film was made by Mike Dion who also made Ride the Divide and
Reveal the Path.Inspired to Ride was an
enjoyable documentary of the inaugural Trans Am Bike Race.This was a self-supported bicycle race across
Mexico’s leopard-skin pillbox hat we call the U of SA.It focused a lot on the front of the pack,
but it did spare some screen time for some other bicyclists who were not even in the race that the filmmakers
encountered upon their movie-making journey.There was also some comedy relief – locals who helped Juliana get her
drivetrain back in shape and some fellas at a Wyoming bar and grill who
eventually espied a mid-pack guy (I think it was Brian Steele) arrive and bought him dinner.After they bought him dinner they took a
photo of Mr. Steele giving them the finger.Here is a first hand account of the event. by one Marcus Thompson. Their trials and travails were also pretty funny.Like when Mike got all bit up by mosquitos or
the time Paolo and Giorgio missed the ferry (not included in Paolo's youtube video below).
Although I am not particularly fond of the competition that is a part of
these types of events, I was glad to experience much less manufactured drama
than on a typical episode of America’s Next Top Model.There was also less expounding upon the
spiritual nature of suffering while riding a bicycle for a long time than in
some other bicycle-themed movies, like that guy in Ride the Divide. A couple of unanswered questions I had were, "What's the deal with the final finisher who took like 129 days to finish? What's the story there?" I bet I could relate to this person.
Although I enjoyed the movie, it may have had a bad influence
on me.Whilst bicycling home the next
day, I took a brakeless turn at the bottom of a hill.I often do so, but this time I managed to
catch a pothole or two toward the beginning of my arc,
which convinced me to
straighten up a bit, such that I didn’t curve sharply enough to stay away from
the curb, which I grazed, along with a sewer grate, and so I took a mild fall
onto my shoulder,
leaving a small tear in my long-suffering Illuminite
jacket.My pinkie was also kind of sore
for the next 24 hours. Boo-hoo.
While, I hope I learned my lesson.I can ride even slower!And I will, dammit!I will try to limit my coming into contact with
any of this fast-paced-bicycling propaganda that is an unfortunate but
persistent part of bicycle culture.Get
off of me, you speedy bicycling alp/hag!Now I can breathe a bit more easily.Let’s ride!Don’t wait up for me.
February 17, 2016
As you were sleeping, I was busy drinking single malt Scotch
and reminiscing, looking back, if you will.This can be a blessing and/or a curse.Much like looking back using a bicycling mirror that
attaches to your
helmet and/or glasses, like this one I recently purchased from an online
retailer.
I see you! You are fascinating!
I hadn’t really had any
interest in purchasing a bicycling mirror, but I was persuaded to do so after
reading this persuasive essay by a bicycling safety pendant.Yep, I’m a sucker for safety.
Here is my review, which I will try to place in a more
appropriate place (hey now, please refrain from rude suggestions!) at my
earliest convenience.
As Don Henley soulfully advised in a popular song,
“Don’t look back, you can never look back.”But some of us like to look back.One way we can look back is by using a Take A Look cyclist's mirror.This mirror does exactly what it should.I dropped it once onto my concrete garage
floor and it didn’t even flinch.Just
kind of tinged pleasingly.I rode with
it for 2 days and it was mesmerizing.At
first I had trouble adjusting it so that I could easily see past my baggy
jacket-ensconced shoulders.But then I
kind of accidentally moved it off to the side whilst activating my Nite RiderMini Newt Pro 750 headlamp, also attached to my helmet.Sometimes I feel like a bobble-head, because
I attach a lot of things to my visor-equipped helmet.So, then, when I readjusted the mirror, it
happened to be at a great angle for allowing easy observance of my 8 o’clock by
merely moving my head ever-so-slightly to the left.(As some of you may be thinking, I could also
continue that motion of my neck and see the same thing but with a wider
angle).The damn thing was
distracting.I felt like I couldn’t just
enjoy my view because this bright, shiny, fascinating object was dangling up in
a not-quite-there, yet in-my-face kind of way.I think this might be what having bifocals is like (I’ll let you know if
that’s accurate in a year or two).I
felt the mirror was distracting and unnecessary for my suburban commuting. I need to watch the road in front of me almost all the time. I typically ride pretty close to the curb.If someone is going to sideswipe or rear-end me, I’m
probably not going to see them coming.If I do see them coming, I’ve probably taken my eyes off the road and am
likely to be lying in the road whether or not they swerve at the last
minute.That is because there are a lot
of potholes and other obstructions along our roadsides these days.Staying
focused on what’s in front of me is more of a priority than checking out what’s
behind me.My dad has a bar-end mirror which I think would be much less obtrusive, but equally unnecessary.
So, there you go.Let’s
get safe and focus!And now we dance!
Happy Year of the Red Fire Monkey!Let’s flame!I, for one, am enjoying the flaming of some maple wood in ye olde
wood-burning stove.
That is because I
woke up in time to pedal to work today but I decided it was too cold and
windy.So instead I am enjoying some
nice lazy indoorsy time – stitching up ye old breeches, catching up on bills,
trying to augur the auspices of this frightening new year.What secrets will it divulge?What ventures await our bold/cautious steps and/or
wheels?
Today is also Fat (or Portly, if you prefer) Tuesday.When you combine the two of these you’ve got
a Festivale of the Portly Red Fire Monkeys!!Waaahhhh!!?!I’m glad I’m safely
tucked away in my cozy, carbon-monoxide-blanketed/enhanced basement where I have been
burning wood and waxing up ye olde boots.
After the waxing I set them next to the fire, which in my imagination
helps the wax melt in some more.
In reality I’m pretty sure the 40 minutes I spent holding a hair dryer within a
few inches of the boots got that wax about as melted in as it could get.
I have also been experiencing some very mild tightness in the
chest, which I am hopeful is just a symptom of even more sedentary than usual living,
my poor choice in purchasing a multi-vitamin/mineral which may have given me very mild iron poisoning (or just a shock to ye olde systeme),
and/or home-brewed beer with some strange bourbon-wood-chips
possibly somehow mixed into this potent blend.
So, now that I am feeling a bit of ye olde cabin fever, like
one Jackolaus Nickleson,
I will take the time to see what’s happening in the
world of bicycling.Or you could just
give me a call and tell me.Telepaths,
please heed my plea!?No?Arrighht!I guess I can have a look at some of my usual sources (listed here so
you don’t have to take my word for it and/or continue reading this ramble
through the tele-paths of tangly dendrites and synappy sentimental waxing:
Butt seriously, folks, it may be cold and inhospitable to bicyclers outdoors these days, but there are some good times ahead. Perhaps I will be seeing you at the upcoming bicycle movie on Thursday? Also there are always gift cards and/or online shopping to fill whatever voids you may be experiencing due to the prevalence of cold and ice in many parts of the northern hemisphere these days.
So let's ride, get healthy, and/or find something else fulfilling to do! Frizzle-fry dem boots!
I hope you are enjoying a nice, quiet day at your home.Or doing some snow-shoeing or some sort of
skiing.At my abode it is pretty snowy,
so I stayed home from work and have been trying to feel productive.To that end I composed the following letter
to the senator:
Dear Senators,
I am contacting you to communicate my support for LB 716. As a
bicycle commuter for the past eight years, I feel that this bill provides
common sense updates to existing laws. Nebraska has done a lot to improve
options for bicyclists over the past 10-20 years – many cities have multi-use
trails, bicycle lanes, and signage to inform motorists of the likely presence
of bicyclists. As our state grows, I feel that our laws should grow and
adapt to better serve our communities. Communities greatly benefit by
increased bicycling – better health, less motor vehicle traffic, and organized
bike rides that support local economies, for example. This bill improves
and clarifies the legal status of bicyclists.
The State of Nebraska’s Driver’s Manual states, “At intersections
and roundabouts, right-of-way rules apply equally to bicyclists and motor
vehicles.” I was, therefore, surprised to learn that a bicyclist legally
crossing an intersection in order to continue riding on a multi-use trail or
sidewalk might not be legally entitled to the right of way. As a boy, my
mother always told me that drivers should yield the right of way to both
pedestrians and bicyclists at intersections, but that drivers, pedestrians, and
bicyclists alike needed to “look both ways.” These are words of advice
that have kept me safe and helped me maintain a good attitude towards other
road users while bicycling. Nothing in this bill relieves the bicyclist
or driver of their responsibilities to exercise care at intersections. We
all must work together to stay safe. This bill goes so far as to clarify
bicyclists’ responsibilities with the following statement, “No bicyclist
shall suddenly leave a curb or other place of safety and walk or ride into the
path of a vehicle which is so close that it is impossible for the driver to
stop.” This is just common sense, and riding predictably and at safe
speeds (especially at intersections) are key to safe bicycling and improving
bicyclist-motorist relations. Unfortunately, a few times I have experienced
vehicles turning and leaving me with less space than I felt was safe while I
was crossing a crosswalk on a multi-use trail and after having pushed the
crosswalk button signal. I do not think these motorists saw me (although
I typically have one or two front lights and two to three taillights).
Based on some close calls, I now ride more in the streets and less on multi-use
trails because I feel that I am more visible to traffic. This brings me
to the second part of the bill.
The elimination of the mandatory sidepath law is a common sense act
that will make bicyclists feel more secure in making good decisions based on
existing conditions. Sidepaths are generally a blessing to bicyclists;
however, there are times when it is safer to use an adjacent street – snow,
ice, mud, or debris may prevent the safe use of side paths.
I can imagine
some would say, “Well, if these conditions exist, maybe you shouldn’t be
bicycling!” But I feel that bicycling should be an option available to us
all. It improves my mental and physical health, saves me money, and makes
for one less motor vehicle on the sometimes busy streets of Omaha.
Please consider the benefits to bicyclists and your communities that
you will be supporting by voting for this bill. Thank you for your time
and consideration and for your dedication in representing the people of our
great state.
There you go.That counts as
community service, right officer?
Here is a fat-tyred e-bike that looks like it's pretty good for those who might be so inclined. Ever considered getting a moped instead?
Here is a movie that Omaha Pedalers are sponsoring on February 11 at Aksarben Cinema. It is called Inspired to Ride, and it is produced by the same people who did Ride the Divide and Reveal the Path, both of which were quite enjoyable. So hopefully I will see you there.
Let’s ride! Or maybe do something
else that’s fun!Wood-burning stove and
tv, here I come!
