Dead Week

Today I rode downtown for the first time in a few months. I had to get my fingerprints done for my upcoming name change (bet you thought I was done talking about that), and on the way back to the school I lunched at Mr. T's Deli (yum!). On the way from school, I made a side trip for water. Then I made two trips to the coffee shop. So my legs are a bit sore. Ow. Dead Week is not nearly dead enough, given that I still have homework. There is something sad about studying at the coffee shop until they close...almost every night.

I have the choice next semester of 13 or 16 hours. I've had trouble deciding whether to add an extra physics course to everything else I have to take in the spring. It is a 4000 level course, it isn't required, it will cost me an extra $400 in tuition, taught by Not My Favorite Professor, and VA won't cover the extra hours.

I decided to write my English professor to ask about how much writing/time the editing course would take up. I almost hoped she would say "Lots! Don't even think about taking 16 hours!!!"

Instead she said:
You actually won't be doing any writing at all. You will read 2
chapters each week and have a short editing assignment each time (1-2
pages to edit). At the end you will have a longer (10-20 page) editing
job for a client. So I don't really expect it to be that time-consuming.

Yay. Damn. Yay!

I write a letter:

To the "Driver" who nearly ran me over just now,

Yes, you, the one who screeched to a halt, leaned over his passenger side to look at the YIELD sign, and proceeded to yell out the window that "Yeah, I think I had the right of way there!"

Please take note that you are monumentally incorrect. Please learn that a YIELD sign in YOUR direction means that YOU YIELD the right of way to cross traffic. You do not E.V.E.R. have right of way in this situation.

Have a shitty day,
Bike Commuter

ps.I say "Driver" because I fondly hope that you have never actually passed a drivers test.

My Townie

wiblick has made a request:

"I'm thinking of buying an electra townie 700C 8 speed and NO ONE can tell me anything about it, especially regarding seat height. I'm 5ft 2 as well and would be really interested in hearing your thoughts.Could you mail me? Let me know what model you bought etc. Can you really sit comfortably and have your feet flat to the ground? Do you have a pannier thingy?

or maybe just do an post to your blog about it?"

I have been ASKED to blog! *overwhelmed*

My Townie is a 7D, but I have no idea about the tires. The D refers to the rear derailleur, meaning it has an extra fancy doohickey instead of regular gears. I'm not sure what the advantages of that are, but the 8 doesn't seem to have it. My seat is adjusted so that I can stand flat on the ground while on the saddle if I'm wearing a slightly chunky heel, but there's plenty of room to adjust down if I wanted to be more comfortable in flats. I've seen people on regular bikes, straining to get their tippy-toes on the ground while sitting, and how awkward that is. Also, I love the wide saddle that comes with my Townie.

May be a concern for you: I don't see a step-through version of the 8 speed on the Electra website. Step-through and flat-foot are what makes it so comfortable IMHO, and I don't see it being as good without both. Then again, I'm clumsy. *shrug*

I had the rear rack installed, but make sure you have them use a longer screw, because one that come with the rack popped loose on my first long ride. It wasn't a safety issue, but you obviously don't want that. My other accessories include front and rear blinkey LEDs and a CatEye mirror. Very important since I drive on roads like a car, and its getting darker in the mornings. I'm currently lusting after some fenders, because I'm tired of ringing out my socks and because Texas lied to me about being a semi-desert.

I have a Basil Blossom pannier, which sadly I cannot recommend. They're deadly cute on my bike, but they aren't easily/reasonably removable or collapsible, and don't keep their form (makes them look frumpy). They connect to the rack with buckles, but the frame weirdly with velcro that always come loose, and they shift back into my spokes on an uphill when loaded. They do, however, hold lots of stuff for the price, so I'm not replacing them anytime soon.

It really is a comfortable ride. The sitting position is great for seeing everything around, and not hunched over the handlebars, no strain on my hands, and comfortable starts and stops. Seven speeds seem like enough for me, so I never have to stand to pedal or get off and push up a hill .The best is coasting downhill, such a pleasant rush!

I Write Letters

Dear San Angelo,

Sometimes it rains here. Roads are not meant to be rivers.

Regards,
TJ


PS: I hate you back.

200!

I just put yesterday and today's rides into my Bike Journal (at bikejournal.com), and discovered that I've hit 200.00 miles total! That's 74.20 for the month of August, so far.

Oh, and apparently I've only been to the library downtown twice, not three times like I said in my last post.

Uh, Um, Like...Fuck.

Now, I was about to pedal my happy ass to the bike shop to pick up a cargo net, and maybe then take a dip in the pool to celebrate 130 miles on my bike so far and a hellish assignment behind me. Then I realized, that distant rumble? It is electricity falling from the sky. Fan. Tastic.

So anyway, the hellish assignment was a formal proposal, which I chose to do over bike parking and stuff on campus. Five pages, not including the cover letter, table of contents, appendices...were due this morning. I had three and a half days to do research, come up with a real proposal, and write all the damn documents (10 MS Word files later...). I also got dubious honor of being one of only two people presenting my PowerPoint slides this morning. I was up until 1am. I gave up on including any images in the document or the presentation.

Oh the presentation. It was probably painful to watch, but they would be surprised to know that I actually showed improvement in public speaking. Why, I didn't talk insanely fast and quiet, or even run out of breath completely. I was just all "um...where was I again, what was i about to say here, oh look awkward pause!" Amazingly, I still got a 95%, probably on consideration the painful patheticness of my nervousness and the fact that I had no time to practice between writing the paper and preparing the slides.

I certainly got enough riding in, though, pedaling all over campus to look at the placement of bike racks, getting an interview with the campus police chief, coordinating pretend involvement from the bike shop, and pricing fliers.

On Fat

First, the video by Joy Nash


So this a picture of me, 5 years ago:


I know that at the moment this picture was taken, I felt like a cow. I look back now, and I see that, wow, I was kinda cute. But I still crop my lower body out of this picture, because I still look at it and feel as awkward as I did the moment it was taken. That is a shame, because the pond scenery is sooo beautiful. The bigger shame is that I had to feel so awkward in such a lovely photograph, just because my clothes didn't fit me right.

I. Looked. Great.

But I was so overjoyed at finally FINALLY being able to get into and zip up a size 10 pair of shorts, that I didn't realize that it didn't mean that those pants FIT ME. With the unfortunate shirt, I was stuck on the idea that I was a size Medium, forever an always, up top. I was so terrified, mortified, at ever even trying on a size Large *gasp, horror* that I actually put up with an entire wardrobe (term used loosely) of shirts that stretched tight over my round belly.

I was the most physically fit of my entire life. Back then I weighed 141 pounds, overweight by Air Force standards for my height. Lets keep in mind that at this point I had zero social life and spent 1-2 hours PER NIGHT at the gym, in addition to my unit's thrice-weekly mandatory mile run and calisthenics, and I ate a cobb salad for lunch and dinner every day. I could do 65 situps in 60 seconds, but I still had the round tummy, and I always will. FACT.

Here's me last month:

When I posted this picture to Facebook, I cropped it to not show my arms, and squeezed the image a little. Yup. I still can't stand the sight of myself in the camera's lens.

Now, I don't bother weighing myself anymore. I am done hating myself because of that number. Maybe it is around 165, I dunno. I wear a size 12/14 pant, and Large/XL shirts. I can't shop at most stores in the mall because they have shitty selection that high, and I get asked "why are you here, skinny?" at Lane Bryant.

I have biked 100 miles in about 5 total weeks. I do yoga or an abs workout 4 times a week. I have found healthy, simple foods that I enjoy, and I refuse to eat something "healthy" that I do not absolutely love.

Today I made pound cake, and I will delight in every brandy-infused bite for the next week.

Real Human Conversation

Today I had a real, human, face-to-face conversation. Summer makes it hard to do this, with all my college friends at home in other towns, and all my home friends at home where I'm not at (yet!). I guess I've had a few "conversations" while buying things, but that maybe doesn't count much, since that is more "customer service."

I went out and bought some fitness clothes at Ross's, and stopped by Zucchini's for a cool lunch. Eating alone in public is awkward, but I wasn't the only one sitting by myself in a booth. That makes it more awkward, of course, because now you are facing someone you don't know. You can either look down at your food the entire time, stare strangely at a stranger while eating, or start a little chat.

We talked about the heat, different places to get good salads, how I'm just starting to ride a bike in this horrible heat.

"Well, it's definitely good for your health"..."Yeah, unless I die of heat stroke...hhahaha,"

We compared the various coffee shops, and there's a new Starsucks going in next to the Cheddar's. I don't think they will do well with Texas Coffee Co. and Baker's Street so nearby, even though the Hastings is moving further away.

I bemoaned the lack of a real farmer's market in town, since I only knew about the one that sells pumpkins, honey, chili peppers, potted plants, and tacky steer-shaped Christmas lawn decorations. She set me straight. There is one downtown at the Fort Concho parking lot! PickTexas.com lists the dates, times, locations, and what produce is in available each month.

So it was a pleasant and productive "real" conversation, and I really needed that. Also, the chocolate muffin was good.

Ride #3: Leaving the Comfort Zone

I have been looking for the best route to get from home to school, wavering on which busy road I will brave (Sunset or Johnson), when I noticed (on the map) a way to avoid both, so I took it. I'm really glad I did, too. I've never been down that road and it is really pretty scenery! As long as I finally get it in my head to turn at the right road down the line, I will have a really great morning route. :) I ended up all over the place in those curvy non-connecting streets near the college, which is really frustrating, but I always get lost around there by car.

Equipment Malfunctions:
The seat went all wonky on me again! I have a powerful ass, indeed. I took it easy the rest of the way, but as soon as I parked and got off the bike, I heard a tink and one of the screws for the rack came right out! It was difficult for the bike guys to get in when they installed it, so hopefully they will have a way to fix it for me. I put the screw away and tried to work on the seat. The quick release was for sure clamped all the way down, but I tried tightening the screw/bolt/whatever thing with my hand and then I could not get the quick release to clamp on again! I loosened what I tightened and things seemed to work out for now, as it didn't fail me on the way home. As I finished up in the computer lab, I realized I left both my lights on. Doh!

I can summarize the trip to the grocery store like so: If I ever find the city planner who decided that the majority of all streets in this town do not need to be through streets, I will string him up by his toenails. That is all.

I am pretty excited to say I rode back from HEB on College Hills and Sunset and did not feel like I was going to be run over. I did learn that the manual is right, and you should not move more than one gear at a time, and that I should also not try to do this as I cross an intersection. People understood my Oh Shit! face and the not pedaling, so I did not get honked at or anything. I got off the road and put the chain back onto its path and continued on to the intersection where I had to cross into the left-turn lane, and that went smoothly. Well, except the car waiting behind me honked once. I disregard their opinion because I would not have attempted to make that gap even if I was in a car. Cranky Wanker. Things were okay going up Sunset until I got close to the Knickerbocker intersection, where it gets steep. I stopped and was going to rest at the light, but it turned and I almost went but my legs and lungs gave out. I got off the road and walked at the crosswalk on my wobbly legs. I would have rested under the tree for a little while longer, but I had dairy products to protect and it was 96 degrees and I was almost home.

Overall Estimated Distance: 8.0 miles (12.9km)

Last thought: The carry bag was way to small to hold even 5 smallish grocery items. I must find a better way.

Bike Ride #2

Summary of Ride #1:
Rain.

Ride #2:
Night

First, a complaint, because I'm so good at those. Can they find a more comfortable way to attach helmets to our heads? Like nails, or staples? Because I'm not all into the bondage/choking thing. Mkay?

Moving on.

Here is a lesson learned for you. After riding in the rain, you should dry off your bike. I learned this because, during rigorous pedaling, my seat would move in all directions. You may understand this was disconcerting. I rode back home and sacrificed a dish towel to dry off the seat post and I think the problem went away. I'm really glad I decided to stay in the neighborhood, instead of trying a route to the school. That would have been a bad time to go wobbling around.

I got the new lights and the mirror mounted and they worked pretty well. The front light did a great job of showing me how wobbly I was riding!

I do have a request for whoever makes bike parts: turn signals and brake lights. WTF with primitive hand signals?!?!

That is all. For Now

Because You Care, Probably...Maybe

Today I bought the bike. They had white, blue, and orange. The white was being sold when I walked in, so I went with the orange. Why not?

Turns out I walked in right as they were getting ready to close, but the woman buying the white bike was very needy, and kept coming up with more stuff for them to put on her bike, and even had them deliver it to her house. I had them put on a rack and also got a helmet and rack bag. I should have also gotten the front basket and a set of lights especially. The rack covered up the rear reflector, which is a wee bit of a problem. I'll probably ride it around the neighborhood during the daytime for a week and then go back for the lights at least.

Did I mention I walked there, stopped at the coffee shop for some lunch, and rode back in the rain? I guess I had to ride in the rain eventually, might as well get it over with today. The ride wasn't too bad, except the sensors at the one light I had to go through did not register me and I had to wait for a car to come along to trip the signal. While I sat in the rain.

Another Wildly Stupid Idea by Me

I have planned a kinda crazy route in order to get my new Electra Townie bicycle from Concho Bike to my apartment. Why? Because I'm to chicken to drive strait down Knickerbocker on a bicycle, duh. Ohhh...Why a bike?

1) I had a bike a few years ago that I rode to work a few times until I left it there for months. Lets just say I bought that bike at Wal-Mart (root of all evil), and the bruises on my ass(area) from the uncomfortable seat and riding position could be shown as proof. This bike is made for commuting, and best of all it is made so you can put your feet flat on the ground while sitting, and comes in a variety of sizes. SHORT PEOPLE REJOICE!!!!

2) My car has served me well. I bought it 3+ years ago for $5000 without financing. It is now 11 years old, and I fear it will any day fall to a problem that will cost more than I can afford to fix it. I cannot afford to buy another car if this happens, unless I want some falling-apart and polluting junker, or to go into debt for a car. Not an option, as I do not have a permanent/long-term job and I will not go into debt. Anyway, a smaller car would be better for me, since nobody else rides with me, so what little gas I buy is being wasted A LOT. Also, I just forked over $140 for a new seatbelt, and it just emphasized all the maintenance costs, gas, insurance, and annual registration fees that mean I'm still paying for this car in some way.

3) I don't go very far, so a bike is a reasonable, healthy and earth-friendly way for me to get around town. I can add a rack and pick up two bags of groceries on the way home from school. It will also keep me from buying stuff I don't need, since I won't be able to carry it, or get to Hobby Lobby or Target anymore. I plan/hope to be able to sell the car after the summer is over and I'm used to the bike. We'll see.

And tomorrow, I'm going to chicken out and not buy the bike. Or I will buy it, you are all going to shake your head and think "There goes another one of TJ's Lame Hippie Ideas." Like that one time I bought a Tablet PC.