Post by red on Apr 23, 2007 0:32:36 GMT -5
Less than two hours ago, I have completed a 78-hour work week,
car-free! My weekday routine was to ride five miles to the office,
work 8 hours in front of a computer, ride five miles to the factory,
with an occasional detour for a bowl of salad at Z'mariks, work
four hours in front of a packaging line, ride 3.5 miles home, with
an occasional detour for groceries at the food cooperative.
On the weekend I only worked at the factory for 8 hours a day.
So yeah, now I did it, it doesn't seem like a big deal, but I did it.
Plenty else to write about as on a bicycle everyday is different
and eventful. I finally managed to climb Kimball Road all the way
up after numerous failed attempts. Yay! There are jet-black birds
with red shoulders, each sitting in his own tree by the river in
front of Hancher. They make funny noises at me and flap their
wings. Pretty entertaining from the safe distance of the trail.
I would not go near their trees, though. Posted the bike-to-work
poster at work. I wish the Bike Library also had one. Nobody
knows about them, what a pity. They should also start a voucher
program for low-income people to be able to ride to work. The
person gets a voucher from a social service or staffing company
etc., brings it to the library, gets a bike and rides it to work and
pays after he gets his first paycheck. There is currently such a
program in place for steel-toed boots, which cost about thirty
dollars a pair. I don't know what happens if the person vanishes
without paying. The most-readily available, lowest-paying jobs
are in second and third shifts, and weekends when there are no
buses running. Some walk, some share cars, others hire a cab,
because they risk being fired if they are scheduled and do not
show up. Anyway, it is worth a try if you ask me. I spent no
money on commuting this week. Well, I had to eat candy bars,
because my regular diet couldn't supply the calories I needed,
so maybe I now have a fuel cost! Joking aside, some of these
people work to maintain a car. Maybe if they learn to use a bike
instead, they can climb out of the hole. What else? Oh, the pretty
girl, who waved back and flashed a smile gracefully combining
pride and gratitude, the way only decent people can. You don't
greet guests where you are a guest yourself, but I feel that I
have poured enough sweat (and spit) on the paved segments of
this here town, so that I am entitled to a right to welcome and
encourage others to do nice things. This girl, my kind of rider,
street clothes, no helmet, fat tires, was all concentration and
effort. She rode competently, but her demeanor suggested
that some aspect of it was new to her. New commuter? New
on the street? Anyway, I waved a little encouragement. She
hesitated a split-second, waved back and flashed the said smile.
We have been trying to dehumanize ourselves and call it
civilization for centuries, but there is something powerful in two
people interacting with their true feelings, even if it be violence.
I was quite affected and thought about this a long time after.
Oh well, maybe it's just that I have been single for too long, who
knows? My bicycle, by the way, is being used by plenty of women
as a conversation starter. I always feel like a diplomat
representing the bicycle community and give polite answers.
No matches so far, though. Nice weather brought out all kinds
of riders. I saw a bike pushed through ditches, construction
sites etc., to avoid traffic. What a pity! I almost yelled: Come on
the road, I'll cover you! Yet another SUV getting in the right-turn
only lane to my right and speeding out of it at green to get in
front of me. I am thinking a front-basket full of paint-balls. There
is much more to write, about riding in the rain, traffic lights.
Thanks by the way for all the info, I didn't get a chance to post a
reply. Pretty bad riding today; I must have upset the gods.
Relentless head-wind all the way to work, rainstorm on the way
back. It started right after I left and finished right after I got
home. The raindrops thrown into my eyes by the wind hurt pretty
bad and dislodged both my contacts. Pretty serious safety
hazard when you can't see, but I knew the road, so I was able to
get on the sidewalk, the alleged moron that I am, to get myself
back together. Put the boots in the dryer, what noise they make.
I don't hear it anymore, so I must have dry boots or a broken
dryer. I am too tired to care either way and as the next week,
where I am scheduled for 76 hours starts in six hours, I bow out,
wishing you happy rides.
-
car-free! My weekday routine was to ride five miles to the office,
work 8 hours in front of a computer, ride five miles to the factory,
with an occasional detour for a bowl of salad at Z'mariks, work
four hours in front of a packaging line, ride 3.5 miles home, with
an occasional detour for groceries at the food cooperative.
On the weekend I only worked at the factory for 8 hours a day.
So yeah, now I did it, it doesn't seem like a big deal, but I did it.
Plenty else to write about as on a bicycle everyday is different
and eventful. I finally managed to climb Kimball Road all the way
up after numerous failed attempts. Yay! There are jet-black birds
with red shoulders, each sitting in his own tree by the river in
front of Hancher. They make funny noises at me and flap their
wings. Pretty entertaining from the safe distance of the trail.
I would not go near their trees, though. Posted the bike-to-work
poster at work. I wish the Bike Library also had one. Nobody
knows about them, what a pity. They should also start a voucher
program for low-income people to be able to ride to work. The
person gets a voucher from a social service or staffing company
etc., brings it to the library, gets a bike and rides it to work and
pays after he gets his first paycheck. There is currently such a
program in place for steel-toed boots, which cost about thirty
dollars a pair. I don't know what happens if the person vanishes
without paying. The most-readily available, lowest-paying jobs
are in second and third shifts, and weekends when there are no
buses running. Some walk, some share cars, others hire a cab,
because they risk being fired if they are scheduled and do not
show up. Anyway, it is worth a try if you ask me. I spent no
money on commuting this week. Well, I had to eat candy bars,
because my regular diet couldn't supply the calories I needed,
so maybe I now have a fuel cost! Joking aside, some of these
people work to maintain a car. Maybe if they learn to use a bike
instead, they can climb out of the hole. What else? Oh, the pretty
girl, who waved back and flashed a smile gracefully combining
pride and gratitude, the way only decent people can. You don't
greet guests where you are a guest yourself, but I feel that I
have poured enough sweat (and spit) on the paved segments of
this here town, so that I am entitled to a right to welcome and
encourage others to do nice things. This girl, my kind of rider,
street clothes, no helmet, fat tires, was all concentration and
effort. She rode competently, but her demeanor suggested
that some aspect of it was new to her. New commuter? New
on the street? Anyway, I waved a little encouragement. She
hesitated a split-second, waved back and flashed the said smile.
We have been trying to dehumanize ourselves and call it
civilization for centuries, but there is something powerful in two
people interacting with their true feelings, even if it be violence.
I was quite affected and thought about this a long time after.
Oh well, maybe it's just that I have been single for too long, who
knows? My bicycle, by the way, is being used by plenty of women
as a conversation starter. I always feel like a diplomat
representing the bicycle community and give polite answers.
No matches so far, though. Nice weather brought out all kinds
of riders. I saw a bike pushed through ditches, construction
sites etc., to avoid traffic. What a pity! I almost yelled: Come on
the road, I'll cover you! Yet another SUV getting in the right-turn
only lane to my right and speeding out of it at green to get in
front of me. I am thinking a front-basket full of paint-balls. There
is much more to write, about riding in the rain, traffic lights.
Thanks by the way for all the info, I didn't get a chance to post a
reply. Pretty bad riding today; I must have upset the gods.
Relentless head-wind all the way to work, rainstorm on the way
back. It started right after I left and finished right after I got
home. The raindrops thrown into my eyes by the wind hurt pretty
bad and dislodged both my contacts. Pretty serious safety
hazard when you can't see, but I knew the road, so I was able to
get on the sidewalk, the alleged moron that I am, to get myself
back together. Put the boots in the dryer, what noise they make.
I don't hear it anymore, so I must have dry boots or a broken
dryer. I am too tired to care either way and as the next week,
where I am scheduled for 76 hours starts in six hours, I bow out,
wishing you happy rides.
-
