Whenever I see a biker stopped on the side of the road, or walking their bike down the street, or bending down around some imperceptible thing on their chain, or really doing anything at all that seems like it might portend something bad for the rest of their commute, I …
Every summer, I inevitably catch a glimpse of my winter riding gloves and ask myself how I can possibly stand having to wear those things. From the glow of summer, I think back to days where even in all their insulated glory they failed to keep my fingers warm and …
For the last two nights, James and I have had a relative stranger sleeping upstairs in our house. No, it’s not as creepy as it sounds: Neil, our short-term house guest, is the first person to contact me via the Warmshowers website, a resource for touring cyclists. Basically what it …
It’s been…oh, about four weeks since I started working for real(ish) and taking some classes at Portland State. Apparently, four weeks of schedule is about all it takes until I’m ready for the next adventure. This is somewhat troublesome when it comes to living what most might consider a normal …
This may be my own opinion more than any cultural norm or hard rule or anything, but when you’re biking, I think it’s flat-out rude to blow by someone else without some form of acknowledgment. It doesn’t need to be huge–a simple “on your left” or ring of a bell …
Being unemployed right now means that I probably think about money (and not having any) more than your average bear. Or maybe not, since I hate thinking about money. But either way, I was thinking about it as I biked around today, and I got to wondering how much having …
I haven’t really mentioned running on this blog, since that’s largely recreational and I guess I’ve been focused more on actual, functional transportation. But with the Hagg Lake 25k race looming this weekend, it seems like high time to send a little nod to that other thing I do with …
My intention was to escort James on his way to work, and then figure out what I wanted to do for the morning–probably find a spot where I could sit down (preferably without having to pay for anything), read, maybe get some administrative stuff taken care of. Thirty five miles …
Life is too short to be stuck in traffic. In Sacramento, I’ve been driving much more than I normally do, and remembering why I don’t particularly enjoy it. In a car, there’s really nothing you can do about how fast you get places. I mean, you can speed, but if …