Another Moving Experience

I've said it before: A change of address is a moving experience.

And of course, all the boxes have been emptied, the dishes and clothes put away, the books alphabetized, the rental house cleaned and ready for its next tenant.

If you believe that, I've also got a bridge to sell you. You can make money on this one, too--it goes up and down in the middle, so you get to charge a fee to get across (or threaten to interrupt travel if someone doesn't pay...).

I don't know if I've mentioned that Jenn's birthday was last weekend. We were on our way to Annapolis in the last few hours of RAAM at the time, so we didn't get to celebrate properly on that day. However, on our return home last Monday, she got her big birthday present from me: a Ryan Vanguard much like my own. She zoomed around the block on it, then put it back in the garage as there was so much work to do (on the houses and on the bike).

Last week, she called me about getting it set up to be her commuting rig. Her employer is big on United Way stuff, and is doing a fund-raiser this week in which employees show off their rides and garner votes. Jenn figured this was as good a time as any to trick out the bike, so we went through a few catalogs and accessorized for the hard-core cycle commuter.

I got to put the toys on the bike yesterday, in between sessions of preparing for testing my riders in the New Rider Clinic and dealing with little things on the new house. Jenn got to do a bit longer ride on her bike last night, despite not feeling well. I fine-tuned the handlebar placement a bit, and may need to shorten the seat-to-pedal distance a bit, but we got it mostly right the first time. I rode the bike briefly before moving the seat to fit her, and was quite pleased with how an unladen Vanguard feels after riding my heavily-outfitted bike so much.

She now has: a rack (Axiom brand, with some ridiculous weight capacity), a Planet Bike rack trunk (into which she can lock her lights rather than tote them inside when she's at work), fenders (Planet Bike), taillights (Planet Bike Super Flash), a be-seen headlight (Planet Bike Blaze half-watt flasher), headlight set (Cygo Lite Dual Cross Pro NiMH), and a Delta Airzound horn. We also got her a set of Axiom Typhoon panniers, into which we could pack a week's worth of laundry.

Will she win? Who knows? She'll get a few votes, just because there are a few folks at her workplace that are willing to buck a trend. She works in a four-story building, and is known as the one office worker that rides (some of the cafeteria help ride some times, but Jenn is the only office person there who rides regularly).

With the move, my internet access has been interrupted for a few days. I'm typing this during a break at the store, but must get back to work. Sadly, I won't be able to make it to Car Free Happy Hour this evening, and will likely miss Drinking Liberally this Thursday too. One of the things I liked about the rental house is that I could walk to a nice tavern like Brendan's or BBC, enjoy a beer or too many, and stagger home without having to drive or even ride a bike.