Fried-day evening

I haven't much felt like putting any words here this week. Despite the short week, it's felt long. I've felt compelled to drive to work, as my assigned starting point for the day is well west of my usual path and I don't have much time to get from place to place.

It's been an interesting week at work, too. At the end of last week, I learned that a close friend of one of my tenants had been a sex offender, and that he had failed to register as is required of such folks. Knowledge of his past upset other tenants who, like me, learned by way of anonymous "flier under the door" means.

I took my concerns to the police department, of course. I didn't know how to handle such a thing, but figured someone there would help me. I made a phone call, was told to call someone else. Left a message for him, and he called back. After getting some information from me, he quit the call to make other calls.

Long story short, the fellow was led from the building in cuffs.

I don't feel guilty about it at all. He did what he did, was sentenced, and didn't follow the rules given him in his sentencing. I don't know any details regarding his initial offense, other than that he was required to register and inform some office of his whereabouts on a regular basis, and he failed to do so. Had he done his part, there may not have been any problem for him.

In the course of checking the security camera memory bank (hard to not use the word "film," here, as the memory is digitized), I saw images of another tenant walking the halls, about midnight, wearing nothing but his shoes.

I don't get spun up about nudity. It's not a big thing to me. I look at it as a contextual thing, in the main. In some contexts, there is absolutely nothing wrong with what some call "skyclad" as a clothing option. It's not about my personal opinion, though. In an apartment building where one could, at any moment, encounter a neighbor who is not so understanding is not such a place or agreeable context. This fellow is now looking for another place to live, as his actions are a material breach of the lease he signed.

The inspection that has had my organization in such an uproar for the last three weeks is next week. My part of the preparation is basically done, so I might get to ride to work next week.

However, I also start another teaching gig next week. The four Wednesday evenings in June, I will teach a Confident Cycling class through Bicycling for Louisville.

I also have some wedding-related projects that are far behind schedule. Back to them, and more words here at a later time.

property inspections and riding extra work routes

I was out of sorts over not riding to work of late, especially with the nice weather we've had. I finagled a way to ride on Friday of last week, and found ways to ride a few days this week as well.

I drove on Monday and Tuesday, as my 8:00 stop is way out of the way on my usual commute. Tuesday morning, I was reminded that I was to attend a conference at the Galt House that day, Wednesday and Thursday. I drove to the conference on Tuesday, but during the long lunch break found a place I could stow my bike for Wednesday's sessions. I was thus able to ride to work Wednesday--in a kilt no less--on my Raleigh (the place where I locked my bike was not suitable for the Ryan--if I had to ride the Raleigh, I was going to at least be comfortable while in the sessions).

After I got home from work Wednesday, Jenn reminded me that the Ride of Silence was that evening, so we hustled downtown (on bikes, of course) for that ride. After the ride, I wanted to go across the bridge with a group, but realized I wouldn't have time with available daylight (I was on my Strada for the evening, and it doesn't have enough lights for nighttime use), so home we went--again at a good hustle. I had a flat tire a mile from home, and it was a tire failure, so we stopped to fix it. I keep a spare tire in that bike's bag most of the time, and it was a good thing it was there that evening.

Yesterday, I rode to the Galt House again. The conference only went until shortly before lunch, at which time I realized I had left my wallet at home. I rode home to get it, and decided that I didn't really have time to ride to N'Awb'ny, so I drove over.

However, I rode to work again today--again in a kilt, again on the Raleigh. I had to attend a meeting at the Liberty Street office at 8:00, and go from there to Old Louisville to inspect some work being done before heading for N'Awb'ny for the afternoon.

Riding is much more fun than driving...

Tonight, I get to assemble at least one of the new RANS Sequoia Crank-Forward bikes. A friend custom-ordered one, and is one of those folks who prefers to trust me when it comes to finer details of bike final assembly and tuning. He also gets to combine his trip to me with a trip to a favored grocery store. It's nice to be so convenient for my friends.

Sunday riding

I held a session of Bicycling Safely, for Bicycling for Louisville, Saturday afternoon. I had four attendees (not enough to suit me, but better than the Sharing the Road I was supposed to present a few weeks ago, when NOBODY showed), and all were quite interested.

Jenn and I rode to the Louisville Bicycle Club's Ice Cream Ride today. There was a club meeting afterward, and an officers' meeting after that. All told, I got in about thirty-five miles, on the Gasato (my custom-built Bacchetta Strada). Jenn was on her Giro. On the way home, Jenn was hustling along Frankfort Avenue, and was able to get going at twenty miles an hour or better for short periods. David was at the ride, having ridden some with Tim earlier in the day.

I was glad to get out for some longer miles. I felt good at the end of the day, and was able to roll pretty well during my ride, telling me that my commuting miles are indeed helping me on the fast bike.

BIKE TO WORK DAY

Yep, today is Bike to Work Day, as observed in Louisville KY and other places.

I had to drive. I had to be in the west end by 8:00, and in Phoenix Hill by 9:00, with not enough time between commitments to ride.

I've been frustrated about this all week. Having to be at a west-end site at 8:00, then having to go WAY out of my way to get to N'Awb'ny, then having to go way out of my way for a 3:30 commitment before going home each day really stinks.

Heck with it, today, though! I tossed the Raleigh in the back of the truck, figuring I'd at least do SOME of my work-related transit by bike. I left the truck in Phoenix Hill, and once that meeting was done, rode by Fourth Street Live to say hello to Scott Render before riding on to N'Awb'ny.

It felt quite nice to ride across the bridge again. I enjoyed the ride, despite the extra stuff I was hauling (free stuff from Bike to Work celebration, my lunch, my work papers that I need to haul...).

I even got to ride to work wearing a kilt--something I wouldn't try on the Vanguard.

Bike to Work Week

Here it is, Bike to Work Week. There are observances all over the place, including some stuff happening here in Louisville.

I don't get to go to the party.

Last week, I learned that a couple of properties owned by my employer are up for inspection early next month. The properties in question MUST pass muster this time. We are in an "all hands on deck" mode to get any repairs and maintenance bugs out of the way on these properties before inspection time.

One thing coming of this is that I have to be several places during the day, with very little time to get from one to the next. In other words, I need to drive for work this week. And next week. And probably the week after.

YUCK.

I want a real job. One with real pay, real benefits, and real recognition of outside-of-job real life.

That was the week that...sucked

Yeah, I drove to work Tuesday. Wednesday, I rode the Raleigh (in office clothing) to the main office for a meeting, figuring on dealing with a little rain, but in riding clothing, for the trip across the bridge to the usual work site and for the trip home.

Got to the office in time to learn that I had gotten a voice mail telling me to be there almost an hour earlier. Got to the meeting (an hour late) and learned that we have an "all hands on deck" pre-inspection thing happening for two of our properties.

After the meeting, I had to wait for my copy of a key I would need to do my next task--placing notices in tenants' doors alerting them that I would be doing the pre-inspection in a couple days (today). Got the key, had the notices already printed, so I hopped on the bike and headed down the street.

Rain started getting a bit heavier the further I went. By the time I got to the apartment in question, it was starting to reach "shower" levels of rainfall. Naturally, the master key I was given was NOT the right one. I called my supervisor to inform him of such (politely as I could, given my frustration level at the moment), and got back on the bike to head back to the office.

On the way to the office, I changed course to go home and get dry clothing. The rain cape is not much good in heavy showers, frankly, and may be abandoned for hard commuter use. I MAY consider another one, or talking to the makers of the one I have to see if I got one that didn't get coated, for example. It is clearly NOT waterproof as I understand the term.

In any case, I got partway out on Frankfort Avenue and decided to hit a bus shelter for a break from the water pouring down my neck. I looked at the schedule, and thought I might see a bus going my way shortly to make the trip home a bit more tolerable. Sure enough, the bus arrived. I loaded my bike on the rack and got inside the bus.

While I was on the bus, my supervisor called, asking me where I was. I told him I was on my way home to get dry clothing and my car, and he said he didn't blame me. He then told me he had the correct key, that my call had made a few folks scramble a bit, and that my copy of the correct key would be where I could get it shortly afterward.

I've not been on a bike since getting home about noon Wednesday.

Yesterday and today, my travel schedule has been uncertain enough and the weather lousy enough that I felt it best to drive.

With the weird stuff happening at work, I may or may not get to ride next week. If I don't get to ride, I'll be ticked. It is Bike to Work Week, after all.

Bollocks.

Drove today

I drove my truck last night, for the first time in over a week. Jenn drove her car for our travels over the weekend--a Derby party with some friends of hers in Simpsonville on Saturday, and a family gathering at her favorite uncle's house on Sunday.

Last night, though, it was a "drive to haul bikes" situation. I was just about ready to leave the house for the New Rider clinic, and called Jenn to remind her where I'd be and let her know the dog had been for his after-work walk. She asked me if I minded hauling her bike along, so that she could meet me at the class site. As a result, I drove to the class instead of riding there.

I drove to work today, too, ending my streak at fourteen days riding to work (and there was a day in there that I didn't work--Earth Day--but rode the bike to all my activities). I have an excuse, lame though it sounds: I'm getting some tires mounted today, as the ones currently there are worn badly and are also out of balance enough that driving is unpleasant at several common speed ranges. For the times I need to use my truck, it will be a good thing to have balanced, not-so-badly worn tires.

Now I need to clear my schedule to allow fifteen or more days in a row! It will be challenging, as I am teaching on Monday nights for the rest of the summer. We'll see how it goes, though.

Oaks Day

It's almost the end of Derby Week--something of a misnomer, now, since the Derby Festival now begins two weeks before Derby Day with Thunder(ous wretched excess) Over Louisville, and has for the last fifteen or twenty years. Today is the day they hold the Kentucky Oaks, a horse race of slightly smaller stature than the Derby.

I'm old enough to remember it being simply Derby Week, however. Each day of the week had its stable events--the Mini Marathon on Saturday a week before the Derby (and the balloon race the same morning), the Bed Race on Monday, the Boat Race on Wednesday, the Pegasus Parade on Thursday, and so on. Not much business gets done in Louisville during Derby Week, although many folks try to buck the trend.

I've switched bikes every day this week--Monday, Wednesday and today I rode the Vanguard, and the Raleigh on Tuesday and Thursday. I don't know that this is some sort of trend, but who knows (or cares?). The big thing is that I haven't driven to work all week (WOOHOO!). It seems that this is the first five-days on the bike week in a LONG time.

Sadly, it may not continue. I will be teaching on Monday evenings from next week through the summer, and may need to drive just to get where I need to be by the time I need to be there with what I'll need to carry. I may be back down to four days a week on the bikes.

Wet day again

I had a meeting to attend at the main office this morning, and there is rain forecast for much of the day, so I rode the Raleigh. I'm more comfortable wearing office clothes on the Raleigh, for some reason, although I could easily do so on the Vanguard. I'm certainly more comfortable riding the Raleigh if I'm wearing regular shoes, as it has Shimano dual-use pedals (sometimes called campus pedals) that are flat on one side and have the SPD cleat system on the other. I also consider the Raleigh my rain bike, as I have a rain cape (more on that in a moment), and the cape is simply not functional on the Vanguard.

I'm a recumbent guy. I have to justify riding a wedgie bike. I don't have to justify riding a 'bent.

I've mixed feelings about the cape. In cooler weather, I think it's fairly nice to have. On a fairly warm day like today (temperatures in the upper 60s F), it gets quite warm inside that tent.

I brought a change of cycling clothes, but wore office clothing to get to Liberty Street and to N'Awb'ny from that meeting. My shirt was pretty wet, from a combination of sweat and water coming through the cape. Of course, I keep several changes of clothing at the office, so a clean dry shirt was ready at hand. I'll wear a cycling jersey and shorts for my ride home, just to be a bit more comfortable.

About the rain cape: It is billed as being waterproof material. That description is something of a moving target, in my experience. Even fairly waterproof fabrics can allow water to leach through if there is something water-absorbing against the inside of the fabric--in this case, my shirt. The object on the inside of the fabric doesn't even have to really absorb lots of water--skin can do the trick, for example--as much as simply provide a way for water to move by capillary action between it and the fabric, and it will "pull" water through the cape.

That said, my tr*^$er$ were almost totally dry when I got to the apartment building. The cape had kept rain from falling on the legs of my p@nt$. All I had to do was change shirt and footwear when I arrived.

Flat out funny

At least this title made itself.

On my way home from work, at the corner of Market and Johnson (at the main entrance to the Home of the Innocents), I entered the corner and felt my rear tire move sideways. Without falling, I wrenched the bike back upright and got out of the traffic lane, certain that I had a low tire.

Since I had done my ABC Quick Check before leaving the office, I knew that whatever had caused my tire to go down was a new problem. Rather than take the time to repair it on site, I pumped the tire up to an approximation of operating pressure and rode on, figuring I'd get at least halfway home before having to inflate it again.

I got about as far as Clifton Center, and stopped again. As I was pumping it this time, Barry stopped by to chat (saying as he stopped that he clearly didn't need to offer repair help on the level of some cyclists he has encountered). We chatted as I finished pumping my tire, then rode together as our homes are along the same route.

I had to stop again, just before reaching the Water Company's facility on Frankfort Avenue. This leak was larger than I thought, and was perhaps getting bigger.

I got home on that gush of air, though. I put the bike in a repair stand (always a good idea if one is available) and dismantled the rear tire.

Lo and behold! The shard of glass was a quarter-inch from where the last glass shard had punctured the same tube! At first, seeing the hole in the tube so close to the edge of the existing patch, I wondered whether I had, indeed, gotten the old sharp out of the tire. When I looked at the tire, I found a shard of glass in a new hole, and felt a bit better. I patched the tube, and while I had the patching stuff out patched a tube set aside for repairs and stowed it in the bike bag.


When I was at the shop, we simply changed tubes. It isn't worth shop time (at $50/hour) to try to patch tubes and have them not seal well.

When I am working on my own bike, though, I don't see a big reason to throw a tube away if it has a minor hole in it. That is why patch kits are made, after all. If I can do the repair at home, I'll patch the tube. If I have to fix one on the road, I'll usually replace the tube and patch it another time, although there are exceptions to this rule (on the Raleigh, for example, the front wheel is a pain to remove due to Raleigh-specific fork ends, so I'd probably patch it more or less in situ). I generally keep one or two tubes (or one or two for each wheel size on the Vanguard) in the on-bike repair kit along with a patch kit, in case I have a third flat.

As mentioned, the new hole was very close to the last repair I had made to this tube. I'll be interested to see how the new patch holds, given that roughly a quarter of it is on a prior patch.

I'll find out when I do my ABC Quick Check in the morning. The Raleigh is, or should be, ready to go as a back-up option should I be short on time.

Ah, the luxury of having two commuter bikes.

Another shorts to work day

It seems as if my blog is bogged down in "what did I ride to work today" posts--at least, it seems hard to generate a different title for each post. I guess part of the point of doing this blog, for me, was to create something of a diary of riding to work. I envision the ability to look back on posts and figure out how much I'm riding if I want. Or not.


Got some curiosity-based flack from a co-worker today, as I was loading my stuff into my packs. I had to attend what will be a weekly meeting at the main office, and had to change clothes for this meeting (I get fussed at for wearing "bikers' clothes, ect." (sic) to the office for meetings). I had brought some foodstuffs for lunch and snacks, and had put them in the fridge for the duration of the meeting. It took me a couple of trips from the staff break room to the area where I park my bike to get everything ready.

I park my bike in what the staff calls the "butt hutt," or the smoking area. It is outdoors, but under a roof, so the bike is protected from rain (especially helpfull when the bags are open). The co-worker in question was on a smoke break (reminding me once again how glad I am to have quit that nasty habit over twenty years ago), and opined that my trips (and changing clothes twice for a half-hour meeting) seemed a lot of trouble for riding to work. I chose to not be nasty about her colleague (my supervisor) or her manager and their unfortunate views on meeting wear (in a meeting that is not likely to be observed by tenants).

I suppose I could segue into a rant about how people who drive instead of ride for transport just don't "get it" when it comes to the different ways bicycle commuters do things. It is not an imposition for me to change clothes when I get to work, nor to do so when I prepare to leave the office. I am becoming more comfortable for the upcoming stage of my day.

As far as stopping at a grocery for snacks on my way to work being an oddity, well, I just don't know what to say. I suppose I could stock such things at home, and get them the night before (or the weekend before), and I often do just that. It just so happened that we were out of what I wanted, and my timing worked out in such a way that I could stop easily.


My "take-away" from this is that it takes a different sort of planning to ride a bike to work instead of driving. It seems to me that people don't often think about the planning they have invested in driving instead of cycling, so they think in terms of planning for cycling as being an insurmountable task for themselves. Planning for driving to work involves buying the car, insuring the car, paying taxes on the car, fueling the car, finding a place to park the car and so on. Planning for cycling involves acquiring the bike(s) and gear, finding a place to haul and/or store clothes for work, arranging a place to clean up once at (or near) the work place, and so on.

Not harder, not easier, just different. I find the cycling to work much more fun.

Rainy day again

April Showers are here. I got to work just ahead of them.

As I crossed the bridge, I enjoyed the colors in the eastern sky. This is becoming a favorite regular part of my ride to work. The quartering tailwind didn't hurt my feelings, either, although it did bode poorly for my ride home this afternoon--especially given the forecast for rain. Also as I crossed the bridge, I realized I had crossed another seasonal threshold: Today was my first day this season that I rode to work in shorts.

I stopped to grab a snack on my way to work, and while I was away from my bike, it fell over. I went outside to pick it up, and was doing so when I saw a pickup truck heading for the drive-through lane crush my front flasher that had fallen from the bike and rolled into the lane. He could easily have missed it, but I suppose the driver didn't bother to look.

Oh, well, it's an opportunity to upgrade that flasher.

I didn't want to ride the Raleigh today, but my rain gear is set up for it more than for the Vanguard. Of course, I'll get wet no matter which bike I ride, but the cape doesn't work at all on the Vanguard. My hands are still a bit tired from the yard work I did on Sunday, suggesting that my upper body muscles are out of shape. I'll have opportunity to remedy that over the summer, I'm sure.

Unlike some friends, I've not been one to keep tight records of my weight (or miles, or lots of other things). It's simply not my style to do that, although I see the value others find in doing so. I tend instead to make a mental note of the general trend, and if I like the trend, try to do things I know will continue it. It's not a terribly effective weight-loss strategy, but I've never felt strongly enough about my weight to get that serious about changing my habits to that degree.

Still, it's nice to notice a drop in weight that seems to be maintainable. Since I started casually weighing myself a few months ago, I've seen several days when my weight was under 230#, but only for a day or two. Over the last week, however, it has remained about 227#, instead of tending to be about 235#.

As I don't keep fastidious records, I cannot ascribe credit to specific changes in habit. I have reduced the amount of beer I consume by some bit, and have been riding to work more often with the better weather, and have probably eaten fewer candy bars--all of which are certainly contributing factors.

I've not done any long miles, though. I miss them. Life may keep me from riding as many of them as I'd like for a while.

...or not.

Sunday without riding

Despite the warm (hot) weather, I didn't get to ride today. Jenn and I went out to Mom's house to do some yard work.

Our wedding will be happening in my folks' house or yard, and Mom wants to spruce things up a bit (some of which needs to be done anyway, as a maintenance thing). Today's task was to remove some old overgrown shrubs and bushes (sounds like a recent presidential election), and replace them with other species.

The old stuff came out of the ground much more easily than expected--I did NOT have to get the boom on the tractor to lift the stumps out of the ground, as the spade cut enough roots that I could simply lift the stump myself. The new ones look good so far, too.

I'm also back on my own computer! A friend who gets lots of lightly-used boxes brought me one on Friday, mostly to get it out of his house. It has a faster processor than my old one, and a bit more than twice the hard drive space. It seems a bit shy on RAM, but I may have a card or two that will fit--I'll have to look at what it takes and what I have. The sound isn't working yet, but that may be an electronic switch issue. I'll tinker with it over the coming week or three and see what happens. My mother has an IDE adapter that she has allowed me to borrow, so I can go through my old hard drive and move what makes sense to keep into the "new-to-me" box.

It's an opportunity to try some different things. Mark installed Windoze XP on it (as opposed to Vista that so many people dislike), but it doesn't have the Microshaft Office Suite installed yet. I may or may not install that--if I do it would only be because some of the stuff I do frequently works best in that batch of gobbledygook coding.

On Saturday, Jenn and I rode over to Cherokee Triangle for the annual Art Fair there. It was a good time--wandering among the booths, looking at the creative and functional stuff on display. We didn't buy anything, but got a bunch of business cards for future web buying efforts. Cycling to the event got us much closer parking than many folks had to tolerate. That makes sense, since we went to the effort to get there on our own power.

Seasonal milestones

As an indicator that the weather is warming for the season, I rode to work today in short sleeves.

Yesterday morning, I wore my usual Illuminite jacket for the first leg of my ride, the five miles or so to the main office. I had a bright vest with reflective stripes with me for the remainder of the ride, as I was wearing a dark brown shirt and wanted to be more visible (as opposed to risible).

Today, though, I had a peep at the weather forecast site, and saw that the temperature was over sixty (F). That is usually my threshold for short sleeves on the bike, and it was nearing my threshold for shorts instead of tights (I like to keep my knees a bit warmer for some reason). Short-sleeve jersey time!

On a related note, I wore sunglasses the entire morning ride on Thursday, and in doing so left the clear lenses at home. I was wishing I had had them with me on the way home, as it was pretty cloudy (and rainy in spots). Oh, well. I wore the clear lenses most of the way to work this morning, changing to sunglasses when I made a stop for a morning snack shortly before arriving at the office.

As I've noted, the sky colors that I get to see as I cross the bridge are quite pretty. I enjoyed the colors again this morning.

The blossoms of the fruit trees have been replaced by leaves, and the dogwoods have been blooming for several days now.

Spring is truly here.

Engage EnJenn, or in the words of Paul Harvey, "The Rest of the Story"

A few weeks ago, I did some work on a friend's bike. It was an extensive overhaul, but one that didn't fully address all the problems found for budgetary reasons. At any rate, I took it home, as he was going to pick it up there instead of at the shop. I had Jenn ride it, to assure myself that I wasn't sub-consciously compensating for some minor adjustment, and that it was indeed working as I wanted.

She came back from her short test-ride, and exclaimed, "I'm done with the bikeE." A couple days later, we picked out her new bike--a Bacchetta Giro 26. We are gradually adding doo-dads to make it her primary commuter rig (fenders, light mounts, rack, etc.).

As I mentioned in the description of that day at the shop, I was also building a wheel for David. As I was preparing to assemble that wheel, Jenn sidled up to the work bench and told me that she had a question for me, but that I had to promise not to be upset with her for asking it. I replied that I couldn't guarantee such, as I didn't know what the question was going to be.

After a few rounds of "you have to promise to not be upset" and "I don't know what the question is going to be," she asked me to marry her.

I was all but speechless for a bit, and so distracted that I laced David's wheel incorrectly, and didn't recognize my mistake until I got the wheel into the truing stand! I dismantled the wheel, sorting the spokes as I went, and started again. After getting almost all the spokes in the drive side, I realized that my spoke count was off, and that the spokes would have to be resorted yet another time. I told Jenn that since she had gotten me so distracted, she was going to have to help sort spokes this go-round.

Once I finally got the wheel laced to suit my standards, I started tightening the spokes. Jenn had been digging around in the store shelves looking for accessories for her new bike, so I called her over and said, "Sure."

Shortly after, she told me we were even. She didn't feel that it would be appropriate to run and jump around in the store with glee since nobody else in the store was to be informed of the decision (each of us had an order of who we wanted to tell, of course).

The lunch at my folks' place was, in part, to celebrate our engagement. Jenn's folks came to our house that evening for dessert and some socializing, and we told them at that time. We told her daughters the next day (the younger one claimed she already knew, of course--she knew Jenn wanted her to keep a certain date open, and suspected why, but didn't know whether I would agree to the whole thing).

As mentioned parenthetically, I had a list of friends I wanted to tell in person before I went blabbing about it online. I think I've gotten to most of them, but I'm sure I've forgotten one or two. I doubt that they are reading my blog, though, so they may still be surprised when I tell them.

Yes, it is a surprise to anyone who has known me for any length of time. I've never been married before. Indeed, I rarely really thought I would find someone to marry, although I came close a couple of times (and soon after, realized what a mistake at least one of those times would have been).

That last comment was not entirely fair to either of the women involved. Both were good people, and were good to me. I was the one who figured out that at least for me, it would have been a bad choice to get married, and it took time for me to work up the courage to break their hearts. Both have moved on with their lives--one got married about ten years ago, I think, and as far as I know they are still married, the other is dating someone now, and from what I'm hearing through the grapevine they are quite happy with one another. I wish them all the best, of course.

Anyway, there is much planning and deciding to be done over the next few months. We asked my sister to perform the ceremony, and she graciously agreed (perhaps enthusiastically would be a better word). The ceremony will probably be fairly small, but the guest list for the reception or other party could get quite long.

This is what I meant when I responded to David's announcement that he and Kristy are engaged with, "There must be something in the water." Next thing I know, another friend will announce (no bets on who--most of my friends are married or happily divorced).

Now you know, well, you get the picture!

Where has the week gone?

I realized I hadn't made any entries since Monday, even though I'm trying to treat this as my own diary of sorts.

The weather has been tolerable to grand for cycling to work. I got a bit wet on the home-bound trip Tuesday, but not so bad I couldn't just ride.

I took Wednesday off from work to allow myself the luxury of presenting at a local high-school's Earth Day celebrations. This was on invitation from a teacher there who knows Barry Zalph. I had opportunity to present the 30-minute "Share the Road" presentation assembled by Barry and others under the Bike Louisville/Bicycling for Louisville partnership.

After two runs through the presentation, I spent an hour or two in the front parking lot of the school, talking about transportation options, recumbent bicycles as such an option, and my Vanguard in particular as well as how I utilize bicycles in my own transport plan. I got lots of questions from students and faculty, and opportunities to do a little myth-dispelling as well as chances to offer my own semi-formed opinions.

It was fun, and it sure as heck beat a day at the office.

Afterward, I went to my Chiropractor for a periodic adjustment. I didn't feel bad, but figured I would feel better after he did his tricks. I was right. I'm much more flexible today, and my ride to work reflected that.

I wound up riding the Raleigh today, despite the good weather. I had a training session at the main office, and didn't remember whether it was an all-day session or part-day. I figured that I could ride the Raleigh while wearing office clothes, as the weather is so nice, so when I learned that I would have the second half of the day in my regular office, it became a "cross the bridge in slacks" day.

I have since learned that I will be presenting the short "Share the Road" session this evening. I'll need to haul butt home, get my car, and drive to J-town.

Tomorrow, I may even get a replacement for my computer that hasn't worked since mid-February.

Short haul Monday

I had a training session to attend at the main office today, so didn't have to cross the bridge. I got a little wet on the way to work, but the cycling clothes got dry enough during the day that they were not clammy for the ride home.

I'm back on the Ryan, after riding the Raleigh most of last week. I'm not sure why I rode the Raleigh Tuesday and Wednesday, other than I felt like it, although it could be that the last time I had ridden the Vanguard I really felt the chain wear I noticed Wednesday the 8th, after the Powerlink came apart on me partway home. That chain was sloppy-loose!

I replaced that chain last night, and measured it just for grins. My Park Tool Chain Checker gave it a .75 on a 0-1.0 scale, and the literature provided claims that a chain measuring .75 is okay to use. That chain has somewhere between six and eight thousand miles on it, and has a lot of lateral flex usually associated with a worn-out chain, so I put new parts on the bike (including the cassette, which I habitually change with my chain if I only use one cassette on the bike). I noted a bit of inaccuracy in the shifting today that didn't show up in the stand last night, and will have to look at it in a bit.

When I got home tonight, I decided that it was past time for the lawn's second mowing of the season. Jenn mowed it a few weeks ago--yes a few weeks. It had gotten too tall in places, and took a fair bit of over-and-back with the mower to cut things down. At least the mower is quiet--it's a reel mower, after all. I like how quiet it is! The grass was also a bit wet still, and didn't cut as well as it might otherwise. The yard looks a lot better, now, anyway. With the next cutting, it should start to take better shape. I also have a "weed whip," the better to scythe the stuff that the mower won't cut, but it's (of course) not sharp at all (it was bought new), and won't cut well until I take the blade off and work it over with a bench grinder for a bit.

It feels odd for me to write about yard work. I LOATHED yard work as a teen. I'm still not fond of it--there are MANY things I'd rather do. However, I admit to some satisfaction when I get the weekly mowing done, even if I don't do all the trimming. Something about doing it with human power (remember that I mentioned ours is a reel mower) instead of using a gas-powered mower (or even an electric one) that yields a bit of reverse snobbery, perhaps--I can cut my grass ANY time of day or night without making noise to aggravate the neighbors (although cutting it at night may give odd-looking results...). As small as my yard is, the time difference between using a power mower and this reel mower is minimal, and the perceived effort difference is pretty small as well, although the perception of the effort required with a power mower is based purely on memory--I've not used a power push mower in years.

I may be mowing at my folks' house some this summer, however, and since the section I'd be mowing is something like three or four acres, I'll be using the tractor-pulled 5' mower deck.

Thunder thoughts

A few random thoughts about Thunder(ous wretched Excess) Over Louisville:

Bike Louisville and Bicycling for Louisville have teamed to have bicycle parking for Thunder attendees this year. Sadly, I won't be using it, but not because I don't like the idea. I am quite supportive of the concept, but the friends with whom I will be attending Thunder are from out of town, and we don't have enough bicycles for them to partake. There is also the issue of one member of our party having some bone trouble that precludes cycling...

Indeed, were it not for these out of town friends coming for Thunder, I probably would not go. I went last year, with mostly the same group. It was the first year I'd been there since probably 1995 or -96. At that time, I could walk there from my apartment in Old Louisville, and could get away with carrying more of my personal supplies so as not to pay $5 for a pint of water (okay, so $5 is a slight exaggeration--it was probably $4). Waiting out the post-Thunder traffic jam is expensive--although it's certainly more fun to sit in a restaurant and eat than sit in the car breathing exhaust fumes.

I'll go, and I'll enjoy the people-watching. Despite my reservations about the attendant pollution issues and warmongering issues, I will enjoy the air show. I would prefer that the fireworks displays be drawn out a bit more--same number of shells over an hour instead of thirty minutes--to enjoy the effects of single shells more before the next shell blows up in the middle of the starburst from the prior one, but my attention span is ever-so-slightly longer than that of the average Thunder attendee. I'm likely to be less inebriated than many, too.

Even though we have a supply of locally-made ale for the event.

Thunder eve day

I mentioned yesterday that I took advantage of the the Kentucky Derby Festival's shuttle service to cross the Clark Bridge on my way home from work. I used the service again this morning, and again it went as advertised. I am compelled to give a shout out to the KDF again and THANKS AGAIN.

And, for probably the first time in MONTHS, I found it more comfortable to wear sunglasses on my way to work, compared to the clear lenses I typically wear when riding in the mornings.

THANKS to KDF

I made use of the shuttle service mentioned in my last post today on my way home. The driver was most polite, and showed up just as I was getting to the police officer to request a shuttle.

A heartfelt THANK YOU to the Kentucky Derby Festival for offering this service this year. I sincerely hope it continues, given that the Clark Bridge is the only legal river crossing for bicycles and pedestrians for some forty or fifty miles along the river. The ten-minute wait advertised (mine was nearer zero minutes) is far better than the wait one would expect relying on TARC's schedules.

Greatly appreciated!