Bricks in the mud

I had a great ride in yesterday to work and back.  I was a bit wary after the numerous setbacks, the flat tires and recent rain.  But had a great ride day.

I thought I was pretty clever with carrying extra batteries with me for my lights...till the bulb on my main light went out.  Arghh.  I made do with the other lights I've got, but didn't ride as confidently home.
Finding the bulb is another story....already checked several places, and no luck.  This is motivating me to get a new light this weekend.  Something like this looks really cool, and no doubt, really bright.
I'm going to investigate and buy it this weekend.

I get a daily email from Tricycle magazine, a thought, a "daily dharma" , for the day so to speak.  Today's really made an impression on me:

Bricks in the Mud

I remember one afternoon as I was sitting on the steps of our monastery in Nepal. The monsoon storms had turned the courtyard into an expanse of muddy water, and we had set out a path of bricks to serve as stepping-stones. A friend of mine came to the edge of the water, surveyed the scene with a look of disgust, and complained about every single brick as she made her way across. When she got to me, she rolled her eyes and said, “Yuck! What if I’d fallen into that filthy muck? Everything’s so dirty in this country!” Since I knew her well, I prudently nodded, hoping to offer her some comfort through my mute sympathy.
A few minutes later, Raphaele, another friend of mind, came to the path through the swamp. “Hup, hup, hup!” she sang as she hopped, reaching dry land with the cry, “What fun!” Her eyes sparkling with joy, she added: “The great thing about the monsoon is that there’s no dust.” Two people, two ways of looking at things; six billion human beings, six billion worlds.
- Matthieu Ricard from "A Way of Being."

Beach at Christmas

Does it get any better than this?  So, so beautiful today at Mission Beach.  Went for a long walk with my friend Mark.  The water was sharp, clear views, horizon was like I hadn't seen in ages...
Perfect way to spend the afternoon. 

Update on stuff

Haven't been up for writing much recently.  Haven't ridden my bike as much either.  Very tough week at work...glad for a few days off now.

After the last flat tire...had another one the very next morning!  LOL....At least this time it happened right in front of Einstein's Bagels...so all was not lost. 

Took it back to Velo Cult....no charge repair!  Their customer service is stellar, and best of all, they are so nice about it...a pleasure to go there.

I'm coming up with the direction I want my biking and blogging to go in the new year...I'll write about it when I decide.  I'm leaning towards really throwing myself into both, since they both are giving me a lot of pleasure.  I really love being on my bike...I'm surprised I guess how much...and not on long rides up to Northern San Diego, or out to the desert...I love just jumping on it to go out for coffee, or run to pick up something at the store, go to the bank...And the writing....it might not seem like much...but it's about the only time in my life nowadays that I feel "in the flow" so to speak. 

I thought this was extremely funny....

Flat tire syndrome

I didn't ride to work for a week, due to rain, car rental for a weekend trip, blah blah blah...

I was so excited about riding Monday this week...Sunday night I got everything ready, clothes, food for the day...and during the day on Sunday I had checked batteries on my lights, air in my tires...

It was such a nice morning...and about 15 minutes into the ride......psssssssssssss....
that is the sound of the air coming out of my back tire.  SHEEZE!!!!

Funny though...the major emotion was just disappointment.  Not anger.  Not being overwhelmed.    Disappointed that I couldn't keep riding on such an awesome morning.  Disappointed that I couldn't enjoy that post-ride feeling at work for a few hours that always is so awesome.  Just disappointed. 

I talked to my friend Timmy who has been a huge supporter of this car-free endeavor....and when I told him about the two friends, Christy and Chad, who were helping with rides, pick me up after the flat, and a ride to the bike shop to get it fixed....he said the most intense comment...."you sure do have a lot of support with this!"  So, so, true.  I am very grateful to those friends, and the many others who've helped, with rides, or just talking with me about some of my concerns/worries, thru this whole experience.
So, thank you all!!

Went to Velo Cult again for the tire fix.  I like going there so much.  Even being the complete bike newbie that I am, I feel totally comfortable there.  Awesome.

Ready to ride tomorrow morning.  Wish me luck!  ;o)

Just sort of rediscovered this song...in the top, say, 20 of the best of the 80s songs there is....
And definitely get the long seven-minute version if you're going to download it...no question.

Rain, rain, rain

I really like that it almost never rains here.  But...it's been sort of cool this past week having so much, for us, rain.  I know it won't last very long.  And I know in between storms will be the usual nice dry weather like we usually have.

But, I did realize...I don't really think I want to ride my bike too much when it's wet.  I'm guessing this is going to be a learning curve kind of thing.  I didn't ride to work this past week at all.  I could have on two mornings, but didn't.  I'm going to this coming week if it's dry.  I miss it after just a week. 
As long as it's dry.

I did do some errands today on my bike...the bank, the library, starbucks....and used my mantra I started with driving in the dark after daylight savings time ended...."go slowly".  Easy to remember.  And the riding was pretty nice after being off the bike for a week.  Nice to feel that "connection" to the bike when I got back on it.  The "this feels right" kind of feeling.  Good stuff.

I'm just sayin'....

I haven't really been in the mood to sit down and write.  Now with the rain again, I'm back feeling the mood.
 

Random pic I found online.  Very cool.

I actually have been thinking about a lot of things, car free-wise....I rented a car....rode the bus several times, dealt with a lot of rain...a very random experience here in San Diego, had to get to an after work hours office xmas party....and all of it car free. 

The one thing I will talk about is the car rental.  It actually felt a little "weird" driving up to LA last weekend.  I went up to meet up with my friend Timmy who came out for an opera weekend.  While I was driving up there, I was thinking that I sort of wish I had planned, or at least investigated, what it would have been like to take the train up, then get around LA, sans the four-wheeled transport to deal with.

Then....driving thru Orange County, a pebble, rock, stone, of some sort hit my windshield!  A nice little mark, a "star" they called it at the rental place when I returned it.  Since I sold my old car I of course had canceled my insurance.  I am SOOOO glad I took out the whole insurance that they offered, so I could return it with NO hassle.  Lesson learned.

Then, sitting in LA traffic with no much time to spare to get to Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, the "needs gas" light of the rental car came on!  LOL...

My point in this is....there really are ways to get from point A to point B, without a car, almost always.  Almost.

Nothing about bikes

I can't resist posting this. This is nothing to do with bikes.  It's a clip from an opera, THE CONSUL, that I saw last summer in upstate NY, at the Glimmerglass Opera Festival.

The clip is actually from a 1960 tv production, and the black & white adds to the darkness and austerity of the story.  Quickly...the story is post WWII, some unnamed country in Eastern Europe...and the main character is Magda...who is at the Consulate, trying to get an exit visa...and is denied over and over....in the clip I've got here, she loses it when the secretary asks her ONE MORE TIME to fill in the appropriate papers.

Please take a few minutes and watch this....;o)  Here's the link:  TO THIS WE'VE COME.

Now that I think of this...this does have something to do with bikes!  It was on this trip this summer that my friend Timmy got me to commit to doing my first commute to work on bike when I got back to San Diego!

3 months since my first bike commute

Hard to believe it....last Saturday, a week ago, was 3 months since I started riding my bike to work.  I didn't have any idea that so much was going to happen so fast. 

In three months I've gone from being nervous about just riding to work once....
to now riding about 4 days a week, riding the bus the other day.....
selling my old car for almost the blue book value!...
doing most of my errands on my bike...
walking a lot more....
learning several bus routes in San Diego...
and most of all...feeling this empowering level of self-confidence that was missing.

It's really not been that hard to do either.  Amazing. 

Weekend bike riding

 

I really like doing my errands on my bike.  It's such a different way to get them done on a bike compared to a car.  Today I rode over to Ralph's to pick up something, about 2 miles.  Then into Trader Joe's....picked up among other things, some amazing persimmons for only $2.49 for four of them...big and plump... then packed up my groceries...and started to head home.....and then stopped at the Hillcrest Farmer's Market.  I didn't need anything there, but I wandered thru after locking up the bike and tried some of the samples and checking out the amazing fruits and veggies, and other people wandering around too....Then...a nice smooth cruise home, backpack full....errands done.  Perfect.

Locking my bike up outside of TJ's was pretty frickin' cool...there were 7 bikes already locked up!  That really gets me going...seeing other people into it as well.  Then when I came out of the store to leave, I got into a conversation with a couple that was also unlocking their bikes.  That kind of instant connection because of the bikes has happened a lot.  LOVE IT.

Wanted to take a pic of the bikes all locked up, but ended up talking and didn't remember till about half way home...

The pic here is me on the way to work right after sunrise.

¡Ay, qué frío!

I don't care what accuweather.com said this morning, it was not 56 degrees when I headed out the door at 6:30 to leave for work.  I could see my breath it was so chilly for the first 15-20 mins....brrrrr.
Then...it got soooooo beautiful.....wow.  The sun coming up, the crisp air.
And coming home was just as great...the chill in the air, and seeing the sliver of the moon just risen....another wow for that.  No pics today, but so beautiful that I had to mention it.

I think of so many things to blog about while I ride, then I more than not don't write them down and they're gone from my head....This post is about more just writing something than having a specific purpose.

One of the things that I think is so compelling, and that draws me to ride more and more is what it does to my mind.  It's an experience that doesn't happen while driving a car, for me at least...it's unique to my bike riding experience.  It's usually one of two experiences: the first is really like a type of meditation.  I become very "present"...when I'm not, the consequences can be pretty dangerous...and life-threatening actually.  And that being present, really blots out a lot of the continuous chatter that goes on in my mind,  or for that matter...all our minds. 

And the second scenario is the complete opposite....instead of sort of a clear-mind feeling...I completely focus, obsess over something, an issue, a problem, etc.   Usually I get to a very succint, definative answer, resolution as it were.  The only problem is....after the buzz of the ride wears off...the chatter has started back, and that resolution is shaded with doubts.

Who else goes thru this?

Here's a great 5 minute video of Pema Chödrön, who I like so much, talking about "unconditional friendship with oneself."  Take the time to watch it.

RANDOM CAR-FREE/ BIKE-COMMUTING THOUGHTS

---The reason I really wanted to start writing was to do two things....1) to chronicle this journey from very casual bike, very frequent car drive to a car free bike riding everywhere enthusiast...to watch my own change, monitor ideas, etc.  and 2) hopefully to help other people who are considering either giving up their car, or going car-lite....
So going forward...I’m going to try and add tips, ideas, etc...that even if the idea of getting rid of the car never enters your mind, maybe some things will register as possibilities to incorporate in your own commuting/errand-doing, moving about town meanderings.

---I like doing errands on the weekends on my bike...It feels adventurous to have to plan them out, what place to stop first, do they have a bike rack to lock my bike up, then what place is next, etc...
But...it’s sort of easy really.  For me it’s usually farthest away first....The bank, then Rite-Aid, Vons, the quick easy stuff...no real need for a car, or moreso, no real need for a trunk to put stuff in.

---I really am liking the evening ride home home, even in the dark.  I hated it the first few days last week after the time change.  But now it feels so cool, relaxing actually.   Of course, I do have three lights which helps a lot! 

---I think what helped me shift into liking the night riding was three different things....
1- a good friend told me to pretty much “just do it” and get used to it. 
2- turning it into an adventure, not an inconvenience....(I wrote about that before)
3-- and this was the biggest...I made a conscious decision to just take my time, go more slowly on the way home and to be more cautious.  I figured out, once I looked at my hesitation about riding in the dark, was that it was all ready just fear.  Our old friend fear rears its ugly head again...

---I was singing yesterday on the way home from work....feeling good, alive, connected to everything....it was a great old Brazilian song I learned years ago, NEGUE, by Maria Bethania....LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that song...reminded me of my wonderful friend Jan back in Baltimore.  (lots of love to you Jan!)

---While I was singing....( I find i do it a lot actually, LOL...) I came upon three teenagers skateboarding by....all laughing etc...one said, “nice, dude...”  It was actually so cool..I just joined in and laughed along.  THAT FELT GOOD. 

---I’m noticing slowly some changes to how I ride...and I’m liking it.  Without really thinking about it...I now, after a dead stop, while start standing up and pedal to get some speed up...Not all the time, but I just started doing it without realizing it.  It’s like it makes me feel more in sync with the bike.  Hard to explain besides just saying that it feels really like I’m part of the bike, together.

Daybreak

The time changed already!  I know it's later than it used to be, but it caught me off guard...
But..what was so cool about it was riding in to work this morning is that I left at the same time, and it was already so beautiful, bright, not a cloud in the sky.....

The song DAYBREAK, yes, that one by Barry Manilow, total guilty pleasure....but it kept popping into my head as I was riding in this morning....I wonder if I'll be that when when I'm old....amusing myself like that...My Dad used to always say, "I guess I'll go tell myself some jokes I haven't heard before, "...then wander away chuckling....I know I'm going to be like that...!!!

 But I digress...that song made me think of this.....which made me laugh even more.

After a very strenuous, physically demanding day at work...driving home in the dark for the first time was stressing me out a bit....until I saw, after turning the corner only a block from my office, this view of the almost full moon rising.....

That picture can't do it any justice....but, you can see the moon over the hills.....it took my breathe away, honest...what a sight.

The rest of the ride home was nice...I went slower on purpose to let myself adjust to riding in the dark...I'm guessing it'll be like anything...before too long I won't even think about it.  Funny how that is...

Inconvenience vs. Adventure

When this all started, the idea of selling the car, going everywhere by bike mostly, bus at times...car free as it were....a very good friend suggested I look at it as an adventure, not an inconvenience.

I have thought about that so, so many times since then!  It keeps coming up for me.  It's usually when I have to go somewhere on bike that I haven't gone yet.  My mind goes to "inconvenience".  It usually takes some time, sometimes a few minutes, sometimes a day or so...but I am able to get around to "adventure" again....and then it is always fun, exhilarating, and a great reminder of what this whole car-free experience is about for me.

A couple examples recently were over this past weekend, leading up to yesterday, Monday....I was going to be in Mission Hills dogsitting for the weekend.  It's only a few miles from where I live, but as the name indicates...there are a lot of hills there!  And...just tacking on a few more miles on the bike seemed daunting, oh, wait, yeah...that's right, an INCONVENIENCE!  Hahahah.

I had to go to a certain store and pick up something on Saturday...I can't tell you how I went around and around about that in my head...it was a different route, where are the bike racks there, I'm pretty tired....those were just three of the thoughts.  So...after all that, I finally got moving, and have this really cool experience.  I rode thru a few busy streets I thought would be intimidating, but weren't....then the bike racks were right in full view...had a short but pleasant conversation with another guy on a bike at the bike racks.

Yesterday I had to leave the house where I was dog sitting...then go to work, then come home, with a detour since they are doing some kind of construction on my beloved Texas hill....(see previous post!!!).  I went thru the same thing as I had over the weekend, not wanting to, I'm tired, etc....

What a day it was!  The extra 20 or so minutes to get to work was tiring, yes....but it felt so good to accomplish it!  And riding thru a nice part of town at 6:30 am....people getting their day started, a couple of firemen walking across the street with coffee right in front of where I was waiting at a light, other people exercising, going to work, etc....was exactly what I needed to feel adventurish again.  Same exact thing with going home.  I didn't want to do a new route for the whole "inconvenience" of it....Now, I am so glad I know that route an have that option.

(this was NOT the fireman walking across the street with the coffee....)

The whole point of all this is for me....how I view this car-free experiment/experience is exactly how it is going to be.  It is going to be an adventure, fun, challenging, tiring, fulfilling....or it will be an inconvenience, and I'll be grouchy, and feel lousy.

I'm opting for the adventure!

And...that pic up top....from yesterday's ride in the morning...right over I-15, close to work...what a sunrise!  I never see that stuff from a car...;o)

Riding on the bus, riding on the bus.....

I'm feeling so good today about this car free experience.  A big part of that was redisovering bus riding, how easy it is....and actually, how convenient too.  I had an idea in my mind that San Diego was so behind the loop on this.  I know it is behind other awesome public transit cities like SF and DC, but for my needs now....I've got a bunch of options.

Started off this morning....I needed to go into Hillcrest from my house, BEFORE going to work.  I could have ridden my bike....but I'm not up for adding another 5 miles (to and fro) to an already 9 mile commute.  Soooooo....thanks to Google Map's awesome feature of giving the option of "public transit" in their directions, it was a piece of cake.  Need to start carrying my latest book I'm reading in my back pack for just such an occasion...but this morning was fine just staring out the window watching the sky start to show signs of daybreak.  VERY frickin' cool.

So speaking of Google Map's, there are two points I want to make: one...there are so many features on there that are totally awesome, once you start playing around with it.  Here's a great link to an article on a bike blog about some features for finding bike routes on there, using the "drag route" feature.   And two:  I checked in later in the day before heading home....I wanted to play with the bus routes from home to work and back, so I don't have to feel 100% dependent on a bike, when I'm not feeling great, or we get the inevitable winter rain...And.....I found a bus route, the 960 that goes very close to my house, and practically lets me off a block from my office!!!  What a relief!  I hadn't been keying in "commute rush hours" when I looked before....so I would only get a very long, very circuitous route....this one will work perfectly!  I am very very very glad to hear that.  I am going to test it out one day next week!

Ending on this....one of the all-time best Homer Simpson quotes:

I saw this movie about a bus that had to SPEED around a city, keeping its SPEED over fifty, and if its SPEED dropped, it would explode! I think it was called “The Bus That Couldn’t Slow Down.”

Broken Spokes...

That sounds like a really cool band name...Broken Spokes...Almost as cool as the band name Dysphagia that my co-workers and I talk about starting....hahaha....(complete joke that has taken on a very lively life of its own now after a year of talk, etc...)

So....yesterday morning on the way to work, going down Texas St,.....I got to the bottom, and was just turning onto CDR South, and I heard a loud POP!  I am new to biking, bike commuting, and car free goings about.....but I knew that POP was bad....I actually have discovered that I prefer going UP Texas instead of DOWN Texas...can't believe I just said that, but it's true, and that's an entirely different blog entry....

I couldn't see the broken spokes, but could tell easily that the wheel was warbly.  (my new favorite word, even though apparently my usage is wrong here according to numerous sites I just checked...ack!)

Anyway....I got a ride to work (thanks Christy!!!) and a ride home (thanks Chad!!!).  The whole reason for this post is that, I was not only car-free but also bike-less for the rest of the day....but I wasn't all wigged out about it.  I knew it was still the right thing to be doing, it would all work out...and before long I'll have a nice new bike to enjoy.  Pretty cool to feel that.

And on top of all that...I ended up getting a new rear wheel..done on the spot while I waited, when I took it to Velo Cult in South Park.  Awesome place by the way,  that I discovered by chance....when I was actually on my way to the coffee shop around the corner...before I had any intention at all of giving up my car and riding everywhere.

Another good day.  ;o)

Car free!

After going around and around with the buyer on whether to do an inspection or not, all is done, and the car is sold!

I just took my first ride post sale...to the bank to deposit the proceeds from the car....nice.

So relieved...feel great.  And...VERY glad I took today as a vacation day so I didn't have to worry about getting into work afterwards.

Onto thinking now about the next big thing....my new bike purchase....going to test-ride a few this coming weekend at some of the local shops and get a feel.  I can spend from one end of the spectrum to another, theoretically....I think I have a good idea where I'll end up.

The pic is my current bike....bought 13 years ago right after moving to SD.....I think in the last two months I've put more miles on it than collectively I had racked up over 13 years....I'm planning on keeping it though as my errand bike....

QUOTE FOR TODAY:
An unalterable and unquestioned law of the musical world required that the German text of French operas sung by Swedish artists should be translated into Italian for the clearer understanding of English-speaking audiences.
Edith Wharton, The Age of Innocence

Selling the car

Meeting today with the potential car buyer for my old Buick Regal.  Mabel as I call it....that was the name my Dad always used when he didn't know a woman's name....always makes me smile to call the car that.

I've been commuting to work since August 21st....two days a week, then three, now up to four.  This coming week is first week for five days.  Amid various set backs with the bike....rear tire exploding on the way to work one day, brake cable breaking and almost crashing into a car (albeit at about 1 mph, still scary), and then another big car repair...I feel good about selling it and going car free.  Nervous, but good.

Great quote from Pema Chödrön:
FEAR IS A NATURAL REACTION TO MOVING CLOSER TO THE TRUTH. 
If you don't know her, check out some of her books, lectures....WHEN THINGS FALL APART is a great one to start with....