Ride Home 1/26

Some technical issues have befallen my bicycle lately. My left pedal seems to be rejecting my clip and I think I need to tighten it, possibly using an allen wrench or possibly using a monkey wrench or possibly using a monkey named Allen. A simian helper would be far more adept at addressing the issue, even if the remediation is just a few turns of the screw, so to speak. My other technical issue isn't so much technical as it is just a depletion of battery power for my front light. I plan to solve this by replacing batteries, which I hope to do by myself. We'll see. I didn't realize my light was out until I got to the grocery store, so I have no idea how long I was riding without frontward illumination. Frontword illumination can be found in many Carolingian Manuscripts. I guess that's why they called it the Dark Ages.  #codicology #epigraphy #paleography #dork (If you're an Amazon Prime member, you can download J.B. Bury's Charlemagne and the Carolingian Renaissance for FREE)
#Fridaycoffeeclub tomorrow. Per usual, I'll try to probably make it.
Oh yeah, another mechanical issue that I encountered today was a rather nasty metallic-sounding scraping noise coming from my front brakes. I should address that. (By disabling my brakes and using a parachute to slow down)
At Q and 13th, across the street from me, there were some women singing what I think were church songs. They were just having a fun time with it and were pretty good. A little dirge-y, but still good. When they stopped, I clapped because why not? They laughed and thanked me.
It still impresses me that I get to and from work at the cost of zero dollars. Paying for gas for car commuting seems really terrible. This isn't really meant to be a dig at drivers or some smug self-validating comment. It's just kinda nice not to have to pay for gas. I mean, I guess car commuters could steal it, but that doesn't seem sustainable.
The headquarters of the Diamond Cab Company at 11th and Rhode Island looks exactly like the office of a taxi company should look. I wonder if Judd Hirsch's Ethiopian doppelganger is inside.
I took a somewhat slower pace tonight and I don't think it made a damn difference in how long it took me to get home. Unless you're going really slowly, the choke points you face at your normal pace are probably going to be the same ones you face riding a little easier. It's nice to remember that.
I guess someone got mugged and shot along the Met Branch Trail. Oh, good. I thought biking was getting too safe and easy. Anyway, this really sucks and I hope that MPD ups the patrols, though I don't know to what extent this can address the problem.
I stopped at the grocery store and remembered to lock my bike up this time. Next to me was an unlocked bike. A guy came over, took it off the rack and rode off with it. I don't think I just witnessed a bike theft, but how do you know? I mean, no one was standing at the bike rack when I came back out bemoaning the loss of his bike, so I guess that'd be one clue that the bike was in fact his. But with an unlocked bike, I was hardly going to say "excuse me, sir, is that actually your bike?" because that seems, I don't know, just kind of prickish.
And here's a picture of a fuzzy poodle face.

This has nothing to do with bike commuting