Ride Home 7/16: Talking Magazines

Jittery, over-caffeinated bike commute on an emptier stomach and the first few miles of the ride found me with the unpleasant sensations one feels when over-caffeinated, not having eaten in a while, and riding a bicycle in the city in the summer. Maybe there was a headache involved. It wasn't great. I definitely felt sluggish, but the only cost of this sluggishness was going slightly slower than the very slow I normally ride and soon the experience passed and it was mostly back to normal, which is to say fine, if not great. I recommend riding a bike when you don't feel great, just for the comparative experience. I mean, obviously if you have tuberculosis or plague or restless leg syndrome, don't ride a bike because those are serious maladies and might really affect your ability to control your bike in traffic and riding with that level of impairment is never advisable. But riding with a cold? Or a slight stomach ache? Absolutely go for it. See how it goes. It won't be great, but it still might be better than riding the bus. You ever ride the bus sick? That's not exactly a barrel of laughs. Especially if you have restless leg syndrome and your leg just kicks and kicks restlessly and your fellow bus drivers start calling you Mr. Rockette or something. Who wants that? Other than aspiring Rockettes? Exactly. 

Make fun of me all you want, but residential Georgetown has a particular smell and I like that smell very much. I have profound olfactory attachment to this smell. Yes, that's weird. I think it's a smell memory from bygone days or maybe The Ye Olde Georgetowne Boarde pays shop girls with spritzers to mist the alleys with essential oils. I doubt that this is likely, but I wouldn't rule it out. It's probably trees. 

The first and only stop on my trip was Trader Joe's's. Practical tip for becoming a stronger rider? Never buy fewer than 4 bottles of wine at a time, commute by bike, and live on top of a hill. 

I've never seen as many bicyclists in the L Street Cycletrack. Just everywhere. So many. Stacked 10 deep once. I ride it nearly every day and this was definitely a record. Imagine if it were better (and not the home to a few really nasty construction projects. Every time I think it's ridiculous to commute on this ridiculous bike, I face even more ridiculous road conditions and that's even more ridiculous). 

11th Street. Lots of honking. If I drove to work, I'd go insane. Biking might be frustrating, but at least I'm moving. And moving in a way that isn't rocking back and forth in my padded seat (padded room? Padded room with observation windows?) eyes glazed over, mumbling curses and desperately wishing to be anywhere else. 

Saw Jon (@dirteng) in the cycletrack on Penn. I waved. He saw. Nice.