Rides 1/5: zany title

Happy New Year! 2015 is definitely going to be "the year of the bike commuter." Just like 2014. And 2013. And 1894. There was a dry spell. But we're back! And so are streetcars! (almost!) And handlebar mustaches (ironically!). Anyway. What's not back, and mostly because I'm out of habit, is my remembering to blog and already I'm kinda late on starting to write tonight, and this will probably be shorter on account of that. But nevertheless, I shall press on. And mostly because Twitter is down. 

This will be a week of bitter cold. This morning started it and between that, the wind, and barely riding over break, it was very slow going. There's also the possibility that the bike was somewhat out of order and I was supposed to have addressed that over break, but didn't, but it's a bad carpenter who blames his tools. I don't know if that bad carpenter also bike commutes. I hope not. His poorly built stereo cabinet and slanted shelves would give all bike commuters a bad name. "It's not that they don't stop at red lights; it's that my spice rack keeps falling down!" says letter to the editor. 

Speaking of the building trades, it looks like the temporary walkway at M and 20th is now open and pedestrians are no longer asked to walk in the cycle track. It only took six months, but at least it only took six months. 

Caption contest: which Aerosmith song title might be an apt thing to write near this picture? [I hope it's the one they used in that asteroid movie.]

40% off everything at Glover Park hardware. It's closing to be replaced by a Rite Aid. I love drugstores as much as the next guy, but a neighborhood hardware store is a tough thing to lose. I shopped in the hardware store once. Bought some kind of screw for my fenders. Not sure if it actually solved what I thought the problem was. Likely not, because as good as a neighborhood hardware store is, I'm not especially useful with anything that can be procured in one. 

Wore a bright orange scarf today. They call that Dutch hi viz. 

Rode behind another cyclist on the way home who was a manic dinger. As we approached people standing in bike lanes, she would just start dinging an just keep singing over and over in the belief that just one more ring might finally clear the way, which it didn't. I've always thought of a bike bell as mostly equivalent to a car horn (though with some key differences in usage protocols, like you don't honk to pass [I hope]) so I equate nob-stop bell ringing with non-stop honking and I associate non-stop honking with the crazy and unhinged drivers who make life miserable for everyone else. Also, I don't care for dinging more that twice because it's not really effective. If they're not catching on with the bell noises after one or two, what about increasingly shrill bell ring number 6 is going to make things better? Switch to using words. Words like "excuse me." Or better yet, just slow down and maybe move outside of the bike lane to get around. Rarely is it that big of a deal, right? Unless you're "I AIN'T FUCKING MOVING GUY." I miss that guy.