Unrelated, THERE WILL BE KARAOKE + TUXEDO. Holy smokes. Does anyone have the name of a good vocal coach?
4/6/12
Cosmic Rays Delay Blogging, Original Famous Cosmic Ray's Delays Pizza
Today seems to be some sort of important religious holidays for some few religions or something and so as not to peeve Zoroaster, I'm not gonna to attempt to write a blog post this evening. My hope is that it'll happen tomorrow, but we'll see.
Ride In 4/6: Onyx Phoenix
I might keep this relatively short, as I must run some lunchtime errands, the foremost of which is the purchase on envelopes in which I can mail some Sharrows buttons. I've learned from last time to spring for the padded ones so we don't have postal larceny, which is what I call it when the buttons ripped the envelopes and fell out.
This morning was Friday Coffee Club and as usual it was great. All bikes rides should begin or end or both with coffee and good company.
It was almost cold this morning. The spring seems colder than the winter did. It's a perception issue.
You know the feeling you get when someone pulls up and stops beside you instead of stopping behind you? I think I've put my finger on what the feeling reminds me: someone sidling up to you at the next urinal over even when there are empty ones. So, #bikeDC, here's my advice: don't be a urinal lurker! Stop behind people and not next to them.
Caught all of the greens from 16th through Massachusetts, which is really rare and must have been because I was riding fast for some reason, perhaps to escape a urinal lurker. (I apologize for the copious and abundance use of "urinal" in this blog post. I'm just really trying to drive page hits from weirdos with bladder problems)
Many people on bicycles today and for the most part everyone looked like they were having fun. Except for maybe the people who got cut off by a woman who passed them on the left and then made a right turn in front of them. I don't think making right turns from left lanes is a good idea, pretty much ever. The joy and freedom one feels while riding a bicycle shouldn't be license to flout all commonly held conventions of public behavior interactions. (I'll try to fit that on the next round of buttons, though it's a bit scoldy)
There are so many out of service buses running up Massachusetts. At least 3 pass me everyday. Why? Empty buses are even more wasteful than single-occupancy cars. Is there really not a better way?
Picked up a few more City Papers from last week, just in case anyone (and by anyone, I mean like 20 people) opt for the Ellie paw-tographed copy. Biking the last couple hundred feet reminded me of Paperboy, though I forswore chucking the papers at passersby. Barely. I have very poor impulse control, but I also have pretty poor aim, so it's not like I'd do that much damage anyway.
Blog ya later. Blog ya later, forever. (This is my new and improved sign-off. Better than hugs and kisses, right?)
This morning was Friday Coffee Club and as usual it was great. All bikes rides should begin or end or both with coffee and good company.
It was almost cold this morning. The spring seems colder than the winter did. It's a perception issue.
You know the feeling you get when someone pulls up and stops beside you instead of stopping behind you? I think I've put my finger on what the feeling reminds me: someone sidling up to you at the next urinal over even when there are empty ones. So, #bikeDC, here's my advice: don't be a urinal lurker! Stop behind people and not next to them.
Caught all of the greens from 16th through Massachusetts, which is really rare and must have been because I was riding fast for some reason, perhaps to escape a urinal lurker. (I apologize for the copious and abundance use of "urinal" in this blog post. I'm just really trying to drive page hits from weirdos with bladder problems)
Many people on bicycles today and for the most part everyone looked like they were having fun. Except for maybe the people who got cut off by a woman who passed them on the left and then made a right turn in front of them. I don't think making right turns from left lanes is a good idea, pretty much ever. The joy and freedom one feels while riding a bicycle shouldn't be license to flout all commonly held conventions of public behavior interactions. (I'll try to fit that on the next round of buttons, though it's a bit scoldy)
There are so many out of service buses running up Massachusetts. At least 3 pass me everyday. Why? Empty buses are even more wasteful than single-occupancy cars. Is there really not a better way?
Picked up a few more City Papers from last week, just in case anyone (and by anyone, I mean like 20 people) opt for the Ellie paw-tographed copy. Biking the last couple hundred feet reminded me of Paperboy, though I forswore chucking the papers at passersby. Barely. I have very poor impulse control, but I also have pretty poor aim, so it's not like I'd do that much damage anyway.
Blog ya later. Blog ya later, forever. (This is my new and improved sign-off. Better than hugs and kisses, right?)
4/5/12
Ride Home 4/5: Wooden Spooning
You get used to seeing (not seeing) a certain number of bike commuters in certain parts of town. In the bucolic confines of upper Northwest Washington, DC, there number is normally relatively low, mostly because it's a fairly diffuse area and the lack of density just means fewer people overall. So tonight when I saw seven other bicyclists heading in the same direction between Ward Circle and Wisconsin, I didn't know what to think. Other than, of course, holy crap, biking is here and in a big way. I didn't ride this route last year so I can't give a year-on-year comparison, but I don't remember seeing nearly as many bicyclists last year, even on the bike-friendly Rosslyn-Ballston corridor commute of pre-August TFTS. It's simply amazing.
I started riding behind Fasty McSpeederson, but he zipped ahead and I ended up behind Rusty McChain (that's a nickname. I didn't check his driver's license or anything) and the horrible noises associated with him. A rusty chain and rusty rear cogs really don't make for a good bicycling experience and I should have encouraged him into maybe addressing that. Then there was sidewalk guy on the mountain bike and suit guy on a CaBi and messenger bag aquamarine bike and another woman on the opposite side of the street and someone else, about whom I can remember almost nothing, riding on the other side of the sidewalk. On a typical day, I see maybe one or two other cyclists and for the most part, they're heading the other way. Rusty McChain decided to shoal aqua-marine at the light at Garfield, but then Aquamarine passed him on the right, racing to get in front of him before the car parked in the right lane. It seemed dangerous. Then they both sort of raced down Massachusetts and I waited behind and that was fine and Rusty pulled up because one of his shoelaces came untied. Rather than stop, he lifted his right foot for the pedal and bent down, trying to tuck the lace into the side of the shoe. Just stop, dude! And then Aquamarine, Rusty and I all made it to the bottom of the hill and rode from the right turn lane to the sidewalk at Water. Aquamarine beat the family crossing the street to the other side of the sidewalk and so did Rusty, but by the time I got there, the two little girls had already made it across the street, so I slowed considerably, and passed them on the left, riding briefly on the grass so as not to give them ample room. In hindsight, maybe I should've just gotten in the line of stopped cars. I hate feeling like my decisions are influenced by the decisions of other bicyclists, especially when those decisions are kind of poor.
Something that isn't a poor decision is buying a button.
I don't know why sometimes car traffic is backed up through and around Dupont and why other times it isn't. Witchcraft, maybe? I'm sure it's frustrating for drivers, but it's frustrating for bicyclists and pedestrians, too, and maybe even more so. Who likes crossing a street when there's a bunch of impatient drivers in the middle of the intersection, each of whom is cognizant that they're stuck in traffic and blocking an intersection and wanting nothing more than to move forward as quickly as possible?
There was a man playing drums outside of the Metro. I liked it, though I suppose that more appropriate music for WMATA would be a sad trombone.
There was a many on a CaBi on Q who rang his bell every couple of seconds. It's not easy to ring a CaBi bell, accidentally or otherwise, so it must have been intentional for reasons that I really don't understand. Perhaps he just wanted the attention that a bike bell brings, aka none. Ding ding ring ring.
I think that if I were marketing a bike bell, and I'm not, the name of my company would be Lord of the Rings.
Buy a button and still feeling generous? Support DC's very own Girl on a Bike as she raises money for the Police Unity Tour. I can't promise that this will do anything than raise money for a very good cause and make you feel really good about yourself, but those things are pretty great, so yeah. Do it.
Squadra Coppi guy with Zipp wheels at 11th and New York. Must've been going on a group ride because I can't imagine that this was his commuting bike.
Don't block drivers from making left turns at 7th and Penn. It's rude.
So many people on Bikeshare bikes downtown. I really think it's revolutionizing tourism in DC. Of course, overall, it's a really minimal number of tourists who are actually using Bikeshare, but I think that it fills a niche for a certain group of people and I think that this niche has the potential to grow. Come to DC, ride Bikeshare. Is it doing the same in Boston and MSP and Denver? (anyone know?)
That thing where you're riding behind someone and then he slows down and moves over even though you'd prefer he didn't so you ride past but then you slow down for the next light and then he passes you. I don't get it.
I started riding behind Fasty McSpeederson, but he zipped ahead and I ended up behind Rusty McChain (that's a nickname. I didn't check his driver's license or anything) and the horrible noises associated with him. A rusty chain and rusty rear cogs really don't make for a good bicycling experience and I should have encouraged him into maybe addressing that. Then there was sidewalk guy on the mountain bike and suit guy on a CaBi and messenger bag aquamarine bike and another woman on the opposite side of the street and someone else, about whom I can remember almost nothing, riding on the other side of the sidewalk. On a typical day, I see maybe one or two other cyclists and for the most part, they're heading the other way. Rusty McChain decided to shoal aqua-marine at the light at Garfield, but then Aquamarine passed him on the right, racing to get in front of him before the car parked in the right lane. It seemed dangerous. Then they both sort of raced down Massachusetts and I waited behind and that was fine and Rusty pulled up because one of his shoelaces came untied. Rather than stop, he lifted his right foot for the pedal and bent down, trying to tuck the lace into the side of the shoe. Just stop, dude! And then Aquamarine, Rusty and I all made it to the bottom of the hill and rode from the right turn lane to the sidewalk at Water. Aquamarine beat the family crossing the street to the other side of the sidewalk and so did Rusty, but by the time I got there, the two little girls had already made it across the street, so I slowed considerably, and passed them on the left, riding briefly on the grass so as not to give them ample room. In hindsight, maybe I should've just gotten in the line of stopped cars. I hate feeling like my decisions are influenced by the decisions of other bicyclists, especially when those decisions are kind of poor.
Something that isn't a poor decision is buying a button.
I don't know why sometimes car traffic is backed up through and around Dupont and why other times it isn't. Witchcraft, maybe? I'm sure it's frustrating for drivers, but it's frustrating for bicyclists and pedestrians, too, and maybe even more so. Who likes crossing a street when there's a bunch of impatient drivers in the middle of the intersection, each of whom is cognizant that they're stuck in traffic and blocking an intersection and wanting nothing more than to move forward as quickly as possible?
There was a man playing drums outside of the Metro. I liked it, though I suppose that more appropriate music for WMATA would be a sad trombone.
There was a many on a CaBi on Q who rang his bell every couple of seconds. It's not easy to ring a CaBi bell, accidentally or otherwise, so it must have been intentional for reasons that I really don't understand. Perhaps he just wanted the attention that a bike bell brings, aka none. Ding ding ring ring.
I think that if I were marketing a bike bell, and I'm not, the name of my company would be Lord of the Rings.
Buy a button and still feeling generous? Support DC's very own Girl on a Bike as she raises money for the Police Unity Tour. I can't promise that this will do anything than raise money for a very good cause and make you feel really good about yourself, but those things are pretty great, so yeah. Do it.
Squadra Coppi guy with Zipp wheels at 11th and New York. Must've been going on a group ride because I can't imagine that this was his commuting bike.
Don't block drivers from making left turns at 7th and Penn. It's rude.
So many people on Bikeshare bikes downtown. I really think it's revolutionizing tourism in DC. Of course, overall, it's a really minimal number of tourists who are actually using Bikeshare, but I think that it fills a niche for a certain group of people and I think that this niche has the potential to grow. Come to DC, ride Bikeshare. Is it doing the same in Boston and MSP and Denver? (anyone know?)
That thing where you're riding behind someone and then he slows down and moves over even though you'd prefer he didn't so you ride past but then you slow down for the next light and then he passes you. I don't get it.
Ride In 4/5: Free bricks!
One more beautiful, brisk morning. It's almost like spending my whole commute outside makes me notice and appreciate it more.
It was cold enough, though, to to put on gloves when stopped at a red light and was then immediately passed by three other bicyclists, each of whom rode through a red light. Two women, one man. One of the women was on a CaBi. It's not that I minded too much- I was using the red light time to put on gloves, so it's not like I was in a hurry- but it's never not noticeable when another bicyclist passes you. Unless they're invisible, but you hardly see invisible bicyclists anymore.
Is it legal for an actor to don the garb of Henry Clay and walk around the Capitol and have his picture taken with tourists? I mean, it doesn't have to be Henry Clay, but could be any historical congressional figure. They do this in Hollywood, so why not do it in Hollywood for ugly people? As far as I'm concerned, there are far too few people making a living by pretending to be 19th century statesmen. This is called entrepreneurship and it should be encouraged.
I haven't seen a u-turn across Penn all week. Maybe they're illegal nowadays. I have noticed an increase in the number of people using phones while driving. There must be a new Angry Birds out. It's a bad habit and I do it too sometimes, but I think it'd be better if we all stopped using gadgets while driving. Except for blenders, because sometimes when I'm riding alongside a car, I'd really like the driver to hand me a smoothie. I'm a big fan of smoothies.
I skipped the White House today, instead opting to ride in the street up 15th and pass McPherson on the non-cycletrack side. Then it was Vermont to Thomas Circle and up 14th on the other side. My general recommendation with traffic circles is to be decisive and really telegraph (not literally) where you plan to ride. That sometimes means taking the lane, but I think it's totally worth it. I'd rather be in the middle of a traffic lane and keep a driver behind me rather than be off to the side and in the path of a turning car.
14th was great, as always. A fair amount of bike traffic heading downtown, but nothing compared to one block over.
Every time I pass P street I think of this. It's cool. I take Q and R.
Speaking of R, there is in fact a stop sign at 21st and R. It's on Google maps and even in real life too.I watch bicyclists just blow through it every single day. Not slow and roll, but just totally ignore it. I don't think that's an especially wise idea.
Idea: take out a traffic lane on Massachusetts for a two-way cycletrack. Three remaining traffic lanes can alternate for inbound and outbound traffic depending on the time of the day. Cycletrack can be named something like "Embassy Cycle Row Track" (note: I am not a marketing genius) and the respective embassies can "adopt" the bollards and decorate them in national colors or something. Initial estimates suggest this will raise roughly $0 for DC, but might increase international goodwill/make my bicycle trip nicer.
And now, what you've all been waiting for (?): the relaunch of the "Tales From The Sharrows Sell Buttons and Give the Money to WABA" campaign! (note: still not a marketing genius).
In December, thanks to your collective generosity, we were able to raise over $750 to support the wonderful work of the Washington Area Bicyclist Association. And, many of you were able to festoon your bicycles and bags with buttons, which is sort of neat, if you like festooning. But not all of you festooned as much as you had hoped and since WABA didn't win Megamillions, it turns out that they still might benefit from the sums that we might be able to raise. So, buy your buttons here. Please. There's also a secondary donation you can make, which will probably bring about the tertiary purchase of ear plugs, so check out the link to find out more about that. And then there's another thing you can pay money for which is just sort of weird. Much gratitude to Jon from manfredmacx.com for helping me set this up again. Thank you all in advance!
It was cold enough, though, to to put on gloves when stopped at a red light and was then immediately passed by three other bicyclists, each of whom rode through a red light. Two women, one man. One of the women was on a CaBi. It's not that I minded too much- I was using the red light time to put on gloves, so it's not like I was in a hurry- but it's never not noticeable when another bicyclist passes you. Unless they're invisible, but you hardly see invisible bicyclists anymore.
Is it legal for an actor to don the garb of Henry Clay and walk around the Capitol and have his picture taken with tourists? I mean, it doesn't have to be Henry Clay, but could be any historical congressional figure. They do this in Hollywood, so why not do it in Hollywood for ugly people? As far as I'm concerned, there are far too few people making a living by pretending to be 19th century statesmen. This is called entrepreneurship and it should be encouraged.
I haven't seen a u-turn across Penn all week. Maybe they're illegal nowadays. I have noticed an increase in the number of people using phones while driving. There must be a new Angry Birds out. It's a bad habit and I do it too sometimes, but I think it'd be better if we all stopped using gadgets while driving. Except for blenders, because sometimes when I'm riding alongside a car, I'd really like the driver to hand me a smoothie. I'm a big fan of smoothies.
I skipped the White House today, instead opting to ride in the street up 15th and pass McPherson on the non-cycletrack side. Then it was Vermont to Thomas Circle and up 14th on the other side. My general recommendation with traffic circles is to be decisive and really telegraph (not literally) where you plan to ride. That sometimes means taking the lane, but I think it's totally worth it. I'd rather be in the middle of a traffic lane and keep a driver behind me rather than be off to the side and in the path of a turning car.
14th was great, as always. A fair amount of bike traffic heading downtown, but nothing compared to one block over.
Every time I pass P street I think of this. It's cool. I take Q and R.
Speaking of R, there is in fact a stop sign at 21st and R. It's on Google maps and even in real life too.I watch bicyclists just blow through it every single day. Not slow and roll, but just totally ignore it. I don't think that's an especially wise idea.
Idea: take out a traffic lane on Massachusetts for a two-way cycletrack. Three remaining traffic lanes can alternate for inbound and outbound traffic depending on the time of the day. Cycletrack can be named something like "Embassy Cycle Row Track" (note: I am not a marketing genius) and the respective embassies can "adopt" the bollards and decorate them in national colors or something. Initial estimates suggest this will raise roughly $0 for DC, but might increase international goodwill/make my bicycle trip nicer.
And now, what you've all been waiting for (?): the relaunch of the "Tales From The Sharrows Sell Buttons and Give the Money to WABA" campaign! (note: still not a marketing genius).
 |
| Buy me. |
In December, thanks to your collective generosity, we were able to raise over $750 to support the wonderful work of the Washington Area Bicyclist Association. And, many of you were able to festoon your bicycles and bags with buttons, which is sort of neat, if you like festooning. But not all of you festooned as much as you had hoped and since WABA didn't win Megamillions, it turns out that they still might benefit from the sums that we might be able to raise. So, buy your buttons here. Please. There's also a secondary donation you can make, which will probably bring about the tertiary purchase of ear plugs, so check out the link to find out more about that. And then there's another thing you can pay money for which is just sort of weird. Much gratitude to Jon from manfredmacx.com for helping me set this up again. Thank you all in advance!
4/4/12
Ride Home 4/4: Marcus Camby, M.D.
Wednesday evening and I rode home in a suit. A black suit and a green tie and bike shoes. Was it cycle chic? [shrugging]. Was it kind of uncomfortable and a little bit hot? Yeah, I guess. Was I greeted at the door with "um, do you realize how expensive dry cleaning is?" Pretty much. In conclusion, it's not really a great idea to ride home in a suit when you can ride home in other clothes, clothes which rested in my bag beneath a glass container which previously held pesto covered spaghetti, at least seven copies of the Washington City Paper, a u-lock and a chocolate croissant that was given to me late in the day by a former coworker. It looked like this:
I used to get really anxious about carrying a lot of stuff in my bag, thinking that the weight would dramatically impact my ride home. I don't worry as much any more, mostly because I realize now that carrying a lot of stuff doesn't really matter. You might just go a little slower, but in all likelihood, it mostly won't matter. You can't beat the system. It takes how long it takes. I watch people on bikes and in cars and on foot trying to short circuit it every single day, but there's really only so much you can do. Run one red light and you'll hit the next. Speed, but then you'll get stuck behind someone trying to parallel park. Try to turn right on red and you can't complete it because someone's crossing the street. I don't know if bike commuting has made me anything but resigned to the fact that all trips regress to a mean and there's nothing to get too stressed over.
I've never transported a whole pizza by bicycle. This is a gap in my resume.
I took Q, but then I took 15th for some reason and it was slow and predictable and I passed many people who looked earnest and dedicated to the enterprise of biking home. The man in front of me spun a low gear at a high rate and he looked especially earnest. He had a brocaded leather belt.
I love convertibles (cars, not sofas), mostly because I can listen to the blue tooth conversations of the persons inside. Some guy in a red Mercedes really, really, really loved someone, but I don't know if it was eros or agape. And someone else couldn't talk right now. Thus concludes the first annual, "what people were talking about while driving" TFTS gimmick.
Man, there are a lot of tourists here. Spend liberally.
On Penn, I wound up behind two other bicyclists, both of whom were on singlespeeds, who found the need to talk to each other when stopped at a red light, even though they were perfect strangers. I didn't know which one was Cousin Larry. Anyway, it makes me happy that DC is the kind of place were two bicycling strangers can and do still talk to each other for no apparent reason. What a friendly, genteel town. And if bicyclists, the surliest of the bunch, can do it, maybe that means there's hope for everyone. So, next time your stuck in Beltway traffic, go for it and let me know what happens. (Disclaimer: not liable for anything that happens)
I bounded up the Hill and briskly made my way home and really appreciated the warmth and the night and the other bicyclists and the lack of annoyances and the ample space and the trees and the temperatures and the whole thing.
I used to get really anxious about carrying a lot of stuff in my bag, thinking that the weight would dramatically impact my ride home. I don't worry as much any more, mostly because I realize now that carrying a lot of stuff doesn't really matter. You might just go a little slower, but in all likelihood, it mostly won't matter. You can't beat the system. It takes how long it takes. I watch people on bikes and in cars and on foot trying to short circuit it every single day, but there's really only so much you can do. Run one red light and you'll hit the next. Speed, but then you'll get stuck behind someone trying to parallel park. Try to turn right on red and you can't complete it because someone's crossing the street. I don't know if bike commuting has made me anything but resigned to the fact that all trips regress to a mean and there's nothing to get too stressed over.
I've never transported a whole pizza by bicycle. This is a gap in my resume.
I took Q, but then I took 15th for some reason and it was slow and predictable and I passed many people who looked earnest and dedicated to the enterprise of biking home. The man in front of me spun a low gear at a high rate and he looked especially earnest. He had a brocaded leather belt.
I love convertibles (cars, not sofas), mostly because I can listen to the blue tooth conversations of the persons inside. Some guy in a red Mercedes really, really, really loved someone, but I don't know if it was eros or agape. And someone else couldn't talk right now. Thus concludes the first annual, "what people were talking about while driving" TFTS gimmick.
Man, there are a lot of tourists here. Spend liberally.
On Penn, I wound up behind two other bicyclists, both of whom were on singlespeeds, who found the need to talk to each other when stopped at a red light, even though they were perfect strangers. I didn't know which one was Cousin Larry. Anyway, it makes me happy that DC is the kind of place were two bicycling strangers can and do still talk to each other for no apparent reason. What a friendly, genteel town. And if bicyclists, the surliest of the bunch, can do it, maybe that means there's hope for everyone. So, next time your stuck in Beltway traffic, go for it and let me know what happens. (Disclaimer: not liable for anything that happens)
I bounded up the Hill and briskly made my way home and really appreciated the warmth and the night and the other bicyclists and the lack of annoyances and the ample space and the trees and the temperatures and the whole thing.
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