As I write this blog, I do the things that bloggers do. I comment on other blogs, I post a link to the blog on a social network. Little by little, I get a few more readers. Writing the blog is fun, it’s satisfying. I don’t think that I’m lapsing into complete navel-gazing mental self-gratification (ew, what kind of fetishist gets off on their own navels?) Um, except for those last few sentences.
I recently read an interview of Christopher Hitchens in a prominent newspaper sunday magazine. While I share Hitchens “faithway”, I’d have to say that he comes off as a total prick in his promotion of it. Anyhow, that’s not why I brought him up. In answer to the question “Did you write [your memoir] for money?” He replied, “Of course, I do everything for money. Dr. Johnson is correct when he says that only a fool writes for anything but money. It would be useful to keep a diary, but I don’t like writing unpaid.” Oh, I guess he was quoting someone else now that I looked it up. What a prick. Anyhoo, I write for no money. Just the glory. The sweet, sweet glory of watching my little blog graph go up like the hills of western Rhode Island.
Now that I write this blog, friends send me pictures of bike stuff and car-free stuff. I don’t have complete strangers sending me pictures and links yet. So I invite you, dear stranger who reads my blog, to feel free to send me pictures of bike and/or car-free stuff or links. Perhaps you don’t have a blog of your own but still want to share your observations with the rest of the world. So send me some stuff, please. Otherwise it’s just iPhone pictures of bad bike parking.
Moving on….
It appears as if my influence is becoming vast. At least, among people who already know me.
As the faithful readers of this blog know. I love to complain about bicycle parking. And now my friends are sharing in the joy of the indignity of bike parking as illustrated here:
On Guv'na Street
I’ll commend my friend on her parking improvisation, and I’ll write a stern email to the proprietors of this tea shoppe. (Not really, I used up my quota of stern emails for the week when I wrote one to my coworkers about a clogged drain – I’m such a crabby jerk).
In a earlier post, I gloated about my first (metric) century which involved biking across the entire state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations (that’s the full legal name for the state, btw. It makes it seem much bigger if I use the full name). When I reached the border, I snapped a quick picture and uploaded it to a privacy invasion engine social networking website in order to rub it in my friends’ noses. This elicited a near-epic comment thread:
That's the connecticut border sign.
Ha-HA! Now I’ve got my friends jonesing for their cycling fix. Soon all will be converted to the one true faith of the crank and the spoke!
I was feeling pretty proud of my (metric) century until another friend decided to gloat about her upcoming (American) century and-a-half.
That’s a screencap, so don’t go trying to click on the blue text up there, you’ll have to do that here –>> odram.com. In case you are confusing “onan.com” with odram.com and are afraid of a NSFW link and don’t feel like clicking, let me assure you that ODRAM is the One Day Ride Across Michigan. That’s 152 miles in one day from Lake Michigan to Lake Huron. I can’t wait to hear how it goes. And I’m very glad to hear that she will be properly protecting her taint with a Spongy Wonder. BTW: the ODRAM has the best illustration of Michigan EVAR!
Ask a Michiganer (from the Lower Peninsula, at least) where they grew up, and you’ll see what I mean.
Next, a friend sends me a link to a bunch of “concept” cycles.
Indisputably, the coolest one is the di-cycle:
Kinda reminds me of something…..
I actually kind of like the di-cycle, although I can’t imagine it out on the streets. It would take up almost as much room on the street, and if you were to try to ride it on a bike path, you’d pretty much run everyone off the road. Of course, if there was a way to combine the two vehicles….
My kind of "hybrid"
Who needs a bell to warn pedestrians when you have 32 shoulder-mounted missiles?
Finally, to round up this collection of miscellany: The Bike Snob (of NYC) is out on tour including a visit to Portland’s Powell’s Book Store – which I somehow avoided going into during my visit to Portland earlier this year. Powell’s is pulling out all of the stops, including letting the Snob write a “guest blog” on the Powell’s web site:
Spouse thinks that knowing what BSNYC looks like ruins the blog-reading experience
Ack! What the heck is that in the upper left? ENHANCE!
So, the bicycle (the greatest mode of transportation EVER) gets May, but Dairy gets June? As a lactose-intolerant individual, how can I enjoy the month after bike month when the streets will now be filled with Dairy? Frankly, I’m surprised that the Snob didn’t make a joke about this – something to do with “lighter than milk.” I’ve been struggling for the last 15 minutes to come up with something without much luck. I guess that’s why he’s on a book tour and I sit here humbly hammering away on a laptop.
yr servant,
carfreePVD
Car-Free in PVD 