I blame Dani - we were supposed to go shopping at 2 and she e-mailed me all frantic at 11 saying that she could go earlier. I had to quick take a shower and leave so I could meet her. I mean I had to leave like 10 minutes ago! Seriously. There was no time to ride my bike - honest. So I took the motorcycle. I know, I know I suck. If it helps at all, I felt really awful riding it over. I kinda got over it on the way home because it was really fun - but I still felt a little bad.
We went vintage clothes shopping for the Vegan Prom, which is 70s/80s themed. Dani knew the best vintage shops on Hawthorne - gotta give her credit. She found a really cute dress and I found some awful pants and a hideous shirt, but that's what it's all about, I guess. Shoes are gonna be tough - Dani's got some, but I'll have to get some Converse or something neutral. There aren't a lot of men's, affordable, vegan, 70s/80s themed shoes.
Since I was already on the motorcycle, I figured I may as well make use of it, so I stopped by Performance Bike to pick up a degreaser, chain cleaner and gear/chain lube. The drivetrain on my bike is making some god awful sounds, so I'm going to thoroughly clean and lube it.
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Friday, June 6, 2008
Be Kind Rewind
Well, we didn't see Persepolis, although about ten minutes into Be Kind Rewind, we all wished we had. How does shit like this even get made? You'd think someone with this little vision, whose judgement is this bad could not possibly have risen through the ranks to become a director. And was there no one else on set who could speak up? Wow. Do yourself a favor here folks and avoid this pile.
The ride totaled out to just shy of 8 miles round trip. The ride down was OK, but I wasn't really feeling it. That was until this dude rode up behind me at a stoplight. Something about having someone ride behind you makes you try much harder. One minute I'm riding an Eddy Merckx, the next minute I am Eddy Fucking Merckx! Calling my helmet-less companion on the Trek hybrid a pussy for falling back on the hills. Come on, bitch, you gotta keep up! At least that's how it went down in my head. Truth is he kept up - and was right behind me the whole way downtown.
The ride back was not so fun. I came out of the movie theater to a pretty steady drizzle, which turned into a full on rain the closer I got to home. By the time I got home my jeans were pretty well soaked. I have rain pants, but it's a pain in the ass stopping and putting them on. I guess I'd rather be wet.
The ride totaled out to just shy of 8 miles round trip. The ride down was OK, but I wasn't really feeling it. That was until this dude rode up behind me at a stoplight. Something about having someone ride behind you makes you try much harder. One minute I'm riding an Eddy Merckx, the next minute I am Eddy Fucking Merckx! Calling my helmet-less companion on the Trek hybrid a pussy for falling back on the hills. Come on, bitch, you gotta keep up! At least that's how it went down in my head. Truth is he kept up - and was right behind me the whole way downtown.
The ride back was not so fun. I came out of the movie theater to a pretty steady drizzle, which turned into a full on rain the closer I got to home. By the time I got home my jeans were pretty well soaked. I have rain pants, but it's a pain in the ass stopping and putting them on. I guess I'd rather be wet.
Persepolis
Tonight I'm riding down to the Laurelhurst Theater for a Meetup movie night. The movie is Persepolis, which I didn't know a lot about until I found that link. Who knew they speak French in Iran - interesting.
The weather is much like last night - windy, drizzly (or drizzly looking at least) and chilly. Of the three, I'm not really sure which I hate the most. I guess it depends on how I'm dressed, how far I have to pedal and how I'm feeling at the time the question is posed. It also depends on the degree to which I'm facing any of those elements. Like, 'raining like a sumbitch' probably sucks worse than, 'a little windy'. 'Drizzly' is probably a lot more bearable than 'colder than forty hells'. I suppose they all suck in their own special way.
The weather is much like last night - windy, drizzly (or drizzly looking at least) and chilly. Of the three, I'm not really sure which I hate the most. I guess it depends on how I'm dressed, how far I have to pedal and how I'm feeling at the time the question is posed. It also depends on the degree to which I'm facing any of those elements. Like, 'raining like a sumbitch' probably sucks worse than, 'a little windy'. 'Drizzly' is probably a lot more bearable than 'colder than forty hells'. I suppose they all suck in their own special way.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Cat Treats and a Scratching Pad
Pants is not pleasedAs I was leaving earlier, Pants reminded me not to forget (yet again) to get him some cat treats, so I booked it over to the cat treat store. I gathered my items, including a third scratching pad for the apartment and made my way to the register - only to find I had forgotten my damn wallet! Son of a... Back home to get my wallet. Fortunately the pet store is only about two miles away, so I hadn't really gone that far. I grabbed my wallet and back out I went.
Everything fit fine in my backpack, including the 'double wide' scratching pad. For those that don't know - Pants spent his first ten years cooling his heels at an animal sanctuary in Mississippi. While there he lived the life of a juvenile delinquent with a group of other free-roaming cats and he, like the others, scratched his claws on whatever he felt like. Now living in a fully carpeted 600 square foot apartment, he continues this behavior. He's already torn the carpet a new one in several places, jacked up a sit-up bench (mind you I was only using it for clothes storage, but that's not the point) and last night I caught him using my Ortlieb backpack as a scratching post. I was not thrilled. So we now have Ikea rugs thrown over several shabby spots on the floor and 3 scratching pads. I'm going to break him of this habit, I only wish I would have done it before I lost my security deposit - which at this point is a fond memory.
After the trip to get the cat's stuff, I headed back over to Hawthore St. This time I went to a little coffe shop called "Common Grounds". I think every city in America and perhaps the world has a coffee shop by this name. The coffee was pretty lousy, but they had a big comfy sofa and there weren't a lot of people there, so that made up for it. I sat down and read a little more Sedaris for awhile.
The total mileage accumulated, according to my new cyclocomputer, was just shy of twelve miles. This was a pretty short trip, not counting the four extra miles racked up going back and forth to the pet store, so I'm surprised it was almost twelve miles. I think I need to ride at least ten miles a day to really get in the habit of riding. On a side note, my legs were sore as hell on the bike tonight because of the yoga yesterday. The instructor made us do this really silly pose where we just laid on our backs like dead cockroaches with legs up in the air for an extended period. It felt more like the Army than yoga and today my legs were burning on the as a result.
Coffee
The weather is really crappy - windy, drizzly and chilly. I want a coffee though, so I'm going to have to suck it up and get out there. Plus I ordered a cyclocomputer to track my mileage and it arrived today, so I want to get it installed and give it a whirl. I settled on this model because it was cheap (30 bucks on sale) and wireless. I've had cyclocomputers in the past that weren't wireless and I can tell you that dealing with a cable can be a real hassle. I was also drawn to this model for it's simplicity. One button - four settings. I don't need heart rate, cadence and all that fancy shit - just tell me the time, how far I've been and how fast I'm traveling.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Post-yoga
Yoga was OK. The teacher was really quite attractive - which only served to make me more self-conscious. The ride down was nice, not too chilly. Afterwards I rode over to Powell's Books again on Hawthorne for a coffee. I read for a while, window shopped at the book store, then came home my usual route - Burnside Street. Pretty uneventful.
There seem to be a few inherent problems with yoga. The language the instructors use leaves me puzzled. Maybe it's just that way where I'm going because it's sort of a hippy commune, but she kept saying things like, "breathe through your spine" and "feel your breath leave the top of your head." What the fuck does that even mean? I breathe with my lungs - doesn't everyone? And my breath comes out of my mouth or nose - if it came out the top of my head, I'd probably need to trip to the emergency room.
Another of my concerns is the whole process of breathing in general. You'd think this would be pretty easy because I've been doing it for so long, but apparently I've been doing it wrong and I can't get the rhythm of how I'm supposed to be doing it - not in yoga class anyway. I breathe out when I'm supposed to be breathing in - I raise my stomach during an out breath when I'm supposed to be sucking my stomach in - I'm not breathing out of the top of my head slowly enough, etc. It seems so damn simple, but no matter how hard I concentrate I cannot get it right.
Maybe in time, I'll understand the lingo and get my breathing under control. That's assuming I go past the five visits I prepaid for. Two down, three to go!
(My friend Bill Bodmer thinks I'm less of a man because of the yoga. He also has a problem with my sauerkraut purchases. Well, suck it Bodmer! I'm going to keep doing my crappy yoga and buying my sauerkraut by the pound.)
There seem to be a few inherent problems with yoga. The language the instructors use leaves me puzzled. Maybe it's just that way where I'm going because it's sort of a hippy commune, but she kept saying things like, "breathe through your spine" and "feel your breath leave the top of your head." What the fuck does that even mean? I breathe with my lungs - doesn't everyone? And my breath comes out of my mouth or nose - if it came out the top of my head, I'd probably need to trip to the emergency room.
Another of my concerns is the whole process of breathing in general. You'd think this would be pretty easy because I've been doing it for so long, but apparently I've been doing it wrong and I can't get the rhythm of how I'm supposed to be doing it - not in yoga class anyway. I breathe out when I'm supposed to be breathing in - I raise my stomach during an out breath when I'm supposed to be sucking my stomach in - I'm not breathing out of the top of my head slowly enough, etc. It seems so damn simple, but no matter how hard I concentrate I cannot get it right.
Maybe in time, I'll understand the lingo and get my breathing under control. That's assuming I go past the five visits I prepaid for. Two down, three to go!
(My friend Bill Bodmer thinks I'm less of a man because of the yoga. He also has a problem with my sauerkraut purchases. Well, suck it Bodmer! I'm going to keep doing my crappy yoga and buying my sauerkraut by the pound.)
Yoga
Well it's 5:15 and I'm off to yoga. This is only my second trip and I'm still at the stage where the bike ride is not what keeps me from going, it's the embarrassment of having my face down and ass up on a yoga mat in front of a room full of strangers. Not to mention, I have no yoga skills whatsoever - in fact, I'm pretty awful. I'm sure the people in the class think I'm there secretly filming a skit for Jackass. Yeah, I'm that bad. The ride down is only about 80 blocks - maybe 4 to 5 miles one way? That's a total guess. The one and only reason I'm actually going - I've promised myself I'd go to Powell's Books again tonight and get a coffee and read. (Normally, I'd just say 'fuck it' and go get the coffee, but I'm making a whole-life attempt at being better at a few things.)
Speaking of the ride down not being so bad - it's kinda chilly out. It's really tough getting used to the cold - it's easy to over-dress and have to stop to take stuff off. It never seems to fail that the rides start out cold only to become hotter than a Bikram Yoga class ten minutes later. I guess there's no easy answer and you just have to get used to changing clothes often. For the record, I am not taking Bikram Yoga - at the moment I'm having enough trouble with the yoga at room temperature.
Speaking of the ride down not being so bad - it's kinda chilly out. It's really tough getting used to the cold - it's easy to over-dress and have to stop to take stuff off. It never seems to fail that the rides start out cold only to become hotter than a Bikram Yoga class ten minutes later. I guess there's no easy answer and you just have to get used to changing clothes often. For the record, I am not taking Bikram Yoga - at the moment I'm having enough trouble with the yoga at room temperature.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Sweet Jesus
I broke that old universal cardinal rule - don't go to the grocery store hungry. It's even more important for poor bastards on bikes. I got a little carried away at Whole Foods.
It may not look like a lot, but that goddamn jar of sauerkraut alone weighs 2 pounds! You'll just have to trust me on this - this shit was heavy. (Yes, that's 2 boxes of cookies - I've been eating like a wolverine ever since I started riding - cut me some slack)
The vast majority of it fit in my backpack, but I did have to cram some stuff into a small bag I picked up at Performance Bike on the way to Whole Foods. Had I not gotten the bag at Performance, I would have been screwed. I wish now I had gotten a bigger one - but then I'd just be tempted to fill it - probably with 2 more pounds of sauerkraut.
The book pictured is David Sedaris' new one called, When You Are Engulfed in Flames. I stopped off at Powell's Books on Hawthorne to pick it up on my way to Whole Foods. I grabbed a coffee and quickly read the first chapter. So far, so good - typical Sedaris humor. I can't imagine there's anyone who hasn't heard of David Sedaris, but if you are unfamiliar with his work you must go get Me Talk Pretty One Day and/or Naked. I would advise you not read them in public so as to save yourself the embarrassment of uncontrollably laughing out loud while people stare and think you've gone batshit. (Thanks Danielle for letting me know this was coming out today)
It may not look like a lot, but that goddamn jar of sauerkraut alone weighs 2 pounds! You'll just have to trust me on this - this shit was heavy. (Yes, that's 2 boxes of cookies - I've been eating like a wolverine ever since I started riding - cut me some slack)
The vast majority of it fit in my backpack, but I did have to cram some stuff into a small bag I picked up at Performance Bike on the way to Whole Foods. Had I not gotten the bag at Performance, I would have been screwed. I wish now I had gotten a bigger one - but then I'd just be tempted to fill it - probably with 2 more pounds of sauerkraut.
The book pictured is David Sedaris' new one called, When You Are Engulfed in Flames. I stopped off at Powell's Books on Hawthorne to pick it up on my way to Whole Foods. I grabbed a coffee and quickly read the first chapter. So far, so good - typical Sedaris humor. I can't imagine there's anyone who hasn't heard of David Sedaris, but if you are unfamiliar with his work you must go get Me Talk Pretty One Day and/or Naked. I would advise you not read them in public so as to save yourself the embarrassment of uncontrollably laughing out loud while people stare and think you've gone batshit. (Thanks Danielle for letting me know this was coming out today)
Monday, June 2, 2008
Large package
My trip to the Sex and the City movie last night has inspired me to use suggestive titles. It's not quite as exciting as it may sound, I just had to go to the post office to mail a large package. The box, which was full of VHS tapes and kinda heavy, wouldn't fit in my backpack - fortunately I have a quick release rear rack. Problem solved. It was a little unstable, but I made it without having to turn back to pick the box up out of the road.
On my way home I stopped off quickly (I had to rush home to meet a guy buying something from me off Craigslist) to pick up a 12 pack of diet Pepsi. I was amazed that the 12 pack fit in my backpack with lots of room to spare. I could've gotten at least one more in there and maybe two! That's one of the things about going strictly by bike, you get a real education on what you can and cannot carry. While the 12 pack easily fit in the backpack, I'm glad I didn't have to carry it more than a few blocks.
Tomorrow night, however, I have to go to the grocery store for a bunch of stuff. New Seasons Market is my favorite 'big'* grocery store in Portland. Unfortunately, there isn't one close to me. So tomorrow I'll go to Whole Foods, which is by no means close, but closer than New Seasons. I very well may be completely crippled by the time I get home with my groceries.
I've seen several people using bike trailers. While there are a couple of companies that manufacture them (see Burley and Bob), most folks just make their own. The ones by Burley and Bob are a little expensive to justify and the homemade version is probably out for a guy in a small apartment, not to mention a little too Burning Man for me. So for the time being I'll just load the backpack and strap whatever won't fit to my rear rack - or do without.
The day I have to get cat litter is going to be a sad day indeed. This might change my perspective on trailer costs, construction and/or whether or not people see me as a Burner.
*The best grocery store in Portland is Food Fight. Although it's referred to as more of a convenience store. It has everything a junk food loving vegan needs to pack on the Portland 15 (like the freshman 15, but for vegans who move to Portland.)
On my way home I stopped off quickly (I had to rush home to meet a guy buying something from me off Craigslist) to pick up a 12 pack of diet Pepsi. I was amazed that the 12 pack fit in my backpack with lots of room to spare. I could've gotten at least one more in there and maybe two! That's one of the things about going strictly by bike, you get a real education on what you can and cannot carry. While the 12 pack easily fit in the backpack, I'm glad I didn't have to carry it more than a few blocks.
Tomorrow night, however, I have to go to the grocery store for a bunch of stuff. New Seasons Market is my favorite 'big'* grocery store in Portland. Unfortunately, there isn't one close to me. So tomorrow I'll go to Whole Foods, which is by no means close, but closer than New Seasons. I very well may be completely crippled by the time I get home with my groceries.
I've seen several people using bike trailers. While there are a couple of companies that manufacture them (see Burley and Bob), most folks just make their own. The ones by Burley and Bob are a little expensive to justify and the homemade version is probably out for a guy in a small apartment, not to mention a little too Burning Man for me. So for the time being I'll just load the backpack and strap whatever won't fit to my rear rack - or do without.
The day I have to get cat litter is going to be a sad day indeed. This might change my perspective on trailer costs, construction and/or whether or not people see me as a Burner.
*The best grocery store in Portland is Food Fight. Although it's referred to as more of a convenience store. It has everything a junk food loving vegan needs to pack on the Portland 15 (like the freshman 15, but for vegans who move to Portland.)
Craigslist.org
This has little to do with biking, but I have sold a ton of shit on Craigslist (CL) lately. I actually sold some bike parts to a guy in Chapel Hill, NC last week who saw my ad on CL Portland. The trick with CL is you have to have an active community of folks who use it and Portland is really active. It's great. When I was in Norfolk I tried selling a few things on CL there, but got no takers on anything - here it's like a giant, super busy yard sale! Best if all, it's completely free to post!
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Flat tire
So I've been warming up for my month long challenge for a little less than a week and in that time I've already had 2 flat rear tires. WTF? The first time this happened I was on my way to the NW for a memorial ride for people hit and killed by cars. I got a flat about 30 blocks from the ride. I changed the tube, being extra careful to sweep the tire first to remove any tacks, staples or whatever that may be stuck in the tire. Got the new tube in, rode for about 20 blocks only to go flat again. Seems I missed a staple. I pumped it up and rode about half of the memorial ride before having to bail out.
So tonight after the movie I come out to find yet another flat rear tire. Terrific. I pump it up and started on my way home - I got about 40 blocks and completely flat. So I opted to change it by the side of the road. Fortunately I carry enough shit to open up a small bike shop, but I gotta tell ya, I'm getting pretty damn tired of changing tubes on the fly.
So tonight after the movie I come out to find yet another flat rear tire. Terrific. I pump it up and started on my way home - I got about 40 blocks and completely flat. So I opted to change it by the side of the road. Fortunately I carry enough shit to open up a small bike shop, but I gotta tell ya, I'm getting pretty damn tired of changing tubes on the fly.
Gear
Here's the stuff I'll be using to get me through...
The bike - 1996 Eddy Merckx titanium AX frame, Look carbon fork, Shimano 600 group, Fizik Rondine saddle, SKS Raceblade fenders, Mavic Cosmos wheelset, Crank Bros. Egg Beater pedals. I've also added a beefy top tube pad since I'm undoubtedly going to be locking it up a lot.
I love this bike - it's light, bullet-proof and really comfortable. The only problem at the moment is the Shimano 600 shifters kinda suck.
The bag - Ortlieb Waterproof Messenger bag.
See more here.
This bag is enormous - which is good and bad. I'm inclined to always fill it up which of course makes it heavy as hell to carry.
The jacket - Showers Pass Elite 2.0
See more here.
I've wanted one of these ever since I read a review in Bicycling Magazine a few years back. So far, it's great. It does fit snug which took a little getting used to.
The shoes - Sidi Dominator
See more here.
The link takes you to the newest in their line, but I've actually owned these shoes for close to 10 years. I've used them a lot and they're terrific. Most of of Sidi's stuff is vegan (including their line of motorcycle boots), is really tough and very well made. I've never had any problems with these shoes and highly recommend them.
The helmet - Giro E2
At the moment I'm using a helmet I bought about 8 years ago. The helmet I was using was damaged when I got hit by the car back in February, though I didn't realize it until I used it about a week ago and the damn thing finally gave out while I was out on a ride. The padding on the E2 I'm using at the moment is dry-rotted and leaves little black specks of foam on my head and forehead when I wear it. I like this helmet, though it is a little small and unless I can find replacement pads for it I'll be forced to buy a new one.
The pants - Novara Express Bike Pants
I'm getting lazy with the pictures (just click the link to see them.) I've ridden in these once so far and they were really great. Tapered legs keep them from getting caught in the gears. The waist is kinda high and I found myself damn near pulling them up to nipple level a few times though.
Security
I just bought a Kryptonite NY Fahgettaboudit lock. This thing weighs a ton, but if it helps keep my bike secure, it'll be more than worth it. I also switched the front skewer to one that uses a special tool to remove it. My hope is that during the times I can't lock the front wheel, this will keep it secure. I am a little worried about losing my pedals, seat/seat post and anything else not nailed down, but you can't account for everything. Just hope for the best and always keep enough change for a ride on the Max.
Miscellaneous bits
I'm also riding with the usual stuff you should not be without while riding: spare inner tubes (I have 2), inner tube patches (from Park), small tool kit (from Crank Bros.), tire levers (set of 2 - Park), pump (presta/schraeder compatible.) I'm also trying, for the first time, a compressed air cartridge system for filling tires. Fortunately, I haven't had to use it yet.
I also have gloves for cold nights and an ipod. There are several schools of thought about riding with an ipod, but sometimes you just gotta have it.
The bike - 1996 Eddy Merckx titanium AX frame, Look carbon fork, Shimano 600 group, Fizik Rondine saddle, SKS Raceblade fenders, Mavic Cosmos wheelset, Crank Bros. Egg Beater pedals. I've also added a beefy top tube pad since I'm undoubtedly going to be locking it up a lot.
I love this bike - it's light, bullet-proof and really comfortable. The only problem at the moment is the Shimano 600 shifters kinda suck.
The bag - Ortlieb Waterproof Messenger bag.
See more here.
This bag is enormous - which is good and bad. I'm inclined to always fill it up which of course makes it heavy as hell to carry.
The jacket - Showers Pass Elite 2.0
See more here.
I've wanted one of these ever since I read a review in Bicycling Magazine a few years back. So far, it's great. It does fit snug which took a little getting used to.
The shoes - Sidi Dominator
See more here.
The link takes you to the newest in their line, but I've actually owned these shoes for close to 10 years. I've used them a lot and they're terrific. Most of of Sidi's stuff is vegan (including their line of motorcycle boots), is really tough and very well made. I've never had any problems with these shoes and highly recommend them.
The helmet - Giro E2
At the moment I'm using a helmet I bought about 8 years ago. The helmet I was using was damaged when I got hit by the car back in February, though I didn't realize it until I used it about a week ago and the damn thing finally gave out while I was out on a ride. The padding on the E2 I'm using at the moment is dry-rotted and leaves little black specks of foam on my head and forehead when I wear it. I like this helmet, though it is a little small and unless I can find replacement pads for it I'll be forced to buy a new one.
The pants - Novara Express Bike Pants
I'm getting lazy with the pictures (just click the link to see them.) I've ridden in these once so far and they were really great. Tapered legs keep them from getting caught in the gears. The waist is kinda high and I found myself damn near pulling them up to nipple level a few times though.
Security
I just bought a Kryptonite NY Fahgettaboudit lock. This thing weighs a ton, but if it helps keep my bike secure, it'll be more than worth it. I also switched the front skewer to one that uses a special tool to remove it. My hope is that during the times I can't lock the front wheel, this will keep it secure. I am a little worried about losing my pedals, seat/seat post and anything else not nailed down, but you can't account for everything. Just hope for the best and always keep enough change for a ride on the Max.
Miscellaneous bits
I'm also riding with the usual stuff you should not be without while riding: spare inner tubes (I have 2), inner tube patches (from Park), small tool kit (from Crank Bros.), tire levers (set of 2 - Park), pump (presta/schraeder compatible.) I'm also trying, for the first time, a compressed air cartridge system for filling tires. Fortunately, I haven't had to use it yet.
I also have gloves for cold nights and an ipod. There are several schools of thought about riding with an ipod, but sometimes you just gotta have it.
Oh Crap
June 1st. Did I say I'd start June 1st, or July 1st? Unfortunately, I've told several people I'm doing this, so now I'm kinda screwed. Man, it's raining and kinda chilly, too.
Well, this is it - day 1. I don't have any real plans today, except I did agree to go with Dani to see the Sex and the City movie tonight way the hell downtown. I know, I know, Sex and the City. I'm trying to nourish my gay side. I've already e-mailed Dani that she's going to have to make it up to me by going to see the new Indiana Jones flick. She has yet to respond to that e-mail.
The ride yesterday was nice. The weather was beautiful and perfect for riding - sunny and probably 70. I rode downtown using my usual route, Burnside St. I met Dani for vegan brunch, which was amazing, then went to Matt's house to help with a computer that died. I also stopped by Cycle Path and test rode a Vamoots just for fun.
Most of the roads in Portland are really good for riding. I feel pretty safe being in traffic on most of them. Burnside has a bike lane a good portion of the way downtown. It's a little hilly and going downtown is the easy part - mostly down hill. Coming out of downtown is a pretty steady climb with a couple of steep sections leading back to my apartment. They seem to get a little easier every time I ride 'em. Since this this is my favorite way to come and go, I'm going to get a lot of practice.
Well, this is it - day 1. I don't have any real plans today, except I did agree to go with Dani to see the Sex and the City movie tonight way the hell downtown. I know, I know, Sex and the City. I'm trying to nourish my gay side. I've already e-mailed Dani that she's going to have to make it up to me by going to see the new Indiana Jones flick. She has yet to respond to that e-mail.
The ride yesterday was nice. The weather was beautiful and perfect for riding - sunny and probably 70. I rode downtown using my usual route, Burnside St. I met Dani for vegan brunch, which was amazing, then went to Matt's house to help with a computer that died. I also stopped by Cycle Path and test rode a Vamoots just for fun.
Most of the roads in Portland are really good for riding. I feel pretty safe being in traffic on most of them. Burnside has a bike lane a good portion of the way downtown. It's a little hilly and going downtown is the easy part - mostly down hill. Coming out of downtown is a pretty steady climb with a couple of steep sections leading back to my apartment. They seem to get a little easier every time I ride 'em. Since this this is my favorite way to come and go, I'm going to get a lot of practice.
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