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The Week without a Bike
Jun. 29th, 2012 11:32 pmWhen I biked up to Montclair last Sunday, it felt like I was going to a fairyland in the sky, full of rich fairies. Then Kimberly told me, "Yeah, when I lived above Lake Merritt, we used to go there all the time to eat. It wasn't far."
So this week I was without a bike, and I was surprised how much that impacted my life.
Monday, I decided to get some lunch downtown, and I had to trudge all the way there and back.
Tuesday, I decided I was going to go crazy without any substantive exercise for the week, and so I borrowed Kimberly's bike and rode up to Lake Temescal and back. I felt like I was a big clown in a tiny car, as I delicately balanced and rode. (It would have been more comfy if I'd moved the seat, but I wasn't going to mess up her ergonomics for a several mile ride.) On the bright side, her bike rides like a dream. Seems to be in perfect tune. Cramped up my legs riding the teeny bike, though.
Wednesday, I had to BART out to Endgame. It was perfectly OK and even restful. I knew to get to Downtown Berkeley by 6pm, before the trains southward get ridiculously irregular. I got lucky and there was no A's game as far as I could tell, which would have made the commute home hell. I even read the entirety of a comic, Secret Warriors Vol. 6: Wheels within Wheels. But I was denied my free exercise and the natural high that exercising while interacting with the world can instill.
Thursday, I was supposed to get a call saying my bike was ready, but Kimberly and I still talked some about how we were going to get groceries, if I had no bike by Friday night. Fortunately, Missing Link called, as promised, about thirty minutes before they closed.
Friday, I picked up my bike while Kimberly and I were getting dinner, and then we went for those aforementioned groceries. The bike rides a lot better than it did a week ago, though I need to decide what I think of the current gear tuning. It seems that you can never get gears just right on bikes, which is why I fell in love with the gearless bike I saw the other month.
On the downside, Kimberly has been deathly ill today. I actually felt pretty poor much of the day, but that may be due to lack of sleep because of all the hacking and coughing. For tonight, I've laid out the futon in our family room, with the hope being that I can get some sleep tonight, even if my poor wife cannot.
Because I'd really like to go out and try out all my new bike parts tomorrow, maybe even stop by the Big Fun Boardgaming at Endgame for a few hours.
But that depends on wellness ...
So this week I was without a bike, and I was surprised how much that impacted my life.
Monday, I decided to get some lunch downtown, and I had to trudge all the way there and back.
Tuesday, I decided I was going to go crazy without any substantive exercise for the week, and so I borrowed Kimberly's bike and rode up to Lake Temescal and back. I felt like I was a big clown in a tiny car, as I delicately balanced and rode. (It would have been more comfy if I'd moved the seat, but I wasn't going to mess up her ergonomics for a several mile ride.) On the bright side, her bike rides like a dream. Seems to be in perfect tune. Cramped up my legs riding the teeny bike, though.
Wednesday, I had to BART out to Endgame. It was perfectly OK and even restful. I knew to get to Downtown Berkeley by 6pm, before the trains southward get ridiculously irregular. I got lucky and there was no A's game as far as I could tell, which would have made the commute home hell. I even read the entirety of a comic, Secret Warriors Vol. 6: Wheels within Wheels. But I was denied my free exercise and the natural high that exercising while interacting with the world can instill.
Thursday, I was supposed to get a call saying my bike was ready, but Kimberly and I still talked some about how we were going to get groceries, if I had no bike by Friday night. Fortunately, Missing Link called, as promised, about thirty minutes before they closed.
Friday, I picked up my bike while Kimberly and I were getting dinner, and then we went for those aforementioned groceries. The bike rides a lot better than it did a week ago, though I need to decide what I think of the current gear tuning. It seems that you can never get gears just right on bikes, which is why I fell in love with the gearless bike I saw the other month.
On the downside, Kimberly has been deathly ill today. I actually felt pretty poor much of the day, but that may be due to lack of sleep because of all the hacking and coughing. For tonight, I've laid out the futon in our family room, with the hope being that I can get some sleep tonight, even if my poor wife cannot.
Because I'd really like to go out and try out all my new bike parts tomorrow, maybe even stop by the Big Fun Boardgaming at Endgame for a few hours.
But that depends on wellness ...