flammifera, posts by tag: biking - LiveJournal (original) (raw)

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Joanna

This week I've taken some long(er) bike rides to new places! On Tuesday, I biked to nullsurface's house, for a GCD Board meeting. I've biked to that area before, but the Spring Garden bridge + the Art Museum circle is a less common and terrifying(!) ride for me. Wednesday night, I biked to the Riverview movie theater on Columbus Blvd, for the first time. (I saw Forbidden Kingdom with my college friend Jesse -- it was a beautiful movie with ornate costumes, attractive kickass women, and an AMAZING fight sequence between Jackie Chan and Jet Li.) Once I crossed the Schuylkill, I rode almost all the way east on Washington St., which took me past a lot of interesting businesses I don't usually see. And tonight! Tonight I biked to City Hall, where a group of bike riders met for a group ride down to the ballpark for a Phillies game!It was a fun evening! The weather was pleasant for sitting outside and chatting with people, being bewildered by all the bright graphics, reading a bit of the paper, and eating ice cream. Oh, and I even saw the Phillies' Liberty Bell ring multiple times, because the Phillies scored 3 runs and shut out the Braves 5-0!the audience: homethe feeling: adventurousthe bard: none Tags: biking, expeditions, movies, philadelphia (spark a light)

Today was the way I want my days to be. I slept til the reasonable hour of 9, worked on my computer for awhile, then biked down to Society Hill. I spent the whole day helping Bob with paperwork for the next month's buying club orders -- I love working for him, I love working in a beautiful and homey house, and this once-monthly paperwork satisfies my interest in alphabetization and organization and details. In the early evening, after assembling orders at his dropsite, he bought me a beer; we talked about ongoing projects and experiences living in another country. The only things that would've improved my day would've been a) waking up a tiny bit earlier to make myself tea in the morning, rather than waiting for the maté I brewed in the afternoon, and b) the weather being slightly less frigid, for a more comfortable bike ride.I went over to Raf & Mali's this evening for dinner. The newly-painted rooms are vibrant and colorful, and the house is becoming more lived-in. Mali stir-fried some vegetables with long-simmered eggplant, sauteed pea shoots and spinach with tofu, mixed up some peanut noodles, and made rice; ross threw together an apple-quince-cranberry cobbler, as I've come to expect from him this winter. gabe and Abram were also there, and there was an amazing ambience of cooking and joking with college friends, comfortable but grown-up past college and witty.The only thing that would make my evening better would be NOT havingthinking I have to be at the café by 7 am...grr.the audience: homethe feeling: pleasedthe bard: Read My Mind, The Killers Tags: biking, cooking, friends, job, urban life (2 sparks | spark a light)

When I was younger -- and especially in high school -- I abhorred any sort of physical activity that could possibly make me break a sweat. (The only exceptions were water sports, because I've always loved the water; anyway, one is less likely to get sweaty when one is already wet.) I much preferred to sit on the couch and read, or sit in front of the computer and chat with friends. But in college, I discovered folk dancing. And...somehow...at some point after that discovery...I became, if not exactly 'athletic', at least 'active'. I have no idea what happened. First I started dancing as many weekend evenings as I could manage amid the studying, then I even started exerting myself at other times! I fell in love with the challenging stretches in yoga, so I went to a class whenever I could wake up early; senior year, I even took other dance classes or went to the gym occasionally.Then, even more surprisingly, when I moved into Philadelphia, I started biking! (When I had a full-time job, I still squeezed in yoga occasionally, and of course I still went dancing all the time.) It felt important to avoid walking out my door, stepping onto a trolley, and getting off half a block from my office; I was even a little intrigued by my tentative explorations into the world of cycling. Now, with my new farmers' market job and my new road bike, I bike almost everywhere. (Of most interest among my recent rides, I biked to Yards brewery in Kensington for the BFBL Week kick-off event a couple weeks ago, and I've biked back to West Philly from Lansdowne a couple times.) It's partly because many of the markets are far enough apart to make walking too time-consuming, but I don't want to spend money on a transpass right now. But it's also partly because I want to take full advantage of this summer spent working outdoors, and biking around just seems appropriate! It keeps building my tan and my muscles.tanglethis told me she was looking forward to summer -- the healthy feeling of loose, relaxed muscles she associates with the heat. I told her she was insane. But I have to confess, at some point in July, I started to understand what she meant. Justifiably exhausted from biking or standing outside, skin brown and hair golden, sprawled out on my couch, tummy full of local produce -- it does feel healthy. This week though, in the oppressive humidity, I'm starting to tire of 15-minute bike rides to the train station or farmers' market that leave me completely drenched in sweat. I walked in the door about 40 minutes ago, after getting off the R8 from Mt. Airy and biking home from 30th St., and I just felt SO SWEATY. My stomach, my back, even my scalp! Ugh. I'm not really complaining; I still love my job. :) I just wish I could get to the end of some days without being grubby from dust and sweat.And I'm spending next week dancing! That'll leave me exhausted and sweaty too, but perhaps the woods of MA will be slightly cooler...the audience: homethe feeling: grubbythe bard: My Sweet Lord, Girlyman Tags: biking, dancing, hot weather, me, seasons (15 sparks | spark a light)

(Today seems to be a relative postplosion... And yes, I know Tuesday was a couple days ago, but these days it seems to take me awhile to actually post something here.)Last Tuesday, I was excited to share a couple links.1) [ the Apple iPod nano homepage ]The iPod nano comes in COLOR now!! Eeeeeeeee!! ::squeal:: Now eventually I can buy another little green iPod. :) (thanks to ultranurd for passing on the announcement)2) [ Keith Olbermann's editorial on the 5-year anniversary of 9/11 ] Perhaps not exactly news designed to make me ecstatically happy, as the above link, but perhaps interesting to a wider group of my friends. I think his editorial has a couple issues; primarily, I don't think he can blame Bush for the lack of a memorial at Ground Zero. I suspect that has mostly to do with local politics and indecision. However, I do think he fearlessly makes other good points in a blunt yet stately way. Have people seen this clip before? I don't read any specifically political blogs, but I'm a little surprised I didn't hear any fringes of comment on it.(thanks to Gray for the link)This Tuesday, I was very annoyed at a couple situations.1) The bikeshop.They left me a voicemail saying they were choosing not to fix my bike and I could call back for the reasons. They're not reaming the part of the frame into which the seat post fits (so I can use a seat post of the proper size), because the frame is older and blah blah blah. They're not installing a longer seat post because they're concerned the seat would be too high above the frame, making it possible that the seat post might snap. All the labor involved would be unreasonable for a bike that's 'too small for me anyway', and in conclusion, 'they encourage me to get a bigger bike'. GRRRRRRRRRR. I'm sure they have knowledgeable and valid concerns, but I wish they'd handled it differently. Perhaps they could've called me, explained these things and their discomfort with fixing my bike, then just been willing to do what I wanted to pay them to do?! I'm thinking about getting a bigger road bike soon, but right now, I just want to ride *this* bike more comfortably.2) Longsword practice.I don't have any actual reason to be annoyed; we have about 7 complete beginners, and they seem to be learning. It's just quite boring for now, and I needed a second thing to be annoyed at. ;)the audience: still not much to do at workthe feeling: hyperthe bard: Sundance Kid, Kent Tags: biking, politics, random, ritual, technology (spark a light)

Yoga was good last night. I didn't go last week, because almost every joint in both arms was sore. My left shoulder is still dicey, having taken most of the brunt when I slammed into my left elbow, but I decided to go this week.I'm fond of the yoga studio I attend in a brick building, plain and industrial-strength. The studio has dark wood floors, white + pale yellow painted walls, a view of my favorite Philadelphia landmark William Penn, and a glow from the luminous yellow City Hall clock when the winter evening falls early. The space is grounded in Philadelphia, yet removed and relaxing. Russ has a soothing, gravelly murmur that rambles but pinpoints, and what I admire most about him is that he pays attention to the individual capabilities and difficulties of his students.I like the beginning ritual of class -- the sequence of hands closing, eyes closing, chanting, then undoing those motions in reverse order.Our legs making a triangle with the floor and our feet almost Egyptian-painting-parallel, we did twists that challenged my balance to the utmost. Sitting down, we stretched our spines long over our shins. Two moments made me very proud: I was able to rest my chin on my right shin, and I was able to bend my knees to lift slowly into a headstand (sirsasana) rather than kicking up onto the wall.At the end, in the welcome and well-earned relaxation of corpse pose (savasana) on the floor, Russ came and put a small sandbag on my shoulder. It hadn't hurt during the stress of headstand, only during the lateral movement in twists. After having weight rest on it, it felt limber and pain-free.I feel energetic. I want to bike to Merion tonight, even though I've never done it before and it's raining. About 5 miles. We'll see.the audience: Two Commerce Square, Philadelphia, PAthe feeling: accomplishedthe bard: after-hours silence Tags: biking, me, stretching (18 sparks | spark a light)

Sam usually yowls and whines a lot in the mornings, firstly to make me get up and feed her and secondly because I'm in too much of a rush to pet her enough. This morning, however, I think I made more noise than she did; there was a lot of moaning and groaning this morning. Taking a shower especially, but also movement in general, was rather painful. See, I think I fulfilled that recent urge to do something dangerous; I took a spill from my new bike yesterday. ( Lengthy digressions about bikesCollapse )Anyway, /bike mechanics sidetrack. Off I pedaled around 8.15, thinking that such a warm evening + being in Havertown = stopping by J&K to see if they were up for water ice! As I flew down Ellis Rd., however, I braked hard at one point...not with the right brakes, which would've slowed me down, but with the left brakes, which stopped the bike instantly and set me over the handlebars! Dur. And OUCH! Providence and Fortune were there, however, since I landed on my left elbow and right wrist, not my head. I staggered over to the edge of the golf green on the side of the road and stood there gasping for awhile in shock. I gradually took inventory -- right palm scratched up and left elbow severely scraped (and later I discovered some scrapes under my left armpit and a couple bruises on my leg) but no blood pouring out of anywhere (and also discovered later, the cheap glass cross from Greece that I was wearing was unharmed). Eventually I thought to check the bike, and I discovered the gear shift was smashed! So, I pushed the bike all the way back UP the hill and abashedly explained to the guy what had happened. He very kindly and matter-of-factly replaced the gear shift, at the cost of the part, and sent me off with admonitions not to crash again. (For those keeping score at home: price of bike - 5discountfordonatingolderbike+5 discount for donating older bike + 5discountfordonatingolderbike+10 for new gear shift = $5 more than expected. Not at all bad.) Now I really needed to visit J&K, for first aid and consolation! K was off watching a Hitchcock movie in Swarthmore, but J provided ample water & soap, stinging cleansing liquid, cotton, gauze, tape, and inevitably, fascinating stories like the invention of the band-aid. :) Then he provided (also inevitably) Coke and more interesting discussion -- renewable energy use in developing countries, drug addiction, insane car-mechanic-relatives, opinions on Norway, etc. By that point, it was late enough, and I was calm enough, that I rode to the bus stop near their house about 2 minutes before a bus pulled up. After getting back to 40th St., I procured a slushie from WaWa to calm my stomach and non-stick gauze pads from the Fresh Grocer to patch myself up again.The earlier part of my Memorial Day was actually quite lovely. I had breakfast at Marathon with Daren and Kirk; Daren had been home in NJ for his sister's hs graduation, and Kirk had ventured north from Richmond for graduation. I spent the next couple hours reading an old-family-favorite thriller and the Inquirer in one of my favorite coffee shops, Bonte's, which was conveniently one of the few coffee shops open. I also took advantage of the holiday to buy myself the newspaper and enjoy reading it. It was hard to tear myself away from the paper to catch a bus to the Wissahickon Transfer Center, and I arrived at the movie theater about 10 minutes late. But, thankfully, I arrived just in time for the important trailer and in plenty of time for the movie (X-Men 3), which I saw with chlomar and her friends (including Ted!). ( Spoilers for X-Men: The Last StandCollapse ) the audience: after-hours lj-posting at workthe feeling: sorethe bard: silence Tags: biking, dancing friends, friends, injuries, local establishments, movies (14 sparks | spark a light)

The first and last bits are in chronological order. The ones in between are vaguely related by subject, not necessarily chronology.My first experience painting the room of a house, J&K's bedroom in preparation for their move; familiar, stimulating conversations about books and religion. I'll miss that house... Beating rapper!Andrew at cribbage again! And meeting his housemate.Lunch with TOJ at Bread and Butter (a tuna melt), and the usual talk about dancing and boys.Sarah, to the tune 'Agatha' with Sam R. Learning how to do a colonial allemande. As always, TOJ's dramatic head-flick. Learning triangles in longsword was nifty, but running into *3* people I knew on the way up Magill Walk (sashita, Martin the registrar, and Paul the chemistry prof) brought back the full storm of my post-Swarthmore Issues.My cat Sam's newest favorite morning activity -- padding over to my pillow and stroking my face gently...with her paw, claws slightly out. Cute but nerve-wracking.Being equipped to bike in the cold for the first time. Determined to bike back even if it was raining, although it turned out not to be when I left.(me: I need to keep biking [even in the bad weather] so I can exercise, etc.tall lawyer: Why do you need exercise? Don't you dance like 18 times a week?!) Incredible frustration at work with the constantly-expanding fine tuning and editing of the 'new' website. Feeling guilty about feeling pressure to spend my time on the website, not actual cases.Adrenalin-pumping, shivering, mind-numbing relief around 17.30 on Friday: the website launched. So on-edge by that time, I couldn't even handle joking or teasing. Ordering a tofu-centered meal for the first time (crispy tofu satay with a sesame ginger glaze and a pile of soba noodles, carrot & beet strips, bean sprouts). Could I be veggie? Well-needed by Thursday night, lots of alcohol. A Thai-phoon (thai fruit and strawberry vodkas, lemonade, 7-up -- it was bright blue!!) and DiSaronno amaretto at the Continental -> amaretto sour at Sassafras, the bar with the mirrors along one wall and the distorted paintings of women on the other wall -> whiskey sour at Buffalo Billiard's. One-on-one 8-ball -- coming within two balls against Marty, and almost beating grumpy_sysadmin!! O_O As often happens, he choked on the 8, but unfortunately I scratched on it. Of course, many shots I should've sunk, but...not bad.For probably the only time in my life, showing chlomar something about public transit -- how to use the bike racks on the bus! (But how will the bus driver know you want to get on, when you're standing there with a bike?!) Ice cream and Apples to Apples at little!Rachel's house, after her birthday dinner at Kabul. (My meal -- chunks of eggplant and tomato buried under a sweet saffron rice, with almonds & pistachios & orange zest sprinkled on top.)the feeling: numbthe bard: the Elvie Miller & Naomi Morse CD Grapevine (internal) Tags: biking, cat, cold weather, dancing, dancing friends, drinking, friends, my lawyers, philadelphia, restaurants (3 sparks | spark a light)

The problem with biking into work is that I'm then in the mood for either a really big breakfast (like, eggs & bacon or a chocolate croissant) or a really sweet one (my eternal favorite, Dunkin Donuts vanilla creme). Chocolate Peppermint Stick Luna bar, I'm depending on you to satisfy both my hunger and my sweet-tooth...Nike DriFit baselayer (approximately this) -- so soft! And, I think, functional; my stomach felt dry to the touch when I walked into my building.Ski jacket -- possibly too warm, but good enough for now.Random boys pants from Target (the only windbreaker-outside, mesh-inside ones I found) -- really need a wicking layer, but cuts the wind well.Seirus all-weather gloves -- actually, apparently not enough of a thermal layer; my fingers were a little cold.180s (crimson with black lining) -- great! Wearing them for cold-weather biking seems to solve several problems. 1) The problem of them actually being too thermal under other circumstances, 2) wind pressure on my ears, and 3) my helmet straps kept them securely on my ears.the feeling: energeticthe bard: quiet office this morning Tags: biking, cold weather (4 sparks | spark a light)

Well, apparently the way for me to do my Trader Joe's shopping is the following -- breeze in at 20.45, sharply aware that the store is closing in 15 minutes; run down the shopping list drawn up the night before from my refrigerator whiteboard; have my sole question kindly answered by a helpful employee and my modest purchases efficiently bagged by another helpful employee/cashier; and be waiting below street-level for the trolley by 21.05. I don't like appearing as if I'm taking advantage of the friendly helpfulness of TJ's employees by creating more work for them right before closing time. On the other hand, if I go in with some spare time I just spend forever browsing, incapable of decisively weighing the impracticality of buying everything I want against the desire to stock my kitchen.This evening, I also finally decided on a all-weather jacket for biking. Good grief, I've been researching, hemming, and hawing for at least two months. Bluntly put, I wanted a water-repellent, wind-resistant, breathable, and at least slightly insulated jacket for under $100; I knew that was unrealistic, especially if one is buying gear from small, independent sports stores. I've visited the bike store and the running store at least twice each, to browse and ask for advice, and I've spent hours online looking at various catalogues like EMS or REI. For awhile I liked the Brooks Paradox jacket from the running store, sleek and smooth. Today, however, I guess I was in a mood to make a decision -- it'll be spring soon, I've been agonizing over this for so long, I want to improve my exercise and diet, just pick a darn jacket already! I miss biking to work. One of the bike store employees was friendly and spoke well of the popularity and effectiveness of the jacket, as well as of the company that designed it; so basically, he sold me on the Sugoi Women's Thermal II jacket. I liked the front pouches inside the jacket, I liked the cut, and I liked the soft inside fleece and outside element-repellent materials. Using froogle, I've ordered it in grey. (Never fear, I did also patronize the bike store by buying a Nike wicking baselayer, yay!, and a light.)the feeling: decisivethe bard: Paddy Taylor's, Elvie Miller & Naomi Morse (internal) Tags: biking, food, me (spark a light)

I am turning into such a hippy. Yesterday I biked to the grocery store, bought vegetables and rice, and packed it neatly into my Trader Joe's cloth bag -- avoiding the accumulation of plastic bag has become somewhat of a personal crusade because of the large number by my fridge from all sorts of moving-related shopping trips. This evening before rapper practice, it's the produce store for more vegetables and Trader Joe's for Luna bars.( Friday night was Serenity and drinking in Old CityCollapse ) ( Saturday was hacking at plants and dancingCollapse )I slept most of Sunday, went grocery shopping, and meant to start on seasoning 'my' wok, but Marty was driving out to Swat to make a delivery, so I went to hang out. Evenings at YH are always fun. :) I brought the rest of the oatmeal cookies that I made for the bridal shower of one of the attorneys on Fri., the firstfruits of my new kitchen. flurious was making jambalaya, and Louisa made chocolate chip & pecan cookies. There was dominoes, although I wasn't focusing on it as much as I could've, so grumpy_sysadmin and I lost by like 170. (We actually beat the crack duo of Raf and Louisa last time!)I'm not sure why I actually wrote a journal entry on this past weekend. I'd thought about going home but ended up staying in Philly and had a good time doing all my current favorite things, although (mostly because I was exhausted, I think) it wasn't as spectactularly fun as last weekend with the martini party and brunch at Le Beau Monde. ::shrug:: I guess I just had time at work today, so I decided to just type it up. I think I was so amazed by the English dance Sat. that I wanted to write about it, and I just did the whole weekend while I was at it.I have a holiday tomorrow. :)the feeling: optimisticthe bard: Give the Fiddler a Dram (Finale), the Chieftains Tags: biking, dancing, firefly, life, yh (11 sparks | spark a light)