More Parisiennes a Velib'

It was summer, and most of these people were probably on vacation. Or maybe it was a weekend. One thing San Francisco has in common with Paris is that people traveling around on bicycles look like they didn't take their travel mode into consideration when they dressed that morning.

These women look like they'd planned a leisurely weekend day around town.


You can see that she's in the middle of telling her boyfriend a story at this stoplight. Note the gold shoes.

More of what I learned from television.

I've learned a lot from television. I've learned that everyone is crazy; those characters on Friends acted *very strangely* and yet were still very likeable and comprised one of the most popular situation comedies of all times. One night I was riding my bike home after a few drinks, and I found a baby shoe in a crosswalk. My judgement was impared, and I picked up that little shoe and put it in my pocket. The next night I caught up on 30 Rock and Liz Lemon accidentally revealed a purse full of "stolen" baby shoes. I've learned that the comedic pause only works if people are expecting it, like on How I Met Your Mother, I often must instruct people to "wait for it."

Television helps us to live our lives with more humor and tolerance. I read a study that real people who had never met a gay person but watched Will and Grace had more tolerant views than those who did not. Television has the power to heal our insecurities and teach us about humanity. It provides "focus group"-level studies from which we can learn about society. We must remember that those characters are not real, but their stories have reality.

That said, I learned 2 interesting things recently. My boss lent me his DVD set of Season 1 of Bones. I watch it nearly every night. The main character has shared 2 kernals of wisdom that stuck with me:
1) Zen addage: in order to find something, you have to stop looking.
The problem? I really enjoy looking. Pretty much it can give my life meaning. When I find one thing I sought, I often have to start looking for something else as quickly as possible or I'll let go of the thing I found. This may be related to our hunter/gather history.
2) Nothing has ever happened only once in the history of time. So, like Angela, chances are I will fall in love again.

Suits on Bikes... oh yeah, in Paris

In Paris, cycling is so mainstream that everyone does it. I only occasionally see San Francisco business men riding in their work clothes, and usually they're advocates who I know through their work. Here, I've documented a few.

These are some of my reasons too.

Bikeshare in Dublin, Ireland

CityRyde

Green footwear

More from my summer vacation in Paris... This sweet couple grabbed their Velib's and headed off into the busy streets.

I was surprised by the color of her footwear (chartreuse), and I loved that her purse matched combined with all black clothes.

If she decides today's garbs don't suit her, all she has to do is change her shoes and her purse. That's so much less work than when I have a similar crisis. Although it looks like she's doing fine....

Little family vogue

This little family caught up with me on an afternoon jaunt to the park.
They were having a little trouble getting up the hill due to a restless populous, but I thought they looked mighty vogue...


...because your best asset is the person at your side... and sometimes in your babyseat.

Psycho Donuts

My coworker got these donuts from a place in Campbell called Psycho Donuts.

Young couple a Velib'

I saw this young couple navigating the intersection at La Bastille. She looks great, but I was particularly impressed with her shoes.


You'll see -- I have a couple other photos of magnificently-colored footwear worn in Paris last summer. As you know, last year's fashion in Paris is next year's fashion in the states. I'm just saying....

Parisien Children a velo

While in Paris last summer, I took these photos of people riding with their children.

This woman merits VV on her own.


These kids are a bit on the sporty side, but I loved seeing the whole family ride together. I think they're American expats. What do you think?

Fight, Flight, beFriend your bicycle

bikelovejones said today: "To that end, I'm going to stop fighting the wars I cannot win and instead begin to win the battles within reach." She's talking about saving the world from the evils of the automobile, but brought some ideas together in my mind.

KT recently bulk mailed an article on research that found that unlike men, women do not respond to stress with "fight or flight"; instead, they nurture and befriend. I have learned the hard way that this only works with some friends. Other friends can't stand for life's events to be about anyone but themselves. So, it can be efficient to have a complete melt down once every few years to find out who you can count on.

I get a lot of flack for not owning a car and basing my agenda on the time and availability of transit. On the other hand, I recommend it to anyone who asks. I don't like to preach, and I also don't like when people preach at me. There's already plenty of judgment out there. I'm trying to live one example. I don't want to fight about it; I don't want to avoid talking about it; I'm happy to socialize about it and bring you organic cookies on my bicycle if you're feeling sad (and I like you). That's the kind of advocacy that works for me. But I admire people who have energy for the fight. I'm just not one of them.

This is also related to another thing I love to talk about: Democracy. None of us could understand how half the country could have voted for George Bush either time but especially the second time. There was much call to action to talk with our friends and relatives in the red states about politics. Of course we surround ourselves with people we agree with, and talking with people we don't agree with politically is stressful, but can't we all just get along?

I'm not advocating re-friending people who've let you down. I'm suggesting, again, as usual, that (some) women have the special tendency to nurture and discuss in times of crisis, and that maybe more of us should be in positions of power. Yeah, I know, duh. Did you really expect me to say something new?

But back to cars and bicycles...given my home and work locations, it would be enormously more convenient if I had a car. However, cars are expensive, I have no place to put one, and I hate being stuck in traffic. I have a standard carpool, and they carpool with me bc: 1) I give them money, and 2) they can use the HOV lane for faster travel time. We all take the train most often tho bc we enjoy it. A friend was recently telling me she would love to have a car, but she has no place to put one. Another friend got a car bc her apartment came with a parking space. All this speaks to the necessity of creating policy so that it makes sense to be resource efficient... rather than inefficient like our current policy. If drivers paid the true cost of driving, they wouldn't do it unless it was really necessary. But this is still most convincingly related with honey... because transportation can be stressful. And we all know that fighting never led anyone to join hands and sing.

The Loveliest Cyclist at Saint-Eustache

Last summer, I was eating pizza outside Église Saint-Eustache at Les Halles with my friend Tina when this woman rode up. I knew instantly that she was the loveliest cyclist I would see (except for my friends of course).

She appeared to be meeting her boyfriend/husband/lover/male friend at this very spot. We paparazzied her extensively. She didn't seem to notice. He seemed to think that was a perfectly reasonable reaction to her presence.

Notice the lovely vintage bike with fenders and basket, the classic gray dress and pink pumps.

I'm glad it rained so much in San Francisco this February because we need it. However, I'll be honest with you: it's slowed me down. I don't go outside as much, and similarly, neither do many of our fellow cyclists.

But every challenge is an opportunity. You are finally going to see my photos from Paris last summer including my inside tour of the Velib program.

I like handlebar tape.

But these bikes looked so cool without it, I shot their picture anyway.

BART tunnel under construction chase

Valencia Vogue

We could probably fill this entire blog with Valencia Vogue if we stood on a corner and waited with our cameras. Sadly, we have other obligations that, say, support our habits of sleeping indoors and eating food that hasn't already been enjoyed by other people. So, we are only lucky enough to be on Valencia with our cameras every now and then.

I loved this woman's look, all bundled up on one of our non-rainy days (of which there have been a few lately... but I don't remember when). She wore a classy plaid coat with dress shoes, socks and "pedal pushers". I also liked the new cruiser with wicker basket. My goal is to look that good at least until the air warms up and it becomes easier (think sundresses, etc., when goals are no longer necessary).

I'm not old; I have a job! ...or Crazy Hair

OK, maybe I'm middle aged. But that's not the point....

One of our magnificent Planner 1s went to Vegas for her birthday last weekend. She returned to work this morning exhausted and with no voice. She's had a cold recently, but she says she lost her voice from partying.

I carpooled home with another coworker. I told him "I was partying like a rock star until about a year ago, and then I just got old. Eleven rolls around, and I have to go to bed. My friends have had trouble adjusting. I think they feel betrayed." He said, "it might be the job." Ta Da! It might be the job.

(I recommend to all people: lose your job, regain your youth!)

The other thing I've noticed lately about myself is crazy hair. A girl I went to college with used to say "crazy hair = crazy person." Here's the difference: I've stopped caring if I have crazy hair. I feel better with crazy hair. I think this is my subconscious effort to drive people away from me because my heart is broken.

That said, my heart is almost always broken. As KT says, I am a perfect "4" in the Enneagram (4=the tragic romantic or the artist). I just don't always do things to drive people away... or maybe I do. The point is, our psyche has a range of ways of ensuring that we get what we need emotionally, and sometimes that's a personal desire for crazy hair for example.