random quote

"when your values are clear, your choices are easy."

Happy Thanksgiving

I am thankful for many things: my family, my health, my job, my friends, my good looks, this beautiful city, the warmth of my community... and public bike pumps. This one is outside Valencia Cyclery. Thanks, guys!

Songs of Love

I've been thinking a little bit lately about the ways that people show they care. Rachel got a book for her wedding (which I have already blogged about) which explains that different people experience and express caring differently. From memory:
1) verbal statements of love
2) physical affection
3) acts of service
4) gifts
5) spending time together
I believe words are cheap. (And I certainly don't have any use for secret messages.) I used to have a lot of dried roses that a boyfriend had given me, and I made them into art. G's sister asked "what did he do wrong to have to give you so many roses to make you forgive him?" He didn't do anything -- that's how he showed love. That approach obviously wouldn't have worked for G's sister. I think I tend to express love through physical affection and acts of service (like cooking). I think I understand love primarily through spending time together. The system is flexible. For example, the gifts worked well for me since I also got adequate time. (Also, some people are easier to shop for than others.)

Actually, that wasn't my point. What's been running through my head is the range of song lyrics (the poetry of our era) about the ways people understand and express love. Specifically, Eliza Doolittle hollering in the London streets:
Don't talk of stars Burning above; If you're in love,
Show me! Tell me no dreams
Filled with desire. If you're on fire,
Show me! Here we are together in the middle of the night!
Don't talk of spring! Just hold me tight!
Anyone who's ever been in love'll tell you that
This is no time for a chat! Haven't your lips
Longed for my touch? Don't say how much,
Show me! Show me! Don't talk of love lasting through time.
Make me no undying vow. Show me now!

which I can relate to completely. But then there's Billy Joel's wise advice to:
Tell her about it
Let her know how much you care
When she can't be with you
Tell her you wish you were there
Tell her about it
Every day before you leave
Pay her some attention
Give her something to believe
Cause now and then
She'll get to worrying
Just because you haven't spoken
For so long
Though you may not have done anything
Will that be a consolation when she's gone
Which is all very well and good but maybe he should take her on a vacation too. I mean, even if he has no time to spend with her, he could at least send her some nice jewelry.

Gifts are tricky too. For example, in Sex and the City, Big sends Carrie roses for her birthday when they aren't together. He claims his secretary did it without consulting him. To me, those roses would be a lot more effective than sending a text message saying "I want you back." But that's just me, and both options are seriously tacky. I'm just saying.

Meat Balls Fresh Daily

SJ Bike ParTAY

Tonight is the San Jose Bike Party, a monthly celebratory bike ride in Silicon Valley. The theme this month is "where's waldo" and people have put up signs all over town. A few of us were talking about going until something happened... we saw the weather forecast. RAIN!

When I first became a San Francisco bike commuter in 1997 (before that I was a Berkeley bike commuter), I used to wear leggings and wool to ride on the rain. I carefully wrapped my work clothes (usually a suit) in plastic bags. This system was preferable to rain gear but involved some risk and carrying clothes.

Then, I went to grad school at Berkeley, and the rain system changed. Since I didn't have to "dress" for school, I bought rain gear to wear over my casual wear and called it. If my clothes got wet, I hung them out in the break room to dry... which occasionally they did (while I wore something else).

But to bike in the rain for fun... that's more than I have in me these days. Adrienne pointed out that this not everyone's attitude. We were particularly impressed that they cap the Worst Day ride at 3,000 participants. You guys go for it!

That said, we're all over the SJBP next time! See you there.

Bike Expo Poster

I'll be at the SF Bike Expo this Saturday. The excellent people at Mission Bicycle Company sent me this poster, and I think it's pretty cool.

Hope to see everyone there.

word of the week

ballast (n) an additional passenger taken solely for the purpose of using the carpool lane.

a quick thought on bikes and fashion

I've been biking as my primary mode of transportation for at least the past 15 years. I love the recent fashionization of the bicycle as exhibited by the Tweed Ride, Cycle Chic movement and etc. Everyone should understand that bicycling around, at whatever (slow or...) speed is healthy, happy and good for the planet. The bicycle can be a fashion accessory if you like; it also fosters an easy and liberating approach to getting around town.

NYT: This Just in From the 1890s

Dublin bike sharing program update

"More than 16,000 people have subscribed to the scheme since it was introduced just six weeks ago, making it the most popular city bike scheme to date in Europe, according to the council."
IRISH TIMES: City council to increase capacity of bike stations

Mission Night

Riding up 22nd Street from Mission to Valencia, this one's perfect San Francisco Cycle Chic. She rides a 10-speed in the quintescencial little black dress with boots. Blond hair cascades over her shoulders from beneath her helmet. Boots with bare legs are another SF thing -- the look walks that delicate line of our moody weather.

Zebra Bike

Parked outside Palo Alto Bicycles, this Zebra Bike must have been painstakingly painted. The stripe pattern is authentic, and I love the way the painter didn't stop at the frame: the seat and handlebars have stripes too. Maybe the stripe-naked front fork is a replacement from the original work of art.

In case you weren't already upset about trash in the Ocean

Midway
CJ shot these beautiful and incredibly depressing photos.

Zachary Levi

Since I seem to like to keep the general public apprised of my latest celebrity obsession, I'm bringing up Zachary Levi. OMG, he's so handsome it makes me want to throw myself out the window. Those glam shots on IMDb do nothing for me, but as a computer nerd, he's my dream boat. Just saying.

Sadly, I can see from the trivia that we would not make a good couple (bc he isn't a real computer nerd. bummer).

Life's a beach!

I love riding my bike to Ocean Beach, and I do it as often as I can. When friends come from out of town, unless they live in a beach town, I take them to the beach. The part that's tricky is adjusting their expectations. I tell them to wear a sweater, hat and scarf. Ocean Beach is cold as well as dramatic and beautiful.

This elegant lady had just arrived when I asked to snap her photo. It was warm enough for a t-shirt, but we were all glad our legs were covered.

Curry Lady

I was waiting for a table at a local Indian restaurant when this lady arrived with the Magic Curry Kart guy ISO a table as well. We used the time wisely - I shot her photo, backdrop: Valencia Street.

Her color pallet reminded of curry as well...or Halloween (although I took this photo a while ago)... or fall colors: orange sweater, yellow top, brown mini, tights and suede boots. Great look, Curry Lady.

Afternoon with Mikael

Copenhagen is the bicycle capital of the world, and Mikael Coleville-Andersen it's spokesperson as well as the leader of the Cycle Chic movement. He came to San Francisco last week to give a talk at SPUR Bike like the Danes. BikePortland provides a detailed summary of his talk which is unsurprisingly littered with the whimsical: raging bulls, vacuum cleaners, multi-vitamin viagra pills.... The man is appropriately employed in marketing.

Some of my favorite points in the talk:
* 56% of Copenhageners cycle for transportation because it is fast and easy.
* None of these people are "cyclists", "environmentalists", or "atheletes". They are simply practical people who have identified the best way to travel.
* "A2Bism" -- make it practical and possible for people to travel, like a river, the most efficient path.
* Nearly everyone is a "subconscious environmentalist"; they just need role models.
* Bring back the bike girl posters.
* "Green wave" -- when stoplights are timed for bikes.
* "Soft traffic" -- bikes and peds
* Cars should be required to have health labels like cigarettes.
* In Scotland, a study found that if they shifted their bicycle mode share from 1 to 18%, the country would save $1.6 billion. $1.10 is saved per kilometer biked. $0.53 is saved in public health, and people live an extra 7 years (my notes are this point are sketchy, but you get the idea.) Another study found each km biked, the government saves $0.25 from the tax base. Each km driven in a car costs the tax base $0.16.
* Mikael doesn't fix his own flats, and there are 22 bike shops within a km of his house. Fixing a flat costs ~$8.
* Lots of bikes are stolen in CPH -- people just use wheel locks. Home insurance covers them, and you complete the form online.
* Most bike lanes in CPH are separated from traffic and parking by a curb.

After the talk, a few of us went for lunch with Mikael. Adrienne took this picture of me posing with her bike in the spirit of Cycle Chic.

Her u-lock wore a sweater that matched my ensemble.

Erik Zo met us with his Bullitt. Here Mikael and Eric smoke and chat.

Not thinking, I rode transit to the event. This made my travel with the others to the Ferry Building for lunch inconvenient. No problem! Erik could transport me in the Bullitt. Insanely fun! Thanks, Erik.

I shot the following two photos of Mikael from the Bullitt. Check out Mikael's comfortable, yet stylish, suede footwear.

Mikael borrowed a bike from his hotel. Along the way, he shot video footage.

Thanks for a wonderful afternoon, Adrienne, Mikael, Richard Masoner and others.