on the bike car 2

This was a cute little interaction. We were all lined up to get off the train with our bikes. I, of course, loved it that this guy was still wearing his tie. So, I asked if I could take his photo.

When I checked if the photo had come out, I was really impressed with it. He looks natural, happy, even a little mischievous. A lot of personality was coming through.
I said: "You probably know that you're incredibly photogenic."
He told me he had no idea.

She likes red.

From the bike car of Caltrain

Wi-Drive Chic 2

I was talking last week about the bus I usually ride to work. It creates community. It holds our little family -- especially as more time passes. Since we work in Silicon Valley, most of the guys dress pretty casually for work. But everyone once in a while, and sometimes just specific people, take it up a notch. Like this guy. Good thing he doesn't have toe clips that might scuff up those magnificent shoes.(1)

Every morning, folks play with their phones until the bus comes. Sometimes we chat.

When the bus comes, our bikes go into the luggage compartment. Most of the gentlemen load their own bikes, but the driver usually helps the ladies with theirs. Being genetically predisposed to weaker upper body strength, I appreciate his assistance.

Here's our snazzy friend on a different day, in a different well-put-together outfit. Some people just keep impressing.

(1) This problem can also be resolved with plastic toe clips.

Jon Stewart's delicious commentary on 40 years of oil crisis

An Energy-Independent Future

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Tea Party

Thanks, Streetsblog, for bringing this to my attention. So good.

Wi-Drive Chic 1

You've definitely heard me complain about my commute. Something happened last year that made it about a million times better. Bauer's started running a private bus for the general public (although mostly Cisco employees) between my home and my office. I sometimes bring my bike bc the distance on the work end is about a mile. But that's a completely walkable distance too. So, I bring my bike if I will need it during the day or in the evening or if shaving off 10 minutes in the morning makes a difference to me (i.e., I have a morning meeting).

One of the great things about riding the bus is that it creates community. We live these crazy lives where we're away from home 12 hours a day, but at least we have each other. This lady doesn't ride the bus anymore, but I always loved seeing what quirky outfit she combined with her biking. In this photo, check out her socks and Nutcase helmet.

In these two photos, she's got on a really cute dress over leggings. You also noticed her awesome hair color and stylish sunglasses.

Here's the bus -- gotta run!

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I keep getting this error. Can someone help?

(Thanks, 'D)

BeZerkeley Zebra

You can tell this woman is a utilitarian cyclist and not just a woman in a dress walking a bike because of her messenger bag and sunglasses. Mostly the messenger bag. I love the way she is seemingly accidentally color-coordinated with her bike, and I'm a little bit in love with the bright yellow water bottle holders on the black and white road bike.

A lot of people chat on the phone while riding their bikes. Not me. And especially not on trafficky Shattuck Avenue. But even with both hands occupied, this zebra lady is handling herself with ease.

Years ago, I was walking at this very spot, and a guy on a bike rode onto the sidewalk. He was in complete control, but an elderly woman became incensed by his presence with 5 feet of her on the sidewalk. She turned to me, her face creased with rage: "did you see that?"

I didn't get what the big deal was, but she seemed really upset. I replied "I wonder if you should try meditating."

Yeah, that didn't go over very well. She began screeching at me about Jesus. I'm not into organized religion for myself, but don't get me wrong, Jesus is way cool. I don't see having a calm mind and loving Jesus as being mutually exclusive. In fact, I'm pretty sure He has some messages about not hurling stones, sharing, loving thy neighbors, etc.

Unfortunately, there's a perception of opposition between religious and spiritual systems and between bicyclists and pedestrians. But in fact, we're all on the same team. Was there something else I should have said to that woman?

Banksy: This'll look nice when its framed.

San Francisco's Mission art scene is complex and multi-faceted. I was at my little co-op gallery, hanging a new show of old works for the month of May (now down), and a fellow artist there pointed out this graffiti across the street. He told me it was a famous tagger and people were coming by from all over to photograph and then blog about it.

Later, I read in San Francisco Magazine: "No one has verified international tagger Banksy's real identity, but locals suspect that this particular portrait of the artist as a young man was painted by him sometime between the late hours of April 20 and the wee hours of April 21, just days after San Francisco's primiere of his street-art documentary, Exit Through the Gift Shop. Though Banksy has managed to avoid the official art world for years, that hasn't stopped dealers from dismanteling his walls and selling them for $400,000-plus a pop. This piece joins nearly a dozen recent works attributed to the elusive tagger, his first big "showing" here. Let's hope our street cleaners are also discerning art critics." (pg 28, June 2010)

Alas, our street cleaners turned out not the be the problem. Within a couple days, another tagger, clearly jealous of all the attention this Banksy tag was getting, augmented it: "1 Man 1 Nite 1 Bike NOLA." Totally not cool, Man. I always thought taggers were reputedly respectful of each others' work -- that a mural on a wall was less likely to be graffitied on than a blank wall. Now I'm wondering if everyone feels so marginalized, so silenced, that they take every opportunity to scream their message even at the expense of their brethren.

Art is, of course, about expressing yourself, about emotion, and the challenges of being human on earth. It isn't easy whether you're talking about art, isolation, environmental degradation or any other number of a million things that could be on your mind. I'm hungry for a day when street artists respect each other again.

Back to business as usual, the wall was completely painted over again within a few days (not shown in photos here because that would be boring). The whole "event" recorded only on our cameras, blogs and magazines. I love living in the Mission because art is part of every way life. Banksy, tag us again. 1 Man, 1 Bike guy, find your own frigging wall to tag. Everyone else, use your imagination. I can't wait to see how you feel.