Baby Registry: All Other

Now that you've heard my stroller brain dump (for which I apologize), I think the rest is pretty simple. Again, I would love any hand-me-downs you think I might find useful.

I've registered on Amazon for some things that I'm not expecting as hand-me-downs. Just search for my real name. Also, feel free to find the items listed on Amazon used and just let me or Ilana or Laura know so we can take it off the list.

The Diaper Service I've selected is Earth Baby. If you would like, you can click on the green "Gift Certificate" box on right hand side. Again, all you need is my real name... and possibly my email address. (The account is under my Yahoo! email address.)

Finally, I need a glider and ottoman.

Thanks.

Baby registry: Strollers

Babies can have a significant environmental impact. In an effort to reduce the impact of mine, I'm hoping to provide for her with hand-me-downs and used items. Of course this makes it difficult to "register" since craigslist doesn't have a registry (hmm... business idea, someone?). Also, in most cases multiple types of an item will fit the bill as well as each other.

Strollers are tricky because not just any will do. I'm tall. When I push Laura's stroller, I have to walk like a duck to avoid kicking it and it wrenches my back. There are also a range of other considerations such as weight and size since baby can't bike with me for the first year. We are likely to be riding the bus a lot! While the stroller must be big in size to fit me, it must also be light and fold small for the bus. Like anything, these are natural trade-offs.

Finally, not all strollers accommodate infants which I understand need to be completely flat -- something to check for. Not all the strollers listed below accommodate infants -- not necessarily a deal breaker since I can carry her at first as well.

Having now test-pushed about 300 strollers, I have news. I don't kick the following strollers when I push them making them desirable choices:
* Bugabuoo
* Bob (aluminum instead of plastic wheels makes it much lighter)
* City Elite
* Aprica
* Graco Alano flipit
* Mountain Buggy urban stroller
* Combi Cosmo Ex
* Pliko P3 Peg Pergo
* Chico Capri

So, if you have one of the above to spare or if you find one used for a good price, I would love to have it. Thank you!

[Special thanks to Young for taking me all around to push these strollers in stores. You are a true friend!]

Commandments for dating

I like this list for dating: The Millionaire Matchmaker's 11 Commandments of Dating for Women

I would only make one change: If your first date is a blind date (of any variety) no drinking at all. It completely changes the dynamic.

I strongly agree about
* not texting or IMing,
* returning calls in a timely manner and
* honoring your commitments.

Solving Caltrain's financial problems

My job responsibilities include keeping up on the news. I was just reading this article on Caltrain's financial crisis, and the numbers at the end inspired me to pull out my calculator.

CALTRAIN NUMBERS
$2.3 million: deficit
35,000: daily riders

My calculation: $2,300,000/200 commute days per year (a conservative estimate)/35,000 daily passengers (or do they mean trips? I bet they mean trips.) = $0.33 (the amount they would have to raise fares per ticket (or possibly per passenger which means it's only half as much) to cover the deficit

BTW, demand for transportation is relatively inelastic. This means that people won't stop riding very quickly as the fare increases.

I don't know about you, but $0.33/day isn't a lot of money to me. Heck, raise the fares $0.50/day just to be on the safe side. Just accompany it with better service like more space for bikes and bullet trains on the weekend and even in the middle of the day.

Adventure to West Point Inn

After Meli's profile of me as a woman "who rides the distance", I was inspired to share this story with you.

Last fall, K and I planned to bike up to the top of Mt. Tam and spend the night at the West Point Inn. Here she is in Sausalito getting some air.

As we climbed the hill, the view got lovely.

We stopped to enjoy it!






While you see us smiling here, the trip was not a complete success. Once we reached the West Point Inn, right exactly at the end of check-in time, we learned that a lightning threat meant the mountain needed to be evacuated!

Sadly, there was no way of making it back in the light, and we weren't carrying any. So, we dawdled, snacking on our dinner and enjoying the view until the very last moment and then biked home in the dark.

The moral of the story? Maybe don't plan to stay at the West Point Inn in the fall and ride your bike to get there. Otherwise, we'll just have to try again another time in another season.

Grandma on a Bike

Fridays, I usually work from home. Today, I was listening to Forum on KQED radio about San Francisco's transportation systems. Several people asserted that bicycle infrastructure was only useful for people in their 20s and 30s. The MTA representative asserted that this is only because our existing bicycle infrastructure is inadequate which is a nice spin on the amo.

First of all, people in their 20s and 30s are a large portion of our City's population. Second of all, it isn't true that they're the only people biking on our streets. Towards that end, I'm posting the following photos of one of my favorite "grandmas on a bike".

What a classy lady! I love her cardigan and stripes. The sunglasses are perfect!

You may not be able to tell, but she's riding a beautiful Rivendell bike. You can tell that today's ride isn't a fluke -- she rides all the time. What good taste all around!

(She told me she got as far as the park before she realized she'd forgotten her helmet, and was now headed home to retrieve it.)

High-Speed Train that Never Stops

I love this. Be sure to read the article as the video is in Mandarin.