Have not blogged but still biking

So my schedule has been kicking my arse since I've moved up to Santa Barbara/Goleta. My new job has been totally awesome, I am learning so much in the field of Ophthalmology. School has been good, a little overwhelming but good, we are spending a lot of time with cadavers in Anatomy class, I'm learning a lot about the human body, so much that when I watch horror movies I can point out the inaccuracies. I originallly planned on taking three classes, English Comp, Anatomy and Math, but had to drop English because I just did not have the time for all three classes (and I didn't like the format for the online English class). I don't have much time to blog, I actually should be studying right this minute.

I haven't been able to ride my Flying Pigeon much because it's quite hilly up here and there would be no way I would ride to school from work in an hour on the FP, and I only have an hour to get to school from work. I have been using my boyfriend's 27 speed Trek. I only use about 8 speeds on it, I am a bit spoiled with those speeds, I fly down hills and can climb up hills easily. I broke down and bought a Batavus Mixte 10 speed off ebay. The guy I bought it from did not disclose the condition it was in, he only said it was vintage, so I am dissappointed with how much work it will be to make it serviceable. I need to replace the wheels (I'm afraid they will break, they are so old), replace the chain and fix the breaks (one of the wires came off). Any advice any readers can give will be appreciated. Here's a pic of the Batavus beauty:


I figure I'll buy a better seat, put a rack and basket on her and she'll be good to go.

I do ride my Pigeon every now and then, when I don't have school at night (Fridays and weekends). She is doing ok, I rode her quite a bit yesterday, rode through UCSB, got lost, rode her to the beach, made some distance on the Obern Trail, rode past work and shopped at Trader Joes. It was quite the trip.

Got some great pics of the FP at the beach...


look at this scary pelican!

dude, seriously

So I got a new job. They called and asked to interview me while I was working at my old job and just days before I moved up to Santa Barbara. I interviewed just days after I moved up, it was a great interview, I tweeted all about it. And a couple of days later, that Friday, EXACTLY a week after I moved up, I was offered the job.

It's a great job, I get to wear scrubs, the Dr is awesome, the coworkers are pretty cool, I seem to be catching up pretty quick and the patients are just the most charming (well most of them).

The commute to work is only 4.5 miles, all downhill. The commute home is the same distance, all uphill and oh boy, are there hills. Those damn hills kick my ass.

I really need to convert my single speed bike to a three speed or something, seriously. I've spoken to the guys at Wheelhouse bikes (link to the side) and they will see what they can do about my bike. I don't want to have them work on it until I go to school, as my schedule will not allow me time to bike from work to school.

So, couple the hills with the first time having a job that does not allow me to sit on my bum all day and I am just one exhausted broad. I'll get used to this.

One of these days, when I am not so busy and/or dead on my feet, I'll ride my bike down to Goleta Beach again. The last time I went, I didn't bring my camera. But I did take this pic from the bus:


I don't see views like that on the bus where I come from (San Fernando Valley/Los Angeles).

I also treated myself to the black and white Basil pannier bag from the previous post and this Nutcase Helmet:

It's so comfortable and cute. As you can see, I have a black and white thing going on, you should see my Doc Martens (b/w). I've gotten a lot of compliments on the Basil Bag, people seem to think it's a purse. LMAO

Dude, but seriously, I'm so tired, trying to finish a glass of Curtis Viognier without passing out (I deserve this glass of wine).

Toodles...

After the coffeehouse

So I mentioned in yesterday's blog that I was probably going to check out Wheelhouse Bikes. I had enough time before meeting up with friends and found it easily enough.

Oh man, I had no idea I was going to find the bike shop of my dreams. They stock Batavus and other European style city bikes including Omafiets (or "damecykler" for ladies) and Opafiets (or "herrecykler" for gentlemen). They also do custom builds/modifications turning beach cruisers into surf cruisers. I'm so not into beach cruisers but the surf cruiser I saw looked pretty awesome. They stock both classic/retro bikes and street/mountain/modern bikes but I'm always intrigued by the "sit-up-and-beg" bikes.

The guys working at the shop were totally nice and imformative. I mentioned that I owned a Flying Pigeon and was told by my Los Angeles bike guy, Josef, that he sold another to a guy who works on bikes in SB. I was worried that when I did move up that I would not be able to find someone who could work on my bike. My Flying Pigeon is doing fine, I've had minimal problems on it since I got it and most were from flats on the rear tire and I wasn't able to work around the enclosed chain case (and that one time my extra long cardigan got caught in the chain case while I was speeding home). I do remember Josef telling me that some of the FPs are just faulty because of the chinese workmanship but after replacing a few things on my bike, it's pretty smooth.

Well, I didn't have to search hard enough to find the one Flying Pigeon owner in Santa Barbara because the Wheelhouse is his shop. He wasn't in so I'll have to come back and see him, that will not be a problem because I'm sure this shop will be my new bike shop hang out once I move up here. And it's relatively close, I don't have to walk a few miles, take a bus, then the subway, then the light rail train to get to it :)

I got a tour of the shop, they stock Basil accessories , Alchemy Goods and Nutcase helmets. I love all these brands, Basil because they are so stylish, Alchemy because the products are made with recycled tires and tubes (I need a new wallet) and Nutcase because I don't like the helmet I have (it's old and so not my style). (EW)

They let me take pictures, so now, on to the bike pr0n!!

These Bakfiets are perfect for hauling along your significant other, children, friends or goodies from Costco.

Look at this crazy cargo bike!

OMG another view of this crazy cargo bike!

some Batavus bikes

An Oma bike and some Xtracycles

that brown thing in the back is a surf cruiser, if it's still there the next time I visit, I'll get a better picture.

Basil (pannier) bags and Nutcase helmets <3

DUDE! This is a conference bike, 7 people can ride it.

I've never seen these in person, only on youtube:

Project: Escape From L.A.

yeah, I've been pretty quiet lately, neglecting my blog. But for good reason! I've been stressed out of my mind with my latest project which I dubbed: Escape from L.A.

See a few months ago, I decided that I cannot be in a cubicle, stuck in front of a computer for the rest of my life. Tendonitis (repetitive motion injury) helped in my decision making. And the fact that I'm not getting paid much. And the fact that biking in LA/SFV is a nightmare (see my previous post about industrial van vs bicycle stalking incident, FYI, LAPD never got back to me about whether or not the City Attorney is going to let me press charges).

My boyfriend also factors in on my reason for moving. He lives up north of Santa Barbara and ever since we started going out last October I've fallen in love with Santa Barbara (and Santa Ynez, Solvang, Los Olivos, etc). I come up whenever I can. Santa Barbara is a small town of a little over 400,000 people. Well, not exactly a small town but I come from Los Angeles, so it's small to me. :) It's got a great bicycling infrastructure, I've only seen one small road in all of my explorations in this town that did not have a bike lane. It's a college town so there are a lot of bicyclists of all ages and types riding about. I'll be starting school at SBCC this autumn, want to work on my prerequisites and get on the waiting list for the nursing program (I was serious about getting out of the frakking cubicle).

I brought up my Flying Pigeon on Amtrak a while back and biked around, got a few compliments on my bike. I usually see a lot of road bikes or beach cruisers up here, but Josef from Flying Pigeon L.A. assured me that he sold a FP to someone who fixes bikes up here so I gotta find this guy.

I move in a week. I had a job lined up but due to the recent budget cuts in California (by our esteemed Governator) the job I was a shoe-in for is not available due to a hiring freeze. Too bad jobs in public service/medicine are the first to suffer when your state is facing bancruptcy. So, at this time, I am job hunting like crazy and making sure all my little items are packed. Got a u-haul reserved for next friday for a room a friend is going to rent to me that's a 20 minute walk to the beach :D and easy biking distance to, um, EVERYWHERE (YES!).

So, if any of my readers know anyone in the Santa Barbara area who knows how to work on european style city bikes, or at least any bike with an enclosed chain like mine, let me know. If anyone wants to get together for a slow ride to explore the area with me, send me a message :) I'm currently blogging from NorthStar Cafe on State St and got the caffiene jitters. May swing by WheelHouse Bikes, they look like my kind of bike shop, even though my boyfriend is loyal to Bicycle Bob's. He doesn't have to know... :P

now for bike porn!


This is my Pigeon at the Santa Barbara Amtrak station, the train cargo lady said I needed a lighter bike. LOL! Even the train station is lovely up here.

ZOMG look at this bitching bike!

I want to find the owner and tell him/her that this bike is so freaking sweet. I love the box. (taken at the beach, in Santa Barbara, near State St)

I just realized something...

Today marks a year since I got rid of my Honda Passport and got my Raleigh Comfort bike. I quit driving in early April of 2008 but I was taking the bus and riding my old target bought bike (bad bike, too small for me). But I didn't make the commitment until May 3rd 2008.

Of course my Raleigh bike broke just 6 months after purchase. I love my Flying Pigeon but I still kind of miss that Raleigh.

My body has changed a bit, I got muscles. I used to get a bronchitis flare up at least once a year. Two weeks ago I got a really bad cold, I thought I got bronchitis again, because I was coughing so bad. The doctor told me my lungs were strong and that I should keep biking. No bronchitis flare up since I started riding. I've met some great cycling peeps in LA and spend quiet some time getting reacquainted with elements of the city that I wouldn't have noticed had I been stuck in my apartment, at work or in a car.

It's been a pretty good year. :)

Been quiet, but must write about an incident...

Been busy lately. I got repetitive motion injuries in both arms from work so I go to occupational therapy twice a week. After spending a whole 8 hours in front of the computer at work, I hardy want to get on the computer after I get home. Thank goodness the handlebars on my Flying Pigeon are ergonomically safe. They don't stress my arms one bit. :)

But I've been thinking a lot about this blog lately and how neglected it has been, so I am remedying the situation right now. Something happened to me while I was biking to work on March 12, 2008. It was very upsetting but now I am at the point where I feel like I have to blog about it. Especially since the Hummer incident in Downtown Los Angeles on April 24th and the death of bicyclist Jesus Castillo in East LA just a week before that. I can no longer keep silent about my own experience with drivers who treat cyclists badly.

On the morning on March 12, I woke up a little late and decided to take the more direct route to work as I didn't want to spend the time to take the safer (longer) way to work. I was riding north on Saticoy, in the right lane, as close to the right that was safe yet out of the door zone. Most cars gave me enough room to feel safe as they passed me. I didn't really have any problems until a white industrial van passed me. The van did not have any company logos and the windows were tinted. I could not see much through them, what I did see was a wire gate, separating the driver's area from the back of the van. This van came VERY close to me, just a few inches from my bike and leaned against his horn. I tried my best to ride in a straight line but I was shaken up, he was too close to me. I figured he was just an asshole and I was happy to be rid of him when he sped off and made a right at the corner.
A block later another white industrial van speeds past me, coming inches from my bike while leaning on his horn. I swerve out of his way, nearly crashing into the parked cars to my right, my heart racing. I look and find it is THE SAME FUCKING VAN. I try to read his license plate but he speeds off and makes a right at the end of the block. At this point I am beyond livid and terrified but I keep riding, I figure if I see him again I will try to be as calm as I can and concentrate on catching his license plate number.
I didn't have to wait long for him to come back for a third go. The white van did the same thing, coming within inches of me while honking his horn. It was the same van and I read and instantly memorized his license plate number. I got my phone out and keyed the number into my phone to store it and immediately called my buddy, Sargent Arshambault, in the LAPD Valley Traffic Division. At this point, I was still shaken up and trying not to cry. I had no idea whether or not this guy was going to come around again. I made a right turn onto Topanga Canyon and hoped he didn't follow me. I talked to the Sargent and he took the description of the van, the license plate number and the details of the incident and tried his best to calm me down.

The next morning, I get a call back from the Sarg. He traced the license info to a company located in the Valley, not far from where I was stalked the day before. He invites me to go to the police department in Van Nuys to file a report. When I get there, the Sarg takes me into the office of the Chief of Police. They tell me they've been wanting to meet me in person for quite a while now. The Chief tells me how he heard about me (from the Wall St Journal article) and they both explain how the LAPD Valley division has been trying to make the streets a little safer for pedestrians and cyclists, such as the conducting crosswalk stings at deadly intersections as well as their plans to have plain clothed bicycle officers hit the streets. I've got to say, I was really excited and honored that they brought me into their office and made me feel welcome.

After the meeting, I go to a young officer in the front lobby and give him my report. I wanted him to put either "stalking" or "vehicular harrassment/intimidation" but he ended up filing the report under "disturbing the peace".

I guess he would have put a harsher description of the incident had I been really hurt. I was more than a little disappointed, but I decided to let it go. I was informed that they would transfer the report to the Devonshire police department since the incident happened in their jurisdiction. They would have a detective go to the company that owns this vehicle (and employs the driver) and inform the person in charge.

I don't hear back until last Thursday, 4/30/09. I get a call from an officer early in the morning. I didn't catch his name but he told me that he was on his way to speak to two men at the company that owned the van. He wanted to know if I was willing to take them to court over the incident. I thought about it for a second and said yes. I explained that even though I wasn't hurt, I needed all the parties involved to understand the seriousness of the situation. I don't know what the driver was thinking when he was stalking me. He may have just been trying to be cute. But these people have to understand that if you pit a car (truck, van, etc.) against a bicycle, the bicycle will NEVER win. I could have gotten seriously hurt, or even killed.

Just thinking about it is so upsetting. I'm crying as I type this. I wasn't hurt, but what about next time? Bicyclists being hit by autos happens way too often. It's time for the law to favor people, not cars.

From CopenhagenCycleChic

I do this at a lot of stoplights, but I don't have to take off my gloves. Gotta love the fingerless gloves. :D

My new panniers

let me show you them...

shopping at Trader Joes




out riding...


I ordered them from DutchBikeSeattle. I rediscovered this site after reading the Let's Go Ride A Bike blog (link to the left). It is a FastRider brand that was imported from Holland. Great price, really great service and great freaking panniers that fit my wider European style rack.

yay! Another view (on the bike path waiting at a green light)


I got a new seat, new Schwalb heavy duty tires and new pannier bags. All I need now is a new basket and The Broad will be perfect.

I made a little girl happy today.

I posted an ad on craigslist immediately after assembling the pink beach cruiser I got. I figured I would post it for $200 but thought better of it, considering the size and the fact that it was missing some parts so I could not get the fenders on (those will go into the recycle bin). I thought posting $80 "OBO" would be reasonable.

I got a reply from a father interested in the bike for his 11 year old girl. He offered $70 for the bike. I was ok with that. We talked for a bit and the family immediately came over to look at it. We met at the drug store outside my apartment. His daughter went for a test ride and was hooked. She LOVED the bike. She paid me $70 out of her own pocket, her mother told me she's been saving her allowance for a long time to get a bike.

Seeing that little girl having so much fun riding the bike was totally worth giving it away for only $70.

Ah pink beachy, it was never meant to be...



Besides, some little part of me felt that my Flying Pigeon, The Broad, was getting jealous with all the time I spent with the little pink beachy.



there, there, I felt nothing for little pink beachy, YOU'RE the one I love...

I got my new bike today!

And it's really cute.

BUT

Even though it's a really cute beach cruiser, I just don't think I really want it. After much thought, I have decided to assemble it this weekend and sell it on craigslist. I figure I'll use the money from that to buy some bitchin accessories for my Flying Pigeon. I need a new basket, my bike guy is gonna hook me up with better tires and I believe I may have found some pannier bags that may fit my more wider, european style pannier rack.

And I am just not sure how I feel about the fact that the bike has coaster breaks. And the fact that it's a beach cruiser. And the fact that it's pink and white.

It's a nice little project...

HA!!

found at Citrus Soldier.com

I got another award at work today...

Because I rocked so hard here at work in 2008. I received a couple of awards here in the past, both were Bronze level. This was a Gold level. So the items that I can choose to receive for my hard work were significantly worth more.

I could choose from a list that contained anything from a cappucino maker, a stereo set, camping gear, jewelry, Ipod w/speakers, guitars and many other items. Even a freaking chainsaw. That rocked, my coworkers and I LOL'd hard.

They even had a few bicycles listed. Some beach cruisers, GMC Denali Road bike, male and female Shogun Shockwave Mountain bikes. I googled the hell out of the brands of bikes they had to find more information but google was not my friend today. I was thinking about getting a Shogun mountain bike but the site did not list the frame size and I couldn't find any details online so I decided to pass on that.

I did get the ladies beach cruiser though. Even though I said I don't really dig the beach cruiser style. But the Ladies 26" Kent Stone Harbor Cruiser Bike was really pretty. It's got a step through frame that pleases my eye more than the male beach cruisers (I just dont like that up curve on men's bikes).



I am a little nervous because it has coaster brakes. I haven't ridden a coaster brake bike since I was a kid. I just don't want to wipe out on my first ride.

So yeah, I'm getting a beach cruiser. For free. From my company, because I kicked ass. I always wanted an extra bike, just in case my Flying Pigeon has a flat or needs work, I don't have to be stranded or stuck taking the bus.

So this works out just fine. Did I mention that today is my birthday? I got flowers from my boyfriend and lunch from my friends. And a free bike from my job. :D I'll post pics when I get the bike, should be in two weeks.

ZOMG, Righteous Metal Broad on a pink bike LMAO!! Just picture it!

I got my new saddle!

:D !!

Santa Ana winds or no, I put that thing on as soon as I could and set out riding to work. It had been 8 days since my last real ride and my body, mind and soul needed it.

It's an Electra Amsterdam Style Cruiser Saddle. I'm not into cruiser bikes at all, I don't like the curvy style of the frame or the oversized handlebars. And I'm not going to even go into how pissed off I get whenever someone mistakes my sleek Flying Pigeon for a beach cruiser. It's a freakin' city bike, it helped hundreds of thousands of Chinese get around for the past 60 years. Not my bike, of course, it just helps me get around. But the whole Flying Pigeon brand. Besides, I would like to see someone take a 48 pound bike like mine out to the beach for a gentle stroll. LOL

Anyway, because I cannot afford a Brooks Saddle, I figured this was the best way to go. It's leather, it's cushy, comfy and cute.



The extra cushion adds a bit more height to the bike so I am straightening my legs and putting the balls of my feet on the pedals instead of keeping my knees slightly bent when my legs are extended in pedaling. KWIM?

I gotta figure out how to lower my seat post. Anyone have any bright ideas?

I am so NOT used to taking the bus

I never had any motion sickness problems when I was a full time bus rider. Now I get motion sickness on nearly every ride.

I cannot WAIT until my new seat gets here. I emailed my bike guy to ask for a new seat but he never emailed me back (maybe he doesn't check his mail?) so I just ordered one for myself. It's a pretty little seat too. I'll post pictures.

I cannot wait to get back in the saddle again, where I am in control of my sense of equilibrium.

good timing

I guess my saddle broke at a good time. Today I woke up with a bad cold. And it's raining. Well, at least it's not Bronchitis. I developed that when I was a smoker and it was the reason why quitting worked. I get a flare up once a year, but not this year (knock on wood), I guess all the cycling has made my lungs stronger :D

On my way to get some throat lozenges and take the bus (wishing I had a new saddle for my bicycle).

I already miss riding.

She's ALIVE!!!!

Yeah, I haven't blogged in forever. So, I hope you and yours had a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Yule, New Years, etc. etc.

I've been fine, just out riding, hanging around with the boyfriend and working my fingers to the bone. My boyfriend and I started South Beach Diet after the New Year and I lost about 17 pounds in the first two weeks. Also learned a lot about my metabolism and stuff. I really needed it. Even though my commute is 30 miles round trip each day, I pretty much used that as an excuse to eat whatever the hell I wanted, and my weight loss has halted in the last few months. I actually gained weight over the holidays, bicycling and all. Now, after the past two weeks, all I need is to lose 3 more pounds and I will have officially lost 100 pounds (since leaving my Ex-husband and starting a more healthier life). 100 POUNDS!! Bicycling had a big part in that. :D

Speaking of which, if any of y'all are interested in buying a Flying Pigeon (I'm not selling mine). Might I suggest you get a few things on it replaced. Like the basket, mine is falling apart, so I will replace it soon. The tires, anyone who commutes and rides as much as I do should look into investing some good tires. My bike guy is going to put some of these on my bike. I can't wait.

Also, replace the seat. My saddle is comfortable, I can ride for 30 miles with no problem, but my seat broke tonight! I was already planning on replacing it, but I hoped it would be on my own terms. One of the suspension coils just snapped 5 miles into my ride home from work. Even though I've lost 97 pounds, that is a pretty big blow to my self-esteem. damn saddle.

I wonder if my bike guy can replace it. Even if he can, LA Flying Pigeon shop is closed until February, so I will be out of the saddle until at least then. They are busy taking a very well deserved vacation.

WANT!

My friend Patrick emailed me this neat article about Retroreflective Bike Vinyl. Read about it here.

This is so awesome. I love my black Flying Pigeon, but Black Matte that turns bright white when the light hits is so full of WIN.



Bright Bike from Michael Mandiberg on Vimeo.

Ms. Bicyclist

Got some mail the other day from the Los Angeles Neighborhood Initiative (something like that) and right between my name and my address I see "Ms. Bicyclist".

I LOL'd

(kind of wonder how that happened)

A Hell Of A Weekend

Ok, so I figured I would take my bike to the shop. Get my rear tire looked at and then spend the rest of my weekend doing some much needed cleaning before my big date on Sunday. Ok, the date wasn't all that big, but I am crazy about this guy, so even if it's just a dinner out, I'm uber excited. :D

I sleep in on Saturday, watch a bit of telly and don't get out of bed until noon, when I am hungry enough to attempt breakfast (pumpkin pie, FTW). I find that my rear tire is totally flat. :( So I get my stuff together, put some air in my tire, moisturizer on my face, grab my tea cup and leave. I had to stop once to pump more air into my tire on the way to the Red Line station in NoHo, but I get there in one piece. Two trains later, I drop the bike off at FPLA and walk around Figueroa while Josef gets to work. I come back and while I let my jasmine green tea steep, Josef explains that there was a tiny staple like sliver of metal that was embedded in my tire. He said that I patched the tube well. He trued my wheel, I rode the bike around the back of the building and when nothing seemed out of the ordinary, I was on my merry way home.

(goodbye FPLA!)


When I got off my last train in NoHo, I rode a couple of blocks (Colfax and Chandler) and my tire was nearly flat again. I stop and put more air in tire, as I'm trying my hardest to twist off my skull cap off my tube, two little boys (10 yrs old?) stop with their bikes and ask if I have a patch kit. They both have flats. They help me twist off the cap and I help one fix his flat but the other kid's tube is frakked beyond repair, it will not even take air at all. I do what I can for them and give them my extra patch kit. I always carry 2 patch kits, which reminds me, I need to get another one next time I'm at the shop, just in case I give this one away. They only live a block or two from where we were so I'm not worried for them.

I start riding again, but my tire is totally flat after another block. This time I cannot get the cap off my tube at all. So I walk home. From North Hollywood to Van Nuys. It's only 5.5 miles but I am not a walker. I always do my best to look on the bright side, I tell myself "At least the weather is really nice" "At least it's not raining" "At least you have your Converse on and not wearing heals like you usually do" (Sorry Enci, I read your twitter, that freaking sucks!) "At least you can listen to that kick ass Charles De Lint audiobook" I do my best to count all my blessings but at some point I just crack and say "Dude, this freaking SUCKS!!" I get home, watch a little TV, speak to my awesome boyfriend and fall asleep knowing that I will wake up and go back to FPLA first thing in the morning. This time, I will get my rear tire and tube replaced!

I get up and walk to the Orange Line, which is about a mile away, my legs are hurting bad at this point, I am so not a walker. As I'm waiting for the bus, I see this:

I am uber paranoid about someone stealing my bike, or parts of my bike. This person was using a U-Lock, which, in my opinion, is one of the best types of locks you can get. But this person locked only their spokes. Their SPOKES! The only thing left is a rim! OMG!! I mean, carrying a U-Lock can be a pain because they are heavy but every bicyclist should look at this picture to remind them WHY they carry their U-Lock. My goodness, I would be beside myself if I came out of work, or the store and found that all I had was a tire rim and spokes left. :(

So as I get off the train platform behind FPLA, I see that Josef and the rest of the bicyclists are already leaving on their normal Sunday Dim Sum bike ride (no Dim Sum today, I think I remember Josef saying they were going to Rueben's in LA). So I tell Adam all about my last couple of days and how much trouble I had last night after leaving FPLA. He fixes up my bike in no time. I got a new tire, a new tube and all is right in the world. :D

waiting for the train


on the train, yay



I did have one near death experience outside the train station in NoHo. We were all waiting for our green light and when the signal finally told us it was safe to go we went, and then this white SUV came speeding in front of us, running the red light and nearly killing us. The SUV missed my front tire by inches. INCHES! I freaking hope that the camera got him and they make him freakin' pay. The asshole. Yeah, running that red light was so important, you had to nearly hit at least 3 people to get to where you needed to go 5 seconds early. Asshole, what goes around comes around but I am wary of wishing karma to come back on a person such as this because it would mean that somebody may get hurt. :( I'm glad that most of the major intersections such as this one (Laurel Canyon) have cameras that take pictures of red-light runners like this dude. I can understand running a yellow light, I've done it many a time (until I got a ticket at a camera intersection). But this asshole had no excuses for running, he had to have seen the 30+ pedestrians and cyclists trying to cross the street.

But all that worrying soon left my mind when I was riding so smoothly home. My rear tire had 60 pounds of air in it and my ride was wonderful. It felt so good. :)

I got home in time to take a long shower and buy a couple of grocery staples at the market. Mr Awesome (because he is) picked me up and we ate at Jerry's Diner and he gave me this comfortable scarf. It's long, warm and soft. Shades of Grey and black and it's perfect.

And now he's calling, yay! Laters loyal blog readers, Mr. Awesome calls.

A Black Friday Ride

um, yeah, so I haven't been blogging lately. What can I say? I've been busy. But today, OMG, today was Black Friday. I vow to either stay home or get the hell out of town for the next Black Friday. I mean, I don't go out and shop, I've never been that type of manic shopper, I value my life too much. But I did go to work. So, I'll tell you a little about my day. I got wine, I got pumpkin pie and some music is playing so I'm set. :)

So, seeing as how it's the day after Thanksgiving, nearly everyone at work decides they want to come in early to leave early to continue their holiday weekend asap. So I leave at 6 AM. While I was getting ready, was listening to and warned by KPCC that the San Fernando Valley was enveloped in some wicked fog. So I bundle up good and leave.

(Gratuitous bike porn)


I figure a little fog wont hurt really, while it's quite freaky driving in it, I'm of the opinion that bicycling in it could be no worse. And it wasn't really, it was just a big colder and wet. Really WET. Like so wet that about a half hour into my ride my glasses were so soaked and foggy that visibility was better after taking my glasses off. (embarrasing fact, when I stop at a red light, my glasses fog up pretty bad, it's like my tear ducts exhale sometimes) And I rarely do anything without my glasses.

Visibility was about 30-40 feet at times.





Yeah, so next time I do this, I'm wearing wool. I still need to get a rain cape though. It's on my list. I'm dropping subtle hints with loved ones that all I want for Christmas is proper rain gear and wooly/warm mufflers and gloves.

(more gratuitous bike porn)


So, the morning was overall uneventful, if not very wet. Until I realize that it's taken me a lot longer than usual to get to work. It usually only takes me 90 minutes to ride the 15 miles to work (yeah, I'm slow). But I've noticed that it's been taking me an extra 15 minutes to ride the 15 miles lately. I've recently had to have Josef from Los Angeles Flying Pigeon work on my bike. Actually, the real story is my cardigan got caught in my rear wheel cog and fucked up my bike chain and Josef, being the Knight in Bike Grease that he is, came all the way to my apartment in Van Nuys to work on my bike, when he found that he forgot one vital tool, he took my bike to his shop and fixed it. Really saved my ass, I cannot thank Los Angeles Flying Pigeon enough.

But ever since I got my bike back, I've felt that it was just a bit more harder to ride. Maybe it's the weather? Maybe I'm lazy? I don't know. But today's trip was 24 minutes longer that it should have been. I couldn't even ride up the hill to work, it was pretty sick. My bike didn't feel different, my tires didn't look different, but something was different. I spoke to Josef in the afternoon and told him what I was sensing (maybe the chain was too tight, I don't freakin' know, that's why I called the experts). He gave me a number of reasons why I would be having this problem. I vowed to bring the bike in on the weekend.

I get out of work and get my bike ready to roll and I realize my rear tire is flat. I'm thankful that I have all my tools needed to fix the flat and I work on it. Thanking the gods that the sun hasn't set yet as I find the itty bitty hole in my tube and patch it right up. As easy as it was getting the tube out from under the tire, it's as hard to get the freakin' tire back into the frame. grrr

But someone believed in me <3


I got that sucker on and pumped and was ready to go.

I realized that there was so much traffic. Black Friday is no joke to these people and they will straight run your ass right out of the road if you dare try to take the lane. Which is what happened to me soon after making my normal Friday night stop at Trader Joes. I decided that tonight was not the night to battle it out with these people so I rode on the sidewalk and looked at all the pretty/tacky Christmas displays in peoples' yards. There are some homeowners who will persist in watering their yards even though it's been so wet lately that they would be just wasting their water and I made sure I yelled my thanks loud enough as I cycled past. I will never understand why these people feel the need to not only water their lawns after a rain but water their sidewalks as well.

Also saw a man in a wheelchair start crossing the street in oncoming traffic because they modified the street lights to work differently. I motioned for him to turn around so he didn't get hit by all the drivers making left turns (in our brand spanking new left turn signal light). He saw me and paid attention, in the knick of time. He ignored me when I caught up and tried to talk to him. (did I smell?)

There were so many people out that I had to be so very cautious, you'd be surprised how many drivers outside the malls don't give a damn about paying attention to the traffic cop directing the lines of traffic. That was the scariest part of the first 5 miles of my ride.

Then I got to the Orange Line Bike Path and it was smooth sailing until the next tangle of traffic. Which was about a mile from home. I ride the bike lane up Woodley (because I don't have the balls to ride on Sepulveda) and there was a three car accident on Woodley and Sherman Way. Now I usually take a little detour behind/between the 7/11 and Toys-R-Us but there was no way in hell I was going go near Toy-R-Us so I decided to cut through the drive way in front of 7/11. As I do this I see this huge freaking black SUV coming towards me, the driver is looking at the snarl of the 3 vehicle accident on the corner, she comes right at me, I make a sharp left to get out of the way and nearly fall off my bike, she makes a right and parks in front of 7/11. I'm freaking irate with drivers at this point and I go up to scream bloody murder at whomever it is and I discover it's my coworker Christina, the one I carpool with when I'm too achy (lazy) to bike to work (rarely). She gets out of the car and I explained what happened and she's just so shocked and scared because she knew she was too preoccupied with looking at the three car accident just feet from us. She's constantly apologizing as she's terrified of hitting cyclists (she's had bad experiences in her past). We talk for a bit, I rant about some of the other stuff I dealt with tonight and we vow to talk more about it at work on Monday.

I ride the last mile and arrive home a bit frazzled but in one piece. Watch some Family Guy and give The Gritty Kitty some lovin' (she knows when I need some extra attention).