Crazy but fruitful evening, too!

Photo: Not a huge fan of Corona, but it works if you put some lime in it.

Or something. Meh.

I took my brakes off and cleaned the pads up as best I could over lunch. Stopping was a lot quieter and easier for my return trip. These SwissStop pads are silky smooth but grippy and fade-free when they're working right. When they're loaded like this, it's bad news for both your rims and your stopping distance.


I got off the Antioch bus at Johnson Drive this afternoon to take my slightly-shortened route home via Turkey Creek with a modification: Swing by the Mexican restaurant on the way home... While waiting, as you can see, I partook in a beer. I somehow shoe-horned most everything into my panniers, already somewhat cramped for space, and rode the 3/4 mile journey that made up the remainder of my homeward commute. Nothing crushed. All tacos intact. Awesome.

After fooding, I had to drive to the KC Bike Week Committee Meeting. I'm heading up the Bike Buddy program this year, and need to crack the whip on some people to make sure they're going to be available the Monday of Bike Week. Imagine several distinct packs of commuter convoys working their way through the greater KC area. That's what I want to see happen. Of course, I'll be at it every day that week, but we're sticking to Monday as the official Bike Buddy day, to introduce newer or less experienced bike commuters to routes that they might not have otherwise thought of taking.

Now I'm back. I only put on 9 miles today, but it felt good to hit Turkey Creek again. It was such an awesome evening for riding that I regret not riding all the way, but my time schedule didn't have enough wiggle room in it, and the headwinds would have set me back.

And a parting photo of my bike after having the panniers eat mexican food.


Random Tunage:
Bruce Hornsby - The End of The Innocence
Yaz - Only You

My Six-Word Memoir

The Crumudgeonator tagged me. This time, it's a six-word memoir. Six words to sum up my meager existence. That's easy:

"Problem Solver, Engineer, Destroyer and Troublemaker."

It took me no time at all to come up with that gem. And it's for the most part accurate. I wish that I could fit a few obscure adjectives in there for good measure, but alas there is no room. As it stands, I fix stuff, make stuff, break stuff, and rock the boat while doing these things. And I'm damn good at it, too.

Some blog epidemics are forced upon others. As I was called out, so I am supposed to call out others to come up with their own. I'm sure plenty of bloggers in my 'sphere are trembling as I spin the wheel of misfortune to choose my victims.

I think I'm going to let this one continue on a voluntary path, much like the Viral Bag Dump. See how crazy things can get?

http://jmd1125.blogspot.com/2008/02/my-bike-bag-ii-audit.html
http://www.cyclelicio.us/2008/02/bicycle-bag-dig.html

http://kc-bike.blogspot.com/2008/02/what-i-carry-plus-give-away-contest.html
http://flickr.com/photos/jeffyoungstrom/2273461695/

http://www.bikeofdoom.com/2008/02/14/whats-in-my-bag/
http://cycledog.blogspot.com/2008/02/what-we-carry.html
http://bicycle-diaries.blogspot.com/2008/02/whats-in-your-bag.html
http://averen.blogspot.com/2008/02/bag-dump-in-reply-to-fritzs-bicycle-bag.html


So if you read this, maybe you have your own six-word memoir ready to go. Or, more likely, you do not. No sweat.

Still freezing? Come on!

Photo: I managed to sneak this shot from the Quivira Viaduct's apex. More available here (various levels of abstractness, most are dreck, with long exposure times while riding):
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

This morning, it's still a little below freezing. I'm still not feeling 100% so I went to the bus as usual. The colder temperatures are making the all-season SwissStop brake pads on my road bike a little harder than usual. They work great in wet or dry weather, but as they harden up, they start to eat at the rims a bit, trapping aluminum bits in the pads much like my crappy OEM pads used to. I was getting a lot of grinding noise from my fronts this morning. I'll probably clean them over lunch.

Random Tunage:
Collage - I'll be loving you
Shiny Toy Guns - Le Disko

Crazy Day

Ah, the wonders of working in IT. I got sucked into an hour-long meeting that kept me at work later than usual, just so that I could utter two sentences of information security advice while overly verbose project planners and sales dweebs reiterated each other's statements ad infinitum.

Thinking I have the bus schedule figured out, I high-tail it to Union Station to catch the L Bus. While waiting, the Dreaded bus comes by. Odd. I don't think the D bus should be here. After it takes off, I open my phone and check my schedules. Whoops! As it turns out, that particular D bus was the earliest trip home available. I hopped on and chased it half way around Crown Center, finally catching it before it got on the highway.

I rode to the Monday night ride, tooled around with them for a while, and rode back home. It was nice not needing to rely on lights for the entire trip, and we had a bigger crowd than I've seen since November.

In other news, one of my childhood best friends is one of my first bike commuting converts -- actually THE first that I know of, assuming people haven't stumbled across my blog and been suddenly inspired to go buy a bike and start commuting on it. Ryan lives and works in the Washington, D.C. area these days and just scored a shiny new Specialized TriCross Triple which he plans on commuting with. It sounds like he's got a pretty easy route, staying mostly on the W&OD Trail. He sounded pretty pumped up after making a test run to and from the office today, so wish him luck! Eric just got back from D.C. as well, and has a lot of great things to say after having been out there for the National Bike Summit. It sounds like D.C. has it better figured out than we do out here.

Random Tunage:
Lisa Loeb - I Do
Sarah McLachlan - Possession

Bike commuting and weak-end miscellany

Hope you're all enjoying your lack of sleep extra evening daylight. I'm actually pretty well adjusted. I find it's easier if you shift gears to DST during the day on Saturday. When I'm done with the day's time-sensitive things like appointments, I change the clocks mid-day. I'm still robbing myself of an hour, but it isn't during sleepy time.

Despite the stellar weather this weekend, I didn't get out for a ride. Saturday, I had family visiting from out of town, and then I had to practice Bass Guitar for a bit. Oh, you didn't know I played bass? Neither did I. I played briefly about a year and a half ago -- maybe closer to two years. With our praise team's drummer out, my dad would have to eschew his guitar to play drums. I decided to fill in with the bass.

If you ever wonder where my passion for music comes from, you really don't have to look much further than my father. He's a mechanical engineer with a music degree. If I list all the musical instruments that I can think of off the top of my head, he can play more than half of them. I'm a no-talent hack on keyboards, clarinet and bass guitar, but I can make any of them work in a pinch. I can't read sheet music to save my life but I've got a good ear. I'm not a bad vocalist, but I'm shy performing in public.

Anyhow, Sunday I took the bass and performed at church without sucking too badly. It was my biggest audience ever (probably a smidge over 100) but it didn't bother me too much. I'm trying to get over my anxiety of public speaking and this is a small step.

I packed The Goat away again, switching to The Twelve for full-on commuter duty. Believe it or not, I'm actually thinking of splurging for fenders if I can save up for them. I'm still torn on whether to fender The Twelve or Hybridzilla though. 'Zilla really isn't any slower when I'm commuting. My average speed (round trip) is almost always spot on between the two of them. I'll think about this for a few weeks. My main reasons for not going to fenders so far:

1. They will get in the way when I have to use the bus rack. It's almost a deal-breaker.
   
2. I don't like the look. I can get over this.
   
3. There are more not-rainy days than rainy ones here in KC, but if something is worth doing, it's worth over-doing. Kind of like the 500+ lumens I throw onto the road every day.
   

Temperatures were just at freezing as I left this morning. Still wrestling with some sinus stuff trying to invade my chest, I decided not to antagonize the monster. A quick trip to the bus stop was enough fun for the morning. There were lots of bikes downtown this morning, a sure sign that spring is upon us. I'm looking forward to temperatures in the 40s this afternoon. I brought everything I need to make the full ride home but it will depend on wind, temperatures, and how I feel. I'll likely make my Monday night ride, though.

We're headed for warmer stuff this week, and maybe some rain. We'll see how things play out.

Random Tunage:
Way Out West - The Fall
Fluke - Pulse (Trisco Remix)

Top 10 reasons that March rocks my socks

10. Somehow, March is one of the few months of the year where there's very little chance of both tornadoes and blizzards.

9. Less sick people to avoid.

8. The road bike and mountain bike switch roles (primary commuter vs. recreation)

7. People will finally quit calling me crazy for riding a bicycle in the cold. Now, they'll just call me crazy for riding the whole way in traffic.

6. Grass and trees are coming back to life. While brown and white are cool, I'm about sick of them.

5. More daylight for evening rides, but we get plunged back into darkness for the morning commute as of today.

4. The trails will probably dry up sometime this month for the first time since November.

3. More bike-only commuting.

2. I might actually make my target miles for the month (thanks to #3)

1. Temperatures finally stay reliably above freezing! I think...

No snow. Yet.

I guess the flurries are supposed to hold off until later today. The Goat was smooth sailing this morning, though. I wasn't in much of a hurry, and just took my time. I've still got some sinus stuff. That was part of the reason. But it's also Friday, and if I start my Fridays off good, they seem to go by quickly and productively. That's a Good Thing^tm, because I have a LOT of stuff to wade through today. I threw some bananas in my backpack, left early, and had a nice, leisure-pace ride to the bus.

It's that time again. The monthly meeting at The Maul. There's really no quicker way for me to get home than by taking the Antioch bus like I have been recently. Due to the things we usually end up doing after The Maul, I'll probably go home first, then drive there.

Looks like I'll round out the first week of March with about 55 miles. I have a lot of catching up to do to make my goal of 5,000 this year. I'd prefer most of my miles come from commuting and errands, but I need to get a few nice, long fun rides in as well. I definitely need to get on board with some of c'Dude's Populaires. Especially the night-time ones. Oh yes. I love me some night riding. And now that I have the DiNotte, there's no excuse not to partake in a few night rides that would sap my modified NiteRider's 90-minute run time dry.

Alright, peeps. Time for coffee and work. Be on the lookout for another Top 10 this weekend. It won't be as caustic nor as curmudgeonly this time. I promise. Maybe.

Random Tunage:
Rico Soarez - Timeless
Green Day - When I Come Around

Traffic Signals. The Grand Equalizer.

Bike. bus.
Bike. work.
Bike. bus.
Bike. home.
Bike. electronics store.
Bike. grocery store
Bike. convenience store (I forgot something at the grocery store)
Bike. home.

You'd think with all that bike I'd have racked up at least ten miles today, but alas it wasn't quite. 8 Distinct trips -- some chained together, mind you. 9.5 miles.

Truth is, my bike is awesome for this kind of stuff. And it's no secret to those of us who ride for the little errands that a bike can be just as fast as a car if not quicker. On my way back from the grocery store, I was behind this sweet Audi S4. A typical suburban couple occupied this marvel of modern automotive engineering. Three hundred forty horsepower. Advanced automatic all-wheel-drive. Piercing High-Intensity-Discharge lights. A purring tone from the exhaust. The light turned green and it took off quickly. Not fast. Certainly not as fast as it could if the driver were pushing this track-worthy sedan to five nines. I pedaled. And pedaled. And a quarter mile later I'm stopping behind the S4 again. This continued for the entirety of two miles. Both of us had an average speed of maybe 8 miles per hour for those two miles if you count the stopped time. While I never busted 22 miles per hour (why bother?), the S4 probably got up to 45 or so just in time to hit the brakes again. And wait. And wait. While my DiNotte and NiteRider grew brighter and closer in the rear view mirror.

Bike commuting and utility cycling doesn't have to be about the 30-mile round trip from suburban hell to your job in the Big City. I used the bus today and that took a lot of miles off of my total, and any one of these little trips that I ran, almost all of my neighbors would have driven for. With as much fuel is burned starting a car, and with the car's emissions systems being disabled (and/or too cold to function properly) for the first few minutes of operation, it's these little trips -- the easy ones that even someone who is out of shape could make on a bike -- that are killing your pocket books at the pump.

If you haven't figured it out by now, there are so many awesome reasons to pick up a bike and ride now that it's close to spring-like weather again. And it's not just about the environment or your wallet.

I sound like a fanatic here, but everything really is different and for the most part better on a bicycle. You can say hi (and get one back) to people walking their dogs or jogging. You can feel the wind in your hair. You can feel better physically and mentally. You can regulate your metabolism and get a better night's rest. You can see things without the slight green tint that auto manufacturers put on auto glass to keep UV rays from fading the interior. You can explore. You can go at your own pace.

And you know what? You might just find that your own pace isn't much slower than that sports car in front of you at the stop light.

Ah. Tunage and bikeness.

Leaving my headphones behind wasn't the only bone-head move I pulled yesterday. I think riding all the way to work was a little foolhardy. I started feeling kind of blah by mid-day. With temperatures plummeting and headwinds mounting, I played it safe and used the Antioch bus to get back to home base. Oh yeah, I hiked to CVS Pharmacy over lunch and picked up a set of cheap tin cans headphones. They'll work in a pinch, but they have about the worst frequency response I've ever heard, save for maybe those headphones I bought at Everything's $1 back in 1993.

To make up for my lack of satisfactory tunage yesterday, I picked up the first volume of Nine Inch Nails' new Four-volume album series, Ghosts. Volume I is available for free and I can't stress enough how much you really should go get it, even if you don't listen to (or even if you think you hate) Nine Inch Nails. It includes the first 9 tracks, the digital booklet, and some website-friendly graphics. If you're a fan of how Nine Inch Nails sounds but not of the lyrics, this is the album for you. This album represents a whole new direction for NiN, in that all 36 tracks are completely instrumental. The NiN inspiration, drive, and eloquence are all there. It's odd, because if you heard it, you'd know without a doubt it was Nine Inch Nails yet it sounds distinctly different than Trent's previous work. He's always kind of re-inventing, so this should come as no surprise. When I can afford it, I plan on forking over the cash to pre-order the Deluxe edition.

The weather forecast calls for more flurries tonight. I was too lazy to pull The Goat off the wall, and The Twelve was sitting there ready to go this morning. I'm going to have to switch them out tonight whether I want to or not. With my little bit of a sinus irritation this morning, I took it easy on the way to the bus, and the extra efficiency of my road bike was much welcomed. Oh yeah... and I remembered my good headphones.

Random Tunage:
Nine Inch Nails - 7 Ghosts I
Arqer - You've got that something

Things 'n' Stuff. March 5th Edition.

First, the Good News.

Forecast: Morning lows around 20°F. Light winds out of the south.
Actually: Morning lows around 32°F. Light winds out of the south.
Result: Forget the bus. I'm going on a bike ride!

It was a great ride in. Two layers of socks kept my toes from getting too cool. Average speed is up about 1 MPH, which is odd, because I felt like I was taking it pretty easy this morning. It's still a mere 14.2 MPH average, well below my average during peak season last year, but it shows that my leggies are trying to shake the winter cobwebs off. I'm also weighing in at 207 pounds again. I got up to 215 over winter from a low of 190 pounds around September, so the fat trimming is in full swing again. I am not watching my weight like a hawk, but I acknowledge that the insulation I took on over the colder months is probably combining with muscle atrophy and slowing me down a bit.


Now, The Bad News.

I forgot my headphones. This means that I am about to spend the next 8 hours listening to telephones ringing, cow-orkers gossiping about the finer points of trashy celebrities, the price of gasoline, tupperware parties, their spouses, and all the other crap they like to spew while I'm making some attempt to do my job. I'm not sure what project they mark their time as falling into while they have these epic discussions, but I'm surprised they find time to actually work. Oh, and there's no Random Tunage today, because THERE IS NO TUNAGE. *jedi mind trick* This is not the tunage you're looking for. There's nothing to fear but lack of tunage. This sucks.


Today in history.

March 5, 2007: I broke my ****ing face and lost some teeth. HEY YOU GUYS!!!

According to Wikipedia, there is absolutely nothing else really interesting that has ever happened on March 5th. Ever. I'm surprised I don't see "1998: A Gnat Farted" on the list. Do gnats fart? Probably not. But if they did, that would probably be about as exciting as Wikipedia's list of March 5th events.

Random Tunage:
Grr. In my office, I have a spare pair of socks. A spare shirt. Spare pants. Extra deodorant. A comb. Even a spare inner tube and some patches. Why, in the name of all things sacred, have I not thought to bring in a spare set of headphones?

Splendid!

Despite temperatures hovering mostly in the 20s and 30s today, it was simply splendid.

This morning, there was a gentle breeze out of the north and the clearest sky I've seen in months. The air was crisp and chilly, barely 20 degrees as I stepped outside a few minutes past six. The eastern horizon was a deep, captivating violet color with this sliver of red visible just between the cracks of the bare branches of trees. Climbing the viaduct, I could see the sliver of red become more evident as the sun slowly tried to rise. Even though I left a little late, I took it easy on the way to the bus. I knew I'd make it on time. I had on a bunch of thin layers this morning, because I was uncertain what this evening would bring. I had coffee with Lorin while discussing the finer points of this and that before darting off to work.

Temperatures somehow managed to creep up barely into the 40s for my return trip. There was a lady on the A bus who Karen and I had talked to before. She just moved here recently (from Chicago, I think) and doesn't want a car. She's about sick of our bus system in Johnson County (I don't blame her, it's pretty bad compared to most metro areas) and is thinking of bike commuting once things warm up. I referred her to check out Trek's Go By Bike campaign and sign up.

If you haven't heard of this, it's pretty cool. 2 people each -- A man and a woman -- from Omaha, Saint Louis and Kansas City, will be chosen to participate. Winners of the contest will get a free Trek FX fitness hybrid (a flat-bar road bike, basically) with a bunch of commuting goodies. In exchange for that, they'll take pictures and blog about their adventure during National Bike Month (May). If they keep it up and meet all of the conditions, all the stuff is free for them to keep. This is meant for people who have thought of getting around on a bicycle for short trips but haven't gotten motivated or don't have a bike that's usable. Current utility cyclists like myself are exempt from this one, but it should be cool to watch six people get hooked on using bikes for basic transportation.

When I got home, I couldn't stay inside. There were things I needed to pick up. We were out of recordable DVDs (for backups), laundry detergent, and some other stuff. I made a bee-line to the grocery store, then rode back right past my apartment and down towards The Maul to swing by Best Buy. When I declined the plastic sack at Best Buy (I had my backpack with me), I somehow came up with "save the plastic trees." It sounded witty at the time, reading it here, it looks pretty weak now. The guy asked if I ride my bike all winter and I confirmed that I did "but only for really short trips, like a few miles or less" and then came the influx of questions about how I survive in the cold. People go snow skiing at near-zero temperatures for hours upon hours. Do you ask THEM how they do it? I just wish he hadn't reminded me of both the crappy weather and my crappy miles this winter. Winter was fun for the first few weeks. Now? Not so much.

Random Tunage:
Hooverphonic - Battersea
Black Dove - Capsule

Friday spoiled me, badly.

Friday spoiled me.  Not just in weather, but in bicycle commuting.  Smooth, skinny tires on dry pavement.  Efficiently slicing through just-above-freezing air.  Watching the sun as it started peeking over the horizon at the end of my journey.  Friday was full of memories that have been haunting me, and these last 2 days of riding The Goat to the bus stop have almost been painful.

Honestly, I thought about riding all the way today, despite the chill.  Headwinds are the only thing that put a crimp in my plan.  Well, and lack of preparation last night.  I would have gotten out pretty late this morning.  When is this stuff going to be over?  Morning lows are supposed to remain well below freezing until the weekend, so I guess I'm stuck on the bike/bus routine for the rest of the week.

Random Tunage:

Freezepop - Brainpower (Awesome.  Cheesy.  Just wow.)

Noma - Another Time

A fun little Monday night spin

I took the Antioch route home for a whopping total of 3.3 miles this evening in the sub-freezing temperatures. It's hard to believe that just yesterday we were a few degrees away from swimming weather.

The last 2 Monday night rides have been a bit of a wash as far as riding is concerned. Hecktic schedules end up taking the blame, but I know that if the temperatures had been more optimal, there would have been some riding going on the past 2 weeks.

Today, I waited at the meet-up point for about 15 minutes. 6:30 came and went and I was ready to just pack it up, when Mark & Theresa rolled up in winter 'cross kit and bikes in the back of their Pathfinder.

I'll be honest. With blustery, arctic wind straight out of the North, I wasn't going to get too torn up if there was no ride tonight, but it ended up being a lot of fun. We had about 6 miles of road under us, and about a mile worth of what I can only describe as peoples' back yards. We rode on the crunchy, ice-covered mud ruts left behind by service trucks along a grassy corridor that high-voltage power lines use to cut through residential neighborhoods. It was really messy, and it was a blast. I had The Goat out, while Mark & Theresa used cyclocross bikes. All of them held up to the torture just fine but my Twelve would have gotten stuck.

Anyhow, yet another famous "Mark Thomas Special Stage"

I washed the experience down with a beer, chips and salsa when we got back.

Zogics CitraWipes - Another contest!

I love citrus stuff. This ranges from oranges and grapefruits to HFCS-rich beverages like Mountain Dew.

I tore into my breakfast with the knife on my Park Tool MTB-3. Oranges are so tasty.

I've also got a pile of Zogics CitraWipes. I cleaned up with them last time I had to fuss with my chain, and they do a pretty good job. More than that, they smell like oranges, which is awesome -- but they're not tasty.

Zogics sells these wipes online and through many local bike shops and sporting goods stores. They're relatively new. Zogics' founder, Paul LeBlanc is an outdoor enthusiast and former member of the US National Cycling Team, so these are definitely made with cyclists in mind. Furthermore, Zogics is a member of 1% For The Planet, a group of businesses that donate 1% of their sales to environmental nonprofit groups.

A full review of these wipes is pending. I feel like I really need to get in a good roadside repair situation and get genuinely grimy on the go to really put these babies to the test. But I have so many of them that I'd like to share.

Here's your chance. Click here and tell me about your grimiest commute ever. Make sure you use an email address that I can reach you with, or else I can't get in touch with you to ship you your CitraWipes!

I'll take some of my favorite stories and post them, and then I'll ship off a pair of CitraWipes to you so you can get clean on your next messy adventure.

Okay, that's just mean!

Friday was beautiful. There's no doubt about that. It was relatively calm, temperatures were nice, and the sun was shining. Saturday and early Sunday it was also nice, but far too windy to do anything outdoors. The few cyclists I did see were gnashing their teeth and fighting the wind. Then, last night we had strong thunderstorms with insane straight-line winds, horizontal rain, and powerful lightning.

Somehow, the roads had mostly dried up by this morning, but with temperatures near freezing and 30-MPH gusts out of the North, I didn't even bother riding the whole way this morning. Sleet is possible sometime today as well.

I enjoyed seeing piles of sandy, salty road silt pushed out towards the gutters, though. That means that the roads are now for the most part clean, and that the next rain we get will likely throw water up onto my bike instead of corrosive, abrasive salt and sand.

Fighting the wind once I got downtown was a chore. Traveling east or west is dangerous, as you're likely to get blown over from the wind's Venturi effect as it channels between buildings. Traveling north is a whole different adventure this morning as well. With wind strong enough to find every little crevice in my clothes, it was a bit on the chilly side, too.

I really wish the weather would quit teasing us.

Random Tunage:
Orbital - Lush 3-3 (Underworld Mix)
Tomski & Jan Johnston - Love Will Come

Top 10 things I hate about "Green"

A lot of the things I do are environmentally friendly. I believe in being responsible with resources, from personal resources like money to common resources like the air we all breathe. I believe in stewardship, and I believe in taking care of things. That said, I am not an environmentalist. I don't hurt for the Earth. I don't go out of my way to do things on the sole basis that it will save the planet.

You can be green without falling into the "Green Consumerism" trap. Here are 10 things that irk me.

10. Specialty Organic-Food markets. Mostly, I despise the culture that surrounds these overprices places, but they tug at the heart-strings of people who want to exude smug greenness in their lives.

Farmer's markets and even large grocery stores often sell organic foods at more reasonable prices.


9. Carbon Credits and Carbon Offsets. Because money trumps responsibility.

I think it goes without saying that many corporations could do better to reduce their environmental impact on their own.


8. Ethanol made from corn. Seriously, folks. What are you thinking? When food and fuel compete, everyone loses.

In places like Brazil where more efficient (and less readily edible) plants such as sugar cane exists for making ethanol, it's not a bad thing. Here in the US, ethanol from switchgrass might be one answer. Walking or riding a bike for even part of those really short trips you make sounds like a much better idea.


7. Epic "Greeninating" projects. Tearing apart a building to re-do all of the insulation, windows, and HVAC systems to "go green" might be good for a tax credit, but it takes a lot of resources to move all those awesome, efficient construction materials. Then, what happens with all the construction waste?

Efficient building materials are expensive, but often worth the investment when building a new structure.


6. Sending hundreds of pounds of appliances to the landfill in the name of "Green." Replacing all of your 5-year-old stuff with shiny, new eco-friendly gear is a great way to make the company you keep "Green" with envy, but it's also irony defined.

Again, simple things like turning off lights, taking shorter showers, adjusting the thermostat on your water heater and climate control system at home will go a long way. Much like choosing efficient building materials, choosing efficient appliances as part of a new home isn't a bad idea.


5. Buying smugness at the cash register with re-usable "Green" (sometimes in color, always in marketing) canvas bags sold by grocery stores. The ones I saw at Hy-Vee were made in China. Assuming they weren't made in a sweat-shop by children who crank these out for a wage of pennies per day, there's still a great amount of irony in the amount of resources that were used simply to get these modern marvels of environmental friendliness into stores here in the US.

Instead, take your own backpacks or duffel bags along. Personally, I load up my panniers. On a side note, you could get bonus points for getting things from farmers' markets and buy things that were driven from halfway across the state instead of being shipped halfway around the world.


4. Hybrid gas-electric vehicles. More than 100 pounds of toxic, difficult-to-recycle battery materials go into each one. Much like "Green" appliances, at the end of the day it's just one more car on the road in addition to the (not Green) one you probably sold or gave to your kid. Those are just two of the many problems with hybrids.

In the long run, small cars powered by low-displacement gasoline or turbodiesel engines will save more money. Technology has come a long way, and many of these cars burn just as clean as a hybrid.


3. Plug-in hybrids and electric-only vehicles. These are not a panacea -- in fact, they're a less viable solution than traditional gas-electric hybrids. You see, the US still gets most of its electricity from coal-fired power plants. Most vehicles that leech from the power grid are essentially coal-burning vehicles. Once you figure the inefficiency of power transmission to the home, charging circuitry and electricity storage in the vehicle itself, it stops looking so sweet.

I could nod my head to EVs getting their daily fix from a solar or wind power source, though.


2. Guilt. Pack your bags; We're going on a guilt trip in a new GMC Yukon Hybrid! No one likes a guilt-tripper, and given the irony of some of the above points, it should come as no surprise that it's hard to be taken seriously when you're puffing your chest out while causing more harm than good with your Green antics.

Leading by example and encouraging others to make small, simple changes is a much better way to get the message across.


1. Consumerism. This sums up a lot of the previously mentioned items.

Until "Green" actually becomes more about conservation or simplicity and less about how much new stuff you can buy (and how much old, inefficient stuff you can send to the landfill) you'll have a hard time convincing me that the Green movement is about the green rainforests instead of the green-lined pockets.

February Weaksauce

Work Days: 16
Bike Commutes: 16
Bike-Only Commutes: 1 (Round trip both ways, today, and what a great day for a full bike commute!)
Miles: 128.2

Not much I can say other than this was a seriously brutal February.

Quoth the CommuterDude: "March cometh"

The head 'dude said it first. March is basically here. And with a crisp and tasty 37°F morning just outside my front door, who am I to say "no" to a great ride?

I spent about half an hour tuning up The Goat last night. A quick wipe-down, a bunch of drivetrain work, and polishing the hardened plaque of road grime and brake pad off of the rims. Even though I was nurturing the mountain bike just hours before, I could feel the Twelve calling me this morning.

I opened the massive container of bikey stuff that I've hoarded away and dug out some old goodies. The reflecto-vest-o-doom, the panniers, and the laptop cell. I dug most of the things I needed out of my backpack, loaded up my clothes, and strapped it down to the rack. The tires needed about 5 pumps of air each to sharpen them up. Ah, the wonderful burst of 110-PSI blowoff as I unhook the floor pump. I miss that sound. That means it's time to ride. That sound affects me now the same way the wailing, screeching klaxon of a 28.8kbps modem affected me more than a decade ago. Pulse quickens. Eyes widen. Senses sharpen. Good grief, I'm a nerd. And a cyclist. And it feels good!

The old feeling of carrying a commute-loaded bike down the stairs this morning made The Goat Of Steel seem like a Madone. I use my old lighting routine, somehow still fresh in memory: Click, double-click, click, double-click as I power up my rear rack light, my helmet blinky, my NiteRider and my DiNotte in sequence. Then I hit the road. The long, quick road. The road I've missed so much, save for a few "just because" full commutes on a few freaky-nice days this winter.

Now, I just need to do something about this average speed of 13.9 MPH. That isn't going to fly with me for very long. I'm really out of shape, but it was a nice ride nonetheless. I saw one other bike commuter, a fixie rider in the crossroads district.

I joined JR and Lorin for the Mocha this morning. Lorin inquired, "Did you take the D(readed) bus?"

"No bus. Too nice."

Here's to some serious light at the end of the brumal tunnel.

Random Tunage:
Prodigy - Narayan
The Verve - Bittersweet Symphony

Tricks of the trade: geeky transit schedules

About half (probably more) of my commute trips over the course of a year are bus-assisted in some way.  Sometimes I only wish to ride half the distance in the evening.  This is true on hot summer days (oh how I miss thee!)  Occasionally, I need to swing by the bike shop, bank, grocery store or hardware depot on the way home.  Sometimes I'm sick and just want to be dropped off within a quarter mile of my apartment.  Other times, I want to get home as early as humanly possible.  You get the idea.  On the days I use the bus, it's not always the same old grind.  The following was originally posted on Commute By Bike:

Bikes, Buses and Trains, oh my! My multi-mode commute can get confusing at times. I don't have one set bus route. There are 3 different bus routes and probably a dozen different stops I will use depending on errands I plan on running, the time I get out of work (road congestion taken into consideration) and distance I feel like riding from the bus to get home.

Anyone who relies on public transportation is at the mercy of someone else's schedule. I used to make frequent visits to the site containing bus route maps and schedules and I even thought about printing some of the schedules out to keep at home and at the office. A few months ago, a thought crossed my mind: With the latest PDAs, mobile phones, and trendy personal media players having the ability to display pictures, it's easy to store the schedules on them. I quickly took screen shots of my three most-used bus schedules and stored them on my mobile phone. Not only did I save paper and expensive ink, I now have the schedules with me virtually everywhere I go.

While I know there are quite a few tech-savvy writers and readers here, this tip isn't for everyone. It's easier than it sounds, though. After all, almost anyone can figure out how to use the camera on their phone, if they have one.

Method #1: Find the bus or train schedules online or in print somewhere, and take a close-up snapshot of your computer monitor or paper schedule with your camera-equipped phone. My LG Chocolate VX-8550 supports zooming in on images, so I can enlarge the image on my tiny screen to look at parts of the schedule in a readable fashion. If your camera phone doesn't support zooming, then get really close and take a few pictures that you can read as-is. Don't forget to re-name the files so you know what route they belong to!

Method #2: Find the schedule online, capture an image of it to your computer, then e-mail it or upload it to your device. This results in a much clearer image of the schedule to look at. If you have a Mac running OS X, you can hold Command-Shift-4 and draw a box around the schedule to save a screen shot to your desktop. If you're running Windows, I recommend AnalogX Capture, a free screen grabber. Of course, Linux/BSD/UNIX users get some love, too. The "import" utility that comes with the ImageMagick software package lets you save screenshots as well, almost exactly the same way as the OS X grab utility works. You will probably need to save the files in JPEG format for maximum compatibility with consumer electronics devices.




And yes, that's a Sun Type 5 keyboard and an IBM RS/6000 in the same photo. I don't want to hear about it. :P

Snarky Observations

1. Have you ever watched someone turn into an OCP Roadie from scratch?  Several people I know (various mailing lists, work, etc.) have -- over the last year or so -- gone from non-cyclists to wannabe racer superheroes complete with snide remarks, battling more for points of money spent and intellectual blows delivered than the number of races they can win.  I'm not sure I'd call it evolution, but it's an interesting process to watch some of them interact with the others.  A quick little jab about age or experience or number of miles ridden or an average speed (on the rollers/trainer this time of year, of course).  It's kind of funny to watch the testosterone fly around in the wake of an inferiority complex.
2. Yes, one or more of the people I am talking about might actually be reading this.  I don't hate you, I promise.  It provides me with entertainment.  If you're a CAT 3 or better, I'm not talking about you.
3. No, I'm not jealous, other than I wish I was riding my bike today.
4. It's really funny to listen to cow-orkers whine about the recent gas price increase while I sit here in my sphere of smug.  I love smugness.  And I didn't even need to buy a canvas sack at the grocery store that was made in a Chinese sweatshop to get my smug on.  Smugness sans rabid consumerism = Awesome.