Survival of the (not) Fittest -or- How 7-11 is slowly taking over the world

(this post is originally from April...blogger has changed, and it automatically updates. i'm annoyed that my posts will no longer carry the original dates. grr.)

colorado's fine weather has officially kicked in, so i'm riding my bike a ton again. welp, and my car died. in the eisenhower tunnel. that's a story for another day. essentially, i'm biking to the bus and back every day for work. have been for a little over a month. it's pretty rad...i'm on my bike for about 40 minutes a day, and on the bus for roughly the same. AND I GET TO PEOPLE WATCH AND EAVESDROP on the bus. sometimes a hassle, but mostly it's rad.

-not only can you not RIDE your bike on the 16th Street Mall, you also can't even take your bike on the shuttle bus. that's wack. especially considering that the bus advertises alternative transportation and how savvy it is to save gas. not to mention that there ARE NO BIKE LINES ON 15th or 17th. seriously wack. riddle me this: one day, whilst riding between Welton and Lawrence, the shuttle bus was driving ALONGSIDE me. what the what?

-in my opinion, the suburbs are worse. no bike lanes, no shoulders. way to go, colorado. there's this willow tree that i ride by, and since there is no lane and no shoulder, i smack myself in the face with it's low-hanging branches about 33% of the time. (i think i'm done complaining now.)

-i lied. more complaining. in the 'burbs, there are some pretty excellent bike paths. like little roads for bikes. except they're also for horses. which means poop in the way. gross.

-by the end of the year, i will ride the entire 12ish miles of hills to school and back. keeping in mind that suburban hills are very different from city hills, i'm taking it one way at a time. i found a sign on the arvada side that reads Platte River: 7 Miles, so i've got a solid frame of reference for what the ride entails. maybe the last week i'll do the entire commute. (i'm also doing a 5k at the end of april. hrmmm.)

The Kickball Metaphors (or Thoughts from a Bike)

-music should fit the atmosphere. specifically if you've obviously worked at creating an atmosphere. por ejemplo: r & b, southern rock, and john lee hooker do not equal Gypsy House Cafe. all three were heard there recently. it was super disconcerting.

-i made perhaps the perfect summer scarf last night. i found a funzie fabric with little kids swinging from trees, which i used with a small blue floral print remnant. if you still haven't checked out my stuff, you can support a terrific cause by clicking on my etsy site. (the cause would be Scum of the Earth.)

-"Because you can't decide if you're a vehicle or a pedestrian." that's right, mandykeller, i can't. as i ride my bike everywhere, i oftentimes find myself above the law. well, in my head anyways. i also find myself talking to cars (even more than when driving) and pointing, saying things like "SCOOT-SCOOT-SCOOT-ER-ROO!" when they aren't doing what i'd like.

-mostly i love that i'm noticing more and more about where i live. stuff i haven't noticed before. the habit of going to new bookstores and coffeeshops is accompanied by eating brunch by myself at a newly discovered locale every monday.

-you also have the opportunity to notice and engage with people when you're biking. random three-sentence conversations happen, and you actually see the motorcycle with two wheels in the front (what is that all about, anyway?) and have time to think about it.

-regardless of the mode of transportation, i am thoroughly annoyed by people who sloooow down to turn right. especially when one-way streets are involved. grrr.

-for some reason, toni braxton's "Unbreak My Heart" has been in my head today. i'll go ahead and blame the gypsy house for that.

-so there's this neighbor kid, maybe 7-years-old, who rides a blue bike. he's taken to saying "Hi" to me quite often. our neighborhood isn't exactly booming with kids, and i think his parents only let him ride on the sidewalk on our side of the block. lately every time i come home on my bike, he rides over to say hey. he usually sits on his bike at the end of our walk and waits until i pull my bike up the stairs. maybe i'll ask his name and have a new bff.

-originally i was going to philosophize on how kickball scenarios translate quite well into real life situations, but i've lost the gusto for it. essentially, there is much to be said for being aware of others, but just as much to be said for being focused on yourself. maybe i'll keep that brewing and report back. cover, stir, simmer.

-in a somewhat related circle of thought, i have found myself being way too apologetic in some instances. as in with my entire being. not necessarily a pushover, but certainly more permissible than usual. i'mma work that out, too.

"Gray her dad today, but she was at the mother with her mom."

If I was a dude, I think it'd be cool to be a lawyer. Not necessarily for the work, but so that when I introduced myself I could say "Esquire" after my name. Like, "Tom McMahon, Esquire."

Being a lady lawyer, though, the introduction doesn't sound as impressive. "Regina Philange, Lady Esquire." That just sounds like a solicitation.

"Are they like identical twins or something?!"

around a month ago, i was having some moments. so i did one of the 2 things i generally do when i need to sort myself and my headspace out: i went to stella's with a book to dissappear for a few hours. it was a glorious beginning of summer colorado evening. there weren't many db teenagers milling about AND my favorite reading corner was wide open. Yahtzee!



however, there was (what quickly became apparent as) a couple on first date at the nearest table. it became evident shortly thereafter that they had met via the interwebs. let's get this straight: i was trying to read. i'm deaf in one ear and the other one doesn't work so hotsy totsy most of the time. so these folks were talking rather loudly.



i spent a good 45 minutes tuning them out, but some of their conversation was irresistable. i went from annoyed at their volume to intrigued by their stories...they covered a plethora of heavy material. they attempted to wrap it up and say goodbye several times, but they just couldn't get enough of one another's company (did i mention that she sounded to be a pretty strict feminist and he thinks that the woman should stay at home birthin' babies? intense. just to paint the scene a bit further for you, dear reader, the dude had long-ish dark hair, glasses, and could potentially play D & D in his spare time...and the girl had long red hair and an ample backside....in my head [if we're playing the JRe judging game] she might crochet and have a lot of cats.)



here we have a special edition, if you will, of the quote blog....eavesdropping on random strangers style. at this point the conversation becomes so ridiculously entertaining that i did, in fact, scribble notes on the title pages of my book. yup, that good (them)....eeerrr, that pathetic (me).



Dude: If you smoked too much marijuana....Well, it's not that toxic. With alcohol or heroin you could....You picked a good drug to overdose on. Pot's not lethal. Everything in moderation-even moderation. It's a slippery slope. I'm trying to decide if I'm going to renew my vow to be sober. I think I'm growing out of it. ....(long pause)...

I'm kind of embarrassed now. All of a sudden. I'm not sure why.

Girl: Don't worry. I'm not really that judgemental. ....(another long pause)

We should go.

(random talk from both parties about when it would be appropriate to see each other again.)

Girl: I think you're trying to stick to the 3-day rule...but you don't really want to.
Dude: I would love to see you tomorrow.
Girl: I think 2 days is good.
Dude: As they say in Pulp Fiction, "That's when you know you've found somebody really special: you can just shut the fuck up for a minute and comfortably share silence."
Girl: Not to sound like a crazy Tarantino fan...
Dude: Jackie Brown is my favorite.