OMG

What freakishly long, effed up day. ugh. I need a day off so badly! One that's really a day off, not a day where I go in to work for half or more of the day because there is just too much damn work to be done. Today, so many little things went wrong for so many people I answer to. I just put out fires all day long. And then, an hour after the work day should have ended, I biked home, had a shower, and got in the car and drove back to work for more of the same.

I just had dinner (at work) at 7:45, and that's pretty darn late for me, and then I did a couple more things, and now I am home, hallelujah. Still, my colleagues and crew are doing really great work and working as hard as I am. So, in that sense, I can't (and won't) complain. But I am really yearning both for time off and for a sense that I am finally a bit more ahead of schedule/less on the spot. And those may be contradictory wishes, at least in some senses.

And yes, you heard right, I biked to work (at least for the first stretch of it!) today, and that's the 3rd time in the last week. So, yay for that. And yay for my sweet LP who saved dinner for me at home, just in case, and for my sweet little kitty who is singing to me and giving me kitty hugs.

Good night, bike!

We have put the bikes to bed for the winter, as I do not fancy riding on ice or snow. I have, however, managed to walk to work instead of driving a few days lately. It's cold walking in the dark, but I think sometimes it's even safer to walk than to drive, when there is ice, or that not-quite-slushy snow that is really granular and slidey.

Here are some fun bikes I recently came across, trying to find out more about Schwinn e-bike dealers in the US.

Giant Electric Bikes. Just very chrome-y cool.

Xtracycle Sports Utility Bikes. Do the shopping. Bring along the kids.

Baksfiet Cargo bike. The Dutch solution for shopping with kids.

ZEM. The swiss solution for bringing the whole damn family along. C'mon, wouldn't you rather see Ahnold and Maria in this than in the H-bomb?

Very cool new bike shop in the wrong part of the country for me!

Those of you who follow activist art probably already know about this one. Canadian artist Michel de Broin gets arrested for driving his motorless artwork/car in Toronto... apparently by a cop who called in a backup patrol of bike police! This trial should be fun to follow.

Faith in Humanity

http://torontoist.com/2007/08/you_give_me_fai.php


a) I would love to see if any of you have a good similar true story you would be willing to write up in similar form in the comments. And then I would keep them all and have faith in humanity.

b) failing this, I would like to see people invent good stories in the same vein and paste them around the world, send them in to newspapers, and take pictures of them, as a collaborative art project.

c) failing this, I would like to see Aunt B. (or hey, any of you creative writers!) write a play with this roll of characters, not necessarily about a bike accident: Larissa, Gus (?), Nurse with Ice Cream Cone, Man with Cell Phone, Woman from the Hacienda with Wet Towels.

Pleeez?

Kitties and other

Today I took both kitties to the vet. I thought it was a good idea to schedule them for the same day. Maybe not so much. It's much harder to get two cats into carriers for an appointment than just one. And it also makes for an expensive visit. Tally: one ear infection, two shots, 'suspicious' signs of fleas, enough for the vet to want flea treatment, not enough for me to feel sure it's worth putting poison on the cats, but who am I to argue. And an unsatisfying answer to my question below about cats and toilets (see the comments for my previous questions). Sigh.

I haven't ridden the bike yet this week, and am not likely to tomorrow, given how crummy I still feel. Also not good. I just want to curl up and sleep, and not have to go to work. My boss is sweet, and suggests I take another day, but I feel guilty.

A while ago, a couple of friends and I started a support group for people moving into my area. It's a place that is wonderful, but isolating. The support group is large, but not being used much at all. I find this disheartening. I don't know why folks are so shy about reaching out, but I also don't want to hound people, so I don't. But I wish it would 'take off' and get some momentum. I feel like people are so insular. When people talk to me one-on-one, they mention how hard it is, but nobody seems to have the time? impetus? courage? to really make that effort to connect. I am the same way, much of the time, so I don't judge, but do wish things would magically improve.

Bike Log

Biked three days to work this week. Stayed home one day, but ordered pizza, since too sick to shop/cook. So I won't count that fourth day. So we did better this week than the previous two.

Tag saled this a.m. Problem is, once something is junk to me, it pretty much is by everyone else's definition, too. Made enough to pay for the pizza we had earlier in the week. But, we haven't made much progress in decluttering, although our catsitter for last weekend reflected that the place seemed cleaner than it had in a while. If only it were still as clean now as it was then! Guests are coming tomorrow, and I still don't really have much energy to put into spiffying up the place. Sitting out in the sun at the tag sale was about my speed for today.

LP did get the trash out this morning, and did some dishes, but it's still pretty grim here. If only my mental level of acceptable clean matched what we are willing to do on a regular basis. Unfortunately, some of my mom's mad cleaning skills rubbed off on me, at least enough for me to feel ashamed when people actually see how we live. Not enough to really do the weekly cleaning to avoid that feeling, though. Sad.

Have been enjoying a book discussion on CHE recently, and now have a short list of books to look for next time at library. Am looking forward to having some leisure reading time this fall.