As a trained anthropologist...

I like to open up ridiculous claims with this. Yes, I studied Anthropology in college and I love to make observations about aspects of culture otherwise reviled but sadly, I am far from being a well-trained anthropologist.

This guy can actually say that however. And he's awesome.

bike messenger turns academic

Clipless pedal swag and relationship fallout

I love clipless pedal riding. I hate clipless shoes. They're ugly and bulky and look funny with dresses. I've been dreaming of the day that mary jane style shoes are made with cleats but I think that's a long ways off. In the meantime Chrome has made these great clipless shoes that don't look all that different from shoes I might wear anyway but there's a mental block that's keeping me from actually buying them and eventually wearing them.

And it's petty.

My ex-boyfriend has a pair.

I'm not actually sure if they're the same exact ones. They look the same but I don't remember them having the cleats. Regardless, the effect is the same.

It's not repulsion or anything. It's a vague need for distance. Like if I bought them I'd subconsciously be reviving that failed 6 month stretch for some kind of personal torture.

I might still buy them anyway but it's going to take a lot more ruminating than any other purchase I've made, including that $80 set of Kohl pens.

sigh.

Rainer Maria Rilke und Regen

Finally getting into Ranier Maria Rilke after knowing I should for years. I'm glad though that I can get into it like this.

Und daß das Stille und das Ungestüme

wie Stern und Sturm dich kennen? : Weil ich rühme.

Heat exhaustion soccer sadness and damned loose dogs

This weekend consisted of the above mentioned things. The first looming, the middle one crushing, and the last chasing behind.

Houston summer creates the perfect environment for heat related conditions. 20+ miles a day in daylight hours without a direct line feeding me lost fluids and electrolytes day after day catches up in a nasty way. I found myself watching the women's final light headed and depleted in the first half. Fortunately the intensity of the game helped rouse me. Unfortunately, US women were no match in penalty kicks.

A moment of silence for the glory the US women could have had.

...

Completely unrelated but omnipresent...loose dogs. Loose dogs are the scourge of my neighborhood, as well as countless other lower-income neighborhoods and it's gotten incredibly old. The reason this gets me goes beyond the simple irritation of getting the stool scared out of you by the sudden appearance of a snarling dog trying at best to run you off his turf and at worst to have your calf for lunch.

It angers me because despite the fact that I've had pets for as long as I can remember, I've worked with animals for the last 7 years and I often favor the company of cats and dogs over people, EVERY time I get chased the anger that wells up is enough to forget all that and throw my U-Lock right in the offending dog's muzzle.

The feeling dies down as soon as the chase stops but if that happens to me, I can only imagine the depth of ill-will that builds in people who aren't as animal friendly.

Which brings up an interesting similarity to bikes.

When I'm driving and I see a biker, I am courteous, I give him/her enough room and wouldn't think of honking or charging. I act this way because I know what the receiving end feels like. Drivers who have never ridden down a busy street or depended on their bike for transportation might not think twice of showing aggression toward bikes. People who don't own dogs and have only been chased or scared by them know only to regard them as a menacing presence.

But I digress. The point here is, really, I am more angry at the irresponsible owners that let their dogs wander the streets and chase anything that moves until they get run over than the dogs that threaten me with bodily harm. I would much rather thrown my U-Lock at these people than their dogs, but in the mean time, I suppose I might just have to switch back to the clip-less pedals for instant acceleration.

The might Fanny Pack

I usually carry my big pack with me to take tools, an extra book, extra tube, a sweater and my hand pump lest I be stranded, bored or cold. This, however can get cumbersome and the other night I decided I was being ridiculous in carrying my pack just for bike tools. Enter: THE MIGHTY FANNY PACK. I was able to fit a patch kit, tire levers, chapstick, I.D., debit card, cash, a couple of cigarettes and a multi-tool in it and then I just attached my hand pump to my rack with a zip tie and voila!

A pack-free night.

Adios

Just rode home in a borrowed jacket. Two things:

1) northface, marmot, patagonia, y'all can all suck it, because this simple cotton jacket kept me pretty dern warm.

2) even with the bulk of a men's cut jacket, I got an 'adios' a few blocks from my house.

2.a) I had just been thinking about how much I love Brooksmith because it reminds me of Mexico with all the people hanging out on the wrought-iron fenced-in patios and the faint wafts of fajitas in the air. Then I get the 'adios.' It was a bit too perfect.

I love bridges

I'm not sure why, but biking over a bridge gives me a weird sense of expansiveness. In this case, it was the bridge over Highway 59, so not as pretty as the Congress street bridge in Austin but still, it's nice.