not a real commute, since i'm still a free man this week and next. but i went out to get a business bank account and found the bank closed, so i eh, pretended i was going to work just to see what it will be like.

i'm hoping to change something this time. there are two bridges i could take to get where i go. the one i used last time is a stark, barren pig: a shorter ride, but unrewarding to ride and basically makes the time spent getting to it a write-off, since it doesn't take me near a single useful thing at any point. this time i thought i'd go look at the other bridge. got a very safely fenced-off bike path that's as wide as a full traffic lane (!!!), comes home past wonderful things like grocery stores, the ball park and (!!!) the diamonds where my kid played last year. !!! days he doesn't have a game of his own i can stop off on my way home to hang out with last year's coach.

two drawbacks: somewhat further, and if i was coming from the other end i have no confidence whatever i'd be able to find the bridge, let alone the right side of it for using the path. but i can find it from my side, so that's what i set off to do. didn't make it, since i stopped somewhere for something and forgot my watch was two hours ahead, so had to turn round and scuttle home.

but ooo, i like my new bike; oh yeah. beautiful. i dropped the saddle about an inch, and the harsh feeling from my first ride home on it just vanished. gear changes are solid and accurate, but so smooth i kept having to look down to see that they'd really happened. brakes nice, balances nice, feels wonderful. . . and yeah, i think it's going to be an easier ride.

yay spring!!

songs: for jfk, rfk and mlk, shawn phillips; bigger than real, janis ian; made in taiwan, michael marra