gotta watch those parking lots. i've had some of my closest calls going through them, because they're fun. i'd start to relax subconsciously, thinking 'ahhhhh . . . no traffic.' you could easily be more responsible than me though.

you got that part right! congrats and welcome.


yesterday was a very neat day. if i weren't car-free right now for reasons outside my control (something more than the choke is wrong with the car, and i'm too lazy to do anything about finding out what), i would have driven, but i'm glad i didn't. having the big ring back is making such a difference to the fun: it feels like i'm actually riding a bike, as opposed to just waving my feet in circles for some other reason. an 18-wheel trucker surprised me and made me laugh by seeing me coming towards his onramp about the same time that i saw him and being stopped behind the zebra line by the time i got there. i had a bit of a double-take moment when i realised he wasn't where i'd expected he'd be, and i think he was laughing too. i'm getting fond of truckers. they seem to have more friendliness and humour than most of the drivers out there. and yeah, yet another vote for the acid-green hhcmf coat. i think he saw me from 500 metres away.

intended to take it easy just because a couple of unbroken weeks in a row is a lot for feeble me. and i truly expected that i'd take the bus home at least part of the way. la la; didn't do it. counter-intuitive but so long as i'm not mashing really hard, the higher resistance from the bigger ring actually seems to be a bit easier on me than the frantic spinning. it's absolutely and completely more fun. it was full dark by the time i came home, and so nice. clear and cool. i know there are times coming at me when the dark will just seem all-encompassing and much worse than it needs to be. but this wasn't one of those times.