Whole Health Dietitian — Tastefully Fueling Active Transportation
Me: Now I get most of my exercise as a bike commuter.
Interviewer: Do you ride a stationary bike, or are you actually out biking?
Um, yeah.
In addition to maintaining a straight face during the above exchange, the mention of Monsanto funding a school garden seriously challenged my poker face skills. Would you like a side of herbicide with those vegetables? Industrial agriculture, anyone?
Prius prick: noun Someone who drives a Prius but, by his/her driving or other behavior, demonstrates a lack of concern for humanity and the earth
I coined this term while biking home the other afternoon. Someone in said vehicle came dangerously close to me on my bicycle. Unfortunately, I was not able to catch up to the vehicle to inform the driver that running over bicyclists was not eco-friendly. I had a good response all planned out, too.
Anyhow, I am confident that the term, “Prius prick,” will be a useful addition to the English language.
We are now a one car couple! We accepted an offer on Saturday, but the buyer was not able to make it official until last night, so I was holding my breath for four days, hoping it would go through.
Last night, after biking home from work, I put my bike on the car for the last time and drove out to my mother-in-law’s house (in the suburbs) to meet the buyer. Title signed over, cashier’s check in hand, and carless, I celebrated the sale by biking the 10.5 miles back home. (Full disclosure: My mother-in-law offered to give me a ride, but I declined.) It was a nice night for biking, and I arrived home tired but happy that I had made it under my own power and avoided a car trip.
We looked the cashier’s check over last night, trying to make sure it had all of the security features it was supposed to have and was not a fraud. We were a bit nervous because neither of us could see the darned watermark, but I called the issuing bank this morning and verified that it is, in fact, legit.
Now begins the one car experiment . . .
Technically, this is a cyclocross bike. One of the local bike shops recommended it as something with a road bike design that would be durable and hold up against the pressures of commuting on not-so-pretty city streets. I traded in the factory tires for a less nubby set that have Kevlar lining (again, for those special city streets and alleys with their cocktail of broken glass, killer potholes, nails, and railroad tracks).
I also swapped the completely horizontal stem for an angled stem to make my riding position a little more upright. This was key to being able to comfortably use my beloved Easy Seat. I gave the traditional bike seat a chance, but after a few painful outings, I was willing to take some extra weight on my hands, wrists, and shoulders in exchange for less pressure on certain delicate areas.
I swapped the regular pedals for the SPD pedals that I had originally put on my hybrid Schwinn.
The refillable air horn — far superior to a bell. For use on naughty drivers. I’ll never forget one of the first times I used it on a car that had just cut me off. I saw the driver jump in her seat — it was awesome!
Not invisible: I carry a front and rear light with me at all times so I’m ready for low light biking situations.
Fenders, ah fenders! I can’t believe I forgot about these. Now I don’t get that special streak up my back when riding on wet/muddy/who-knows-what streets.
I added the rack and panniers a few months ago. The road bike style combined with my large external frame backpack was uncomfortable and unsafe (I couldn’t see anything behind me when I turned my head because the pack was in the way), so I bit the bullet and invested in panniers. I was a little uncertain at first, but now I’m a big fan. The downside is that I lost my light, easy to haul up and down the basement stairs bike (which was a large part of the justification for buying this bike in the first place). The upside is that now every bike ride is a naked bike ride.
The month of July continued to be unseasonably cool right up until the end. I did not feel at all sorry for the people who complained it was too cold to go to the pool. The biking was wonderful. August, however, has other ideas.
My bike to work yesterday was nice and cool, but by the time I headed home, the mercury had climbed to 91, with a heat index of 99. To make it extra special, there was a 15-20mph wind from the south. To get home, I have to go east and south. By the time I approached the big uphill climb (into the wind), my energy was already flagging.
Before I get to climb the hill, I must cross two sets of train tracks which are less than a block apart from each other. All of the roads that go OVER the train tracks are heavily trafficked and not very safe for biking, so bikers have to deal with the tracks and the trains.
Anyway, I was approaching the tracks, and lo and behold, a train starts on the far tracks. Picture an industrial area with train tracks, some low warehouse type buildings, and nothing else. Felt like 99 degrees and not a drop of shade to be found. Is there no mercy? No, apparently there is not. The train alternated between moving slowly and not moving at all. Finally, after 15 minutes that felt like an eternity in the hot scorching sun, contemplating how much I did not want to climb the hill on the other side of the tracks, the train passed and I continued on my way.
I biked into the back yard only to be confronted with our cabbage, cauliflower, and broccoli seedlings who were enjoying the heat about as much as me. Which is to say, not at all. As soon as I got off my bike and leaned it against the building, I started emergency resuscitation measures of the seedlings. I am happy to report that most of them survived the ordeal.
I am no too upset about the heat wave because I possess psychic capabilities, and I foresee that half of my August will be much cooler!
Her Green Life