It has been wicked cold in Portland these last couple of weeks. So considering the fact that Natalie spent a couple of years in Vancouver, Canada and I come from the great state of Minnesota; we thought we were perfectly suited to come up with The Winter Riding Checklist:
1) Bike
2) Helmet
3) Lights
Those kind of go without saying.
Archive for December, 2005
You have to admit, it is rare that a smell changes the way you look at the world.
Natalie and I were wrapping up a ride a couple of weeks ago, when we were overwhelmed by the smell of Chinese food. Considering the fact that we were in our own residential neighborhood, this surprised us. I mean, we know what our neighborhood smells like. We were confused. Did a new restaurant open up on our own block that we didn’t know about?
It was only when we saw an old Mercedes turning left leaving the signature blue cloud that we understood what was going on: Biodiesel.
The thought of having someone deliver gas to us, or the thought of pulling up to the local doughnut shop to fuel your car is pretty sweet. (For those of you who don’t know the details, you can learn about Biodiesel here.)
In the genre of comment cards, content typically falls into two categories (this sucks/this is great), and style is all but absent. It is all message, and no real consideration for the reader. I mean, who really takes time to think of the person whose task it is to sit and wade through the 30 second message from consumer to corporation? Someone has to read these. Where is the humanity? Gone from what I can tell.
That is why Natalie and I have gotten into the habit of writing comment card haikus. Granted, writing a haiku is fun, but I should clarify that we don’t fill these cards out willy-nilly. To date, we have had two glorious examples, and today we even had a haiku-off.
Continue reading ‘Comment Card Haikus’
The week before last was an incredibly wet week to be a bike messenger in Portland Oregon.
Most of the time rain is just part of the routine; fenders, rain jacket, pair of wool socks, and you’re set. But every once in a while you get one of those monsoon-type deluges from which you can’t run and you can’t hide.
I’ve decided that the worst part is not being soggy all day. The worst part is being stuck on elevators forced to field weather-related questions. The most common are:
A friend of ours was on a two month long bike trip across much of the west coast and Midwest. We got this postcard in the mail while she was out there on the open road. Pretty much standard issue, at least so we thought.
The back of the postcard detailed the adventures:
“Today I biked off this waterfall, wrestled a shark at the bottom, then did a wheelie all the way over the Hoosier Pass.
Colorado is pretty sick alright, but I am still missing you.
Heart, Catlin”
Attention travelers: The waters in Colorado are not safe.
So by the time Natalie and I got home from work, and Whole Foods, and traffic, I was pretty done with Thursday. But she wanted to go running. I protested. I knew that this was a futile effort, and it wasn’t that I really didn’t want to run, but just that I didn’t feel really stoked on running after a long day.
I suggested mixing it up. “Maybe we run up 25th?” This wasn’t going to do anything but put us into traffic. “Maybe we hit the trails?” It was already completely dark out. The waterfront run. Like always. As we were heading out, Natalie said to me “I feel that I am making you do something that you don’t want to do.” “I guess I am just sort of bored with running right now,” I responded. We started out down Thurman street.
Continue reading ‘The Craziest Thing We Have Ever Seen: Man vs. Train(s)’
We couldn’t help but imagine a small change to the OPB morning lineup:
8:01 National Headlines
8:03 Local Headlines
8:05 Weather
8:06 Traffic Report
The typical traffic report sounds like this:
“In Portland Traffic, there are delays on the Banfield, and on 84 eastbound. There are also delays on 26 westbound due to an escaped elephant from the Portland Zoo. Traffic is backed up to the tunnel. This traffic report was brought to you by Pfizer: Making the impossible possible since 1998.”
But what if it sounded like this:
“In Portland Traffic this morning, there are the typical delays at Delta Park and 205 north. 26 westbound is slow from 217 to Murray, and 84 eastbound is also slow near the Hollywood exit. Most bike lanes are clear at this moment. There is a delay on the Hawthorne Bridge eastbound due to an overturned Burley Trailer. The MAX lines are currently on time. This traffic report was brought to you by Sweetpea Bicycles: This is the bike that will love you back.”
I think that it would be a good change.
