Since this is my first post, I thought it would be best if I gave you a brief version of my “story� - and how I became a bike commuter.
I moved to Phoenix, AZ from Mobile, AL a little over a year ago to seek my fame and fortune. After finishing college, I was ready to see a new part of the country, and my big brother happened to live in Phoenix. I drove my car across the country, found myself a job, and began the nightmare of driving 22 miles, one way, from the suburbs to downtown Phoenix - along with the other million plus people making the same drive. This was my routine for about 6 months, until I just could not take it anymore. I decided that my sanity was worth more than the money I was saving by living with my big brother in a nice house, and found a reasonable (but still overpriced) apartment about 8.5 miles from my office. I moved in during the last week of July, and on August 1, I became a full-on bike commuter.
I rode my bke to work every day for the entire month of August. I withstood 23 work days of 110 plus degree heat - and no matter how “dry� the heat is, 110 degrees still feels like a blow dryer in your face. Everyday, at least one person would ask me why I did it. I would shrug and say, “I like riding bikes,� but there is more to it:
I do it:
* because I don’t want to be like everyone else in my office, who, when seeing someone walk in with a bike, tries to justify themselves by saying, “well I would ride my bike but…�;
* because politicians can talk about global warming and climate change all they want, but I am actually doing something about it;
* because I like showing people that, despite what they tell me, it can be done;
* because the more cyclists there are on the road, the more motorists will know how to behave around us;
* because it is guaranteed exercise every day;
* because I get to see my community on a more personal level; and
* because I, being of sound mind and body, can not imagine choosing this:
traffic in phoenix
[image courtesy of USA Today]
over this:
Finally, I do it because I really do like riding bikes. They’re fun, they let you roam free, and they’re fast - if you can make them be fast. Viva la Velorution!
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4 responses so far ↓
1 Brandon // Oct 23, 2007 at 3:19 pm
Yep. Commuting is sanity and “Serenity NOW” for me. Although I don’t get as worked up as George Castanza’s dad did when he uttered the phrase.
2 RL Policar // Oct 23, 2007 at 3:41 pm
Hoochie Mama!!!!!!!
I hope you got that joke…he ended up saying it instead of Serenity Now.
3 Jeff Rossini // Oct 23, 2007 at 3:44 pm
haha nice.
RL, I take it you were able to revive the posts that were lost when the server crashed?
4 Moe // Oct 23, 2007 at 4:59 pm
We were able to re-post from RSS feeds that I’d saved. RSS is your friend
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