The Fat Guy David Crowell :: Losing Weight

I attended last night’s car-free happy hour at The Monkey Wrench.  This is a once a month get-together of those that are car-free, or want to be.  There are guest speakers, but the coolest thing is the networking.

This is the first one I’ve attended, and there were about 30 people there.  The collection of bikes out front was quite interesting.  unlike many rides I’ve been on, every bike at this event was set up for transportation and/or hauling things.

I wish I had brought my camera.

I’m going to attend as many of these things as I can.  The next one is 2/16/2010 @ 5:30 at The Bodega on Market Street.

I rode my bike to work and back Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday (with some bus assistance).

I wimped out on Thursday, and called a co-worker for a ride.  That co-worker was not able to give me a ride home, and I didn’t have my bike with me.  I borrowed a car overnight to get home.  I drove the car back to work on Friday, with my bike on the back.

Friday afternoon was beautiful.  The temperatures were in the 70s and the skies were sunny and clear.  I had forgotten to bring my helmet, and I rode home in jeans and a t-shirt.

The Second Street Bridge was closed, but I had a positive experience with the shuttle service to get me across the river, as did Tom.

Normally Fridays are bad for rude drivers.  Not this one.  It wasn’t until after I got home that I realized it might be because I was wearing my Ride to Conquer Cancer t-shirt.

I found myself smiling most of the way home.  It was the best commuting ride I’ve had in many months.  Earlier in the week I was dreading the ride.  I considered going into debt to buy a car, just so I could get one now.  I held out, and feel better about it all, and will be riding again next week.

Today, I’m mostly sticking around the house to do yard work.  I may make a grocery run on the bike.  Tomorrow I have an RCCS ride, but I’ve arranged a ride to get there.

My Kia was hauled off on a flatbed truck just a few minutes ago.  I have a wad of cash to deposit tomorrow morning.  It’s done.  I will miss that poor little car.

My commute today was interesting.  I rode 10.5 miles on the way to work, and caught the bus for some of the trip.  I hadn’t used the bike racks on the buses before today.

On the way home, I felt good, and rode the whole way.  I did get rained on, but I was dressed well enough for it.

I also ran two errands on the bike today.  During my lunch hour, I rode to a downtown bike shop to get a spare tube.  After getting home from work, I did some grocery shopping.  Fewer people here in Charlestown look at me funny.  They must be getting used to seeing me hauling groceries on the bike.

I am a bit nervous about not having a car.  I do intend to buy another car at some point, but not yet.  I’m using what little money I have to pay my taxes.  I didn’t know I was going to owe money until today.  Selling the car became necessary to pay my taxes on time.

My poor Kia is out of service, possibly for good.  The timing belt broke this morning and some pretty serious engine damage came out of it.  I could repair or replace the engine, but the rest of the car isn’t worth it.

The timing (no pun intended) of this was actually pretty good.  Had it happened earlier in the morning, it could have meant Kristy missing her flight (I drove her to the airport).  If it waited until this Sunday, I could have been stranded somewhere between here and Michigan.

Although I’m looking around for a cheap replacement car, this could be a great opportunity to ride more.

I normally drive to get dog food and cat litter because I get large quantities from 12 miles away.  Today, I had to get a smaller bag of dog food of a different brand, so that I could get it here in town, and so I could haul it on my bike.  20 lbs of dog food and 14 lbs of cat litter definitely affected the handling of the bike, but I made it home safe.

Earlier this year, I considered not driving at all for the month of September.  I ended up not doing that.  Now, I’ve decided to not drive for a week.  One week seems possible.

I haven’t driven since Friday, and I won’t drive again until at least after work this coming Friday.  There is supposed to be very little precipitation this week, so the weather is cooperating.

I do have a full work week this week, so I’m not “cheating”.  In fact, the first three days of this week are the last three days at my current employer, and Thursday and Friday will be my first two days at my new employer.

That should make for some interesting bike commuting.