Day 16 of 30: Over the Hump

Good morning on day 16 of 30 Days of Biking! We're officially more than halfway thru April, if you can believe it. Even with keeping a somewhat regular schedule and writing on this blog every day, my sense of time still feels a little off. It also feels like this month goes by quicker each year. Someone once visualized why that's a common perception.

In any case, going over the halfway mark is always somewhat exciting. A good friend, teacher, and mentor of mine (Denny Waxman) once told me that going from zero to one is the most difficult part of any challenge. Going from one to two and two to three and so on is much easier. Now that I've gotten to day 15, it almost seems inevitable that I'll "win" this challenge.

I hope those of you who have been following along thus far have enjoyed my journeys, no matter how short they may be. I hope they've inspired you to do something that inspires you, even if it's a very simple thing. And if you haven't been inspired yet, there's still time, right?

Coincidentally, the midpoint of April (yesterday) fell in the middle of the week, and my cycling day was also somewhat split right down the middle. The morning commute probably couldn't have been more beautiful just before 7AM:

We'll just ignore those near-freezing temperatures, eh? I remember thinking to myself "Wow. There's actually no wind today." There's another old saying, something about a red sky at morning, or something... At any rate, by the time I was on my way home in the afternoon, we had plenty of wind, mist, and even some snow:

Unpleasant conditions to work in, for sure, but the silkiest of silver linings came in the form of this homemade mask, compliments of my super talented girlfriend:

It doesn't match anything I'm wearing, but otherwise it's fantastic. It will prove to be a lot more stable than the Buff I had been using. I also avoided the absolute worst of the precipitation, which rolled in just after I rolled in to my garage.

One final note, I stopped by Kenny Road Market after work to pick up some more libations:

I've been stressing keeping my purchases local during this time, and both of these loosely fit the bill. The beer on the left is from Nowhere in Particular Brewing, noted for its nomadic nature of brewing - literally. They opened an appropriately named brewpub here in Columbus last year, Somewhere in Particular. On the right is a selection from my favourite Canadian brewery, Flying Monkeys. I purchased it from a local vendor, so I'm counting it. It's not all that easy to find, so I almost never pass up a chance to buy their beer. Both solid brews, both supporting local biz, I feel satisfied.

That seems like a perfect segue way to Thirsty Thursday. Have a good one, be safe, healthy, and happy.


30DoB Mileage Total: 154.3

For the Love of Wash Cycling

6 years ago (nearly to the day), I decided to leave the highest paying job I've had to date. You know that old saying "Money can't buy happiness," right? For me, it's true.

After I left that job, I made several promises to myself: I'd never again work full time for another company that didn't share my beliefs, I'd never again compromise my sanity for the almighty dollar, and I'd never let my job define my life.

Funny how things work out. I said "so long" (not goodbye) to Wash Cycle Laundry on Friday, after 3 years, 6 months, and 27 days. In that time, my job very much helped to define who I am and what I love to do.

I still can't believe this is real. I'm still here in Philly for the next few days, but it's different. My morning routine didn't exist today. I didn't hop on my bike to ride up to North Philly this morning. No stop on the way to pick up a newspaper or coffee. No pulling the trike outside and stacking it full of bags. No greeting from my teammates Mildred and Tracey offering me Tastykakes and coffee and politely declining because I've already had coffee and breakfast. But I digress...

Before I moved to Philly, I didn't even own a bike.

My bike got stolen when I was in college and I never bothered to replace it. Soon after I moved here, I decided that my car wasn't going to cut it for my everyday routines. Walking and public transit were helpful, but having a bike became a necessity due to gas costs and parking scarcity in the areas I frequented.

Even after I got one, biking didn't become my daily routine until one random day when I was researching a green-friendly towel solution for the Strengthening Health Institute, a non-profit macrobiotic cooking and lifestyle school I was working part-time for at the time (I'll write more about them in another post). Wash Cycle Laundry came up in my search. The service ultimately didn't work out for our needs, but I saw they were hiring, and I needed another part-time gig, so I figured "What the heck?" I applied. I mean, I could drag laundry on a bike, right?

I showed up for my job interview, way over-dressed but not nervous at all. I'll never forget the looks on their faces when I showed up in a shirt and tie for a bike laundry delivery job...to be interviewed by two dudes in t-shirts and jeans. In any case, it went well (as you probably guessed) and I became a Wash Cyclist in October 2014.

Needless to say, I fell in love with biking laundry.

Being a Wash Cyclist became the thing I most looked forward to, even in the dead of Winter or the swelter of Summer. It's not often I've been able to say that about a job. Day in, day out, I loved to do what I (we) did, and I loved the people who surrounded me. I've made several lifelong cyclist friends, not to mention the family-like feeling I got from the laundry team every single day.

More than that, I loved to tell people what we did and how we did it, so much so that it led me to start this here blog back in January of 2015. Where the heck would I be without this thing? No idea. Thank the universe that my supervisors noticed this little corner of the interwebs that I've carved out for myself. It led to an increased role in marketing the company, where I could officially tell our stories to the masses.

And in case you didn't notice, I fell in love with biking in general.

Biking to and from work and even outside of work became my lifestyle. I remember my first couple weeks on the job, I would feel guilty driving my car to work because it just seemed anti-bike for some reason. The only time you'd see me not riding a bike was in the thick of a blizzard or some other terrible weather event.

Everything else became routine on a bike: grocery shopping, social gatherings, and so on. It floored me one day when someone referred to me as "the bike guy," even though I know there are many other people out there who know and ride more than even I do. You can't hide passion. Among other things, I loved having the opportunity to ride more than 600 miles in a month several times over, and shouting it out to the world. Riding a bike has led me to some amazing places and personalities.

I also fell in love with this city.

I moved here into a dingy room above a bar with not much more than what I had in my car. I leave here in a few days a much wealthier person not so much monetarily, but in experiences and friendships. In addition to being referred to as "the bike guy," some know me as "the Philly guy." I wouldn't be that guy without my bike. Being a cyclist every day really connected me with this city, and in turn, everyone in it. Someone once told me that's the gift of cycling: you're basically forced to interact with your environment, and you can't tune out (like so many motorists do). I'm certain that all of the bonds I've formed here and things I've seen have had that much more of an impact on me because I've experienced them on two wheels.

It's rather fitting that I left Wash Cycle in the midst of a move, because I started my time there in the midst of a move, in one of the most tense weeks of my life. History repeats itself, or something. It's always been a job that has challenged me in all the right ways, not just physically, and without challenges, we don't learn or become who we're supposed to be. I don't think I can say enough about how much this place has done for me. Bicycling has become my life, and I owe a lot of it to my job. It literally helped define my life, one promise I'm glad to have broken.

Against the Rain

30 Days Mileage Counter

Biking: 14.4 miles

Car: 0 miles

Accurate as of 8AM 4/2/16

The picture you see below is not a repost of yesterday:

Though I may be foreshadowing...

Yesterday turned out to be a very nice day for cycling after a gray start to the morning. As you can see above, I logged over 14 miles (which includes work). Sadly, it hasn't lasted. The "April Showers" moved in last night and have stuck around for today. Maybe it's for the better, as I'll be volunteering at the Strengthening Health Institute all day today.

SHI is a non-profit education center specializing in plant-based nutrition and lifestyle practices, better known as macrobiotics (just in case you haven't heard my spiel already). I usually walk when I go to the school, as it's only a half mile from my house. In the spirit of #30daysofbiking, I rode in today (obviously). Everything does happen for a reason. If this were any other Saturday, I'd be bummed about the rain and the inability to go on an outdoor adventure, but I'll get to do a lot of indoor adventuring instead. We started this morning with some energy-awakening Qi Gong exercises:

I can't actually take pictures while I do Qi Gong, so this picture of Denny will have to suffice

I'll be recording Susan's cooking class this afternoon, and as such this may be the only time I have to write. If I feel up to it, I'll add a pic or two later. In the mean time, this is what we had for dinner last night:

Emphasis on the beer - part of a balanced diet!

Not necessarily a biking adventure, but I rode my bike to get here, so there. Enjoy your Saturday. I know I will.

As for the foreshadowing, I'll be heading up to Jim Thorpe to play a gig at Big Creek Vineyard tomorrow. Would LOVE to sneak in a trail ride up there! We shall see...