This Land is Moreland

I prefer my work to be adventurous, even if the work itself is not adventure-oriented.

It's high school basketball playoff season, and as a still sometimes employee of Blue Ridge Communications TV-13, I've been picking up a lot of extra work helping to televise games on the weekends. These usually involve me traveling many miles outside Philly (to my former hometown and beyond). Yesterday, we had a rare game scheduled in the Philly suburbs, so I finished up my morning Wash Cycle route and met the TV crew there for an equally rare weekday appearance.

The location was Lower Moreland High School, which is only about 15 miles from my house in South Philly. Knowing I'd be getting back some time after 10, and knowing the parking situation in my neighborhood, driving simply wasn't an option. I've received commuting assistance via train to work for the TV station in the past, so why not do it again? This time I'd be going a little further out of my neighborhood via the regional rail:

That's my bike parked on the platform at Market East Jefferson Station. I did entertain the idea of riding all the way up to the event, but ultimately decided not to due to already logging more than 20 miles earlier in the day, and passive commutes are a rare luxury in my life. I also wanted to take a look at the art inside the station:

Alright, that's a stretch. I had no idea this was here until I stepped onto the platform. Still looks pretty neat though. I popped my bike onto the train, which is supposed to have dedicated areas for wheelchairs and bicycles (more on that later). All in all, the approach to temporary storage on the train out was pretty simple and effective. Think of it as a bike seatbelt:

They don't have these kind of options on the subway, where you're forced to hold on to your bike. I felt sorta spoiled yesterday. After a short 30-minute train ride, I found myself in a strange place known as Bethayres. Sounds made up. The weather was positively beautiful, with temperatures in the high 50's and not a cloud in sight. It's kind of a shame that the school was just a short 1.5 mile ride from the train station. I probably could have rode for a lot longer:

I arrived with plenty of time to spare, and the game went off without a hitch.

After tearing down, I made a literal mad dash back to the train station. It was around 9PM when I left the school, and trains from this far out only run once an hour after the evening rush. If I hadn't made it to the platform by 9:30, I wouldn't have gotten home until close to midnight. Thankfully, I made it with about 15 minutes to spare. I was the only person in sight. Kinda creepy:

This train wasn't nearly as accomodating as the first. There was no bike lock-in area, only a slightly open area towards the end of the car where I assumed a wheelchair could fit (but not strap in - seems like a violation). Anyway, I made do with the space I had available:

Due to space constraints coming through the doorway, I experienced a casualty getting in and out of the train as well. My rear light mounting bracket snapped off as I rounded the corner into the aisle:

It wouldn't have bothered me so much if I didn't have to ride 2+ miles home from the train. Nonetheless, I stuck to the widest and brightest streets possible and made it home safely, and I bought a new bracket today so I'll have something to do tonite I guess.

I couldn't do this commute every day, but it's always nice to shake things up a bit. I'm not going to lie, I was pretty excited about this when it randomly came up on the schedule. I have no idea when (or if) it will happen again, but it was fun for the brief while it lasted.

Step Up, Step Back

I first heard the phrase "Step up, step back" way back in 2013 on my second day living in Oregon, during introductions at the sustainable shelter workshop in which I was participating. Its meaning wasn't initially clear to me, but I never forgot that phrase (or who said it - if you're reading this, thank you). It suddenly became crystal clear to me a few weeks ago.

• Step up: It's your time to shine.
• Step back: You did your job. Let someone else have the spotlight.

About a year ago, I was given an opportunity, and I took it. I moved into upper management at Wash Cycle because there was a clear need for my knowledge and talent. A year later, our team has accomplished a lot for sure, but the needs of our team have far outgrown my capabilities and areas of expertise. So, I've stepped back, and I mean that in the most literal sense of the phrase:

Because you didn't really think I would write a whole blog post about my office work on my cycling blog, right? I'll simplify it to this: we made a lot of changes, I helped our team work out a whole lot of kinks in our processes, and now we're ready to blossom into a mature business. A lot of work is still left to be done, and there are others who are better suited to do it. I'm better off going back to my role as a front line soldier in the plant and on the bike.

I'm not going to lie and tell you it was easy to make this decision. Emotional attachment aside, I sit here one week post-transition with some moderate soreness in my quads after pedaling around Philly for more than 100 miles, the first time I've done that in a week since some time last Autumn. Even I'm exhausted after all that. My welcome back to the cycling fold included just about everything. Light loads:

Overflowing baskets:

75-degree temperatures. Freezing rain. Old friends. New faces.

Taking a step back was definitely just that, but also the best way to move forward. I'm excited to see what's to come...

Guest Blog: The Importance of Something (Seemingly) Meaningless

I wrote a post on my other blog about recent events in my life and the city of Philadelphia. You might have heard that our American football team won the championship last night. Enjoy!