Dangit

Beautiful morning, couldn't have been much more than 60 degrees, light (if any) breeze - perfect for riding to work. I donned my helmet, pulled on my gloves, and even had my oh-so-sexy bike shorts on (you know you love 'em!). Went out to the garage to mount my trusty steed and... flat tire. Of course, that's to be expected with a 15+ year old bike - guess I'm just lucky it happened when it did and not when I was out riding.

I was considering holding off on a bicycle purchase, but I think I'll get one sooner rather than later. No, not just because of a flat tire, but if I'm going to be riding regularly I need something dependable and in good working order. This bike is untrustworthy at best.

So, anyone have any recommendations for a commuter bike? I found a Bianchi Brillante at the LBS for $600, comes with lights, fenders, rack, etc. Seems like a decent bike, but who knows? Tried (and liked) a Specialized Globe Sport at another shop - liked the disc brakes, but no fenders/lights/rack in the $670 pricetag. I definitely want a bike I'll be happy with for several years, so I don't want to rush into a purchase or decide solely based on price. I'd rather pay a little more for a better machine than skimp and wish I hadn't.

What do you ride? What do you recommend?

More Bicycling

Almost forgot to mention: Bicyclist headed to work killed on Alum Creek Dr.

I thought it best not to mention this news item to the wife. My thoughts are with Tracey Corbin's friends and family.

Bicycling

Rode my bike to work today. I did not plan to ride my bike all the way to work, it just sort of happened. The original plan was to ride maybe a mile or two and then catch the bus, but I swear the route to work must be all downhill it felt so easy.

Temperature was nice and cool, traffic wasn't bad at all, so I just kept riding. Of course, since I hadn't planned to ride all the way, I was wearing my work clothes. Even at a slow pace and in cooler weather, I arrived quite... moist. (No, I did not have a close encounter with Dr. Horrible's sidekick.) Oh well, I'll just have to sign up at the fitness center here at work so I can get a shower.

Saw 7 rabbits and a goldfinch along the way. Nice way to start a Friday.

The point

OK, I've created a couple of drafts with potential blog topics, but I haven't written a full, coherent post yet. So, I'm going to start posting my thoughts publicly, hopefully to start some discussion and help me flesh-out my ideas.

Erin finished her Pseudo-Triathlon, which is inspiring me to perspire more. I've ridden my bike home from work twice in the past 2 weeks (about 10 miles each if my cyclometer is accurate) and I'm considering the Bike the C-Bus tour on Saturday. I may not go the full 30 miles, especially if I ride from home and back, but with enough breaks in there, who knows?

Posted some pics of the recent family vacation if you'd like to check them out. Mom & Dad came in from California for a couple of weeks, so we loaded up the family, Mom & Dad, and my sister's family, and headed for the Hocking Hills. Stayed 3 nights in a lovely 3,000 sq ft "cabin" complete with hot tub, two decks, and a pool table. The twins tried their best to hide their misery - there was no cell phone reception out there and they hardly knew what to do with themselves. Justin (Maggie's youngest) is becoming a professional door-opener, which is why some of his pics are right by the front door, as it was his favorite hangout at the cabin.

Sold my BlackBerry on eBay - someone took the "buy it now" so that puts $300 in my pocket (minus fees of course)! Maybe I'll be able to get that new bike sooner rather than later.

Well, this wasn't the most discussion-prompting post, but I guess that's partly the point of this blog - just get my thoughts / memories out there. I'm sure something more controversial will come up soon enough.

The Decline and Fall of the American Empire

Pennies From Heaven, Or At Least Gas Stations

Last I heard, there were about 300 million people in the United States. According to CoinStar those 300 million people have about $10.5 billion in loose change laying around. Some of it ends up in those "Take a penny, leave a penny" trays at the local convenience store, supermarket, gas station, etc. I decided to find out just how much money I could collect from cleaning out these trays.

First, some ground rules:

1. Get permission from the person at the register before emptying the tray. Explain it's for an "Internet experiment."
   
2. Leave at least 4 pennies, so the next person who needs to complete a transaction will have something to work with.
3. Document the results for all to see.

I'll have to work out the details as I go along. For instance, would this be considered taxable income? How many retailers will deny my request? Should I go back to the same location multiple times, or only empty each tray once?

While I don't expect to get "rich" from this little endeavor, I'm hoping it will at least pay for a cup of coffee now and then, and perhaps spark some interesting dialog here. Let me know what you think!

Taking the plunge

Here I am, joining the wide world of blogging. This is just a test post, so that I can arrange content, ads, and the like. Be back soon with something real to say!