A Big Trip

Val, who I have known since she was just a kid, is on a trip around the world.  You can follow her and Kevin’s adventures at Big Trip Blog.

Rollerblades + MARTA Beat Driving

Yesterday I witnessed a guy on rollerblades demonstrating the futility of driving in Atlanta.  The rollerblading guy was moving much faster than the midtown traffic and once I saw him enter the North Avenue MARTA station I pretty sure no matter where he was going he would beat those poor souls trapped in their cars.

 

Fatherhood

Both of my kids are pretty artistically talented. The tough part for me has been encouraging them to explore their artistic side without being overbearing. You see years ago I passed up the opportunity to go to art school. And when I say I passed up opportunity I mean there's no way in hell I could have paid for it. So after passing on art school I pretty much put up the pencils and brushes. I've always kind of regretted that and as I watch my kids develop as artists it's real tough for me not say every five minutes, "you should go to art school." I don't want to be the kind of parent that lives vicariously through their kids, although I suspect we all do to some degree, so I'm doing my best to let both my kids find their own way. Here's a little sample from my youngest. She says it's a scene from FLCL. Originally done in pencils, she scanned it and then inked and colored it in Photoshop.

Decatur Bicycle Workshop

I think most people would agree that Decatur is one of Atlanta’s cycling hotspots.  If you live in Decatur or just want to learn more about cycling in the city, mark this on your calendar.

 

Bicycle Workshop
Saturday, October 21, 2006
9:00-12:00
The Solarium at Historic Scottish Rite
321 West Hill Street
Decatur, GA 30030

This two-part workshop will first offer participants the chance to view project displays and provide input. Attendees can then hit the streets with us as we ride along a 4.5 mile route in Decatur. Experienced leaders will be on hand to guide the group. Bring your comments and your bike! All children under sixteen must wear a helmet.

For more information, please contact Sycamore Consulting at 404-377-9147 or leahvaughan@sycamoreconsulting.net.

 

Unfortunately I will be in the middle of a much less enjoyable task Saturday morning.

 

 

Neither Rain nor Dark of Night

We’re having our first cool fall rain of the season.  I would like to think cool weather is here to stay but I’ve got a sneaking feeling we’ll have at least one more round warm summer like days.  Way back when I first started riding to work I hated riding in the rain.  Now it doesn’t bother me.  I’ve found I would much rather feel the rain on my face than watch it bounce harmlessly of a car windshield.  This morning I arrived at work with my yellow rain cape flapping in the wind and my fellow corporate wage slaves looked at me with pity.  They don’t understand.  They buy bigger and bigger houses that are farther and farther away from work.  They spend hours a day stuck in traffic.  They spend thousands of dollars a year on their cars.  They think they’re living the American Dream.  And they pity me because I’m a little wet.

Sheldon Brown's Health

You may or may not have heard that web bicycling guru Sheldon Brown is having some pretty serious health issues.  The details are here. 

 

17th Street Bike Lanes: a good idea gone wrong

I had a chance to ride around Atlantic Station recently.  For those who don’t know Atlantic Station is Atlanta’s newest and largest mixed use development located on the site of the old Atlantic Steel mill.  As part of the development “bike lanes” were added to 17^th Street running through Atlantic Station and over the 17^th Street Bridge into midtown.  The problem is these bike lanes are horrendous.  They are way too narrow, I didn’t have a ruler but I would estimate them to be between 2 and 2.5 feet wide.  This puts them inline with the pseudo-bike lanes of Interstate North Parkway in northwest Fulton County which I’ve found to be more dangerous than taking the lane.  In fact because of the narrowness of the bike lanes I choose to ride in the bus lane much of the time.