first week back to work

It was a busy and productive week. Enough hours of work. It is good to be busy. Nights included dog lessons, a  training ride and a music show last night. I saw Old Man Luedecke last night at Joe's Garage. It was cool. He is a Canadian folk singer, storyteller and banjo plucker. I enjoyed his tunes a lot.

I rode everyday this week, including a 40k ride on Wednesday night. I managed to avoid rain all but one trip into work. That was cool. Anytime I can cruise without rain gear I am a happy cyclist. I am glad I have it, its just much nice not to need it. The training ride felt great. The wind really took the heat out of us. Good thing for the hot shower once at home. I got my Marin all tuned up. I had a new chain, sprocket, cassette, and rear brake pads put on it. It rides great now. I am so amazed how inexpensive bikes are to fix compared to cars. It is really great not owning a car. I have access to one whenever I need it, it makes not using one all the time easier. Gas prices barely affect me. No paying for expensive insurance. Bikes rule!

I am trying to wrap my head around simplifying more. I decided to stop using my dishwasher. While not giving me more time, it does use less energy, and water by hand washing. I gave up my microwave a couple of years ago, using the counter space for a bread maker. Having fresh warm bread every other day is sweet. My garden will be planted this weekend. I am going to start minimizing stuff tomorrow. I will be taking a couple of bags of things to the Salvation Army, and recycling some old magazines that are taking up space. It is so easy to collect things, and so hard to get rid of them. Do you have any ideas on how to minimize and simplify? I am interested in what you have to say.

Bike to Work week is May 30th until June 5th. I have my team of one, and I am looking for new members. I will be out there everyday like always, I hope some of you will get out there and feel the freedom of getting out of your dinosaur burning vehicles, get some exercise and see how easy it is. I have one of the more difficult commutes in the Comox Valley and I find it very liberating to climb the hill everyday, free of the burdens of the corporations. Life is great, get out of the steel and plastic, onto some aluminum and rubber, and feel like you are a part of the natural world. If you have any questions about bike commuting, or any thing related to cycling, send me an email.

Re-Happy and enjoy your weekend.