Eyeballs Roll, Bikes Rock

Today my ophthalmologist told me that since February my prescription has changed. So, just in case, I asked, "You mean it got worse, right?"

"No, actually, it got better. What have you been doing differently?"

The bike. It's the bike. I can't believe it! Yeah, maybe I've changed my diet or my work habits a bit since then, but the only real, significant change is the bike. I've read about eye exercises and other things you can do to improve vision, but like all exercise, it's hard for me to do it just for the sake of doing it (even with a goal in mind). However, if I work it into a utilitarian purpose, life will change. And that's what happened. I'm getting toned arms, toned legs, toned butt, toned core, and toned eyeballs... and all from my 9-mile R/T daily commute and weekend getaways. Are you convinced to start a 2-wheel commute yet?

Weekend Adventure Numbers

I could tell the stories, but it would take too long. Plus, what happened in the tent stays in the tent. So here you go:

• Travelers: 4
  
• Total Miles Traveled: ~40
• Roadkill we passed, ran over, or otherwise encountered: at least 20 including 3 robins, 3 rats, 10 squirrels, 2 raccoons, and several unrecognizable animals including one that might have been a frog
• Hours after our intended arrival time we actually arrived at our campsite: 3
• Wineries visited: 3
• Goat farms visited: 1
• Greenhouses used to wait out rain and hail storm: 1
• Round trip detour mileage due to navigational difficulty: ~3
• People our tent was intended to sleep: 2
• People our tent actually slept: 4
• Caterpillars found on my body in the night: 1.5
• Attempts at making fire: 4, including one successful attempt
  
• Attempts to use the neighbor's fire: 1 (successful)
• Number of pet birds brought by neighbors: 3
  
• Bottles of wine consumed during breakfast: half
• Caterpillar droppings on hair, clothing, and food: well, if we had known that's what that was from the start, the number might have been smaller, but since that was a late discovery, more than we can count
• Emails sent: 0
• Phone calls to "dad": 4

Countless good conversations, laughs, and good times. Can't wait to go again -- but I will be purchasing a new (to me) bike before then or significantly modifying mine. And panniers might also be a good idea. Carrying a wet tent in a backpack is not actually advisable.

Breaking the Cycle

I had questions about whether it was a good idea to ride my bike when it was expected to reach over 100 degrees today and I figured I'd regret it when I decided to take the train. I was correct. Not only did I forget my subway pass, which means I had to pay $4 cash for the round trip (obnoxious when you have over $40 in subway fare sitting idly in your purse), but it also took eons to get across town. Eons! One should not wuss out just because it's hot. That's why we have water. It just makes me angry not to exercise, so I guess I won't be doing that again.

I found it!

I found the elusive entrance to the Brooklyn Bridge on the Brooklyn side! Turns out I rode right past it last time when I got "lost" and found myself on the Manhattan Bridge. While the Brooklyn has WAY more people on it, it's a much easier ride. Somehow, it's not just straight up and then straight down like its sister bridge, which you can see upstream. There are hills on this bridge. But that's nice because you don't feel like you're going to die at the midpoint. And it's shorter. Much shorter. It must be shorter.

I think I was in no fewer than 10 tourist photos today.

What's with...

... people on the train who insist on moving toward the door before the train has stopped -- even when there are 65 million people ahead of them? It's just rude. There's nowhere to move, people!

Bicicleta

I finally did it! I rode my bike to work.

First of all, the weather here of late has been outstanding. We have literally had the same weather as San Diego for three days running. This, while interesting and liberating (from the layers), is also a bit freaky, but that's a different post.

I was a little hesitant about doing it because I'm not a seasoned biker with my 10-pound chain around my shoulders, rolled up black long johns, worn in jeans, and chiseled calf muscles, and frankly, I was a little scared that I might get killed or seriously maimed. However, once I got on the street with my fancy new lights, I acquired a new boldness. I was running lights with the best of them (well actually more like 15 yards behind them because I was following the cues of others).

I got a little lost but still managed to make it to work in less time than it typically takes on the train. And I was also hindered by the fact that I am not the most fit person in the world. I had grammas with tiny wheels passing me on the uphill section of the (very long) Manhattan bridge. It was a little embarrassing, but I was still beaming with pride when I arrived at the office (and back home) in one piece.

I didn't ride in today because I was being wimpy about the rain, but there were plenty of other troopers out there -- including a guy riding a tandem bike alone. That has to feel a little lonely. It's like paella for two or something (movie reference).

Motives

Maybe it's just me, but I don't think so. There has been a recent dramatic shift in the way people think about food in this country. While, that's probably the case, there are definitely several different motives for these shifts and they all seem to relate to the amount of information available. Here are some that come to mind:

1. Environmental Impact of the process and delivery
2. Health/Nutritional value of the food
3. Food safety (E-Coli, mad cow, lead, pesticides, etc.)
4. Community support (in the form of local farms, co-ops, markets, etc.)
5. Variety of food (exotic, variety for nutrition)
6. Monetary cost (to consumer)
7. Support of economies in need (not always local)
8. National security (having an adequate supply of food lest the entire world embargo us)

Sometimes these values can be mutually exclusive (e.g. 4 and 7) but they don't always have to be. I just finished reading Movable Feasts by Sarah Murray. It is an interesting tale of several food items and how they are moved from their place of origin to our dinner plates.

It's clearly a book written by a talented travel writer. But she also takes the position that long-distance travel is a good thing for us and for the world -- mainly focusing on the variety and supporting economies in need arguments. However she attempts an environmental argument as well. Part of it is completely valid in my mind and we should all consider it as we have more information about where our food comes from and we're making decisions about which of that is aligned with our values. That argument is that it is sometimes more energy efficient to import food from elsewhere than it is to grow it closer to home (with heated greenhouses, for example).

Her other argument for the environmental benefit of shipping food long distance is that driving to the farmer's market uses more energy than shipping the food in a container ship (per capita). However, she leaves out that driving to the grocery store where you buy the container-ship-provided goods uses the same amount of energy (presumably) as the grocery store. So it falls short of convincing.

Where Michael Pollan's book Omnivore's Dilemma helped me to see that it's not just organic (which has its problems) that's good, but also local, Murray's book helped me see that it's not just local either.

Making decisions about the food we eat is extremely complex if we're trying to account for the different values laid out at the beginning of this post. However, the industry is learning that we want more transparency about sources and things are getting better. If you're concerned about the food you eat, maybe you will consider asking your grocer and/or favorite brands more about the sources of the food.

Indiana is Awesome

Today, on my way to get the finishing touches done on my sister's Christmas present, I discovered a nail salon. Jimmy's Nails. It was a non-descript white plywood sign painted with red block letters. ORCA and I walked in and we looked a little different from the rest of the crew, but we were welcomed.

Not only did we get our nails painted, but we also got designs painted on. ORCA got butterflies on a blue background and I got "simple chic" black, white, and silver glitter swoops on peachy gold.

Total cost: $8 (yes, for both)
Total paid because I'm a New Yorker: $15

I'm sending mom tomorrow.

Fire the Litter!

It's obnoxious to me that people litter and spit on the sidewalk, in the subway, and in other public places. This morning I was nearly spattered by some dude's phlegm and spittle because he was standing in the doorway of the train (also annoying) and attempting to spit between the train and the platform. On my way home I saw this sign ironically lying on the floor of the car and thought it was fitting. Not only does litter cause fires which delay trips, but as far as I understand it, litter also clogs drains, which in NYC causes floods in the subway and disables the system, as we learned this summer.

There's really no excuse for this. There are plenty of garbage bins in the subway system and on the streets of New York. You don't need to throw stuff on the tracks and we shouldn't see trash and gum on the sidewalks either, but we do. I realize it's a free country, but the tragedy of the commons prevails I guess. If it's easier (and free) to let someone else clean up your mess, then you will.

I choose to self-regulate and mitigate my negative externalities if I can help it. At the risk of sounding preachy, I think you should too. Do you think we could come up with a cap-and-trade market for litter? I would make so much money.

Mixer

Apparently, wine and sambvca and tequila and chicken fingers and shrimp and mini burgers don't mix. Today was greeted with a nauseating headache and a will to die. I made it to work curled up in a ball next to the door of the train and I received applause when I walked into the office. Yes, it was the day after the company holiday party. Free drinks are dangerous. So are cameras.

Nicaragua and Niger

While in Nicaragua I kept finding myself saying "In Niger..." because I found so many things similar between these two worlds-apart nations. Leslie (who lives in Nica) pointed out that this might be due to the developing world landscape which includes Blue Bird school buses converted into city buses among other similarities shared by the "third world".

Some of the things we noticed in this category:

1. The lack of washing machines and the necessity to handwash one's clothes (or pay someone else to do it)
2. The need for talc powder to walk comfortably or ride on a plastic bus seat for several hours
3. Shared taxis
4. Donkey carts among taxis, cars, buses, and trucks
5. The ability to ride in the back of a truck standing up, packed in like a sardine
6. The necessity to sweep one's house at least once a day to avoid the dreaded black foot
7. The broken bottles set in adobe walls as barbed wire substitute
8. The willingness and necessity of people to protest
9. That nearly all tourists and homeowners in the nicest tourist spots are extranjeros (foreigners)
10. Terrible beer (at least at first... until you realize it's cold and has alcohol in it... then it's delicious)
11. Frequent marriage proposals

On the Road

My first full day in Nicaragua was another day of travel. After picking up the necessary sunscreen and bug spray, we hit the bank, and then hit the road. The road consisted of a taxi (20 cordobas), a bus (60 cordobas), another taxi (12 cordobas), a very small motorcycle-toting ferry on a ridiculously rough riding lake (50 cordobas plus the cost of Laura's lunch, which we lost), another bus (18 cordobas), and feet (3 kilometers). 160 Cordobas is just under $10.

We stayed at Finca Magdalena, a cooperative organic farm on Volcan Maderas for $2.50 a night with a view of Volcan Conception in front and of the coffee drying flats in back. (I thought I'd posted the pictures, but apparently not). After a restful night on a cot and a belly full of gallo pinto, we set out on a hike. I should have been wary when our guide asked us "don't you have any shoes?" that the hike would not be so easy in Chacos, but alas, on we went.


The hike was beautiful if treacherous.


And after our guide, Freddy, finally realized that we would make it in our stupid gringa shoes, he was really sweet.

On behalf of your Memphis-based flight crew...

This morning's flight was crewed by a distinctly Tennesseean crew. I was sitting near the front and was privy to this conversation:

Flight Attendant (strong Memphis accent): "On behalf of your (as if you hadn't guessed) Memphis-based flight crew, we'd like to welcome you aboard"

Front Row Guy: "I knew you must be from Tennessee. I love the accent."

FA: "You know, most of the time people just think I'm dumb. The looks up north in reaction to my accent are priceless. [turns to tend to something in the kitchen] I've got brains; I just don't sound like it. I have a master's and I'm working on my PhD."

FRG: "In what?"

FA: "Special Ed. Special Education. It helps a LOT with this job."

Front Section of Aircraft: [Eruption of Laughter]

FRG: "Maybe you should go into comedy."

FA: "Believe me. I could."

Live, Work, and Play

Louisville is the place to do it if you ask the slogan on their trash cans.

I was not expecting much from this place, but so far it has produced several very fun, eclectic clothing stores, affordable prices, and even a good beer selection. I had a Dogfish Head today, and the same Irish pub served all of the Guiness selections, Chimay, Maudite, Fin du Monde, etc. I have to say that I was expecting the premium beer to be Blue Moon (Coors product).

The city is in preparation for the Kentucky Derby, and today was "Thunder", which means that there was a massive fireworks display over the river. Not exactly Boston 4th of July, but pretty impressive. Plus they actually serve beer.

The population is decidedly different from Boston, but I will have to expand on that thought later.

It is past my bedtime.