even more bike things.

sunday, october 29th, 2023.

At the risk of beating a dead horse, I'm going to write even more about bicycling today. Because that's what I'm currently hyperfocusing on, dang it. 😤

Last week, I wrote to GDOT asking them if they'd clear up the road debris that keeps piercing my tires on my daily commute. Although they responded to my email quickly, I haven't actually seen the glass, nails, and loose gravel get cleared from the road. That's a bummer, but not entirely surprising. I'm not exactly sure how far their field office is, but I'm going to bet that they're understaffed and undersupplied for non-emergency service requests.

Tangentially related— my city has a citizens' advisory committee meeting next week that I plan to attend. They're having a bit of an identity crisis at the moment. The city has stagnated in a sort of 1980s car-centric design: stroads and strip malls everywhere, no downtown, and all the interesting stuff is happening in other cities that are becoming more pedestrian-friendly. Surprisingly, nobody wants to get out and mingle in a Target parking lot.

At any rate, the old guard is retiring and getting replaced with younger folks, so I'm hoping that the movers and shakers move and shake to make the city a little more interesting. I'm going to get involved, but I anticipate that my first attendance will just be me sitting and listening to what's going on, not waltzing in and requesting bollard-protected bike lanes everywhere. I'm looking forward to it the sort of nerdy way that I'm naturally inclined.

I visited the larger local bike shop yesterday to get some brighter lights for my bicycle now that daylight is getting scarcer. Figured that paying a premium above online prices was worth supporting the shop and getting a chance to wag my jaw with some local bicyclists.

It was.

I met three avid bicyclists before they closed yesterday, one a customer and the others the store's salesman and mechanic. I got to hear other people geek out about bicycling culture and infrastructure for once and it was music to my ears. I inquired about the cost of a new crankset, picked the salesman's brain about their whizz-bang gravel bikes in case I wind up getting a second bike (not likely anytime soon with my finances being what they are), and shot the shit with other bicyclists. Gosh, it was nice.

They also have three groups that do group rides 'round town. Their recommendation was to come in around 10 on a Saturday morning to meet some of 'em. I might just do that, although I'm not really in shape enough for anything fast, nor is my bike built for anything but commuting. But they assured me that that was just fine. So who knows, maybe I'll take my rusty old bike on a group ride sometime!

As far as bike lights go, I got a nice headlight & taillight set from Bontrager that blows the cheapo set I had out of the water. I don't think I'm gonna have any trouble seeing or being seen in the dark now. It took a serious act of self control to not go riding around at 10 last night to test the new lights.

not bike things.

We got to watch my eldest daughter participate in a robotics team competition yesterday, too! It was her first time participating, so she was real nervous. She did about as well as anyone could hope for at their first competition: fair to middling. But she and her team had a great time, and she had a little cheer squad by way of a friend of ours and her kiddo holding a sign and hoopin' and hollerin' with me. Properly embarrassing, as god intended.

The linked Wikipedia page for the competition above describes the rules better than I could, given that they weren't really explained well for the fans in attendance. At any rate, the kids looked like they had a blast and I'm a little jelly that we didn't have anything like this when we were growing up. At least, not in middle Georgia. 😅

Yesterday, I called the city about a small gas leak on the city's end of the gas meter. One quiet fire truck visit later, a city worker came by and replaced the leaking junction in question. We shot the breeze a little about gas meters, their challenges getting the parts they want post-COVID manufacturing shortages, and I thanked him before he was off on his way.

Halloween is in TWO DAYS and the little one is excited beyond belief. Oh, to be a seven year old and have that magic in your eyes!

We got tickets to a Slothrust & The Front Bottoms show in Atlanta next weekend that we're pretty pumped about. It'll be nice to have a proper date night and see some bands we're into.

I suppose that's all the biking and not-biking things I can think of to write this morning!

I hope you'll be well! Until next time. :)