Bikes bikes bikes [bicycling]

I am SO GLAD that graydon reminded me of the existence of Dill Pickle Gear yesterday. This is a small company run by an amazing randonneusse. My ears perked up at the mention, because some time ago on a randonneuring email list, E had shared a link to one of her "Pickle Projects" on how to sew a handlebar bag. Well, it turns out she has a whole bunch more howto's on her blog! She is clearly a fan of empowering people to make things, especially in the interest of the joys of handmade gifts and keeping unwanted stuff out of landfills. Given her background, she might actually be someone I could consult with about my ancient panniers, because it seems like she might be sympathetic to the plight. And she might also be interested to see how they are constructed, given how long they've held up.

Amazing.

In other amazing news, today I learned that a newly-formed regional organization is going to take over for Bike to Work Day celebrations! This is huge news. You might recall my DIY efforts last spring; I'd been a bit annoyed by how things were being managed by other people and organizations, so I figured it was time to take matters into my own hands. Well - from the looks of what this new organization has put together, I don't think I'll need to do much this year other than help promote the day, show up, and join the celebration. Yay!

Oh writing [work, writing]

This week: successfully unsnarled the Introduction and Methods for a manuscript I'd like to get submitted soon.

I haven't revisited the Results or Discussion yet. A project for tomorrow.

I do think I'm getting closer to submission, at least. There's at least some small hope I could get this submitted by the end of the month, which is really important for tenure, largely because I need to work on writing the sequel and try to get that submitted by the end of July.

No pressure.

One of the challenges of academic writing is that I have to continually persuade myself that the things I'm reporting on have some small significance or importance or insight to offer. This is often the most challenging aspect of writing for me. I'm not curing cancer or solving world hunger, but hopefully I am at least enriching our understanding of and appreciation for the natural world.