Now where were we.
Oct. 21st, 2014 09:48 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rebeccmeisterWhat a trip. The sort of trip where it's hard to even know where to begin in writing about it because my thoughts are just all over the place.
So, how about a few pictures instead? On Sunday, the Phoenix Spokes People put on a classy fundraiser to earn money to file for 501(c)3 nonprofit status. Getting there was a trip, but I don't have any photographs of that part because while I love the concept of tallbiking in theory, in practice I find it terrifying, and the more so because I was on one of those tallbikes where it's super-easy to lift up the front wheel and catapult backwards. It was also geared pretty low and there's something wrong with the rear wheel still that's causing it to scrape and catch. But oh well. Sometimes it's a good idea to do things that are terrifying - makes the rest of life that much more refreshing. Meanwhile,![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
scrottie went in circles around me while riding his triple-tallbike. Here are some older photos of the two bikes, shortly after they were built:
Talk about some fork rake.
It was hard to pick and choose among the many options for how to spend my time while in the Phoenix area. I wrote out a list of shopping priorities in advance of the trip, and managed to obtain all of the things on the list, plus a few bonus items - things like: new work-notebooks, a pencil pouch, rechargeable AA batteries, circular hole punches for a reflector project, bike gloves, beeswax, aleppo pepper flakes, amaranth seeds, and a pair of nice slacks and a nice top from Goodwill (only $6 to look classy!).
I miss living near a Great Harvest Bread Company bakery. I miss living near ethnic grocery stores. I miss living within walking distance of a grocery store, let alone a grocery store with useful bulk food items for sale, let alone a second grocery store specializing in local produce and other locally-made goods. I miss living in a place with sidewalks, and with xeriscaping instead of just endless grass. I miss working on a campus with a free, GOOD art museum, with decent food options directly on campus, a mere 5-minute walk away. I miss living less than 3 miles away from the lake. I miss living near a good coffeeshop, and now there's a second place selling good baked-goods in that area, too. I miss living just a short bike ride away from places to hike. I miss living near some of the top ceramic artists in the country.
Out here in the Republic of Texasland, it's a project to try and get many things - I want to make a large-scale drawing that isn't even all that large-scale (roughly 2 feet by 3 feet), but there aren't any art supply stores in town (I do not consider Michaels or that other crazy-religious Lobby chain). For a long while, a grocery store that's now 8 miles from my house carried the brand of yogurt I like, but then suddenly two grocery stores started carrying it simultaneously, and now neither has it anymore. I try to minimize my acquisition of packaging here in part because all the recyclables have to be carted off to be recycled, but getting stuff in bulk here is itself a huge project. While I wouldn't mind this if it were true only of occasional specialty items, the problem is that it's true of way too many things, and the net effect is a sense of paralysis and scrambling.
However. It was good to be reunited with my bicycle and kitty-cat, and my awesome housemates. Before I know it, I'll be traveling again, up to Portland and Seattle (I've got more shopping lists for that trip), and my remaining time here in Texas is short. I hope I can cast off enough of the cognitive load associated with surviving so as to continue the recent good progress on academic work. Wish me luck.
So, how about a few pictures instead? On Sunday, the Phoenix Spokes People put on a classy fundraiser to earn money to file for 501(c)3 nonprofit status. Getting there was a trip, but I don't have any photographs of that part because while I love the concept of tallbiking in theory, in practice I find it terrifying, and the more so because I was on one of those tallbikes where it's super-easy to lift up the front wheel and catapult backwards. It was also geared pretty low and there's something wrong with the rear wheel still that's causing it to scrape and catch. But oh well. Sometimes it's a good idea to do things that are terrifying - makes the rest of life that much more refreshing. Meanwhile,
scrottie went in circles around me while riding his triple-tallbike. Here are some older photos of the two bikes, shortly after they were built:Talk about some fork rake.
It was hard to pick and choose among the many options for how to spend my time while in the Phoenix area. I wrote out a list of shopping priorities in advance of the trip, and managed to obtain all of the things on the list, plus a few bonus items - things like: new work-notebooks, a pencil pouch, rechargeable AA batteries, circular hole punches for a reflector project, bike gloves, beeswax, aleppo pepper flakes, amaranth seeds, and a pair of nice slacks and a nice top from Goodwill (only $6 to look classy!).
I miss living near a Great Harvest Bread Company bakery. I miss living near ethnic grocery stores. I miss living within walking distance of a grocery store, let alone a grocery store with useful bulk food items for sale, let alone a second grocery store specializing in local produce and other locally-made goods. I miss living in a place with sidewalks, and with xeriscaping instead of just endless grass. I miss working on a campus with a free, GOOD art museum, with decent food options directly on campus, a mere 5-minute walk away. I miss living less than 3 miles away from the lake. I miss living near a good coffeeshop, and now there's a second place selling good baked-goods in that area, too. I miss living just a short bike ride away from places to hike. I miss living near some of the top ceramic artists in the country.
Out here in the Republic of Texasland, it's a project to try and get many things - I want to make a large-scale drawing that isn't even all that large-scale (roughly 2 feet by 3 feet), but there aren't any art supply stores in town (I do not consider Michaels or that other crazy-religious Lobby chain). For a long while, a grocery store that's now 8 miles from my house carried the brand of yogurt I like, but then suddenly two grocery stores started carrying it simultaneously, and now neither has it anymore. I try to minimize my acquisition of packaging here in part because all the recyclables have to be carted off to be recycled, but getting stuff in bulk here is itself a huge project. While I wouldn't mind this if it were true only of occasional specialty items, the problem is that it's true of way too many things, and the net effect is a sense of paralysis and scrambling.
However. It was good to be reunited with my bicycle and kitty-cat, and my awesome housemates. Before I know it, I'll be traveling again, up to Portland and Seattle (I've got more shopping lists for that trip), and my remaining time here in Texas is short. I hope I can cast off enough of the cognitive load associated with surviving so as to continue the recent good progress on academic work. Wish me luck.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2014-10-22 07:50 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-10-22 10:26 pm (UTC)I've concluded that any tallbike I build will have to have a wider wheelbase, which will require modification from the basic "stack bikes on top of each other" design. I think I've pointed this out before, but this is my inspiration.
no subject
Date: 2014-10-23 05:55 pm (UTC)My own idea for a tallbike will involve a scissors mechanism so it's a standard-height bike, and when I start pedaling it, it cranks up to tall-bike height, and then drops down again when I get to my destination.
no subject
Date: 2014-10-24 08:32 pm (UTC)Now I remember that we *have* talked about your tallbike idea, because I've seen video footage of something like what you're describing but still can't seem to dig it up.
Except...found it!!
no subject
Date: 2014-10-25 12:54 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-10-25 01:25 am (UTC)