v49!TYs1x

that is one of the passwords that i recently had to use to administer a downloaded program at work. it puts my passwords to shame. and knowing that certain-folks-i-know (you know who you are) have a history of really-easy-to-figure-out passwords - we are all doomed to be mass victims of internet hackers. just so's you know. i am fully prepared for the day i wake up to find my bank accounts drained and my email taken over by terrorists.

i rode my bike to work yesterday! just as planned. of course, i tried mightily to talk myself out of it when my alarm rang at 6:15 in the morning. the birds weren't even up yet, for pete's sake. then again, as i stumbled around the dark bedroom trying to remember to pack all my vitals (underwear, blowdrier, deodorant) for showering at work. then again, as i wrestled my bike out the door, fiddled with my shorts and felt embarrassed about my flabby belly and ugly helmet. but once i got rolling it was all worth it. whizzing through the cool morning air is a fine way to start the day. since i shower at work, i don't even need to worry about not sweating, not splashing merrily through huge puddles, and not getting bike grease all over my hands when my chain falls off - all of which i did on the way to work.

the way home is a different story altogether. i am usually a bit sleepy. i hate sneaking around the locker room and lobby, hoping that no one sees me in my flab-revealing shorts and t-shirt until i can jump on the bike and get-a-way fast. and once on the road, the trail is almost flat - but just enough incline almost the whole way home that it wears me down after a while. then again i am pretty out of shape, so i trust that will get easier. just in case all of that wasn't enough, yesterday i volunteered to stop at the store on the ride home to pick a few things up for scott. i didn't have to do it. he could have easily gone on his way home. but i was high on the adventure and it sounded like fun. in my mind, i was riding a pink bike with a woven basket filled with bottles of milk, fresh strawberries and a puppy - not covered in sweat, toting a backpack already half full of toiletries and clothes. so to the store i went! once there, i realized that i still haven't done any research on the legalities of locking up bikes in the city. if there aren't any racks - what can i do? i found a likely-looking spot in the parking lot and chained up ole Shiny. scott wanted beer, chips and salsa for his script writing meeting that night. "simple enough," you might be thinking. but you're not remembering that i like to make my own easy life hard. so i saw that canned crab meat was on sale. the crab was right next to the chicken andouille sausage - "say, that would make a good soup!" i said to myself, and tossed both items in the basket. "gee, olives are on sale too!" and in goes a big jar. on and on it goes, until my hand basket is too heavy to carry without using both hands. i try to stuff it all in the backpack while the checkout lady looks at me like i am crazy. everything fits, except for the can of crabmeat, the jumbo jar of tomato sauce and the bag of chips. those items i put in a plastic bag (oh, the horror!), then shouldered my heavy backpack and stumbled back out to the street. i slung the plastic bag on the handlebars, then admired how urban that looked. then i squatted down to unlock the u-lock. then i almost couldn't get back up, because my pack was so heavy. that's when the foreboding began. i hauled myself up and stood, looking at the road ahead. uphill, as far as mine eye could see. with that cement-heavy pack on my back, and lacking any sort of forward momentum, i decided to walk until i got to the top of the biggest hill - about 7 or 8 blocks. at the top of the big hill, i stood next to my bike and looked downhill. there is a traffic light at the foot of this hill. i knew that once i got rolling, my combined weight would be like that of a freight train out of control - unstoppable. i got on the seat, and with my foot on the curb, i waited until the light at the bottom turned green. shoving off, i coasted downhill, gaining speed until i was almost invisible - all the while praying that no cars or buses decide to pull out in front of me.

success! i made it down that hill alive, and my momentum carried me most of the way up the next one. after that, i just had about 2 miles of slow and steady incline until i was home. oh goody. to sweeten the pot, the wind started gusting - and not at my back. i was riding right into the wind. luckily i understand my gears now, so put 'er in 2nd gear and pedaled for home. in 2nd gear, the pedal resistance is eased and you pedal and pedal and pedal... and slowly move forward. it takes a while, but if you are hauling a heavy load uphill it takes some of the stress off the ole knees. my leg muscles were so quivery at this point, i can't see how else i would have made it home. i'm sure that, to passing cars, i looked like i was riding a stationary bike - but screw them. i just want to live, man.