changing for the better?

I’ve been biking to work almost every day this summer, and loved every minute of it. Somehow, I managed to dodge all the rainstorms (Susan, however, wasn’t so lucky, and got caught in a torrential downpour the first time she biked). I feel better, my car is not getting worn down by the short trips (actually, driving is not currently an option, but that’s beside the point), and my already fit midsection is getting even slimmer… then again, that’s a bit of a problem as well, ‘cause all my shorts are developing a tendency to slip off... very inconvenient... and I’m not nearly old enough to wear a belt yet.

Anyhoo, today quite an extraordinary thing happened. I’m usually the lone biker on the road that I take, save for an occasional spandex-clad dude that whizzes by. But, as far as commuting goes, nobody seems to realize that their legs can do more than step on the accelerator pedal. But, today I passed an average-Joe-looking guy, clearly on his way to work. Actually, more like an average-Jose, but the point is the same – people are waking up, slowly but surely. I love reading the news about falling sales of SUVs and reductions in flight routes. Heck, double the price of gas! Triple it! Tax the hell out of it! It’s all for the better.

Yet, not everyone is getting the message. While I was in DC, a woman noticed that I had my luggage with me in the Metro, and struck up a conversation with me, as she was heading to the airport. When I asked her where she was heading, she proudly declared, “I’m bicoastal – I have homes in DC and San Fran, and shuttle back and forth every week.” Hopefully, the shock on my face has communicated what I thought about her statement. Just to think, all the cutbacks that I’m making in a year are probably not enough to offset the damage she causes in a span of a week...

So yeah, bring on that $10 gas!