Another crazy night for biking in the Burgh

Maybe this blog will end up being my place to deposit all of my experiences while biking??

Anyway, tonight I stayed at Filmmakers late to finish a project for Monday. I was going down Baum and went past a car that was partially pulled into the Wendy's drive-thru. As I approached, one of the kids in the back seat had the door open...and threw something onto the street! I think s/he was trying to throw it at me or in front of my bike!! What?? Who does that? And what parents would let them get away with it? I turned back briefly and gave them an incredulous look (if they could've seen it). They were laughing so obviously it was intentional.

Oh well.

Luckily the kid had bad aim.

Coach, don't sign that kid up to play ball, he couldn't hit the broad side of a barn...er bike.

My brush with death...sort of...

...not really, but it was enough to get me shaken up.

I was biking home from Filmmakers in Oakland. I already had a bad night, realizing I had previously only captured video, with no audio...rendering my time spent there useless. The roads were wet and I was flying down Negley to get home. There was a green light ahead at East Liberty Boulevard and I was racing towards it.

When I was about 20 feet from the intersection, a cop car accelerating toward the same intersection with lights flashing suddenly appeared on the perpendicular street and turned on its siren. I hit my brakes, fishtailed and skidding off the the left to avoid what I thought was going to be a side collision. The cop car stopped (slowed down) in time and turned left to go down the direction in which I had come. I really thought that I was going to at least wipe out horribly in the middle of the intersection. I sat there for a second to get my bearings.

I haven't (knock on wood) been in an accident yet with another person/vehicle. I mildly wiped out on the Hot Metal Ped Bridge twice...once from ice, once from taking a turn too quickly on the wet. That's about it. I'm not looking forward to my first actual accident, since I'm sure that's going to happen at some point. Getting doored or run off the road. Anyway, my bike riding has been blessedly safe thus far.

Maybe I should be more careful at night and maybe I should not fly through intersections for this reason, but I don't understand why a cop wouldn't just keep their siren on well before an intersection? It doesn't help when your momentum is already carrying you through what is a solid green light, especially if you are on a bike.

Beauty Everywhere

Sometimes beauty is just so in your face, you have nothing to do but sit and gawk at it.

...unless you have a camera, then you take a picture!

This photo was taken on a Wednesday Wake-Up Paddle with Venture Outdoors.


I swear that these breathtaking images are set before us to remind us that it is GOOD we are here on this earth. Despite how tired I might have felt at 6:30 in the morning, despite my muscles being a little sore and feeling my weakness, despite how crappy I might have felt the day before, despite being splashed with a little bit of dirty (albeit, much-improved) Allegheny River water...there was a beautiful sky...as if an Artist painted it just for those of us who were on the water that morning.

We just need to slow down enough to enjoy it.

Larger image: http://gimppac.deviantart.com/art/Sun-clouds-water-kayak-90504466
More photos: http://picasaweb.google.com/pachicka/WednesdayPaddles

Bike funnies...

I found these strips on this page: http://www.thirdwave-websites.com/bike/index.cfm

Gah, I love Calvin and Hobbes...


Someday, this will be true for me...you think I'm hardcore??

Hey this guy kind of looks like a grown-up Calvin...don't you think??

P.S. I got a bike rack!...so now I'm ready for some longer-ish stuff.

half-year review...

Man, I should write on this thing more often!

I just realized over a half of 2008 has passed...I figured I'd take a look at the goals I wrote at the beginning of the year to see how I'm doing:

1. Value sleep more...
Well...I haven't been doing so well here. I'm not sure of my problem, but part of it is that my schedule has been kind of crazy lately. I need to work on this one.

2. Ride my bike at least 75% of the time...
I think I'm doing pretty well with this one! Next bike goal: get a bike rack and try to bike home one day...Pittsburgh to Saltsburg. Anybody want to come with me?

3. Take Sunday, or some other day and spend...a true sabbath of sorts...
Working on this one...I think I'm getting the rest part down, but again, that's not really spilling into the rest of my week. Sabbath should also be a daily mindset, not just what you do or don't do on a particular day. Plus spending a good portion of that time with God is kind of a requirement of a true sabbath. It shows where my priorities lie and in what/whom do I put my trust.

4. Try to play guitar for at least 15 minutes everyday or every other...
ugh, failing at this one...(note to self: replace internet time with guitar time)

5. Go to the Homeless ministry every Saturday if possible...
Well, I've decided this wasn't really working out, mostly cause I'm a lazy punk, but also because I've been doing other things over the weekend...but if I do a yoga thing down there like I'm thinking, I might end up staying to do Homeless ministry. This will be less of a goal and more of a, if I feel the spirit move me, I'll do it. Service should not feel forced anyway and maybe there's another way I'm being called to service.

6. Cook at least twice a week...
Off and on...right now I'm off. :P

7. Get a setup for digital video and start making a movie...
I DID get a firewire port for my computer! And I've obtained a copy of Adobe Premiere Elements. I'm helping a friend create a video of our Mexico trip. Now however, I realize I either: A) On my PC: need a new BIG harddrive for my files and shift my program files onto a bigger harddrive, B) Build a better PC with all the video capabilities in mind, C) Buy a sweet, beautiful iMac/Macbook. And make sure I have the funds to do it. This is aside from any 3-chip camera I might want to purchase...gah. $_$

8. Figure out...what I want to do when I grow up?...
Well, I'm pretty comfortable (ugh!) in my job right now, and I'm taking a Filmmakers class, so I'm in a "wait and see what's next" mode. When it's time to move on, I'm certain that I will realize it.

9. Call/write people more often...
Been keeping up with the fam a lot more than usual, though I could be better. I'm realizing that I just know too many people. What I mean by that is that I feel like I have many relationships that I sort of half-ass. And I meet new people with the expectation that they are all going to be on the same level of friendship. I need to relax this view and realize that there's no possible way to keep up with everyone on the same level. I don't like to half-ass things, and I'm trying to find a few niches of people I can remain close to, while figuring out how to stay open to the people in front of me. I need to find the balance of community for myself, and myself for community.

10. Hold more babies...
Been doing this actually! And when I move in July, I'll be moving in with a family, so I'll get to get my share of baby-holding in there. :)

So, I'm not doing too shabby! But there's still half a year to go, so I hope I can continue working on this stuff.

Bike-jacker

http://www.theweekdaily.com/news_opinion/cartoons/43872/carjacking_is_so_pass.html
This image is so awesome...

So I just got back from Mexico this past Monday and I'm still processing the trip. I had never been on a mission trip before, so the whole experience was new and exciting and mind blowing. I was struck by the beauty, the simplicity, by the community and difference in culture, and by the hard work and mindfulness of property that most people I deal with (including myself) know nothing about.

My hope is that I can take this experience and see how it relates to my life here in the States. My fear is that I'll be assimilated back into a culture that often takes things for granted. Alternatively, I fear that my heart will stay behind in Mexico and not be able to live in the present. I hope to find that middle ground...mindful and grateful existence, seeing God at work all around me.