DF 6/19

This week was a chaotic blend of in-person meetings, transit, and drinking with Irish and Australian folks. Of particular note was a text from a dear friend who arrived from Nova Scotia and met up for a relaxed pint at a nearby brewer. Hi Cooper!

On Monday, in preparation for a week too busy for serious bike rides, I did a lot of climbing up Tunnel Rd., but blew a tire early in a descent in such a way that I had to call my friend for a ride. I’m super glad I stayed rubber side down, but I did miss out on some lovely downhill riding. Thanks again for the save and rescue, Anna!

Being back with folks in an office, albeit masked, and molecularly tested, was particularly stressful. It was nice to see people I hadn’t in two years, but the risks still feel entirely too high for this to be a habit. We had a few positive cases caught in the testing area downstairs, and I hope no one caught COVID from the event itself. I’m honestly not sure when it will feel safe again to meet in person regularly, but for now I’m very happy to return to my desk at home, and the phone calls and video chat that have become the way we meet.

This week also meant a strange conversation between folks who work with me when I was able to talk about the Democrats largely being a centre-right or even right-wing party. It’s really no wonder these ghouls being in power isn’t the solution and didn’t lead to much lasting change. I hope before I’m 50 there are a significant number of left-wing candidates at local and national levels.

Recently, I’ve heard yet more folks want to leave Twitter, and after two years of only seeing a couple accounts through RSS I can say that I barely miss it. Honestly, the constant barrage of bummers and thinking mostly in pithy 240 characters dragged me down more often than jokes made me smile. With the exception of small >100 person social networks like Slack or a Discord server, I have little desire to get back into a new social app.

I’m not sure if reducing my social stress or cycling did more for my stomach, but this year has been a lot less horrific than many in the past when it comes to my hot girl affliction. I may not be able to digest dairy or maintain the kind of gut flora that digests greens, but I sincerely hope I can keep a bit healthier and gut-happy for longer.

Gravel is so hot right now and the New York Times is on it. As long as trucks keep getting deadlier for pedestrians, and infrastructure remains antagonistic towards cyclists, gravel will keep getting more popular. If playing basketball meant regularly a player was killed by a 2 ton vehicle, I bet they would put barriers and safety measures in place everywhere, but a healthier and greener mode of transit? No way. If the petroleum industry can’t sell oil, it’s not worth lobbying for grey-haired oligarchs to give a fuck about it.

Closing

Once again, I am slathered with Tiger Balm and recovering from a wild bike ride—according to Strava, my longest ever. I’m wiped! I didn’t take my usual Friday off from serious riding since the week was largely spent on foot or butt, but thankfully I have Monday off so I can continue to heal these legs. Whether or not you get Juneteenth off, I hope you take time to read about it.

Rest up, read up, and chin up, space cowgirls~

DF 6/19

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Closing