July 7, 2006

• These past few weeks have been keeping me happily busy with moving plans, out of town visitors, writers group, summer parties, moonlighting as an essay grader for a college prep program, enjoying this beautiful city for one last summer, and re-examining my love of fellow man through biking.

  Hold the phone: “Re-examining my love of fellow man through biking?” Write like a melodramatic freak much? Sigh. Neglecting my blog’s made me loose that sassy blogger touch. If you will, read on, patient reader, read on.

  Happy Friday!
  Last Friday I was reminded of how much I really love humans. Most of the time when we congregate we are ugly and volatile mammals, but every once in a while entire big groups of us act like lovely, well-behaved creatures. I found an amazing group of such well behaved specimens at last Friday’s Critical Mass bike ride. For those of you who don’t know, Critical Mass is a worldwide movement, (not an organization) to demonstrate support for sustainable living by having huge unofficial bicycling rallies. In Chicago, an average of 2,500 riders congregate on Daley Plaza after work on the last Friday of every month. Together, they embark on a leisurely ride (that’s RIDE, not RACE) though the city streets. They fuck up traffic and wave and say “Happy Friday!” to those they pass. Some have stereos blasting fun music form their bikes. One lady had a bubble machine on the back of hers. This Friday, a dog rode in a milk crate strapped to a man’s bike. A sign on the crate read: Today is Timber’s 13th birthday. Say “Happy Birthday Timber!” And everyone did. I met two lads who biked for ten days to Chicago from Minneapolis. I met a woman who biked topless with only black tape covering her nipples. There are families with kids. There are spandex clad enthusiasts. There are those like me who bike to work because public transit is chronically tardy due to the brown line reconstruction this summer. Cars cannot pass because the group sticks together and refuses to budge. If a car gets pushy, riders disembark their bikes and block the cars by standing in front of them. If a person gets clumsy and falls, strangers stop and help with a smile. Bikers occupy every square inch of the road for miles—it looks like China.

  Critical Mass is a great way to allow urban riders feel ownership on the roads where cars are so often asshole-ish to us helmeted pedal pushers. Riders feel more confident after a Critical Mass ride. Which makes them better riders. Trust me—I used to be a really skittish rider. While I’m still no sped demon, I’ve been more comfortable and smartly contentious since the ride. Critical Mass also shows those who see it an alternative, a second voice. And most drivers aren’t as pissed as you’d imagine. Most wave and smile and watch as a world of diverse, happy, utopians fly by them, and they wonder, “How can I do that, too?”
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  What has been amazing you lately?

  ::Random Tangent::
  Plane tickets have been bought. U-hauls have been scheduled. Closets have been purged. Leases have been signed. Classes have been picked. We are moving. We really are.

  Also, I got Wolfin issue #2 in the mail last week. LOVE IT!!!!! I’ve blogged about Wolfin before, but it really deserves another plug.

  • 2:09 pm
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