Journal of a first time bike commuter: Day 2

So I had to take a couple of days off because I was going to pick up some of my Christmas stuff from my parents, and I needed my car for that. I still haven't gotten it yet. But I decided that today was a beautiful day to be out biking.

Rules learned from day 2 of biking:

1. Constant Vigilance!
pretty much the same as last time, make sure you know what everyone around you is doing. Today I successfully made a man on his cell phone feel bad because he was only looking one way to turn onto the road and not paying attention to what's going on in the other direction (where I happened to be.) By the time he noticed I was there I had already come to a complete stop about 3 feet away from his car and I was just looking at him waiting for him to notice I was there. I hope he remembers that there are people on sidewalks, many of them out walking and jogging.

2. Support the Girls!
This really only applies for females who are biking, but when you're going to work and you want to look your best, rethink changing at work. That awesome bra that makes everything look great and could possibly change the world, could also make you look very unprofessional and sloppy when you show up with the girls all over the place.

3. Focus!
This kind of ties into number 1. Don't be thinking about what stupid things you're going to be posting on your blog, or how you don't want to go see the doctor, or how funny your legs feel while riding... Focus on what is going on around you, if you let your mind wander you're susceptible to the going-ons of people who either don't know you're out there, or don't really care.

4. Watch out for your personal possessions.
Don't keep your cell phone in your back pocket, you don't want it falling out while you're crossing main street and watching it get crushed because you didn't watch where you put it. Also, don't keep your keys in you front pocket, it kinda hurts being poked in the thigh while peddling.

5. Don't judge other bicyclists.
I am kinda heavy, alright if you put my stats in the BMI, I'm obese. That doesn't mean I'm not trying, and it doesn't mean I have no right to bicycle my fat butt to work. I may not look as sleek as you do, and I may be wearing all the wrong clothes... but I'm doing this for my health and the environment... not to fit into some weird bicyclist click, but I'm not going to judge you for being apart of one.

6. Just because you're in a Prius, doesn't mean you're better than me.
I know we're both trying to help out the environment and save a bit of money on fuel prices. It's great that you can still cart around your kids and all your other awesome possessions. But that doesn't mean you should give me pity looks because I "couldn't afford a hybrid."
Sorry to the cool hybrid owners, and the other people who are awesome about bicyclists, I just hate getting weird looks from people who are driving.

Well, I think that's all the rules for today.

Remember, I am not a professional, in fact... I'm like the complete opposite. So take my rules as guidelines and do research from other sources. I'm just writing what I feel is important about bicycling.

First time bike commuter. Day 1

A few years ago, back when I had very little money, I would bicycle to work. It didn't last long, and I was horrible at it. So this year I decided to try my hand at it again with earnest.

Today was my first day actually riding to work. It's April 25th, 2011 and because I live in North Dakota, it's actually the first day I haven't worried about snow or frigid temperatures.

So this morning I woke up with extreme optimism for the day ahead. Today is the day, Today I will become a bike commuter.

My first mistake was deciding to also wear a dress, granted I have pants on too, but I had never tried mounting a bicycle in anything longer than a t-shirt before. So as I tied my lunch to my awesome new rack and admired the fenders that I recently had put on, I thought about the freedom of riding to work and not wasting valuable fuel.

So here are my tips from day one of being a bike commuter:
Feel free to learn from my mistakes.

1. Always act like everyone is out to knock you off of your bicycle and steal it.
*this worked pretty well until I forgot about that and nearly got clocked by a guy opening a door. Luckily the brakes on my bike work pretty well.

2. Remember deodorant.
*You don't want to be known as the office "smelly tree-hugging hippy" just because your motto is "recycle and bicycle".

3. Protect your produce.
* This is especially important if you pack your own lunch and have a bumpy ride to work. I found out that banana's especially don't do well being jolted around.

4. Get your bike checked over by a professional before starting anything.
* I read this somewhere else and thank God that I took care of that when the weather was still cold. The knowledge that your bicycle is as safe as it's going to be and that if anything happens, it's the driver and not the equipment is valuable.

5. Careful on the sidewalk.
*As a respectable bike commuter, one should learn to bike on the road and not on the sidewalks, however if you live in an area where you know from personal experience that many people would like to run down bicyclists who ride on the road, make sure to be careful on the sidewalk. Don't ride to close to buildings in case someone opens a door unexpectedly (see rule one). Be especially careful for pedestrians on the sidewalk, yield to people walking.


Those are all the tips I have for this morning, I'm sure as I continue to bike I will learn more and post them. I am very excited to blog about this, and I hope you who are reading it learn something and also get entertained.

*remember, I am a first-timer. If you are looking for real tips on biking, go to a blog of someone who really knows what they're doing. I am not that person. I am just an apprentice to this way of life.

Deleting Myspace

So today I was about to delete my Myspace account. It seems only right since I haven't used it since somewhere around 2008 when I changed to Facebook. The hardest part for me though is that I saw pictures of friends from high school on it, and comments that people left... I couldn't delete all of those memories, I miss many of these people and I miss the way things were.

I decided tonight that I am going to save as much of this as possible onto my computer, and then delete Myspace forever. I just couldn't believe how hard it was to look at these things and then decide to almost delete them forever.

Ah well, we all grow up, and I can't believe it's already 2011, and that we're adults now, so I'm going to just ignore it and save as many memories as possible. That's not a bad idea, right?

A Time to Dance and A Time to Change

Have you ever had one of those great music days? One where it starts first thing in the morning with waking up to someone whistling one of your favorite tunes, or the radio waking you up with something that makes you want to get up and dance?

That has been today for me. It seems as though the world is trying to tell me something through music, and that I should be listening! I was able to reminisce this morning while listening to Backstreet Boys and Spice Girls (Not as lame as I thought it would be.)

In the car to work today I was listening to one of my favorite current artists (Mumford and Sons) and now as I sit I get to listen to some of my favorite Pandora stations.

It's just amazing how music can make you feel certain things, and remember others. I have decided I miss who I was and plan to be something similar to that again. I want to be fun, and happy, and excited about life.

So here's to the soundtrack of my life! The good, the bad, the danceable!

January 19, 2011

My New Year's Resolution, the same as many people, is to lose weight. I'm 22 years old, I'm 5'4, and I weigh 225 pounds. When I weighed myself a week ago and found that I was nearly 230 pounds I decided that that was it, I needed to lose weight.
So last week I started eating healthier lunch. Fruit, Veggies, yogurt and such. I know it's much better for me than hamburgers, fries, pizza and such. Also, I am trying to cook better suppers and exercise.
So far, everything is great. I've lost 5 pounds and I intend to keep working towards this goal of losing 48 pounds in the next year.
Soon I will be posting pictures to help me see progress.
Hears hoping to the best!
Thank You.

wish I had a baby

Oh, how I wish I were Preggers,
I'd be happy as a cat.

I'm very frustrated today. I really want to make a baby... so does my husband. But the frustrating part is that I haven't had a period since I got off of birth control a year ago. Then yesterday I randomly started bleeding, and then it stopped about 5 minutes later, and I don't think it was a period, but I took a pregnancy test and ended up failing it.

growl.