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bicycle
January 2009 
WWO: A Fish With A HEAVY Bicycle
Posted on May 22nd, 2007
by 
L'el
L'el
Post for World Without Oil
"The bicycle has been responsible for more movement in manners and morals than anything since Charles II. Under its influence, wholly or in part, have wilted chaperones, long and narrow skirts, tight corsets, hair that would come down, black stockings, thick ankles, large hats, prudery and fear of the dark; under its influence, wholly or in part, have blossomed weekends, strong nerves, strong legs, strong language, knickers, knowledge of make and shape, knowledge of woods and pastures, equality of sex, good digestion and professional occupation — in four words, the emancipation of women." -- John Galsworthy, winner of Nobel Prize for literature in 1932.
Funny, I didn't feel very emancipated today after biking in my knee length skirt to the science labs and finding that I would have to carry my bike up FOUR FLIGHTS OF STAIRS to the lab in order to keep it safe from thieves.
For the past several weeks, ever since the bike racks came to be adorned with bikes stripped of tires and handlebars, or only with cast-off broken locks and chains, I've taken to stowing my bike in the shared office space. I would take it up the elevator, no biggie.
Today, though, I kept jamming the button and nothing happened. It took a few seconds to realize the lights on the buttons were off-- the elevators have been shut down to save power. Hence having to trek up, step by jerky step. Mother#$^&^. Scraped up my thighs and scuffed up my skirt a bit in the process.
What an odd wave we went through, with bike parking. Early on, the bike racks swelled past maximum capacity with all the new carless converts. Bikes were chained to anything-- trees, stop signs, fences-- that was vaguely pole-like. The no-biking symbols on the sidewalks were nearly scrubbed clean off by all the tires going over them. Now there are certain areas where the racks are as empty as ghost towns, picked clean by vultures.
That's pretty much how everything is going around town now-- unpredictable waves of surplus, crowding and shortages. Mostly shortages, of course.
Anyway.
I haven't been going to all these impromptu citizen's meetings up till now, because, as I said, I'm taking off for Vietnam soon. I felt like I'd be a fraud to show up at these meetings where I can't offer any long-term commitments by way of helping out.
But my dear friend C. has prevailed on me to go to an action group with her this evening. She's like a little sister to me, and I want to be a support for her. So I'm going to push myself to be there, for her sake. We'll see how it goes.
"The bicycle has been responsible for more movement in manners and morals than anything since Charles II. Under its influence, wholly or in part, have wilted chaperones, long and narrow skirts, tight corsets, hair that would come down, black stockings, thick ankles, large hats, prudery and fear of the dark; under its influence, wholly or in part, have blossomed weekends, strong nerves, strong legs, strong language, knickers, knowledge of make and shape, knowledge of woods and pastures, equality of sex, good digestion and professional occupation — in four words, the emancipation of women." -- John Galsworthy, winner of Nobel Prize for literature in 1932.
Funny, I didn't feel very emancipated today after biking in my knee length skirt to the science labs and finding that I would have to carry my bike up FOUR FLIGHTS OF STAIRS to the lab in order to keep it safe from thieves.
For the past several weeks, ever since the bike racks came to be adorned with bikes stripped of tires and handlebars, or only with cast-off broken locks and chains, I've taken to stowing my bike in the shared office space. I would take it up the elevator, no biggie.
Today, though, I kept jamming the button and nothing happened. It took a few seconds to realize the lights on the buttons were off-- the elevators have been shut down to save power. Hence having to trek up, step by jerky step. Mother#$^&^. Scraped up my thighs and scuffed up my skirt a bit in the process.
What an odd wave we went through, with bike parking. Early on, the bike racks swelled past maximum capacity with all the new carless converts. Bikes were chained to anything-- trees, stop signs, fences-- that was vaguely pole-like. The no-biking symbols on the sidewalks were nearly scrubbed clean off by all the tires going over them. Now there are certain areas where the racks are as empty as ghost towns, picked clean by vultures.
That's pretty much how everything is going around town now-- unpredictable waves of surplus, crowding and shortages. Mostly shortages, of course.
Anyway.
I haven't been going to all these impromptu citizen's meetings up till now, because, as I said, I'm taking off for Vietnam soon. I felt like I'd be a fraud to show up at these meetings where I can't offer any long-term commitments by way of helping out.
But my dear friend C. has prevailed on me to go to an action group with her this evening. She's like a little sister to me, and I want to be a support for her. So I'm going to push myself to be there, for her sake. We'll see how it goes.
Access: Public
i wonder where all the bicycles went, as you say there wer so many of them at one time but now so many have been stolen. maybe off to the fema camps. the pantleg on my jeans gets all torn by the chain, thats the part i don't like.
you are brave to go off to vietnam, but wise too, they may not be so mopey there for things that were never really theirs to own inthe first place. whats going to happen with mr X?? when you go
i don't know what will happen with Mr. X! I'm hoping I'll get to see him again before I go– if I do I'll try to come up with something blogworthy to report!