A Tale of Two Sleeping Bags

My mantle is shifting. I bought a bike last week, many thanks to Tom for doing most (all) of the leg work on that one. I've started riding the bike to work each day and am learning a lot in a little space of time. I've kinda thrown myself into the fire of downtown rush-hour traffic. It's thrilling.

I'm rolling the right leg of my pants up and trying to not rear-end a taxi. You can get going at pretty swift little clip barreling south on 2nd street, and well, even though there is a bike lane, taxis and parked cars don't always remember to look for cyclists. Actually no one ever really remembers to look for cyclists and if they do see me they always assume that they have time to pull out in front of me 'cause, you know, bikes are slow. Wrong. Bikes are fast and light and terribly nimble, remember that the next time you see me approaching. Nimble.

Gear comes with bikes, well, the need for gear. I've been haunting the bargain basement of REI for the last few weeks, I work two blocks away, and so I can stalk some of the things I need, waiting patiently until some person returns a fender or bike lock or head lamp. With gear and a general acceptance of the scrappiness of my true self I've been slowly but surely remembering how very much I love little daily adventures and so I finally purchased something I should have bought years ago - A sleeping bag.

The only sleeping bag I've owned is the one that I've owned for at least 25 years, if not 27. It is my Hulk. Covered with Captain America, the Incredible Hulk, and Spiderman my blue flannel lined sleeping bag just doesn't cut it on camping trips. For the life of me I can't remember what sleeping bag I used when I was camping in high school or for the summer I worked for the Forest Service, must have been one I borrowed. Now with my super tight new, birthday present from the parents, sleeping bag I can plan to sleep away more. I can pack up and move out, move on.

Other exciting news - I wrote a grant for the non-profit I volunteer for and we got it! Our first grant, it will provide funding to teach book-making classes in Seattle Public Libraries. Little pat on the back for me and many thanks to the peeps who helped out on that project.

My computer has kicked the proverbial bucket and is going to the doctor this weekend. If it can't recover I'll be coughing up the dough for a new one but I have high hopes for my current beast. It's been with me for years and is built for strength so I'm sure things will be fine. In the meantime I'm using my crap-top and while it doesn't have all of its marbles, as I type this the mouse cursor is randomly cruising around the screen, it will suffice.

Big weekend ahead, Blue Scholars and Cloud Cult in concert, tomatoes to be canned, zucchinis to be pickled and art to be made ...... contentment.