Porta Biciclette (Window Bike)

The image was found here, but the little icon says SuperEdo.it

What the...?

I'll be the first to admit that it's difficult to find places to store bikes (I have six...three are parked in my living room; one hangs from the ceiling on a bicycle pulley system). But I have to admit I've never seen anyone hang a bike out a window...pretty ingenious.

Early Morning/Cazenovia Park

This photo was sent to me by my cousin, Joe Verrastro, artist and photographer. He sent it in response to a post I wrote recently regarding my own thoughts on spirituality (click here to read it)...one way he gets in touch with the Divine is through his lens and his art...and it's easily apparent. It's a shot of Cazenovia Park (commonly called Caz' Park in Buffalo) in the early hours, thus the title of the photo is the same as the title of this post.

Caz' park is a city park and part of the Fredrick Law Olmstead Park System (F.L.O. also designed, among many others, Central Park in NYC). This photo, I think, epitomizes not just Urban Simplicity but simplicity in general...tranquility. Looking at it makes me want to just sit on the ground with my back against a tree and rest for a while...forget about the harried pace of life and just rest (thanks Joe!).

If you'd like to learn more about Cazenovia Park, click here and here. If you'd like to read more about Frederick Law Olmstead, click here.

Winter in Buffalo

Ahh...those first few times it snows each year isn't it beautiful (though it seems to have come significantly later the last few years...hmmm). I have always loved the change of seasons and particularly the winter (though not as much as I get older). It's these first few snow showers of the year that make me feel like a kid again when I'm out in it. After riding my bike the short distance home from work I could see that the (car) drivers were like lunatics (I saw two fender benders) but still wanted to be in the elements so I walked to the health club for a quick steam and very short swim. I love to ride bikes in the snow, but after seeing how people were driving this evening it felt safer to walk. I had a rather harried day at work and the walk helped...how could you not smile when walking in those big fluffy flakes.

Easy (and delicious) Winter Frittata

Well first of all if you are a regular reader of this blog you can see by the picture at an earlier post this week that I have not gone grocery shopping...it's mostly the same ingredients pictured. But it's how you use and interchange the ingredients that makes things interesting, I suppose.

At any rate, I came home somewhat late for dinner this evening and was famished. I also ate poorly at lunch today so I wanted to make something that was healthy and filling, but also quick. After checking the meager ingredients in my fridge I decided on a frittata. I always enjoy an egg dishes for dinner, and this one was loaded with vegetables. Simple and quick...and man did it hit the spot. Anyhow,this is how I did it.

Preheat your oven to 350F, then chop the broccoli and cauliflower and microwave the potato until it is "just cooked" (yes, I actually own a microwave...a small one; I use it rarely, mostly for reheats, and I just purchased it--my first one--last year). Then saute everything in olive oil until it begins to brown.

Add a a couple eggs that have been mixed with a few tablespoons of milk (and sea salt, cracked black pepper, and whatever other seasonings you'd like). Lay a few slices of cheese across the top and transfer it to the oven.

If your oven is sufficiently preheated it will only take the frittata about 5 minutes to cook. It was delicious. The pictured frittata, along with a perfectly ripe pear, and a glass of wine...I am one happy and content individual right now.

A Christmas Vow

OK, first a couple of things. I sometimes post with "spiritual overtones," but rarely overtly religious...this, though, falls under the latter. And while I truly believe that all major religions walk the same path and lead in the same direction I identify myself as a Christian, albeit a progressive Christian. Sometimes I think I am so liberal that some may not even recognize me as a Christian...but I am. Meaning I try (italics very intentional) to live my life according to the teachings of Jesus the Christ. Not an in-your-face-I-need-to-convert-you sort of thing, just an internal and very private monitor on how to live my life. I remember a quote by the Dalai Lama I heard (I'm not sure if I read it somewhere or if it was when I saw him speak) where he suggested that you should stay with the religion that you were brought up with, that you are familiar with, because they are all rich and full in their own way (I'm totally paraphrasing). But I am still drawn to an eclectic group of teachers and writers (see the side bar, For The Inner Journey), particularly, New Thought, Metaphysics, and those from the East. One such writer (and teacher, sage, philosopher, prophet, poet) is Paramahansa Yogananda...his writings and lessons have had a profound influence on my life and spiritual journey. So on this second Sunday of Advent I offer you this prayer from Paramahansa Yogananda. It's one of my favorites and can be found in one of his little pocket-sized books, Metaphysical Meditations. It's a vow, actually, and I can only hope to be so self aware someday to abide by his words. To learn more about Paramahansa Yogananda, click here.

A Christmas Vow

"I will prepare for the coming of the Omnipresent baby Christ by cleaning the cradle of my consciousness, now rusty with selfishness, indifference, and sense attachments; and by polishing it with deep, daily, divine meditation, introspection and discrimination. I will re model the cradle with the dazzling soul qualities of brotherly love, humbleness, faith, desire for God-realization, will power, self-control, renunciation, and unselfishness, that I may fittingly celebrate the birth of the Divine Child."
--Paramahansa Yogananda

It's The Little Things

Yesterday I was out doing errands on the mule (my predominant winter bike) and stopped at a local bike shop for some advice. I needed to replace a shifter cable but I'd be darned if I couldn't find how to remove it. I had taken the shifter off the handlebars and the cable seemed to be encased in the mechanism with no entree. So I presented the experts with my dilemma. Yes, they said, it is a little difficult and sometimes confusing, but it's not all that difficult. What you have to do, they added, is while it is still on the handlebar (with the grip removed) give it a gentle tug and rotate it counter-clockwise and it will separate into two pieces, exposing the cable end. OK, I thought why don't I do this while I have it in the shop...so I did. Like this, I said, as I gently pulled and turned...then to my (and their) chagrin, I heard a cracking sound followed by the sound of small pieces of plastic hitting the floor. Apparently I pulled a tad too hard (or the grip has simply been through too many Buffalo winters)...at any rate it was rendered useless.

After what seemed like an uncomfortably long silence one of the guys says, well the good news is that if you buy a new shifter the cable comes already attached. They also threw in a free pair of grips for free (which I was there to purchase as well)...they're good people, there at Campus Wheel Works.

At any rate, after going the past month as a single speed (not fixed, just single...never fixed) I finally have a shifter that shifts perfectly again (and handlebar grips that are not constantly sliding off)...it's the little things, sometimes, that can really make me happy.

Rush Hour

Cycling Info

Perry Davis' Pain Killer

Image found @ The World AWheel

Hmmm...I'm a little dubious. Maybe it's just me, but if a pain killer is the best way to be safe on a bike maybe you shouldn't be on one.

If you'd like to learn a tad more about Perry Davis' tonic, click here.

Mark Twain on Bikes

Get a bicycle. You will not regret it. If you live.
- "Taming the Bicycle, by Mark Twain"

Good Solid Advice

Image found at Pipe Gang

Potato Pancakes with Broccoli, Bell Pepper, and Cheddar

I had a hankering for potato pancakes today so I made some for my son and I for dinner. I had planned on having them with eggs, but after investigating my refrigerator and adding more ingredients to the mix they became so substantial that I forwent the eggs for a little fruit and a side of kimchi. These crispy little nuggets were so delicious I was eating them straight from the pan...they are so simple to make, here's how I made them.

Shred the potato and cheese; mince the broccoli, onion, and pepper. Add an egg or two, along with enough flour to bind it. Season it with sea salt, garlic, and lots of black pepper.

Heat olive oil in a skillet and drop the batter in a spoonful at a time.

Cook until browned and crispy on both sides and the potatoes are cooked throughout. Enjoy

For All Ages

The photo was found here.

I love this photo...bicycles truly are for people of all ages.

Sloppy Commute

The snow has been so late this year I was surprised to wake this morning to find a covering of it. The temperature hovered just above freezing so this was more sloppy than anything...not the pretty and fluffy pure white flakes that usually accompany the first snow of the year. None-the-less it was exciting to ride in for the first time this season...and there will be plenty more to come. If you want to see someone much farther north and who rides year round, check out Jill's blog, Up in Alaska.

Things That Can Be Carried On A Bike (#115)...and a few other comments

A canvas bag containing, among other things, 4 books, 2 DVDs, a datebook, a notebook, and a scarf.
A bottle of red wine.
A small loaf of whole wheat bread.
An extra long cable lock.


Tonight while I was pedaling home with the chilly winter-like air on my face I was admiring the full moon and thinking about my day and how I accomplished so much without starting my motorized vehicle. It's so easy, I thought, to get by most days without a car if you live in an urban environment (though I still rarely ride in the rain). And the benefits I receive are far greater than just saving gas money or burning it into the ozone...it is as much a benefit to my mental and emotional health as it is my physical health and the environment in which I currently occupy. For me, riding is as much about enjoyment as it is functionality...getting from point A to Point B.

Here's an example of my day:

Ride to-and-from work: about a mile each way.
To the bookstore after work and then home: about 2.25 miles each way.
To-and-from the health club: about a mile each way.
To-and-from a meditation meeting this evening:about 2 miles each way.

All-in-all it only tallies up to be a little over 10 miles throughout the day...but in those ten miles I was outside in the elements and using my own energy to propel myself. I haven't moved my gas-powered vehicle in about 4 or 5 days, it sits with snow on it as I type these words, but I've pedaled myself through the city everyday. In short, I ride my bike(s) because I enjoy riding my bikes...all the other benefits (health, economic, and environmental) are simply bi-products.

A few months ago I posted the below video but thought I'd post it again...It could be me narrating it (it's not). It's less than a minute long...you'll probably watch it more than once.

I've Called The Kettle Black Long Enough

Photo Credit

Firstly, I have to mention that is not me in the photo...I am not nearly that young nor as handsome (though there was a point in my life when I probably felt as cool). Secondly, I have to reiterate what I stated in this posting's heading: I've called the kettle black long enough...I really have. And I can't help but wonder...though the bicycle predates the automobile, and that the very roads that cars drive on were first designed for bikes...are we in the very earliest years of co-equality?

I can remember when I was a little kid I did a book report in grade school on the history of the automobile. I asked my late grandmother some questions because she was born very near the turn of the 20th century...both she and the auto were in their infancy you might say. I don't remember the entire conversation but I do remember a few things she said. One was that there were no street lights and very few stop signs etc...that when you approached an intersection you honked your horn. A driver's license, too, was not that widespread (and optional)...you simply bought a car and drove it.

Sound familiar...sort of like a bike, right? Buy one and hop on it...everything, yes everything is optional (helmets, lights, coasting through stop signs and red lights). Well, almost.

The reason I bring all this up is that I got to thinking about it after reading a story at treehugger about Christopher-Felix Hahn, pictured above. It turns out he was pulled over on his bike in Germany (where he lives) and was given a breathalyzer test, which he failed. He subsequently received not only very stiff fines but is also barred from riding his bike (or any bike) for 15 years!

I, and many others in the blogesphere, are constantly ranting about how drivers of cars act, but many of us still hold vehicular laws as an option...I know that I am truly guilty of this and I see others coasting through red lights, stop signs, and going the wrong way down a one-way street on a daily basis. And not so much these days, but in my younger years I can't tell you how many times I pedaled home from a bar inebriated...feeling it was OK because I was only on a bike.

So the two part question, I suppose, is this (and I mostly pose this to myself but I'd love to hear what others think about it): If we, as bicyclists, take our mode of transport seriously, as seriously as a gas guzzling SUV, and want to be treated as an equal, then shouldn't we also follow the very same rules that the driver of the SUV has to? And to digress a bit, with the popularity of bikes today, and with the awareness of their many benefits, are we in the earliest days of of co-equality with the auto?

This post, of course, is written by someone who has spent their entire life in the USA....I'm fully aware that in other parts of the world bikes are more accepted as a serious mode of travel (and not just a kid's toy or spandex-clad power racer). But I just can't help but wonder that if bicycles were held as accountable on the road as the automobile (in the States) would car drivers consider us more of an equal.

To read the full story of Christopher-Felix Hahn on Treehugger, click here; to see the original story in a German paper online, click here.

Making Eye Contact

I think this short video is hilarious...it's only 18 seconds and while it is funny it carries a strong message for all bikers, especially urban bikers: make eye contact with automobile drivers (and especially SUV drivers that happen to be on their cell phones or texting). This short clip really captures what I've said in many previous posts. I found the video at Bike Zou.

Even Elvis Rode a Bike

The image was found here.

Advent

I cannot believe it is the first Sunday of Advent already. Maybe its the extremely nice weather we've been having lately (for this time of year)...but time seems to be going so very quickly.

No Gasoline Tour

I just came across the website of Peter Mulvey (click here). He's a Wisconsin based musician who rides his bike with his gear in tow to (some of) his shows. He calls it his "Look Ma, No Gasoline" tour (click here). It's refreshing to see this...and his music is pretty good as well (see video).

Things That Can Be Carried On A Bike (#114)

Approximately $110 in groceries from two different stores in four plastic crates.

I always love the comments I get while riding the Yuba Mundo...invariably there are some, particularly when it's loaded. On my way home today, for example, I was waiting at a red light when a car rambled up that seemed barley able to run. A window rolls down and there was the immediate pungently sweet smell of marijuana in the air. I could see that there were two guys in the car that looked to be about half my age. The guy on the passenger side (closest to me) gives me and the bike a slow "once over." Then he looks up at me and says, "WTF dude (he used the full expression of the phrase)...did you build that thing?" No I told him, I ordered it...go to yubaride.com. Then as they sputtered away I could hear him saying to the driver, "Go to yubaride.com, dude."

Lentil Stew with Vegetables and Meatballs

This is a really hearty and nutritious stew (delicious, too!)...and great for a chilly day like today. It's also an interesting way to utilize meatballs other than in tomato sauce. I seasoned it with cinnamon, cumin, allspice, smoked hot peppers, and lemon...this gave it a distinctively Middle Eastern flavor and the aromas permeating the house are enough to make your mouth water.

Here's a list of other ingredients (not in any particular order): onion, carrot, green pepper, rutabaga, cabbage, potato, tomato (canned), lentils, green beans, chicken broth, and garlic (always lots of garlic!). Now here's how I made it.

Experimental Flywheel, I'm Sure

OK, first a couple things...one is that I found this photo here, and the second is...are you kidding me? Does anyone see the oddness of this guy's fly wheel...I can't even imagine what his gear ratio was. It must have taken knee-damaging strength to start off, but the warp-speed at which he was probably able to propel himself was likely even more unnerving. The photo is simply titled "tall geared Russian." I can't vouch if the guy is actually Russian or not...but his gear certainly is tall.

Ride Planet Earth on December 6th (and every day)

This guy is inspiring. He rode his bike from Australia to Copenhagen as his own personal testament. The video is apparently a couple weeks old but it's still in time...and his message still rings true. He's not asking you to ride your bike halfway around the globe...just to ride your bike period (or walk, or take public transport). Anyhow it's a short video and interesting to watch (for some reason the video is a little choppy in the beginning but it smooths out). December 6th is only a week away...maybe we can practice for it by riding our bikes all week this week (sorry, I realize I'm preaching to the choir again). To visit his site and to learn more about his mission click here.

Buy Nothing Day

Click here, here, and especially here

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Happy Thanksgiving

If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, "thank you," that would suffice.
~Meister Eckhart
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