Tag Archive for ‘bicycling’ at /frekur/blog/

Tag Archive for 'bicycling'

at the moment

I got my hair cut a week ago and I swear it was one of the best moves I’ve made in months. My hair looks great, even after I go camping and not shower for two days. SWEET. Plus, since then, I’ve been feeling super cute, super confident, and SUPER HAPPY.

The BG and I went camping in western NC with the THOG group I joined on meetup.com. It was apparently the largest overnight trip the group has ever organized, with 40+ people in attendance. Everyone I’ve met through the group (which has over 2,000 members) has been real nice, very knowledgeable about local/regional outdoor activities and it’s been providing me with a much better perspective on NC. I’ve gone to a few other events and each time I meet different people. I keep pulling the new friends I make to Tuesday night trivia at Napper Tandy’s*, hehe. :)

This weekend we’re headed out to Greensboro to visit some dude who’s really into permaculture. I don’t know anything about it so that’s why I sound dumb but I’m excited to learn. We’ll be heading out with a few students from BG’s permaculture class and hopefully the new knowledge will serve us well when we build our house. After this and some poking around in Greensboro for some good vegetarian food we’re headed west again for a show and a wedding in Asheville on Sunday. Hopefully someone on Couchsurfing will put us up in spite of our last minute attempts at planning on a busy holiday weekend.

I redesigned frekur.com because of a little incident with a client my company works with. The incident was a tad embarrassing, but I think everything is fine now and it kicked me in the ass to revamp the site. I’m also learning more on SEO/google indexing so that’s good, right?

I’ve made a few new improvements to my bicycle, inspired by the recent upgrades the BG did to his new ride. I’m so set now it’s not even funny. Like, set for long-term riding which is really what I wanted in the first place. I’m hoping when the weather cools off a bit the BG and I can get down to business on some longer trips with the bikes. I know he’s itching to get out more, too.

We’ve also been giving the whole exercise thing another go, AND the vegan thing. So far we’re doing awesome and I think the key is… not think about it too much. (Also? Having some Purely Decadent Coconut Milk vegan ice cream around doesn’t hurt either. It’s no Luna and Larry’s, but it’s a pretty delicious alternative to Ben and Jerry’s and the other sugary/gritty vegan alternatives.) I’ve been hauling my ass out of bed earlier in the mornings (like 7am) and getting a TON more done with my day. I’ve been riding about 20 miles a week on my bike and doing the gym about 3-4 times. Granted we’ve only been on it for the past two weeks but I think this time it’s going to stick. I’m motivated, he’s motivated… it’s all good.

With biking, exercising and meeting new people in mind, I’m planning on starting to ride with the North Carolina Bicycle Club. They have several groups that ride, I’d be in the “Slow Pokes” (beginner, non-competitive group). Hehe! They also need a new website and I’ve volunteered to assist them with whatever they need. We’ll see what happens!

*Read: $3-pints-of-Strongbow night.

Published

frekur

on August 28, 2008

in bicycling, design, green living, happiness, learning, relationships, veg*nism and volunteer

. 0 Comments

what’s been up

So a lot has happened in the past few weeks, I’ve just been kinda bored of blogging.

The weekend prior to Thanksgiving the BG and I went camping at South Mountains State Park, in the western part of the state. We made it there late and hiked up a seriously big hill which proved just how stiff and out of shape I am. It was pretty chilly the night we were there, but we unzipped the windows in the roof of the tent and snuggled up to watch the moon set. It was awesome. As we hiked out the next day we saw a pretty waterfall. (Pictures coming soon.)

Thanksgiving was really nice. We drove down to Georgia and saw the many family members I’ve had the joy of meeting this year. I absolutely *love* his family… They are all so sweet and so caring, and it’s amazing how everyone has pulled together over concern for his mom (who is still in the hospital).

After returning from Georgia I went to pick up my new bike and rode it home. I had the guys at All-Star Bike Shop put on a rack and lights and am using the BG’s panniers. It rides quite differently than my mountain bike. Obviously I can feel more of what’s going on in the road because there is no suspension, but I also feel that when I pedal I’m moving faster than with the same amount of pedaling on the mountain bike. It just feels more efficient. The gears are really nice too, much better than the grip shifts. I am very happy with it. Last weekend we rode nearly 20 miles on one of the many local greenways and had a fantastic day in the sun at Umstead State park. (Pictures coming soon, I swear.)

On the job front, I interviewed at one more place and the meeting went quite well. It seems as though my experience working (and being comfortable with) adult products actually paid off a bit because they told me it was one reason they wanted to offer me the position. (A small percentage of the work will be adult-oriented.) I received the offer on my birthday, which rocked, and after some negotiations I accepted a few days later. I am taking a pay cut, but it is a telecommuting web design position, which allows me to work remotely and have my internet costs reimbursed, not to mention work on my Mac. They focus on standards compliant site architecture and there’s a possibility for me to be involved in the future development of templates and framework that will allow for more efficient workflows.

All that, *and* I get to share lunchtime with the BG. :)

As far as new friends are concerned, I’ve been spending some of my Wednesday nights with Brandon. He seriously cracks me up. We go to a bar in downtown Raleigh and watch reality TV shows with a bunch of his friends. I find the whole thing hilarious.

I also see Morgan about once a week which is great. I really like this girl, she’s smart, witty and a little bitter (it’s funny). And each time I hang out with her I like her more. She’s got a really interesting history and is a fantastic artist. I saw her house last night and it is sweet. There are huge old-growth trees in her back yard and a hammock! I am not sure she realizes just how often I’ll be subtly making plans to be at her place to settle my ass in that thing. ;)

Over the past few days I have managed to re-center myself. I had been feeling emotionally up and down since I arrived in Raleigh, which is kind of annoying. I assume that not having a job is really the source of the tension I’ve felt, but it’d manifested itself into a lethargic, shiftless state that has gotten me nowhere except feeling crazy. I’ve overanalyzed everything lately and was becoming quite sick of myself. But when the BG left for Uruguay I figured this was a great opportunity to spend some time doing my own thing and getting my head straight. That is exactly what I’ve been doing and I feel much better. :)

I am excited to start my new job, for which I have a staff meeting this Thursday at a coffee shop in RTP. And I’ve signed up for some classes at Wake Tech (Spanish!) in the spring to get me back on track. I also have myself scheduled to volunteer at the ReStore this week (but if I’m not feeling better I might not go). Finally, this coming weekend I am headed up to DC to visit friends (including Jess!).

I am relieved that it’s all beginning to come together. :)

Published

frekur

on December 9, 2007

in bicycling, design, happiness, learning, relationships, self-awareness, spanish, the_other_move, volunteer and work

. 1 Comment

new ride

I will be picking up my new bike on Monday. Happy birthday to me! :D :D :D

(Thanks Mom and Dad!) Eeeeeeee!

Published

frekur

on November 21, 2007

in bicycling

. 2 Comments

updates from raleigh

I hesitate to be honest about Raleigh because I know I’ve seen and experienced very little. I don’t want to make harsh claims or rash decisions based on just shy of three weeks time here. One thing I’ve noticed is how important public transit is to me. It is by far what makes me believe a city has it, or doesn’t. And based on that I’ll say simply that Raleigh definitely doesn’t have it.

Skip the light rail or any subway system, as it doesn’t exist. The buses are confusing, scheduling is unclear and timing is inconvenient. The BG and I attempted to take the bus from the NCSU campus (a healthy ten minute walk from our apartment) into the city, which is less than 2 miles from campus, to the bar. This was around 8pm on a weeknight and the bus never arrived. We waited for an hour.

I took the bus one other time from campus to a job interview. Three transfers and an hour later, I suddenly became trapped as a bus headed back to Raleigh just didn’t exist! Only during rush hours do certain buses run to/from certain places in Research Triangle Park, I learned. (I was headed to the EPA. You’d think this wouldn’t be a problem.) Also, you cannot get to or from the RDU airport on Sundays, as buses don’t run(???).

I felt liberated when I sold off my vehicles in Portland. I started taking the bus everywhere and then I figured I could live even more cheaply by riding my bike. This worked well. A brief look at the bus lines in Raleigh before my move had me thinking that since I’ve spent my whole life basically overlooking public buses that surely all I needed to do was be patient and learn the ways of a new system. Maybe Portland made me a snob by offering cheap, abundant public transit, but I don’t know if I can get by here without owning a vehicle. I guess it will depend on where I end up working.

Anyway.

The apartment is pretty much done for now. We went ahead and bought a mattress last week and it is SWEET. Less than $400 and more comfortable than my Tempurpedic.

I’m also shopping for a bike. I’d like to get a hybrid but it seems like each company does them differently. My preference would be to have something lightweight, comfortable for commuting and also for long road/trail trips. Not sure yet if this is possible, at least for an off the shelf product.

This past weekend we hosted our first Couchsurfer. She was really sweet and hung out with us for most of the weekend. I also met a new friend last weekend, Morgan, and hung out with her this past Friday night with both her boyfriend and the BG. We made fun of the fartsy people in downtown Raleigh for First Friday.

Saturday we drove out to the Chapel Hill area to visit the Weaver Street Market, a co-op and cafe with really delicious food. While we were there we met up with a new friend I met on OkCupid named Mike. We chatted for a bit then broke it off for the afternoon, as the three of us headed back to Raleigh to run some errands and get ready to make a huge homemade taco dinner, to which Mike was invited. The four of us had an awesome meal together and then went out to a pub afterward.

The weekend was great, meeting new friends kicks ass.

Now, I’m back to job searching and freelance work. This Saturday I’m scheduled to start volunteering at the Raleigh Habitat for Humanity ReStore. I’ve also located several yoga studios who teach yoga in the Iyengar tradition, which is similar to what I was enjoying in Portland. (I’m lining up the yoga and Spanish classes for when I get a job.)

I’ve been doing pretty well with my home yoga. I practice about every other day (except this past weekend) and have been able to do a few poses I wasn’t comfortable doing in my fast paced classes in Portland. That is the tradeoff with home practice; you get time to focus on practicing poses that are difficult and really customize a routine that you feel works for you (and it’s free), but you don’t get the attention from an instructor that really helps you ensure proper posture and position in the poses. I’m looking forward to attending classes once or twice a week to supplement my home routine.

Published

frekur

on November 5, 2007

in bicycling, complaining, relationships, the_other_move, volunteer and yoga

. 0 Comments

my star

Must. Keep. Star! …Always!

;)

This weekend turned out to be way awesome! Last week I realized that I had *nothing* planned for the three-day weekend and did two things to fill up my time. 1) I posted on the Couchsurfing site to the Portland group (of which I’m a member) and asked if anyone wanted to hang out, and 2) I decided to make up the hours I’d be taking at the end of the week (to go visit m) and make them up over Sunday and Monday.

Turns out they conflicted.

Toward the end of last week I received a reply to my message from the head of the Portland CS group, Benjamin, inviting everyone for a BBQ at his house on Sunday. This took immediate precedence over working. I figured if need be, I can take the vacation time I really don’t want to take, and make up hours for the Xmas break in early December. (Pictures of the BBQ are here and here.)

I ended up working in the morning and busing up to NE Portland to Ben’s house, where I proceeded to have a really fun afternoon/evening with fantastic people. There were probably 12 or 14 of us at one point, but some came and left and we ended the night with a small group of around 8. We spent hours eating great food, drinking a little and playing party games. Excellent. I’m going out with a few of them this evening as well. :)

Earlier in the weekend, on Saturday, I headed to Sauvie Island with Theresa and Chris, which was beautiful. The three of us hung out and were silly on the [clothing optional] beach. We got a pizza when we came back into Portland and then headed downtown to Ground Kontrol, a bar/arcade/hangout with a DJ! (Must remember to visit Jared, the DJ, who works at the record shop down the street called Everyday Music.)

I had my preliminary bike fitting on Friday and man has it made a difference. I’ve been doing yoga each day (even if just for 20 minutes) and that has helped too. My hip feels a lot better. The girl, Monica, who did my bike adjustments didn’t even charge me. I highly recommend the Bike Gallery for any service. They were super nice and helpful!

And last Thursday, I walked over to the Portland Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore warehouse. After having a nice conversation with Joe, the Director, and meeting some of the people who are regular volunteers, I decided it was a good fit for me. I’ll be working on Saturdays starting the 15th as a cashier/sometimes-web-designer. I am *really* excited about it.

I’ve taken three rolls of film with my Holga. I can’t wait to see how they’ve turned out. I’ve tried a bunch of different things with multiple exposures using the colored flash and things like that. We’ll see!

Whew! So much stuff happening. My weekend was fantastic and it’s not even done yet!

Published

frekur

on September 3, 2007

in bicycling, happiness, photography, relationships, self-awareness, travel and volunteer

. 1 Comment

weekend, camping and updates

I went camping alone at Cape Meares this weekend. It rocked.

I started off Saturday morning at the UPS store shipping a box of happiness to the BG. At that point I had no idea where I was going to end up camping because most of the sites I tried to reserve were booked. The dude at UPS actually told me about Cape Meares and printed me a map and directions (what a nice guy!). It was super easy to get to, just outside of Tillamook, and there was no one there save for a few stray walkers along the beach during daylight.

It was just what I needed, apparently, because since then I’ve felt really great. Accomplishing goals do that for me. :)

This week, on Thursday, I’m going to walk over to Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore warehouse (which is just one block from my work building) and talk to a guy named Joe about volunteering on Saturdays. I’m pretty excited about it.

I finished another sizable site at work this week and it’s going to look awesome when it goes live. I didn’t design it, Hilary did, but I did all the page layout in CSS. There were some hurdles I had to jump over to get everything looking right because the original site was done with tables. I had to take apart everything and rearrange some stuff. Anyway, the bosses and Hilary are happy and so am I.

I’ve been riding my bike to and from work for two weeks now and I’m having major pain in my left hip. It’s the same stupid pain I get when I stand in a line for too long, or wash dishes in the same spot without moving, or standing and waiting for the bus… except this is like 20 times worse. I believe my bicycle needs adjustment. My handlebars are low, I have long legs and a short-ish torso. There’s definitely something up, so I’m waiting for a call back from the downtown Bike Gallery. I am making an appointment for a fitting service. It’s $75 and they have a one-year guarantee (I can go back any time and fine tune adjustments as necessary). Hopefully this works and the pain subsides. I bailed on salsa class last night because I could barely walk.

There are a few people I’ve talked to via email that I’m hoping to meet soon; one from CL and two I got connected to through m. They all sound like sweethearts.

And speaking of sweethearts, last night I hung out with Holly and it was great. That girl kicks ass.

I have 8 more days until I see m. We shall re-spark the tewtal awesomeness that I miss so much.

My goal for this weekend is to figure out my Holga, which I got in the mail yesterday. The packaging and stuff that it came with looks pretty sweet. I’m set. I’m not sure if I have enough time to take pics and get them developed before I leave for PA; I’d like to make sure I’m doing this shit right before I take photos when I’m with m. We’ll see.

Teehee!!!

Published

frekur

on August 29, 2007

in bicycling, design, happiness, learning, photography, relationships, travel and volunteer

. 1 Comment