bike more for less accidents

good news. a study out of the university of new south wales finds that the more bicyclist on the road, the fewer crashes there are with automobiles. in a bit of sensationalistic journalism, they marked this finding as a paradox, since more cyclists should mean more crashes.

how obviously not.

of course, the more you see cyclists on the road, the more aware of them you are going to be, and the more aware you are, the less likely it is that an accident will happen.

i see the awareness effect each spring. i ride a motorcycle, and nobody has seen one for several months (in minnesota, anyway), and it's then that i need to be extra extra careful (as opposed to just extra careful the rest of the year), because motorists just aren't used to looking for bikes. there just isn't any thought that there might be a 2-wheeled vehicle in the vicinity. but on the up side, as people remember that motorcycles exist, they exhibit much better road-sharing tendencies. i feel pretty comfortable on the road this time of year.

so the obvious conclusion we can draw is that we all need to get out there and ride! don't just do group rides on rural roads to nowhere - bike to the grocery store; bike to the farmer's market; bike to the coffee shop. numbers mean more awareness and more respect and more safety for everyone.

two wheels good!

easy listening

what the heck? it's been 11 days since i've done a post on this blog? i knew i was busy, but jeepers. so on to the topic of the day.

we've had a wonderful summer here in minnesota. some summers, like the past few, have been very hot and humid. i don't have air conditioning, so i am more keenly aware of the weather than most folks. this year, there were only a couple of nights where i found it uncomfortable. and it was certainly nothing a simple switch to a higher fan setting couldn't handle.

during the summer (and in the spring and fall as much as possible), i have the windows in my house open. i love fresh air. i also love the sounds of nature. in the morning the birds chirp, the squirrels chatter and the leaves rustle. sometimes a beetle bumps against a screen, or a bee buzzes around trying to find a way in. right now, the crickets sound like they are having a splendid time.

i have noticed that there don't seem to be as many critter sounds as there used to be. apparently i'm not the only one. bernie kraus, a bioacoustician, has noticed that the sounds of the natural world are vanishing.

sad.

an article about kraus' work contained some wonderful soundscape audio. if you have a moment, then relax, listen and enjoy. perhaps it'll spawn the wish to visit a rainforest near you.

weekend report: heather in town

one of my college roommates, whom i haven't seen in way too long, was in town for her brother's wedding. we got together to eat dinn'r at big 10, an old favorite college hangout for both of us. it was great to see her and her family. i rode bobbin (my motorcycle), and the kids got a chance to sit in the cockpit.

i promised jason that i would put the pictures up on the internet so the whole world could see them. so here they are. enjoy.

dogs are closer to god

a friend blogged that she's single because [oversimplifying] she likes to ride her bike too much. my first impression was that of sympathy. i'm single because i like to ride my bike. and play racquetball. and curl. and golf. and motorcycle. and climb.*

but upon further consideration, i'm single because i like most dogs better than i like most people.

i used to think dogs were great because they were always glad to see you. it didn't matter if you came home late and drunk; you were still their favorite person. they just never hold a grudge. and dogs are great for that reason. but after years of intermittent consideration, i've realized that the god-like gift of complete forgiveness is not the foremost reason i hold the canine in such high regard.

this epiphany came while listening to a k.t. tunstall song.

leave it all to me
i will do the right thing
maybe i'll be everything i need
leave it all to me
i will do the right thing
do the right thing

dogs are extraordinary not only because they generally exhibit behavior that any deity would approve of, but because they make me want to be the perfect person they treat me as. and that's the intangible quality i require in a mate: the ability to conjure such admiration that it inherently demands i be my best, selfless, self. the ability to be that person, my friends, is love.

i'm all out of love, all out of faith
i would give everything just for a taste
but everything's here, all out of place
losing my memory, losing the best of me
...saving my face

*i've come to the conclusion that i'm a sports polygamist. i really intensely love doing each one, and for very different reasons, for the very distinct ways in which each challenges my mind and body.

proper paper towel use

a while back i ranted on about public restrooms. one of my peeves involved excessive use of paper towels. apparently, i'm not the only one bothered by inappropriate bathroom paper towel utilization.

guest towel visa program

:)