Priding

This was my view on the way to the grocery store Sunday.

by Joe

by Joe

Scenic.

by Joe

We enjoyed the parade in passing as we made our way there, but didn't stick around too long. I had bitten off a bit more than I could chew. First the grocery trip. My bike lock had frozen up, leaving me wrestling to lock it for a full 7 minutes in the sun-baked parking lot, leaving me frustrated and Joe impatient. We started the bickering. In a huff, I sent him home, determined that I would rather shop alone. I was wrong. The trip home was miserable and I felt very sorry for myself. Balancing too many groceries on your bike through a parade isn't fun no matter how festive it might be. What is it about grocery shopping that brings out the worst in us? Joe said it that morning before we left the house. "It's no fun grocery shopping together." As a couple that has fun together most of the time, it's a little jarring when you identify such a pattern. 

After the exhausting trip back, we wrestled with dinner plans. We had planned to make curry for the neighbors that evening, but now I was talking about going to the parade and meeting with some friends but then when would I make it to the beach like I had planned and Joe had to leave so when would we clean the house? Somehow I had managed to make this enjoyable itinerary felt stressful. Mustn't try to do it all at once. After all, this was my first day off in twelve. Finally I caved and canceled dinner. No one seemed to mind much. Joe got ready for his afternoon of volunteering at the library. He's been keeping his foot in the door at the branch where he did his internship. It would be the perfect place for him to land a job. It also prevents a gap on his resume. 

With a little post-grocery store breathing space, I hopped on my bike for a ride up to the beach. I sorely underestimated the parade's influence on my neighborhood. I headed east for the lake, but was obstructed by a marching procession of cowboys. I rode north but there were more nearly naked boys blocking my way. After several failed attempts, I managed to wind around the start of the festivities and head up through the hot traffic to Hollywood Beach. 

Considering that it's a well-known gay spot on Pride day, the beach was very pleasantly sparse. I was meeting with a group of friends to sun ourselves near the water. They all happen to be gay, but didn't seem concerned about the celebration. Rather than the holiday going on in my neighborhood, here it was just a lovely sunny Sunday hanging at the shore. That was far more of what I needed than the tension back on my block. After beers on the beach, we went for blue cheese burgers and sangria at Moody's, my favorite outdoor patio.

Sometimes you accomplish nothing by doing too much, and sometimes doing nothing does you more good.

Showing Off My New Ride

What, you don't have a pteranodon on your bell? 

Biking around here in the summer is a no-brainer. Not only is it scenic, cheap, green, and great exercise, it actually makes for a faster commute than driving or taking public transit. Plus it's really fun (albeit a little sweaty). 

After the disappearance of my bike (rip), I was lost. Thank goodness for friends like Becky. She heard of my plight, and offered me this gem that had been collecting dust in storage. A quick tune-up later, and it. is. amazing. It's lightweight and super fast (not to mention easy on the eyes). We have fallen in love. And, thanks to a new U-lock, I'm not letting this one get away. 

Pee Weeing

Monday, we packed up some mango salsa, fancy beer and our camp chairs for an outdoor viewing of Pee Wee's Big Adventure at Millennium Park, sponsored by Bike Chicago. It was a fitting tribute to Hector, my stolen bike. It also made me worry that I didn't try hard enough to get him back.

The movie was shown in the Pritzker Pavillion. We met with some friends a little early to snag a patch of grass with a decent view and share our snacks. We also tried to chat, which was difficult with the blaring background music. The playlist consisted of every song they could think of with the word "Chicago" in the lyrics. Then they started playing songs by Chicago.
We get it. We're in Chicago.

It's been a long while since I've seen this film, and I liked it more than I remembered. Maybe it was the glorious scenery that colored my mood.

Mourning

If you see this bike, please throw a brick
 at the asshole who's riding it.

I was going to post about seeing Moonrise Kingdom yesterday, and the many ways it was reminiscent of my childhood romance (spoiler alert--mine ended in divorce). But that will have to wait because some ASSHOLE stole my bike Hector from behind my building last night! Where is the logic? It has little-to-no value. It was next to half a dozen much flashier bikes that were just asking for it. And yet, my sweet little work horse was taken against its will. I think the ASSHOLE must have realized I had some faith in humanity left, and decided to crush it. Also, I had a cable lock. That was dumb.

Sigh, there goes my transportation/exercise/tour guide for the summer.