Holy Cow!

It's been a long time since I've posted. Things got a little crazy around here.

The rundown:
- Tried to buy a house, closing fell through
- Still had to move out of apartment
- Nomadic Northeasters, stayed w/ friends while homeless
- Baked "Recession Hotdish" for Art-A-Whirl
- Studied for and completed three final exams
- Completed first year of grad school
- Worked on and participated in Bike Walk Week
- Tried to buy same house once more, SUCCESS!
- Moved into new house
- A lot of cleaning, unpacking, and fix-its around the house
- Started full time work for the summer
- Celebrated Jon's birthday

Whew. It's been a whirlwind couple of months.

I've been tooling around on my bike. My commute from the new house to the University is just over 5 miles. I've been testing different routes. I noticed a constant seam/expanding crack along the whole length of 2nd St NE the street all the way from the farthest reaches of NE to SE. I decided to look up the old streetcar maps. Yep, just as I suspected, the glint of steel I saw in the crack at one point was a buried rail. Perhaps 2nd street should be given back to the streetcars, because the rails they paved over so long ago just seem to keep on slurping up the asphalt anyway!

Still keeping an eye out for my next fully outfitted commuter bike. Liking the Masi "SoulVille 7", the Kona "Smoke", and Breezer "Uptown 8". Now, if only my credit union would do as they do in Portland...Bicycle Loans.

How else can I finance a bicycle through my local shop I wonder, short of a credit card?

Cheers!

Gearing up for Spring!

I just found my new favorite spring bike accessory. I'm so excited.

Queen Bee is a company in Portland, OR that creates hand sewn bags and other accessories. Now, they have just introduced a line of bike panniers that are TO DIE FOR! They are made out of high quality, water proof, PVC -free materials, and up the safety factor with reflective side panels. And most importantly? They're cute as all get out!

Here's my personal favorite, but there are 7 designs to choose from.

Queen Bee Bike Panniers

Enjoy!