Stevie Wonder

"Isn't she lovely? Isn't she wonderful?"

That's my bike, well more like my bikes identical cousin, but you get the drift. And my bike's name is Lucky...not Stevie Wonder.

In exciting personal news, I'm going to Seattle! YAY! My friend Heidi is getting married out there in October, AND my friend Devon is moving back to Seattle just before my visit. I get to stay with Devon, then she and I will drive 2 hours north to the wedding location. Turns out this place is only an hour south of Vancouver...So after the wedding we'll go visit Mary! HURRAY! What a successful tour of the Pacific Northwest. Vancouver is said to have one of the best bicycling systems anywhere, so I'm pretty excited to check it out. :)

My aunt sent me this article from The New York Times. http://www.transalt.org/press/media/2006/559.html

The article is from September 2006, but the issues addressed still exist, and don't appear to be vastly improving anytime soon. Though, if I'm not mistaken I believe New York has made some progress in moving forward with implementing a congestion pricing model? Nonetheless, the article is still interesting, and makes the important point that there isn't just one solution (ahem, more lanes alone is not the answer. period.).

It's a matter of improving infrastructure, safety, environment, as well as education and enforcement efforts for all modes simultaneously, that will lead to improving congestion and a better quality of life. Yes, by enforcement I mean ticketing cars for moving violations regarding pedestrians (the line BEFORE the crosswalk is there for a reason) AND ticketing cyclists who run red-lights, and operate their bicycles in an unpredictable endangering manner. There are laws and rules, and I am of the opinion that nobody (cars, semis, trucks, buses, cyclists, pedestrians) is above them. Anywho, all of this stuff GREATLY interests me, but bores most to tears.

Rain, rain, go away

I WANT TO RIDE MY BIKE ALL DAY!

When did Minneapolis become Seattle, London, or *insert name of drizzly, grey foggy city here* ? Now would be a good time for me to invest in some fenders for my bicycle, I suppose. Though that would require payment of some form, and presently I am, how do you say...Broke as Joke?

Before fenders, however, I need to repair Lucky's six-pack rack. I do believe I may have put too much weight on that little rack, causing excessive stress to the small lode bearing bracket, thus snapping it in two. Super. I can repair it, but just haven't had the time to pick up the JB Weld and have at 'er. Until I get that fixed I either do not ride, or ride while listening to the clanking and clattering of metal on metal with every tiny rock, bump, and hole I hit as I pedal along. Bummer.

I guess that will be all for my rant about the weather. :) How dull.

The First Step to Recovery...

is acceptance and admittance, that I am powerless.

Hello, my name is Mackenzie, and I am a Potter-head. No, not weed, bud, Mary Jane, grass, cannabis, or marijuana. Sorry to disappoint, but it's not nearly that exciting, or relaxed/absent minded, as it were... On a side note check out this map regarding the legality of cannabis. Interesting...

I am addicted to a dark haired, mischievous English bloke, with far-too-round-for-post-John-Lennon-era wire rimmed glasses, and a curiously shaped lighting bolt scar on his forehead.

That's right, I'm addicted to Harry Potter. Rather, I WAS addicted to Harry Potter.
Which is why I have:
A.) Not been riding my bicycle nearly as much as I should/would like to be!
Turns out it's pretty difficult to ride your bike and read a book at the same time. Well, at least I'm not that coordinated, but that's not saying a whole helluva lot either...
Needless to say, the bus provides me a much better situation to lose myself in a book for 20-30 minutes at a time.
B.) Neglected this blog for so very long. Poor Lucky the bike, locked up to my back porch post. *tear* Like anyone reads this anyway, right?

It all started on a lovely June day. My boyfriend, Jon (or manfriend? At what age does a boyfriend become a manfriend? I'm thinking maybe that's not until you hit 40, or maybe 50? I digress...) Anyway, Jon and I were talking about Harry Potter, as the fifth movie was soon to be released, and the seventh and final book shortly thereafter.

I mentioned I hadn't read any of the books, but had seen the first three films. The third being my favorite so far. This is, apparently, blasphemous. I also mentioned that I had yet to see the fourth film. This is when Jon laid the smack down. I was now given the task of reading books 1-4, before I would be allowed, yes, allowed to see the fourth film, and subsequently was not allowed to see the fifth film, until I had read that book as well. And so it goes...

I started in on Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone the week of June 11th, and so it began. I ravenously pillaged through Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire in just over a month. I've never been a book worm. Ever. These sucked me right in, and there was no turning back. I had now earned my right to see the fourth film. It wasn't my favorite. I was now one of THOSE people. You know "well the movie just didn't portray the book properly, the book is SOOO much better, that was awful they missed xyz key points of the story, etc." Yep, one of those. What had I become?!

I continued on through the books, I was now on the mission to read book 5, Harry Potter and the Order of The Phoenix, before anyone could spill the beans to me. SO GOOD! I finished up the book, and a week later Jon (the moyfriend?) and I had Harry Potter Movie Date Night. So much fun, and what a great movie! I loved it, very exciting.

I tore through the sixth book, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, and then finally to the seventh and final book Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Sweet, sweet victory! I had made it to the seventh book unscathed, and still in complete darkness as to the goings on of the book. I managed to read the entire Harry Potter series in just over two months. That's a pretty big deal for me, but now I'm sad. What am I supposed to do with my free time if not reading Harry Potter? I blame you, J.K. Rowling! Luring all of us unsuspecting fans, only to quash our dreams forever. You can end the series, but you can't take my imagination or my memories! I also blame Jon, but mostly thank him :), for managing to get me excited about books again. Yay reading!

OK, so I'm mostly kidding about the addiction. Thank you J.K. Rowling for a lovely two months of non-stop Harry Potter. Life will go on, if not a little more productively, now unable to feed that addiction.

Back into Kurt Vonnegut's arms, I run. So it goes.

Mackenzie

(And a heartfelt "Well done!" to anyone that bothered wading through that lengthy bit of blathering...)