Hot and rainy weather but not too rainy for the bicycle. Fourth long bike ride of the week. I met with video game groups in the park to discuss game battles today. People play basketball in the park, volleyball, and now bike to play video games as well.
The good news is I was feeling well enough to bike 4 days this week 3 or more miles. I have been able to practice running errands with the e-bike. Yes the battery helps, but you still have to steer with your arms, balance on two wheels, and many roads are NOT fully made for bikes so you end up walking your bike on the sidewalks or lawns near roads with no bike space. Sunny fitness app even sent me a fitness award wrist band for bike fitness. The bad news is I was super sick a few weeks back so I am still weaker than normal. I was going to many June music concerts, but will have to wait until after this week to get back to going out on weekends. Since all downtown areas now charge a million dollars for close to venue parking spaces you now have to walk and bike to concerts from super far away. The theory is everyone can call Uber or Lyft so making downtown parking impossible is okay. Do they drive people for free, or do they charge nightmare fees? These services are super expensive, are dangerously slow to pick people up, and often lack quality drivers so they are horrible alternatives compared to normal parking. Buses only run a tiny bit of the day in limited areas. Many public parks near my area have pretty much become a pathetic copy of an outdoor nightclub with people dancing with boom boxes in the parking lot at night as downtown has officially become too expensive and con-artist dominated for average people to ever go there. It is not a happy time for art and music fans that happen to love live music unless you have gladiator legs for bike use. I am biking with all my soul to leave forever the nightmare toilet hole that is Virginia.
Protesters hearing the call for justice are being bashed down this week. I joined several Feminist Alliance groups online to protest against Trump this week. Unfortunately I had to go to the hospital twice, and protesters were being bashed down super hard so I had to cancel going. Violation of the right of free speech is being tossed around like a frisbee this week in the USA. I got an e-bike because my family worked travel jobs when I was a kid, and I saw people riding bikes and folding e-bikes to clean well funded public transportation in other countries all the time. We have been completely fooled in the United States to think that well funded public transportation, schools, rights, and healthcare must be impossible dreams as poorer countries already have them daily. Meanwhile we have a president that thinks a 400 million dollar fossil fuel using airplane for daily personal use is an okay transport option.
Feminist Alliance Protest Anti Violence Rally DCFreedom LogoDeployed to Los Angeles.Eating Dogs. People have been using e-bikes to get to public transportation that allows bikes on board in Europe and Asia for decades already.Uber and Lyft are rip offs compared to real transportation solutions other countries have. Meanwhile our president thinks a 400 million sky airplane for personal use is normal.
I finally got money for an ebike, and ordered the dream ebike! I ordered it, but cannot ride it due to being sick. I feel like the man in the Twilight Zone episode with broken glasses that cannot read in a library. I even bought new tail lights, and a bike Garmin and Sunny heart monitor for it. Not only do I want more fitness experience, but the ebike is useful as gas free transportation. Bikes do not cause joint damage like jogging, and studies show bike use prevents cancer and heart disease. I love camping, and it fits in an RV better than a big non-folding bike. Every entertainment district is making car parking costs what feels emotional like 1 million dollars, and a good ebike can cut down on parking and Uber fees so that I can go to music concerts more without using a car near downtown. I have had the picture of this bike on my wall for months. Buying it now helps me avoid nightmare tariffs and fees. At University in New Orleans I used to bus and bike everywhere to see concerts. The bike is so close but so far away!
Garmin badge I earned testing the bicycle Garmin. Bicycle Garmin for tracking app fitness.
Light for increased bicycle visibility.
Sunny heart rate monitor to keep fitness from being overwhelming.
Happy National Bike Month! Some day in the next year I will upgrade back to an electric bike. For now I am using non-electrical. To celebrate I am watching Murder She Wrote streaming on the Roku channel because she is on a bicycle so much I am starting to think it was sponsored by bicycle manufacturing. It suggests that is how you survive to become an attractive older woman by being on a bicycle all the time. My review is the show is hilarious.
I am at a graduation pre-party for Alexandria Menzies in Fredericksburg, VA today. We went to Cracker Barrel and Quality Inn. Cracker Barrel is really giving away free onion fries if you download the app and start an account at dinner. We ate some, and it was great.
One of my favorite friends Eugene who is Zorak303 on Instagram visited from out of town this weekend. We went to see Magdalena Bay at the National, and lines were wrapped around the block. Then we went to the famous taco restaurant Gwar Bar nearby, and talked about New Orleans in modern day. Eugene and I hung out after a Gwar show at House of Blues when I lived in New Orleans so history came full circle at that moment. I was really stressed out about going back to get a Master’s degree at night school, and so I was really happy to have a friend visit cheer me up. Here are some highlights from the show. My review is the band is great!
*Note I never go out in Richmond anymore because of the many non-stop horrible experiences I have had there and exclusively go out in Maryland. For Eugene I made the very rare exception.
Outside the National Eugene and Andrea. Huge lines at the National.Logo at the National.Bathrooms at the National.Amazing light show.More amazing show at the National.Even more lights at the show. What happened to make them put this sign up? The National looks great from outside, but like all Richmond it has horrible problems underneath the surface. What is up with the nightmare toilet? Fancy show walls.End of show super costumes.The crowd goes wild at the show end.The crowd goes even more wild for a David Bowie cover song.Gwar Bar has tacos and nachos that are amazing. In addition the band Gwar put funny costumes all over the walls from their music tours. Eugene and I hung out after a Gwar show when I lived in New Orleans.
I got a new bicycle rack this weekend for bike camping in DC. I have collected toy panda bears since I was a little kid, and at long last real ones are nearby at the Zoo. I’d better see them quickly before some weird political fight sends them away again for good. I also plan to bring one million gallons of anti mosquito lights, nets, and spray because yes I have camped in Virginia before and they have the “no see them” near-invisible breed of mosquito.
Frozen History 7 Publishing Book Review Podcast 