Day 14: Noise

I didn't expect to have my bike back today; I get off work after the bike shop closes. However, we drove over to give it a test whirl during lunch. Josh told me I had worn out my rear cassette. It had been a couple thousand miles since I changed my chain, and my cassette had worn with the chain. Josh is the a bike fix-it wizard who changed all the cables on my bike to red and named her Little Red Riding Hood, with a name plate and everything. He changed the cassette on the spot for me and sent us off. I wish all mechanics were as fair, skilled, and just plain honest as Josh.

Black street clothes at dusk and casual flats don't make the best cycle commuting gear, but it worked in a pinch. I was desperate for my bike ride. My preferred route home is hilly and sparsely populated except for coyote, deer, roadrunners, and warned of, but never seen, bobcats.

About a month ago I was traveling through here at dusk. The trail glides through tall grasses and overlooks a small pond area. Down near the pond I heard a girl screaming--not a fun playful scream. I stopped my bike and peered down through the dim light, I couldn't see anything. Another girl started screaming, and there was a kind of laughter in it. A few more voices rose and I realized, with relief, that the screams I had been hearing were not human, but coyote. They chimed into a chorus of happy howls and yipping. Beautiful!

Tonight we ate orange tomatoes with mozzarella, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and fresh basil. I love this garnished with anchovies and kalamata olives. Tonight the anchovies were so salty they gave me goosebumps. All accompanied by good sourdough.

After cleaning up, we went for a little run. We ran our usual neighborhood run. Only this time, we didn't stop running. We ran nearly 2 miles, without stopping!!! That rhythm in my breath is amazing, it is so consistent, constant and secure. My running is hinged to it.

Foodwise: Intake 2274 calories. That's about 200 calories less than my recommended intake. I think my body is finally leveling out. Output: 1372 on my 12 mile bike commute and nearly 2 miles of running! Hurray! (currently icing my nasty nasty ankles. If I had been Achilles, and my mother dipped my into the Styx, she would have had to hold on to both ankles. I was a really big baby--10 pounds 3 ounces. That would explain why both my ankles are bunk.)

I have a little teddy bear I made for my dad by hand when I was about 7 or 8. It is rough and rustic, but a good reminder for the progress I have made in my trade--I sew for a living. This blog is sort of like that little bear, a good reminder of where I started. Since I started riding my bike to work and around town, I have maintained a 15 pound weight loss--and that is without dieting.