BIKES > CARS

I just got back from my first Critical Mass, which was just about the coolest thing I have ever done. Basically, on the last Friday of the month, a couple hundred bicyclists meet down at Copley Square and then take over the streets. And let me tell you, it is out of this world.

So I get down to Copley Square, which is in downtown, around 5:30, and everyone is just kind of hanging out in the park. The event is leaderless, so it takes a while for things to get started. After about twenty minutes of waiting around, some cyclists start to riding a lazy circle on this paved part of the park. In ones and twos more people start to join them, until before you know it a couple hundred of us are riding in this circle. And then someone let’s out a yell, and everyone else yells back, and then he pointed towards Boylston St. screaming “That way!” and we were off!

We all rode out of the park onto Boylston St. The three or four guys in front got off their bikes to block or “cork” traffic on the street so that we could pass. The idea behind Critical Mass is to take over the streets for bicycles, so whenever we came to an intersection or traffic, people would stand in front of the cars to allow us cyclists through. We would roll up to a red light, and a few brave souls would boldy step out into traffic and cork off the intersection, and then a string bicyclists 5 blocks long would roll through. For the most part, the drivers were cordial enough, but a few would get really angry–which of course only encouraged us. At every angry honk, a cheer would go up through the crowd.

We rode all over town. Like I said, the event is leaderless, so whoever happens to be in frong gets to call the shots. So we made a loop through the posh part of downtown, and then we crossed Charles bridge into Cambridge, where we rode all over Harvard, and then crossed back over the Charles into Allston (my neighborhood) and then onto Brighton. The whole time we’re making noise, yelling “Happy Friday!” to everyone on the streets. One guy carried drum sticks and played beats on a pickel barrel he had strapped to the front of his bike.

After about an hour I had to leave, so I have no idea how it ends. I bet that after a while it dwindles down to just a few people, and then its over, but I don’t know. I can’t wait to do it again next month!

Back by (semi) popular demand

Okay. You win. I will continue posting, but on a few conditions:
1) This is not a replacement for actual honest-to-goodness conversations…the telephone and/or email still works!
2) There will be comments. Lots.
3) This may be boring. Sorry.

So. I spent most of May/early June bumming around between Waco and Dallas. Adam, CW, and I went canoeing on the Brazos, it was totally awesome. We spent the night in an Indian graveyard, all Indiana Jones style. Well, not quite Indiana Jones style, but it sure was neat.

I also bought an electric guitar and an acoustic guitar. One (the electric) is named Selma, the other is still unnamed. Any ideas? How does everyone feel about the name Ethel?

Before leaving, CW and I recorded a new song, you can listen to it here at our newfangled Myspace page. CW is singing/guitar, and I am guitar/thigh-slapping. We used my old-school four-track, and it sounds pretty dang good for that–I really enjoyed the whole lo-fi vibe of the session.

And then about three weeks ago, I left for Boston, where I am right now. And Boston is great. The weather is so very nice, it’s been in the 70s for almost the entire time. I found my roommates through craigslist, which has worked out really well actually. They are all students up here at Boston University (the other BU), and we’ve been having a grand time cooking out and having parties and making smores at all hours of the day. My neighborhood is really neat too, lots of cool stores and bars and restaurants. I really like just how vibrant everything is here—there are hardly any empty storefronts, and the sidewalks are always crowded with folks walking places.

So right now I am working as a research fellow for the Sustainable Endowments Institute. We’re an environmental non-profit that publishes the annual College Sustainability Report Card. You may remember that Baylor doesn’t do too hot on this (we got a C- last year).

Although the title certainly sounds important, don’t let it fool you. When I left for Boston, I didn’t know quite what to expect, but for me the words ‘research’ and ‘institute’ conjure up visions of people in white lab coats running around carrying test tubes and saying things like “The fragulator is running too hot! Bring it down to 14 kilojiggles!” Which, of course, is not anything close to what it’s actually like here.

The office is really great though, even without Poindexter. Mark (my boss) runs things really progressively. For instance, we spent our first day hiking in New Hampshire, and then later that week we took off an hour early to have an office-wide yoga session. Yesterday we played kickball, and tomorrow we are having a pot-luck picnic. Pretty cool, huh? So even if the work isn’t the most glamorous, I’m certainly not complaining!

Other things:
I know it’s the cool thing to hate on them right now, but Coldplay’s Viva la Vida is excellent. I really love the discreet Christian message it sends too (check out the lyrics for “Death and All His Friends”).

I got to go to a free Dave Matthews Band concert the other night, because of a connection at work. I used to be a huge DMB fan, but never went to a show. Even though I’m not the biggest fan anymore, I was still so happy I got to go, cause they were amazing.

Go check out Stereogum, my new favorite way to waste time.

I’ve been plowing through my reading list. Nothing says fun quite like Nietzsche! Here is a choice quote from his Beyond Good and Evil: “Cynicism is the only form in which base souls approach what is called honesty…” How uplifting.

And finally, watch this video and then go buy their album. It’s “The International Tweexcore Underground” by Los Campesinos!