Month: November 2018

Finding Inspiration from Local Authors at One Page Salon in Austin, Texas

~ A Dude Abikes ~ 4 Comments

I’ve written about One Page Salon before, where local authors read from a work in progress.  But after missing one or two in recent months, I biked downtown to be sure I attended tonight.  Once again rewarded by being inspired by fellow writers, having interesting conversations with musicians and other creative people, and in general enjoyed being part of a community of like-minded folks.  Sure, I could write about the election again, but you can read about that elsewhere.  So I’m going to write about writing, and since I rode my bike there, it’s relevant.  Protocol be damned!

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Monday Musings on the Mid-Terms and My Major Mileage

~ A Dude Abikes ~ 1 Comment

On the eve of the US mid-term elections, at which I will work a 14-hour day, many thoughts are swirling for A Dude.  Will the pendulum swing back a smidge to the left?  Who will win and who will lose?  Will it really matter to the average dude?  Those are rhetorical until the results are in.  But I have burniong questions of a more personal nature for myself, too.  How were my stats in October?  What are my goals for November?  I’m having a new ache, could it be related to my brake?  And most importantly, What’s for supper?  So here’s a short post addressing some of these pressing queries.

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Is Voting Revolutionary in This Election Cycle? Biking to Work the Polls in Austin, Texas

~ A Dude Abikes ~ 2 Comments

After riding my bicyle to three different locations over the last seven days in a row to work as a clerk for the county elections office during early voting, I have some observations.  Chief among them is that having a job again is both gratifying and exhausting, kind of fun but kind of annoying.  Another is that Austin is still a place that still has a whole lot of white people in it, especially due the high rents of downtown, which limits some people of color. But where there is diversity, it is quite varied.  Third, for the most part Austinites are a very well-behaved, clever and mellow bunch.

Fourth, voting is one of few times where people of all political stripes come together to exercise their right to participate in democracy, and that’s a beautiful thing whether you agree with voting or not.  And a fifth is that while voting is something that some people deride, some ignore, and others celebrate, it’s still a fascinating experience to be part of the process.  There are more things you might learn as I did if you just click on that little Continue Reading button.  It’s like voting!  Please vote to read the rest of this blog!  Vote for A Dude Abikes! Continue reading →