I’m out of retirement, but I’m tired. Long story, but not time to tell it all. Let’s just say life has intervened and conspired to reduce my availability for kicking ass, taking names, and doing chores. So a short monthly post is all I can and care to must for now. A little dab o’ Dude’ll do ya, right?

I was going to call this the Bike Up, in response to Sorryless’s excellent Run Down. But it doesn’t work, so I’m just using what you see. Not sorry. But the concept is the same, if not achieving the quality take downs and inspirational stories that my East Coast blog brother does.

One thing that happened was Safe Streets Austin had it’s debutante ball, as it were. A merger of Bike Austin, Walk Austin, and Vision Zero, some politicos came out and made speeches, including Hizzoner himself and our one black City Council Member. (Thanks tothe racist “gentleman’s agreement” that’s still sort of in place, although Natasha Harper-Madison is a she [I’m supposing her pronouns, I know.]) Here are some photos.

The food was good, as was the fellowship with fellow active transportation activists, some of which I’d not seen since the Before Times. As for the words and all, well, they sounded nice. We need more bike lanes, better sidewalks, fewer traffic deaths. But Natasha, the black Council Member in the blue dress said it well, “Which of these things is not like the other?” referring to the sea of white people . And she’s right, the organization is mostly white. That has to change if it wants to be relevant to all communities who use the roads. By the way, why is the name about streets, not people, being safer? And why does the logo not even have cyclists or pedestrians, but no people at all? Weird is our middle name here, but still.

Trusted ride buddy Rhodney was back from his sabbatical and were were also joined Alan, former lord of the land for A Dude. The latter did errands and is camera shy anyway, but the Rhod-man isn’t. Food was eaten, convos were had, and plans made. Free food never hurts.

In other news, I’m still doing all my daily activities: biking, walking, yoga, flute practice, reading, writing (book is going, but slowly), eating a salad not eating bread products. Someday I hope swim and lift weights. But not until I can get my mojo back.

In other news, we had a bike rider with the last name Armstrong do something very bad and illegal. It’s a woman who allegedly murdered a pro bike rider Anna Moriah “Mo” Wilson, who had dated her boyfriend, noted gravel racer Gavin Strickland, for like a week. Caitlin apparently flew into a jealous rage, killed Mo, was questioned by the Austin Keystone Cops, to whom she admitted it looked bad that her car rolled up at the murder scene 1 minute (!) after the victim arrived, then the AKC let her go on a technicality (wrong birthday on form), then she flew the coop to New York state, where she remains at large.

Anyhoo, life goes on a pace for the rest of us. Rents in Austin, Texas (and beyond) are skyrocketing due to demand, so the shortage of affordable housing is at a crisis level. Time to make some bank so I’m not one of the unlucky urban explorers, though it could happen. Time will tell.

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