I’ve attempted two previous bicycle humor posts: A Bicyclist Rides Into a Bar: Some Bike Jokes I Wrote Just for You and When I Can’t Pedal I Get Crank-y. Bike Puns for Fun. Given the times we’re living in right now, I figured I’d give number three a shot. How funny you think a joke is I suppose is a matter of taste and opinion. I just watched a stand-up comedy special and it looks so easy I figure anyone can do it. (I’m kidding!) As they say in the O’Henry Pun Off, it doesn’t have to be funny to be a pun. So let’s see what I can come up with on the spot. Hopefully it tickles your funny bone, provides some levity, or at least gets you laughing at me.
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Je Suis Fatigué: When You’re Stuck in the Spin Cycle
Possible titles for this post included (the humorless should skip the intro):
- Biking Is Good for Getting In Shape to Escape the Zombie Hordes
- Coronavirus; Things Will Get Worse Before They Get Worse (Lily Tomlin)
- Can My Bicycle Get Coronavirus?
- Rome Is Burning — Like Literally, People Have Fevers
- COVID-19 – The Movie: Will Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson Finally Portray the President?
- We’re All Gonna Die, So May As Well Ride Your Bike
- Anyone Know How “The Walking Dead” Ends?
- Coronavirus, Some Coronavirus, and Also More Coronavirus
I’ve decided to go in another direction, though, and write about something related, still health-related and less apocalyptic.
Continue readingHelp Enter a Dude Into the Writers League of Texas Manuscript Contest & Conference!
I’m putting this out into the blogosphere and universe to see what happens. Could be nothing, could be something, could be everything. The thing is this: your humble, currently unemployed (I prefer sans portfolio) blogger, bicyclist, book writer and other b-words cannot currently conjur the coins to enter himself into this contest. So, I’m thinking that perhaps perfectly pleasant people perusing these pages permutate into patrons.
That is, they (YOU) sponsor me to join the Texas Writers League and their Manuscript Contest – TODAY! (3/20/20) The benefis for me are having a snippet of my book reviewed professionally and even better, a shot at an awesome prize: free admittance to WLT’s Agents and Editors Conference. So if you want to learn about this and might want to pitch in, keep on reading.
Continue readingNext Steps for the St. Johns Bikeway in Austin, Texas
Last month your faithful cyclist and semi-regular bicycle activist (moi) attended a City of Austin open house. Today they sent out a follow-up notice, and I’m sharing it with you. It has some interesting approaches to making this street safer, but they aren’t a done deal yet. We have to make sure Austin doesn’t give up and cede the road back to cars. Even if you don’t live here, you might find the way they (we) do things here to improve safety for walkers and bicyclists interesting.
Sorry, with coronavirus rearing its ugly head, even leading to the cancellation of South by Southwest for the first time in its 34-year history, I should say pedestrians. Walkers are what the survivors call the zombies in The Walking Dead. I didn’t get any good shifts and was going to sit out SXSW anyway, but I have mixed feelings about it. That’s because there are 0 reported cases in Austin. Well, let’s just hope there are more of us in The Cycling Alive group when it’s all over.
Continue readingA Dude, an Esthetician and a Monoplegic Get Into a Hot Tub…
I bet you didn’t expect to read that sentence today! I didn’t expect to write it, either, but that’s pretty much what happened at the gym last night. Life isn’t like a box of chocolates, because you do know what you’re going to get: chocolate (aka choccy as they say Down Undah, right Missy?) But going to the gym you never know who you’re going to meet. (True story, I once met Meatball, the rock legend. But that’s another story. Although I will say that he introduced himself as Meat, and I said, without missing a beat, “As in, Mr. Loaf?”) To be honest, I didn’t meet the man with one functioning arm. He was in the pool though, and I did chat with a skin care professional. Interesting people abound!
Continue readingFebruary 2020 Strava Stats: Bike, Walk and Swim
The shortest month of the year, albeit one with a Leap Day, was not as prolific as January, but by all accounts, still successful for your favorite aging, tired, undertall bicyclist blogger. There are two major reasons for that: I continued riding my bike every single day, with an eye on making at least 100 miles per week, and also the addition of swimming. So let’s have a look under the er, bottom bracket, shall we?
Continue readingVerisimilitude: Leap Day Twenty Twenty Poem
Sitting at my keyboard wondering what to type college friend emails from India she ain't got no Skype Once did yoga on her lawn sun-drenched shorts of orange light dappled her auburn hair nothing rhymes with orange I've no right to write poetry just a simple bike ridin' dude but who says I can't rhyme and speak of verisimilitude? Barely rode my bike this week cuz of my damn temp job gotta pay the man rent, man or land on the street, a slob Have you heard the news today? oh boy, every day a new doozy while the tyrant rants and sycophants blather I'd really rather just take another snooze, see? It's sunny out there but pitch dark inside seconds, minutes, hours pass relentlessly time's on no one's side but its own never ever can shake this baby called ennui Can't get no satisfaction, though I try sometimes through time and space I move this body of girth endless campaign, killer virus, stock market crash Antarctica's melting; not to worry, people of Earth! Don't worry, be happy, this too shall pass worst form of government, 'cept all the rest - democracy real Americans do retail therapy, Netflix and chill problem is telling truth from lies, what's real from hypocrisy Honesty is hardly ever heard, word to your muthah zone out to your jams, take your medicine and sleep put on a happy face, fear not, and be of good cheer might as well jump to conclusions and take a faithful leap
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What’s Goin’ On, Bike Dude?
Back when the Reverend Jesse Jackson, Jr., was running for president, he gave a speech at the University of Texas at Austin. By the end, he had the crowd of 5,000 Longhorns and some townie interlopers like me all riled up. He said “Repeat after me: “I am somebody. I AM Somebody! I AM SOMEBODY!” In true call-and-response gospel fashion, we chanted in full voice back. I believe that most of the time. But other days I’m just some dude who rides a bike and stuff, edits my bike memoir, and writes this blog. Sometimes there is no one theme for a post, so only a hodgepodge will do. This is one of those days. To quote John Lennon, another American icon of peace and justice: “My momma never told me there’d be days like these.”
Continue readingGoodreads: A Social Site for Book Lovers
There’s nothing like reading a good book, getting lost in another world while sitting at home and never moving out of your chair or exchanging pants for pajamas. I used to be a voracious reader, although the advent of Netflix sure hasn’t helped. Sometimes I still am. Given my penchant for recording my activities like bicycling, doing yoga, and walking, it makes sense to record what I read, too. Goodreads is a site for just that, a digital bookshelf, and much more. If you’re a reader, you probably know about it, but if you don’t, it’s worth a gander.
Continue readingLeading Literary Light Leaves League: Michael Noll
Last night I attended another Writers League of Texas Third Thursday panel. I was late to the discussion, but luckily they all get uploaded as podcasts on their website, WritersLeague.org. Fortunately, I was able to get to the second half because it was the swan song of moderator and WLT former Program Director Michael Noll. Author, teacher, lover of snacks, dad, teller of dad jokes, and genuinely nice guy, he will be missed.
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