Tomorrow’s high will be 36, so the ride in will probably be closer to ridiculously frigid. Any suggestions for toasty-fingers?
I think I might wear all three
I was originally drawn to the title Shop Class As Soul Craft after watching Jack Nickell of Threadless at the TEDxBoulder event last summer. In his presentation, he challenged everyone to make something, every day. I was truly inspired after the event. The idea of making something – anything – with my hands held a very tactile appeal for me and is one I don’t often get to experience simply working on a computer. I probably romanticize the idea to some extent but believe there is overlooked value in being able to make or repair things.
Jack’s talk is why I picked up the book at the Boulder Book store. I don’t know what I was expecting but this is a weighty, thought-provoking, get-your-dictionary-out, academic book. Maybe I was expecting some sort of feel-good expose on the rising importance of self-reliance and need for craftsmen, which is in there but there is so much more to it that simply recommending shop class be brought back or kids learn how to use a table saw.
Here are some of the major ideas that I’m still thinking about a week after finishing the book.
On custom options for a bike or teddy bear. Are we really creating or making an original object? According to the author…
A judgement of the goodness has already been made by some dimly grasped others…The consumer is disburdened not only of the fabrication, but of a basic evaluative activity. The consumer is left with a mere decision…..But because the field of options generated by market forces maps a collective consciousness, the consumer’s vaunted freedom within it might be understood as a tyranny of the majority that he has internalized.
The readiness to do away with intuitive judgment and replace it with rules.
The crux of the idea of an intellectual technology is the “substitution of algorithms (problem-solving rules) for intuitive judgments. These algorithms may be embodied in an automatic machine or computer program or a set of instructions based on some statistical or mathematical formula.
Standards
Standards have a universal validity… A carpenter faces the accusation of his level, an electrician must answer the question of whether the lights are in fact on,…
There are many more of these ideas throughout the book and I highly recommend picking it up. I know that when I finished it I thought about my own work, what I create, what standards I aim for as a definition of success. It’s a little harder when it comes to creating content; there is no universal standard for defining it’s quality. Maybe good grammar or sentence structure is one definition but assessing its quality can be considered a subjective thing unlike whether the lights are on or off.
There is just so much to this book, so many ideas on how work has evolved, how reliance on judgement and intuition have become less valued in some industries, namely those that are more easily outsourced. And so the jobs once perceived as lower on the pay scale, requiring less critical thinking are the ones that may blend the skills and intelligence most suited for the 21st century. The plumber, the mechanic, the tailor may be the jobs of the future – the ones where what you make and its adherence to a universal standard of quality are the jobs that reemerge as coveted professional roles.
Now I Can Wear Cute Skirts When I Ride
I'm not sure what to name her
You know you’ve got an ingrained view of how things work when you swing your leg over a step-thru bike. Being a sad creature of habit that is just what I did on the first day I rode my new Globe up to work. It was the first Monday back after the new year. I was super excited to ride and the first thing I did was swing my leg over the wonderfully-designed step-thru. sigh.
I didn’t really need another bike but I was also tired of limiting my wardrobe to jeans and such when I rode. It’s hard if not impossible to wear a skirt and mount a regular bike without a lot of maneuvering or careful bike placement and emerge with any sort of dignity. I’m sure more graceful women can pull it off – I am not one of those women.
Christmas, an observant hubby and a great friend from Specialized all came together to
Soon this will have flair
provide me with a gorgeous, red, single-speed Globe! It’s perfect. The front-end basket relieves my weary back of the burden of carrying a laptop, lunch and extra clothing. The included bungee cords, one of which I have lost already, allows you to cinch everything down snugly. The bike glides along pretty effortlessly and braking is easy if a bit noisy; the coaster brake screams efficiently that you are stopping and the hand brake is as efficient if quieter. The bike is unexpectedly light considering the huge basket and full fenders, which is great since it is a single speed. Fortunately, there aren’t really any lung-burning hills I have to climb on my commute, like 9th st.
The only problem is me. I can’t seem to get the hang of stepping-thru the bike. I expect once the temps warm up a bit and I’m wearing a skirt that the movement will come pretty naturally. In the meantime, if you’re interested in a easy to ride, step-thru, with tons of carrying capacity and a place to put your fav picture, check out the Specialized Globes.
I love the idea behind The Denver Bike Cafe . A coffee shop that allows you to sip a brew, get your bike tuned and bring your own snacks is a place I can see myself hanging out. I realize there’s only a tentative link to the concept of a coffee shop ride because we drove rather than rode to Denver but I made an exception because I think this concept is great. Because it was the day after new year’s eve and I was not nursing an early morning hangover like most of the Boulder, the drive to Denver was pretty quick. I may be admitting mee-maw (granny) status but to my defense a truck-load of congestion had been deposited into my sinuses a couple of days before making feel like my head was 3x larger than normal and everything tasting like wet cardboard.
The first thing we noticed when we walked into the cafe was that there were a lot of chairs. I mean. a. lot. And, sadly, not
Lots of chairs
many people siting at them but I really think that’s because it was new year’s day. The place was huge and divided into two areas: one side containing a number of patio tables strung together; the other side featuring the bike tune-up area. We ordered a couple of americanos, which weren’t bad but noticed pretty quickly the large selection of Colorado brews. A large outdoor seating area (remember, I said there were a lot of chairs) would be the perfect place to enjoy an Upslope after an urban ride.
Yes, we could have ridden and probably will try to this summer but sometimes cycling culture can be enjoyed off the bike, too. Denver Bike Cafe could have used a few more cycling-inspired posters and images but the music was great and the baristas were really friendly. I can’t complain about my start to 2012.
Sip, Tune, Ride
From a great collection of women on bikes
Recently, I was chatting over coffee with a young woman about cycling in Boulder. We were talking about the various trails around town, our commutes, and our fear of getting our bikes stolen from downtown. She went onto to describe a new fear she was experiencing; she was becoming more nervous about riding in town due to the increase in the number of aggressive riders. Cycling, for her, was simply not fun anymore. Sadly, I understood what she was saying. Although Boulder is probably one of the most cycling-friendly places in the U.S. (and yes, I have lived elsewhere, namely San Antonio & Austin, which when I left were probably ranked 150 and 151 respectively out of a group of 151 friendliest places to ride a bike), it’s also packed. Whether you are riding, driving or walking in town, Boulder is a busy little town. I don’t think Boulder has an inordinate number of aggressive drivers. I just think the chance of a cyclist and a driver having a negative encounter is probably a little greater simply due to the number of people getting around using lots of different forms of transportation (i.e skate boarding, roller-blading, etc).
Later, what concerned me more than my friend’s fear was that she was considering giving up commuting by bike. And that’s when I realized this is how it begins. Young women, who may have been commuting for some time, weary of the conditions of the road, the interactions with drivers and begin to abandon cycling. It’s not just that there is one less commuter on the road but what that change in perception means for her and our community over the long term. If people, especially women, begin to abandon cycling as an option for getting around then our hopes for more significant transportation changes will be an even greater struggle.
This point was further expanded on in a great article titled, Women in Cycling: Why We Matter, written by Sarai Snyder over at GirlBikeLove. I recommend checking it out because if you are interested in seeing cycling expand in our communities then it’s critical to have women’s continued involvement and support. Can you imagine how much further along cycling adoption and commuting support there would be if more women were involved? I think we’ll move the needle that much more quickly if both men and women are part of the solution.
Peanut butter & chocolate coffee yums
One Sunday awhile back I rode out to the Bittersweet Coffee and Bakery in downtown Louisville. Louisville is about 10 miles east of Boulder, with one or two steep sections to remind you that although you are headed east and away from the mountains, you may still be riding up hill.
We’d had a dump of snow earlier in the week leaving sections of the bike path icy and slick, which kept me extra vigilant and a bit on guard. There were only a couple of spots, where I dismounted. I canvassed the Twitter crowd on one area in particular and it came back pretty evenly split between dismounting and riding through. I dismounted and hobbled across the ice patch realizing too late how slick cleats are on ice.
What would you do? Ride or dismount?
I took the South Boulder Creek Path to Old Tale Road then onto Baseline. Old Tale Road has to be one of my favorite streets in Boulder: wide, bucolic, and with a feeling of an old country road. I rode Baseline until turning right onto 42, then followed the sign to Main St. Louisville. Pretty easy shot. You can make it even easier by going down South Boulder Road but I find it neither as scenic or as pleasant a ride.
The extra energy to remain upright in the icy conditions meant that I made a spectacle of
Santa and the Pinky DeRosa
myself wolfing and scarfing down a gluten-free peanut butter/chocolate dollop before I even got seated. I had intended to take a picture of it, but like many the plans of mice and men and something or other. But the coffee was good and the view of the inflatable Santa impressive. Bittersweet is a coffee shop lover’s coffee shop. It looks like it used to be someone’s home with the dark wood paneling, divided rooms and tiny bathroom. You could imagine a family living sitting comfortably in one of the big chairs drinking a coffee. But now it’s an assortment of families, students and cyclists drinking mugs of coffee and indulging in the really amazing baked goods. The coffee is not bad either. I thought the americano was a bit bitter but hubby disagreed and said it was one of the best he had. I think the dollop may have coated my taste buds with a fine layer of sugar and made the espresso taste more tart than it probably actually was.
Since my ride we’ve received yet another big wallop of snow and the streets are more iced up now so it may be several weeks before I get out there again. Although, that may not be a bad thing after the holiday’s rampage through the pies and ice cream.
The weather in Boulder over the past two weeks or so has been aggressively frigid; the kind of cold that slashes at the part of your wrist exposed between your glove and the bottom of your sleeve, turns your breath into rainforest heavy dew that fogs up your glasses and freezes your gears. I, at one point, gave up the commuting goal and took the bus into work. I really feel that people don’t take the bus because the inside is as depressing as hell, which is only matched by the surliness of some of the drivers. But that’s another post altogether.
One great benefit of the weather is that it affords me extra time to do some reading. So, I picked up Julien Smith’s Flinch and Steven Pressfield’s War of Art. Both address the internal critic in each of us; the voice inside of us that crushes our creativity and slashes at our self-esteem when we try and step beyond our comfort zone. Julien’s inner predator is called Flinch, Steven’s is called Lizard Brain. Both believe that the path to life’s success is to constantly and consistently confront the Lizard Flinch; that if you aren’t uncomfortable, losing friends and families to your true self, then you’re not practicing your art. I’ve simplified and trivialized to some degree both books and although I do think there is real value in reading both, after the inspiration to get into the ring and kicked butt has left, I realize that I really love my family and friends and think they are an important part of my path. Of course, there are people we’ve all met in our lives that take great pleasure in bringing us down but there also wonderful people in our circle that have supported and lifted us.
Both books provide great reminders of the need to work and practice to achieve any sort of progress in writing, learning a new language – that there are simply no short cuts. You can either choose to Tweet and watch Survivor or you can work on that painting, getting code, whatever it is that enables you to create.
One of the thoughts that has emerged after reading both books is how singular their approach is to how we should engage with work. There’s nothing about collaborating, or working to benefit the larger community; it’s all about you vs. the Lizard Finch. I don’t think there is anything wrong with a person pursuing their purpose, I do think there is a problem when others are used and cast aside as fodder for anyone’s ambition. I’m not saying either novel is outright suggesting that but it can be easy to jump to that conclusion when you read how you may loose friends and family along the way towards building your own business, writing your novel, etc. Read David Brooks’ Life Reports, where he posts the thoughts of an older generation of Americans about their life towards the end of their life, they’ve never say they should have spent more time at work.
I recommend reading either book to learn suggestions for silencing your own Lizard Finch and then hug your dog.
A couple of weeks ago, hubby and I caught a tail wind and landed on the Nevada side of Lake Tahoe. I’m not trying to be cute about the tail wind, the wind was absolutely, chillingly brutal! (Yes, I am prone to exaggeration but it’s a birth right. I’m Texan) As I tried to pry my eyes open against the wind and swirling sand and debris I could just make out the Lake and it was stunning. I can imagine that Lake Tahoe is overrun with holiday makers during the spring and summer; it was actually quite pleasant the day we left. Nevertheless, we had a great time checking out the little towns that dot Hwy 50. I fell in love (I think) with Truckee. I write ‘I think’ because we essentially darted from the car to the nearest shelter to get a glimpse of the main street, then satisfied, darted back to the car.
One place we hunkered down in was Rosies Cafe. We could do much outside and there weren’t too many bike shops to explore so Rosie’s was the next best thing. Not only was lunch really good, they had all these antique bikes hanging from the ceiling.
Who doesn’t need a basket-woven bike!
Image from CycloCamping
Recently, I had the great opportunity to sit down with Sarai of GirlBikeLove to talk about how I might be able to contribute to her goal of making GirlBikeLove a resource for women cyclists. GirlBikeLove does not have an exclusive focus on racers, commuters or mtb, although it has tons of great articles on those topics. It’s focus is on women in cycling and finding the best grub, trails, gear, emerging cycling stars, etc to help more women feel comfortable getting back onto their bikes or simply riding with more confidence.
Since that meeting, I’ve met other members of the GBL team and am so impressed with the range of experience and knowledge of those involved. From an event organizer to a bike builder to an expert on nutrition, Sarai seems to have gathered together a dynamic group of women. I’m really excited to be involved.
So, what does the image have to do with GirlBikeLove. Nothing, really. But this girl is waiting for the wind to die down so I can go for a ride.
The gals ran up these faster than I could ride down
I couldn’t figure out where the noise was coming from as I sat in the office on an early Sunday morning. It sounded close enough to be the neighbors but more substantial. It wasn’t until my husband woke up and reminded me of the Cyclecross event down the road from us that I finally connected the booming voice to the Boulder Cup cyclecross race.
We arrived for the women’s elite event at 2:40, which Katie Compton appeared to conquer with ease. She finished with about a 30 second cushion. I admit that I know next to nothing about cyclecross racing but I do know it is an amazing spectator sport. The course was tight and allowed a number of opportunities to watch the racers fly or flounder (in the sand) around the circuit. Watching the athletes quickly dismount and charge up the stairs was simply inspiring. I almost dashed home so I could ride like I was being chased to the nearest coffee shop.
Valmont Bike Park is fantastic and the setting itself, with the Flatirons soaring in the distance, made the event feel really epic. The whole park was brimming with athletes, participants, vendors (cyclecross audiences like both wine and BEER!) and a great vibe. I don’t know how many more events are scheduled but I’ll definitely get back to watch; I do know the park is currently closed for maintenance. The recent snow storm and racing has done a number on the track. In the meantime, enjoy these photos:
