Home Improvement Tangent

The fruits of a Saturday morning coffee/tea session:

 

Shelves in the hallway? Happy thought indeed!

Manny's at the Midtown Global Market

If you haven't had the Cubana at Manny's, go right out and try one! It's so good I couldn't wait to get home so I polished it off as I rode my bike down East Lake Street. Probably a bad idea, but I survived.

Weeks 72 - 73 and Hypermiling

Summary
Week 72 (April 5 - 9)
Monday - Friday: Car

Week 73 (April 12 - 16)
Monday - Thursday: Car
Friday - Bicycle

I thought I was going to coast through April, but these past few weeks have been more hectic than anticipated. Without last Friday's bike commute, I probably would have lost it.

How else have I managed to remain sane since my business season has been extended by a month or so? Hypermiling.

(In case you're wondering what in the world hypermiling is, it's an attempt to squeeze as much efficiency out of every drop of gasoline as possible by coasting, reducing excessive acceleration, and monitoring driving habits for ways to trim down fuel usage. Check out this link for more info)

I don't go all out on my commute, but there are a few stretches to and from work where I'm able to coast for almost a mile. I'm eager to see what the MPG ends up being on this tank of gas. Yes, I realize how nerdy this is, but I'm an accountant, I count stuff. What else would you expect?

Making life difficult for oneself

Although this girl's situation (on a bike) was considerably favorable to mine (inside a steel box), I certainly didn't envy the fact that she carried the weight of the world on her shoulders.



With a simple $30 investment in a rack and some bungee cords, she would reap exponential dividends in utils of enjoyment from her bicycle commute.

*Safety disclosure: This picture was taken while at a stop light, and my use of a cell phone camera did not contravene any number of state or city laws, or inhibit my ability to properly operate a motor vehicle.

Bike-Friendliest City

Congrats to our fine city on winning this award

I wonder where we rank on granola eating...

Weeks 70-71

Summary
Week 70
Monday - Friday: Car

Week 71
Monday - Bicycle
Tuesday - Bicycle
Wednesday - Friday: Car

Thanks to the arrival of spring in Minnesota, I've been able to get back in the saddle, enjoying two bicycle commutes over the past two weeks. Week 70 was the first week at the new client site, so it took some adjusting before I worked through some logistical challenges. By the second week I was settled in and started the week off with some bike commutes.

As I mentioned previously, the ride is 8.5 miles each way, but is almost entirely on-trail riding and traverses some of the best (in my estimation) bicycling real estate in the twin cities. My route hooks up with the Grand Rounds Scenic Byway and I can't imagine a better backdrop for starting and ending my workday.

With busy season officially over and my schedule back to 40 hours, free time is less of a luxury and I have some to spare outside of business hours. I'm looking forward to a few bicycle-themed events coming up soon in the cities:

Artcrank 2010 - Bike-themed poster party. Pati and I left last year's show empty handed, but I'm hopeful we'll find something this year.

Minesota Ironman Bike Ride A few of my co-workers suffered through last year's cold and wet Sunday ride, so I'm heeding their advice and not signing up until the day of, if indeed it looks tolerable.

Twin Cities Bike Walk Week I'm hoping the my workplace's numbers rebound from last year's poor showing, especially since there's more lead time this year. Regardless, Brent said he's up for it again, and with new wheels since last year's Bike-to-work Day, I think he'll find it more tolerable.