"The bicycle, the bicycle surely, should always be the vehicle of novelists and poets," said Christopher Morley. Guess we'll all get more writing done in the future.
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Oom Mao Mao said, (58 days ago)
I always thought the mad scientist was supposed to have a bicycle as well.
With a bell and a basket on it. While wearing a scarf.
TAMSFKAK said, (58 days ago)
Basket: check.
Scarf: check.
Bell: no check. I'll get right on that, though.
Branwell said, (58 days ago)
Why -- do novelists and poets enjoy being exhausted and disheveled? I tried riding a bicycle a couple years back -- one of the things I learned was that you can't go ANYWHERE and arrive in a presentable condition. Not even a half-mile to the grocery store or whatnot.
Another thing I learned is that there are no east-west streets in Los Angeles that are safe to ride on, but that's a different matter.
In any event, why can't poets and novelists just walk? Take the bus, maybe? They could take the bus.
Oom Mao Mao said, (58 days ago)
I think looking disheveled is de rigeur for a poet, if not for a novelist.
Shapely calves are an asset to anyone.
Branwell said, (58 days ago)
Maybe I shouldn't have said "disheveled". Maybe I should have said "sweaty, exhausted, and generally disgusting." Which... well, SOME poets, maybe...
But still. It might just be my lack of physical conditioning, but bicycles are a difficult business to contend with. Walking does enough for the calves.
TAMSFKAK said, (58 days ago)
Yes, I'm no poseur. And I totally rock the "exhausted and disheveled" look, Branwell. But this could be due to the fact that women don't sweat, they "glow."
TAMSFKAK said, (58 days ago)
Exactly. So, when I'm doing my grocery shopping my sheen turns everyone's heads.
Oom Mao Mao said, (58 days ago)
Branwell: Did you grow up riding a bike? A .5 mile trip to the store in a reasonable climate shouldn't be that distressing.
Branwell said, (58 days ago)
I did. That whole "reasonable climate" thing might have something to do with it -- this was last... September, I think, and the climate in Los Angeles is rarely reasonable. And the bicycle also had some kind of weird gear problem (which I intended to fix if I kept the bike, but I didn't, so I didn't). And personally, my conditioning is poor, and I don't deal well with high temperatures anyway. But even so, you have to admit it's a much more strenuous means of getting around than walking.
Also, much less safe -- you're constantly on the verge of running into, or being run into by, something. That practically never happens to pedestrians.
And if you need to carry anything -- say, groceries (I don't know why I'm fixating on them, but I might as well) -- that's incredibly precarious.
And really, once you factor in the time it takes to retrieve your helmet, unlock the bike, carry the bike out of the building, find a place to put it at your destination, lock it again, etc. etc. etc., it's not appreciably faster than walking either. Well, unless you're going longer than a mile or two, in which case why not just take the bus?
L said, (58 days ago)
.... i can ride quite a distance before becoming generally disgusting. and i live in colorado, which is just as warm as southern california.
and i get nearly hit walking more often than riding.
and i think that the avant garde is required either to be exceptionally, overly clean or completely disheveled. and i lack the dedication for cleanliness.
Branwell said, (58 days ago)
Well, I've never claimed to be part of the avant garde. That sounds like a lot of work, really.
It's too far too my work/school to bike.