March 02, 2004 - 14:19

YIPEEE!!!!

I did something foolish last week. I bought a bicycle. Yep...a bike. I haven't rode a bike since I was twelve. I had gone to this second hand sports place to kill some time before a hair appointment. And there she was, a cruiser with a wide seat and padded handle bars...a girl's bike with the dropped mid bar. It's PINK!! Not just a mild pink but HOT pink. When I saw it, that part of my brain that is still ten years old said, "MINE MINE MINE". Now I grew up a tom boy. Never in my life (except for one unfortunate incident when my mother made a huge mistake) have I ever owned anything pink. It's a girly girl color. Not for me. But this bike.... Just perfect. It was used and cheap and still in great shape. So I bought it. I got a basket for the front to complete the girly image and brought that baby home. My husband couldn't understand.

Husband: "A bike. Why would you want a bike? You can exercise at the gym, Honey."

Me: "It's PINK!"

Husband: "Yeah. I can see that. But what are you going to do with it?"

Me: "Ride it."

Husband: "Where?"

Me: "Umm..... Not sure really. Probably to the beach."

Husband: "That's five miles away."

Me: "Yep. That just about right. Did I mention that it's pink?"

Now today it is 76 degrees and fairly windy. 20 to 30 mph. Sunny and beautiful. So I got on my new (to me) bike and struck out for the beach. I didn't get all the way there. I wasn't really expecting too. I don't ride the bikes at the gym. I'd rather walk. So the riding thing was fairly new. I rode without a helmet. (bad me) I'll get one as soon as a find something particularly girly. I had my tunes on my CD player and a cup of latte'. I was ready to roll. I did about three miles then headed back. I figured six miles total is enough for the first day. And I rode on the sidewalk. None of that riding on the side of the road stuff that pisses off all the drivers. Bike shorts and a five hundred dollar bike are not for me. I figured the cars are a lot bigger than me and most of the drivers are really stupid so I stuck to the sidewalk. All I had to worry about is pissing off the walkers and I think I could take 'em. I know I'm not supposed to, but I rode the sidewalks when I was a kid. And since I'm revisiting my youth here, I'll go all the way. I also don't have a rear mirror on my bike and I got kinda paranoid about what was behind me. Anyway... Great tunes, great day and a great feeling of youthfullness today. Not bad. I just hope I'm not sore and feeling eightly tomorrow. Maybe if I ride often enough I can make it the beach and back by summer.

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