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| MY BRILLIANT IDEA I was watching the Tour de France this year, admiring Lance Armstrong (with all the rest of America and perhaps the world) and everything that he represents. I found myself wishing that I could do something big like he's done, something to make me a better stronger person and to use that to make the world a better place. Then my car broke down. My beloved 1989 Firebird, aka "Maggie", short for Man-Magnet, has really suffered some over-use. In other words, this old 'bird has flown through two generations of drivers. I am in a pickle and can't afford the restoration she needs, we're talking, ignition, column, suspension and exhaust work. Oh, my teenage children who learned to drive in this car are mourning the loss of our hotrod. Then there's this huge issue of gas prices. I was watching the evening news and everyone was complaining of the high price of gasoline. It's up to $2.50 a gallon and climbing five cents a week. I understand that there is expected to be a decline prior to Christmas. I pondered selling the car. I thought about Auto Trader, the junk yard, trading it in at the dealership... I even considered putting her 'up for adoption' on E-Bay, just to see what I could get for her. Then I remembered that the Kidney Foundation has a program for donating cars. Hmmm. They can fix up Maggie for someone that is in desperate need of wheels to get to dialysis (my friend's husband goes twice a week.) I can imagine what that would be like, as I was on the bus when my older kids were small in San Antonio. My grandmother had a little girl who only lived six years because of her defective kidneys. She died and the grief always remained with my grandmother, had she been born a few years later, technology would have saved her life. I want wings for Julie Anne! Let my little 'Bird fly for someone whose need is greater than my own. So I have decided to donate my car. And furthermore, I pledge to ride my bicycle everywhere I go. I'll catch a ride to church on Sunday, but for work, school, recreation... I'm on the bike. 8/22/05: I'm five weeks into this. For a couple of weeks my body was in absolute shock. I have a sedentary job. I'm overweight, I love Cokes and hate water, I smoked, (until the end of my first ride to work on the bike.) Wow, this is an extreme case of 'be careful what you ask for'... " I wish I didn't have to worry about car troubles, I can't afford gas, I can't afford repairs, I sure can't afford car payments. I wish I could quit smoking, and drink water and eat healthy. I wish there was some sort of exercise that I would enjoy forcing myself to do. I wish I could find someone to live that kind of lifestyle with me. Ugh, I hate tennis or jogging or gyms or sports - hockey's my thing, but strictly as a spectator. I wish I had something two-wheeled... (Really, I was thinking more along the lines of a Honda Rebel!) Send out a vibe like this and all of a sudden, I've got just what I asked for. A bicycle. THE GOOD NEWS IS... I don't hurt so bad anymore, my knees ache a bit, but otherwise I can handle this. Also, I believe I've lost about 20 lbs,. ?Soon we'll realize even more benefits from this sacrifice, I know it.. I AM strong. I can do this! Jan. 2006 Well, I've given up everything that I've been hung up on. I leveled off after I lost a total of 35 lbs. I'm giving up coca-cola's for my New Year's resolution. I really don't need the caffeine and sugar anymore, but OMG, I am such an ADDICT! Still riding the bike and have become a bit of a local celebrity in Baton Rouge. I think the kids like it--my teenagers say they are proud of me for sticking to my guns. My little one just thinks it's all pretty normal. Gas is down to $2.09 and I have a feeling I'm going to be driving again pretty soon! President Bush has finally come out and asked the nation to adjust their lifestyle to conserve. He's been on the news visiting a plant that being constructed to mass produce bio-fuel. LOL, and he's been riding HIS bike too. I just hope he will stay on track. IT'S ABOUT TIME! |
| WAFB Channel 9 I submitted an email comment to the news station and they came to the office and did a story on my bike war on gas. Click my wheel below and go to the story!!! |
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| MORE BIKE BLOG... The Flying Chicken! |
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| RIDING THE STORM OUT Biking in the Aftermath of Katrina |
| STOP, THIEF! |
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| This is Maggie... Click the car to see where she went! |
| 2065 Bike Mileage as of 3/31/06 |
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| ALL GOOD THINGS MUST END - March 2006 For Lent I decided to give up Louisiana--permanently. My family and I have adjusted well with our move to San Antonio, my birthplace and my family's 'home base'. The awesome thing is that all the buses here, every single one, are outfitted with bike racks! The sad news is that, as of April 1, I've had to conceed to driving again, as my position in outside sales with Armstrong Moving & Storage/United Van Lines requires me to drive a good deal. I feel rotten that I can't continue my bouycott on gasoline, but I am still riding my bike whenever possible. I'm going to Ride for the Cure with the American Diabetes Association in May. I've chosen a 50-mile route, which will be a great challenge for me and my trusty 'Kulana'. THIS AIN'T OVER YET! |
| "When you ride a bicycle, you participate in an unbroken chain of human endeavor stretching back to stone-carting Egyptian peasants...." ~Adam Haslett |