Getting my legs back

I'm back!

After about 10 months working 50 miles away, I'm back working in Springfield. Woohoo!

I thought I could do it, make the transition from bike commuting to car commuting. After getting laid off from the newspaper, I really wanted to get back to work right away so I took an early job offer in marketing. In Kirbyville, Mo. That's an hour-long drive. Each. Way.

OMG, you guys, I thought that drive would kill me. I was getting up so early, and leaving for work before the kid even woke up. Plus, I had to drive all that way on the highway with elderly tourists and road ragers. Everything that was awful about driving to work happened during that drive to work. And then I'd have to leave early so I could rush back to town in time to pick up the little guy before his school closed for the day. And then there was hardly time to make dinner and hang out with my dudes before bed. And then I'd have to do it all over again.

Fortunately I was allowed to work from home two days every week, but it turned out I didn't like working from home very much. I wore a lot of stretchy pants and didn't bother fixing my hair on those days. It's also worth mentioning that that we had already downsized to one car so the dudes were left to bike to town through the winter.

I was sitting down all the time, I didn't feel good about myself and was so anxious I was breaking out in hives a lot of the time.

And so it happened that an entrepreneur Cody recently met needed to make an addition to her marketing staff, and I landed that gig!

The people in Kirbyville were so, so nice. I'll never forget them. But the lifestyle just wasn't what I wanted for myself, or for my family.

Now Cody and I work across the street from each other. I bike our boy to school in the morning. Cody and I bike home together for lunch. The hills are a little more challenging than I remember them being last summer, but that's okay. It feels like I get to fall in love with urban cycling all over again.

Red lights

I was out with Cody, waiting in the left-turn lane at a red light, wearing this getup, when a lady in a car pulled up in the going-straight lane next to us. She rolled down her window and said, "Hey! I like your dress!"

Whoa.

I was so flattered that I immediately made Cody pull over and take my picture to commemorate the occasion.

And last weekend at Bicycles and Brews, I was in the middle of a pack of riders at the beginning of our 17-miler when we stopped for a red light. Rather than wait behind the pack, a city bus scooted up the lane of oncoming traffic and waited there to pass us. 

I sometimes drive, too, and can certainly understand the desire to pass slower-moving vehicles safely, but blocking oncoming traffic at an intersection just seems...less than safe.

Am I wrong? What's a driver supposed to do in this situation?

Talking to strangers

Some nice lady who I did not recognize drove slowly around me as I was headed to work today. She had the windows rolled down on her gray SUV so I could clearly her her shout, "Heeey!" while giving me a wave. Since she had a big ole bike rack on her rig I assumed it was a friendly holler, not a get-out-of-my-way sort of thing.

Bolstered by this encounter and the gorgeous weather I decided everyone I met today would be similarly chummy. So with that mindset I headed home for my break and exchanged a smile and a nod with the guy who pulled up next to me on his moped. Without thinking I challenged him to a race.

Just a friendly joke between two people who don't spend a whole lot of money on gas, right?

Wrong.

"You're sexy," was his response.

That was when I remembered why I don't talk to strangers. 

I should mention here that this is probably the longest red light in town. I stood there in icy silence next to this creep for what seemed like forever. It was during this interminable interval that he asked where I was going.

"Home to my husband," I said. 

And that's where I went.

Open letter to the lady who almost killed us today

Dear lady,

I'm sure the thing you were digging around for in your SUV's console was very important. So important, in fact, that you failed to notice your light at the intersection of Grant and Walnut was red. So riveting that you failed to see the pair of cyclists in the middle of the intersection directly in front of you. So captivating that you didn't seem to hear me bellow into your passenger window a few panicked 'HEYHEYHEYs'. That thing in your console must have been pretty bewitching.

Luckily my husband makes sure our brakes are in excellent condition.

Sincerely,
Ginger

The name of the game is comfort

It's not the most stylish thing I've ever worn, but it's comfortable. Bonus points: it's shiny.

I'm a big fan of visibility, and this simple sequined tank was one of my favorite summer shirts last year. It's just layered over one of Cody's undershirts and paired with this ancient, stretchy pencil skirt. I swapped the flats for wedges at the last minute, and I stayed comfy for both my commutes.

Hope you're staying cool out there

How to handle the hot

Have you ever tried to balance on a bike while pressing a button at the precise moment you're directly in front of a camera? It's not easy. Forgive the face.

Anyway, you want to know what to wear on a hot, hot bike ride? Here's the answer:

Don't wear much.

This here is a flimsy cocktail dress I found in the back of my closet, and haven't worn in ages. It looks a lot shorter than it did to me a couple days ago when I wore it to work, but wear it I did. I threw leggings underneath it for the commute, and switched those out for a blazer to church it up for the office.

I am a terrible blogger

I know I've left you guys hanging, but I've been busy. There's something about working full time and chasing a toddler and hanging out with Cody and keeping my vegetable garden alive that makes opening the computer one more time during the day just really hard to do. Not because I don't enjoy blogging, but because I enjoy it all, everything, so much, especially the part where I hang out with Cody.

Anyway, speaking of the job, I recently wrote a couple things for the paper related to city cycling. One thing was an informational guide to biking around Columbia. The other was a little thing on trending styles that work for bike commuters.

I haven't forgotten about you. I've just been preoccupied. I'll be better, I promise.

This, we call the Ozark Hunker

Our boy regularly assumes this position, which we call the Ozark Hunker. Cute, huh?

Anyway, here I illustrate the best tool in my bike commuting wardrobe arsenal: layers. It definitely felt like summer outside today, but it also felt like winter in my office. The t-shirt underneath this dress kept me from getting my dress all sweaty and also gave me an extra layer of insulation for my oh-so-chilly workplace.

I shopped my friend's closet

I have an impeccably-styled friend named Liz. Over the weekend she decided to set aside some things she didn't wear so often anymore, and she let me pick a few things out that caught my eye. A lot of things caught my eye so everything cute you see me in this summer will have come from Liz's closet. She's an avid cyclist as well, and we've been talking for months about having her do a guest post for us. Probably you'll see something from her sooner rather than later.

In other topics, let's talk about breakfast. I don't have time to sit down and eat a regular meal because I'm a very slow eater and I treat every meal like a total dining experience, complete with either literary or televised entertainment.

Since the little dude will not tolerate any such thing, I have to improvise. For months now I've been drinking a breakfast smoothie, and it has proven to be the single most filling and long-lasting breakfast I've ever had, plus I can put it in my reusable Starbucks cup and take it with me everywhere. Here's my breakfast smoothie recipe.

Peanut Butter Banana Breakfast Smoothie

1/2 banana, frozen
5 ice cubes
1/4 cup Greek yogurt
Huge scoop of Jif
1/2 packet of Carnation Instant Breakfast, sugar-free, vanilla
1 tablespoon ground flax

Blend it together and voila! Breakfast!

Hooray for a new route!

I work with a delightful group of people who bike to work religiously. We often talk to each other about what's been happening out on the roads, who we've seen, cool bikes out there and other local bike-related happenings.

One of these coworkers lives in the same neighborhood as Cody and I do. He once mentioned a shortcut he takes that allows him to avoid a busy intersection and a left-hand turn. This alley runs from First to Fourth Streets between Walnut and Ash, which pretty much delivers me directly to my employer's bike racks.

I took this shortcut for the first time this afternoon. Probably I'll never go the old way again. Thanks for the tip, Steve! Great find.

The worst

I love this skirt. It's light and roomy, it has pockets, it's surprisingly versatile. And it just makes me feel so pretty! So, at least I was feeling great when a horrible screeching sound started coming from the front of my bike and then this happened...

My front brake fell off my bike. Above, you see the spacer that I picked up off the street. Below you see where the whole thing is supposed to be attached. I have no idea where washer and nut are that should be there. I may have been riding around without them for quite some time. We can't figure out how this could have happened.

Actually, now that I think about it I probably have been riding around with some falling-apart brakes for a while. When Cody took the screw out he found it was bent. This makes us both sad.

I guess we all know what Cody will be working on this weekend in the Tinkery.

The story of the yellow dress

This is my sister with my little dude.

This dress didn't always look like this. It used to be a tunic I bought it on a whim while on a shopping trip with my sister, who is 11 years younger than I am. She's really cute, and can pull off pretty much any trend. She has shaved her head (to raise money for cancer research), pierced her nose and has the kind of figure I can only dream about. To top it all off when her hair grew back in it came back in the most adorable sort of pixie 'do. If she wasn't so outstandingly sweet, it would almost make you want to hate her. This is impossible, though. You couldn't hate her even if you wanted to.

So it's easy for me to get caught up when I'm out shopping with her. I tend to pick up things that are too young or too revealing for a lady of my years. And then she very kindly tells me I look amazing in everything I try on. And then I end up with something I have no idea to style, like this.

Unfortunate, right?

Well, I got a sewing machine a few months ago, bought a couple yards of jersey knit, deconstructed the tunic and came out on the other side with a new dress and a new miniskirt that I'm much more comfortable in.

Feeling pretty

There's something about this dress and this haircut and this bike that makes me feel like I'm straight out of 1961. Maybe it's the fuller skirt or the fitted bodice or the matching belt and shoes or the fact that this bike lets me ride sitting upright or maybe it was just the weather. The whole combo just made me feel so pretty.

And I avoided riding this bike for a long time because I remembered it being so heavy, but it's not. It's possible I'm just in better shape than I was the last time I rode it. But you can bet I'll be opting for this rig more often.

And speaking of feeling pretty, I'm reminded of this day two years ago when I felt so, so pretty.

It's our anniversary. It's been an eventful, wonderful two years. And I'm looking forward to many, many more.

One shirt, two ways

Hey guys, I got a new hairdo. I decided to go shorter and do some bangs. Cody said I look Asian. Funny, huh? I'm pretty happy with the new 'do. It's fun to play with and easy to wear so I'm pleased.

Anyway, this black button down is one of the most versatile things I own. Even though I didn't really style it differently, I find it pretty easy to reach into the closet and pair it with almost anything. Like a simple pair of slacks I wore today or this pencil skirt I wore last week...

The skirt, by the way is one I haven't biked in before. As a general rule, it's a bad idea to bike in a pencil skirt, but his one has a zipper going down the front of it. For the ride I unzipped a high slit and twisted the skirt sideways a little bit for a modest, if peculiar-feeling ride in. And when I got to the office I just zipped up and headed in.

Both the pants and the skirt are pre-pregnancy items that I kept around just in case I could squeeze into them again. Turns out, I can squeeze into them again. And it didn't even take any squeezing. I just fit into them, which is a pretty good feeling.

Leftovers

I've been out sick, but here's an outfit I wore on the bike last week.

Trench, mittens and tights for the commute and a simple wrap dress and boots for the office.

I'm baaaack

I've been riding to work like crazy, but have been running out of time to take pictures of myself before I head out. And the last couple times I did take a picture I neglected to upload it. So, here are a couple things I wore recently.

This is the dress I demanded from Cody for Valentine's day. It's so perfect. I love it. I did take the seam ripper to the sleeves, which came with an extra poof at the ends that did some odd things to my arms, which are short like the rest of me. We all know it got really hot recently, and this dress was great for keeping me comfortable both on the bike and in the office.

I also jumped on the hi-lo bandwagon. I saw one on Tanesha over at Girl With Curves, and snapped a not-too-dramatic one up from Target. Not everyone loves this hemline, according to the most recent Tribune style poll, but I obviously love sheer fabric and this makes me feel so, so pretty. It flutters nicely on the bike, too. The slip keeps me covered, and the sheer layer goes flying about merrily. Very fun.

How short is too short?

It's a question I struggle with every year when it warms up. How much leg am I comfortable showing? As soon as it gets too warm for stockings, biking in any kind of skirted garment with bare legs just feels different. Even if whatever I have on is perfectly conservative, it always feels obscenely short as soon as I settle into the saddle and lean forward into the drops.

See? This little frock is just fine when standing up like a lady, but hop on the bike and ...

...whoa. Even if this is the same amount (or less) leg than I would be showing in a regular pair of shorts, it's different. Maybe it's that there's essentially a giant slit up the front of this dress or maybe it's that I can't exactly keep my knees together while pedaling. I just don't feel secure going around town without an extra layer for modesty. That's why I like to layer bike shorts underneath my springtime skirts.

I don't want to be that lady biking around town with her panties showing. And it's awfully distracting to be worrying about a hemline during a whole commute, not to mention unsafe. I'd rather just play it safe and sweat it out in the extra layer so I can still feel like a lady and get where I'm going in one piece.

Say hello to my bra strap

A neighborhood lady stopped me when I wheeled up into the driveway to tell me how classy I looked. She obviously didn't know I would be showing you my bra strap. She also didn't know I spent a lot of time trying to keep myself decent in this faux wrap dress while the gusty winds were, um gusting. I had a safety pin to help me out, but it was not enough. Not nearly enough. 

Spring hasn't sprung yet

It was gorgeous out today. Really, it was. But it was also windy, and spring hasn't quite sprung yet. After standing outside to take my picture, I decided it was just a little too blustery for a light trench, sheer dress and tights. So, I threw on a hoodie underneath the trench and subbed some boots for the ride and I was pretty comfortable. Also, this is the dress Cody gave me for Valentine's Day. I love it.

This is my haircut. Again.

I only went in for a trim. I told the stylist I was growing my hair out, but needed a slight trim and maybe a few layers to give it some shape. She turned me away from the mirror and when she turned me back around my hair looked exactly like it does in the above picture, except the bottom most layer was as long as it was when I walked into the salon.

It was a rat tail.

So I asked her to cut the tail off and now I'm stuck with the exact haircut I had when I decided to have long hair again. I spent a year growing this out.

I'm turning 30 this summer, and I had big plans to have long, sexy curls for my birthday. Now, I'll have awkward, in-between hair. If I haven't been crying over it, I've been pouting about it ever since I left the salon. It's a fine cut, but I wasn't prepared to lose so much hair.

I had just discovered some very cool, helmet-friendly easy updos that I was planning to share with you, too. Guess you'll have to wait another year for my hair to be long enough for it again.

So, it was with a heavy heart that I got ready for work today. I thought if I wore a brightly-colored miniskirt it would distract from my hair. It was roomy enough to bike in comfortably, and my opaque tights saved me from flashing any motorists. Also, it was another gorgeous day so my spirits were brightening by the time I got to work.

After work was another story. When I got out to my bike I realized my bike lock key was missing. I retraced my steps, but found it nowhere so I called Cody to come rescue me and loitered out by the bike rack. While I was chatting with another commuter I learned that someone turned in my key to our lost and found. The lady in charge of that poked around a couple of departments asking if anyone recognized it, but she never notified anyone in the department I work in, which is why I ended up getting a ride home.

Here's Cody rescuing me. He has said only nice things about my hair. I'm lucky to have him.