My folding bike - not so comfy but great against coyotes

(I posted essentially the same version of this story in today's Folding Bike section of Bike Forums - enjoy!)


So today I got my Schwinn Hinge Folding Bike back from the bike shop (Metropolis Bikes in North Hollywood), where I'd left it for a tune-up, and was pleased to find that they'd not only done a thorough job of checking it over, they also installed a metal bottle cage on the handlebars, free of charge - thanks guys & gals!

I drove it a few miles to Valhalla Memorial Park, a totally cool cemetery with great views of both the Burbank Airport and the Amtrak/Metrolink train station. It's also the perfect place for out-of-shape folks like me to exercise - because there are NO HILLS! Yes, it's totally flat! And bonus - since it was a hot day, the sprinklers were going; making it the perfect place to test-ride my newly restored folding bike!

I took it out of the trunk and unfolded it. The hinges have always been a little clunky to use and they still are, but the Metropolis guys put some oil/lube on them so they worked as well as they're ever going to work. Once I got it set up, I adjusted the seat, put my feet on the pedals, and started to ride ...

... when what to my wondering eyes did appear but a COYOTE - yes, a real live coyote! - headed straight for me!!

Well, I was a little nervous but what that coyote didn't know was that I'd spent a hectic morning chasing a pack of wild Chihuahuas away from my yard at home, and figured, hey, a dog is a dog, right? I'd gotten rid of the evil dogs by running towards them at full speed, yelling and waving a stick, which did the job quite nicely (also works for Jehovah's Witnesses btw ).

Anyway, so back at the cemetery, I figured I'd just do the same thing. Rather than turn wheel and run, I pedaled harder, directly TOWARDS him, shouting, "Bad dog! Bad dog!" That was all it took - he turned around and ran (followed closely by one of the cemetery groundskeepers, who'd been keeping a close eye on the situation from his tractor a few feet away).

All in all, I was quite pleased with my Schwinn Folding Bike's performance. Sure, the seat is still a little uncomfortable and it's a little hard to pedal. But it keeps the coyotes away, which is pretty much all I ask of any bike, folding or non-folding.

Obsession, or Why I Haven't Blogged for Two Weeks

Yeah, sorry about that. I tend to go on autopilot sometimes, and just can't stand doing any heavy thinking, much less writing, for days at a time.

I know I should be blogging more ... one of my commenters a couple of posts back said I should post every day.

Yeah, okay. Hmm. I don't think so! I have enough trouble hitting this thing once a week!

But in case you're interested, I do have some interesting stuff going on.

a) I've gotten into biking. Again. See, I have this tendency to get really excited about a subject, hobby, activity, religion (or lack thereof) for a while, till I reach the pinnacle of success with it. Then I get bored and move onto something else.

So two years ago, I got really into the idea of getting a bike. I wound up buying THREE bikes in a row:

1. a Schwinn Explorer from the local bike shop, which turned out to be too big for me, so I never rode it.
   
2. an Electra Townie, which was way more comfortable for me, but still, I never rode it.
   
3. a Schwinn Hinge Folding Bike, which I ordered from Amazon, thinking, hey, a folding bike! I'll take it with me in the car and ride it whenever I see a nice bike path! Sure! Yeah! I never rode it.
   

I salvaged the Explorer with a bike trainer, which basically turns the whole bike into a stationary bike. Steve and I used it for a while, till we got tired of it.

The Townie sat in the garage, being wheeled out occasionally to keep it from rusting and to keep me from feeling guilty for spending so much $$ on it.

The folding bike I gave to my mother-in-law, who thought a friend of hers might want it.

But earlier this year, Steve and I made a trip to Kansas City to visit my Grandpa, and made a side trip to Sedalia, Missouri, where I'd spent a very happy three years as a teenager. While there, I showed Steve the places I used to go on my bike, and we were BOTH amazed to find out how far, and how confidently, I'd ridden.

Why had I stopped? Well, I'd gotten older, gotten a car, and gotten fat, pretty much in that order!

So when we got home, I thought about it, and thought about it, and then thought about it some more.

Then I wheeled the Townie out of the garage, pumped air into the tires, plopped my old helmet on my head and (deep breath) went for a ride around the block.

It actually felt ... not too shabby! So I started riding it more and more - not long distances (yet) but have gotten to the point where I can go to the Reseda Post Office and back, without a major amount of sweat.

And not only that, but one evening Steve's mother-in-law casually disclosed that she still had the folding bike, didn't want it anymore, and would I like it back? I said sure!

It, too, had flat tires, and I decided to take it to Metropolis Bikes, a bike shop I'd visited a few times, in North Hollywood, California, for a total tune-up.

It'll be ready for pickup tomorrow. I'll let you know next week how it rides.

Congrats - last two books given away!

OK, here's what I did. I decided to go back to the ORIGINAL contest comments, find two non-winners who HAD left their emails or at least were easy to contact, and just give THEM the two remaining copies of Michael Spencer's "Mere Churchianity".

And the lucky winnas - to be contacted as soon as I finish this post - are:

E

and

joederbes

Yayy!! Congrats to both of you! I've sent you emails and as soon as I get your reply & mailing addresses, I'll pack 'em up and ship 'em out.

And if I don't hear from YOU guys in a week - well, let's just say I'm a registered Amazon Power Seller and I KNOW HOW TO SUBMIT USED BOOKS BWAH HAH HAH HAH HAHHHH!!

Internet Forums, and why I'm not writing about them today

Sigh. I know.

I KNOW.

I promised (both you and myself!) that I was going to write a nice, long, juicy review of various Internet religious forums that I participate in regularly, such as Catholic Answers, OrthodoxChristianity.net, and Ship of Fools.

I was going to tell you how these forums, and so many others, are so attractive in many ways, luring you in with the promise of intelligent, rational dialogue with others who are interested in the same issues you are.

And how, if you spend too much time on any of them (doesn't matter which, they're ALL the same), you will either become the bully or the bullied. And either way, your faith will waver.

I was going to back all this up with specific examples of threads I've seen or even participated in, to show how all this stuff plays out.

Yes, I was GOING to do all that.

Then the temperature went up to 107 degrees Fahrenheit.


So I went to the beach instead.

And you should too, if you can. 'Cause it's WAY too hot to even be in front of this computer!

See ya next week - and don't forget, any new comments on ANY of my blog posts, between now and Monday, qualify for the "Mere Churchianity" contest!!

"Mere Churchianity" - Second Chance for Free Copy!

Win a Free Copy of "Mere Churchanity"!

Hey, guys and gals! Since AG and IndieRoadie never got in touch with me, I'm just going to assume they no longer want their free copies of "Mere Churchianity" by the late great Michael Spencer (aka "The Internet Monk").

So if you've been pinin' away for one - here's your (second) chance!

The rules: Just post a comment to this post between now and next Monday, July 19, 2010. On that date, around 8 or 9 a.m.-ish (depending on what time my cat Princess wakes me up to feed her -


"talk to the paw" if you want me to be more specific) -

I'll put your names in a hat, or perhaps a Tupperware bowl, depending on what's clean/available, and pick out two lucky winners!

Rule #2 - based on the problem with the first time I did this contest, I'm going to
ask that you post your email address directly in the BODY of your comment, so I can easily contact you when you win.

That's all it is!

Yup, it's so easy! So go for it! Those copies are just sitting on my kitchen table, waiting for some happy reader to enjoy!

Meanwhile, just to whet your appetite and keep you reading: later this week I'll be doing an in-depth review of various religious forums on the Net, why 99.9% of them are hazardous to your faith - and why, in spite of that, we still keep going back to them!

Weekend Update: Last Chance for "Mere Churchianity"!

Happy Saturday morning, everyone! Hope you're all looking forward to a happy, explosive Fourth of July!

Reminder to AG and IndieRoadie: You have till Monday to let me know if you still want your free copies of Mere Churchianity (you won, remember??

AG and IndieRoadie, want this??

If I haven't heard from you by Monday, your two copies are up for grabs, and I'll announce the Second Chance Drawing - so stay tuned!

Do you live in an area where fireworks are legal? I have very fond memories of running around with sparklers, wielding them as swords against other kids.

Hey - think that's where George Lucas got the idea?

But just to remind you what this holiday's all about, check out this clip from one of the few Robin Williams movies I've ever been able to stomach that tells it all - enjoy!

Fool [for Christ] of the Week/Month/Year/Decade/Millenium (thus far): The Raving (A)Theist! (Part 2)

In Part 1 of my investigation of the conversion of the blogger formerly known as the Raving Atheist, I said that I wasn't sure his conversion was legit.

After all, he'd been known for posts of such breathtakingly excellent sarcasm in the past that even I, the Curvy Catholic (aka (A)Theist Gal, Stoogeswoman, and other witty nom de ploooooms throughout the entire dang World Wide Web) was taken in - such as his disturbingly well-written non-apology to me for nominating me Godidiot of the Week:

"Christine Lehman is not a Godidiot. I will not longer permit that dishonor to stain her reputation. Upon his return, I shall direct my webmaster to delete forever that cruel and unfortunate post.

For I have looked into the mirror. Shouldn’t we all?"

So when, as noted earlier, I discovered that this highly sarcastic person had announced his conversion to Christianity, I wasn't the only one who was skeptical. Check out some of these comments from that post:

"I personally like to think that this blogger is the greatest troll of all time." (Sam)

Maybe you could provide us with some reasons for your conversion. Until you do that many of us atheists will just assume this is a prank. (Gary F.)

Yet another sheep baa-ing another pointless bleating because he couldn't be bothered to read any of the books that would have settled the matter (the Bible being one of them, Thomas Paine's "The Age of Reason" being another). (Holydust [on Pharyngula])

Now to be fair (and I'm sure R A/T will agree with me), some of the atheists' reactions were more reasonable than others. Not all atheists march in lockstep (anymore than do all Christians). But the general consensus among atheists, agnostics and skeptics was: It's either a hoax, or this guy's gone mental.

I didn't think it was a hoax, but I didn't think he'd gone mental either. People are always converting from one worldview to another, for an infinite number of reasons. Even the blogger Obsessed with Reality, while irritated by TRA's conversion, acknowledged that:

"I say then to anyone comfortable in his intellectually-based atheism: your atheism is a result of your personal worldview, and like all humans, your worldview is malleable, and mostly so when reality throws a hot cauldron full of shit into your life."

But what finally convinced me that it wasn't a hoax was this fantastic interview, conducted by blogger Elizabeth Esther earlier this year. I won't quote too much from it - it's worth a read all on its own! But apparently, it was RT's growing involvement in the pro-life movement that eventually triggered his conversion:

"In time, RT found it impossible to believe that the universe was created out of nothing. There was order, direction and love. Those things all pointed to some larger, unfathomable consciousness. He realized he could not believe that human hearts and minds came into being randomly."

What can I add to Elizabeth's excellent interview? Not a whole lot, I'm afraid. I don't now, and never did, know The Raving (A)Theist personally. We've only recently communicated by email (in which he alerted me to yet ANOTHER of his posts where he referenced me by name - "The Blog Code", an amusing parody of that Ron Howard movie - what was it called again? Splash? No, that's not it. Oh well, it'll come to me.) Anyway, he wrote:

"Christine Lehman, A Theist Gal
She is the militant archangel.
She’s a lethargic, militant hen.
She is that chilling man-eater.
Ghastliest, heathen criminal.
Hell! An atheistic nighmares.
(Another evangelical Catholic.)"


("And there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour." - Revelation 8:1)


ANYWAY!

Raving Theist, formerly known as Raving Atheist, welcome aboard the Barque of St. Peter!

It's a marginally seaworthy vessel with lots of alarming holes here and there. But - the more the merrier! And if we all work together, maybe we can bail out enough water to keep us afloat till we get to that other shore!