So, as previously stated, I have today off because of all the graduation hooplah, etc.  However, I found out yesterday that Ch. 2 was thinking about covering the Olsen office since HALF of our staff was planning to bike to work (okay, so there are only eight of us).  Pretty cool, right?  So I was totally bummed that I wouldn’t be biking to work.  But since I inspired so many to ride to work (that’s right, I did) they thought I should show up if I could and share in the local news glory.  So, being that I had been up since 4:30 a.m. (boyfriend defended thesis today, stress + lack of sleep = no bueno … long story) I figured I may as well go.  Plus, my good friend Jen, who lives a few blocks away, was nervous about doing it by herself.  And seeing that I am now a pro, I wanted to help. 

To my dismay, Ch. 2 never showed up.  It was a bummer, but I was glad to have gotten to ride for a bit, because otherwise I don’t think I’d have had the chance today.  Although, if I really wanted to, I suppose I could be riding now instead of writing this blog while my poor sleep-deprived boyfriend naps …

ANYWAY, we decided we’d take it upon ourselves to get Olsen Bike to Work Day covered.  So we took our own picture to send around.

Logo inclusion and everything.

We are such fun people.  Ended up hanging around for a bit just to be sure Ch. 2 wasn’t coming, and then headed home to watch last night’s Grey’s.  Boyfriend and I have a great ride scheduled for Sunday (because that’ll be the first time we can cause of the graduation celebration).  We’re thinking about doing the trail along the river that goes all the way out to Vista Blvd.  Nearly everyone I talk to says it’s a great one.  Have been scoping out mapmyride.com for some potential future rides, too.  Will be sure to document!!

So tomorrow, Friday, May 15, is Nevada Bike to Work Day.  And I think the whole week is actually considered Nevada Bike to Work Week.  I am not totally sure.  Either way, I was pretty bummed that I wasn’t going to be able to bike to work on Friday.  My dad will be in town and I’m not going to work!  Please do not confuse this with my being bummed about my dad being in town and/or taking a day off!  But I am totally and genuinely bummed about not getting to participate in Bike to Work Day.

As stated in my previous entry, I resolved to bike to work the entire week, save Friday.  And here we are on Thursday and I did it!  Even today, which is a half-day.  I’m not gonna lie, I am pretty darn impressed with myself.  Not that it’s a tough or long ride.  It’s relatively short and easy.

As stated in another previous entry:

I definitely need to be on my bike a lot more to have better stories to tell.  Now, the learning part is mostly taken care of.  I can ride the bike.  Now I need to start experiencing life from my bike.

Yes, I just block-quoted my own blog post.

Hopefully after Brad is done with school we can go on some more after-work rides.  I really want to try the trail along the river that goes all the way to Vista.  Anyway, I suppose that’s it for now … yay for a fun weekend of graduating, BBQing, family visiting and hopefully a little bike riding!

I tried uploading a blog post from my phone, but it sure did not work.  Ah well.

So, basically, I sucked this week and hardly rode at all.  I rode to work both Monday and Tuesday, but ended up having Brad come get both me and my bike each day.  Riding home after a 13-hour day just wasn’t appealing enough.  I gave up for the week because 1) I was just too busy and 2) I had places that needed to be driven to.  Boo, I was a lame, excuse-making slacker.

But, by Friday, I was itching to ride, so the boyfriend and I took a ride to check out the Reno River Festival.

pre-ride. in the sun. cute expression.

It was alright.  Mostly just a bunch of people.  We ended up going down to the West Street Market for some gyros at Niko’s and shared a yummy beer at the wine bar.  We rode home and thought we’d stay in for the night, but ended up going back out (on our bikes) to have some drinks at Jungle Vino with my BFF Annie and her boyfriend.  Fun times.  Was the first time I’ve really ridden in the dark.  That was interesting.  I need a much better headlight though, if I’m going to keep doing that.

Even though they’re usually short and not nearly frequent enough, I really love going for bike rides with that boy of mine.  I probably never would have gotten the bike if it weren’t for him.

Yesterday started off rough, but ended with a nice ride to Starbucks and then down to pick up dinner from Jimmy John’s.  Yep, I rode all the way to the University and back!  Sierra at dusk was a little scary though.

Goal for next week: ride to work (and back!!) every day.  Or at least four days.  It’s just TOO pretty out to be driving to work!

Had a really lovely, energetic, exciting, inspiring day today at the Reno-Tahoe Wordcamp.  I don’t think I will fully understand everything I learned today until I start playing around with the WordPress.org software.  But either way, I had a great time.  Sometimes I can’t BELIEVE that I get paid to go and learn that stuff.  Can’t wait to start implementing everything in the Olsen Blog.  I think later on I will transcribe some notes and give some links to some slideshows … but not tonight because I am way tired.  Just felt the need to get on and gush a bit.

A few highlights:

• Found out just how funny Ed Adkins really is.
• Learned a retarded amount of goodies from David LaPlante about personal branding
• Became very aware of how limited my knowledge is of html code and PHP (to be honest I don’t even know what PHP is).
• Realized I need to do to understand this stuff.  More on that once I have started doing.

Guess that’s all for now.  Guess none of this was about my bike (which, another thing I learned today, according to Mike Higdon, is that bikes and bicycling happen to not be a very good/original blog topics), but I don’t care enough.    Today was a fabuloso day and I enjoyed it very much and just had to share.  Wish I had enough time/felt comfortable enough to ride my bike to the university today for the Wordcamp, but didn’t.

I thought there was something else I had to say .. but not anymore, I guess.

So … here we are.  I am thinking about making this blog mostly about my adventures with my new bike.  I am under the impression it might be easier to write about a particular topic or focus, so we’ll start with that.  But I feel like that might get old quickly–to all of NOBODY that is reading this.  Either way, I anticipate this blog will highlight more than just my bike life.

So, I bought this bike from the Reno Bike Project.  It’s pretty rad, actually.

My late 70s - early 80s schwinn

I am basically in love with it.

So, the last time I was on a bike (not of the stationary-gym variety) was around 1994.  I was 9 and I went “chin surfing,” as my family likes to call it.  Suffice it to say I was kind of over the whole bike thing.  By the time I stopped being afraid of bikes, I never really saw a use/need for them in my life and then the idea just never occurred to me.

So, here I am, living in Reno with gorgeous weather about 3/4 of the year.  I work about five minutes away from my home, which happens to be in a lovely area near downtown.  Why would I NOT have a bike?  So I got a bike.

My outdoor enthusiast boyfriend had NOTHING to do with it either.  Okay, that’s a lie.  He had to teach me how to ride all over again.  At first it was scary, feeling like I was going to topple over if he let go.  But then something overcame me and I wasn’t scared anymore.  I just went.  You really never forget how to ride a bike.

Success!

Turning around on a bike, however, I still have yet to master.  I can’t quite make a u-turn, but am sort of able to do an o-turn.

Days after learning, I was on the real road.  Driving with cars is scary.  And just days after that, I had my first fall.  Note to self: double-knot shoelaces.  I got right back on that horse — er, bike — and rode all the way to Blockbuster!  Okay, that’s a lie too.  I walked with it on the sidewalk on Plumb.  Too scary.

Last night I was a weiner and didn’t really ride at all and now I am regretting that since it’s supposed to thunder/rain/snow through Wednesday night.

Okay, so there it is.  My first blog.  Yay me!