Fellow bike commuter and blogger Bri nominated me for a Versatile Blogger Award. This is a nice thought and I appreciate it. The award does have all the earmarks of a chain letter though. It asks participants to post seven facts about him/herself. And link to 15 other blogs you like.
I’m not going to perpetuate the chain but for those of you who don’t already know, here are seven facts about me:
- I used to run marathons. I’d give my left knee to run again but alas it’s already trashed.
- I have met, by my count, 65 people because of the 50 States ride. This astounds me because up until the 2006 ride I did nearly all my riding alone.
- I spent two summers driving a cab in Boston. It has taken me nearly 40 years to unlearn all the bad habits I acquired.
- I hate traveling but have managed to rack up several foreign countries including Denmark, Portugal (twice), England, India, Canada, and West Virginia (at least 100 times)
- I used to contribute material to Crazyguyonabike.com . This is an excellent website dedicated to bicycle touring.
- I once smoked two packs of cigarettes a day and quit cold turkey.
- I once lost 70 pounds in a year.
- I am the son of an ophthalmologist. Ironically, I have worn glasses since 3rd grade and have had 6 eye operations in the last 15 years. If I were born 100 years ago, I’d have been eaten by wolves before I turned 40.
If you want to know my favorite blogs you can look at the list on the right. Here are the ones that I really look forward to:
The Impermanent Resident – The adventures of my friend Florencia who dropped out of conventional life to travel the world, explore her spirituality, and live by her wits.
Chasing Mailboxes – The biking, running, and fitness blog of Mary whose incessant picture taking indirectly resulted in me meeting about 50 of the 65 people above.
Tales from the Sharrows – Brian’s blog contains often surreal tales of his travels back and forth between work and home in DC.
Ultrarunnergirl – Kirstin’s blog is mostly about running incredibly long distances and the nutrition, medical, and mental requirements to get from here to there on two feet.
Bike Like Crazy – Bri’s blog is all about bike commuting through the winter in the frozen north of upstate New York. I simply don’t know how she does it.
My Year with Kerouac – Michelle tries to kill me with her WABA events. To make up for it, she writes in the style of the master.
We’ll Eat You Up We Love You So – The addictive tales of Shannon, a bicyclist new to the parenting game in suburban Rockville MD.
Pennine Pedalling – Georgie bikes in scenic rural England. Georgie is currently very pregnant.
PortaJohn – John invented the Hoppy 100 ride. I have done many rides with him. Most of them involve consumption of craft beer. He moved to Baltimore a few weeks ago but I’ll keep tabs on him through his blog posts.
Bike and Brain – I have always said that running and cycling are not about the body. They are about the mind. Matthew’s blog explores that train of thought.
Bikeyface – Becca bike commutes in Boston. Her humorous cartoons about riding in the city are always entertaining.
RamblingRider – Lisa and I have done many rides together since meeting three years ago. She doesn’t post often enough but I always look forward to her tales.
A Girl and Her Bike – Kate rides Molly and Kermit on the streets of DC. She used to ride for work, as a DC police officer. She’s still a LEO but no longer on two wheels for work.
Longer Baca – The off and on blog of Alex, who moved to San Francisco for career and boy, but misses DC something awful. We miss her too.
The Daily Randonneur – Ed and Mary (yes, that one) ride bikes incredibly far.
A Few Spokes Shy of a Wheel 