February was an eventful month. I rode 25 of 29 days for 629 miles. 104 miles over 7 days were indoors using Big Nellie on a resistance trainer. I hit 15,000 miles on my CrossCheck. My longest ride was 51 1/2 miles on The Mule. So far this year, I’ve ridden 1,341 miles.
Of course, the biggest thing was that I finally got cortisone shots in my back to reduce the nerve pain in my leg and lower back. Mostly, it worked but my body is far from normal. I have pain of one sort or another every day, but at least I can walk a few hundred yards without a cane. I go back to the doctor soon. We’ll talk about whether I should get a second set of injections.
Since this is reading season, I managed to read three books: Bill Bryson’s Notes from a Small Island, Dark Places by Gillian Flynn, and And I Do Not Forgive You by Amber Sparks.
I attended some interesting events. The WABA Annual Meeting and Awards was fun. It was nice to see some friends being recognized. Three kids were given awards for presenting testimony before a Vision Zero meeting of city council members. I watched the testimony online and I have to say that these kids were awesome. (They were nine or ten years old at the time of the hearing.)
I attended a screening of a short film about Black American Sign Language at Gallaudet University in DC. Thanks for the invite to Katie Lee, a friend who works at the Gallaudet U. Press. I managed not to see her. The place was packed.
I also went to Amber Sparks’s book tour event at Politics and Prose. She’s the wife of Chris, a former co-worker. Her book has gotten rave reviews in the Washington Post and on NPR.
And speaking of former co-workers, I had a drink with Jessica who is back from her whirlwind tour down the Pacific Rim. This followed a very long trip to South America, Antarctica, and Easter Island. Intrepid she is. As good as it is to see her, I will miss her posts from the other side of the world.
And, of course, I managed to haul my lazy ass out of bed a few times to ride to DC for Friday Coffee Club. Apparently a new dress code involving wool caps, glasses, and beards has begun to take hold.
And so I forge ahead into March. It’s time to start thinking about a bike tour. Last year I had floods, tornadoes, and mountains. This year I have stenosis and a pandemic. Wherever you go, there you are.
A Few Spokes Shy of a Wheel 