The Perils of Biking...

Now, I want you all to know, I haven't been avoiding my blog, nor have I abandoned my post (haha, blog humor!) at all.  The real reason why I haven't updated yet?

Not much has happened.

And I refuse to be one of those people; the ones who update every minute of their lives every single minute detail that has possibly occured to them.  If that's your only love in life, than kudos.  But I am not Miley Cyrus, and my life doesn't warrant the kinds of things that the rich and famous are exposed to.

On top of all that, this week, and next week, is midterms....I had two this week, and one was in a foreign language....needless to say, I saw more of Hayden Library than my dorm room.  I was too focused on studying to worry about my blog, so HA!

Anyway....an update.  You should all be pleased to know that today marks the end of my 12th day of my weight loss plan.  And I am super stoked about this!  I have been more concious about what I eat, what's in the food I do eat, exercising and drinking plenty of fluids.  It helps that the annual Fall Farmer's Market stopped by this week, so I loaded up on fresh produce that has me getting all excited and stuff.

This is very important to me, and I am so proud of myself for having kept it up, especially during this week, when stress + exams usually = compulsive eating.  I am disciplined. I am in control.  I am going to succeed.

That's my daily mantra, and every time one of the Barrett desserts looks particularly yummy (and this is during breakfast, lunch, AND dinner, not to mention the all you can eat Gelato bar) that I repeat it to myself.  It also helps for me to look through the many magazines I now subscribe to (because apart from Bon Appetit and Home & Garden there were NO magazines in my house), to find some ridiculously expensive item, and picture myself, 90+ lbs lighter, and in said ridiculously expensive item.

But on to another subject...

Anyone who goes to, or has been to, a relatively large or bustling college campus can attribute the fact that, more often than not, a plethora of bikes can be found.  Everything from racers, mooutain bikes, cruisers, POS bars with two wheels, and the very strange mini bike that looks more suited to a toddler than to a perfectly well-proportioned college male (but I won't dally on that)

The same is true for ASU.  We are one of the largest colleges (with 4, almost 5 separate campuses, not to mention the online schooling) in the country, and we are in the sun for most of the year.  It is a natural occurence that, should you have a class all the way across campus from where you live (in which 5 of my 6 classes are) a bike is a necessity to get from place to place without wasting hours of your day.  Plus, it's cheaper than bringing your car to campus and paying for a year long permit in one of the garages.  I myself am the owner of a cute aqua and white beach cruiser, that yes, may be a bit sqeaky, but runs perfectly fine and gets me where I need to go.

But what they don't tell you in those glossy college brochures that are, by now, being mailed out to hopeful high school Seniors, are the perils of biking on campus.  I am now going to walk you through the different, all true, aspects.

1.) No Bike Lanes
*Apart from the official traffic bike lanes, of which there are many, there are no set bike lanes within the actual campus.  Pedestrians and bikers alike are forced onto the common pathways, and I've seen more than one collision during rush hour (prime class time for students; anywhere from 8am-12pm, and 2pm-5pm).  It ain't pretty, folks.  And then the pedestrians get all pissed off, so then the bikers get ticked off, and sooner than later a full on brawl breaks out.  Dearest Pedestrians....contrary to what you may believe, we bikers are not out to purposely run into you and cause you to drop your Starbucks frappucino all over your $200 jeans.  But, when we call out a 'heads-up!' or an 'on your left/right!' and you decide to smile and ignore us, it is fair to say that we warned you, and it is your own fault for not moving out of the way.  Sorry.

2.) The Rivalry
*There is an ongoing rivalry between modes of transportation on campus.  The people with the cars taunt everyone who doesn't have one, i.e. pedestrians, bikers, longboarders, scooter-ers, anyone without four wheels and an engine.  In turn, once they are physically ON the campus, are at the mercy of those with a smaller means of transportation, i.e. bikers, longboarders, scooter-ers.  The true rivalry are between the bikers and the longboarders, with people riding scooters just barely surpassing pedestrians.  Who can look cooler while getting class?  Who can move faster?  I, in my relative experience, have found that while yes, longboards/skateboards are much smaller, mobile, don't require a lock, and can be faster, they are also more prone to tripping over jagged cracks in pavement and causing the rider to do a stumbling air-run for five seconds before falling to the ground.  Likewise, while bikes are harder to manage in a crowd, and require a good lock to keep safe, they are better for transporting large items, are less prone to un-seating their riders, and can be faster as well.  For me, it's a tie.

3.) The Police
*At ASU, you don't only have to fear the cops giving you a ticket if you park longer than your meter allows.  There's also a bike division at the college PD, and if you are found to be violating one of the many biking laws, you can also get written up and fined for that as well.  Luckily for me, I was raised by two cops, and one of them, although retired, works for the ASU PD, so I was well briefed on the all the codes beforehand.

Indeed, the perils of biking are many and varied, and yet, I find myself enjoying every minute of it.  Including the time I almost mowed down this guy by accident (in my defense, I was going downhill and he came out of NOWHERE) and narrowly avoided the collision by careening into the grass and slightly toppling over.  The guy, who was very cute btw, felt so bad that he bought me an iced green tea and we ended up talking about classes (we both have a Communication class).

Needless to say, so far, so good.