Urbana-Champaign Bicycle Commute

I have woken wiht slightly toasted ears but otherwise no ill effects from the sun dose of the Bikefest.
The bus looks wunnerful. Two of the models (for the front two bicycles) were there, which was visually fun 'cause you could tell they were the same. The hand-cycle wouldn't have happened, I don't think, had it not been for that stencil on the Windsor path, that the hand-cycle would have gotten on this bus; I"m sure there's a medical metaphor term for that kind of marketing... that stencil didn't get lots of visibility, but it got mine and because it got my attention, there's a bus that's going to get gobs of visibility, like unto the single bit of nasty spores that gets released in the Andromeda Strain, eh?

LOTS of bicycles going to Leal this a.m.; enough to make a person wonder if it wasn't a marketed movement, especially given the number of guardian-units calling out instructions to the juveniles :)

My poor thumbs will, alas, get anotehr workout. The Xtra tube was flat htis a.m. It took six or seven sessions of wrestling to get the tire on the second time (the first time I turned it over to Pete, who resorted reluctantly to levers, which worked except it must have killed the tube 'cause it wouldn't hold air), including sitting it over the halogen light in the hopes that a warm tire would stretch more easily. Seemed each time I'd get a *little* further before the hands gave out... but I suppose the tube must have been pinched somewhere. IT's not a fast leak but I made it a dahon morning anyway and wished once more... ah, well, the plan is that I'll have house and garage back by next weekend.

... and, happily, the state of virginia has gotten around to letting me know that it does look like I have property to claim (15 weeks instead of 8-10 but who's counting ;) ) and oh, well, they have a backlog but in 6-8 weeks they should get to mine.