I hate to ride in the wind. Yesterday we had gusts up to 25 mph. Riding in the wind can turn my 2.5 into an unpleasant ride. I don’t like the extra effort it takes to get where I’m going. I don’t like never knowing when a gust will come and force you to get your balance. I would rather ride in ten degrees (which I did over the winter) than ride in the wind. Now if it’s a cold wind then I’d rather stay home.

Yesterday I ended up walking to work. I heard the wind slamming my apartment and made up my mind I’d rather walk. Besides, walking is turning out to be quite pleasant. I end up walking one or two days a week.

Car-free commute has fallen into a normal part of life. This is not a bad thing. As a matter of fact it’s a very good thing. I want to make status-quo not having a car. I want to prove it can be done. Trust me. I used to drive a lot. The fact that not having a car is normal life for me proves that anyone can do it if they really want to. I suppose it’s finding the value in a smaller sustainable life.

I’m looking forward to riding around town and doing stuff after work now that it’s getting warm. Not that I couldn’t do that all winter, but when it was 20 degrees I didn’t venture out when I didn’t have to.

Sorry I haven’t been posting much. I’ve had my head in my photography business: Event Horizon Fotografie. I really should have a blog about that.

I noticed that a local news channel is doing a segment called “Project Economy.” I thought a piece about being intentionally car-free is fitting. So I emailed them and suggested it. Surprisingly they agreed. They are coming to the office on Thursday to “follow me home.” I don’t know if that means they are going to drive beside me or what.

I’ll be sure to post the youtube link when I have one.

This evening I was to go a Technology Gala. My company was nominated for some awards.

It made for a comical situation. I didn’t want to ride because this event needed a suit. I have nowhere to put a suit on my bike, as of yet. I saw my manager’s name on the invite for the event and was assuming he was going. I figured I could get a ride from him. Never assume. He wasn’t going.

I had to ride my bike.

I had my suit rolled up in my panniers. I had forgotten any shoes except my buckle dress shoes. So I was riding towards downtown in my bike gear with dress shoes when my pannier fell off my bike out into traffic! Again!

Fortunately, neither I nor my pannier were hit.

It was the same thing that happened last time. Something snapped the brace off my fender.

My conclusion? SKS plastic fenders suck. A little rock got in there and snapped my fender! I’m going to have to try the chromoplastic. I need fenders, but I don’t want ones that break for no explainable reason.

I ended up walking my bike home and skipping the gala.

My girlriend just sent me a text message that said she killed a butterfly with her car. It was probably the second butterfly of the year. That my, friends, is reason enough to get rid of your car. Think about the butterflies!

First off, hi. I am still here. I’m still car-free. I haven’t written in a while because, honestly, not much has happened. I ride my bike to work most days and walk every so often. The weather has been shifting. It’s been warm for the last few days. That’s pretty exciting.

So far I’m not even tempted to get a car. At this point, it is just a way of life for me now. At first I was getting used to it. I used to make plans and forget I didn’t have  a car. My plans are shaped around whether I can get there and how. It just happens naturally though.

I like that my world has gotten smaller. It’s such a less hectic and cluttered life. The pace is much slower.

The good news is, I paid off my credit cards! I went from $8,500 to $0 in ten months! I’m so excited! I know that selling my car was a large factor in getting there so quickly. I saved several hundred dollars a month that I could put straight towards the debt.

My dad is still trying to get me to get a new car. He’s telling me about all kinds of hybrids and cars that are sold in Europe that may come to the U.S. I am not ready for that. Now that the credit cards are paid off it’s time to tackle my student loans, all $39,000 of them.