Grant Peterson is some dude who owns a company dedicated to making fun, rideable bikes, on the idea that racing bikes are stupid and not for everybody. Pretty neat stuff, especially considering the fetishization of technology that exists in a lot of bike stuff.

Anyhoo, he's got a nice little piece called Tips for Happy Riding, which I shamelessly plucked off the blog of somebody who i've never met but seems really cool and thoughtful.

Inspired by Peterson's sensibility, I put an easy gear ratio on my bike, flipped my flat handlebars way high up in the air, and passed up the third in a five-part race series (in which I'm doing well) to go to the beach with friends on Saturday.

It was a very good decision.

On Monday night's prospect park race, I had fun racing again - I had the feeling I wouldn't, so I was pleasantly surprised. I stole wheels and blocked some wheel-steals, then hopped on the wheel of a breakaway and had a deadly fast first lap. Wound up coming in 4th and scoring some points - not bad!

My sister has moved to town, and this is a nice thing. We had dinner on Monday night.

You know, in Boggle, when you shake up the cube filled with letter-cubes and you have to keep on giving them little shakes until they settle? But there are always a couple that are lying at odds on their corners?

Shake shake shake.

My band, Maxwell's Demon, is playing a show on Saturday. We have been intensively practicing and writing music and are planning work on a new album - we've got a great start and I am just getting more and more excited to see this develop.

I wish I could take a couple months off work to see this through... I still feel the strongest urge to play hookey, to go somewhere new each day, to wonder where I'll eat my next meal, to explore the corners, to sing songs loudly, to see Manhattan from new angles and heights. But sighing, I return to work every morning.