cycling in style

i had a bit off a rough commute home today. it was gorgeous outside and a lovely day to be on bike. and then i almost got taken out by a women in a white suv (and she realized it too when she finally bothered to look). i was experimenting with a new idea of taking the sidewalk the last ~0.3 miles to my apartment (you have to cross a highway and then make a left into my apartment complex which is trickier than it sounds given the hill also there). two cars (one right after the other) both with drivers on cell phones blocked my way as i was trying to cross the side (usually not busy) entrance to a plaza...then the guy immediately behind then, not on a cell phone but who did appear to see me, also pulls up and blocks my path. i decided after all of this that i would stick to riding in the bike lane and making all the traffic slow down so i can turn left into my complex.

the point of this is that i got home and was rather annoyed. so i decided to look up articles about commuting and how to practice being zen when commuting and the drivers around you are impatient (and clearly not paying attention). well, i happened upon some very fun links (see for example: riding pretty or chic cyclists). that made me happy about bicycle commuting again and provide the additional challenge of doing it in style...maybe even in heels!

i'm excited to get to explore a new city on a bike soon. i was reading this article, which highlights some of the differences between cycling here versus in europe, including the difference in driver-cyclist relationship. i am wondering if i could maybe explore brussels by bicycle in july (even if for only a day) when i'm there for my conference.

happy cycling!

passed!

its been a busy last month! the most recent news is that i passed my dissertation defense last friday...and it wasn't because my committee members were playing an april fools joke on me! the defense went well. after getting over a fear that began the morning of that i would have a brain dump of everything i had learned in the last 4 years 5 seconds into my talk, every thing went smoothly. there was some good discussion with my committee members and then the asked me to leave the room so they could discuss amongst themselves whether i should pass or not. about 5 minutes later they invited me back in to tell me that i passed!

now i have to wrap up odds and ends--get a few forms signed and make a some corrections to the text of my dissertation...and then there's that whole bit about getting all the knowledge in my head about lab equipment bequeathed to other people. i'm the only one who knows how to use some things!

eric and i decided to move to the washington dc area. i'll be starting a postdoc in june at the university of maryland and am very excited about it. i'm extremely excited to be closer to family too. since college, i've never lived within a few hour drive of so many aunts, uncles, cousins and even a sibling! i'm looking forward to seeing people more often and getting to know everyone better. i'm also looking forward to exploring the dc area more. i only visited museums and such as a kid and eric has only passed through for a brief period as well...there's a bike trail that goes 187 miles from dc to cumberland (?)...i could do a point to point 50 mile training run on a (paved--maybe there's dirt on the side?) trail--multiple times!

this past week, the weather in texas finally hit the mid- to upper-90s in temperatures. its summer folks. i am writing this morning as my run has been temporarily canceled due to a rather large thunder and lightning storm. its weird though because i can still hear birds chirping just outside the window.