wanderlust is so hard to overcome

i went to one bike mechanic volunteer session this week. i just showed up and the second i walked in the door, people were welcoming me to the new place. this further confirms that bikers are the greatest people on the face of the earth. bikes are the most amazing invention. who would've guessed that a bike could make people so nice and hospitable?

i read a book recently about a guy who cycled across the country in 1887, just when bikes started gaining popularity in the United States. he rode on a frickin' hi-wheeler x-country back when many roads were not paved. to illustrate my amazement, this is what a hi-wheeler looks like:


http://historyproject.ucdavis.edu/marchandslides.bak/2000/images/ScanImage02851.jpg

imagine riding that across the country!

back in those days, people were really sketched out about these 'velocipedes'. the University of Michigan was one of the first learning centers for bicycle riding, and this is what students had to say about them: "it is only man who cares to mount these bycycles and perverting his legs into crank pins, to spin in dizzy mazes around a limited arena in concentric circles until machine and man come down in one chaotic mass"

as i said, who knew that the bike could become so much more than a stupid torturous mechanical machine? it's not just a mechanical machine now, it also has social powers...i'm amazed

i've been reading a lot lately, mostly to satisfy my wanderlust. i recommend Bill Bryson to anyone who's never read his books. he writes travel books, and he's simply hilarious. i completely relate to his inner thoughts. i was so entertained reading 'a walk in the woods' (him hiking the Appalachian Trail) that i am reading up on my Aussie culture with 'in a sunburned country'. lily, you would especially approve of his books.

for someone who doesn't have a routine schedule at the moment, i've been very busy. so much documentation to take care of ...finances, licenses, visas, plane tickets, medical exams (without insurance), previewing jobs. and of course, volunteering to fix bikes. it's nice to not be stuck at home all the time, especially when parents can get to be annoying...treating me as if I couldn't take care of myself.