Ride for Climate to Oakville

I finally got around to uploading the pics from the bike ride to Oakville we took this past weekend. It was awesome!

Here's a link to the set of Flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ravenswift/sets/72157600130507755/

Labels: bike, environment, events, james, leisure, photos, stef

posted by Unknown @ 10:22 p.m.

An Eventful Ride In

This morning was full of action.

I was riding up King Street, when a silver Toyota 4Runner pulls up beside me and asks me where my helmet is... it was Bex's parents! I told them I don't have a helmet (I know, I'm stupid), but that not having a helmet isn't illegal. They just said to be careful. I bet you any money Bex's mom is going out to buy me a helmet today. Or not... but I wouldn't be surprised! She's the overly generous type of woman! Funny thing is, we were both heading to the same block (Church and Queen)... and I beat them here!

And then, in the business district, I noticed this guy on a too-small bike weaving on and off the sidewalk, passing me and cutting and me off. I caught up to him at the next stop light, and this is how the conversation went:

Me: "Hey... where'd you learn how to ride your bike?"
Him: "Wha?"
Me: "Where did you learn to ride your bike?"
Him: "Wha?" (I don't think English was his first language)
Me: "Man, you shouldn't ride on the sidewalks like that."
Him: "Yeah, but..."
Me: "Yeah, but, nothing. It's illegal. It's dangerous for everyone around you. And the more you break the rules, the less respect everyone else has for us cyclists. So just don't ride on the sidewalk!"

At this point, the light turns green. I say to him "Go!", but he just stands there. "Go, go!" I say. Finally, he gets off his bike, and pulls it up onto the sidewalk beside him, so I can go first. Now it was my turn to be confused. Wha?

Anyways- Neil says cyclists won't follow the rules until there are serious repercussions for breaking the biking laws. So, from now on, YOU BETTER FOLLOW THE RULES, OR I'LL MAKE YOU LOOK LIKE A DUMB ASS. So there.

Labels: bex, bike, conversation, frustration, rant

posted by Unknown @ 10:06 a.m.

HAPPY EARTH DAY!!!

And now, a poem:


(from a t-shirt my mom bought me back when I was 15-years-old)

This weekend, I definitely did my part for the Earth Day celebration. On Saturday, James, Stef and I biked to Oakville on the Waterfront Trail. It was awesome! I didn't think I could do it, but four hours of pedalling was easier than I thought.

And then today, Stef, Kylie, Bex and I started the garden. We raked away the stone layer and dug up the dirt beneath into four 4'x4' beds. That's as far as we got. There was SO MUCH TRASH to dig up. It was unbelievable. Someone must've buried their garbage there. Plastic bags mostly, because whatever was in them turned to rot... so fortunately, the soil in my back yard seems very rich and moist. With LOTS of worms. I was happy about that. A good start to the garden, I think.

Labels: "weekend update", bex, bike, environment, leisure, stef

posted by Unknown @ 5:07 p.m.

If We All Follow The Rules, Cycling Will Be Safer... well, duh.

Yesterday, on my way home, some courier wannabe passed me on the right, only to get stuck at a red light 30 feet in front of us. I pulled up casually beside him and said (loudly, since he had headphones on), "You should try to pass on the left." He said I was too far over to the left for him to pass (which is total BS), and so I told him he should have used his bell to let me know to squeeze right so he could pass. I looked down at his handle bars, and I don't even think he HAD a bell. WHAT?!? Insanity, riding in the city without a bell. Also, completely illegal!!!

I says to him I says, "I'm just telling you what I've read about proper cycling." He didn't respond. The light turned green and off he went. I yelled after him, "Have a nice day!" I think I heard him say thank you.

I should've said, "If we all follow the rules, cycling in the city will be much safer." Cause, really, that's the whole point of having rules!

Labels: bike, conversation, frustration, rant

posted by Unknown @ 12:23 p.m.

Best Line on Television Right Now...

"By the power of Grayscull!"

posted by Unknown @ 10:22 p.m.

What The?!?

I was fiddling around with my photo blog, Ravenswift Images, and I happened upon this:


It's crazy!! I guess it's like a wiki directory of websites... but it's weird to be included in something unknowingly. Hmmm, I wonder if I should add stuff to it? I'll have to investigate further.

Labels: photos, ravenswift, weird

posted by Unknown @ 3:02 p.m.

Photos Photos Photos!!!

I finally uploaded all the photos I took while I was home... there's also some pics from pre-drinking at my place before Beth's birthday. Check 'em out:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ravenswift/sets/72157600063868824/

The theme of the weekend was photographs, actually. I pulled out a box full of loose pictures, tonnes of them from when I was a baby, and before that even. So many cute ones of me!! LOL... it was awesome looking through them with the whole family around. It ended up being a nice activity for us all before the Easter pizza arrived!


And I really couldn't believe the weather. We didn't have snow in Windsor for Christmas, but we had some for Easter? How ridiculous is that!

Labels: "weekend update", family, history, photos, weather, windsor

posted by Unknown @ 2:40 p.m.

Back to Life, Back to unReality

I've returned to Toronto after spending the Easter weekend in Windsor, and I have to say, I'm glad to be back. I knew the trip home would be fairly unpleasant, and I was right.

First, the drive home on Thursday evening was completely insane. Traffic slowed down to around 40km/h around Burlington, for like 40 minutes. ARGH! Then, just south of London, I ran into a white-out... it was snowing so heavily, I could barely see 20' in front of the car. And the roads were covered in snow, so driving more than 60km/h would've been completely suicidal. And of course there was construction along the 401 in Essex County. It ended up taking me an hour longer than normal to get home.

Secondly, my sister-in-law's mother (or, my brother's mother-in-law) is very ill. Very. It's extremely sad. She reminds me a lot of my own mother, and treated me like a daughter after my mom passed away 8 years ago. She's a strong lady, but has been sick for a while. Unfortunately, I think she'll soon lose her battle with cancer, and we'll all lose an extremely passionate and dedicated woman... Alas...

I also visited with some other friends who lost a family member back in February. It's sad seeing people you love so sad. So. Sad.

I ran into a friend from high school (not even through Facebook), and she showed me a picture of her beautiful daughter. When I asked her if she was married, she told me she was, but that her husband died of a heart attack last year. He was 40. Frick, man.

So, yes, I knew this weekend would be a melancholy one. And it was. Except for the time I spent with Stacey, and my Dad and Shirl!

And I didn't get to bring my canoe back with, as was planned. I need to find someplace to store it that has access to the lake. Somewhere CHEAP.

Labels: "weekend update", brother, death, derek, family, frustration, rox, windsor

posted by Unknown @ 2:54 p.m.

Busy-ness

I can't believe how busy I've become. Writing for a regular news-type blog (and I'm not even writing that regularly) has monopolized much of my time... plus my day job keeps me busy, and I've got book club, and the photo club, etc. Phew. It really doesn't sound like much, but it feels like it is. Maybe I'm just getting old.
Anyways- one of my upcoming projects is going to be a series of articles about the garden I'm going to plant in my back yard. There will be lots of photos, and a time lapse series showing the progress of growth, if I can figure out how to do that. It should be cool!

Another thing I want to do is expand the book club; merge with blogTO somehow... still thinking on this. SO much to think about!

BAH! I think, with more sunlight, things will get easier for me. Plus, now that I'm riding my bike, I'll have more energy overall. I can't wait for this crazy weather to level off a bit!

Labels: blogto, book club, garden, inspiration, work

posted by Unknown @ 2:38 p.m.

New Biking Season, New Bike

And not because my current bike got stolen, for once! I just decided I wanted a new bike. The bike I have now was purchased purely out of necessity (right after I was burgled outside of Salad King), and I didn't get a chance to shop around. I also don't like riding it. It just seems harder than normal to propel myself forward on it; I'm not sure if this is because it's a girl's bike, or if it's because it's a bit heavier. The seat is also extremely uncomfortable.

So, I bought a new bike from Can Tire. Here it is:

Pretty sweet, eh!? I like it. The colours are pretty. And it's bigger, better and faster. Nuf said.

Labels: bike, leisure

posted by Unknown @ 12:58 p.m.