It took me the big step of purchasing a car after years of being bike-only to realize that the entire area is plagued by pollen.  One day after washing the car, it’s covered with a mutant green fur.  And after Sunday night’s rain in Wellesley (among other places), the car looked like the aftermath of an alien splattering in Men in Black 2.  This explains why I always end up at work after a bike commute with my eyes feeling like I’d been hanging out with my pothead friends again.  Bad.  God bless 2nd generation antihistamines.

Sunday’s Brookline Bike Parade was pretty sweet.  There’s always a bit of a thrill when running a red light – running a dozen with the blessing of the cops on Beacon was just gravy.

And gravy.  Too bad I didn’t get pictures of the bike wrecks caused by kids weaving through traffic and inexplicably hitting the brakes.  That’ll teach them to hold their line.

Also got to meet the owner of one of the cooler pieces of bike paraphernalia I’ve ever seen.  Turns out that I shouldn’t have been so surprised that I’d find it at a Boston-area bike orgy.

Finally, my cycling friend and I decided that the parade was a bit too slow to call it a day, so we backtracked on Beacon Street to climb Summit Ave as a good complement to carnitas Super Burritos from Anna’s Taqueria.  God must love Boston.

(Corey Hill:  It’s hard to get perspective on sloped ground – the house helps)

My first boyfriend was a computer science major [yes, I started dating in college]. He was clean cut, played Ultimate Frisbee, and was his high school’s valedictorian. He also watched Star Trek and loved video games. He didn’t totally look it, but he was kind of a dork. I thought he was the most adorable thing, ever.

Until we broke up, of course.

Still, I’ve always had a soft spot for dorky things. Like I find abacuses sort of charming. I really want a Casio calculator watch. And I’ve played my share of a certain MMORPG.

So when I found myself surrounded by cyclists of every shape and size, at least half of which had on one of those unavoidably bright yellow traffic vests, I didn’t cringe. In fact, it was really sort of endearing. Sprinting to Cambridge to drop off hats that I’d promised for months and months, I found myself in the middle of the Amory Park Brookline Bike Parade. I vaguely remembered being handed a flier about it at an intersection on Friday but had proceeded to completely forget about it.

Catching up to the tail end of it, I chatted up a few bike cops before winding my way up the parade. And right before I turned off Beacon to hop onto Comm, I saw the immense peloton that was the Bike Parade. It was impressive. And while it was sort of, well, dorky, it was the good kind of dorky. The kind that makes you smile to yourself because people are having so much fun. The kind of dorky that reminds you that cycling doesn’t always have to be about speed and competition and training.

Heading towards Comm, my legs finally moving at a reasonable pace, I unconsciously started to push myself to go faster, faster, faster. But slowing down at a light, I wondered why. It was Sunday. I was rushing to Cambridge…just to rush there. And I was getting sweaty and gross.

I coasted the rest of the way there, resisting the urge to pick up and haul ass. Decked out in all black, my poor choice of clothing dictated that I was sweaty when I arrived to chat with friends. And watching them get excited over a few cycling caps, I realized how bike-dorky we all are. It’s just hard to tell without the yellow vests.

No wonder I love bike people.

I think that I have the best landlord ever.  Last year, she asked us if we could pay increased rent for the year.  We said no.  Issue settled.

We have also not been nagged too badly for leaving bicycles in the stairwell during rainy and snowy days, even though it is a fire hazard.  But if I were a landlord, I’d be wary of a cyclist who wants to bring a snow-covered bike indoors – it results in a grime-laden sludge puddle.  There is a large permanent dark spot in my old dorm room.  Bicycle drip pans?  Other solutions?

I mention this because I have the chance to be a landlord for the summer.  Our third roommate isn’t moving in until August, so naturally, we had to hit the craigslist wire for a subletter.  Yes, our apartment comes with a parking spot, but it also comes with free use of a bicycle for the summer.  She’s using it; subversive success!

Speaking of subversive, I’m excited about tomorrow’s bike parade in Brookline.  This is my big opportunity to participate in a big bike celebration without the angry hippie qualities of Critical Mass.  Because if there’s something that nobody likes, it’s an angry hippie.

I must be spending too much time studying psychiatry.  This post may qualify as a flight-of-ideas.

I love when people email me events, I especially love when they are very clear with what the event is and isn’t, for instance.

I for one welcome this new anarchy free celebration of bikes! Check it out.
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Ladies and Gents:

The second annual Brookline Bikes Beacon parade is this Sunday, May 31, at 12:30 pm.

WHAT IT ISN’T: it isn’t a race, a charity ride, a protest, nor an opportunity for anarchy.

WHAT IT IS: a slow paced 5 mile ride from Amory Park (near Audobon
Circle) outbound on Beacon Street to Cleveland Circle, then back, with police escorts. It’s a celebration of bikes, a way to show folks that citizens of all stripes ride bicycles for all sorts of reasons.

www.brooklinebikes.org

I hope you’ll join us for a slow ride bike parade, followed by ice cream sandwiches and a Beatles cover band.

– Tommy Vitolo
Member, Brookline Bicycle Advisory Committee

Thanks to Faster Than The Green Line for the tip!

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Amory Park Re-Opening Celebration and Bicycle Parade
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Sponsored by Brookline Bikes

Why?
For fun. For free. We want to celebrate, encourage, and call attention to the environmental, physical, and social benefits of bicycling and celebrate the successful renovation of Amory Park.

When?
Sunday afternoon, May 31, 2009
11:30 – 12:15 – Registration
12:30 – Ride starts promptly!
1:15 – 3:00 – Amory Park re-opening celebration with music and refreshments.

Where?
Amory Park (Amory Street and Beacon Street)

Who can join the bicycle parade?
Cyclists who can ride 5 miles on a hilly course at a speed of 8mph without stopping. Generally, that means 10 years old or older and using a reliable bicycle. There will be a co-parade for younger and novice riders.