Apartment Therapy Cycle Chic

From Tabitha's Rare View. I give her props for her blue walls and riding a bike in Phoenix.

From Adam's Afternoon Light. I envy this guy's ability to keep his many, many plants alive.

From Amy & J.T.'s Favorite Things. They have multiple bikes and multiple dogs; they're living the life.

I'm dreaming of moving from the suburbs to the city and one of the things that will help me do that is moving into a small space. I want to live alone well within my means comfortably so I've been checking out Apartment Therapy a lot lately, especially their Small Cool Contest.

Of course, it's also interesting to view the homes of people around the world--their different styles of decor and their different styles of bikes.

As Easy As Riding A Bike

I know the phrase is, "put up or shut up," but for some reason I haven't felt like blogging while putting in my greatest amount of miles to date. I started bike commuting to work a few months ago. I started riding my bike to the bus stop which is a very short distance with the idea to ride home after work when I was more awake. You see, I am not what you'd call a morning person. I morosely drag myself from bed as if leaving the arms of a sweet, sweet lover. I try to brace myself for the day with a hot shower and my customary bowl of tea, but still it's morning--too early to do anything. Unfortunately, that includes catching the bus. Public transit in a time of budget cuts means buses run less often: I'm either going to be really early for work or nearly late. These are not great options for the punctually-changed so I looked to Betty as something of an equalizer.

In making a morning commute I have discovered many things.

• You don't have to be a morning person to ride your bike to work in the morning.
• [For a short commute] you don't have to have the optimum breakfast.
• You don't have to have the optimum amount of sleep the previous night.
• You don't have to be in optimum physical condition.
• The weather does not have to be perfect. You will warm up/cool off/dry off pretty quickly with the proper layers.

Of course your commute will be nicer if you're properly rested and well-nourished, but we have this saying in English about such simple matters: "It's as easy as riding a bike." This is because riding a bike is really easy. Even riding up hills is less than difficult and I don't say that lightly because north Georgia is really friggin' hilly. With eight gears, I don't find hills too taxing and when I do I just get off my bike and walk her up the hill. I'm not trying to be a hero, I'm just getting from point A to point B. On a bike.