Please Don't Hate the Bikers

I was reading an article the other day about a local biker who was ticketed for running a stop sign. Interestingly, they didn’t state whether she was on a bicycle or a motorcycle…they only referred to her as a “cyclist”. People assumed they meant “bicyclist” so a bunch of folks piped in with comments about the article. Apparently, there are a lot of drivers who are not very happy to share the roads with bicyclists. I was a little surprised at how they take such a strong us-against-them attitude. Drivers get bent out of shape when they see bikers run stop signs, and some are under the impression that we bikers don’t pay taxes to maintain the roads…although most bikers also own and drive cars, so that argument doesn’t hold much water. Bikers need to be very cautious on busy streets and at intersections, because there are always drivers who don’t watch carefully for bikers. In a bike vs. car collision, you know who’s at a distinct disadvantage, and unfortunately, there are probably a fair amount of drivers who don’t have a whole lot of sympathy for the bikers. In their opinion, we’re taking up valuable space on “their street”. Maybe with the surge in gas prices this year causing a larger number of people to use bicycles for transportation, we’ll start to get a little more sympathy from drivers…but I’ll still be cautious just to be on the safe side!

Doesn't anybody cook anymore?

We’ve become such a society of convenience when it comes to cooking and eating. People have busy lives, so we look for fast, good food (and sometimes good fast food). Most people enjoy eating at restaurants because it allows them to sit back and enjoy a meal while other people do all of the prep work, cooking, and clean-up. We have our favorite restaurants where we know we’ll get a consistently good meal, and perhaps dine on food that we don’t know how to prepare at home. You can also go to grocery stores and delis to shop for food that’s quick, easy, ready-made, etc. There are so many advantages to all of that, yet I can’t help wondering why cooking has taken such a back seat to other hobbies and activities in our daily life. Those of us who like to cook can list many reasons why we enjoy it – it’s a creative endeavor, it can be a way to save money or eat healthier, it allows us to eat in the comfort of our own home, there’s joy and satisfaction in preparing a meal for oneself or family and friends, and the list goes on. I feel sorry for those who say that they don’t know how to cook or assume that it has to be a big chore even to prepare one dish to take to a potluck. Cooks usually have some favorite dishes that they know they can whip together with either very few ingredients or in a short amount of time. And here are two “secrets” that I embraced a long time ago. First, cooking is sometimes just a matter of assembling ingredients...Making chili can be as simple as chopping a few vegetables, opening several cans, pouring it all into a crock pot, and turning the knob. :) And the other secret to keep in mind is that it’s perfectly acceptable to change ingredients in a recipe to suit your own tastes: take out what you don’t like, add new ingredients, change amounts, be creative, and have fun!

Fussing over Babies

I’ve always found it interesting that women tend to gush over babies, while most men I know don’t appear terribly interested in other people’s babies, even if they adore children. I’m sure there’s some innate baby-yearning in women that I’ll never understand. And obviously, not every woman in the world loves children, wants to have her own children, or gives a rat’s behind about other people’s children. But still…anytime a woman brings her new baby to the workplace for show-and-tell, you can be sure that a group of women will swarm around, coo at the baby, ask how much the baby weighed and how long she was at birth, and ask about the crib and stroller and feedings and all manner of other new mom questions. Not that there’s anything wrong with that…it’s just an interesting phenomenon. I enjoy babies and children myself, but I just don’t get all that excited about being around babies. There’s certainly that element in our culture that dictates that men shouldn’t show too much emotion, so maybe that’s why men opt out of the “baby circles” when they converge. Now, point me in the direction of a group that’s discussing the latest cute thing that their cat or dog did, and I’m there in a flash!