20 mile bike ride

I don't think I mentioned this: I'm not running the half-marathon this sunday. I'm sad about it. I haven't trained and don't want to risk injury. I have really backslid this holiday season with eating and sitting and playing RockBand 2 at my parents' house. So yeah. Now I'm trying to get back into regularly exercising again.

So last Monday I rode 14.5 miles. 10 of those miles were with Cynthea and Nelson. We rode from their house to Prospect Park, ate dinner with Sara, then rode back. Afterward, I took the N train back into Manhattan and got off on Central Park South. Then rode through the park to Harlem.

Today, I had an interview with film production company located in Astoria. I rode my bike over the Queensboro Bridge for the first time. Bridges usually annoy me because it's very hard to find correct directions online for the bike path. Therefore I can't prepare very well. I wish I had a GPS. I wish I had money to afford a GPS. I know the directions maybe just a wonky as google maps but at least I'd have a map with me at all times. I could buy a city folding map of all boroughs...but it wouldn't have the You Are Here cursor.

Anyway then had lunch with Cynthea near St Marks. Then sat in Au Bon Pain using up their free wifi applying for jobs. I think I average applying for 5 gigs a day, yet haven't worked up the courage to start cold calling companies I've worked for in the past.

After that I rode home via 8th ave. Horrible, horrible. 8th ave is ok until 23rd street. The 30's 40's and 50's are just a battle for who belongs in the bike lane. Sometimes its for bikes, sometimes its for cabs who hate cyclists, sometimes its for people wondering around like Sims. Sometimes the people are walking against traffic instead of the huge sidewalk the city provided. Sometimes people are trusting God (to the point that God must be very annoyed) by walking in the street with the flow of traffic not seeing a damn thing approaching behind them. Sometimes cars and trucks are double park blocking bike which is illegal yet everyone, including asshole police officers do it. So although there is a clearly printed bike starting where Hudson becomes 8th Ave to where 8th ave becomes Fredrick Douglas Blvd (except the Port Authority block. That's a high school parking lot at 3:05)no one gives a sh*t.

Ok, well I will just try to avoid 8th ave in midtown during rush hours from now on.