Be Back Soon

I have taken a bit of a hiatus from posting on my blog due to be overwhelmed with homework and other more exciting things. I shall post a recap of all the goings on in my life very soon, but until then, this will have to due. I have three papers to finish and an art show to set up for tomorrow, and then an exam on Thursday (that I will hopefully do well enough on that I won't have to take the final next Tuesday). After my exam, you'll get to hear all about my wonderful trip to CT, craziness with my current school situation, and my plan to create a Craigslist posting that will lead to a blog about the crazy responses I will most likely (and kind of hopefully) get from people. Anyhoo... back to homework. T-minus 43 hours and 20 minutes until my life will be a lot less crazy.

So Many Exciting Things, So Little Time

Tonight is one of the best nights to live in Dayton! Urban Nights only happens twice a year, but it is definitely is something that I look forward to every time it rolls around. The lineup for the evening is even better than last year's, because Captain of Industry will be playing a show at Gilly's, and this will be their first show in about 2 years. It's going to be a busy night, but I hope to get everything in, because I love to support this city and all the things it likes to offer.

Plan for the Evening:
5:30- Urban Bikes @ Urban Nights (Urban Bikes @ Urban Nights)
6:00- Urban Nights (Urban Nights Dayton)
9:00- Captain of Industry Show! (Captain of Industry at Gilly's)

I'll probably try to sneak in a ride on one of the new Tricabs somewhere in there too. Check out their Facebook page and "like" them (Tricab).

Anyhoo... that's what is going on with Dayton.

As for me, I got my bike fixed up, and got to ride 30 miles yesterday on the new chain. It's definitely nice to have a chain that doesn't have 4500 miles on it. I hope that I'll be able to do a big ride soon, because I seem to not be doing any rides above 30 miles. I love taking the day and riding all day, but I'm not sure if my legs will be happy with me. I also hope to do more miles of walking/running soon too, because I need to start building up for the half marathon (or marathon) in October. It's nice to have some athletic goals to accomplish, but I'm going to be disappointed if I can't keep up with it.

Single White Female Seeks...

Single White Female, Age 25, seeks single male bike mechanic, age 23-29 for romantic relationship involving bicycle rides, free bicycle repairs/ routine maintenance, and occasional hand holding. Free bicycle repairs/ routine maintenance will be rewarded with hugs and a possible high five (for major repairs). Beards not required but appreciated. Interested males feel free to send a message.

I'm pondering putting out a personal ad with the above, mainly to find cheap bike maintenance, because I'm terrible at it. Tonight I decided to finally clean my bike, and I thought I would attempt to fix my gear problem, since I was working on it, but that ended up taking a whole lot longer than I was anticipating. I also ended up making it worse than it was in the process, so I'm going to take it to the shop tomorrow to hopefully get it fixed (for cheap). I did learn how to take off a front derailer in the process though, and that was pretty cool to actually figure out how to put it back on properly afterwards. The whole thing reminded me of a story from the trip. I was cleaning my bike one night, and I took apart my cassette to clean it thoroughly (the gunk that was built up in it was impressive). I had my friend Adam from the trip show me how to do it, but I apparently misheard him on how to put it back on properly. Needless to say, the next morning, we are heading out of the town we were staying in, and my bike starting making a really weird noise. Luckily I started towards the front of the pack, and Steve stopped to help out, because my cassette was literally falling apart on my bike. We had the van stop to get the tools, and Steve fixed it right up for me. I was lucky to have good bike mechanics around, because I would have spent a lot keeping my bike maintained without them. This is why I've decided to seek out a bike mechanic boyfriend, because not only would I be able to learn about/ receive free bike maintenance, I would also be able to hopefully end up in a good relationship as well. We'll see how it goes.

Besides bike stuff, I decided to kick my butt at the gym after my tests today. I did 3.5ish miles on the treadmill in about 43ish minutes. Not too shabby in my book, since I haven't run since the Dayton Peace Accords 5k a week and a half ago. I also did a full body workout with the weights as well, so hopefully I'm not regretting this decision tomorrow.

The Bio tests today were interesting. I'm not sure how well I did on my lecture test, though apparently everyone thought it was really hard. I didn't think it was so much "hard", as it was confusing. Since this class isn't really going to help me once I transfer to MUM, I've kind of lost motivation to do well in the class, though I'm still going to go, because I find it interesting. The lab practical in the afternoon was awful though. I apparently didn't understand what they were asking us to study, and thus I wasn't sure about a lot of answers. I got my lab report done though, so hopefully that will help keep my lab grade up. I guess I secretly want to still do well, but I don't want to have to work hard to do so. I guess taking a less stressful approach to it isn't a bad idea... I'll have enough to worry about in the Fall when I'm trying to finish up my last year of credits for the Bachelors. It will be so nice to be done!

Screeeeching Eagles Ride Again

Tonight has been a glorious evening filled with quality time with a friend I've been missing. First the gang got together for some good ol' Chinese buffet food, which though not very tasty, you can eat as much as you want and that's not too bad before you get to burn off a bunch of calories biking. After eating, we met back up and went for a awesome night ride to a friend's house. It has been a long time since I've gotten to ride at night, and a really long time since I got to do that with my friends Ryan and Cotterman. Though we didn't go for a huge ride, it was still really nice to have the gang together. I ended up departing back to the house before them, but then I ended up meeting back up with them downtown, because they didn't feel like riding back home. A quick to Starbucks on the way back, and then I dropped them back off. Even though we only got to hang out for a bit this evening, I think it was just what I needed. Hopefully we'll be able to grab lunch tomorrow before Ryan heads back to Cleveland, but I'm still glad I got to hang out with him. Eating Chinese food and biking was much better than the studying that I really should have been doing. Now... I better glance over this stuff real quick... and then head to bed. 6:40am is going to come way too fast... and 8:30am is going to seem way too early for a Biology test... but I don't care... because the Screeeeching Eagles got to ride again!

Miami Valley Cycling Summit

Hey everyone! If you haven't already heard, the Miami Valley Cycling Summit is coming up here in Dayton, and it's not too late to register for the event. This is going to be a fantastic way to share ideas, meet fellow cyclists, and be a part of making the Miami Valley an even better cycling community. Before the summit, there will also be a Bike to Work Day Pancake Breakfast (free pancakes= awesome!)! For information about the Bike to Work Day Pancake Breakfast at Riverscape Metropark, check out their facebook event page: Bike to Work Day Pancake Breakfast. Information and registration for the Miami Valley Cycling Summit can be found here: Miami Valley Cycling Summit.

The night before the cycling summit, kick off the event the night before with a special screening of the movie Veer at The Neon in Dayton. The proceeds from ticket sales will go towards Bike Miami Valley, a cycling advocacy group here in southwest Ohio. The movie will be showing at 7:30 on May 19th, and tickets are only $5! You can find out more information here: Veer Showing at The Neon. Here is a preview of the film:

I hope everyone comes out to celebrate Bike Month with these great events being held in Dayton!

Why? Daytrotter Session

Why? is a fantastic band based out of Cincinnati (though they spent some time out in Oakland), and their unique sound and wonderfully crafted lyrics are something to appreciated. They've had quite a few albums, EPs, etc., but one of my favorites is "Elephant Eyelash" (HIGHLY SUGGEST). Anyhoo... Daytrotter just released a session they did with Why? yesterday. Like anything Why? does, it is pretty awesome. Yoni's voice and lyrics along with Josiah's incredible musicianship make for incredible music. You can check out their session here: Why? Daytrotter Session. I also suggest checking out the session Yoni did by himself for Daytrotter which includes an awesome cover of Bob Dylan's "As I Went Out One Morning". That session can be found here: Yoni Wolf Daytrotter Session. As with all the Daytrotter sessions, you can download the music for FREE! It's a great way to find new music, and if you've never been formally introduced to Why? before, here is your chance. Check it out!

Also, the Bicycle Art Show at Press in Dayton is definitely worth checking out. The pieces are really interesting, and I think it's always nice to support local artists and businesses. Apparently there is going to be an After Party at Press tomorrow evening to celebrate the Scavenger Hunt and Bike Polo events being held tomorrow. As with most events at Press, it will probably be packed and a lot of fun, so head out to Press tomorrow night to celebrate with area bike polo enthusiasts and bicycle fans. The roller races will also be happening tomorrow (I believe/ I hope), which will definitely be worth the trip by itself. If you've never seen roller races, check out the video from Babelgum here: Vice Versa Rollapaluza. It is intense, and I can only imagine how incredible it will be live.

TONIGHT TONIGHT! And this weekend...

Come downtown for tons of bicycle related fun! Press will have their Bicycle Art Show (with the rumor of roller races as well)! The Tricabs will be out and about starting today! Courteous Mass ride at 5:30 starting at Fifth Third Field! And then there is a Bike Polo tourney this weekend, and a Bike Scavenger Hunt Saturday evening that will be starting at The Neon! So many bicycle related things, I can't wait! Get on your bike and RIDE DAYTON!

Bicycles... is there anything they can't do?

Today has been much better than I thought it would be. Not only did I manage to go to class (my allergies have been hellish the past few days), but I also made myself enjoy this awesome weather and get out on the bike. I took it very easy today, but it was still amazing! I hung out at Carillon Park for a bit (while trying to figure out if I had a flat tire/ degunk my bike a bit), went over to Boston Stoker for some tea, biked around downtown, and then headed home on the bike path. I didn't even bother getting near the path where it usually gets flooded when it rains (since it's rained every day since Saturday), but luckily it's pretty easy to hop on and off the path if you know where to go. Though I was out for a while, I only ended up doing just over 20 miles. It was 20 more miles than I thought I would get to do though, so that makes me happy.

Tomorrow is a big day for the Dayton biking community as well. It's the first day for the Tricab (Tricab Dayton Facebook), and the Bicycle Art Show is opening at Press on Wayne Avenue in Dayton as well for First Fridays. If you are looking for a ride tomorrow, there is the monthly Courteous Mass (Courteous Mass Dayton) ride starting around 5:30 at Fifth Third Field. Hopefully everything will go well, and the rain will stay away for another day.

I hope everyone is enjoying Bike Month! Also, remember Urban Bikes @ Urban Nights (Urban Bikes @ Urban Nights Facebook Page) is next Friday as well! Hope to see a ton of people there! Get out and bike!

Tour de Cure: Cincinnati

Here is a great one day ride through the beautiful back country roads in Greene and Warren counties in Ohio. The ride is a fundraiser for the American Diabetes Association, and has a wide variety of routes for all different types of experience levels (6, 35, 70 miles). If you are looking for a great way to get involved with a charity bike ride, but don't have the time to commit to a multi-day event, this appears to be a great one to check out. The registration fee is only $25 (with a minimum of $150 to be fundraised), which is very reasonable for people who have never tried to fundraise for a charity before. Of course there are incentives to fundraise more, but you only have to fundraise $150 to join the ride. The ride is on Saturday, June 18th and starts at the Warren County Fairgrounds. Here is a link to the ride's website: Tour de Cure: Cincinnati. Check it out and get involved!

Win Win

Last night I had the pleasure of seeing Win Win at The Neon in Dayton. I'm not sure what it was the originally made me want to see the movie when I saw the preview, was it the interesting story line? Paul Giamatti and Jeffrey Tambor? Or the Ohio tattoo on the kid that wrestles in the movie? I'm pretty sure it was mostly to see the Ohio tattoo, but luckily the movie was incredible. If you haven't seen the movie, definitely check it out. It's one of those stories that draws you in, makes you laugh, and then tugs at your heart strings at the end. Here is a brief synopsis of the film, courtesy of IMDb.com (because I know I would probably end up ruining the story if I told you myself):


"Disheartened attorney Mike Flaherty (Giamatti), who moonlights as a high school wrestling coach, stumbles across a star athlete through some questionable business dealings while trying to support his family. Just as it looks like he will get a double payday, the boy's mother shows up fresh from rehab and flat broke, threatening to derail everything."


If you live in the Dayton area, I believe the film will be shown at The Neon until Thursday night, so make sure to go down there and check it out. For people who live elsewhere, hopefully you can find it in a local theater. It's sometimes hard to find a good film that not only is funny, but smart as well, but here it is. Go see it! 

Rural Alberta Advantage- "Under the Knife"

Check out this new video from the Rural Alberta Advantage's song "Under the Knife" from their latest release "Departing" which was released earlier this year. This version of the song is a more intimate version of the song, where instead of having the whole band, we just find Nils Edenloff sitting at a piano playing the tune inside a beautiful church. Though the entire album from which this song comes from is superb, I think this is one of my favorite songs from it. If you haven't already heard of Rural Alberta Advantage, check them out! They are gaining a lot of respect from fans after their incredible debut album "Departing" and the follow up which I mentioned earlier called "Departing". This group is incredibly talented, and I highly suggest checking out both albums. For a taste of the new album, check out the video below: 

Urban Bikes @ Urban Nights

It's that time of the year again, URBAN NIGHTS in Dayton! To kick off the evening, there is a group bike ride starting at Fifth Third Field at 5:30 pm on May 13th. The ride is amazing, because not only do you get to ride with hundreds of other people, you actually get a police escort around town, so you don't have to worry about traffic. Who doesn't love that? I highly suggest coming out for this ride, it is a ton of fun! If you would like more information, check out the event page on Facebook: Urban Bikes @ Urban Nights. Afterwards, you can enjoy all the other great events happening for Urban Nights in Dayton. To check out what else is going on that evening, check out the Urban Nights Facebook page: Urban Nights.

Also, this Friday, May 6th, there is a Bicycle Art Show at Press in Dayton. Press is a newer coffee shop in Dayton, and each month they have a new art show opening for First Fridays. If you are in the Dayton area, come check out the show! There will be art (obviously), drinks, a live dj, and I'm guessing a lot of bikers. The shows are always fun, and you can't beat a chance to support a local business in Dayton. After checking out the show, you can wander around town and check out the other First Fridays events in Dayton. For more information about the Bicycle Art Show at Press, you can check out the event page on Facebook: Bicycle Art Show at Press. Also, make sure to like Press on Facebook: Press.