Soon after moving to Oregon I decided that I wanted to be a bicycle commuter. And I’ll be honest, my motivation was fueled by poverty. The other factors didn’t hurt – a chance to shrink my carbon footprint, trick myself into regular exercise, and take advantage of what is likely the most bike-friendly city in the country. But really, it was about being broke.Over time I’ve come to realize another benefit, and it’s that from the helm of a two-wheeler, ordinary things sometimes seem remarkable. When I’m pedaling away, making shopping lists in my head or replaying important conversations, I realize I’m looking at something I’ve seen a million times, and thinking about it in an entirely different way. Like the regal freeway overpass, for instance. Have you ever realized how gigantic these structures are? Have you thought about how people actually had to build them? It hadn’t really occurred to me. No, I haven’t been taking bong hits. You have to admit they’re pretty impressive.
Point being, instead of a commute, biking feels more like an “experience.” And I’ll admit, when I’m getting pelted in the face with jagged sleet at 30 mph, I’d happily settle for just a “commute,” but most of the time, especially after a long day, the ride home is an opportunity to defrag, and buffer my time between work and home. I catch myself having these Zen moments, planning my dinner menu while theorizing about LOST (Who the f is Jacob?) – then realizing suddenly that I’m home, and I got there via my own quadriceps.
Anyway. A benefit of slowing down: large scale concrete appreciation. More amazing bicycle insight to come.
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Here's what blows my sober/unstoned mind: how the hell did they build this crap before they had those giant cranes? Did they just build the pillars horizontally and stand them upright like in "Witness"? All the construction workers coming out from the fields to have a big picnic and pull these monster things upright?
ReplyDeleteAlso, how the F do they put up those giant cranes?? Do they build a bunch of small- to medium-sized cranes and just leap frog from one to the next — like, the crane is now the same size as the two-story crane, so they climb onto the second crane and build onto the first one until it's four storys tall, then switch?
I have a feeling the actual answers aren't nearly as entertaining as the fantasies in my mind.
thank you for referencing "witness."
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