A true story about last night.

Let me tell you why I love my city.

First:

If you haven't read the last post, go and read the last post. Do it now, before reading anymore of this. Or this.

Now:

Let me tell you why I love my city: As Ben and I were walking down to our cha-cha-jive-waltz lessons, we passed a cafe called Jika Jika where I sometimes work. In front of the cafe there are bike racks. And leaning on one of those bike racks was


my bike.

Just as it has always been. An 'Emma' sticker (from aunt Gloria) on the side and a wobbly bell. Mine. Not locked, just leaned. Not damaged. Just taken on some kind of small adventure and then left to rest and wait for me to pass by. It could have been there since Sunday morning.

This is one reason why.

Goodbye, my silver Robin.

Anyone who knows me here in Bath, or anyone who has ever visited, or anyone I have gone to see in Bristol, Trowbridge, Bradford-on-Avon, London, Norwich, Marshfield, and so many other places also knows Silver Robin.

Silver Robin was my loyal, wonderful, best-friend of a bike. My little Dawes folder. My car, my horse, my friend.

Dad and I went all the way to Malmesbury to a speciality folding bike shop to get it.

One of my first longer rides was with mom down the canal path for lunch in Bradford on Avon.


I did all of my John-O-Groat's to Land's End training on SR. That's 50 mile rides on 20-inch wheels.

Thanks to SR, I have never taken the bus or driven to work at the university. Never.

I've taken it on trains, tubes, taxis, tarmac and trailers.

We've been on friendship rides with Erin, Mom, Dad, Charlie, Chris, Jeff K., Ryan S., Anne-Marie, Sue, Beth, Tori, Ben M., and so many more.

People get attached to their cars in one way, and to their horses in another. I think the way we get attached to our bikes is somewhere in the middle, and is important and good.

I like that I got Silver Robin with dad and last night, walking home from a fun fun limbo-filled party, when I discovered it gone, stolen, nothing left but the opened lock around a lonely lamppost, I was on the phone with dad. There's a nice circularity to that.

RIP Silver Robin
March 2008 - January 2012

Back at: It.

And, January stretches on. Doesn't it? It sure does.

But, part of the stretching, at least, is caused by the fact that we try to squeeeze all our hopes and aspirations for the new year into it. A non-comprehensive list of some of these for me:

1) Gigs

2) Dino Comics by me and my friends

3) Moss


1) has been going well, with three WFTB gigs already this year, two of which were awesome, performance-wise, and all of which were awesome, audience-wise. The last of these three was in London, in a mega hip bar in Hoxton, and a scary-but-necessary chance to see whether I have any actual 'real fans who aren't' a) my friends/family or b) German (no offense to my awesome German fans.) And. Hey. Turns out I do. I actually made money (one reason of many why I don't like gigging in London is this payment policy they have where they ask everyone as they come in, who they have come to see. (There were five bands playing the night I played). And then they only give you the money (50% of the money, in fact) from the people who say they are coming to see you, specifically, over all the other bands. eeeee.) But, yeah! People! Money! This one especially awesome couple who sat near the front and were both wearing ironic wild-life sweaters and came up afterwards to ask when the bugs album would come out were especially neat. Them and another couple, from the back, who were told to come by a friend in New York City who discovered my stuff accidentally while trying to old Tori Amos tracks. So. That's happening again.

2) As we all know (or don't know) I got a dino-comic whiteboard for Christmas. I will be making (/letting) each houseguest/visitor to our flat make a dino-comic with it, and will post the plethora of dino-comics that ensue*. First up, Ben M. (see above.)


3) You'll see.

*Sorry Erin, I was going to post yours, but it got spread-o'd and smudge-o'd in my suitcase. You have to come do another.

New things

Hello Everyone.

Hello.

It is a new year. So. Time for some new things.

First, a new drink I invented, thanks to supplies got from Christmas:

-A shot of Kraken Rum (or whatever spiced dark rum. But it's obviously better if it has an octopus on the bottle)*

-A bunch of sparkly water**

-A bit of Maple Syrup***

*thanks Erin!
**thanks Chris!
***thanks Canada!

It's really good. Really. So, that's the first new thing. The second new thing is a new comic, for all of you out there who don't yet read "Hark a Vagrant". Guys. Get in. She comics about Canadian history, Chopin, bikes... This is my gift to you.

Happy 2012 you-all.

eeeee