SpokEasy

December 2019

A Chinese Twist

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A Chinese Twist A Chinese twist on tikka masala? Well, I like Chinese food with lots of soy sauce. I like sweet and sour sauce, too. Last Saturday did another experiment with hot dogs. This time, instead of the tomato sauce called for in the original tikka masala recipe, I used sweet and sour sauce. I got the idea on a recent visit to the salvage store, when I found a jar of the stuff. For the onion, I used the yellow-skin type. I would have preferred red onion. However, in the [regular] supermarket that morning, red onions cost a staggering $2.19 per pound! I guess they’re not in season. I had a yellow onion at home, so I didn’t buy any onions. No curry powder in this concoction. Not this time, anyhow. If I make these sweet-and-sour hot dogs again, I’ll try it. After all, some dishes that you find in Chinese restaurants are quite piquant. After I ate some “Chinese Hot Dogs” for lunch, I froze the rest. I like to do that — cook up something over the weekend and freeze part for later. It means not having to do so much kitchen work during the week, and putting a Chinese twist on an old favorite made a nice change.

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Chocolate

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Chocolate seems to have become quite the panacea these days. It\’s a pick-me-up when we\’re feeling down. Got a special occasion coming up? Don\’t forget to get a supply! And with Christmas right around the corner, my thoughts naturally turn to that delight. Chocolate doesn\’t have to be unhealthful. Dark varieties are supposed to be quite good for us;  and cyclists can actually benefit from the substances found in this food. Flavanols can enhance performance when taken before a ride. A popular recovery drink among cyclists is chocolate milk. My favorite is whey protein powder — I\’m sure you can guess which flavor! — in skim milk. Oddly, I wasn\’t very fond of chocolate as a young child. It seemed rather bitter to me, and I preferred the more sugary candies. I\’ve certainly changed! And there are now so many varieties of the stuff that it can be hard to choose one. We can get it plain. We can have it with fruits and/or nuts; or cream-filled. It comes in white, dark, and milk varieties. I could go on and on. Back in pre-Columbian times, such treats were undreamed of. I wonder what those folks would think if they could know how chocolate has changed over the centuries.  

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Nebula

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Nebula is what I wind up thinking about on mornings like last Tuesday. The fog was simply terrible; and \”Nebel\”, the German word for \”fog\”, sounds rather like \”nebula\”. I went out for a ride about 5:15 am. The evening before I had seen that there was a dense fog advisory; and as soon as I walked out the door, I could tell it was foggy! As usual, I went up on the levee. Visibility was so poor most of the ride that I dared not get up a decent pace. I never know when and where there will be some dark-clad, un-lighted person up ahead. Add to that the need for longer stopping time. In such a fog, the wet on my wheels\’ rims mean the brakes don\’t grip as well as usual. Many times I even stopped when I wanted  a drink of water. I didn\’t want to have to drop a bidon to grab the handlebars when somebody suddenly materialized right in front of me. In that dark and fog, I might not have found it again. At least at 71 degrees it wasn\’t cold. Cool enough for leg warmers, jacket, and skull cap, but I could still wear half-fingered gloves. The next morning it was much cooler, but with heavy overcast. So which do you think is worse: feeling your way through a nebula, or threatened with rain?  

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SUN-day

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It was SUN-day this morning! I was surprised that it was sunny, because I checked a weather site just before I went out; and it said fog. Not that I\’m complaining about the lack of fog. Last week I got more than enough of it. I like clear weather for my Sunday long rides. I put in 21.80 miles. Not so very long, is it? Getting back home was a slog because the wind was strengthening; up to 13 mph before I got back home. It makes me feel like such a weakling when I\’m plodding along at 10 mph or less, and other riders whiz past me like I\’m standing still. This past week some of my rides were very short, partly because of fog, and partly because I had a hard time getting myself moving at all. I could tell this morning that I\’m out of condition. My breathing seemed harder than normal, and my legs got tired more easily than pleases me. Towards the end of the ride, my left ankle began to pull its old trick. I even noticed my right ankle seemed to be trying to do the same thing! Maybe I should have done a shorter ride? It\’s a good thing that Monday is off-bike day. The forecast says there could be severe T-storms tomorrow afternoon. I do not want to be on a bicycle in un-SUN-day weather like that!  

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Cycling and Autism

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Are cycling and autism incompatible? Can children with autism learn to ride a bicycle? They certainly can, although it might be harder for them than for “neurotypical” kids. Children with autism may have balance and/or proprioception difficulties. Having them work on balance bikes can help them to  improve in these areas, which will be helpful both on the bicycle and in other activities. The repetitive nature of pedaling is said to be well-suited to someone who is on the autism spectrum.  Living with autism can be very stressful, and cycling can help to relieve pent-up stress; and the child who has autism can be very proud of having learned to ride! Read one parent’s account here. What about cycling for those with Asperger’s? This isn’t the same thing as autism, although there seems to be a certain amount of overlap. And yes, a child who has Asperger’s can learn to ride a bicycle. By all accounts that I’ve ever seen, children who have autism or Asperger’s typically have a difficult time fitting in with their peers. Maybe riding a bicycle could help them to find a group that lets them feel that they belong — and even shine! No, cycling and autism/Asperger’s are not incompatible!

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Staredown?

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Staredown? Did you ever notice that climbing stairs seems harder than a long ride? I’m having a staredown with déjà vu here. Didn’t I blog about this already? If so, I haven’t found it. Anyway, here goes. I can’t speak for all cyclists; but I, for one, find climbing a flight of stares — I mean, stairs — harder than riding miles on a bicycle! Climbing stairs was harder even than riding my tricycle for miles. That’s puzzling, don’t you think? After all, putting in all those miles should be making our legs strong. Shouldn’t we be able to climb stairs with ease? Apparently we cyclists aren’t alone in having difficulty with stairs. It happens to marathoners, too. What’s going on? Blame it on the muscle fibers that come into play while walking up the stairs. This activity requires us to propel ourselves upwards, and the effort sets off our fast-tiring fast-twitch muscle fibers. Add to this the fact that stair-climbing is an anaerobic activity. And we’re also fighting gravity! Besides all that, walking up stairs uses different muscles than bicycling or running. I guess I’ll have to give those stairs a good staredown, and tell them not to bother me.

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At Ease?

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At Ease? Being at ease like this critter here would be wonderful, if only we could manage it. Unfortunately it isn’t so easy to relax when your muscles are all in knots. How do we get rid of those knots and cramps? Prevention is, of course, the best cure. What can we do to keep cramps at bay? More specifically, what are some natural means of preventing and relieving cramps? Proper hydration helps. Use a Camel-Bak, so you’ll have plenty of water. Using electrolyte drinks is said to help, too. Warm up before riding, paying special attention to muscles that you know are prone to cramping. OK, so you’ve done all that, and you still get nasty cramps while riding. Here’s a remedy that one of my cycling books mentions: when you feel a cramp developing, grab your upper lip and pinch it hard. Somehow that helps, although it’s uncertain why. Some experienced riders/bike handlers relieve on-bike quad cramps by unclipping the foot; bending the knee; and lightly pulling on the foot. I, for one, am not skilled enough to attempt that move. Then, what about post-ride cramps? Grab a foam roller and ease out the kinks. Perhaps an epsom salt bath. See here for some other natural cramp/spasm remedies that might help ease those sore, aching muscles; and don’t push too hard on the bike for a few days. At ease!

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Riding to School

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Riding to school sounds like a great idea. It lets the kids get exercise and is supposed to help increase mental sharpness. When I was a kid, there was no way we could have walked or ridden a bicycle between home and school. Our school was several miles away; much of the route had no shoulders; and there was heavy traffic besides. We had to ride an overcrowded school bus, which was not fun at all. I hope kids these days have a better chance riding a bicycle to school. How can you help your child become a bicycle commuter? Get the right size bicycle. Get a helmet. Check to see whether your child\’s school has a bicycling safety program, or look for a bicycle rodeo in your area. Don\’t forget lights, and some kind of reflective equipment is also a good idea. These days it\’s essential to lock up your bike anywhere you go, so don\’t forget about that. Then there\’s choosing the route. If the most direct route has too much traffic, is there an alternate one that is less traveled? Even if it\’s longer, it might be wiser to use it. Finally, if you yourself are a regular bicycle commuter, you\’re able to set a good example for your children. School isn\’t the only place for learning.  

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Lucia Bride

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When I heard about the Lucia Bride as a kid, I had no idea it had anything to do with Saint Lucy. My mother\’s version of the story was that the oldest daughter of the household would serve the other family members breakfast in bed, while wearing a crown of burning candles. She said she wondered how many girls were unfortunate enough to set themselves on fire. Nowadays I\’m sure the Lucia Bride wears a battery-powered wreath. It\’s a lot safer than candle flames, but I think that real candles would be prettier. The Swedish Christmas season also includes Tomte. To be honest, I think a cheerful-looking gnome is a nice change from the Santa Claus that we\’ve become accustomed to in the USA. I like what it says here about non-flashy Christmas decorations. There\’s nothing wrong with toning it down. I\’ve seen houses with displays of lights that make have me shuddering at the thought of the power bill that will result. Has anyone ever tried to power such a show with bicycle power? Christmas Eve as the day for opening the presents seems quite common in European countries. Wrapped with a rhyme? My mother would have enjoyed that, I bet. Watching Donald Duck? H\’mm. I prefer the one about the Grinch. Long ago, when it was still possible to catch the program on regular TV, we\’d watch it every year. As I grew older, I would watch it just to see the moment when the Grinch gets his \”wonderful, awful idea\”. Throwing the Tree out of the window at the end of the Christmas season? Well, the Grinch stuffed one up the chimney, so I guess getting one through a window isn\’t such a tight fit!  

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Cycle Antarctica?

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Cycle Antarctica? This blog/page may contain affiliate links. “We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.” Cycle Antarctica? Could Antarctica be the next big thing for cycling tours? Why not? After all, I’ve touched on big rides in all other continents; so why leave out the South Pole? Maybe we could start by trekking across the Ross Ice Shelf. Would a Mongoose Malus Fat Tire bicycle be best for that? I’m sure of this much: to cycle Antarctica would be extreme icebike! An Antarctic two-wheeled trek would be a great opportunity to penguin watch; and to get acquainted with the continent’s animal life in general. There’s other wildlife to be seen besides penguins; and maybe it’s not quite fair that penguins seem to steal the show all the time! A bicycle ride in Antarctica in itself sounds mad enough, doesn’t it? You might want to get really, really crazy; and use your fat-tire bike to go  zooming up and down the slopes of Mount Erebus! My fantasizing, it turns out, isn’t completely off the wall. I though I was writing a humorous bit about what cycling “way down South” might be like. Some people have, indeed, done it. One of them used a bicycle with 8 inch wide tires! The Antarctic Summer is cool according to my experience of temperatures: parts of it get up to 60 degrees (~15 degrees Celsius). See here for more on Antarctic weather. Several months of the year, the sun never sets. Even at that season, parts of Antarctica seldom get above freezing; so you might want to wear a scarf across your face, and forget about sunblock. And you might need special goggles to guard against snow blindness; super high-tech polar clothing; and who knows what all else. Come to think of it, I don’t believe I’ll try to cycle Antarctica.

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