I bought a bicycle last week. Yes, I know, I can hear all of you saying, "Amy? On a bicycle?" Yes, Amy on a bicycle. I'll admit I was reluctant to do it. I'm a large girl with a very large backside and the thought of trying to perch said large backside on a teeny, tiny bicycle seat was a bit daunting. But the desire to have a smaller backside and to be more mobile than my feet and the bus can provide, I bit the bullet and bought the bike.

I looked on craigslist. I searched on Ebay. I went down to the local Goodwill to see what was in stock. I went over to Recycled Cycles in the U-District to see what they had. I was hoping for a used bike but I wasn't having any luck finding a good one. Mischa over at Recycled Cycles spent the better part of Thursday afternoon/evening fitting me on a bicycle and finding one that would suit my needs. Did I want a street bike? Mountain bike? Or a hybrid (the best of both)? How many gears did I want? How heavy or light did I want it to be? So many questions that I didn't have the answer to. After getting on and off many bikes, measuring my inseam, watching my riding style (Style? Can you say wobbly?), Mischa finally found a bike he thought I would like. The clencher for me? IT'S PURPLE!! How many gears does it have? How much does it weigh? How big is it? What kind of tires does it have? I didn't care. I saw that pretty purple bike wink at me and I was a goner. Yes, I know, I'm superficial. It's pretty and that's the important part, :-).

You know how they say, "It's like riding a bike. You never forget how."? Well mostly that's true but the older you get without actually ever riding a bike, the more you realize how much the pavement will hurt if you fall off and land on it. The bike shop is quite a ways from my house. Two buses away to be precise. (Funny how I judge all distances now by how many buses it'll take me to get there.) I was afraid to ride it home for two reasons. One, I wasn't quite sure how to get home on bike friendly streets and two, I haven't ridden a bike in 20+ years. I am very wobbly. I was afraid I'd wobble into traffic and someone would run over me. So, I carried my new pretty purple bike home on the bus. I did get off about four blocks from my house so I could ride it home. I wanted to be able to say I had ridden it home without lying about it :-).

My next adventure on the bike was a few days later. I do plan on riding it to work but I wanted to ride there on my day off so I knew how long it would take to get there. I cannot be late. So, the bike sat a few days before I could ride it again. This past Tuesday, I needed to go to Target to get a cat carrier. I was taking my cat to the vet on Thursday and didn't think she'd appreciate me stuffing her in my backpack.

I wheeled the bike out on to my street and then pedaled the block and a half to the main thoroughfare where I looked up the four block long hill I would need to climb. I tried riding up it but my legs just couldn't do it so I pushed the bike up the hill. At the top, I hopped on and began wobbling my way down the sidewalk. I was afraid to get on the street. Not ready for that yet, lol. Well, this being a very hilly town, the straight road soon became a steep downhill. I was afraid of going too fast so I rode the whole way downhill with the brakes on. I think the first part to wear out is going to be the brakes.

Well, anyway, I only had to call my roommate once to get directions since I could have sworn I knew where the Target was but obviously did not and I made it to the store eventually. I spent another fifteen minutes locking it up because I don't want anyone stealing my pretty purple bike. It took a while to remember exactly how Mischa had taught me to secure the bike along with both tires and the seat to the bike rack. I never did remember how to get the seat wound up in there so I just took it off and brought it with me. It's a special big butt seat so I don't want to lose it.

When I came out, I had to figure out a way to get my purchases home. I had bought some bungy cords so I secured the cat carrier to the front of my backpack and was able to shove the other purchases inside the backpack. So now I want you to picture this. A fat 40 year old woman riding a very pretty purple bike wearing a backpack with a cat carrier bungied to it. There's a character in the movie The Dark Crystal, this old lady with a removable eye who carries all her belongings on her back in this enormous pack. I imagine I looked a bit like that only without the removable eye. It was really quite funny.

Yesterday, I rode to work and it took me 45 minutes. Now that was without knowing exactly where I was going and going very slowly on the hills so I imagine in time, as I feel more comfortable, it'll take less time. It's all pretty much downhill too so getting to work will be a breeze. The getting home will be the hard part. I'll probably take the bus for the most part. At least until my legs get all buff and I can push up the hills.

After riding to Starbucks, I headed up to Swedish hospital to visit a sick friend. I was able to ride about halfway until I got to the neighborhood called First Hill. Hill being the operative word there. So, I walked it up about a mile's worth of hill to get to the hospital. By the time I made it up to his room, I was soaking wet with sweat and my legs were shaking. Luckily, he was medicated and didn't notice. Riding home was easier since it was downhill and then I caught the bus up the big hilly parts. It was a very good ride and I felt accomplished when I got home.

I like being mobile again. I need a name for my bike though. Any suggestions? Tomorrow, I'll be riding it to work so we'll see how that goes. I have special access to the bike cage in the parking garage so I feel all special. It's a good feeling knowing that I can do this even though it scares me a bit. I'm still terrified of falling off or getting run over but we'll cross that bridge if we get there. For now, my pretty purple bike and I make a cute, if somewhat funny looking, couple.