Activism

I have been very busy in the last few days. I volunteered last night with the Chicago Bicycle Federation as a bike valet at Nike's Run Hit Wonder. Cathy, the event director of the CBF and my friend, asked those people that she thought would be fun to work with and most of whom were pretty close to her age to help out. She asked the volunteers to dress up in 80's gear but I was the only one that got into it. She (Cathy) said that she was going to put a silver stripe across her eyes but work got in the way. She also heard me talking about gel and mousse to her assistant, Ann because I had hoped to get a spike going in my hair using gel but it wasn't stiff as mousse and all I ended up with was curls. She heard mousse and asked if I had any on me, I didn't. Nike had a band posted at every mile that was a one hit wonder in the 80's. They hired Tone Loc, General Public, Tommy Tutone, Dramarama, The Run Hit Wonder's, a really bad 80's cover band, and Devo, who got the main stage. American Idol's, Randy Jackson was one of the announcers. The bike lot was at the start/finish line and so was (were?) The Run Hit Wonders. I would have been happy to have anyone else and Dramarama would have been great but we had to put up with the Run Hit Wonders. After they were finished, the back track was singles of several of the bands on the route although instead of Dramarama they had Kajagoogoo. We ended up parking 113 bikes and Cathy was a little disappointed because she expected with 10,000 runners, there would be many more bikers. We all had fun though. I pogoed during Devo a few times and Cathy did the dance that they did in The Breakfast Club. I left at about a quarter to 11 and got home at about 12:15 AM. I then couldn't fall asleep immediately so when I got up this morning at 6 AM, I wasn't exactly the most bright and chipper. Work was thankfully pretty slow because thinking was definitely not my strong suit today.

I had every intention today of, and was actually looking forward to, doing Critical Mass. I got home, changed clothes, packed my bag, and got my bag. I then went to my bike and started filling the tires, because with a road bike you always have to fill the tires before riding. I noticed that the rear tire was flat. I was hoping that it was just a slow leak around the patch I had put on it on Saturday night. I filled it up and I was able to reach 110 pounds but I heard a leak after I shut the tube. It was leaking too fast to ride and I didn't have enough time to patch the tire before rush hour when the El is closed to bikes. I did think later that I could have brought my bike with the flat tire and the stuff with which to fix it, I would have had time but I thought about it too late. As I said, my brain is working in slow motion today.

I think my Netflix videos arrived today but my mailman either didn't leave them or they were swiped. I didn't order any incredibly popular blockbusters (The Station Agent, The Cooler, and Dirty Pretty Things) so I would wonder why someone would swipe them. Hopefully I'm wrong and they show up tomorrow.

I have been mulling over why I have chosen some of the activist events that I have chosen and do choose. Specifically, I am referring to those things that may be considered bordering on civil disobedience. Examples of these would be the anti-war protests, Critical Mass, and working as a poll monitor may cause some provocations. I do these things for a few reasons. First, I agree with the causes that I am fighting for and the methods used are ways to draw attention to them. Second, it gives me a feeling of being a part of something bigger than myself. Lastly, because I can. I am single and have no dependents, if something were to happen to me, it wouldn't matter. Its better that I do these things than someone who is depended on.

Tomorrow, I am doing some activism of the less controversial sort. I am volunteering for the Hideout Block Party where I can here some good tunes and help some good causes like Tuesday's Child, P.L.A.Y., and Literacy Works.

And this is where I end this episode...