I Forgot my Pants!

Wow! What a commute to work today. Was it the birds chirping? The warm air that was perfectly moderated so that going downhill I felt buffered by soft Mediterranean breezes? Was it that I climbed the hill as if pulled up by a mysterious tow rope?

I dunno. But it was great, and I don't want to jinx it by introspecting too closely.

As I had partially climbed the "big hill" (Beacon Hill in Seattle) I remembered that I had packed two shirts and NO PANTS! Oops.

Dilemma.

Should I go back down, fetch the pants and return back up? Before going to bed I had read a tract on climbing and Greg LeMond's tips. One was to always choose the hilly course. By that I should have gladly rolled back down, then back up the smaller hills to the house, then back down from the house and up again to the "big hill". Nope. I remembered that I had a crumpled pair of pants from last week sitting in a grocery bag at work. That'll do.

Unencumbered by propreity or proper training techniques I resumed the sheer exhillaration of this morning's commute. It could have been the cast of the Sun's rays, but it sure was sweet. Like riding your first faster bike as a kid and discovering serious speed. Everything was right in the world of flying bicycles.

All I could conjure up was that I was on a bicycle with wings.

I needed a picture for the post so I Googled bicycle with wings and got two great features.

The first is a reprint from "The Silent Worker". "The Silent Worker" I learned was a newspaper for the deaf. In a story from a 1909 edition they report on a man with a bicycle with wings. And he took a test flight in Pittsburgh, my home town, between landmarks I know. What a trip! Ended up crashing into a... well, see for yourself. Check it out here: The Silent Worker. Be prepared, the story also includes a reference to how society viewed "negroes" at the time.

Fascinating paper, "The Silent Worker". Seems to be a focus on how deaf mutes are entitled to good jobs and make good workers. Reminds me of U.S. Senator Tom Harkin's remarks (hero of the Americans with Disabilities Act) when I was in D.C. last month (subject of a future post).

Next, I found this video of another chap on a winged bicycle assisted by a rocket of some sort. All I can say is it's a good thing he didn't forget his pants! Check him out here: Google Video.

Keep your curious pants on. Or not!

CurioRando