I'm not a biker - I'm a pedestrian. I understand the appeal of the bike, but I don't have the dedication or the constitution to bike to work. I take my life into my own hands just walking, I figure I'll leave biking to the better equipped.
Except....
As gas prices rise I see more and more of the "accidental biker." I've determined that they're accidental because they didn't intend to bike, but due to circumstances beyond their control they're biking. And they bike in the most bizarre get-ups: suit pants and a muscle shirt and no helmet. A dress that is hiked up, sandals and no helmet.
Mostly they don't wear helmets. And while the old adage about something being as easy as riding a bike, apparently bike riding isn't as easy as one might think. As a casual observer I see a lot of wobbling on bikes too big for people on bikes too small for peple, a lot of fast pedaling without getting anywhere and the dreaded drift.
Just this week I've seen people nearly die, but I don't think they were aware how close they came to certain death. And they did it in a sundress and cute sandals. If you're riding a bike, you might take a second look at it to make sure it is going to work best for you. Learn about how the gears work and for the love of all things good, wear a helmet.
I don't care if you dress like a bumble bee and wear clicky shoes. Mostly I care if you laid out by a Prius.
Labels: 2008, Boston, weird stuff
By: Alyssa | Wednesday, July 02, 2008 at Wednesday, July 02, 2008 | | 
This week Derek, Deeps and I tackle the latest episodes of In Plain Sight, Doctor Who, The Middleman, Secret Diary of a Call Girl and Fear Itself. Plus we have phone calls from F13 of
Cinema Diabolica, Brother D from
Mail Order Zombie and Aaron from
Paperbag Radio!
And a reminder that next week is Troll 2 vs. Manos the Hands of Fate for a decision - what movie is worse?
Listen to this week's episode.If you enjoy the show, why not throw us a bone over at Podcast Alley
Podcast Alley? We appreciate it! Then visit us at
PopSyndicate.com/forums to participate in lively discussions. Or give us a call at 206-202-0197.
Subscribe to the podcast with
iTunes or your favorite
podcatcher. Don't forget to leave us some iTunes feedback.
Subscribe to Big Red Podcast by Email
Labels: 2008, podcast
By: Alyssa | Sunday, June 29, 2008 at Sunday, June 29, 2008 | |
Last week we had our old gross bathroom floor demolished and new swanky tile floor was installed. Normally, we try to do home improvement projects ourselves but sometimes it is best to hire a pro.
The pros were done in like four days which was fantastic. And now I have a lovely new floor that is even and easy to clean. Plus it looks about 10,000 times better.
Of course now, I'm looking at the old bathroom counter which has seen better days. And then the paint could use some touching up - maybe it would be easier to just repaint the whole thing. And the tile in the shower surround might need a little TLC.
Or we could demo out the rest and do something new!
Luckily, I've volunteered to help friends paint at their house this weekend. So by Monday I might have let go of my thirst for destruction. Or at least Deeps will have taken some time to hide the crowbar.
Labels: 2008, house, marriage
By: Alyssa | Friday, June 27, 2008 at Friday, June 27, 2008 | |
This week Derek, Deeps and I chat about pancake recipes and Fear Itself; we determine if The Venture Brothers can ever be too nerdy; we get our first real episode of In Plain Sight; and we get a little behind-the-scenes info about Doctor Who from
Aaron at Paperbag Radio!
Then we review two new shows -
The Middleman and
Secret Diary of a Call Girl. One is quirky fun with charm to spare. The other... has Billie Piper.
And we get very deep when discussing the 1975 Gene Hackman thriller
Night Moves. And we announce a special Big Red Film Festival event - Troll 2 vs. Manos the Hands of Fate.
Listen to this week's episode.If you enjoy the show, why not throw us a bone over at Podcast Alley
Podcast Alley? We appreciate it! Then visit us at
PopSyndicate.com/forums to participate in lively discussions. Or give us a call at 206-202-0197.
Subscribe to the podcast with
iTunes or your favorite
podcatcher. Don't forget to leave us some iTunes feedback.
Subscribe to Big Red Podcast by Email
Labels: 2008, podcast
By: Alyssa | Sunday, June 22, 2008 at Sunday, June 22, 2008 | |
We're back after our two-week (or one show) break. Deeps, Derek and I are fired up to talk about
Fear Itself,
Swingtown,
Charlie Jade and
In Plain Sight.
Then I get reminiscent about Chicago when talking about
My Boys. And finally we tackle favorites Doctor Who and the sublime Venture Brothers. Plus we announce the next installment in the Big Red Film Festival -
Night Moves and apologize to listener
Jacki for running too long!
Listen to this week's episode.If you enjoy the show, why not throw us a bone over at Podcast Alley
Podcast Alley? We appreciate it! Then visit us at
PopSyndicate.com/forums to participate in lively discussions. Or give us a call at 206-202-0197.
Subscribe to the podcast with
iTunes or your favorite
podcatcher. Don't forget to leave us some iTunes feedback.
Subscribe to Big Red Podcast by Email
Labels: 2008, podcast
By: Alyssa | Monday, June 16, 2008 at Monday, June 16, 2008 | |
Next week we're doing a little project in our third floor bathroom - new tile floors. The old tile is okay, however it is small, hard to clean, and has not been white since before we bought the place. Tasteful "Laguna Bay" (soft sandy color) will replace 1 inch hexagons with 1 foot squares.
This requires a very minor disruption to our lives as we move downstairs for a few nights while the handymen do their business. Normally, we'd do a project like this ourselves but I figured given our full-time jobs and other obligations, we should just job this one out.
Not to worry - I plan on not hiring a landscaper and to attempt to prune back privets that have grown to be over 17 feet tall. These are trade-offs that one must make.
In other news, my
friends Mark and Greg are totally re-doing their kitchen in dramatic fashion. I've been following it eagerly online since they've been blogging their experience. I've also been meddling, like I do, and offering lots of suggestions for tiles and paint and cabinets.
Frankly, they are both holding up better than I do(as are
their kitties) in such circumstances.
Last year we had 3 days of disruption when new counters were installed in the kitchen and I was a raving banshee. I'm trying to be better about the tile floors in the master bath. Luckily, we have another bathroom - so that will probably be okay.
Except when it isn't and I go crazy again.
Labels: 2008, house, weird stuff
By: Alyssa | Friday, June 13, 2008 at Friday, June 13, 2008 | |
So on Friday it was like 55-60. On Saturday it was 90. On Sunday it was around 100.
I'm not blogging as much because it is so damn hot, I'm spending quality time huddled around my little window unit. We usually get a few hot days in New England, but this is probably the hottest it has been since we moved here from Chicago - a city known for brutally hot summers.
Mostly I sweat, then I take a shower, then I sweat some more. It's pretty glamorous. I'm hoping not to bake to death on my commute to work. That's my goal for the day.
I've made peace with my sweatiness. I can only hope others will make peace with it as well. And I'll have a ponytail until September. That's just how I roll.
Labels: 2008, weather
By: Alyssa | Tuesday, June 10, 2008 at Tuesday, June 10, 2008 | |
This week we briefly outline some problems commuting around Boston this week and then talk about three hours of LOST, Spelling Bee coverage, and the return of The Venture Brothers.
Just a reminder, we're taking June 8 off so we'll be back with episode 84 on June 15.
Listen to this week's episode.If you enjoy the show, why not throw us a bone over at Podcast Alley
Podcast Alley? We appreciate it! Then visit us at
PopSyndicate.com/forums to participate in lively discussions. Or give us a call at 206-202-0197.
Subscribe to the podcast with
iTunes or your favorite
podcatcher. Don't forget to leave us some iTunes feedback.
Subscribe to Big Red Podcast by Email
Labels: 2008, podcast
By: Alyssa | Sunday, June 01, 2008 at Sunday, June 01, 2008 | |
So I have a plan about how to get home if there is a terrorist attack while I'm at the office. This might sound weird and a little bleak, but in fairness I also had a plan in case we were attacked by Russians in the early 80s. Think Red Dawn. I was nine.
Anyway, the plan is good to have because "terrorist" can easily turn into "when the MBTA fails at every turn" which happens more often than you might think.
Last night I was happy to have some plans in place. Plan A is full blown disaster plan - I walk up Massachusetts Avenue for approximately seven miles until I'm close to home. Plan B is the inconvenience plan - I walk to Kendall Square and hang out at the mall and wait for Deeps to show up and meet me for dinner.
I implemented that plan last night when
a fire on the T shut down Red Line service for a good long while. Once I saw a flood of people crossing the bridge towards the MGH stop I knew I'd have to keep hiking.
But while I was walking across the bridge, as dark clouds loomed and the rain gently fell I started to wonder if it was really wise to be walking on a big metal bridge during storm - especially when I suspected there might be lightning. That's when I started to formulate Plan C. Call my work buddies to see if anyone is still in the neighborhood.
Plan C means I hole up in a nice pub, sip some whiskey and wait out the delays with my friends. It's a good plan, I don't see what could possibly go wrong.
Labels: 2008, Boston, weird stuff
By: Alyssa | Wednesday, May 28, 2008 at Wednesday, May 28, 2008 | |
Derek joins the rest of us in our early, middle thirties (despite my assertions that he's just turned 21 and that I regularly gave him bathtub gin) and to mark the occasion we complain about a weak end to a rough television season. We assess how the strike affected finales for Ugly Betty, Grey's Anatomy, How I Met Your Mother, Reaper, House, and Bones.
Then Deeps and I chat - well, I go on a small tirade - about a little film called Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
Listen to this week's episode.If you enjoy the show, why not throw us a bone over at Podcast Alley
Podcast Alley? We appreciate it! Then visit us at
PopSyndicate.com/forums to participate in lively discussions. Or give us a call at 206-202-0197.
Subscribe to the podcast with
iTunes or your favorite
podcatcher. Don't forget to leave us some iTunes feedback.
Subscribe to Big Red Podcast by Email
Labels: 2008, podcast
By: Alyssa | Monday, May 26, 2008 at Monday, May 26, 2008 | |
