days 5 & 6: good day(s) sunshine!

i’m not sure what dimension we’ve entered, but there have now been two consecutive 60 degree days.  in January/February.  in Indiana.  as i told several customers yesterday, this was the weather i experienced when i worked in Oakland, CA in the summer.  get that?  California, in the summer.  crazy.

not that i’m complaining.  i love this weather.  people out walking the streets, living life, smiling in the sun.  there seems to be a mood of happiness, an extra element of excitement brewing.

the majority of day 5 was spent behind the counter of the coffee shop, greeting customers-both residents and visitors alike, hearing about their days, what they’ve seen downtown (including Jimmy Fallon doing the zipline), etc.  even though the day went on for 11 hours, i felt strangely energized and ready to be amidst the crowds.

a buddy and i headed downtown on bikes after my shift, stopping first at his friend’s apartment in the old Harness Factory building, which literally sits right on the corner of Penn and Virginia, just in front of the entertainment stage we would later watch Fuel on.  he hooked us up with several cans of PBR and we went back into the sea of celebration.

we watched the Hunter Smith Band (or part of it anyway), made our way to the ESPN stage for “Deportes,” their Spanish broadcast, and then back to the apartment for bathrooms and more beers.  after watching Fuel for a brief period, we evaded a resident lockdown by security by sneaking around the back door and up a different elevator, and back to the apartment to listen to music and hang out.

great night, and unlike any other i’ve experienced so far with the SB, but i was definitely out wayyyy later than i should have been, which leads to…

day 6.  exhausted.  up early (too early) to hang art for Friday’s opening exhibit.  there until 1:30p, off to Broad Ripple to run a time-sensitive errand (windows down baby!), 10 minute crash-style-nap on the couch, then off to the coffee shop to work the evening shift.  day 6 will likely be the day i take a break from the SB madness to rest and recoup.  days 7 & 8 will see long hours on the Yelp shuttle, a First Friday exhibit opening and then day 9 will mean a long day in the gallery.  holding my breath for day 10: the big game.  a day i can actually nap, or ride my bike wherever/whenever, or just eat.  day 10 is where it’s at.

rubber meets road.

let me tell you about my day.  or rather, just the last 4 hours or so.

my roommate left, with the car, for Michigan for the week.  usually not an issue considering i have a bike and have been bulking up on rain gear.

on my way to work, however, i slammed into a rather hideous pothole (thank you, city of Indianapolis) and blew the back tire.  i was spewing obscenities all up Virginia ave.  fortunately i was close to work.  i chained the bike up and began to scheme about how i could get it to the bike shop just a 1/2 mile down the road.

one of my friends at the shop, Court, offered to drop it off when she left so that eliminated that frustration.  i called when my shift was over and it was ready, so i started walking.

halfway into the trek, it started pouring.  hardcore.  by the time i reached the bike shop, i was soaked head to toe.  my jeans, my boots, my hair…all dripping as i tried to sign the receipt.  $17 i didn’t anticipate spending on my bike this week.

i pedaled back to the shop in the rain and, though i had my heart set on writing for awhile before going home, i admitted defeat and decided to pack up.  i couldn’t help but think as i rode, how this is such an tangible illustration of how i feel lately…heavy, weighed down, cold, frustrated, my vision clouded.  not knowing where i’m going, or why i’m doing the things i’m doing.

dreariness all over my horizon.

to add insult to injury, i rolled through a giant, parking-spot-long hole on the way back, full of water and oil.  whatever wasn’t wet before certainly was now.

so, i sit in my underwear as i write this, partly because i can, and partly because i don’t yet have the heart to put pants back on.  wet clothes are strewn everywhere and a hot cup of tea sits beside me.  of all the days i would have permission to scrap it and just watch a movie, i really just want to write.  i am trying to work up the determination to jump back in….

hold on loosely.

Indianapolis roads can be treacherous, at least until (Lord willing) they get these street repairs done that they’ve promised.  one thing i’ve learned on my ventures with Dantes (yes, that’s the name of the bike) is that the best way to navigate bumpy roads is to hold on loosely to the handle bars.  if i do this, this ride is less jarring.

do we hear a life metaphor coming?  we sure do, but i’ll let you draw your own parallels.

really really (rediculously) free summer.

(or drastically reduced in price)

a couple weeks ago i had one of the most amazing days in a very long time.  after breakfast, the roommates and i rode our bikes to the circle for the 500 parade.  because we were virtually free of “baggage” (no bulky coolers or kids or lawn chairs for us), we were able to scoot right in front, sitting on the street at the feet of the people on the bleachers.  this view was perfect.  it allowed us to experience the parade unhindered and unblocked.

afterward, we rode back, grabbed a snack and a (very) small nap, and were out the door again, on our way to Yelp 500.  Yelp is a great little website for reviewing local venues and events, and they put together a giant party, complete with local beer, crepes, sausages, cake and more. 

we rode bikes and, minus an accident on the way, the event cost me nothing. 

on the way back, we rode over to the Art Museum in hopes that a fav band of ours (Band of Horses) might still be playing a free concert they spontaneously announced just the day before.  sure enough, a small bout of rain showers caused a delay and we had missed nothing.  the result: an amazingly free concert experience.

the totaly cost for the day: $4 for a beer at the concert.  even our transportation was fee-less, as we biked all over the city.

this got me to thinking…what if i could experience my entire summer in Indy on virtually nothing.  given my current financial situation this became really appealling, and as i looked more closely at the things going on in this city, i began to think this could be a reality.

so, i will continue sharing my challenge here, my successes and failures, and all the fun adventures i have on next to nothing.  i will categorize them under “free Indy”.   i will also announce things i find via my twitter (@christiealison) and begin the text with “FREE INDY”. 

so, what’s on the agenda for this weekend?  Handicraft Exchange and Independant Music Festival at Harrison Arts Center tomorrow and Talbot St. Art Fair on Sunday.  completely free (as long as i don’t buy anything) and accessible on bike.  beautiful.

street level view

this weekend has been my crash-course in riding a bike for transportation (literally, took a nice spill yesterday).

this has been an evolving process.  when Kelley moved here from Grand Rapids last fall, i promised her she need not buy a car, that we could share one.  unfortunately, having a job nearly 30 miles away did make this a workable plan.  until Training School, when i would have 1-2 days during the week that i didn’t need the car and she could take it for the day.  still, on those days, i had only to go to class (catch a ride with friends) and work at the local coffee shop (walk). 

about a month ago, we sat down and really began to think/talk through what it would look like to share a car.  as a professional photographer with summer weddings booked all over the midwest, she was really beginning to need something more consistent.  our reasons for sharing have been many and continue to take shape.  for her, she is adamentally against the American notion that everyone must own their own car; as a GR resident, she gladly rode her bike wherever needed, and on the very rare occasion she needed to drive, she found a willingly volunteer (seriously, though, it was maybe every other month).

for me, the reasons are more financial than ideaological: if i am to work less hours at my higher-paying job to better follow some of the options God has put before me, i need to lessen my expenses.  Kel and i struck a sweet deal where she will help with the expense of owning the vehicle in exchange for having it when she needs it.  it’s a novel concept…instead of increasing my hours to afford my things, i share my things so i don’t have to work as much. 

while she’s used my car many times in the past, this is really the first that i’ve had to consider how i might get somewhere.  i’ve owned my own car since i was 16 and, apart from a brief period in college, have never wanted for a ride. 

having to bike to your destination changes your perspective entirely.

first, there’s the time issue.  if i’m late but i’m driving a car, i have an accelerator that moves me faster.  on a bike, not so much.  it’s just my legs.  then there’s the exhaustion thing…going too many miles over a period of time wears out the body, which severely limits where i can and can’t go.  third, there’s the safety thing.  bikers are way more susceptible to (REALLY) bad accidents.  i wore my helmet, yes, but that didn’t stop my tire from curbing the lip of a driveway, sending me flying onto the sidewalk.  i have a nice little (ok, big) bruise on my shin and some skin missing from my hands.

but then there’s the street level view of the city.  a chance to see the architecture of buildings, to know the streets more intimately, see people’s faces and say hello as you pass.  to talk to your fellow travel companions and see the amazing wildlife and nature right in the heart of the city.  travel suddenly becomes an adventure, a part of the journey, not just a necessary evil that gets you from one place to the next.  it’s exhilirating. 

i wouldn’t trade this view for anything. 

ok, that’s not completely true…after biking nearly 30 miles this weekend, i asked if i could borrow a housemate’s car to take to my babysitting gig.  still, i’m on my way.  baby steps, right?