Success!

The rapidly-creeping-upward price of gas sent me down to REI to get a bike stand I could install without making holes in the walls or ceiling, a rear rack, and panniers. It's a nice little setup, though the bike tree with unpacked book-boxes under it looks a little like a low-rent Bohemian Christmas tree. And also I have spent more money on the setup than I will save by biking to the grocery store. But I feel a little ashamed of myself for driving anywhere, even in this city. And even in this corner of the city where the shopping is at an absolutely terrifying knot of highway. (It's not just that drivers don't respect cyclists. It's that the city planning here is subdivision-roads-that-don't-go-anywhere tied together by 45-mph highways). But, well, for now I'll try to do one grocery run a week by bike, and see how that goes. I only live about 7 miles from the new library--which may be a reasonable commute on days I work the 10-7 shift--but I'll keep my ambitions low for the moment.

I think I would like one of these. Maybe I would wait for the new model year to see if they roll out a different color, because putty has got to be the ugliest color you can put on a bike.