The maiden voyage of my bicycle commute went well today. I took it slowly and cautiously for the first trip, making the 3.6 miles in just under 30 minutes (roughly twice as fast as it would take me to walk and half as fast as it would take to drive). I'm sure I could shave considerable time off that if I challenge myself a little. I also pretty much kept to the traffic laws, stopping at all the red lights, unlike most of my fellow bikers who dart through any opening they see. And I took my time locking it up, a process that will surely go smoother as I get more practice. All in all, I feel confident that riding to work will become as fast as taking the subway. Not to mention, being far healthier and more enjoyable.

Well, my weight fluctuated back to where I was expecting it to be when I stepped on the scale last week. Either that or I lost eleven pounds solely through the mental decision to lose some weight. Because making an ooey-gooey pineapple upside-down cake this weekend and polishing off two pieces by myself certainly didn't do it.

Maybe looking at at bicycle websites last night is what did the trick. I think I'm going to get that orange Trek Cruiser Classic pictured above. Very few bicycle companies make cool-looking cruiser frames for tall people. Trek is pretty much the only one I found.

After a winter where I seemed to be getting away with eating whatever I wanted, I've recently found myself once again heavier than I care to be. K. and I bought a scale Sunday to replace our old electronic one that died when the battery leaked. This time we got a good, old-fashioned mechanical model that looks quite nice, except, of course, when it's telling you how much you weigh.

I'm up to 250 and my belly sits annoyingly on my lap like a piece of carry-on luggage that wouldn't fit in the overhead compartment. From past experience, I know that losing fifteen pounds will make a world of difference (more energy, clothes fitting better, etc), but I'd love to lose more, at least twenty-five or thirty.

Going back to eating better is obviously step one. Step two would be exercise, which is a bit harder. I'm over walking to work. Last year, it stopped being enjoyable and turned into a chore, especially in the dog days of summer. I've been saying for the past six months that I'm going to get a bicycle and start riding to work, which should make the trip about as quick as the subway. I've just got to make my decision about what bike to get and then go down to the bike store and buy it.

I feel absurdly mellow today, like absolutely anything could happen and it wouldn't affect me at all. It's not quite what I would call Zen-like or even detached, not exactly. It's just calmness, steadiness, like the beach under the waves, constantly being both diminished and replenished.

I'm half certain that this is just the set-up for some nervous breakdown or other emotional crisis, but I'm just going to try and enjoy the peace while I have it.

Saturday was super productive for me. I finally renewed my driver's license which expired back in 2006 (easier than I expected!). I replaced my cell phone which I lost over a month ago (the new one's got a camera!). I opened a new checking account at a bank that's convenient to where I currently live and work as opposed to where I was ten years ago. And I got to work organizing my notes on an as yet untouched portion of my novel.

And then Sunday morning, K. and I went to the Italian Market to buy ingredients for our homemade chicken pot pies, figuring we'd get one more good hearty winter's meal in before Spring is officially upon us. And then I went off to play D&D and she to a baby shower where she was able to secure the final ingredient for the pot pies as the party favors where mini bottles of white wine.