In June 2005, I wrecked my car by running a stop sign that "came out of nowhere." This was one of the last big, stupid, irresponsible things I did before I realized it was time to grow up (the real last one is coming up, don't worry). I was living in Baltimore City at the time, and work was only 3 and a half miles away, so I started walking to work. An old friend, Chip (he'll make many more appearances later on), was a bike mechanic, and fixed up a bike for me that had been abandoned at his shop. It was a 1984 Trek 520 with broken derailleurs but working pedals. I named her Tracy. She got me everywhere I needed and wanted to go.
BUT...on August 26, 2005, I decided to have some tasty beers and then ride said bike (wrong way down Pratt Street in Little Italy during construction). I hit a MASSIVE pothole and went over my handlebars, breaking my collarbone and back and bumping my un-helmeted head hard. This is the last big, stupid, irresponsible thing I did. After breaking myself, I realized that I wasn't invincible and that drinking and riding is just as bad as drinking and driving. Seriously.
The day after I broke myself, my parents and I found me a piece of crap car to get me around so I could get to school. I promised to go back to school and get my Bachelor's, of which I'd completed two years from 2001-2003. So I drove this car until I got sick of being inside instead of out (maybe a week). Two weeks post-breakage, I got back on my bike and started riding again. There is nothing like flying down city streets between cars with the wind at your back. This is how I fell in love with cycling. This is also how I got hit by three cars in a six week period (only one incident was my fault). But I did get to call work and tell them I'd be late because I'd hit a car and this happened:
Despite the injuries and the danger, I fell more in love with cycling and decided to make it my sole means of transportation. I got myself a huge messenger bag for my non-broken shoulder and I was set!
In November of 2005, I started dating Chip, my bike mechanic friend whom I'd known for years.
One of our first dates; a holiday sweater party
He helped me start pinking my bike (Tracy), which started my obsession with all things pink.
In January of 2006, on a whim, I got a job as a bike messenger. I saw an ad in the paper and that day I rode up to Magic Messengers on Calvert Street and they told me to come back Monday ready to work. Within two months, Chip was so jealous of my riding every day that he quit his mechanic job to be a messenger too. We were riding bikes and getting paid for it! And sometimes falling off...
In May, Chip and I moved in together into an adorable apartment on Calvert Street in Mt. Vernon.
We adopted two cats from the Howard County Animal Shelter at the same time. We each picked one out; I named mine Petey and Chip named his Max. So our little family lived happily ever after downtown. Every morning we'd head out on our bikes to conquer the city, rain or shine, humidity or...a lot more humidity (this is Baltimore, after all).
Petey:
The boys napping together:
In July I did some research on my school's website. I discovered that I could potentially finish school by the following May if I could just get my ass in gear. So I did. I took an intense Political Science class two nights a week during the summer, while messengering during the day. My favorite part of messengering was really seeing the city in ways that most people don't. There's beauty everywhere and when you're in a car, you usually miss it because you go by too fast and you're inside a box, completely separated from your surroundings.
In September I reluctantly left my messenger job behind as I pursued school full time. I took 15 credits of Political Science, French, and Linguistics. I got my cycling fix in by riding to school when it wasn't raining or dark. I worked sometimes 5 nights a week at Outback Steakhouse, where I'd been an off-and-on (by choice) waitress for several years. I discovered that I'd grown up a little since the last time I was in school...this time I actually cared...this time I actually pulled good grades! I made Dean's List for the first time in my life. Over the winter I took another intense Political Science (my minor) class, and in the spring I took 15 more intense credits of Political Science, Spanish, French, and Linguistics. By the skin of my teeth I graduated (I had two brutal profs in the spring...but let's not revisit that).
On January 9, 2007 we added another member to our feline family; this time a girl, Alice (aka Momma). We found her, pregnant and cold, two days after my birthday. We kept her warm and fed her a lot...she was so skinny, ugly, and scruffy. She fattened up quite a bit until February 5, when she had 7 babies. The first one had horrible birth defects and for that reason, I had to rush her to the vet for an emergency C-section. The 6 survivors were healthy though and once Momma woke up from her anesthesia, she handled things like a pro. She even adopted an orphan kitten into her brood and in April, all of the babies were adopted out to three wonderful families.
Alice post C-section with her babies
Bottle feeding a little one while Momma was still waking up from anesthesia:
A three-week-old pile of kittens (5 black, one orange tabby):
In January of the spring semester, I discovered that an awesome bicycle company was hiring, and that there was a position that would be a fantastic fit for me. I sent in my resumé and never heard anything for three months. As graduation loomed and "I can't be a waitress with a Bachelor's degree" fear set in, I took matters into my own hands. On a Wednesday in April I called HR at this company and told them I'd be fantastic for the job. They actually agreed, and asked me if I could fly out to California the next day to meet with them. Me, the college dropout bike messenger waitress...they wanted me. So I left class early on Thursday and flew out of Baltimore at 7 in the evening. I connected in Vegas and landed in San Jose around 2 a.m. I found my way to a rental car and ended up in my hotel room at about 3:30 in the morning on Friday. Later that day, I sweated through four hours of interviews, and got the job! Chip decided to pull a Cakes and convince HR that he would be great for another job they had open, and they actually agreed with him too! In the span of two weeks, we'd both gotten jobs 3000 miles away from home.
So...the day after graduation we loaded most of our belongings into a truck and waved goodbye as it set off for California. Two days later, we began our trip across the country. We planned on traveling for four days, but after an unfortunate breakdown west of Topeka, it turned into five. There's nothing like driving 3000 miles with three whiny cats in the back of the car. We saw lots of stuff on the trip...
Petey, not at all thrilled to be in the car
Indianapolis
St. Louis at sunset on the first day of driving (14 hours after leaving home)
Chip's aunt and uncle's place (aka castle) in St. Alban's, Missouri, where we spent night one
Kansas City, Missouri
Uh oh...a storm is ahead as we head west out of Topeka
Electrical problems crippled our car 20 miles west of Topeka, so we pulled over at an abandoned gas station, Stuckey's.
We ended up spending the night in Topeka before heading for dinner in Denver with friends of mine from Dickinson College (my first school)
First glimpse of California
The new apartment, filled with crap from the car
First dinner at the apartment (the moving truck hadn't arrived yet, so all we had to cook with were paper plates, skewers, and a grill). Mmmm, kebabs...
Two weeks after we got to California I decided we must have a dog. I trolled craigslist and picked out the dog with the biggest ears I could find. On June 22, we brought home Cal, a ~1-year-old Australian Kelpie from the Lake County Shelter.
Check out these ears!
So, here I am, with a big (animal) family, a new house, a new job, a new state, and a new life from the one I had just two years ago. I'm trying to sort it all out and make my way through life. I get to do new things all the time out here, like...
mountain biking:
Visiting San Francisco:
Taking my first vacation in five years (a cruise to Mexico):
Like anyone, I do miss home, and I can't help but feel a little lost sometimes. I think most people in their 20s have feelings like that, and it makes me do lots of daydreaming in between tasks at work.
So that's all about me. I suppose in future posts I'll discuss things I've done, things I'd like to do, things I think about, opinions I have (there are so many), things I like and dislike, etc. I hope that people find it interesting, and that I learn a lot from the experience!
A bientot,
Katie
1 comment:
Dude...your blob is so interesting. I like all the pics and I feel quite informed about your current life situation. You seem really happy though and that's awesome. I should learn how to ride a bike.
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