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Posted by Dottie at 21:15 activism, commute diary Add comments
Jun 162010

My world is all better today. I have a renewed appreciation for my regular commute, despite the congestion and car door flinging. At least traffic is slower, there’s a marked bike lane and lots of other bike commuters along the way.

Chicago from a lobby window

This is Bike to Work Week in Chicago and there are definitely more cyclists out and about. I’m team leader at my workplace and five other people have biked so far this week!

My new camera remote and $4 thrifted dress

In random news, I bought a MacBook! Last month, my six-year-old IBM Thinkpad gave out. After all the problems and crashing I put up with on PCs through the years, I decided to join Trisha in the Mac love. I’m giddy over the vastly increased RAM.

My new MacBook (and free iPod Touch)!

More random news: I won a ticket to Cities, Bicycles & the Future of Getting Around, featuring David Byrne! Check back here after Friday for a full report.

Has anyone out there heard Byrne speak about bikes? Or love Macs? :)

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  • http://bobbinandsprocket.blogspot.com/ Amy

    Yay for Macs! Welcome to the cult. :) Congrats on winning the ticket too. Sounds like and excellent day so far. :)

  • http://girlsandbicycles.blogspot.com Miss Sarah

    So flattering to have my blog up on your new macbook! Don and I are Mac people too. Welcome to the family!

    S*

  • http://bikelikeme.posterous.com/ Randall

    Dottie, you are not only a “team leader” at your employer, you are a leader and hero for all of us biking-to-work folk!

    • http://letsgorideabike.com Dottie

      Aw, thanks :)

    • Scott

      Truth!

  • http://pigsinblankies.blogspot.com/ Anne Wong

    I LOVE MY MACBOOK!!! I have the same one as you. It equals true love. Cherish it. So much better than a PC. soooooo much.

  • http://iciclebicycle.blogspot.com spiderleggreen

    We had the first really nice, rain free day in awhile and bikes were everywhere. The Greenway through town was packed.

    I’m glad I have a PC at work, so I can appreciate my time away from work on my mac.

  • http://lovelybike.blogspot.com Lovely Bicycle!

    Yes to both: having heard David Byrne talk, and being a Mac fan. Love my Macbook and shudder at the horrid distant memory of PCs. Welcome, Sista!

    • http://thechaicyclist.blogspot.com spiderleggreen

      He’s in Mpls. today, and I’m volunteering with our new bike-sharing program Nice Ride in hopes of getting in to see the sold out show.

      • Kari

        I actually have an extra ticket! I was hoping someone I knew would want it, but no takers. It’s $10.

        • http://thechaicyclist.blogspot.com spiderleggreen

          Kari, I would love to buy your ticket! Here’s my email spiderleggreen@gmail.com if you want to sell it. I’m still planning to help out Nice Ride and should be over by the YWCA Uptown at 5:30pm up until showtime. Lowell

          • http://thechaicyclist.blogspot.com spiderleggreen

            Thanks Dottie, for the heads up! And thanks to Kari for the ticket! It was great to be in a room full of bike nuts.

  • http://www.portlandize.com Dave

    I’m a Mac guy, but I’m pretty un-idealistic about them – I just prefer the operating system, for the most part. I could get into lots of geeky tech-details, but as a company, Apple is pretty much up to the same wacky stuff as most big corporations.

    Glad you’re back to the usual ride, and nice to have the camera remote! That’s super handy!

    Happy second half of the week!

    • dukiebiddle

      Completely agree with your take on Macs. I switched to a mac once, and I have to say that I did prefer the OS for the most part (hate the company), but it was a bit of a relief to switch back to PC, and it does feel good to get out of a cult. ;)

  • Sungsu

    I’ve been using Macs for 25 years now (yes, do the math). I write software on a PC and though Windows 7 is pretty good, I still prefer a Mac.

  • http://www.academichic.com Academichic

    A few things:

    - Good for you for being Team Leader at work – I’m always so impressed by all the positive work you and Trisha do on this site and outside of it :)

    - Macs are awesome! I made the switch shortly after starting my PhD, so I’m still on my first Mac. I couldn’t love it more!

    - Cute dress, what a great thrift find!

    S.

  • Jennifer S.

    I switched to a Mac a few months ago and found it to be easier to use. I’m not a computer person by any means, but I can do lots of stuff on this guy. My current project is making a dvd of my children.

    Just yesterday I reserved “The Bicycle Diaries” by David Byrne at the library. Looking forward to reading it.

    I always enjoy reading your blog.

  • http://my2010ishere.blogspot.com Amanda Z from NYC

    I’ve been raised to be against MACs, haa haa, but I think I might have to convert sometime in the future.
    The only people I hear say bad things about them are the people who don’t own ‘em.
    Eh…whatever.

    Glad your commute was a more smooth one than the other day’s.

    I hope to get crack-alackin’ on the second leg of the Summer Games…school and new kittens have been getting in the way…haa haa…oh, life!

    …have a nice day!

  • http://bike-bliss.com Bliss Chick

    Adore Macs. I don’t think you’ll regret the change, and you’ll have a load of fun w/ the iPod!

    Congrats on the tickets!

  • donnarino

    I love my mac (though I have to use PCs at work) but I have to say that Apple has changed a lot since it was the “underdog” and it is as greedy as any other company out there (looking at you Microshit).

  • Dan

    1st a Betty Foy now a Mac, two great machines.

  • Neighbourtease

    I am a fan of macs and also of winning shit. Right on with your tickets.

    I have seen David Byrne cycling around Soho. V normal.

  • http://www.fullhandsx3.blogspot.com sara

    So great that you took a photo with Miss Sarah’s blog up.

    I love that five folks from your work place are riding. Recently one of my colleagues who just turned 60 and has worked at my school for 16 years JUST began bike commuting for the first time. I felt so honored that she asked if she could ride with my boys & me the first day she took her bike to work.

  • David

    Back when Apple was hurting, people told Steve Jobs he was crazy for tying the proprietary software to the proprietary hardware. Seems to have turned okay for him, eh.
    That does bug me, how they lock you into all their proprietary shit once you start using them. But the OS is far better than anything microsoft has come up with. I don’t have a mac, my wife does, which means I have to learn everything about it and help her.

    That bike talk sounds like fun.

  • Kari

    I have a Mac (a very old iBook G4) and I’m also going to a David Byrne bike talk tonight! He’s going to be on a panel with our mayor, R.T. Rybak, and some other people. The talk is billed as “Policy and a Pint” because a pint of beer is included in your ticket! Swanky!

    I so love to have a new Mac and iPod. I got an iPod back when I bought my Mac, and I loved that iPod dearly, but then it died. :(

    Have fun with your new computer!

  • http://idreamofbicycling.blogspot.com/ Step-Through

    Hate Macs. But I think it is a left-brain/ right-brain thing.

    I saw Byrne a few weeks ago. Honestly, it was not as good as I had expected. Good visuals, but the talk itself was kind of structure-less and I didn’t really take away anything new from it. Plus he trash-talked Atlanta on his blog. :(

    On the positive side, I think he is making urban design “cool” and attracting a new audience to design and cycling.

  • Jacqui

    Joining the Mac-love chorus. I got my iMac in February this year and couldn’t be happier. I have a PC-laptop for work, and that’s fine ‘cos there’s a whole ARMY of people to help when something inevitably goes wrong with it. I’m slowly changing my whole family over to the Mac side!

  • http://www.welshcyclist.blogspot.com welshcyclist

    As usual, you look completely stunning with your bike. You are the epitome of cool.

  • http://greencomotion.blogspot.com Chandra

    I really liked your photo of Chicago from the lobby window. Great job!

    Peace :)
    -Chandra…

  • http://bikesandthecity.blogspot.com/ meligrosa

    love your 8…9…errr 10?! face. ur such a cutie :D

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