Here are some more pictures of the pop-up carnival I posted about last week. I shot these with my Holga – an all plastic, twenty-five dollar camera. No batteries required, only film. The results are not photo-shopped or altered in any way. They’re far from perfect, but that’s what I like about them.
Thank you for putting up with another non-bike-related post (although I did bike there!). Now back to regularly scheduled programming, including the announcement of the Summer Games Part I winners…
I must be invisible. Invisibility is the only explanation for a pedestrian walking out in the street in front of me and for a car turning left across my path on the way home today. Except not invisible to other cyclists, since a guy on the other side of the intersection shook his head and said, “He didn’t even see you,” as I rode past.
One of the golden rules of transportation cycling is to assume you’re invisible. Good advice.
Other than this not-so-minor problem, my ride today was lovely. The temperature was warm enough for a t-shirt and the sky was blue. A Diana Mini shot from my lunch break walk conveys the feeling of the day.
Ah, the ups and downs of life on two wheels.
Did you know that sitting all day is as unhealthy as smoking or sun over-exposure? After reading about that study, I feel like even bicycling to and from work every day is not enough to make up for all my sitting. Bike commuting is an amazing activity for consistent exercise, but on average totals only one hour of my day. I have a desk job and many activities I enjoy after work – reading, blogging, watching movies – are sedentary.
In an effort to make my lifestyle more active (no gyms, please!) I often spend my lunch hour walking around downtown Chicago, even if the weather is rainy or freezing. An additional benefit is escaping the office and enjoying life. I take pictures, watch people, window shop or duck into a coffee shop to read. As temperatures rise, I find myself integrating the bicycle into my lunch breaks for a little extra work day escape.
On Friday, Betty and I sailed a couple of miles to enjoy fresh macaroons, but sometimes I venture farther afield. The pictures below are from a long escape earlier this month, which I wrote about here, but it took me a while to develop and scan the pictures from my Diana Mini camera.
The thought of missing out on such adventures in favor of watching TV in the break room or eating at my desk is unbearable. I think everyone would be a whole lot happier if we all enjoyed mid-day escapes in the fresh air more often – preferably with a bicycle 
Chicago is in defrost mode and the snow is becoming little more than ground water and memories. Rain has taken over the precipitation spotlight, setting up shop over the city, where it plans to remain for at least another week.
Today’s commute pictures come courtesy of my new Holga, an odd little all-plastic camera similar to the Diana camera. Yes, that last picture is a pack of Huskies accidentally double exposed over the bike path. Seeing what comes out is fun, although dropping the film off during lunch and picking it up after work is a hassle. (Check out Quaint Living for some fantastic lomo pictures from a similar camera.)
You don’t get experiences like this in a car. Long live the bike commute – rain or shine!
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