You Can't Ever Go Back To Zero, But Sometimes One Is A Good Place To Start

Friday, June 29, 2007 - Day 8

Distance Traveled - 40 miles

I don't think there is a whole lot to write about today. I'm still so excited that I was able to find a place to stay last night. That was great. We traded some good music, I slept pretty well on the couch, enjoyed some cereal with Tatiana for breakfast then a smoothie at a local coffeeshop.

The ride today was alright. I feel like there wasn't too much excitement. I didn't like Carpenteria. It just didn't seem like a nice town - boring, old, maybe conservative. I shouldn't be so judgemental from just a quick bike ride through town, but it didn't turn me on. Santa Barbara did, though. Great for biking. There are lots of bike paths and bike lanes, and they're mostly labeled pretty well. I was on a bike route through the whole town. Then I got to UCSB and Isla Vista. Great little college town. Lots of places to eat and hang out. Everyone is on bikes. What really surprised me was how careless everyone seems with their bikes. Everyone puts a lock on their bike, but they don't necessarily lock to anything. So foreign to me. In most of L.A., you're bike will be gone in less than a half hour if you do that. Here I am with my Kryptonite U-lock, locking securely to posts, and half the bikes are just laid down on the sidewalk or parked in the middle of the sidewalk with just a thin cable lock going through the frame and wheel. How nice it must be to be able to do that. It makes me jealous that I didn't go to school in a college town like this. Orange was the complete opposite of a college town. Mostly older and conservative O.C. folks. The downtown is mostly comprised of antique stores. This town seems so liberal. There are signs of college students everywhere, but in a good way. So far everyone seems friendly. And the campus is great, as well. So much bike parking it's absurd. I had to take a picture. It makes me wonder how much I really want to stay in L.A. There are so many cities that are perfect for biking, that already have the infrastructure and the support for bikers. Then again, I see L.A. as a project, as something to be involved in. That city needs help, and while there are many other people behind the cause of changing the city to be much more bike friendly, I feel like they need whatever help they can get. There is so much resistance, but I know that once the change does come (and it may be a while), people will appreciate it. Everyone there is just so goddamn stubborn and selfish, but that will be overcome. I really believe it. Los Angeles was build around the freeways and the car, but it has the potential to be revived with bicycles and public transportation.

Anyway, so tonight I couchsurf for the second time, but for the first time through couchsufing.com. I'm looking forward to it. Carole seems really nice and easy going over the phone. Hopefully it will be good.

I just realized that I never talked about what I was referencing in the title. Today I started out and didn't really prepare myself. I didn't take a really good stretch break in the morning, and every time I stopped to change which shoulder my bag goes over, I didn't really take a good stretch break either. It wasn't until around mid afternoon that I finally pulled over to a park, went pee, and took 20 minutes to really stretch out and relax. It's so important to decompress a few times throughout the day. Stretching really needs to be a full body and mind activity. Otherwise, I get very tight, tired, and a little stressed. I'm really putting a lot of strain on my body, especially with carrying this pack on my back, so I must be particularly careful about how I take care of myself. Also, I must keep my mind and body on the same page at all times. They must have the utmost communication between each other, a union you might say. Otherwise I will slowly destroy myself and may have to cut my journey short. I don't want to do that. So while I can't go back and erase what I've already done, at any moment I can start afresh and do things the right way. That's going back to one. Whatever is done is done, and I can't change that. I'm getting much better at accepting that, but I still have a lot of power in changing what is and what is to come.

Now I'm just finishing my pizza and waiting for Carole to call me back. I'm literally around the corner from her place, but I haven't heard back from her since I got into Isla Vista. I'm sure she'll be around soon enough.

Pleasant night,

Otis


thanks again, Tatiana!



shit.


haha, bikes prevail


why can't i check it out?



just some evil trucks on the side of the road



i love city signs like these. someday i'll have one in front of my house. it will say some highly inventive name like Oitsland or something similar.





oh the memories. how i miss thee, short bus.



amazing!

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Comments

 

Fetus

Sounds like you're having an amazing time so far, keep pushing! I will be reading this everyday, be safe and call me sometime.


Yo Otis

Ed Allen

Still playing catch-up with your narative but I gotta tell you I'm doing a lot of vicarious living through your day to day adventure. Stay strong and watch out for the bad guys...they're always out there somewhere.