Being Organic (.Net)

http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/20081208_hedges_best_brightest/

That's my life right now, it seems. Board out of my skull. Want to take a bath with me, Daddy? Sure. And all my lego toys. Ok. Sounds fun. Who do you want to be, the good guys or bad guys? I don't care (don't want to be either really) You're the bad guys. Vroom Board out of my fricken skull. Usually, it's a bath I was planning to enjoy that got appropriated. I can't stretch out in a bath with one 5 year old and 5 lego ships. I literally can't get my head or chest below the surface of the water. And so I freeze while we 'play' and I am both cold AND board! Want to play baseball? Ok (I hate baseball) Want to play football? Sure (I hate football) Want to play Go Fish I love Go Fish (right!) Want to go swimming? I actually do love swimming, but hell if I can swim while we're in the water together. Not and risk my kid drowning. Board out of my skull ad nausium. Sometimes I stare off into space in the middle of some game. Or while doing 'art...

Portland is known for being the most bike-friendly city in the country. And it's getting friendlier for bikes all the time, with nearly 12% of our population commuting by bike and a strong bike lobby working with the city to expand the network of bike-friendly streets. We happen to live on one of those streets, and I look out at the passing bikers with envy as they ride by throughout the day. I think what I envy most is a sense of luxury they seem to have that I do not.... the time and freedom to commute by bike. Of course, my skeptic says the 'time' problem is all in my head. If I simply did less, I'd have the time! But what would I give up... work? activism? sleep? family time? a social life? Part of selling our home and cutting our living expenses is so we will have more time.... so I am working on that piece of the equation. The other piece... the 'freedom'... refers to carting two kids around. They are just now learning to ride bikes safely on city streets....