01/13/2017
Linear Park - Mass. Ave. at Cameron Ave. (5:25 pm)
Porter Square Station (5:35 pm)
It's a new calendar year. I'm optimistic yet wary. Each of the past three years started with a promising month or two before events conspired to send a clear message: sorry boss, but this year isn't going to be any good, either.
I cut today's ride on Friday the 13th short because the cold weather makes my fingers go numb. I suppose this could be taken as a sign that, once more, the new year will only serve to refresh rather than replace last year's problems. And that Friday the 13th thing...
But I'll take responsibility before superstition takes root. This one is all on me. If I want to attack winter boredom by cruising around Cambridge, I'll need to buy better gloves.
02/05/2017
Danehy Park (10:18 am)
Inman Square at Vellucci Plaza / Hampshire St (10:35 am)
I start a day many will remember for the Patriots' comeback victory in the Super Bowl twelve hours later by completing my first early morning shift at the hospice. Sunday mornings at eight AM are quiet, peaceful, and unhurried. The description applies both to the hospice shift and the bike ride leading up to it.
The new shift was a long time coming. For about eight months, I regularly checked the monthly calendar for a Sunday morning shift to open up. My thought was a Sunday shift would be easier to maintain once I resumed full-time work. I suppose I've been expecting to return to work for a long time.
The ride home takes me through Inman Square. The main intersection is another example of what's changed in eight months. No longer are left turns from Hampshire onto Cambridge permitted. It's hard to know if this is a response to the death of a cyclist in June. On one hand, perhaps the accident revealed an otherwise unknown safety issue with the left-turn. But on the other hand, the change came into effect four months after the memorial service ended. I suppose I just have unreasonable expectations when it comes to how fast things will change.
03/01/2017
Cambridge Main Library at Broadway / Trowbridge St (8:27 pm)
Central Square at Mass Ave / Essex St (8:33 pm)
One late February evening, I notice a Hubway member key on the sidewalk in front of the H Mart. I pick it up, bring it home, and initiate a somewhat lengthy back-and-forth with customer service to determine who the key belongs to and what I can do to return it.
Eventually, I get put directly in touch with the owner. We agree to meet at the library on this night. It turns out he is significantly involved in various cycling projects and committees around town. Our conversation moves in fits and starts - I estimate he understands no more (and no less) than eighty percent of everything I say. The same applies for me - despite asking at least twice, I cannot figure out why he has a Hubway membership despite clearly owning at least one bicycle of his own.
