hell on wheels

orange.paper.bike has not been the most fortunate soul lately when it comes to modes of transport. and when i say lately i mean in the past two years.

in february of two-thousand ten, my car was totaled in an accident. it was both a sad and a happy moment. sad in that it was my dream car [especially given that this particular brand of scandinavian automobile that any young, handsome, stylish, up-and-coming architect would want to drive and is in danger of going the way of the dodo and the coelacanth quagga. happy in that i took the insurance settlement check and cashed it. i knew i was moving to chicago and figured i didn't need a car. nor did i want one in this city with a very corrupt parking system, which is a story for another cocktail. i spent the following few months with various rentals and borrowing my brother's urban assault vehicle, the death star of pick-up trucks.

i moved to chicago and quickly became very urban: i rode my bike everywhere. and when i got tired of that, i got a zipcar membership. i mean i could ride long-distance in france and spain, but assuming i'd ride my bike to the edge of the earth bolingbrook or aurora in illinois to go to ikea, fuhgetaboutit! 

then winter came. the bike went into storage. and i got lazy. and almost fat. cabs became my routine when i didn't feel like standing on the el platform. or when i was anxious to get home to S, the dutchie, a.k.a. mister-great guy-who-come-to-find-out-really-wasn't-all-that-great for a hot date. and dinner.

in the spring, just as S, the dutchie, and i were breaking up, [another story for another six, seven, several cocktails!] my bike was stolen from S, the dutchie's, parking garage. i was pissed as it was a handsomely priced bike and i had worked hard for it, as i do for everything i buy. fortunately not long after, i had the chance to drive back to texas and grab my spare bike.

and then, suddenly, last weekend, while out on a date having a nice tapas dinner and beers when some bastard stole orange.paper.bike's seat and seat post! chicago has proven to be a very tough city to bike in, what with the snow, the wind, and the thievery! but, like many other set-backs i have experienced in my transition from the city of big hair to the city of big shoulders, i will not be beaten. the orange.paper.bike is back on the streets! and otter than ever...

in the background::julie driscoll & adrian edmondson:this wheel's on fire