My Hot Summer Romance

I got me a new bicycle yesterday, a Specialized Sirrus in sleek black.

His name is Wendell G. (Wendell means "wanderer" in German), - and he's spectacular.

The above photo is just an approximation, as Wendell is tricked out with all kinds of top-of-the-line commuter bike accoutrements - fenders, blinking lights, a rack for the back and - hells yeah - a bell. He's even got an intricate award-winning lock system which locks my wheels and seat making him (or rather, his parts) much more difficult to be stolen. (Chicago ranks #2 in the US for bicycle thefts, but #1 in per-capita thefts. Isn't that awesome?) Wendell G. is the frickin' Batmobile of commuter bikes, yo.

He's almost too pretty to ride*, but I'm confident that after just a few weeks of braving Milwaukee Avenue potholes and crazy-ass drivers, he'll have some sweet battle scars and won't be just another pretty face.

My other bike, Veronica, has been good to me and I'm going to keep her close. She was the best $105 Craigslist investment I ever made. But she's getting a little long in the tooth (actually, she was already long in the tooth when I got her) and she's a big girl (I'm pretty sure she's made of iron and weighs around 80 pounds). And she's purple. The great things about Veronica are that if hit by a car, the car would have more damage, and nobody would want to steal her.

But I figured since I'm spending about an hour a day 3-4 times a week commuting to/from school and work, it was time to treat myself to an upgrade. The original plan was to buy something more down-market, but really, who was I kidding? I am a sucker for new, pretty, shiny things. And the sales guy was cute. And did I mention I was a sucker?

Anyway, I think Wendell G. and I are going to have a good summer. We'll go to Pitchfork, Lollapalooza, the Lakefront, rooftop parties, backyard barbecues, etc. Don't be jealous.

PS - this post is very timely, since it is fucking snowing outside at the moment.

* That's what she said.