D & R & Life's Rich Pageant

Here in London Ontario there are two abbreviations or euphemisms for intersections that I know of. The more fun (and delicious) one is "Ham & Eggs", the intersection of Hamilton Road and Egerton Street. This intersection, more than any other I can think of in this fair city, is a PERFECT candidate for a roundabout if the City could get enough space. It is a signalized nightmare where 3 fairly major streets converge:

 

 

If you live in a city, it's a good bet that you've got something similar. I felt obligated to mention Ham & Eggs because of its awesome name, but Ham & Eggs didn't inspire this post. D&R did.

 

Dundas and Richmond streets intersect in what most Londoners would consider the heart of Downtown. Some people avoid D&R if they can. Others love it, at least in part for the variety of characters you'll find there. I am one of these. When I see odd stuff and people, I'm reminded of the REM album title "Life's Rich Pageant". REM didn't coin the phrase, but they did introduce it to me. I enjoy the pageant. Very much. Like yesterday...

 

 

 

Wishing you weekend bongos and real chipmunks, I remain,

R A N T W I C K

Cycling Fashion, Chic and, well, Otherwise

Quite a while ago I did an experiment with virtual cycling style that proved to me that I will never really look good on a bike no matter what I do. I didn't know it at the time, but some of the pictures I was altering were textbook examples of the newish trend sweeping the globe called Cycle Chic. Just because Cycle Chic doesn't work for me doesn't mean it shouldn't for anyone else. I have been schooled in that fact recently right on this very blog... but enough about that. Some people make it look very good, which, I suppose, is the point of, um, fashion. I think the phrase Cycle Chic itself has a ring to it that may be partly responsible for its current popularity.

Anyway, I was thinking if Cycle Chic might be represented by images like these recent ones from copenhagen cycle chic:

pic source

pic source

There are many other images out there of cyclists doing their thing. Are there names we could give to other cycling fashion choices that would give them more widespread appeal, like the ride painted thing?

pic source: wikipedia

Or the ride knitted thing?

image source: blog.craftzine.com

Or, god help us, this?

image source: pasty.com

You know what? What the hell was I thinking? Wave off, wave off! I don't want these things to become any more popular. We should all probably avoid giving them appealing names of any sort, and just file them in the "Life's Rich Pageant" folder. That folder is getting huge. Maybe I should alphabetize it... wait. That would require names. Better not.

By Any Other Name, I Remain Yer Pal,

R A N T W I C K