| No, this isn't a ra-ra post about Place 1 candidate Chris Riley. At least not in the traditional sense. I want to share a story with you.
Last night, I apparently thought it would be a good idea to trek across town on my Trek 3700 bike in the 35 degree weather to a Texas Environmental Democrats Austin meeting. Now, I've had the bike since fall of 2004, so about four and a half years as my primary mode of transportation other than busses and walking. I've had to replace the tires once because of running over some thorns, and also replace the bike seat and headlights as they were stolen during the county convention when I had it tied up outside the TCDP headquarters overnight. In sum, along with the original cost of the bike, less than $600 since I've owned it.
Well, as I cross Ann Richard's Bridge on Congress, I noticed things are going a little slow, and roundabout Riverside and Barton Springs the back tire is getting pretty flabby. I must have run over something or gotten a rock stuck in the air nozzle (the cap of which was lost months ago). I was able to limp my way to the meeting at Vinny's on Barton Springs but it was clear that a return trip would be impossible without new air or assistance if it was a full on flat.
Of course, my saving grace of the day, was that candidate Chris Riley was there. Clearly I should have figured that it being election season and it being an environmental meeting there would be candidates galore, and I happened to end up at the right one to attract the man who also doesn't have a car.
After the meeting, we braved the cold, and with the help of Riley's bike pump, re-inflated the back tire which it kept, allowing me to get back home without freezing my way through an hour's walk.
Awesome. I love Austin politics and our candidates. If there is one thing about politics in this city that is often overlooked it is that candidates and campaigns are way more open and accessible than people suppose when they think about politics. For as much as people will complain about insiders, backroom deals, or such, I don't think they understand that relative to other cities our size, the system is a lot more accessible. I tell people, just show up and show up regularly and you'll meet more people than you imagine. |
