Things That Can Be Carried On A Bike (#7)
Six boxes loaded with books.
Lately I've been feeling that my house is full of too much stuff...and much of the stuff are things I rarely use. So in one more way of trying to simplify my life I've been attempting to purge my house of unused stuff. I am by no means a pack-rat, but my vice is books...I've gotten better at it over the years (meaning I'll purchase only books that I know I'll read), but there was a time when I would purchase a book (usually used) and know that I may never get to reading it. At any rate, my weekend project was to cull my collection for books that I no longer desired to own, and I came up with six full boxes. And rather than simply discarding them, I thought I'd donate them to my local used book store. The irony is that some of the books I donated were actually purchased there...they made a round trip.
Initially, after I packed the books in their boxes and seeing how many there were I thought I'd load them into the back of my small pickup to deliver them. But then as I stood there looking at the boxes I began to picture how I could load them onto the Yuba Mundo (and I really wanted to deliver them by bike). What the hell, I thought, my neighbors probably think I'm a little nuts already, and it is only two city blocks.
I've carried heavier loads on the Yuba, and I've carried bulkier loads; I've even carried more awkward loads. But none thus far met all of those categories: it was bulky, heavy, and awkward. And I've come to this conclusion: when you pack a lot of books together and carry them all at once they are heavy, really heavy.
In the short distance I went I received three comments (the comments and stares you receive when hauling stuff by bike is worth the effort alone). One was from a guy on my street who when I nodded to him, his only response was, "that's a sturdy bike." A woman on Allen Street as I rounded a corner, "that is one big-ass bike." But the best was from the book store owner when she helped me carry the books in, "that is really excellent that you delivered these by bike." Thanks, I said, I thought so too. In the last month I think I have moved my vehicle maybe 5 times...and 3 of them were to move it from one side of the street to the other when the parking days changed.
Lately I've been feeling that my house is full of too much stuff...and much of the stuff are things I rarely use. So in one more way of trying to simplify my life I've been attempting to purge my house of unused stuff. I am by no means a pack-rat, but my vice is books...I've gotten better at it over the years (meaning I'll purchase only books that I know I'll read), but there was a time when I would purchase a book (usually used) and know that I may never get to reading it. At any rate, my weekend project was to cull my collection for books that I no longer desired to own, and I came up with six full boxes. And rather than simply discarding them, I thought I'd donate them to my local used book store. The irony is that some of the books I donated were actually purchased there...they made a round trip.
Initially, after I packed the books in their boxes and seeing how many there were I thought I'd load them into the back of my small pickup to deliver them. But then as I stood there looking at the boxes I began to picture how I could load them onto the Yuba Mundo (and I really wanted to deliver them by bike). What the hell, I thought, my neighbors probably think I'm a little nuts already, and it is only two city blocks.
I've carried heavier loads on the Yuba, and I've carried bulkier loads; I've even carried more awkward loads. But none thus far met all of those categories: it was bulky, heavy, and awkward. And I've come to this conclusion: when you pack a lot of books together and carry them all at once they are heavy, really heavy.
In the short distance I went I received three comments (the comments and stares you receive when hauling stuff by bike is worth the effort alone). One was from a guy on my street who when I nodded to him, his only response was, "that's a sturdy bike." A woman on Allen Street as I rounded a corner, "that is one big-ass bike." But the best was from the book store owner when she helped me carry the books in, "that is really excellent that you delivered these by bike." Thanks, I said, I thought so too. In the last month I think I have moved my vehicle maybe 5 times...and 3 of them were to move it from one side of the street to the other when the parking days changed.
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