Annoying Bicycle Built for Two

         

            As I rode up Brock Avenue on the Tuesday evening of August 30th, there was a long line of cars jammed so close to the curb that I had to get off my bike and walk it past them.

            On the new Bloor Street bike lane, I veered out into the center lane to get past some slower cyclists, and an SUV beeped me as if because of the bike lane I was suddenly not allowed to drive on the road. The bike lane is too narrow for passing other cyclists.

            There was this very annoying bicycle built for two on the bike lane. They were a striking couple. The driver was in white and wearing a turban while the woman behind him with the long brown hair was wearing a colourful Indian style top and skirt. The annoying thing was that the driver kept on coming up from behind me when I was stopped, and jumping the lights. No matter how many times I veered out onto the center lane of Bloor Street to get past them, they’d always roll slowly and inconsiderately ahead. I finally got ahead of them for good after Spadina.

            I find I get to Cosburn and Greenwood at least five minutes quicker when I take Broadview to Cosburn and then go west, rather than taking the Danforth to Greenwood and traveling north.

            I went to O’Connor and Coxwell, which turns out to be the main intersection of Old East York Village. As someone that lives in Parkdale, Old East York Village doesn’t look that old to me.

            It’s a good thing I kept on going to the food bank during the fall, winter and spring, even though I didn’t have as much need for the help. I was able to stock up on a lot of canned goods that helped me get through the summer. If I’d had to depend entirely on what the food bank gives out every week, it would have been pretty rough.

            I stopped off at Freshco, where I bought grapes, raisin bread and margarine. I calculated that I had about three dollars left, and lingered over a large bag of frozen French fries for three dollars. It seemed like a frivolous purchase, and I already had potatoes, but I took them anyway.

            I made a vegetable stew with black-eyed pees, the rest of my onions, garlic, peppers and a bunch of kale, and organic vegetable broth: all stuff from the food bank. As usual, it wouldn’t have been ready by the time I like to eat, so I cooked a cob of corn and some French fries in the oven. Corn on the cob is so much better with margarine than with olive oil.