ride report

About the image: Found it and liked it, especially the mouse on the wheel. No, I'm not exhausted; it's just a cute pic.

miles when i got to work: 1615.2

Scenes from a crime: I'm glad on days like today that my mom doesn't know the address of this blog, for overnight, in the "bad" neighborhood where the drivers are definitely more polite and the street scene is vibrant, there was a homicide.

To be more specific, a guy was killed outside a house while his girlfriend looked on. Sure, you might chalk such things up to gangs and their turf wars but we've all heard about the stray bullets and innocent victims, too.

As I pedaled along, I either created in my head (possible) or felt a sense of tension in the neighborhood. Mornings are fairly quiet in the neighborhood, so I didn't see many people, but I did see a preacher talking with some concerned 40-ish residents. They seemed to be talking about what happened, piecing together the details, and, I imagine, working on keeping the neighborhood calm after this (most recent) tragedy.

The good news is that there've been no outdoor gun battles since I've been riding the route. There's plenty of good news about the neighborhood, actually. The sights, the smells, the kind drivers, the fun to ride hills. The bad news is that this neighborhood is decaying and has been for years.

My family used to live in this neighborhood decades before I was born. I can see how it used to be exciting and vibrant in a much more respectful way. In a way, riding through this neighborhood, I am hoping to gentrify it, make it all better, just like some of the remaining businesses, like the furniture store that blares country music in the mornings to repel the thugs.