• I moved my desk. After much deliberation, I decided to move my desk from the “office” into the living room. The “office” is turning into too much of a man cave for my tastes. I wasn’t feeling inspired, and as a result it was hard for me to do any blogging or design work. So I’ll let Josh have that space, and we’ll use the extra room for the guest bed. I’ve also solved the problem of the empty space in the living room! I’m very happy with the change.
• I’m becoming an expert beignet baker. I even have Josh’s New Orleans approval, after a few failed attempts.
• My bike is overloaded. My poor bike is hauling its own weight in goods every day to and from work. I’m considering getting an attachment for the rear of the bike to store items on, because it’s getting a bit too heavy for the front. (My temporary solution — zip ties, as usual.)
• I wasn’t in trouble at work on Friday. There was a fire creating traffic, and then an event prevented parking near the office building. I was one of the few that weren’t frustrated. I got to work on time and strolled into the office with my bike. Hooray for the benefits of biking!
• Let the shedding begin. The beginning of summer brings beautiful weather but our animals begin shedding their winter coats. I have to brush Ein on a weekly basis, and you can see how much hair falls off each time I do. Warning for future Corgi owners — they shed like you won’t believe!
• My bad luck strikes again. On Saturday, I accidentally shrunk all of our curtains. The care instructions stated “Wash in hot water,” and I thought it was odd, because hot water usually shrinks fabric. Lo and behold, it did. Thanks, IKEA.
• I went to the beach on Sunday. It was the hottest day since we’ve started going this year. I like it better with a cold breeze, but in the end I can’t ever complain about the beach.

I hope everyone else had a wonderful week!

I think my car gets hit with bird poop on a daily basis. Another reason I prefer biking to work.

For those of you who don’t follow me on Twitter, Josh and I finally decided to move from our studio to a two bedroom apartment. It’s been nice living minimally, but I was starting to get cabin fever. At the end of last week we started packing. I can’t believe how clean the room looks in this picture… There are currently so many boxes that it’s hard to walk anywhere. And we’re not nearly done! By this weekend we’ll be packed and ready to rent the moving truck. Bye, bye, small studio.

My Journey

I began using my newly purchased bike to get around recently and I’ve noticed a few things.

• I’m really out of shape.
• Burbank is a fairly bike-friendly city and many people around here bike.
• Biking on the road really isn’t as scary as I thought it would be. (By the way, something I learned from the bike shop guy — it’s much more dangerous to bike on the sidewalk than the road!)
• Buying a bike has hidden costs — gear.
• Cars are more forgiving in making wrong turns. Taking the wrong road on a bike adds on significant turn-around time.
• It takes me only 10 more minutes to bike to work than drive.

Most importantly I’m glad that I’ve taken the first step in being more active. I have a desk job and my hobbies, aside from organizing, require sitting as well. I wanted to incorporate something that kept me moving and healthy. My next step is to find a new hobby or two that keeps me active on the weekends. Josh and I have been prepping for hiking and camping, and I’ve also been looking into yoga classes.

How You Can Live Actively

Everyone should have something in their life that keeps them exercising without even realizing that it’s exercise. Trust me, it beats going to the gym!

The gym gets boring. Nobody wants to go to the gym all week and run in place. It’s much more fun and effortless to make exercise part of your life, not something you force yourself to do. Zen Habits recently did a post on this and hit it spot on.

• If you walk to a bus or train, walk briskly.
• If you take the elevator, start taking the stairs.
• If you live in a small town or city, switch the car out for a bike or walk to places instead.
• Take on a new hobby that gets your heart pumping — dance, joining a sports team, hiking, camping, paint ball, archery, yoga, pilates, boxing, the list is endless. Pick one!

Image source: 1

I’ll start off by saying that I love my car. Here’s what I don’t love: gas prices, commuting, maintenance, parking.

For the past year or so I’ve been trying to see how I can start using my car less, but I’ve never taken the jump. However, with my new move I’m currently in an area and a situation where I can buy a bike for most of my getting around and use my car as a back-up if needed.

Certainly other things like using public transportation are great too, but those also come with limitations and often a price tag. Here are some benefits of riding a bike instead of taking your car:

1. Fit your exercise into your day.
2. Statistics show that 80% of bike commuters improve their heart and lung function within 8 weeks.
3. No emissions that are harmful to the environment.
4. No fuel to purchase.
5. Less cost to maintain.
6. No paying for parking or spending time fighting for a free spot.
7. Enjoying the sights around you that you often just glance over.
8. Bypass car traffic.
9. Save maintenance and mileage on your car.
10. Good timing. No set-backs like a car accident, traffic jam, or other car-related disaster.

Of course, none of these things are applicable if you drive a long way to get to where you’re going, or if you need to give someone a ride frequently. Judgement comes into play.

But if you think you’re in a situation where you could make the swap, why not give it a try? Start riding on weekends and build up your stamina. I’m currently saving up for a good quality commuter bicycle similar to the one pictured.

What do you think? Could you do the swap?