Fatty the Bikerider
This morning, for the first time in several years, I rode Novelty Bike. That’s the name given to my Haro 20″ freestyle bicycle I bought in the summer of 2000. I was not prepared for the ride today.
First, I had to add air to the tires and grease the rusty chain, which set me back several minutes. Second, I forgot how badly out-of-shape I am. I hadn’t anticipated the sensation of fire I’d feel in my legs, or nausea I’d feel in my gut. Third, I was still seven blocks from work at noon, the hour my Pre-Opera Program is scheduled to begin. In panic, I called Briana to tell her to just put on anything until I arrived. Luckily, this was not a problem.
You see, I had made arrangements earlier in the week to be out of town this weekend, only to have to abandon those plans when school work intervened. Since Master Control is still under construction and Sikorski’s Attic was cancelled, I decided I might as well come in today, since it would be for just two hours. Steve Seipp, not expecting me to be in, had already programmed the show, and his selections were a good fit, too: the opera today from Los Angeles is Kurt Weill’s The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny, and the music he had pulled was Weill’s The Seven Deadly Sins and some art songs to texts by Brecht. I made sure to conclude the program with my favorite of Weill’s songs, “My Ship” from Lady in the Dark, which owes its brilliance to Ira Gerswhin’s text.
Alas, when I arrived at the station, I was in considerable discomfort, fearing I might vomit. I am pleased to announce that I did not, and the streak continues. But I don’t want to take any chances; when I leave here at two o’ clock I will take a more leisurely ride home.
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