The doldrums...

These are the dog days of August, days that are too stinkin' hot to do much outside, other than ride back and forth to work. Even then, with the heat index above 110F, I don't want to ride my bike. The alternative would be to write more, but that's been a struggle recently, too.

I'm stuck in the doldrums. Writing has been difficult because I lack good ideas. I still have a passion for it, and that's something that has been a constant since I started CycleDog. I hesitate to post about other bicycling-related news items, because all of us can get them from so many sources. It's hard to do something original, and I really don't want to copy someone else. If you want late-breaking news, I urge you to read Cycle-licious, Masiguy, or BRAIN.

The worrisome part of all this is that I've lost my enthusiasm for bicycling advocacy. I've considered giving up my LCI certification also. The lack of real progress at the state and local level has me very frustrated and even angry at times. Realistically, I know that change takes time, so perhaps the frustration is more due to impatience - and everyone who knows me will attest to my lack of patience.

Still, it's annoying to have the same arguments over and over with the paint-n-pavers. They're not interested in reality-based arguments, or as one of my co-workers said so well, "Facts - however interesting - are irrelevant!"

I'm disheartened by the apparent abandonment of the bicycling subcommittee at INCOG. I hoped we could get some input on projects that impact area cyclists, and improve on them before they were quite literally cast in concrete.

I've all but given up on the Oklahoma Bicycling Coalition. OBC spent a lot of time and effort pushing the Share the Road tag, but I have doubts that it was a good effort, an effort that actually benefited Oklahoma cyclists. It was a good PR move, though. Since then, the OBC has managed to get some laws passed that actually work for cyclists, so again, maybe I'm feeling frustration from impatience.

Finally, and this is probably one thing that weighs heavily on me, I just haven't thought of anything funny for far too long. I enjoy writing comedy and I miss it when it's gone. There's no way to force it, so again, I end up frustrated. Maybe this is writer's block. Maybe I need more caffeine. Maybe I need more sleep. One thing's certain - I won't look for inspiration in a bottle of booze. I've been to the brink of that alcoholic precipice once and I will not go there again.

In a few weeks, the wind will switch around to the north. Temperatures will drop and with a little luck, we'll get some rain. Bear with me a while, and let's hope the weather changes for CycleDog too.