ride there. cheat death. rock on.

there's nothing quite like a perfect saturday. i slipped on my rainbows and slung the bike chain over my shoulder before heading to biggby's for my first detroit bikes group ride. from biggby's, approximately 50 cyclists including me started out on the free java junket tour: croissant & nutella from 1515 broadway, mango juice from cafe con leche, the grilled 3 and apple cider from cafe 1923, and a warm hello at good girls. but that was just backdrop for the true treats: real conversation with long-time acquaintances kristen, jen, and joanna; "small cities" talk with connecticut mike; bike designing/building advice from keith; dirt bike park construction with ben, jason, and joey; a friendly visit with leopold's owner greg; and catching up with detroit bikes organizer tom...

tom deserves a paragraph of his own. a retired lapd officer, and detroit native, tom destroys every obligatory prejudice my liberal heart harbors against law enforcement officials. witty, affable, charismatic, creative. today after telling an entertaining, if not tragic, story about attempting to spread his brother's ashes across the pacific, he concluded: "my life motto has always been - ride there. cheat death. rock on."

post bike ride, i managed much needed visits with neighbor john and baby rach before meeting up with jay for a night at the movies. earlier this week i learned the burton theatre, which recently opened in a defunct school building, offers a special discount for cyclists. after jay scored a bike from a local punk commune and i free popcorn coupons from burton building owner, joel landy, it seemed fated for us to see crude this weekend.

**burton theatre image courtesy of burtontheatre.com**
the theater was everything i hoped for - a pseudo-sketch neighborhood, a kooky back door entrance, an unceremonious stairwell, and a spectacularly designed 33mm film theater with old-school concessions. the movie was well-done and exceptionally depressing. jay and i biked back to woodbridge to soothe our nerves with the good-humored company of his roommates and a few episodes of arrested development.

that, folks, is life in the d: ride there. cheat death. rock on.