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from the editor:

in an effort to wrap up several projects before my 2nd period assessment of 2010,  i wanted to post my debriefing of the actual bicycle-riding portion of the bike odyssey 2010 benefit and ride.  so here it is.

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 BIKE ODYSSEY 2010: A DEBRIEFING
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DAY ONE: 7 June, 2010
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Today’s ride both began and ended smoothly.  I had two flat tires outside of Edgewood (the second because I neglected to remove the metal staple that punctured it the first time), while Boson had one flat.  Other than that, things couldn’t have gone much better.  The weather was gorgeous, and Sam’s speedometer indicated our average speed was around 14mph.

I originally thought the bridge (Hatem Bridge in Havre De Grace, MD) would be a major issue.  It’s essentially the only bottleneck during the entire trip.  My original ride–a pickup truck–would have hauled the four bicycles and passengers easily, but they had to back out due to personal commitments/family obligations.  So the “plan B” was to request the assistance of my parents, who live locally.

Of course, they gladly accepted the task, but my mother definitely does NOT have a pickup truck.  My stepfather does, but he was at work all day and unable to assist.  So cramming four bicycles and passenger into my mother’s sedan was simply not possible; we anticipated multiple trips.

Fortunately, that all changed the day of.

We met my mother in the parking lot of a fast food burger joint.  As the other guys were inside refilling water and picking up snacks to re-energize, I was outside with my mother trying to most-efficiently arrange my bicycle and some of the other cyclists’ panniers in her Nissan Altima.  As I fretted about, she nonchalantly glanced across the car in my direction, and said, “Why don’t you ask that guy?”

Looking behind me, not two spaces away, was a construction contractor sitting in his pick-up truck, chomping away on a sandwich.  “I’ll pay that guy forty bucks.  Just go ask,” my mother added.

So, two minutes and $40 later, the four of us made our way across the Hatem Bridge in Havre De Grace, Maryland.  This easily caught us up on some of our lost time (thanks to my series of flat tires).

For now, the rest of Day One has proceeded without incident.  We at at Cracker Barrel for a late lunch/early dinner; it was Boson’s inaugural visit, which he enjoyed via chicken-fried steak.  Later I introduced the guys to (an original card game called) “My Pet Robot,” which turned out to be a fun experience for everyone.  Boson’s suggestion for a card: “Reverse Direction” which reverses the direction of play, either clockwise or counter-clockwise.

For tomorrow: Sam seems anxious about rain, which is forecast for Wednesday (9th June).  So we all agreed we’re going to simply break for a meal in Denton and press on for perhaps another 30 miles in an effort to reduce travel time on Wednesday.  If all goes well, the crew will end up at the shore sooner.

We’ll see how it goes.  Everyone is enthusiastic.

Highlights from “songs of the day”: “Let Me In,” “What’s The Frequency Kenneth?” and “Star Me Kitten” by R.E.M.; “Never Gonna Get It” by En Vogue.

Other highlight: we passed a signal truck labeled “run-with-jazz.com”, (I couldn’t find the website, BTW) next to which was a young lady running down the road.  She started in Los Angeles, CA, and will end in New York City.  Her start date was 1 September, 2009 but she was out for two months with an injury.  We passed her in Edgewood, MD.

Stats for Day One (via Sam’s ride computer):
53.48 miles
3 hours, 39 minutes of biking time
14.6 mph average
32.5 mph max speed

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DAY TWO: 8th June, 2010
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We started off today with a trip to The Waffle House.  I successfully met Boson’s challenge of speaking with an approximate German dialect for the entirety of our breakfast there.  Sam was not impressed.

Highlight: we met “Jason” on the road; he’s bicycling from Lancaster, PA, to Salisbury, MD, in one day…a whopping 200 miles!  He traveled with us for a bit, then we passed him when he stopped to take a phone call.

Today we chose to stop in Denton (Day Two’s original stopping point) only for lunch, and continue for at least another 30 miles to Georgetown, DE.  Only 30 or so miles left for Day Three, and we’re done!  Rainy weather is predicted for tomorrow, so we’re planning on starting out at early as we can manage.  Our goal is to be on the road by 7:30am.  We will wake at 6am.

We saw a llama (or alpaca) farm today!  It was on the far side of the highway in Delaware.  When we passed, we were hooting and hollering at the animals; it was amusing to watch them stand up and walk closer to the fence to have a better look at us; you could almost hear them saying, “What?  What’s that?  Hey, who are those guys talking to us?”

Anton and Boson had their first-ever cherry lime-aids from Sonics, and were pleased with them.  I had my first-ever “Ocean Water” drink from the same, and was pretty much disgusted.  I thought it was normal bottled water or something; instead, it came out looking like the brilliant blue found in an above-ground swimming pool or something.

We are all immensely excited to be down at the shore tomorrow!

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DAY THREE/FINAL REMARKS: 9 June, 2010
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In summary: the trip went excellently!  The main focus for the future trip should be on how to make it even better (but of course!).

PACKING AND PREPARATION:

• packed lightly, as we split repair gear amongst the four of us.
• four flats total, split between 3 of the four riders.  This is normal; remember to double-check tires for foreign objects once stopped.
• each rider needs at least one spare innertube (fitting their bike tires) and their own patch kit.  I forgot one for my bike ( ! ) and ended up taking one from Sam that wasn’t the proper size.
• major tune-up actions (brakes, truing, lubing, etc.) happen during overnights, unless the repair is essential to keep the bike moving (a broken chain, for example).
• keep food diverse between riders; offer to share.
• me personally: I had a lot of room to spare in my two panniers.  I decided to pack extras (camera, board games, fresh fruit).
• make sure at least one rider carries a decent air pump.

ROUTE:

• worked great!  No complaints, no navigational hazards.
• for next time, I’m considering a two-day trip, 85 miles/day.
• added more miles to Day Two, which reduced time for Day Three.  Day Two = 90 miles; Day Three = 30 miles.  We biked only two hours on Wednesday, and were finished by 9:30am!

RIDERS:

• send personal invites to friends already interested in cycling.
• four total riders is a good (perfect?) number.  There’s enough room for the riders and their partners/drivers home at the beach house.
• stress that it’s not a race; it’s about putting one foot in front of the other until the day’s miles are done.
• co-ed seems to be a viable option; keep an equal ratio (2m/2f) if that’s the case.

BREAKS/STOPPING:

• maintain communication: who needs to stop, when people want to stop or keep going, etc.
• start each day with an explanation of the route, the day’s plan, etc.
• anticipate a few stops for minor repairs (patching flats, popped chains, etc.) and take it in stride.  These are almost inevitable.
• refuel yourself at each stop you make even if it’s just a small mouth-full of trail mix.
• refill water & sports drinks whenever possible.  It’s all right to appear to have too much to drink, because you’ll eventually need it.
• no recommendations on specific foods, but eat proteins and carbs.  Don’t eat too much at once unless you factor in time to digest.

BICYCLING SAFETY:

• always wear a helmet when riding.  You are moving very close to automobiles; safety is an issue.
• stay in shoulder area; use bike lane markings and signage to your advantage.
• when crossing merging lanes/ramps/intersections: keep the group together, staying in the shoulder.  When lane is available and the intersection/stoplight is near, “take the lane” and cross the merge area as a group.  Maintain line of cyclists as close to right-hand edge of the lane.  Rear rider should make the “clear!” announcement.
• use hand signals so automobile drivers know where to expect you.
• ring your signal bell when approaching pedestrians or other cyclists, or animals.  Make noise so others can learn of your location.
• front rider makes “clear” call at intersections, stoplights, etc. (unless it’s at a merging lane as above, and the group is close together)
• drafting is great!  Practice riding together so that bicycles can stay within 2 feet or closer to one another.
• switch order of riders frequently.  This eases fatigue for all riders, and increases the group’s pace in general.  Practice “off-shoulder” formations (the next rider in line is slightly off to he left of the rider in front of them).
• keep the group together.  Packs are more efficient; stragglers are safe in the group.  IT IS NOT A RACE.

Tags: baltimore, bike odyssey, cycling, personal by editor
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a free board game design class will begin in september this year at the baltimore free school, letting participants turn their own ideas into reality as board games, card cames, miniatures games, and more.  four sessions of in-class instruction, exercises, and playtesting will be followed-up with tuesday evening board game happy hours at a local pub where students can play their own designs alongside their published favourites (more news on that later!).

for more info, see below or e-mail boardgames@let-off.com.

Tags: baltimore, board games, free stuff, game-making by editor
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today marks a milestone in let-off studios history: the release of our first-ever collaborative video game.

 pigeon power was advertised quite some time ago as a 2010 release, but only now has it been completed (that is, it’s months overdue). to make a long story short, our editor celebrates his birthday during february, and he wanted to celebrate by creating a video game project with contributions from all of his party guests.  people arrived with their potluck dishes and spent time making audio recordings, colouring pictures, and drawing original artwork.

the rest of that weekend and the following week, steve (our editor) cobbled together all the materials and sound effects, and came up with the bare bones to a video game.  although his goal was to finish the game by the end of the month, other projects and obligations had the upper hand, and pigeon power was set off to the side…but not any more!

the initial release of pigeon power is now ready for the public.  here’s a description:

join esther the pigeon on a journey of self-discovery and self-improvement, and adventure!  Esther goes where no pigeon has gone before in an effort to fulfill her destiny!

you can download pigeon power here. the game is designed to be played on windows machines, but will work on mac and *nix machines using a windows emulator.

below are some screen shots from the game.  features include:

• completely hand-drawn, scanned artwork.
• entirely original sound effects and background music.
• five levels of platform action and adventure.
• features “real life” baltimore locations.
• a light-hearted storyline and narration keeps players oriented on the next objective.
• suitable for all ages!

Tags: baltimore, free stuff, game-making, illustrations, personal by sycla
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help spread the word about this incredible rock n’ smut experience all across the world:

Tags: baltimore, dmfs, music, video by editor
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the following is editor’s self-assessment of the bike odyssey benefit 2010.  maintained here for posterity, indeed.

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Well, the Bike Odyssey Benefit show is finally over. I want to review this process to see what went well, and what needs work. Debriefing and evaluation is all part of the learning process that will make future events more manageable and successful. I will refer to this list when any future projects or efforts come to pass.

 

IN A NUTSHELL: I can throw a good party, but I’ll be damned if I can make it affordable. I have yet to succeed financially in any major fund-raising effort I start; this was no exception. At least the food and bands were excellent.

 

VENUE: The natural choice was [the community center]. I volunteer there several times a month; the space is definitely large enough to accommodate the guests; the shelter is on the property. I’ve a good working relationship with the regular organizers, and developing the proposal and guiding it through acceptance was a breeze. In being a steward for the space, I have keys and open access to all needed rooms in the building.

 

RAFFLE: I sent out 70 or so requests for raffle donations; I ended up having 6 raffle items. The good news is that I definitely had enough prizes relative to the attendance for the event. However, the prizes lacked the diversity I wanted (two of the six were from bowling alleys), and I wanted more of a response over all. I’m not going to blame this lack of effectiveness on the sorry state of the economy; I can’t really address that on my own. But I realize I hadn’t followed best practices in doing this. Some suggestions to improve the response rate on this front include:

• more response time. Sending out the letters earlier will give recipients more time to mull it over. I actually had a recipient who wanted to donate, but they had received the letter late and ended up not bringing me the donation in time. I think this abbreviated response window was a major factor, and it’s definitely within my realm of control. Give recipients a month, at least. I feel I personally slacked on this, because it’s unfamiliar territory for me; that’s reason enough to spend extra attention on it in the future.
• approach people in person to solicit donations. I am personally not comfortable with this method, but I have been told it’s a dramatic improvement over simply sending out letters. To make this successful, I will have to recruit someone else (or several someone elses) to do it for me. I do not like being a commission-driven salesperson.
• emphasize businesses I know and appreciate already. The flip side of disliking sales tactics is that I tend to be very loyal and steadfast in my own sense of “brand loyalty.” I have local businesses I always support, whom I visit frequently, places with servers I always tip well in particular restaurants, etc. In essence, I may be able to “trick” myself into soliciting these businesses face-to-face in an effort to acquire donations in the space of normal conversation.

One ticket was included with admission; additional tickets could be purchased for $2 each, or 3 for $5. This seemed appropriate.

 

ENTERTAINMENT: This was great and bad simultaneously. I had three acts lined up for the evening, which was plenty. Then another act called on the organizers of [the community center] and asked if they could jump in on a bill for a locally-driven show. They’d been wanting to play there for a while, and they are an interesting band in a similar vein to the other acts I’d booked, so I figured we could fit them in without a problem.

Unfortunately, it made the other acts much too pressed for time. The event ran over time as well, which for various reasons is a major no-no at that space. The extra band sounded fantastic, and they turned out to be a bunch of really cool guys and superb musicians…Logistically it was a bad move.

How to solve this? There are a couple ways to approach it.

• Hardline the band lineup. Say no to last-minute requests after planning is complete.
• Have additional people in a tech role to assist bands and facilitate change-over so that time is maximized.
• Start the event earlier. It would be easy to have an event like this in the same space, but on a weekend instead. That would result in an earlier start time, and more flex time for performers.

 

DRINKS: we acquired a temp liquor license for the event, which was helpful. I received no alcohol donations, so I had to purchase the alcohol myself; there’s still some leftover, and I ended up not including the drink take in with the rest of the funds for the shelter, and so I’ve paid myself back for it. But the arrangement worked well. I actually copied it from a previous event: Attendees receive a “drink ticket” as part of admission, and drop off the drink tickets at the bar to have a beer or wine. If they want another drink, they simply purchase another drink ticket (from a nearby table) and drop it off at the bar. This keeps the bartender from having to worry about making change, and lets them focus on slinging the drinks.

I used little plastic cowboys and indians as drink tickets too, which seemed to go over well. Drink tickets cost $2 each; this worked out well, as there was wine (red or white) and beer (Natty Boh). There are two and a half bottles of wine and maybe a 12-pack of Boh leftover (out of eight bottles and six 12-packs). This is a fair overhead, especially considering I have a lot of drinking friends and I’ve made my money back.

 

ADMISSIONS: I set admissions as a sliding scale ranging from $6 to $10. This seemed appropriate for the event. I included entertainment, complimentary food, one drink, and one raffle ticket with admission. There was a special discount rate of $5 for those who brought in a donation of towels, bed linens, or underwear for the shelter.

Although the financial take wasn’t impressive, I can’t complain. It’s in line with estimated attendance, when factoring in the donations received as part of it. I may consider revising this price plan in the future, but at this point it seems about right. I doubt admission price was a discouraging factor for those who didn’t come.

 

FOOD: I think this went over great. I wanted to keep things simple, as I’d received only one food donation (bread from a local bakery). I think I had just woken up from a night’s sleep—or maybe it was just as I had settled down for the night—when I decided to go with “bicycling food” as the offerings.

By “bicycling food,” I mean food that would be eaten by cyclists while on a long bike trip. I had a “PB&J sandwich station” where people could make their own sandwiches. There was also fresh fruit—apples, oranges, and bananas—and an assortment of granola bars. I incorporated the bread donation into the bread used for the sandwiches, so it’s not gone to waste. There was complimentary water and pink lemonade (brewed on-site in a large decorative decanter).

We had plates and spreading knives from the shelter kitchen, so there was no excess waste of paper plates and plastic flatware. Serving platters were also supplied from the kitchen stores. We did spend time washing up at the end of the night, but I think that was a better alternative to producing excess trash.

I succeeded in providing relatively healthy food choices, and I heard no complaints. I’m very happy with the food situation. The key to its success is that while it fit with the theme, it was still very simple and low-maintenance. People dug into it, and it was all delicious nutritious food. I didn’t want to resort to “pretzels and chips,” so I’m very happy with all of it. Best of all, I’ll have no problem eating the leftovers.

 

ATTENDANCE: This was unsatisfactory. Estimated attendance was around 50 people, which includes about a dozen performers. Frankly, I wanted to see more. However, this highlights another of my weaknesses: promotion.

I don’t have a natural talent for promotions, and I’ve yet to develop the skills in place of that. I’ve a tendency to drag my feet in terms of effective solicitation techniques; this is something that needs to be eliminated if I’m to succeed in these kinds of events in the future.

There was only one other major music event that would have drawn from the same audience pool; they’re a national touring act based here in Baltimore, so that may have been significant. But again, I can’t lean on that too much; it’s out of my control, and meanwhile I readily admit that I have shortcomings in this area.

 

PROMOTION: This is probably the only good thing that has come out of Facebook: promoting events to your friends and acquaintances online, for free. I invited over 200 people to this event myself, and more were added to the invite list by other attendees. As a result, I think over 500 people knew about this event happening last night.

A good friend of mine also composed a truly beautiful poster design, and I was sure to move that around as soon as it was done. I edited the original in Photoshop to add in times, admission, and other necessary info, and then made about 100 copies.

The bookstore/cafe that partners with the venue has a “dedicated flier person,” who has taken it upon themselves to distribute fliers for upcoming events related to the bookstore/cafe and [the community center]. I don’t really go out much (or if I do, it’s to a handful of out-of-the-way places, and in any case not clubs or other places the posters would be distributed), so I have no idea where they all went. Again, I personally avoid this kind of action anyway, so anything that someone else has done would be better than I would do myself.

That being said, I would prefer having a person dedicated specifically to the event, savvy enough to visit the various establishments in town, creatively soliciting some flier space in these worthwhile places.

 

PLEDGE PER MILE PROGRAM: I developed the PPM program in an effort to further link the bike ride itself to the shelter benefit. The main idea behind it is that people will pledge to donate money as long as we finish the ride to the shore. In return for donating to the shelter, donors will receive a thank-you gift. There are different gifts based on the amount donated to the shelter. For example, a donation of $5 earns the donor an Ocean City shot glass; $25 earns them a pound of fudge or salt water taffy; the biggest gift (me having my photo taken at one of those old-timey photo places, while dressed as a can-can girl) is set at $100. This level has already been claimed…I reckon I need to follow through with it now!

One thing I need to make clear about this for myself is that I must pay myself back from the donation funds for any thank-you gifts I purchase. This is regardless of the amount of donations I receive. I know I’ll be tempted to say “Ah, what the hell,” and simply give all the money to the shelter, particularly if the amount of donations is less than I want. I literally cannot afford to do that; it will be very expensive, and it’s basically like me giving more of my own money to the shelter instead of other people. I’ve personally spent somewhere close to $300 on this event, and I’ll have spent plenty more by the time the bike trip is finished. Someone else can foot that bill.

There’s a lot of potential in this program, and judging on how short I am of my $1000 goal I will need to test that potential. Steady marketing and promotion is what will make it work; I’ll need to step up my game in these areas to ensure success.

 

NEXT STEPS: In Summary: Press the Pledge-Per-Mile Program heavily until we leave for the bike trip. Train on my bicycle with the rest of the team. Eat well, stay healthy, and reduce stress.

 

THE BOTTOM LINE: I have a goal of $1000 in combined cash and supplies donations. I’m almost at the halfway point. The “Pledge-Per-Mile” program might push us over the top, but that remains to be seen. Final numbers will be tallied about a month and a half from now, once the bike trip itself is complete.

 

UPDATE: After speaking with one of the chief organizers of [the community center], I feel somewhat better about the lack of response and generated funds. I’ve been told that as far as shelter fundraisers go, I had done relatively well. There had been several fundraisers in the past, I’d been told, with absolutely dismal turnouts and negligible amounts of funds raised. So I don’t feel it was a waste of time, actually, when seen strictly from a monetary point of view. In any case, I’ll pass my final judgment when all pledges have been collected and the final cash value of the fundraising effort has been tallied.

Tags: baltimore, bike odyssey, cycling by editor
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BIKE ODYSSEY BENEFIT 2010
Celebrate countryside bicycling, a local shelter, and live music all at once!  The Bike Odyssey Benefit 2010 is a unique resource-raising event for Heart’s Place Shelter, the only Baltimore shelter that houses men, women, and children in an effort to keep homeless families united.  Support the work of this great shelter at 2640 on Friday, May 14th, by coming to the BOB…Live music and entertainment from local Baltimore performers (gypsy-folk-rock gods Good Guise, boot-stompin’ geetar-pickers Bobby E. Lee & The Sympathizers , and old-timey cover barons Wild Bonerz!), food and drink, raffles, and more!

Doors open at 8pm, and admission is a sliding scale of $6 to $10.  Special discounted price of $5 for those who bring in donations of underwear, bed linens, and towels for use at the shelter and by their guests. [Read more →]

Tags: baltimore, bike odyssey, cycling, food, music by editor
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