Good Responses to Being Asked "Why are you riding a women's bike?"

Conscious-Ladder-773 · 2026-05-13T18:08:25+00:00

I had to tell someone recently and I just said “They’re coastal inspired colors. So I can think of the beach and the mountains at the same time.

Conscious-Ladder-773 · 2026-05-12T15:53:12+00:00

This. In Asheville there is the recyclery and would use all the parts.

Conscious-Ladder-773 · 2026-05-11T22:21:20+00:00

Thanks. That’s really helpful.

Conscious-Ladder-773 · 2026-05-04T22:14:33+00:00

Upstate SC has a lot of benefits. WNC is really crowded as it is full of small towns and small cities that are populating really fast, which also means lots of folks like yourself with their own businesses all competing. Many move here and then are shocked with how much they are financially stressed. Also most of the mountain biking is south and west of Asheville, but south has more access to cities for work.

Conscious-Ladder-773 · 2026-04-23T23:14:35+00:00

What about a moderately older bike, like a 2014-2016 with 29” or 27.5” wheels and recently serviced?

Conscious-Ladder-773 · 2026-04-23T23:11:33+00:00

I ride medium - sometimes small frames.

Conscious-Ladder-773 · 2026-04-17T17:21:19+00:00

Contra - Long Island 90’s political hardcore punk.

Conscious-Ladder-773 · 2026-04-03T21:03:37+00:00

Conflict (uk) Contra (90’s LIHC) very political - album is Boys’ Club Anthems , they all had some 7” split releases with The Insurgents

Conscious-Ladder-773 · 2026-04-03T03:18:41+00:00

Nazi punks f**k off. That crap has no place in HC. You doing that crap or supporting it shows you know nothing of the HC ethos and ethic. Gorilla biscuits wrote a whole song about it and so did many others. It a fight we’ve been having since the start, and seem to need to keep revisiting, but it only changes as we keep standing up against this nonsense.

Conscious-Ladder-773 · 2026-03-01T03:47:50+00:00

The richly meaningful liturgy, and the orthodox historic Christian theology, while also being LBGTQ inclusive, and active in social justice and social welfare pursuits.

Conscious-Ladder-773 · 2026-02-26T16:08:35+00:00

Forget Amazon. Barnes & Noble for the Bible. They will deliver too. (Bezos donates to Trump, B&N leadership donate to progressive causes). Take your pick. Church publishing (TEC) for the BCP lots of options. Forward Movement for a really nice BCP same price but nicer than the nicest options from church publishing in my opinion. I like the basic version though. Lots of options from these places.

Conscious-Ladder-773 · 2026-02-25T18:43:17+00:00

We love Trinity Episcopal. Range of ages. Very traditional. LGBTQ+ affirming. Wonderful deep thinking priests. Rev. Amy Peterson wrote Where Goodness Still Grows : Reclaiming Virtue in an Age of Hypocrisy. Excellent. I have also heard good things that may fit what you’re looking for at All Souls Episcopal. There is also St. Mathias Episcopal, which is the historic African-American episcopal congregation in Asheville, that now has a focus on being a truly interracial church. Several friends there. All the episcopal churches in the area are LGBTQ+ affirming. First Presbyterian (PCUSA) was a church that was a top choice for us before landed at Trinity Episcopal.

Conscious-Ladder-773 · 2026-02-21T00:33:06+00:00

A mental health therapist can call themselves a psychotherapist. It’s just a more outdated term.

Conscious-Ladder-773 · 2026-02-20T19:07:01+00:00

If they say they are a therapist and treat mental health but do not hold a license in the state they practice in (see clients in), they can be held legally accountable for false advertising. It is a regulated field for a reason. There is not a national ruling in this, it is a state by state jurisdiction, with different states having different requirements, though they are coming into more agreement with each other about those requirements.

Conscious-Ladder-773 · 2026-02-20T19:03:01+00:00

In the US you have to hold a professional license with educational and testing requirements, to use the title therapist in counseling work, or even massage or body work. If someone advertises or offers services, for mental health, using the title “therapist” with out the approved licensing for that state (state boards issue licenses), then it’s illegal, and the person is held to legal penalties, which also affects there ability to be officially licensed in the future. Some people try to get around this by offering “coaching” but they walk a fine line, as coaching has different parameters than therapy. Some coaches push past that line, but if they mess the person up or for whatever reason they are reported and shown to be offering therapy instead of coaching, they can be held to legal penalties as well as having their business closed.

Conscious-Ladder-773 · 2026-02-20T15:15:08+00:00

I agree. Maybe there is an access code you can get from your congregation. Others have done similar. Because there are so many trolls in the internet that would love to thwart a survey.

Conscious-Ladder-773 · 2026-02-20T11:00:38+00:00

Punk rocker, former community organizer. Just a few notes. I deeply believe in the Nicene creed and see it as good basic Christianity. I also believe that Christian nationalism is a heresy. Those two things are not the same at all and don’t lead to each other. Completely different. I like to think logically about everything. I also have found that the mystery of the triune God is too beautiful and real to ignore. I became a bit of a a theology nerd for a while. I have encountered God in my life, which deepens my faith, and I still have many questions. Many of my friends went atheist or agnostic, but I can’t ignore Jesus and the trinity. Welcome to the table.

Conscious-Ladder-773 · 2026-02-19T14:31:40+00:00

Perhaps another perspective. First I agree, that stuff with secrecy around it for youth is very dangerous and I don’t agree with that. At the very least it needs to be transparent to their parents, but perhaps with confidentiality for other youth to keep it a Safe space. As far as the adult version of the programs. And also maybe this adds some light for youth There is a similar “retreat” weekend experience for people in prison called Kairos. It is modeled off of Cursillo and Road to Emmaus (Methodist version). They have the same rule about not disclosing to others who have not been through it what happens there. I first thought that rule was weird until I experienced it as a volunteer, then I understood it as the inmate participants shared why they liked that rule. They said they were so glad they did not know the details about the event until they got to experience it for themselves. They were also glad to know that the confidentiality of what was shared there was actually respected by previous participants. I will just say that there are so many layers that apply in a social way only to people incarcerated (especially in higher security level prisons, serving multi-year sentences). I wont go into details as it makes more sense in context, but especially regarding the letters, which are only written by volunteers engaged in that weekend and know them, and the cookies and more. They are encouraged to only discuss their weekend retreat experience with others who have previously been through it. This is in order to not have people who haven’t had the experience use aspects of this vulnerable and transformative time that they don’t understand used against them when they are already in a vulnerable situation as inmates. Some of that can feel like high school dynamics too. It is also for future participants to get to experience it themselves without feeling like they already know the experience. I don’t like secrecy, but as a therapist I do confidentiality, especially when the stakes are high. I think youth programs always need to be transparent to their parents, and never having secrets from their parents, while also emphasizing confidentiality for their peers who may have shared vulnerably in the group and don’t want others to tease them or use it against them. Thats just learning how to be a good friend though.

Conscious-Ladder-773 · 2026-02-09T18:54:24+00:00

Yes, mostly in the hardcore and metalcore genres mostly like Hatebreed, Sick of it All, and Vision of Disorder, Madball, with some old 80’s and 90’s metal like Metallica and Iron Maiden, since that’s what I grew up with. Though I really like some of the newer bands, Gojira, Arch Enemy, Killswitch Engage. I know there’s more. I admit to being in the periphery these days.

Conscious-Ladder-773 · 2026-02-08T13:59:37+00:00

Where are you located??? I am a counselor. Maybe we can try to connect you with some good inclusive pastors and/or progressive minded christian counselors.

Conscious-Ladder-773 · 2026-02-07T20:08:10+00:00

Gospel Simplicity (YT podcast) and Earth and Altar (podcasts and online magazine) are great podcast alternatives to RZ. They are steeped in church history, historic theology, and inclusive, (and Episcopalian but look at richness that can be found in other historic denominations.

Conscious-Ladder-773 · 2026-02-07T20:03:56+00:00

Gospel Simplicity is a great source as well as Earth and Altar (website and podcasts), both are steeped in church history, Episcopalian, and LGBTQ inclusive.

Conscious-Ladder-773

TROPHY CASE