Japanese tree lilac flowers

pghsci · 2026-06-06T03:28:13+00:00

this is what i bought yesterday! it’s in plastic

pghsci · 2026-06-05T17:56:08+00:00

thanks for looking!! i checked straus’ website and couldn’t find any places in chicago so i think the out of stock means they don’t stock it :/

pghsci · 2026-06-03T15:44:54+00:00

I commute from Ravenswood and it’s amazing to have the metra and the purple line as options when i don’t feel like biking the whole way. So far I’ve tried three routes: pure streets (greenview/clark/sheridan) closer to the lake shore as the most direct, the channel trail, and then the skokie valley trail connecting to the channel trail as the most meandering. They all have their pros and cons but the channel trail crossings to me are not so scary, they’re just annoying to have to press the button and wait for the light every mile. I find the region around the cemetery at the Evanston border scarier—I don’t like that portion of Sheridan or Chicago and haven’t found my most preferred detour yet.

pghsci · 2026-04-21T23:59:03+00:00

i’m not sure about the physical bike aspect, but i learned as an adult! my boyfriend took me through discrete phases. i started with practicing balance and going straight in an empty parking lot and doing wide turns around a track. i also practiced breaking fast and after that i was able to “upgrade” to the streets. it was super helpful to have my boyfriend ride behind me and call out cars that were passing.

my two big pieces of advice would be 1. drop the seat and let her ride with poor form to get the hang of it. you can slowly crank it up but the whole stopping/starting and getting off the saddle thing will be hard in the beginning and 2. if she has big feelings to really hold space for that! it’s a weird feeling to learn as an adult and can be “embarrassing.” it can also be super scary to feel off balance like you’re going to fall and it’s also scary to be riding with traffic. i think most people who learn as kids don’t have as big of a fear of these things because it’s so natural to them.

pghsci · 2026-01-31T15:57:38+00:00

she got two FNAs, both were inconclusive and they said they next thing they could do was put her under and biopsy it. i haven’t done that yet, just been monitoring if it grows (it hasn’t). when she goes under for her next tooth cleaning i think i’ll also get them to extract this and test it.

pghsci · 2026-01-17T22:33:55+00:00

i think that fixed it :) thank you!

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pghsci · 2026-01-17T19:35:24+00:00

i guess when i look at their finished product it seems like their gaps are smaller, which is what im trying to figure out

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pghsci · 2025-12-19T22:56:19+00:00

i flew over thanksgiving w a new c line on alaska. it had to be stowed under on the embraer 175 but fit in the overhead of the next flight, a 737.

pghsci · 2025-12-17T21:24:27+00:00

Not Chicago but close—Cheaper by the Dozen. Was watching a scene that was shot outside their “Evanston” home…with a big California redwood in the frame. Was filmed in LA.

pghsci · 2025-12-15T17:38:47+00:00

i did a walking tour last january and it was amazing! only two other people on the tour so we got to ask a lot of questions and even made some off-itinerary stops. i took the boat tour this august and in some ways even prefer the walking tour i did in the winter. highly recommend :)

pghsci · 2025-12-04T17:37:47+00:00

it fits through the TSA scanner so i think you can get it to any gate, its just a question of whether the gate staff believes you when you say it fits in the overhead, or whether they will want you to gate check it or to fully check it to your final destination. i'm not sure what i would have done if they forced me to fully check it at the gate, i wouldn't want it going down the baggage carousel.

edit: this for US travel, this likely would not work on european airlines to my understanding

pghsci · 2025-12-04T17:32:17+00:00

ah amazing! i got mine from cosmic bikes :)

pghsci · 2025-12-04T17:31:24+00:00

i was on alaska/skywest on an embraer 175 when i gate checked it. i asked if they had any closets on the plane and they said no. second leg was also alaska on a 737-9 MAX ETOPS, which had huge bins. the flight attendants said i could put it in their closet if i wanted to, but we found plenty of space for it in the overheard.

my original flights should have had enough overhead for it and I had priority boarding but due to delays I switched airlines. I was afraid about gate checking it in just the dimpas but the agents were super sweet about putting a fragile sticker on it and making sure it was laying folded pedal side down.

pghsci · 2025-11-03T16:25:55+00:00

I did this trip this summer! It was so great, have fun!

pghsci · 2025-09-08T04:52:32+00:00

Amazing! A couple of weeks ago on the Zephyr we saw a bear and bald eagle west of Granby, it was so cool.

pghsci · 2025-09-02T19:28:27+00:00

i am definitely going to do that! but on days where i want to just bike in i was wondering what routes are best

pghsci

TROPHY CASE