Writing In & For Digital Environments

“Wow I can’t believe you’re taking that bike on these trails”.  Alec’s shock was reasonable, as I was taking my road bike with no suspension, half inch tires, and a saddle that was far too upright, on Carlisle’s mountain bike trails.  I too was very surprised that my bike hadn’t broken yet.

Past Dickinson Park there is a labyrinth of switchbacks and side paths that until lat year I had no clue existed.  The terrain varies from well maintained gravel paths, bumpy dirt through cornfields, rocky desert-like plateaus, and winding grass trails through a forest.

Part of the fun of these trails is discovering new directions, and exploring the many different areas.  That’s why I didn’t include a map my ride link, but rather my google map.  Just look for the spot that says Entrance to Mountain Bike Trails, and start exploring.

Lean left…

There is one section of the trail, that is incredible technical, and requires you to lean to left or else risk falling down a steep cliff onto massive boulders. Naturally any clear headed person would not attempt this on a road bike where your feet are clipped into the pedals. When I bike however, I don’t think very clearly.  I like challenges, and any consequences, like a broken bike of leg, is pushed to the back of my mind. Luckily I maneuvered down the hill and so did my friends Alec and Sam.

In retrospect it may have been better if one of the many sharp rocks popped my tire right there, but my bike somehow powered on. About four miles into the trail the three of us were biking single file when Sam yelled out “Max! Stop stop!”. It was too late though as I heard a crunch and my wheels stopped spinning.  A stick so thin I could’ve snapped it with two fingers had gotten lodged in my spokes and snapped my rear derailer right off the frame.

This wasn’t the first time I had done this, and thankfully I was with other people when it happened.  Alec began biking back to grab his car leaving Sam and I to search for a road and a place to get out of the cold.  Did I mention we also chose one of the coldest days to go biking? The wind chill was around twenty degrees and I was not wearing the right clothes.

We eventually found a half vacant shipping facility and huddled in a little alcove waiting for Alec. This was an interesting opportunity to look into what makes Carlisle one of the major shipping cities in the country.  The building was absolutely massive, and while the half we were near was empty the other half was filled with pallets and boxes. This was just one of many giant buildings in the area. If you ever are on top of north mountain at night the brightest and biggest thing you see is not Carlisle center, but these buildings…It’s kind of depressing.

Looking in on America’s vast shipping network

Eventually Alec arrived in his car and we could escape the cold. As we put the bike on the car Sam remarked “It’s always an adventure with you guys”.  It sure is, but I think I’m done with biking for a while.

Alec to the rescue!

Since I’ve been reviewing TV shows/books based on representations of females from the perspective of twenty-something female, I thought it would be interesting to talk to a twenty-something male about his perspective on a stereotypically female show. At the risk of seeming repetitive, I chose a show that I’ve already written about so I could compare our viewings and conceptions. The obvious choice seemed to be Sex and the City, if only because it is so well known, and likely that a guy in his twenties has heard of it before.

Enter Josh, a 22-year-old male International Business major at Dickinson. Josh very coolly agreed to watch the first episode of Sex and the City and have a candid convo with me about his impressions of it:

M: Before watching the first episode, how much did you know about Sex and the City?

J: Not much. I thought it was supposed to be kind of like female empowerment – like encouraging women to be independent and stuff. My sister made me watch the first movie with her once, but I had no background about the characters so I didn’t know what was going on. All I can remember is that the movie was so boring. Like, really boring. I think I fell asleep. But, I guess before watching the episode I knew that the show was really popular with women – obviously – and like, don’t girls move to New York and try to be like the women on the show? And compare themselves to them? Kind of crazy.

M: Why crazy?

J: It’s pretty unreasonable. You can’t just move to New York and automatically live this glamorous single life. At least I don’t think you can. Also, obviously no one is like a TV character. That’s stupid.

M: What are your conceptions of the show after watching the first episode? How about the way women are portrayed?

J: It’s sort of nuts. Like, first of all, the show is kind of ridiculous – do these women even work? But, anyway, it makes women seem kind of desperate. On the show they say that they don’t need men, but it’s all they talk about. They’re obsessed. Especially in the beginning of the episode – how it started out with all these dating horror stories – and how the women are supposed to “keep their mouths shut and play by the rules.” That really got me – women telling other women to basically do whatever it takes to find a husband, even if it’s changing their personalities completely and becoming submissive. That surprised me. I thought this show was supposed to be empowering for women!

M: Was there something about the show that particularly resonated with you?

J: Yeah. I hate the way that guys were portrayed. Like “toxic bachelors” and guys lifting weights in the gym acting like they’re too casual and cool for marriage. Oh! And how all the women do is complain that men are so bad and then they complain that men get too sensitive and how it’s terrible when they like poetry. What a double-standard – and confusing! Hey – we’re not all that bad.

I got a few additional insights about Sex and the City from my conversation with Josh – mostly about how men are portrayed on the show (something that I admittedly haven’t thought too much about, other than in general groupings). He’s right – Sex and the City does portray men in a really poor, over-generalized light; they get all of the blame as to why women are single, bitter and unhappy/untrusting/uninterested in commitment. Their representations (at least in the first episode) are inflated as these shady and heartless villains who are out to manipulate the female population for sheer enjoyment. It makes me wonder if women are only able to be accepted as “single and fabulous” on the show because they have a good excuse to be – terrible men.

The sound of tap shoes is like a dinner bell calling me home.

“Colleenie take your tap shoes off before going outside, you don’t want to ruin them!” My mom was right I didn’t want to ruin my precious tap shoes but I didn’t want to take them off either. Unwillingly, my three-year-old self would carefully unlace the black silk ribbon that my mom graciously tied and then I would slip the shinny black tap shoes into their pocket in my dance bag.

Tap has always been my favorite type of dance because it is unique, it is special. My best friend and I use to tap together. We would carpool to class, jump out of the car, race down the alleyway, almost knocking each other over tying to get in the door, lace up our shoes, and finally feverously flap into the studio. At this age children are often told to use inside voices but the loud clicks and ticks of our shoes were welcome in the studio, allowing us to scream of joy through our feet. One hour weekly classes were not enough for us though. We spent play dates choreographing dances or just free styling around the living room. In fifth grade we were ready to take our tap shoes to the stage for the school’s talent show. We spent hours preparing by tapping away on her still-under-construction sunroom or my old wooden porch, unaware of the dents our tap shoes left behind. But it didn’t matter because we were tapping and carefree. If we could have we would have shuffled all the way to Buffalo. Even though as we grew older our extra curricular activities changed, we always have tap to remember. It created memories.

I have tapped since I was an eager three year old until now as an eager but busy college student. This fall is the first time I haven’t tapped and I miss it. Do I have to leave tap in those memories? It is difficult to see or find tap nowadays. Tap seems to have been left in the era of Gene Kelly. But there is and always be a niche of people who are passionate about tap. This tap video to Anna Kendrick’s “Cup Song” shows that tap is alive and well. I just need to go running back down the alleyway, lace up my shoes, and click and tick as loud as my feet can scream.