Quick Post : College Commuter

Hey everyone!  Just in case you didn't know, I'm working on a graduate degree in environmental science and Neva is now in school.  With the structured school year lifestyle, we will be talking a little bit about commuting, though I still have plenty of travel tales to regale and pictures to share. I wanted to do a quick post so you didn't think I forgot about you!  My Olympus is in the shop right now, so the photos are phone-tastic!

Neva's first day of school.

Neva's school is far away for now, so no biking to school yet. She is trail-a-bike ready when the time comes!

My first night at school.  After graduate orientation, someone locked their bike up to another bike's brake cables!  That bike belonged to a girl, and she was unable to leave.  After over an hour of waiting, the parking police were called in with (very) large bolt cutters. 

My first day of school.  Can you spot my bike?  Me neither!

My first day of school I got to lock my bike up with a slew of other bikes, I made sure to pay special attention to other people's stray brake cables.  

I'll do another post on it, but that's me in Da Brim.
A must have for Texas summers.

Here's the bag I carry.  It's a Chrome mini metro messenger bag.  I've tried other Chrome bags, and I feel like they're just too big for a 5'2" girl, but this one is just the right fit.  The mini metro has the classic clasp in the front, waterproofing, and two clips and velcro closure up front.

It holds all of my stuff too.  I love the organization in this thing.  Usually you have to compromise with waterproofness and organization, but this bag has both.  There's a separate slot for my computer, a main compartment for my notebooks and grade organizer, a front zipper section with lots of pockets and slots for pens and miscellaneous items, and two medium pockets in the very front where I put my wallet, keys and phone, for quick access. 

I despise sweaty back, and am a huge proponent of panniers, but I didn't want to give up my messenger bag.  I decided to make use of all those straps and buckles and attached the Mini Metro pretty easily to my rack.  Now, I do have lots of experience, so it takes a little ingenuity, but it all worked out.

The issues I ran into at first were dealing with the heal clearance, but after fiddling with the multiple straps (the underarm strap velcros on and off if you need extra leverage there) I got it to fit pretty securely.

I have lots to share about China, but wanted to say hello.  If anyone has any questions about commuting, please post.  

With 3 night classes a week, I do this quite a bit.

And everyone really just reads the blog to see Neva, so here's your moment of zen, Neva biking 6 miles a day on off-road terrain... to be continued.