I've several blogs. I'm known best the internet for one in English about Korean politics, my misadventures and, more often than not - especially since sneaking around was getting old - just commentary. Another is mostly for family overseas, mostly in English. I operate two others, exclusively in Korean.
I do not usually think of myself as a bike freak. Indeed, to some degree I ride bicycles like I use computers. I do not know all the technical stats about my computer(s), but I do like to go places on the internet. Likewise, while I do have several bicycles and have built up a few over the years, I often forget a lot of their technical characteristics. The other day someone asked me how many spokes are in the wheels I usually run on my Bianchi and I had to count them to answer, though I could tell you how to get to TOEI on the Tokyo underground and why wool and lugs go well together. I don't have any "bike buddies," at least not in the U.S. (where I've only lived for 10 months since turning 18), though I do sporadically follow the random doings of a certain set of characters on the internet, particularly on the iBOB list and some of the virtual locales frequented by many who lurk there.
That said, I do talk about bicycles quite a lot and, in the views of those who have been brainwashed by popular culture images of them, am highly opinionated. Between two children, a phd dissertation (premodern Korean fiction), and "work," I very rarely go on "rides," even by myself, though I do often find a scenic and roundabout way to get where everyday life dictates I must go. Perhaps if I got to actually ride more I'd think about bicycles less, but if I'm going to spend time thinking about them I might as well have some place to scribble. Hence the present little bloggie.
About the title. '自転車中年期' (kr. 자전거중년기) might be translated as "record of a midlife on bicycles." The idea came from a recent Japanese novel by the title '自転車少年記' (Jitensha Shōnenki), one interpretation of which could be "record of a boyhood on bicycles." You see the hardcover edition at the top of this post. It was followed by a paperback edition and TV movie that just became available on DVD. I am still thirtysomething, btw, but there wasn't anything between "childhood" and "midlife" that worked with "record of..." in a kanji title.
I have purchased the novel but haven't had a chance to read it yet. It is about two young male friends growing up together, spending much their time on bicycles. Actually, "had a chance to read it" is not so accurate. I can only read Japanese, and just barely, because the word order is similar to Korean and because I know a lot of Chinese characters, not terribly unlike how an English speaker who knows Latin can struggle through the written form of a Romance language. The reason I haven't read the whole novel in one sitting is because each sentence is painstakingly slow, and reading it is what is finally going to get my Japanese somewhat up to speed. There is a whole world of fiction (incl. manga), non-fiction, photography, and more in Japanese that appears to be entirely unknown outside Japan. In a way it's harder for me because I know what I'm missing. At any rate, expect more content about the culture and sociology of bicycles here than about technical matters. Thanks for reading.
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