I want to ride my bicycle.

Today I feel like writing in Courier.  Hooray for fixed-width fonts.

Since moving to Atlanta I have been without a car, I have been using a bike exclusively.  Most people would see this as a disadvantage, but I would have to disagree.  While not having a car does have its negatives, the positives greatly outweigh them.

Probably the biggest advantage for me money.  When I lived in Florida I would easily spend $50 a week on gas.  My car used a gallon of gas each way to work.  I figured that 1 hour of working would pay for me to get there and back.  This, of course, sucks.  Also, no car means no car insurance.  Can you hear the $$$$ being saved?  Lastly my car was very expensive to keep up, but I LOVE MY CAR. (<---Click for photos)  

MARTA.  For somebody from Florida this sounds like a very scary thing, but it's not so bad.  My first experience on Marta was July 30th, 2008.  The trip went fairly well, but after riding it for a month I got used to it.  When you ride it so often you begin to see familiar faces and meet new people.  Not to mention you can bring a bike onto the train.  Having a bike allows me to go anywhere within a couple miles of a Marta Rail Station, which is a large area.  One of the biggest perks is that my company will pay for my MARTA pass if I use public transportation to get to and from work.  

All of this means that means I pay $0 per month on transportation.  Yeah, that's right, I went from paying over $200 a month to $0.  I also get paid more up here as an added bonus.  $$$$  You can see why this is a big deal to me.

So now, we get to talk about the bad parts.  You are exposed to the elements when riding a bike, therefore you are sweaty in the summer and fucking cold in the winter (which I am not really looking forward to).  Not to mention the hills are kicking my ass, there are obviously no hills in Florida.  The other down side is it is slow.  Before going on a trip you have to plan things out, its almost like going on a mini-vacation.  I have found Google Street View particularly helpful for this.  Carrying items is also very limited on a bike.  A backpack is about the extent of what you can take with you, although I have managed to balance 3 pizzas on my handlebars before.  

Anywho, not having a car is awesome.  Missing your car stinks.  :-(