University of South Carolina Libraries
Presenting t I ride a bicycle around campus. Yes, I am the guy who almost ran you over yesterday, the guy who speeds around huge crowds, the guy who drives almost as badly as auto drivers throughout campus. I almost have to use a bike to get from class to class in time because, in a bout of scheduling masochism, I planned back-to-back-to-back-to-back classes in Gambrell, the Coliseum, the BA building and McMaster. I run a little Tour De Columbia every Tuesday and Thursday to make it on time. Most people who walk to class do not like us bikers. What many people do not realize, however, is how much sacrifice we bike riders must make to make your lives miserable. It is dangerous, for instance, to ride around in throngs of people who are walking like so many sheep to class. Pedestrians drift into a world of their own, making it extremely difficult for us to aim our wheels of death effectively. Determined, strong pedestrians make pretty easy targets because they walk in straight lines. We can lead them well and buzz them with ease. Pedestrians who drift aimlessly, however, tend to swerve and dodge without us knowing their true direction. The old "I swerved several times before I hit him" situation comes up, and we bike riders risk hitting a wet spot on the cement or a particularly slippery freshman arid sliding into oblivion. Tracking pedestrians is difficult, also. Too many guys wear blue jeans, braided belts and baseball caps. I started tracking one student with my bike and landed across campus, only to realize I had been following the wrong person. Some of my fellow bike riders have suggested pedestrian tags kinda like the tags they put on ducks ('they' being that mysterious group of unknowns who do the stuff we cannot explain). The sport of pedestrian biking could ~ ~ ~ The folio win D A f K Q Tracks this \ IV AA W l\ W 1. Snoop Dc 2. Guns n' F T^\ 3. Pearl Jan f 1 4. Tom Pett} 5. Metallica 6. Beavis ar 10,000 M T 8. Hootie an m 9. Michael E U 10. The Cra doing, so wl flHHHB 11- Frank 12. Smashir ALBUMS ?3eR0d Ste 14. Mariah < S;i5;S 15. Heart -' ^ 16. Nirvana Si / 17 ^loonlo< U 18 Paul Mc .:&> <y , 19. Prince \ - 20. Rush - " %ey The following are the top 10 singles sold at Tracks this week: 1. Janet Jackson - "Again" 2. Twelve Guage - "Dunkie Butt" 3. 2 Pac - "Keep Ya Head Up" 4. Michael Bolton - "Said I Love You" 5. Bryan Adams - "Please Forgive Me" 6. Salt n' Peppa -"Shoop" 7. Shaquille O'Neal - "I Know I Got" 8. Tag Team - "Whoomp! There It Is" 9. The Cranberries - "Linger" 10. DRS -"Gangster Lean" . ?v ?- ?- ?* ? ?r f T.t V?"? ? ? ?*? he Tour de ( I 1 thi m< probably benefit from tagging, and pedes- ex trian populations could be monitored more carefully, but no definite actions on tagging have been pursued. ^ A lot of people do not realize the clean- stt ing we have to give our bikes after we W actually hit a pedestrian. I have had to use se cr\c 1? I rtnir /-Kom OUJ paus IU cicaii Muutm guw cuiu nivmistry notes from my spokes. We also have to blow a lot of dough on bike maintenance. I, for instance, had to get a new seat because one of the friendly lo Towers squirrels made a meal of mine last re> year. Ironic, don't you think, that I j0( brought my bike up four flights to avoid I} damage, and a squirrel ate the seat on my balcony. bc It would be a little better if I could work on the bike myself, but I cannot, ch seem to figure out the subtleties of bike bf repair. I rebuilt my car's engine, but I can- j not get the little doohickey to move the chain from one gear to another. 1 think it is a bike industry plot to make people '? such as me turn to the Shutdecock. Ju Fashion also takes a back seat when bii you decide to ride a bike. When it is cold, you have to cover up every exposed piece w of skin or you will be wind-chilled. It does not matter what you use to cover up, espe- 1U cially at 8 in the morning. m If it is hot. it does not matter what you se wear because you are inevitably going to ta walk into class drenched in perspiration. I ^ worked last year, and I would walk into d c g are the top 20 albums sold at >gg - "Doggy Style" loses - "The Spaghetti Incident" H|Hn f - "Greatest Hits" _ pv id Butthead KmZH aniacs- "MTV Unplugged" id the Bloiwfish - "Koochypop" Jolton - "The One Thing" nberries - "Everybody else is iycantwe< natra - "Duets" ig Pumpkins - "Siamese * mm wart - "Unplugged" & Sarey - "Music Box" ? 'Desire Walks On" ~ - "In Utero* ~ ss in Seattle - Soundtrack s Cartney - "Paul is Live" \ "fnrpatp^t Mits" i a top n^ lO 8 From 90210 to your zi Si & I mm /? *. ryr/f RiderCourse lik< I J\J [a. I L W YouTi learn technique 1 I > VJ L. Lm well. Call 1-800447-471 Columbia e office with a dripping dress shirt, nd-blown hair, a tie flung over my oulder and an attractive grease stain on ; lower leg of my pants. I looked like I t in a fight with an airplane and lost. Bike-specific fashions are even worse in the things we throw together. I own a Imet, but I rarely wear it because I am ared the Jolly Green Giant will mistake ; for a mushroom and can me. And bike orts...well, bike shorts are pretty selfplanatory. Bike security is a real concern, too. pparently, disgruntled pedestrians are waling components off of parked bikes, ho else would be cruel enough to steal a at? Can you imagine accidentally sitting >wn without checking? W WWW WWW! Either my bike was stolen last year or I aned it to somebody and they never turned it. I am using one of those U cks with the insurance policy on it now. my new bike gets stolen, I can be stub>rn, buy another bike and have it stolen, is really funny to ask the police the ances of them recovering your stolen ke; 1 have never seen a police officer jgh uncontrollably like that before. So, we bikers are a troubled, persecuted t. You do not have to be scared of us. st wear bright colors, keep alert, paint a illseye on your back and dive into the ishes when we pass you, and everything ill be OK. (Actually, you could probably st shout out my name if I pass you on y bike. In an effort to turn around and e who called my name, I will probably ke a nasty spill into a bench or someing. I will be your comic relief for the ty!) M Jgj? S SOME OF OUR STUDENTS IS ARE STAR PUPILS. p code, safe motorcycle riding is essential. So take a Motor: Brian Austin Green of Fox T.V.'s Beverly Hills, 90210. ! s that not only make you a safer rider, but a better rider as tttsaf ' )0 to be the star of your class. MOTOMTOE SiFEn FOMMTtM Tfr | Thanks for the memories By NANCY SALOMONSKY and MELISSA TENNEN Encore Editors So, what did you think? The first semester of Encore has come and Sgf* ^ m' sone. It went well for im ? W, Of course, during the Salomonsky semester, Encore changed in appearance, story coverage and photography. All this was for the better. In the beginning of the semester, we tried to define what an arts and entertainment tabloid should be like. This was not easy. We determined part of that definition would include band, CD, movie and food reviews. Then, we irieu 10 mi local not spots ana prorne coiiege bands that we thought you might be interested in reading about. The calendar was no ~ ? easy task to keep up. Staff Writer Allison df Aa Williams helped us ? compile the calendar % a Mm whenever she could. , jfHk ? The horoscopes were |f Wt silly, we admit. But it JUR was all a part of our fun and light reading for the tabloid. The Tennen crossword was also meant to be fun. Our staff writers did an excellent job in helping us get the tabloid off the ground. For that, we thank them tremendously. If it were not for them, we could not exist. Bryan Mims took you to the mountains, and Wendy Hudson added her fashion flair to Encore. Eric James Stamey explored some of the bands USC has to offer. Stephen Kirkland toured the local bars, giving us a bird's-eye view. And Tara DiGirolamo discovered some interesting pickup lines. Overall, we can say this semester has been fruitful yet hectic. We survived it quite well. We want to thank you for reading our work ana Deing paueni wild us. we nope 10 see Encore develop and grow as a tabloid for next semester. If you have any suggestions for next semester's Encore, please call 777-7181 or mail information to Encore c/o Student Media, USC Russell House, Columbia, SC 29208. Thanks! And have a good holiday! Give the gift of life, Give blood! + American Red Cross South Carolina Regional Blood Services