Can you push your bike by the saddle?

I never used to. When I didn't ride a bike, I tried it once and discovered it was harder to balance than wheeling the centre of the handlebars, and never thought about it again.

After all, I rarely pushed my bike very far, and only if I was juggling awkward things or lacking hand insulation would it matter. It's only slightly more convenient, so why try?

At some recent point (about a month ago) I discovered I could do it. I figure it's possible that:

(1) I could do it the second time I tried, whenever that had been.
(2) I'd subconsciously been honing my balance from riding (and trying to ride <1 handed)
(3) I'd been practising pushing my bike without remembering that
(4) The first time I tried, the front wheel lurched sideways, and you can counteract that, but it looks like the bike is going to fall over so you might not.

Or probably some combination thereof. I still can't quite ride no handed though; that actually does require practice (afaik).

Weekend

Saturday was MA graduation. Arts, I pwns yo az.

* I had most of the regalia
* I wasn't late
* I met lots of people I used to know, looking good in suits and gowns
* And Martin Rees. Hi!
* Everything went without a hitch, though would be nice to not be last for *once*.
* Nice dinner at Trinity, with Dave, Lucy and Katy, and other old friends, and with J and family.
* Wandered home for a nap, and in the evening went to Ashleigh's with Nakedtoes, Filecorinuse, Satanicsocks, etc.

On Sunday:

* Cycled to G meadows and strolled up to Grantchester
* Went up the river to the bridge; I don't think I've walked along that middle bit, always going through Grantchester instead.
* Spend half an hour considering pubs before plumping for one with a mushroom stroganov which was very nice, and eating it in the beer garden working on maths
* Came to New Relativity ("QED"? "Stringhouse?" "General"?) for Bridge, which was fun, though spectacular happened. (Naath: fwiw we were wway ahead on points at the end :))
* It was a great day. With nothing I needed to do I could completely relax. I should have more of those.

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Go see the thread: http://lark-ascending.livejournal.com/954034.html?thread=3056050#t3056050 (friends locked, HP7 spoilers in post)

"Dark is Rising" is becoming a film! That's another children's series I liked a lot at the time. The idea seems... interesting, but I don't know that they'll pull it off well.

(Also see a blog and imdb.)

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And I had my hair shorn, and on Saturday wore a suit as well, and *no-one* commented; normally people are falling over themselves to say "You had your hair cut" and "Look, it's raining" :) Maybe the skinhead look has something to it :)

Stardust

Whatever I said last time, but also, look here.

Trailers and clips: http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1809426615/video/3439942/ (Link stolen from, well, Neil Gaiman.)

Stardust looks pretty promising, like the effects capture the feel of the original well (possibly even better for me -- I didn't get on with the book as well as I felt I ought to have done), unlike it looks like Dark is Rising is going to.

Jesus Green swimming has been extended to 8.00 "due to popular demand"

I went swimming again. Maybe soon it'll stop being news :)

I'm sure the water was colder than before. I think it was my imagination -- remembering it was a lot better than I'd feared the first time, I'd expected it not the be chill at all. And with no need to be brave lowered in rather than gone in one go, which always has a greater Int feeling cold dt.

I felt a bit silly actually. I got there about ten to seven, and toward the end there were only a couple of people there, and I was sure it was about quarter past closing and and they were going to ask us to leave, and I wanted to get in ten+ lengths before that, and also not be caught short in the middle if someone were going to call last orders. But once I finished and got out of the shower, it was still only about ten to eight. So I was obviously swimming fairly well.

It was nice.

ETA: And afterwards I feel like I've *earned* my dinner, beverages, and bed :)

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My debit card has become cracked, and I phoned HSBC for a replacement. I was amazed -- I was sure they'd manage to introduce administrative faff somehow or other, probably by cancelling the old one immediately, but no, they took care of it immediately.

Though I suppose they won't be putting "I called with an extremely simple request and you said you weren't going to fuck it up" on their testimonials pages.