Or, how my bike got stolen and how I stole it back.

Quick note: This story originally was posted as-it-happened on Tumblr, but here’s the whole thing compiled together. It was then a Medium post, but here it is on my site.

Part 1: Monday. Well, this is ridiculous.

First, take a look at my bike. Looks like a normal bike, right?

A picture of my bike from months ago. This is known as “The Georgetown Bike Rack”.

On Friday night, amidst trying to walk a dog and get a sick girlfriend home, I locked my bike outside my apartment to a small fence outside the building instead of lugging it into the bike room in my building (which has been largely blocked by maintenance people’s stuff).

Some time between Saturday and Sunday, the bike was stolen. I was upset. In fact, I still am upset. There’s the money, sure. But moreover, it was stolen from outside where I live. There is theft in my neighborhood, and apparently locking up a bike isn’t enough.

My girlfriend Kristen was kind enough to help me start to get things in order, and on Monday put in a police report for the bike, and I mentally tried to move on. It was kinda working.

But here’s where it gets infinitely more interesting. ↓ Read the rest of this entry…

If you’re curious the position, I bet Rossmom will post it in the comments.

It’s true, my bike was stolen.

Sure, there’s being out the cost of the bike. But the real sting is knowing that someone stole something important from you. That hurts.

Now my bike is off somewhere, (hopefully) getting ridden by someone. I’m sure they don’t appreciate all the little details. The new pedals that I picked out which are a solid piece of metal (and supposed to last much longer). The new spokes I put on the wheels. The scratches on the frame from locking it to parking signs. The new handlebars that made getting up hills much more comfortable. The bike seat that a friend gave me when my old one got infested with ants (yep, really). You get the idea.

So if you ever liked the bike comics I’ve put on this site, that means you liked my bike too. Because every time there was a black icon representing a bicycle, it was Chester, my 2010 Jamis Coda Comp, seen here (this is what I call “Georgetown Parking” because the only place to lock up in Georgetown in Washington, DC is onto trash cans).

UPDATE: I’ve had a few people posting to “keep on the lookout for the bike” and link to this post, so here’s a little more info:

• 2010 Jamis Coda Comp
• Had a “City Bikes” sticker on it (was bought at City Bikes)
• Note the Oury black rubber handlebars
• There was a lot of scratches on the top bar of the bike from locking it to various surfaces
• The U-lock mount was on the top bar, which wore down the paint. Even if that’s been detached, there is probably a lot of wear to the paint/frame in that spot (near the seat post on the top bar)
• From this photo, I changed out the pedals to black ones with no toe clips

UPDATE 2: Big update. The bike has turned up, but isn’t mine again yet. It’s locked up outside near my work/office (remember, I lost it at my home 1.5 miles away from work). There’s been 2 rounds of cops and some scrambling to find registration. Read the whole ordeal here:

http://rosscott.tumblr.com/post/95164110171/bike-theft-and-crazy-coincidences

Our third and final installment in DUCK WEEK. I hope you guys enjoyed our little duck friend.

Why all the ducks this week? At Connecticon a few weeks ago, I promised people in attendance more ducks on my website. I’m happy with the duck I designed (that’s a custom duck, dammit) and I’m sure he’ll pop up again when the time is right. I’ll try and tell the story in a video soon, but there’s not much more to it than that.

Why the sad duck? Someone in my family is going through a lot of mental health issues. So you all get Kenneth, the Overly Anxious Duck. He’s no Jimmy the Murderdog, but he gets by. Oh, Ken. I hope you get better soon.

By the way, anyone else think of The Long Kiss Goodnight when they hear about ducks? It’s a great movie. You should watch it.

This is how it felt to see Ellie Goulding with my girlfriend and be only 5’6″. The top of her head looked lovely.

I’ve been trying to update more! It feels good. You guys liking the updates?

Written at 2am.

This one took all day to get right.

Happy new year, one and all! I’m going to try to be updating more in the new year with some updates to the site as well. In the meantime, enjoy the new comic.

For those of you going to Magfest this weekend, come see Super Art Fight on Saturday in Panel Room 3!

This comic is an actual conversation (monologue?) from Kristen. She’s from the south and thinks anything colder than 50 degrees Fahrenheit is the worst thing that’s ever happened. Then I got to the office the next day and Joanna (from the South as well) was dressed for the arctic and we were indoors. So I’m sensing a trend.

Is this like anyone you know?

Relevant: Girlfriend To Stay Underneath Blanket For Next 5 Months

Meanwhile, I’m sure you guys are wondering what’s happened to updating and the comic and the Kickstarter. In short, my day job has taken over many of my nights, which has thrown off the Kickstarter and with it updating the comic. My life’s a bit out of balance, and I’m working on bringing it back into balance and back to updating. I’m not disappearing and I’m not going anywhere. Just be patient, I’m working on it.

Thanks, everyone!

Happened.

What’s your costume? Or just what you’re wearing anyway?