Hair Oil

Your Boulevardier wishes to recount a story that is a few weeks old but that remains on his mind.

As usual, the queue at the Village Barber Shop was several persons long, and the conversation was lively. In addition to four barbers working, another addition to the shop could be seen: a mountain bike was leaned in the corner of the room. Eventually, the question was asked: Whose bike is it?

"It's mine," responded the barber Al. (Not the barber Al who owns the shop, but the other barber Al, the tall one who often sports a burgundy smock when he works.) He said that he had ridden the bicycle to work. "I don't want to give any more money to the oil companies than I have to," he said. There was some discussion, but general admiration of, and agreement with, the value of the choice he had made.

It must be said that Your Boulevardier doesn't walk on The Boulevard just for exercise or recreation. Walking in a suburban community is, in its own way, a political statement: a conscious decision to leave the car at home, save some money, and spend some time in a slower mode. That is the mindset Your Boulevardier maintains when he walks on Castro Valley Boulevard -- yes, it's pleasant, but it's also worthwhile in the global scheme of things.

However, walking and other energy-saving activities can also be frustrating. Not long ago, Your Boulevardier rode his bicycle to the Safeway, and while locking the bike he saw a large black sport-utility vehicle circle the parking lot several times, looking for a parking space closer to the store's front door. This person likely counteracted, in one lap of the lot, any benefit that Your Boulevardier riding his bicycle may have made. But consider further: if Your Boulevardier had also parked at the Safeway, the SUV might have circled even longer because one less parking space would be available for it.

Each of us chooses his own path among the mixed messages we receive daily -- save energy and spare the air on one side, versus save time and stimulate the economy on the other. As often as possible, Your Boulevardier prefers to walk on that path rather than drive.