Good morning.

Good morning.

23 December 2025

I remember decades ago, when I was just getting started — stationed overseas with the Army, no car, no easy way to get around. What we did have was the Sears catalog. I think they sent it out once a year, the way phone books used to arrive like clockwork. It was as thick as the phonebook of a major city, a brick of possibility. In a way, it was the 20th‑century version of Amazon. You could order almost anything by mail, though the process was much slower. Living overseas, it could take weeks for something to arrive.

We’d flip through the catalog and daydream about what we might buy. I remember lingering over the idea of a bicycle with a moped-style motor. I never went through with it — even that modest machine would have taken a big bite out of the little money I had. But at the time, the idea felt practical, even sensible. Looking back now, it feels more like a youthful fantasy of mobility and independence.

These days, electric bikes are everywhere. And I think: what a cool idea — an electric bicycle. In some cities you see them lined up along the street, ready for use. I’m not entirely sure how the system works; I assume you rent them. If I were younger, I might be tempted to buy one myself.

Sometimes I wonder whether we’ll eventually see electric bicycle races — big arena events, something like the Indy 500 or NASCAR, with riders in bright suits and helmets, ready for a high-speed electric sprint. Maybe such races already exist and just haven’t hit the mainstream yet. Who knows — the WPEB, the World Professional Electric Bicycling league, might one day be a real thing.

“Long before Amazon trucks rumbled down our hollers, Christmas arrived in a much quieter way — tucked in the mailbox… It was the Sears Christmas Wish Book. That catalog didn’t just show things. It showed possibility.” - Newsbreak

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