Now Where Did I Put That...

Halfway through a recipe is not a good time to realize that the can-opener did not make it in the move.

On the other hand, the tortilla soup turned out alright, I think.

Other apartment and moving joy:

• Bookshelves are installed and happily carrying their load. Well, I assume they are happy. It's kind of like their life goal to carry books, right? The downside is that they are now pretty prominently featured instead of in boxes, and I get to look at them and be reminded of how many of them I need to be reading.
  
• There are still a lot of boxes that need to go away, but they are stubbornly refusing to go of their own accord.
• I think I've finally nailed down my route to campus. It's 4.3 miles each way according to Google. It's really not that bad though. Uphill in the morning and downhill in the evening. Fun Fun!
• My Zune went and bricked on me. I should say this is the last time I try to support a product out of spite. It's really isn't a bad product at all, I just wished it worked still. I have been podcast-less for the entire weekend. I've got an old Zen around here in a box somewhere. Why am I so dangerous for my mp3 players?
  

More Songs in my Head

Today and yesterday were both from the Squirrel Nut Zippers. At least that makes sense because I found their CD while I was moving. Now it's happily nestled in my zune. For those playing at home, yesterday was Got My Own Thing Now, and Today it seems to be Hell.

So there you are.

I think I've found a decent route to campus on the bike that only hits a couple of major roads - the rest are nice residential roads. Only trouble is that there are two monster hills right at the beginning. Well, that'll wake me up, right?

Today it was a 35 minute ride. That's about 10-15 minutes faster than the bus, not counting time waiting at the bus stop. Woot! Now I can be even more pretentious and snobby than I already am! Should I get those clicky (spell-check wants that to be coliky) bike shoes and conspicuously carry around my helmet or something? I know the standard rule of prtentiousness is that I have to ask people constantly how much money they pay for gas and insurance, and then get overly astonished that they have to pay for parking. hehe.

I Don't Believe in Peter Pan, Frankenstien or Superman...

I might have mentioned that I almost always wake up with a song in my head. That sounds a bit more poetic than it is in actuality. Today's song? No, it wasn't the one that inspired the title, it was Motley Crue's Dr. Feelgood. I'm not sure how I feel about that. Ok song and all, but not a real tooth-bruthing anthem.

I wonder if these songs are predictive of the way my day will go. So far (admittedly 7:30ish), so good. I biked to campus today to test how long it will take. Bike handled really well, although I way need to think about another seat. It's been a long time since I rode every day. As for the commute, I think I'm ok if I get out early - that way it's still coolish and the traffic isn't too bad. It took me about thirty minutes, and it wasn't nearly as bad as a feared. I tried a less busy side-street than the one I planned on (ok, I admit it, I took a wrong turn, but it was a fortuitous one), and the scenery was actually pretty pleasant.

Let's hope class goes as smoothly.

And the way home is downhill, so there's that.

Moving Update

Well, there I was saying nasty things about Time Warner and they go and turn all efficient and helpful on me. Originally, the website said I needed to go down to their office and yadda yadda, but I called them up and they scheduled an install the next day, so hey presto, I've got cable and the internet. Hooray!

Other developments. My old bike was in really bad shape, so it found a new home and I got a new one. Hooray again! I haven't been riding to school in about a year now - ever since I came back from Japan, I guess. Anywhoo, I rode around a bit yesterday and today, and it feels so good to be riding again. I live a ways away from school, but one of my friends bikes in every day from about the same area, so I might give it a shot, too.

That's because I'm teaching summer school, starting tomorrow. I'm always a bit nervous before a new class, but I've already taught this particular class two times here, so hopefully it'll go well.

Oh, I promised photos of the new pad, so here we go with a couple pre-move in shots:

Living room:


















Kitchen:

Wham, Bam, Thank You Ma'am

First off, if you've ever seen a James Bond movie, or played that old Spy Hunter game, you know that oil slicks are a great way to get rid of cars that are following you. I also submit that it works quite well for bikes.

I'm a good bike rider. I've commuted by bike for about 7 years now, and well, everyone has their bad days, right? Anyway - here's the oil slick I hit:



I went into the curb and onto the ground and got some nice road rash for my trouble. Nobody else involved, nothing bad, but still a great way to put a damper on the day.

Also, my Nano died. I've been threatening to leave the iCult, so maybe this is my chance. My laptop in the pannier bag survived though, so that's good.

Crosstown Traffic

Part of getting myself out of the funk I'm in is going to be a new push to start blogging more. So, here we go.

This may take a bit before I remember how to do all this, but I'll try.

First a note to the bus driver who tried to run me off the road and then opened his passenger door in the middle of the road (and a stop light) to tell me off:

Sir, while I respectfully admit that it is recommended that a bicycle not be ridden in the middle of the road when there is a lane open to the left, the lane to my left was a right turn only lane, and I didn't want to get in the way of people turning right. While you might have had a solid argument, when I said that I believed bicycles had the same right to the road as cars (and perhaps buses as well), I think that there was probably a better answer than to shout out, "well not in front of me they don't!" and keep as tight to the right side of the lane while passing me.

Feh. I actually feel a bit chastised because I went to check the law when I got back home only to find out that I wasn't entirely in the right. As near as I can tell, I was legally in the clear (and riding safely, I might add), but the law recommends that bikes only stray from the curb when making left turns and when avoiding unsafe road conditions. So I guess keeping out of the way of right turn only traffic isn't on their list.

Still. He could have been more polite.

Wow, that was a longish post on nearly nothing at all. fun.

Also, apropos of nothing, it will be very clear to those that survived my lyrics quizzes of many moons ago that my music taste changes only glacially, and I am loathe to admit the value of any music that is new to me. That being said, I have started listening to some Decemberists on the recommendation of the good Dr. Scrivner. For some reason I have also stumbled on the wacky joy of the Ditty Bops (Wishful thinking and Sister Kate are particularly fun). The Fratellis' Chelsea Dagger and Flathead were quite fun until I realized that one of them turned up on an Apple ad. They have been since downgraded to merely fun (but I still listen to them heaps).

Wow. Long post. Maybe I can still do this.

Taunt Not The Fates

For they are wrathful. Despite living in a place where it is meteorologically impossible, despite temperatures reaching 90 not 2 days before, do not, do not, mention how wonderful it is to ride a bike, because the fates will call down a hail storm on your ass while you bike home from campus.

Seriously.

Hail storm.

When I took off my helmet, a whole Icee full of slush poured off.

Those of you who know where I live can share in my stupification, but not my sodden blue jeans.

I need hot chocolate.

Easy Pedaler

My photo for today on the Photo365 blog is of my bike. It got me thinking.

It's funny, I live in a city where you really need to have a car. I don't. Some of the time, it's a big hassle - well, ok a lot of the time, it's a big hassle, but I take a lot of pleasure in being stubbornly different. It's not easy. You have to work to be a bike rider. In all honesty, I'm a pretty sanctimonious twit with a martyrdom complex about riding my bike. I try to hide it, but I think I'm better than all those car drivers. I suffer with my hair shirt of greased pant-legs and mud-spattered bags. I wear them proudly.

No one anywhere in the US really designs with bike in mind. Even on most campuses, bike lanes are nowhere to be found and bike racks are an afterthought at best, placed not where most useful, but where there seems to be room. The racks in my apartment complex are bolted to the ground in such a way that you can't actually park with your wheel through the bars. Bike lanes anywhere are few and far between.

Most days I'm on the bike to and from campus, which is about 15 minutes one way. That's really not far or time-consuming, but it does a lot for me. It's a physical tuneup for the mental workout on campus. I've never been able to feel really comfortable driving, even when I did it every day. I've never really been a car person. But on a bike? Yeah, much better.

I guess I get what motorcycle freaks talk about when the say it's all about the wind in your hair and the bugs in your teeth. Except with the bike, it's all me. There's a nasty hill on the way to school. Every day, I push myself to get up it, panting, getting the heart rate up. When I get to the top, there's a stop sign and every time I stop there, I look at the cars around me. They didn't do anything to get up that hill.

C'mon folks, go for a ride. It's good for you.

You Could Cut the Tension With a Suitable and Well-Maintained Tension-Cutting Apparatus

Bullets of varying length and value:

• Whooo! the first seminar meeting has come and went and I am in deep doo-doo. The class is interesting. Not really my bag (baby), but an interesting topic anyway, but the real killer is that the professor, who is a well-known up-and-comer in the field is a lover-of-theory. This is terrifying to me. I know I need to be acquainted with more theory, if only to defend myself against it, but this seminar is going to be thick with it. It builds character, right? Who knows, maybe I'll find something useful. maybe I'll become a theory hound myself.
  

• On the plus side, I'm not the only one spooked. Some of the other grad folks are planning pre-seminar pow-wows to try to get our minds around the ideas.
  

• Oh yeah, did I mention that 90% of the reading (and there is a lot of it, too) is in a second language to me? And not just any second language, but a frickin' crazy hard second language? No? Well, it is. Theory. In another language. I'm not a bright man.
  

• There is stress (the tension of the title) between some of the TAs and the prof. Oooooo. edgy.
  

• Said prof is holding a meeting for all of us TA folk exactly at the time I should be happily chatting with a blogging buddy over dinner. We are trying to schedule around the meeting. Grrr...
  

• My bike was not ready today, and for that I am sad
  

• I broke down and bought a bed. This is partially in response to Zerodoll's live for today post (which I can't seem to find so I've just linked to her homepage). I've lived far too long without a bed (nearly what, about 5 years now?) and it's hight time I do better for myself.
  

• I broke down and bought a computer desk. This is partially because my office sucks. It's in one of the most beautiful and oldest buildings on campus, but it's also used by about 20 other folks and there's no way to lock anything up, so you can't actually leave anything there. I thought I might be able to get along without a desk, but it looks like I'm going to be doing a lot of work at home :(
  

• Desk and bed will be arriving Saturday (so they say). They ain't DWR or anything, but I'll get some photos for yas - if they look ok. :)
  

We Have The Technology

Well, I finally did it. I've made the decision to put my beloved bike under the knife... err... wrench. All of the key parts are original from when I bought it with the insurance money I got after being smashed into by an elderly driver. And that was about 14 years ago. A couple of days ago, the back wheel started wobbling a bit more than could be fixed with a little spoke tightening. So, I took it into a local bike shop and told them to go to town. A bunch of little wear and tear issues are going to be fixed, the cables, both back and front sprocket thingies (TOUCH MY MONKEY) are getting changed out, and I understand they are going to hang a little pine-scented cardboard tree from the rear-view mirror.

Also of note:

• The show I'm seeing tonight (and tomorrow) is actually a three-day marathon-style to-do. I'm thinking of actually dressing up. The horror.
• This morning: 4.39mi - 31'08"
• First day of class was very odd - main lesson learned: If something works in the first class, it cannot work in the second class.