I know I mentioned in my last post that I would be in Vegas for CES and my birthday, but I am going to have to change all of your plans. Getting flown to Vegas for CES by work fell through. So I’ll be in and around San Diego for my brithday. If you are so inclined, join me.
Its fall again, many of you might have noticed. And being in San Diego during this time of year has once again been a let down. I miss the seasons I used to get living in Northern California. The mornings I’d wake up to wet roads and cloudy skies. Or the nights the howling wind and heavy rain would wake me. I miss wearing heavy clothes too. I didn’t think I’d ever say that. Enough weather talk.
A few weeks ago I took a seemingly unexciting spill on my bike and ended up spending three days in the hospital with a ruptured kidney. My parents flew down and my mom took care of me for a few days afterwards. Making me meatloaf and pies until I told her to stop being so motherly and fly home to take care of my dad; he’s useless at taking care of himself. Nothing bad came of the injury to my kidney, other than the doctor taking away my riding priviledges for 6 weeks.
Jordan and I have been looking at renting a house down in South Park. We got word that we’ve been approved for a place a few blocks from Hamilton’s and The Whistle Stop and will probably be moving in the next couple weeks.
Work has been fairly mundane. Although I do get to go to CES again this year in January. If anyone wants to meet me in Vegas for my birthday buy a flight for the weekend of the 10th and 11th.
I’ve logged more than 2,100 miles on my bike since purchasing it in August 2006. I started using it to commute to and from work beginning in October, which was a year ago this week. So, aside from a couple short, recreational rides when I first got it, I’ve pedaled 2,100 miles in the last 12 months. By my rough calculations, that distance translates into around 105 gallons of gasoline (equal, in dollars, to a low ballpark of $336, given an invented average of $3.20/gal for 91 octane), which actually isn’t as impressive as I’d hoped. 2,100 miles is also two-fifths of an oil change. 12 months of parking would have cost me $1800. If I weren’t riding, my thighs wouldn’t be what they are now, and I imagine that my gut would be far tubbier.
As of late, I’ve started to fantasize more and more about fixies. Somebody stop me.
As some of you may know I ride my bicycle to work. Recently I replaced the old, cracked tries with fancy new, mustard yellow ones. In my excitement I showed off a little too much with them and wore considerable flat spots on the rear tire, one of which was showing the threads under the rubber (very bad, NSFW). After realizing my mistake and once again accepting my idiocy, I refrained from using my rear brake for as long as I could. Until yesterday when I hopped on my bike to ride home after work only to discover the lack of air in the rear tire. Andy was nice enough to pick me up, and this morning before work I took the rear wheel in to the bike shop and shamefully asked for a new tube and tire, preferably a tire that could handle my abrasive nature. Apparently my Satellite felt I hadn’t fully learned my lesson yet, because when I returned to my car with my wheel I realized the left rear tire was all but flat. I filled it back up at the nearest gas station before rolling in to work a few minutes late. I only hope she doesn’t lose her pressure again before I leave work for home.
I fail at tires.
Today is National Bike to Work Day!
I was honked at by cars and given the thumbs-up by a middle-aged Soccer Mom ensconced in her SUV. Upon arrival at my building, all the good bike racks were overcrowded and nearby parking meters were claimed as well.
National Bike to Work Day is stupid.