I am finally getting back into the groove after Spring Break and this yucky cold we passed around. Also, I have been wasting my computer time by watching old Survivor seasons on YouTube - it is great fun catching up, and I have seen both season 1 and 2 now. The house chores seem to just pile up, so I made a dent by vacuuming the porch (really the best way to remove the layer of pollen and cat dirt) and bleaching the skylights until I am dizzy and my nose-hair curls.
I have also made the decision to remove a bicycle from this household. This is a major hurdle for me. I am in love with bicycles. I love to ride them, build them, tune them and dream about new parts. Much of my money I earned as a laboratorian was sunk into bicycles, so for me to give one up feels like giving up the whole hobby. But realism prevails. Realistically, I cannot keep this one bike going - it uses special rubber elastomers as shock absorbers. This rubber rots in the Florida heat, so I need a continual supply to keep riding this bike. There is no way to engineer around it (its a pro-flex). The last time I bought the elastomers (three years ago) they were 20 dollars each (I need two), and the bike store said they only had two left and no new supplier. I didn't buy the last two, figuring someone else may need them. Realistically, I have not even gotten much use of the last two I bought. So I have decided to disassemble the bike, scavenging the parts I can for my old bike, and tossing out the old frame. I would recycle the steel frame, but I don't know how or where. You can't even recycle old baby carseats, except if you live in Denver. It is a disposable society. I have fought it long enough, though. I don't even want to give the bike away, because the recipient would just have the same hassles and headaches. That is no gift! So it is an end to my multi - bike era.
Oh you have to catch up with us! We are on season 4 now and there is a girl from Gainesville. There are some spectacularly lazy people on season 3 and 4. The producers seem fond of putting them all on the same tribe so they can bond and get cocky and then mixing up the tribes so we can all enjoy watching... ops, I don't want to ruin it for you!
ReplyDeleteI added you to my blogroll!
ReplyDeleteI've got to catch up on some Survivor too! It can really suck you in!
Oohh! I would love to get a bike! Bert already has one, but I do not. There is a great rails-to-trails near here that runs along the river. That's where I would ride. The roads aren't really very friendly for bikes in my area. I think it would be great to live in a state that has huge bike lanes, like Maryland! Drivers here just aren't used to seeing people riding bikes along the road, so I think it is much more likely that there will be an accident or people being inconsiderate. Where do you ride?
I am so enjoying watching survivor. I actually want to stretch it out rather than watch too much at one time. So I am going to try to limit myself to an episode or two a day. Besides, I cannot paint while watching!
ReplyDeleteThanks for adding me to your blogrolls - I have got you on mine. I have met two wonderful women through blogs - Judy (mamadaisy) and her friend who writes dadamama. It is so awesome to have this literary community. We are all so freakin' talented, too!
I am blessed to bike in Gainesville (FL) where we not only have wide-ass roads, but dedicated bike lanes, mostly alert drivers, and rail trails, too (really long ones, tho not particularly close). But my true love and passion is trail biking. Nothing beats kicking your own ass blasting up and down hills, over tricky single-track and whoop-de-doos, and attempting to jump logs. Not that I have actually cleared a log. Having visited Morgantown, even I, who once rode to work 6 miles (some of which on US441) for a whole year, would be afraid to ride there.