I wiped out on my bike on the way to the library this evening. This was the first time (since I picked up riding again, and, ahem, this century), and I knew itād happen eventually; now that it has I can stop worrying about it.
Thereās a little gravel shortcut that goes into the back of a neighborhood, and over time the gravel gets banked up toward the sides and middle from occasional traffic, and itās kinda deep at times. You enter the road on a downhill at speed after a 135 degree turn, which is great, and usually I just keep my speed, grinding and surfing to the other end, over in 60 seconds. (Sharp turn at the end to keep from going into the creek; best to turn and cross on the one-lane bridge.)
This time, it was sunset and itās overshadowed by trees anyway, pretty dark, I couldnāt see the roadās contours. Thereās a bumpy little drainage halfway down so I kept to the right past that, and thatās where I hit deep gravel. I could have surfed it out but wouldāve needed to surf to the right ā¦ where the trees are. Down I went, separated from the bike, rolled off, took the hit on my shoulder and side.
And stood up. I was fine, the bike was fine, and anyway, I have a $50 bike ā who cares if it gets banged up! I rode off, laughing inside. It was a great night for a ride.
I planned on having some girls over from work - mayāve mentioned this earlier, think I did - and it turns out I had to cancel it, as other things cropped up for the others (one forgot she had a concert to go to that date; oneās mother set up a night-out-after-work w/out; the other, I have no clue, and I did ask her in person). And Iām pretty sure I invited them all a month in advance? I canāt compete with the night-out-at-the-bar after work, though.
I was really looking forward to it though. I have so much fun STUFF - books, movies, board gamesā¦am I too old-fashioned? Is everything done on small handheld devices now? I donāt have one - besides my flip-phone - and I donāt really want one.
This is a minor victory, but Iām still gonna count it, 'cuz I need some victories these days.
I was driving home last night and got pulled over for a blown tail light bulb. Fortunately, the nice policeman only gave me a warning.
The local auto parts store was open today, so in I go. Got the bulb and tried to change it in the parking lot. I managed that (with minor assistance from a kindly stranger)ā¦ but. Thereās a small metal bracket that is supposed to hold the screw that keeps the taillight assembly in the frame. That bracket has a tendency to weld itself onto the screw, and if itās not seated correctly, the assembly doesnāt want to stay in the frame.
My new friend and I managed to jam it back in enough to get me home. I grabbed some pliers to hold the bracket and my silicon spray (which Iād forgotten to throw in the trunk) to lubricate the metal. With a few minutesā wrestling, I managed to unscrew and reseat the bracket. Problem solved!
Iām not sure if that deserves a victory cry, but itās always nice when I can fix something on my car myself. And those stuck brackets can be a royal pain.
Iāve gotten out of bed, showered, made breakfast (scrambled eggs, sausages, biscuits and gravy), washed all dishes, scrubbed down all cooking surfaces, cleaned the range top, swept the kitchen floor, and did laundry.
Depression can suck it. Iām ready to meet the world.
April 2016 I concocted a wild-haired scheme to get a bicycle and start using it to get me to local hikes, instead of driving there. Iād already been doing these hikes regularly, and I thought biking to the trailheads would be cleaner, greener, less carbon, more exercise.
I got the bike in June 2016 and figured operationalizing the plan would take me the whole summer (of 2016) but here it is a year and a half later. It turns out, even beyond the bike itself, my little plan has a great many moving parts which you donāt necessarily appreciate until you try to get it all in motion.
Regardless, as of yesterday, that plan is fully operational. Today Iām proudly sore, the good kind of sore that says you pushed the edges of your personal performance envelope and, with luck (and rest, and nutrition), expanded them. Iāve already been three times by bike with just a little hiking, but this time I did the whole hike too. Yes, it was as good as Iād hoped; it just took about 100 times more effort and study than Iād expected to get to where I can do it.
Anyone who can get a #!!!//=%!!!???!!! printer to work is awesome by me. Or a fax machine, because no matter how much people say otherwise, those are still a thing.
Was that for me? Still in there, feeling kicks regularly now. Weāre having a boy this time, which is different.
I used my second trimester energy boost to assemble the last of my lab equipment and furniture today. Last time I really lost steam at about 7.5 months, so Iām trying to make these next six weeks count.
even though I have very little physical RAM.
