Category: bliefs

Decisions Decisions

I made the decision to buy a recumbent.
I made the decision to commute by bike.
I made the decision to use a field-of-vision limiting fairing.
I made the decision to NOT buy a bus pass this January.
and
I made the decision to go straight on Rainier this morning.

That’s the teaser.

Approaching a hill this morning I saw a new, manhole-sized, brick lined, pothole. We are talkin’ deep, 1911, Denny-Renton bricks. With cars approaching (from behind) on the western hemisphere of this abyss I chose the eastern hemisphere. I saw the driveway entrance to the sidewalk and committed.

I missed the eastern hemisphere of the entrance to Wonderland and found myself nose-to-nose (or rather, wheel-to-curb) with a stealth curb. It was hunkered, a mere 2-3 inches above ground level, in a clever burm of sand that smoothed it’s cliff like appearance not unlike a VW bug in 25 inches of snow.

That’s the decision I had to live with now and at about 10 mph my small, front wheel approached that stealthy little curblet at a VERY acute angle. Then that part of my body closest to the ground, for the second time in just over 12 hours, kissed the pavement. I think my right cheek was jealous of my left cheek; this time I had momentum.

A skilled forensics team may yet determine the speed at which impact occurred by measuring the scratches, accounting of course for a thin layer of spandex which remains (thankfully) untorn.

I would say my ego was further damaged, because I always say matter of factly

I don’t fall.

but it really isn’t; I am still gonna be Spider-Man someday.

Another record, a boastful streak, and a bruised ego.

So today I rode all the way to work and back (as I have been doing since my train pass ran out on Dec 31) in record time and record average speed. I took the flat route in to downtown along Marginal and 1st in a moderate 57 minutes. On my return I chose not to cross 2 lanes of oncoming traffic and tried a different return route, Rainier.

Rainier has one major rise but I was still able to maintain mid teens nearly all the way up. Once I got to a known checkpoint I could tell I was about 10 minutes faster than my normal route along the lake.
So, long story to say that my full 31 mile round trip came to 2 hours and 1 minute and an average of 15.3 mph; a new record.

Along that route I also broke a streak of which I have recently boasted: consecutive days, without falling, since I began using my clip-less pedals DUE to the fact that I couldn’t unclip.

Yes there was that time near the Arboretum; but that was slickery mud and a cliff-like road shoulder and didn’t have anything to do with my pedals. Tonight was different; I stalled on a wheelchair ramp to the road-island on the NW corner of Rainier and Airport and did a somewhat slow, and definite kerploppety, sit-fall onto the meaty part of my left gluteus. My mistake was speed, attention, and pulling when I should have twisted.

The only thing that wasn’t broken tonight was my ego, pretty healthy that one. Well that and all the bones in my body and all (known) parts of my bike.

UPDATE in the form of a question:
Why do *they* call them wheelchair ramps anyway? I bet there are perhaps 10,000 bikes and strollers using that particular ramp for every wheelchair or other wheelchair-like device. That would make for an interesting study.

You put your weed in there

Today Emma was eating an apple. It isn’t uncommon to find partially eaten items all over the house; you think they were completely eaten because they disappeared but actually they were squirrelled away on a bookshelf or into a jewelry box.

Today however Emma decided the apple was good but when she got to the absolute middle she threw the last bite down and said,

Mommy, can we get a new apple; one with not weeds in it?

Footstool

As noted in recent comments, the item which was recently broken is a footstool.

And as I am usually comment silent (I have my say in the main piece and with the rest; come what may.) I am inclined to break my silence this time in the form of another post. Careful though, I am not defending myself, I learned long ago to break – fix – and move on.

This is just for fun.

This item and it’s common usage is for assistance in gaining the proper elevation into our vertically inflated sleeping platform for the older mermaid, so it is commonly and adequately used as a stepstool.

I have often, based on the heft of the decorated legs, judged it a worthy opponent to my downward force largely due to it’s history of violent opposition to my peace-loving pinky toe.

That said, stepstool, footstool, ladder, end-table, vault?…What does one thing have to do with another? It will be fixed, and this time it will be over-engineered (as so many things in my house are) with 3/4 inch plywood in order to become all of these things.

Then I will move on.

Some things they said

Recently the mermaids have said a couple of funny and even undecipherable malapropisms, actually Emma’s doesn’t even really qualify but we’ll get there.

Unfortunately I can’t really recall the context anymore but it was something like:

Ok, it’s time for the nightly pilgrimage! (to go to bed)

and 2 minutes later Abby said, more to herself than anyone:

Ok, time for the nightly pillow image!

Emma’s dismalapropism (you heard it here first) came back around Thanksgiving but it persists a little even now.

Emma? What is this?
Ehbow.
Right. What is this bone?
Neekap
Good. What are these ones (pointing to her ribs)?
[pause]My salabones.
Yer what?
[distinctly] My salad bones.
[looking around…many blank stares and puzzled faces in the room] Ohhh kay.

The party’s over

We have spent the past two days recovering from our holiday extravaganza on top of about 9 days of snow. I think the party is finally over.
Giving new meaning to crashing
Tomorrow I go back to work for the first time in over a week and since my spot is occupado with two worn out mermaids, two incessantly grinning barbies, one case of swimmers ear and a 103 degree fever my couch is beckoning softly.

We’ll see how well my body and mind react to a 6AM wake up call and a minimum six mile bike ride.