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Wednesday, May 14, 2008

 
11:14 PM: the zen of bicycle maintenance [#] [0]

today i went to a bike maintenance workshop at my local bike gallery (on division). i even biked there! ;) i deliberately picked a bike with an internal hub because it required less maintenance, but when i read about bike maintenance it assumes you have a derailleur. i really wanted to know what did & didn't apply to me. so here are the things i need to worry about:

* air your tires: they're porous and leak over time. each pump is about 1 psi.

* inspect tires for cuts & wear before every ride. fortunately i have kevlar puncture resistant tires w/ slime seal, thanks to mph's suggestion.

* keep your chain lubed & clean, as well as your brake pivots. moreso during rainy season.

* check brakes for wear: they have groove indicators (if the brake is worn to the groove, it's time to replace them) and wheels should have a black indicator mark (if the area past it is concave, it's time to replace the rim). he recommends cool stop brake pads rather than shimano. (i only have a front brake to worry about; the back is a coaster brake.)

* don't wash your bike; clean the frame with pledge & the rims w/ 409.

* check if wheels, pedals & handlebars are secure.

* inspect rims, frame & forks for cracks & damage every six months

* most shifting problems can be solved by turning the cable "adjusting barrel" counter clockwise half a turn at a time. my internal hub has two red lines that should align in 4th gear.

this helped validate that i bought the right bike for me; i only have about 1/3 of the maintenance of a typical bike. since i have such an unusual bike, afterwards the tech came outside to point to the spots on my bike that need attention. i also found a new way to lock my bike; my bike baskets get in the way of locking the rear wheel to most things (especially since i've switched to a U lock rather than a combination cable lock, though i loved that cable lock), so he says i can just lock the front fork since it doesn't connect to the quick release section.

attending the workshop were 7 girls & 1 boy. my job, as usual, was to ask questions to allow other people to ask questions.

so here's the punchline: after the workshop i found the #17 holgate bus waiting for a while at the last stop, so i asked if i could practice putting my bike on the bike rack. if i need to use the bus at some point, i don't want to freak out too much when there's traffic and people waiting for me. and actually, i did this last night, too, with a different driver and with another bicyclist to help me. so this time i tried to get rose on the row closest to the bus -- but i think i banged her weirdly, because when i biked away, it was much harder to pedal & shift her than normal, and she ticks while pedaling now, which she's never done before. argh!

so now that i've taken the bike to the bike maintenance workshop, i have to take it back to the bike gallery to be fixed. ha! hopefully it's an easy fix and it can get done by saturday, when i'm scheduled to ride in the "pretty dress ride" at the alberta art hop parade.

Sunday, May 11, 2008

 
7:56 PM: walking in spring [#] [2]

two completely unrelated things:

when the weather was so warm and lovely (one day oh, so long ago), sven & i were walking down the hill when we heard an odd sound, like popcorn. it was the pine tree in our neighbor's yard! only one of the pines was popping, but it was very strange and completely fascinating.

also, i've found the world's most comfy shoes:
and they are so cute, too! i don't usually get gooey about shoes, but these are the shoes i have waited for all my life! shiny AND swirls!

[may16: ann sent me handknit socks  to celebrate my new shoes! how sweet!]

Tuesday, May 06, 2008

 
11:45 AM: don't panic [#] [0]

after 7 years of various adventuring, kristen & todd got married on friday. kristen's motto was DON'T PANIC! a small group of family gathered at hoyt arboretum; sven, maggie & i were the only people from portland (unless you count toby & gregory). they didn't have a bridal party, but sven & i got to be the official witnesses. :) after a very short ceremony that included a native american flute and "ode to a nightingale," we adjourned to the kennedy school for a modest but tasty reception. sven and i forgot the wedding gift so after the reception we had to run home and bring it to their house after everyone had gone home.

[newlyweds]

Saturday, April 26, 2008

 
12:48 AM: bursting my bubble [#] [7]

washington mutual is being much more aggressive in its upselling techniques: every time i talk to a wamu teller they ask if i'd like more information about whatever service they're being asked to upsell that day; whenever i log in i now have a stupid interstitial screen that asks if i'd like more information about a service i don't have before i am allowed into my account.

but nothing compares to today. i was in freddy's looking at mozzarella for the pizza i was making tonight when two people dressed in washington mutual outfits approached me.

"excuse me, ma'am? are you a washington mutual customer?"

i turn, afraid this is some sort of official business: "um.... yes....."

the woman's eyes & voice brighten. "you -are-? have you heard of our credit card--?"

as soon as she said "you -are-?" i think "oh, no!" and my suspicion is verified when she starts to ask about credit cards. so i cut her off, begging: "please don't bother me. i'm shopping." which certainly isn't the strongest thing or everything i could say, but i'm very constrained by my naturally ingrained politeness and social awkwardness.

"oh." she says, and stiffens. they walk away. i feel relieved, angry and guilty at the same time, but i spend the rest of my time in the store afraid i'll run into them again. i get my cheese and use the self-checkout kiosk to get out of there as quickly as possible.

i really hate petitioners and the tactics they use to get your attention and how they try to make you feel guilty for not stopping. i hate how their demands erode the general goodwill of everyone walking down the street. and now i'm not even safe inside a grocery store! argh! i wish there was a "do not call" list or "unsubscribe" option for human interaction. i'm writing wamu & freddy's a letter in protest.

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

 
1:33 PM: countdown [#] [0]

i've now seen three "during the fall of eastern european communism" movies in a month. i've always been attracted to dystopian movies, which now seems to include post-communist movies. they've all been pretty good, but one was especially exquisite and another was so emotionally wrenching i'm still recovering from it.

i already wrote about how much i enjoyed the lives of others; last week i also saw "goodbye, lenin," which was its polar opposite: a slightly charming comedy about the way germany should have re-united, but didn't. then yesterday i saw "4 days, 3 weeks and 2 days," which is one of the most powerful movies i've ever seen. though the central plot of the movie is about an abortion, it is in actuality an absolutely gripping movie about the day-to-day choices of living in a totalitarian state. the tension and hopelessness and sacrifice are palpable.

i saw "4 days, 3 weeks and 2 days" at the living room theatre, which is a fantastic place to see almost any movie, especially if you can go in the daytime. one other person came in just as it was starting but sat on the aisle, so it was like i had the whole theatre to myself (which is a good thing, because i've never cried so much at a movie before). combined with their theatre menu service, it's amazing (if a little weird juxtaposed against such a severe movie).

Friday, April 11, 2008

 
5:14 PM: jailbreak [#] [0]

such a beautiful day today! sven came bursting into the house, panting: "if you come for a walk with me right now, you'll see goats!" so we raced to the top of the hill (oh, how i hate that hill!) and was rewarded by the sight of three goats eating everything in sight. fortunately, they loved clover the most, and our neighborhood has a lot of that on the medians and lawns. we decide to go to the farm to tell them some of their goats had gotten out, but were faced with a major language barrier; the woman who answered the door primarily spoke russian, and i haven't spoken that in over 10 years. somehow we managed to convey "goats out in the street" and she called her husband to come deal with it.

Thursday, April 10, 2008

 
3:38 PM: attend the tale of sweeney todd [#] [14]

sven & i went to see sweeney todd last night. i tried to find a place that had meat pies for dinner, but i settled for a sausage calzone at oasis. i'd never seen it before but my dad was sweeney todd in college so i'd always been interested. sven's interested in seeing the angela lansbury version now. and of course johnny depp has a version, too, but i'm a little more cautious now that he's done a terrible remake of willy wonka.