wheels

I'm missing my bicycle. I've known for a while now that it had some maintenance issues, so I finally took it in this week thinking it'd be gone for a day. Two at most. WELL, turns out, I'd overused it so much, it needs major surgery. Amputation. Recovery. Therapy. guilt guilt guilt. Poor Bella, I miss her *sniff*.

So I've been bicycleless for 5 days now, and these last couple of days have been very pleasant weather-wise. I wonder if she's sitting there in the shop, longing for a ride with me too. (SHUT UP, SHE COULD BE!). I should have her back on Tuesday, Wednesday at the latest.

As some here know, I ride my bicycle as a main mode of transportation - foregoing the motorized vehicles unless deemed necessary by distance/weather/payload. It's part of my minimalist nature, and yet, I wish I had more than one bicycle, such a wish going against my minimalist nature. Oh, the conundrum.

Which brings me to the topic of a car. Our all-purpose car is a '98 Subaru Outback, then we have the big butt van for Partridge Family style road trips. The Subaru has about 91K miles on it, not a whole lot for a '98 Outback, but still, things are starting to go and the nickel and diming has begun.

We're at a crossroads. Do we continue to do the nickel and dime fixes, or do we trade up for another all-purpose car? I would like to get an Outback Sport. Sportier, little better mileage, less domestic looking. We wouldn't buy brand new, but fairly un-used, and they're not cheap, and these is hard times. Although, Magnum points out, skyrocketing inflation is on it's way, so maybe now's the time to buy "stuff".

I vacillate (that's not a sperm term, you're thinking "flagellate"). Do we:

A. Keep the old car and run it into the ground?
B. Replace the old car with an Outback Sport?
C. Replace the old car with another less expensive, but more reliable model?
D. Sell the old car, further commit to bicycle commuting, use an occassional rental?
E. Other?

Then there's the fact that Chaco will start driving this year, but let's not go there just yet...
.

werdz

Bi*SLA*ter - 1. Acknowledgement given to another who is leaving and who you plan on seeing again soon. 2. Acknowledgement given to another whom you are departing from and whom you plan on seeing again soon.


Ha*MAN*chies - Grilled ham and cheese sandwiches.

Mmmhmmmmnnnn - 1. Answer to a yes-or-no question that means neither yes nor no.

Skoonch - 1. A meal purchased and eaten at an educational institution.


Squeet - 1. Notification to a pet that it is dinnertime.


Wash*YANDS - 1. Notification to a human that it is dinnertime.

-------------------------

"Welp, I'm going to school. Bislater!"

"Do you have your lunch?"

"Actually, I'm having skoonch".

"What's for skoonch?"

"Hamanchies"

"Have you fed the cat?"

"Mmmhmmmnnn"

"Better feed him, washyands"

"C'mon Cookie, squeet!"

"Okay, bislater."

"Bislater! Lovietu!".
.

midnight bath

Magnum was licking himself. All over. Very LOUDLY, like right in my ear. Why must he do that. Lick himself all loudly all right in my ear like that.

I tried to just roll over and keep sleeping. But the LICK LICK LICKING just kept going on and on, even making the bed bounce a little with the zealotry of it. Sheesh, the things I must put up with. The loud licking and bouncing proceeded to pull me further and further out of my peaceful sleep, until I was fully awake and realized it was the cat, nearly on top of me and bathing, and not Magnum.

Funny how just a few seconds prior it seemed perfectly normal that my husband would be loudly licking himself all over.

I wonder if the cat has fleas. He seems restless lately and grooming himself more often than usual - which is already quite excessive since he is so arrogant to begin with. I keep finding these little tufts of fur all around the house.

And he's suddenly up on everything in that he's walking around on countertops and tables. He doesn't do that. He's not supposed to do that. Is he trying to get my attention? Is this his way of saying, "Hey, Abby! I'm all itchy. Do somethin' will youse?"

I did some investigation and found:

If you are unsure if your pet has fleas, the NPHCN recommends checking for flea dirt--tiny black specks found on your pet or on its favorite spots. Flea dirt is actually an adult flea's feces which is rich in blood. To determine if the specks are flea dirt, wet the specks with a drop of water and if they turn red, they're flea dirt, and your pet has fleas.


Flea poop? I should check for flea poop?
.

cold play

It's twelve degrees outside. Fahrenheit. I'm not complaining, really, I'm not. Especially to my friends in the midwest to whom 12 degrees would be downright balmy right now.

Actually, it feels good. It feels right. Those temperatures in the 60's last week were pleasant but a little weird. It's just not right to be out and about in capris and short sleeves in January in Colorado.

So I'm taking advantage today. Firstly, I'm taking my bicycle to the shop for some much needed TLC. They can keep it ALL day, because I won't be riding it anywhere. I'm thinking I should really educate myself further in bicycle maintenance. I can do a few basic things, and usually am immensely proud of myself when I actually improve one of the family bicycles rather than making whatever problem worse. But really, how hard can it be?

One of Chaco's friends came over to show off his new bike the other day. He'd gotten the frame off of craigslist, mustered up a bunch of parts from here and there, and put the whole thing together himself. He's a good kid. Has a nice mama.

Another of Chaco's friends came over last week. He got a new bicycle for Christmas. It's his first bicycle. His FIRST bicycle!?!?! The kid is 15 years old!!

That's child abuse as far as I'm concerned.
.

Silver Lining Saturday (on a Sunday), part XXIII

Whoo, yesterday just flew by and I never got around to Silver Lining Saturday, but fear not, the series has not been canceled. To make this a true silver lining entry, I'll point out some of the clouds:


I worked yesterday morning into the early afternoon. I gave the usual LSAT class another test, and they were joined by two MCAT classes wanting to take tests. So the usual Saturday morning tedium of proctoring a timed test was given a bit of a shot of adrenaline by making a more chaotic tedium of simultaneously proctoring three timed tests. I was glad for the change of pace and it was also good to get all of those students tested. I'm thinking it was similar to working the McDonald's drive-thru at lunchtime. Just guessing.

My bike REALLY needs a tune-up now. Among other things, I have hardly any brakes left, front nor rear. I know this because I got in a lot of bike riding this past week with the mild weather we've been having. The weather is the main reason I haven't gotten the bike in for a good once over. The shop would want to have it for the day, and I just couldn't hand it over for that long. I figure if I get going too fast on the downhills, I can always use the Fred Flintstone braking method.

On a similar note, these mild temperatures have melted all the snow buildup in the yard, including the dog kennel, revealing her very healthy bowel function.

We had a knock-down-drag-out over XBOX privileges yesterday with Chaco. To help smooth things over, Magnum suggested we play a board game we got for Christmas but hadn't learned to play yet. It was fun, a real Norman Rockwell moment.

Watched a movie yesterday. Wanted. I thought it overdone and rather comic bookish, then I learned that it was adapted from a comic book. Aha. Just a Netflix movie, glad we didn't pay to see it at the theater. Still, Angelina Jolie is always good at playing the bad*ss.
.

minding my business

"I understand your anger at your ex for having an affair and wrecking the family, but I'm not sure if referring to them as 'Dumbass and his bimbo' is healthy for the children."

Okay, I didn't say that to her. I just said it in my mind.

I highly value honesty and boldness and even bluntness sometimes. But often, it's best to bite the tongue. In fact, it's a good thing for my own tongue that my in-laws don't visit very often. And I guess it's good that I have a blog to let off steam now and then. It's what got me through my sister-in-law's tacky wedding a couple years back.

Some other unsaid thoughts as of late:


"I'm worried about you breaking your arm from all that patting yourself on the back."

"I really don't think that [somewhat famous person you are friends with] would appreciate you telling this entire gathering that her daughter used to put crayons up her [female body part] as a child."

"STOP with the googly eyes already!"

"I'm happy that you're happy with your weight-loss success, but your new clothing choices really make you look like a hooker."

"What are you trying to hide?"

"I don't care to hear the whole story about how you found your window installers. Really, I don't. Seriously, please stop talking!"


Okay. I feel better now.
.

gadgets

I was on the walking path, headed up to pick Meego up from school recently, when I ran into a friend of mine. She was giddy about her new Nike + ipod. She'd received it for Christmas after dropping several unmistakable hints.

She flipped through the screens, showing me how far she'd walked, how many calories burned, etc. Interestingly, she wasn't even wearing a pair of nike shoes. She just rigged a little pouch into the laces of her non-nikes to hold the sensor. From her enthusiasm, I think she'll enjoy her exercisive jaunts a little more now. She's by no means obese, but she's often talked to me of wanting to be more fit and sometimes seeks my advice.

So, I'm glad for her. For all I know, she could be out there right now be-bopping along while her shoe talks to her ipod. I was thinking about this yesterday. I don't listen to music when I'm outside running. I prefer to be able to hear what's going on around me, and while I know that some people like to listen to their tunes to keep their mind off of the exertion, sometimes I like my mind to be ON the exertion.

Plus, my ears are earbudly challenged, but that's another story.

If I'm on my treadmill, however, I do like some music to take my mind away from the fact that I'm in a little room going nowhere. I think I've mentioned that I have yet to get an ipod or mp3 player like the rest of the civilized world. Instead, I listen to cassette tapes. Seriously. I get blank tapes and "download" songs I like from the radio. Sometimes, it can take me an entire week to create a 2-hour cassette.

And I'm starting to feel like a cavewoman. Like I should be out hanging up strips of wooly mammoth to dry while I'm recording.

I mentioned on my running blog that my tape player ate one of my cassettes during my treadmilling yesterday. The general response was "Cassettes?? What the hell...???" Yes, cassettes, okay? They actually still make them! Five for eight bucks at wal-farts!

Is it too soon to drop hints for next Christmas?
.