Thinking and wishing and hoping and dreaming

Sometimes it's really hard to read PostSecret. Someone else knows how I feel. That makes me want to cry.

It's been rough lately. I don't want to go to Georgia, mostly because I don't want to pay for it. The trip would do me a lot of good, though. Everything's just upside-down. I'm tired of that.

Ladies with an attitude, fellows that were in the mood

It seems courtesy and manners are no longer in vogue in the dating scene. How unfortunate.

Really, what is so difficult about a quick "no, thanks"? Any medium is better than nothing.

All signs continue to point to me getting away from all this. But wait, I haven't even used one month's worth of my Match subscription! Bah.

I don't know when I'll be back again

I can fly to my brother's house in North Carolina for under $50. But I can't get from his house to my father's house (or even within 100 miles of my father's house) for less than $500. Nor can I get from my brother's house to my mother's temporary house for less than $500. And I can't get from either parents' house back to my house for less than $115.

The alternative is renting a car for more than a week, plus gas. I hate driving. Especially that far. And especially if there are no passengers.

Forgot about the best bike link

From The New York Times, March 28, 1898

Fat bottomed girls they'll be riding today

Today, I made a down payment on a new bike.

After lots of contemplation and comparison and checking and review reading, I settled on Trek's 7200 WSD when I gave it a test ride today at Revolutions Cyclery in Melbourne. Originally, I wanted a mountain bike, but then I discovered the joys of sitting upright while riding, instead of causing pain to my neck, shoulders, elbows and wrists to ride a bike that's about an inch too tall, and too long in other places. By the way, my bike is black with blue flowers. Makes it slightly less girly, I think.

I did not switch to two wheels simply because of gas prices. On Mother's Day, my car was attacked by a tree. It was a total loss.

When I moved to Melbourne last year, I chose my apartment complex because of its proximity to work, just under 3 miles one way. I said then that I wanted to be close enough to ride my bike to work, in case the mood ever struck. It struck once, and I nearly passed out when I got to work because I pushed myself so much on the ride. The mood struck two or three more times before the first year was up, but only for trips to the library when my car was in the shop. The car was in the shop a half-dozen times in the one year that I owned it.

I was pretty happy when the tree fell, as I hated the car. And it forced me to live up to the reasoning I gave for my overpriced apartment.

It took a while to find the 7200 WSD. I looked at Specialized, the maker of my current bike, Giant, other Trek bikes, and Electra. I was especially fond of the Townie Commuter, but the components were inferior to the 7200, and the bike cost more.



My plan was to spend $400 to $500 on the bike, as I knew I'd have to add some things: fenders, a basket, a rack. Plus, I've had a great excuse to get some new clothing (shorter pants and moisture-wicking shirts, so I don't stink at work). Tonight I found valve caps shaped like rockets, perfect for the Space Coast.

It's been interesting looking at all the bikes, test riding them, and reading about bicycle culture. I've found some pretty cool blogs. In Copenhagen, the women ride in skirts and heels. Sweet. My friend Matt runs this blog that makes me miss Jacksonville more than anything.

But I've also read up on Florida's bicycle safety rules. Cyclists can, but aren't required to, ride on sidewalks. Motorists are required to give cyclists three feet of clearance. Cyclists can ride in a travel lane if there is no sufficient bike lane available. Most motorists don't know these things. Most motorists drive like there are no cyclists in the world.

My only regret in getting the bike is that I couldn't buy it from Matt. He's a great salesman and super-nice person. But he's 16 miles away. And the 16 miles include a few bridges.


Lance Armstrong rides a Trek. Of course, he's a roadie -- I'm a hybrid. Lance also wears the same brand of helmet as me, according to his Web site.

Barack Obama has been seen on a Trek, too. Unfortunately, the idiot cowboy king rides Trek, as well. But his cost at least six times more than mine, and I can guarantee that taxpayers didn't contribute to my bike purchase.

There's some talk about how Obama would fare against Bush on the bike. I'm pulling for Obama.

So let's sink another drink

Update: I'm getting the new laptop first. Dell will stop selling computers with Windows XP on June 30, which means they must be ordered by June 18. I'm not getting Vista. So come Friday, I'll order the laptop.

It gives me more time to decide between the Townie and the 7200, as well.

Why oh why did I get cable? I can't stop watching tv! Roommie and I watched vh1's Return to the 80s 3-D for years 1987-1989. Ah! Too much big hair! Then we watched Star Kid Parents Gone Bad! Eeek!

My mother should be so glad I'm not a famous copy editor like Bill Walsh. I might have emancipated myself from her at 14!

Our house is a very, very, very fine house

Hello, avid reader(s?)!

This is a first. Today, I'm blogging from home, using the roommate's computer and wireless card. (Thanks, work!) I haven't blogged from home since I left Jacksonville, which was more than a year ago. Wow. It's been a year.

In fact, I'm in the new apartment. That's kinda funny that I never once got online at the old apartment. It seems so weird. But, that's the way the budget crumbles sometimes.

Today, I put together the cheapest, crappiest bookcase I've bought yet. The thing is a real piece of shit. It came with plastic "screws"! Plastic?! How will it hold anything? In fact, the top shelves have a weight limit of 30 pounds each, which I'm sure I've surpassed. (Wordnerds love books, you know.) The one with real screws can hold up to 40 pounds per adjustable shelf, 50 pounds on the stationary shelf and 150 pounds on the bottom shelf. It's not like I bought the thing at Wally World; it was from Target! Ah well. At least I've emptied another six boxes.

The living room is just about complete. All I really have to do now is go through the newspapers ... ugh. And my bedroom is pretty well finished, too. Once I get a few more organizers for the office, the remaining boxes there can be emptied. And roommie has tomorrow off, so it's off to Tar-zhey.

A tree fell on my car on Mother's Day. The tree beat up my car, but nearly as bad as what the vandal in Jacksonville did to Emmie, the Saturn. That poor car was raped. Anyway, I've been biking to work for the better part of a month. I'd like to use the bike for small grocery trips and such, but alas, I have no baskets. Also, the bike's a tad big for me. So I'm getting a new one.

I can't decide between two: the Electra Townie 21 or Trek 7200 WSD. Both have the gearing and braking of a mountain bike, but step-through frames and wheels like a cruiser. They'll both end up around $500 when I add everything on. But the Townie salesman was super nice and that brand has more accessories available, while the Trek has better components. I prefer quality, so I'd like to go with the Trek. Yet I have that "human connection" with the Townie guy, and those accessories are so darn cute. Maybe I'll make a hybrid of a hybrid commuter bike: Get the Trek but add Townie accessories (rack, basket, bell).

The other problem: Only the Trek is within biking distance. Every other shop is at the beach. Over big bridges. And many miles north or south, as well as east.

Two nights ago, I finally paid for a Match.com subscription. Or, membership. Whatever. I've contacted a few guys whom I saw when I first signed up. At least one is interested in talking. Woo-hoo! They're both quite cute, both 33, both love their jobs. One lives nearby, the other is in Winter Park. Eek. One is a Scorpio and the other is a Virgo, both of which are signs that I get along with famously. (Especially Virgos.) So that's exciting. We'll see how it goes. As long as they meet close enough for me to bike.

Greysa's doing fine. She's as starving and as deprived as always, the way she tells it. But now she has someone else to give her love and attention, as long as she's in the mood. Greysa seems to "tolerate" the roommate, not much more.

The only problem with the new apartment, the one that I moved across property for, rather than down the hall, is that is has a real bug problem. I'm sick of these things. I kill more than one each night. The pest guy has sprayed twice, and will do it again this week. I've set out roach motels. I've bought spray.

They're crawling out from under the bar. I've even seen some in the dishwasher -- ewwww! I really want maintenance to come by and rip up the bar, drop a bug bomb or spray the hell out of them, patch whatever hole they're coming from, and seal down the bar. (The bar isn't sitting flat right now.) It's so disgusting. And I'm beyond over it.

I guess that catches me up on quite a bit. Once we get Internet at home (and I get my next new toy, a laptop), I'll post photos from the past year, like John Denver the snowman, cakes I've baked, the new apartment view, etc. Oh, and photos of Greysa. Of course.

Vroom vroom!

I'm a Lotus Elise!

You believe in maximum performance and minimum baggage. You like to travel light and fast, hit the corners hard, and dance like there's no tomorrow.

"Take the Which Sports Car Are You? quiz.

I understand

I first heard about PostSecret sometime in 2004, I think. Or maybe 2005. I only remember who told me about it, so it must have been in 2004.

I haven't been faithful at reading the posts on a weekly basis, but I get back to them every once in a while.

The secrets so many people have shared are amazing. I've long thought about sending one in, but I don't know what my secret is.

PostSecret is traveling the country in an exhibit. The roommate and I are going to see it tomorrow before I come to work. Before we decided that, though, I had to make sure the museum would be open. I made my way back to the PS page and found the community, where I learned about the beginning of the project.

Then I read the above postcard. Suddenly, I began to understand. Not just the secrets, but myself. The questions I always have. The questions that are all wrong.

It's been an enlightening day, and not just because of PostSecret. I want to find the thoughtful questions.