Today was one of those days that tries the souls of cyclists. Saints be praised, the soul of the cyclist prevailed.
It was one of those quirky Autumn in Oregon days in which one is literally blinded by the pelting rain, and yet I was too hot with my rain coat zipped, too cold and wet with it open; the rain jacket was keeping my upper half dry (mostly) but my legs were getting wet -especially as I hurtled through puddles and kicked up the mud. It was not good, people, and I had to get across town and back, with multiple stops along the way, including a groceries run.
I made a stop at the cycle co-op, normally a beacon of bikey wonderfulness that makes me proud to be a cyclist, however they have one employee who makes Nurse Ratchet look like a paragon of warmth and human kindness
To say that she sucks at customer service --well, I mean, she would have to actually participate in customer service before one could say that she sucks at it. She sucks at customer service in the same way that I suck at drag racing. Guess who got sent up to the counter against her will when I walked in? I of course had a somewhat complicated question about a special order I had made, in addition to needing improved weatherization. She was not willing to do what needed to be done, I actually ended up coming back later and dealing with someone else, who was able to help me with my order, make a minor adjustment to my new bike and sell me a pair of rain pants in a fraction of the time it had taken her to do nothing. I am not making this up. So, I had an opportunity to meditate on compassion and forgiveness as well as gratitude (for the guy who eventually did help me)
The one flaw I have discovered in the otherwise brilliant Free Radical is that the slings, which are open at the top and sides, allow the monsoons in. But the problem is easily solved by placing a duffel bag in the sling. This has the added advantage of letting me pack everything I need in the duffel bag in the comfort of my home, then drop the duffel bag in the sling and head out --less time than it takes to pack the trunk of a car. Plus, no car!
I was able to fill the duffel bag with library books and rental movies to be returned, schools stuff, art materials, and even groceries and fresh flowers on the way home. Best of all, and the movies place I found Harold and Maude on DVD ~ HAROLD & MAUDE!
Made my day
7 comments:
HAROLD & MAUDE!!! Yay!
I still want to be Maude when I grow up. But, I don't think I'll commit suicide :-)
me too, and you know, Mouse talked about evolving and changing. To be 80 in the 70s was one thing, I bet she could find plenty of reasons to hang around in the new mellenium!
I'm sure that, now that you have given up smoking, you'll have a much happier and healthier Maude period ;)
Welcome to the world of Xtracycles :) :) Mine generally whines and pouts if I so much as look at the car.
I wasn't a very happy camper up in Ontario here yesterday either. It rained very hard all day, so I got nailed in the morning and evening.
I'm keeping my eyes open for deals on GoreTex clothing now. Me want more waterproofness!!!!!! : )
I have to admit, the Xtracycle is one of the best purchases I have ever made in my life!
I did finally relent and get a pair Burley rain pants. In general I am more of a tightwad than ol' Mr. Scrooge when it comes to these things, but given that I am swearing off both cars and buses, that leaves . . . investing in top of the line rain gear!
I discovered "Harold & Maude" by accident one night when I was going to college in the mid-80s. Some friends and I had been drinking beer all afternoon, so when we saw the movie listed at a theater that charged only a dollar, we were thrilled.
This was, of course, about the same time of the release of "Mickey and Maude" a Dudley Moore movie. Our buzzed minds were blown that we could see a new release for only a buck, so we staggered off to the theater.
It was one of those times in life when being a dumbass really paid off. What a great film.
hey Tim, sounds like fun! A local theatre near where I grew up used to play "Harold & Maude" as a double bill with "The King of Hearts" on a semi annual basis (not sure what the occation was, if there was one, or if they just loved the films as much as the rest of us)
Tico, thanks for the link!
[corrections I just realized that in my previously posted comment I typed Mouse, instead of Maude. Eeek. I have a friend who I call mouse, who is very cool, but is not an 80 year old woman, and as far as I know never commented on the nature of human development. yikes, I gotta get better at that proof reading thing]
Post a Comment