I sit here, staring at her - wondering what to do.
She's really beautiful... a little worn, but no worse for the wear.
I have a decision to make. It wears on me.
Should I keep her? I've had her for a long time.
She's been good to me.
As I look at her, I know I love her. But, I want a new one.
Actually, I really need a new one. I love this one, but she's just not right for me.
For the long haul, I need something that fits me better. Something that will give me the support I need for the endurance.
This one's good for the short run... But I'm thinking of the long ride.
I don't need all the whistles and bells. The one I've got is pretty simple.
She's not complicated. And, I've put some work into her.
But, maybe it's time I upgraded.
I wish I could keep her and still get a new one... I can't - it's out of the question.
And what would be the point?
Am I wasting my time by riding this one a little longer?
Is it time to just bite the bullet?
Anyone need a used bike?
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Monday, July 14, 2008
What's so bad about doggy duty?
Apparently I have some kind of aversion to stepping in doggie doo doo... as is evidenced by my ire when I'm mowing the lawn and I have to dodge the landmines deposited by the neighbor's dog. I know, I know, it's just dog duty... or is it???
Before you get all judgmental, consider this:
It was 1995, or sometime in the mid-90's. I was on a date... with a girl I was particularly fond of. You might even say I was smitten. But she wasn't into me so much. In fact, she really liked my roommate, but we were good enough friends to talk about it openly... which was kind of cool... but then he didn't really like her so much, so nothing really worked out for anyone... but then I heard she married a Russian dude and that didn't work out so well either... Okay, I digress...
Anyway, I really liked her and we were on this date. We had been to the Symphony to see some great show, which meant we were probably dressed up. We had to walk across some grass to get from the symphony hall to the parking deck we were in. Once we were in the car, we had to go down a few levels to get to the street... and I was in the back seat with Debbie and I could smell this horrible odor, so I started to make a big deal, like "what is that hideous smell?"
I thought there was something in the parking garage that we were just passing... but as we continued to go lower and lower, the smell stayed with us...
Finally, someone suggested we check our shoes... and sure enough.... it was my foot that found the dog duty! I quickly exited the vehicle and ran down the stairs to find something to clean my shoes off... But the damage was done...
As I recall, it was sometime after this that I found out that Debbie just wasn't that into me... Coincidence? Perhaps, but needless to say, I have a profound aversion for loose doggy doo.
Before you get all judgmental, consider this:
It was 1995, or sometime in the mid-90's. I was on a date... with a girl I was particularly fond of. You might even say I was smitten. But she wasn't into me so much. In fact, she really liked my roommate, but we were good enough friends to talk about it openly... which was kind of cool... but then he didn't really like her so much, so nothing really worked out for anyone... but then I heard she married a Russian dude and that didn't work out so well either... Okay, I digress...
Anyway, I really liked her and we were on this date. We had been to the Symphony to see some great show, which meant we were probably dressed up. We had to walk across some grass to get from the symphony hall to the parking deck we were in. Once we were in the car, we had to go down a few levels to get to the street... and I was in the back seat with Debbie and I could smell this horrible odor, so I started to make a big deal, like "what is that hideous smell?"
I thought there was something in the parking garage that we were just passing... but as we continued to go lower and lower, the smell stayed with us...
Finally, someone suggested we check our shoes... and sure enough.... it was my foot that found the dog duty! I quickly exited the vehicle and ran down the stairs to find something to clean my shoes off... But the damage was done...
As I recall, it was sometime after this that I found out that Debbie just wasn't that into me... Coincidence? Perhaps, but needless to say, I have a profound aversion for loose doggy doo.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
This Just In: TWO PLANES COME WITHIN 600 FT of MIDAIR COLLISION
Wow... if people get their knowledge about the world from the news, we are in real trouble... I mean, headed straight for the abyss of pure ignorance, all the while thinking we are terribly informed!
I know it goes without saying that the news doesn't always get it right, and that's not news to anyone... but, here is a perfect example of how the news either didn't get it right (uninformed) or purposely got it wrong (misleading).
The tagline says, "Two airplanes come within 600 ft. of midair collision".
The details inform us that two jets, one departing, and another arriving, on different runways came within a half mile horizontally and 600 feet vertically.
Now, those of you who realize that airspace is three dimensional, not two, instantly understand these facts to mean that those two airplanes were never any closer than a half a mile apart at the closest! A full mile is 5,280 feet, which makes a half mile something on the order of 2,640 feet. Remember your geometry classes? If there is a horizontal and a vertical, you have the base and leg of a triangle... and of course, as everyone knows, A2 + B2 = C2 (2 meaning "squared") and C2 is the hypotenuse, which in every case, because of that pesky plus sign, will be longer than either of the leg or the base. Here, the distance between those airplanes is the hypotenuse.
Okay, this isn't supposed to be a math class, rather just a real-world illustration of how a headline can tell the absolute wrong story in the face of contrarian facts.
I know, big deal, right???
Well... yeah! See... what happens is... people write their congressmen about headlines like this... and then laws are enacted over headlines like this... and all the while, no one knows the truth of the matter...
And this obviously begs the question...
Did the writer of the headline either 1) not know of the facts inside of the story (making him/her an idiot) or 2) know of the facts and make the headline for other reasons (disingenuous, which is code for lying)?
I know this is a relatively benign thing in the grand scheme of things, but this is the news and many news items are played just like this one.
Where do you get your knowledge of the world?
I know it goes without saying that the news doesn't always get it right, and that's not news to anyone... but, here is a perfect example of how the news either didn't get it right (uninformed) or purposely got it wrong (misleading).
The tagline says, "Two airplanes come within 600 ft. of midair collision".
The details inform us that two jets, one departing, and another arriving, on different runways came within a half mile horizontally and 600 feet vertically.
Now, those of you who realize that airspace is three dimensional, not two, instantly understand these facts to mean that those two airplanes were never any closer than a half a mile apart at the closest! A full mile is 5,280 feet, which makes a half mile something on the order of 2,640 feet. Remember your geometry classes? If there is a horizontal and a vertical, you have the base and leg of a triangle... and of course, as everyone knows, A2 + B2 = C2 (2 meaning "squared") and C2 is the hypotenuse, which in every case, because of that pesky plus sign, will be longer than either of the leg or the base. Here, the distance between those airplanes is the hypotenuse.
Okay, this isn't supposed to be a math class, rather just a real-world illustration of how a headline can tell the absolute wrong story in the face of contrarian facts.
I know, big deal, right???
Well... yeah! See... what happens is... people write their congressmen about headlines like this... and then laws are enacted over headlines like this... and all the while, no one knows the truth of the matter...
And this obviously begs the question...
Did the writer of the headline either 1) not know of the facts inside of the story (making him/her an idiot) or 2) know of the facts and make the headline for other reasons (disingenuous, which is code for lying)?
I know this is a relatively benign thing in the grand scheme of things, but this is the news and many news items are played just like this one.
Where do you get your knowledge of the world?
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Mowing the Lawn in a Speedo
I'm doing all the yard work around this place for the summer... since this is where I'm staying until I take the bar and presumably get a job...
Doing so on a regular basis has given me the chance to get quite a healthy tan, but the only problem is the tan ends where my shirt-sleeves begin. In other words, my neck and forearms are brown, but the rest of me is a pasty white... not quite the beautiful alabaster that looks so good on some.
Would that I could cut the grass in a speedo, I'd be as tan as any beach bum on the coast! But, lucky for my neighbors, I will spare the man-bikini and keep the knee-length shorts and t-shirt on.
Doing so on a regular basis has given me the chance to get quite a healthy tan, but the only problem is the tan ends where my shirt-sleeves begin. In other words, my neck and forearms are brown, but the rest of me is a pasty white... not quite the beautiful alabaster that looks so good on some.
Would that I could cut the grass in a speedo, I'd be as tan as any beach bum on the coast! But, lucky for my neighbors, I will spare the man-bikini and keep the knee-length shorts and t-shirt on.
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