Sunday, November 30, 2008

Busy Beaver

I woke up at random this morning around 6 am to white stuff littered outside my windows. Fun Fun. Its really odd, some mornings are just like that- you pop out of bed with this sense of purpose.

On pretty much each and every Saturday I eat quite a hearty breakfast followed by a glorious amount of coffee. After that its typically some good R&R or a jaunt down to Film Streams. But yesterday, I apparently was a bit more motivated.

Before bfast I hit the rollers for a good 45 min and knew my time was up when puddles of sweat formed on the wood floor, that and my stomach crushing up against my spine needing some nutrition.
Following some eats, I whipped out some homework then pedaled to the grocery store. While at the store certain items always call out to me and beg to be bought, on this particular day it was the hostess powdered doughnuts. And I answered that call.

After putting my bounty of food away, I cruised down to the bike Co-op with hopes of swapping tires on the LaCruz. Time kept ticking and conversations were too plenty, so no swap for the 700x 38's. After all that I buzzed off to see Creighton handle Uconn an overtime loss down at Morrison Stadium.

I got home at 4:15 having to deliver at 5. I changed into a full wool ensemble complete with down booties, then went for the stove and heated up lentil soup with, ahh yes fresh cilantro. Luckily I had set out much of my gear the night before and didn't have much to do before my shift.

It was overall a fantastic evening complete with near ice sliding and red rosy cheeks.

A kid answered the door on a delivery to North 33rd St. and proclaimed with the swing of the front door," What the heck do ya want" Mind you this kid could not have been older than seven. I respond "Jimmy John's Delivery for Ira" Moments later a parent lurks down the stairs and signs the credit receipt. As I'm about to leave the young boy says," What do you have that thing on your head for?" "Safety", I said.
He then responds, "Why don't you just drive a car" and on top of that, he murmurs, "How come they let you have a job without a car" Yep you can definitely think of all the ultra violence I wanted to bring upon this squirrely looking boy. But I bit my lip and said nothing but have a good night, then slammed the door and hopped on the bike.

Round 2 tonight at 5.
Looks to be a goody with snow on top of all that slippery stuff.
Might have to bust out the studs.

Why does this crap have to happen by bicycle?

4 comments:

brady said...

You never know who's inspired by seeing you deliver in the cold, wet and ugly weather. I'd bet that at least one in ten would think that you're more than just a crazy fool on a bike in this weather.

Studded tires? Do you have a set? Price, size and recommendations, please.

EB said...

Brady-
I have got the Kenda Klondikes
700x40
They work well, price was cheap I don't recall how much.

Have you been doing much pedaling outside?

brady said...

Thanks for the tip on the Klondikes. Unfortunately, Ol' Yeller's not gonna be able to gobble up 700x40. But there's always the mountain bike...

I've been pedaling outside - I've commuted by pedal or bipedal (run) every day except for one over the past three weeks. Tomorrow may be iffy - likely will bus in and then run home in the PM

MG said...

Yeah, you can usually find those Kendas cheap from one of the mail order joints, because they're a pretty limited use item. There aren't too many people hardcore enough to use 'em. Honestly, I don't even use 'em... I just don't use studs, because I don't do delivery, so I don't frequent the ultra-slippery stuff EB is probably on regularly when he's doing deliveries. That's why I'll just disappear into Wilderness Park on my mountain bike, or onto gravel on my La Cruz... because I don't rely on my bike for income.. well, other than my one-mile commute to work each way, which is hardly life-threatening, even in the worst of conditions.

Glad you didn't lose it on that kid. It's not his fault his parents haven't taught him the right things... Hopefully he'll have his own enlightenment at some point, and it's likely you perpetuated it somehow, in some way with the exposure you gave him. I wouldn't be surprised. You played it right... Good work my friend. We all win if you always maintain the upper hand over people that don't understand the virtue of a cycling lifestyle. You are the change you seek in others. I believe you are, at least. You're a good man, my friend...

Cheers,
MG