Success, comparable only to the success of convincing a small dog to eat a piece of pita-bread from one's mouth

So after having visited 4 bike shops unsuccessfully, the 5th one finally had the standard 10x1 axle nuts I needed. NO OTHER SHOP HAD MORE THAN 3 AXLE NUTS ON HAND, NONE OF WHICH WERE THE RIGHT SIZE! Except for Landry's I guess, that had one... but still.... HOW CAN THAT BE?!

Anyway, now my integral washers are all greased (greezed?) up nice, and my axle nuts (front and rear) have been replaced, so I feel like my bike is one miniscule step further from the crazy contraband state I got in in w/ rust on all the steel parts, and one step closer to what it should be.

Last night Naomi and I went to the Chart House restaurant with her French friend Yann and his former boss / current drinking partner Giraud. They work for a French bank, traveling abroad for 4-5 months at a time to different satellite locations to basically audit the banks as far as worth, risk etc. They treated us to dinner, seeing as all they have to do is present bills to their company to be reimbursed; (not even receipts; just bills. So their credit card numbers don't have to be on it; they could scavenge random receipts off of other tables for luxurious dinners, etc., and get reimbursed). They have a fully paid flat in Manhattan, the rent for which is $6600 a month. They each have a $100 a day food budget (but as long as the company approved of their choice in wine, I don't think that budget would be enforced). They are also highly salaried, and in their own words "don't work very hard." One of them just broke up with his Taiwanese flight attendant girlfriend, while on a trip to Singapore, and then, to help her save face at home, paid for a nearly a years' worth of rent and tuition in Paris. That was so she would not have to return, alone, from an international trip with a man (which would have been a disgrace). Now both of them are dating American girls. It almost makes me think I'm going into the wrong line of work. I want to be young, rich, and traveling, instead of delivering wings by bike and sweating all the time. However, I hope to eventually be a well-paid physician with the knowledge necessary to save the lives of men like this, so that they will be permanently endebted to me in their chivalrous European way, and then my wine will always be paid for.

I bought a blender on Woot today; Naomi said that this was a sad Woot item, because now there are going to be hundreds of pasty computer nerds eating things like blended hot dogs.

Speaking of which, that sounds mighty good... I'll have to try that someday.

Tonight: Dinner at Taiwan Cafe w/ the Frenchies, our apartment-mate Josephine (Taiwanese lawyer), the Koreans, and Mr. and Mrs. Squarehead (I couldn't think up a better pejorative nickname for them).

(For explanation of post-title, click here).

frustration

god damn it. my here-to-fore future landlord decided to just up and not rent me the place; apparently, a signed lease and a $900 deposit was not enough to prevent him from renting it to someone else instead.

furthermore, my rusty track nuts scarred my dropout insert, because the integral washer rusted in place; i put off buying new ones, and sure enough, that decision came back to bite me in the ass.

what a frustrating night.

BALLIN'!

Today, it was misty and cold and miserable outside. And in 6 hours, I made three deliveries, two of which I had to go BACK to the same place and deliver stuff the phone-girl forgot to send me out with, for no additional money. I took home $10 in tips today. Hooray. GAAAAH.

Things Have Come

So today, Bjorn and I went up to Corey Hill to skid down it. Below are links to two videos; the first: my run down the hill. The second: his. They're both set to metal songs (Mastodon, and Iron Maiden, for those who are curious), because at work, I alternate between NPR podcasts while inside and aggressive metal while riding; the driving, fast-paced nature of it keeps my cadence up.

1. Click to watch my run.
2. Click to watch Bjorn's Run.

Note: Bjorn's run has a cool camera angle mine doesn't, because we only tried mounting the camera that way once. Unfortunate.... but it gives me an excuse to go record something else in the future.

A Glimpse of Things to Come

So one of these days Bjorn and I are going to go film ourselves careening down the tremendously steep Corey Hill. Until that gets filmed and edited together, you can watch this semi-awkward camera angle of me riding down it. Probably only bike-minded people will enjoy this one, as they can infer the excitement of riding this hill from only this preposterous camera angle. At about one minute into the video, my cadence is absurdly fast... anyone care to calculate how fast I'm going @ that rpm, geared 46:16?
(Double-click on video to start playing)

[Can't display video; you're missing a plugin. Use the link below to see the movie.]


(Link to video)

Helmet? Yes.

Videos like this are why I wear my helmet.

And also, because it increases the chance that people will take pity on me and tip me more, when they realize I've biked all the way to goddamn BC with a seven dollar order of wings.

The Sunday News, c/o B Roo

-International News:
Koreans like to drink alot (posted for Jooly's benefit):
"An evening out with colleagues here follows a predictable, alcohol-centered pattern: dinner, usually some grilled pork, washed down with soju, Korea’s national vodkalike drink; then a second round at a beer hall; then whiskey and singing at a “norae bang,” a Korean karaoke club. Exhorted by their bosses to drink, the corporate warriors bond, literally, so that the sight of dark-suited men holding hands, leaning on one another, staggering toward taxis, is part of this city’s nighttime streetscape."
“My boss used to be all about, ‘Let’s drink till we die!’ ” said Wi Su-jung, a 31-year-old woman employed at a small shipping company."
"[T]he alcohol foundation’s research director[...] estimates that South Koreans rank first in binge drinking: the goal is to drink as much as possible, as quickly as possible, so that co-workers loosen up."
"At Woori Bank, one of South Korea’s largest, an alarm rings at 10 p.m. to encourage workers to stop drinking and go home using public transportation, which stops running before midnight.

-Arts and Entertainment:
The Writer's Almanac, a good daily podcast (iTunes Store link - but don't worry, it's free)

-Sports:
The Best Fixed Gear Race I've Ever Seen (note - not what you'd expect):

-Comics:






The End

Ghost Ride the Whip

I. Definition: (wikipedia)
To ghost ride, frequently used in the context of "ghost riding the whip" (a "whip" being a vehicle) or simply ghostin', is when a person puts the car in neutral or allows it to idle and then the driver (and passengers) of a vehicle exit while it is still rolling and dance beside it or on the hood or roof.

Ghost riding is one of the latest trends to be popularized by hyphy culture, which originated in Oakland, California. The term "ghost ride the whip" was given nationwide exposure in E-40's 2006 song "Tell Me When to Go".
As with car surfing, ghost riding can be dangerous and has resulted in three known deaths in North America. Ghost riding is also known as "going Patrick Swayze," or just "going Swayze," referring to Patrick Swayze's lead role in the movie Ghost.

II. First Example: Archetype:

III.a. Second Example: Foolish Extrapolation:

III.b. Third Example: More Foolish Extrapolation:

IV. Fourth Example: Natural Selection: