all is well

Home again.
Happy puppy.
Indian food.
Long walk.
Movie.
Check, check, check & check.

Classic JBG

miss this place

picture perfect

back in the BK

dusty

When the faculty start to grill me about the lack of intellectual rigor in my last qualifying exam, (due Wed!) I will show them this picture and tell them that this past weekend I traded in brains for brawn.


(and yes, those are pink work gloves. what of it?)

washerwoman

You:  Hold the phone.  Three?  You washed windows for three hours? On your day off?

Me: My view of the garages across the alley is now crystal clear.

----

But that's not ALL that I did today.

I also hung a large print of a squid on my dining room wall.

Met my friend Les & picked up these treasures

And made enchiladas & a strawberry-rhubarb not-so-crisp.

Back to work tomorrow, and oh is there so much to do.

mental health day

Rule #1: sit on the porch and drink a cup of coffee.

Rule #2: go for a walk.

Rule #3: visit some thrift stores.

Rule # 4: do not feel guilty about not being at school.

I forgot to do #1, enjoyed #2, am headed off for #3.

#4 is the hardest one of all...

a few things

It's not all demolition around here.

first flowers of the season from the garden...

unearthed a huge wasp next under the old siding,

and how am I supposed to get anything done with this cutie hanging outside my window?
I'm four-fifths of the way through my qualifying exams.  I haven't died yet, but it is entirely possible that I may, before this craziness is over.  

Meanwhile, I leave for China in 3 weeks and so far all I know how to say in Mandarin is "I don't speak Mandarin".  Useful, but not nearly as useful as being able to ask for directions.

bike to work day FAIL

I know that I ride to school quite regularly, and in the grander scheme of things that means more than a token ride in on Bike To Work Day, but the fact that it is said Biking Day makes it all the more annoying that ALL THREE of my bicycles are currently non-functional.  

My old red cruiser has been stuck in one gear for over a year, and is not built for commuting, even if it is only 4 miles each way.  That cute little bike is only meant for riding a few blocks to the corner store, or up the street to the park for a softball game.  Not for haggling with traffic on Grand Ave with 20 pounds of stuff on my back. 

My commuter bike, an ancient Trek with its glorious panniers and rugged frame is also currently stuck in one gear.  My twist-shifter twisted right off the other day, as I was going up a large hill, and is hence stuck in the going-up-large-hill gear, which translates to pedaling furiously and going nowhere on the flat and downhills.  Rideable, but annoying.  Also, the derailuer is funky and even the best mechanics can't fix it, so I'm waffling between dumping more cash into this beater or finding myself another commuter bike...

Which brings me to bike #3, my road bike.  Also an ancient Trek, but lightweight and zippy and I loooove it.  This is what I planned to ride today, but somehow somewhere something has gone awry with the back end, and the frame refuses to stay connected to the wheel.  Which is sort of crucial.  I was once involved in a very awkward slow motion bike crash in the middle of an intersection in front of 8 lanes of traffic when my frame came off my wheel while I was clipped in..... tiiiiimber.  Anyway, not wishing to re-enact that scene I messed around with it for a while, covering myself in grease before I threw in the towel and grabbed my car keys, already almost an hour late for work.

Grumblegrumblegrumble.

I'll be back on the bike soon, though. I promise!