It was cold.

Lori and I went to Chicago this weekend, I suppose in a realization that after three years we hardly ever make it up there. We also had an invitation to stay with Rory at his girlfriend's condo (24th floor), which makes the trip all the better. We hung out with Rory some, mainly trying to find thrift stores, not succeeding and then going to eat breakfast to get out of the cold. Erich, though, was our planner ("Do you guys have plans? Let's get drunk!"). Chicago, consequently, is kind of a blur except that it was really, really cold.

Training for

Chicago tomorrow.

Decisions on the first Friday night of spring break

Should the main text of my thesis be, 1. Times New Roman, 2. Helvetica, or 3. Courier New? Or wild card, Wing Dings?

Surprise Gifts

Sometimes when I need a break from my laptop I'll sit on the steps in the arena. The afternoon sun comes in the west windows and I usually bake myself, moving with it as it sets. I spend the time reading or drawing until the sun sets or the foam sword players come in. Yesterday I did this and when I went back to my office I noticed a strange notebook on the floor. My curiosity was peaked and I circled several times before picking it up. Did David come in the window, see I wasn't there and then leave with this notebook falling out of his bag?* I didn't think it had been there earlier so I left it on the table to ask about.

Later, as I was standing at the window watching the engineers fire tennis balls from their air cannon I saw Andrew walking across the quad. He explained that he had stopped by earlier and had tossed the notebook in through the window. I told him I loved it and that it had made my day.

It's made from a record cover.





*Often, if the window is open David, my adviser, will enter and exit the office this way. Apparently, when the department head came over to see the space she did this too.

ungh

This weather is driving me crazy. I only want to be outside doing anything other than finishing my thesis. Granted my thesis work is fun, but there are gardens to plant, concrete experiments, and bikes to ride and work on.

Saturday from my office window I watched a game of football in the foreground, in the middleground was a game of Ultimate Frisbee, and in the far background a game of cricket was being played. Now some guys are out playing catch and talking about taking shots every five minutes. It's really hard focusing on my computer screen.

Next week is spring break.

Differences

I can tell a distinct difference between my glove that is made with wind-stopping material and the one that isn't. After a cold ride home my hand that has been wearing the wind-stopping glove is functional while the other one isn't.

I hate cold riding.

Again

When I'm not trying to graduate...

...I'm thinking about bike paint colors.

My single speed, the old blue Mercier, has been disassembled for the past year and a half with her parts scattered between several garages and the back seat of my car. And after looking at the pock-marked paint on the stripped frame for so long I've been convinced she needs a new paint job. The blue that she already is is beautiful, but blue bikes are a dime a dozen it seems. So what color?

I've already got a scarlet bike and a black bike so I need a color that will coordinate with the others (obviously). The red Masi has gold accents (bottle cage!) and the Smoke has flat gray accents. They both have tan/cork bar tape. In my amassed collection of parts for the Mercier, I've picked up black bar tape, this was a mistake on my part because the bike came with a brown leather seat (Can I have black leather bar tape and a brown leather seat? I'm not sure...). Although she does have black lug working I've never cared for the combination of black and blue (there are some exceptions to this).

So, after all this deliberation I decided on either a matte gold, or a shiny, metallic green. But after LAH pointed out that if I included purple I could have a mardi gras bike I decided to reconsider. Also, the green I want is hard to find. Gold paint is easier to come by, but it would take a lot and thus be slightly more expensive then I'm willing to pay (this is getting really complicated and I'm surprised that you're still reading). So today after some research at Fixed Gear Gallery and winding up at a cycle clothing site*, I think I'm going to go with a creamy white, leaving the lug work its original black. I hoping for a classic look, a little used, but also cleaned up and ready for a night on the town.

And I guess this is a rather detailed explanation of where my afternoon went to.


*You have to look past the pants.

And...

After spending two hours looking at my high school classmates I canceled my myspace account. I hope I never go back.