Reviews, Recipes, and Random Slices of Life

On the third try, I succeeded in changing the bike tube. From this I've learned the plastic tire changing tools are better than serrated butter knives, putting the tube on from the correct side is very important, and pinch leaks are the devil. My bike is functioning again and I am so pleased! Though yesterday I almost wished it had taken me another day to repair it, as there was a super-strong headwind that I was biking against. My bad knee was throbbing by the time I got home. My next bike project should be even simpler: attaching a lightweight plastic crate to the rack. I discovered that the best time to get a crate is to wait for the start of college; there were tons of them at Target (which is starting to stock fresh produce--we live in an age of miracles and wonders).

I have acquired the cheapest wireless phone available, and it is busy charging in my study. I have hopes that it will function and I'll stop having to race down the stairs to get to the phone when it rings. This is a more hazardous proposition for me than it used to be.

My Roomba appears to have charged properly, though I'll know for sure when I get home this afternoon and try running it. Part of trying to make it hold a charge better is to completely run down the battery by a) running it to red, and then b) removing the battery and holding down the power button to exhaust the last little bit. In this case, it didn't have any power left by the time I got to stage b, because I'd done stage a and then left for an extended roadtrip for my grandmother's funeral (about which I should post later). The roomba was so dead it didn't even pretend to try and charge when I plugged it back in. I thought I'd killed my precious. Instead, I just needed to leave it plugged in for a bit and then pop out the battery while it was still plugged in and reseat it. Then it started charging properly.

Phil wearied of my lamentations over my murdered camera and bought one via eBay. I am cautiously hopeful. It's the next model up in the same line as my old camera. However, it's a scratch-and-dent model, so eek. As long as it works and there are no scratches on the lens, I'll be happy. We shall see.

I'm less broken, too. I'm walking entirely normally now. I thought I was walking normally a couple of months ago, but now that I actually am, I can tell a huge difference. I still gimp when I run, though less than I used to. There's usually discomfort and stiffness instead of pain.

I replaced the tube on my bike and bolted the wheel back on. When I pumped air into it, it all hissed back out.

The new tube has a leak now, probably because I damaged it somehow in putting it on.

Next up, removing tube, seeing where the leak is and if I can figure out how it got there, getting another tube, replacing tube, etc. Rinse, repeat.

....

Phil took apart my camera in hopes of repairing it.

Nope. It is now beyond not only hopes of repair, but hopes of even nonfunctional reassembly.

I would show you a picture, but....

Next up, figuring out what new cameras I want and how and when I can afford them. This is more complicated and painful than it sounds, given our financial straits.

Moodwise, I am alternating between pissed off and depressed.

• 15:15 At about 2PM, my brain went, "Thunk. I'm done. Home now." So I called my ride and packed my bags. No closing ceremonies for me, & that's OK.
• 21:55 Windows Media player is now saying it can't sync wma files to my Sansa e260. I have the permissions; it should work! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!
• 06:52 Have had interesting idea for writing/mixed media/photography creations called "Building Rough Draft: XYZ". Not sure where I'll find time.
• 07:50 5 min. before I had to be out the door, I called work to verify which place I'd be at, and had to change from shorts to business clothing.
• 07:51 Dt art gallery now has elephant-themed displays. Republican convention influence much?
• 09:26 Mark Bittman's impressively simple and comprehensive 101 picnic dishes: (NYT) tinyurl.com/5j2sue
• 09:37 Was reading "God's Demon" on the bus, sitting next to someone reading a bible study guide. Very noticeable title page, too. Awkward!
• 10:23 I am saddened to report that Burger King's "Ketchup & Fries Flavored Potato Snacks" do not, in fact, taste at all like ketchup & fries.
• 11:20 Testing, testing
• 11:22 Excellent. I can now Gtalk IM updates to Twitter through ping.fm.
• 13:16 Got my first "preview" Christmas catalog in the mail. ::checks calendar:: Er....

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