life

I’m a moderately skilled cyclist. I’m fairly likely to remain upright on my bike in most situations. I’m comfortable riding in traffic, near cars (and doors that may open at any moment) and taking the lane when it’s required.

I’m not good at crossing railroad tracks, it seems. I took a different route out of work toward the light rail. In hindsight, this was a bad idea. It required crossing the tracks on 7th street, and then crossing them again to actually travel down 7th street. See the map (zoom in to just about street level):


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I was traveling west on Jackson, making a left on 7th to head south. Note the railroad tracks. I know they’re there. I cross them all the time. The surface is terrible, but I usually just bunny hop over the tracks. I didn’t bunny hop quite far enough today… Caught my front wheel just in the angled track rut area, went skidding down on my left side, and hit the ground hard. Hard enough to actually send my lip balm shooting out of my fully closed messenger bag where it came to rest about six feet away.

Is it sad that my first two thoughts were:

1. Shit, there goes my rear derailleur.
2. Thank god I didn’t fall on my knife side!

I have beautifully forming bruises in a crescent shape around my left knee, a bruise blossoming on my left hip, elbow, and shoulder. Ugh. Not much broken skin though–just some abrasions on my knee and elbow. I guess that’s the advantage to commuting in my regular clothes and not spandex. I would’ve shredded my knee (I was wearing long shorts) and probably ripped the shoulder of my jersey (I was wearing a sturdy cotton t-shirt) if I were commuting in full kit.

Though this is always one of the dangers of cycling on the road, stuff like this always takes me by surprise. I’m going to hurt tomorrow!

I think today I had what some people would call “Saturday.” I slept in (until 10:15 OMG) and then made myself some breakfast, a pot of coffee, and hung out (lost at least 30 minutes in Facebook, damn you Reece). I showered at 2pm. I cleaned the house a bit…vacuumed, did dishes, contemplated laundry for at least half a minute. Then after a random meeting with our landlord, Bryan and I went and ran errands. Hit up Target, went to the bank, got coffee for him and Jamba Juice for me, then bought a few house essentials at Crate & Barrel. (We’re still spending there on our wedding gift cards.) Today’s haul was a new dish rack, a colander, salad spinner, and a cast iron skillet.

Apparently this is what people do when they have weekends. People who are not my parents, because they are in Reno for the weekend. They travel. I stay home and do little things. Tomorrow I might get to go on a bike ride with my friends. Monday my friend Jess and her new man arrive for a week’s visit.

Thanks, new!job. I appreciate this “Saturday” thing.

Gillian Anderson is just adorkable. I sometimes forget this, but with all the press around the new X-Files movie, she’s everywhere. I’m enough of a dork that her televised appearances are on my Google calendar. Really.

Last night she was on Leno. I was not home, and I didn’t TiVo. Nevermind that, though, because that’s why we have YouTube. I do love that I watch her live like this and I’m always on the verge of fear of what’s going to pop out of her mouth. She skirts a bit toward the British accent in there, which I also think is adorable…but I have so much adoration for her anyhow, that I’m a terrible barometer.

Read this article from Salon which does a pretty good job of explaining my love of Scully (and by extension, Gillian herself). Though I’d take Scully over Gillian if I got to choose. But if I didn’t get to choose, I’d take either. I’m not stupid.

Even though Sarah gave me a partially used container of sugar and a bike frame (which I forgot to take) instead of the X-Files prop she has, I have to wave to her here. I was glad to get your (by proxy) text from Barstow. Drive safely and I hope the cats can poop in the box while the car is moving. We miss you already! Git yerserlf a job now!

Thus I am not re-installing the small gate in the backyard. I could change the bulb on the porch light, but instead, I’m blogging off my brunch Chavela (chilled glass with salted rim, filled with Beer, shot of Tequila, splash of Tomato Juice, squirt of Lime Juice, and a touch of Tapatio) from Bill’s Cafe. Yummy. I could’ve used more salt, but it was the perfect amount of Tapatio. Maybe I could make it with Cholula if I make it at home…

My new job! It allows me to have weekends and I pretty much just work the same schedule every day. It’s an amazing little invention called a “fixed schedule.” After six years of retail, it’s actually a minor miracle that I still remember what a weekend even is! What I’m doing right now is working at Phil Wood & Co. doing a little bit of everything. Though I have a fancy title (VP of Global Operations), I cut my day with answering phones, weird tech questions, product assembly, organization, graphic design, technical writing, merchandising, new product research, and shipping and receiving. I love it!

My short attention span is perfect for this job, as is my love of cycling, my nerdiness about cycling, and the fact that I can dork out reading Bicycle Retailer and updates on the Tour de France and consider it actual work-relevant research. I’ve been there for about a month now, and I’m really finding my feet. I think it’s a great place to work and we’re producing great products that are designed and manufactured right here in San Jose.

A lot of the things I’m doing at work aren’t bloggable (much like the last job), but it makes me enormously happy just to be doing them. I’d spent the last year or so at REI, not really wanting to be there. It had its perks, but huge annoyances were turning into impossible working conditions and the really good health insurance wasn’t going to help me if work was making me sick. Wanting to stay in the industry of outdoor gear left me with few options, though there are actually more options than one might think. I did put a few applications out there and even interviewed for a retail store manager position (they couldn’t offer me compelling money or benefits in the end) for a well-known brand within the industry. This job just fell into my lap, really, but proves once again that if you have the skills, are passionate about the work (or the industry), then you can get something you will like. Build those working relationships. It’s all about who you know.

The lesson here for me was to understand that my happiness at work was ultimately the most important thing. Being unhappy at work led me to being unhappy at home, and it made me grumpy with Bryan, which is about the last thing I want to do. It took me a while, but I figured out what I wanted, the conditions I wanted to work under, and the amount of sacrifices I was willing to make in order to get the work I wanted. This move cost me a little bit, however I ultimately commute less, spend more time at home and with friends, and am happy. I’m allowed to be a more committed wife and friend. I can make family events. Today I went to a last-minute brunch.

Find balance in your life. It’s something I used to hear a lot about when I was at REI. I found it by leaving REI.

What has kept me away?

• New job. Very good stuff, trying to get my life into a rhythm. This includes writing, but more on the getting-paid-for-it side. It makes blogging seem like a chore.
• New schedule allows me to actually hang out with Bryan. So I do.
• Wordpress kept updating and my old theme needed to be updated with it. This was a chore. So I have GREATLY simplified my life and gone with something else (Sandbox/Blackbox) that will take less maintenance. I just have to figure out the gallery issue.
• Too many things to blog about have built up!

When I do start writing again, covered topics will include (and likely in this order):

1. My new job.
2. My new life.
3. Seeing both The Swell Season and The Police in concert.
4. House-hunting.
5. Chandler getting sick (and then well) without coffee.

ETA: I should add here that the theme, while I do like it, has a few issues (like not agreeing with my use of unordered lists). It will probably change to another that I’ve found which will require me to edit a few photos. I used an inordinate amount of Photoshop this week, so I will need a 24 hour break from the work.

(Every time Brandy says that, I about die.)

While Bryan and I were in New York my headphones broke. It was tragic. They still technically worked, but there was a piece that had come loose inside. The result was a horrible rattling noise every time I moved my head. Kinda defeats the purpose of wearing headphones. The death of these headphones was possibly even more mentally catastrophic than the soon-to-be death of my iPod. I’d purchased the rattling headphones in Japan on a day when I probably listened to thirty different pair of headphones while trying to purchase a pair for myself and for Bryan.

I ended up with some Japan-only Sony folding headphones. I’m that person who can’t use earbuds. Can’t at all get them to stay in my ear because my ear shape is the opposite shape of whatever earbud model is out there. They just plop right out of my ears. (When I wear my bluetooth headset I look extra dumb because it sticks out at a weird angle and only stays up because of the behind-ear wire thing it came with.) I loved those damn Sony headphones. Though I only spent $30-ish on them, I agonized over their purchase, trying to balance good sound with excellent portability. By the time they’d died, I’d had them for over five years.

In my search for new headphones, I stumbled upon Turntable Lab, which was a short ride away from our NYC hotel. Sadly, I discovered them about two hours after they’d closed with us leaving the next morning. I was initally excited because they sold Audio-Technica headphones, which I’d purchased for Bryan many moons ago. I’d loved them, but once back in the States, wasn’t able to find them anywhere I could go listen to them again. I didn’t get any ATs (I’d want to listen to them and pick a bad ass pair which I still may do), but I did go for mid-price blingtasticness in the WESC Aoki Signature Premium headphones in yellow. My pal CP asked the other day if I was having fun living in the 80s when I rolled up to Kristen’s grad wearing them and rocking out. I was enjoying all the decades, thankyouverymuch.

All this writing because I love them. I use them when I commute on CalTrain and tonight I rocked out to a new playlist on the new iPod while doing dishes and taking out trash and recycling. Oh, and I love the new Madonna/Justin Timberlake song, “4 Minutes.” I do. Mock if you like, but I’m also going to see New Kids On The Block in concert in October. FUCK YEAH.

Playing house in not like playing doctor. Unless you’re talking about the show, House, in which case it all gets quite confusing.

Bryan and I are on the house hunt these days. Mostly it involves me finding listings that are interesting, sending them to him, and then we talk endlessly about them. Today it involved actually driving out to see a particular place–going so far as to have the realtor come out and let us in to see it. Apparently I’m suddenly an adult. We’re now talking about neighborhoods and walking distance to shopping, our lack of caring about school districts, and how many renters vs. owners live in neighborhoods.

It’s occured to me recently (i.e. since I’ve turned the ripe old age of 30) that I’m suddenly grown up. Suddenly! OMG just now! First it was at Radena’s birthday dinner where I’m sitting in a nice restaurant with two friends I’ve known for a dozen years and all of our significant others. We’re drinking a nice bottle of wine, chatting about cars and jobs and property taxes if you move out of state but have two residences…when BAM! Grown up. I guess I should’ve seen it coming.

I mowed the lawn yesterday.

Normally this statement doesn’t really deserve to stand alone except that I can’t tell you the last time I used a lawn mower of any kind. It was probably more than fifteen years ago. My parents didn’t really have a lawn in the front or back, our house in Stockton didn’t have enough grass to mow, my apartment in Japan didn’t have any yard at all, and all of our rentals thus far have come with a gardener if there was a yard.

Because of the amounts of rain we’ve been receiving, our lawn has grown green and lush (yay winter!) and from the street our house was beginning to look abandoned. This house did come with a lawn mower stashed in the corner of the garage. However (and this is a gigante “howerver”) it is a manual push mower. When I got home from work yesterday around 3pm, I thought I’d just mow the lawn “real quick.” Not so much. It took me a bit to figure out how this mower worked (see above inexperience mowing lawns in general) and one of the parts that is supposed to be on it is clearly missing.

The experience of mowing took almost an hour. Our front lawn is not that big. It’s small, really. It seems that I don’t weigh enough nor do I have enough effective leverage to really push a mower through eight inch high grass and weeds. It felt much like my experiences trying to drive stick. Lots of stopping and starting and never getting any good momentum. It took an hour-ish but now our house looks moderately presentable from the street.

I now have a lawn that looks more like a lawn and less like a jungle, a good understanding of the ancient art of push mowers, and a sore lower back.

It took an extra click because our travel skills seem like they need a little extra oomph these days. Bryan and I had our initial flight to Austin delayed by five hours. Then we got to the airport to fly from Austin to New York via Chicago but had our flight from Chicago to NYC canceled. We re-routed to NYC via Dallas, and all those flights didn’t work the way they were supposed to. To leave New York, we were busting ass to get out of the hotel to have lunch with our friend Peter and then Bryan got a phone call that our entire flight had been canceled and they’d re-booked us for the next day. GAH. Today’s flights actually went without incident and we got home on time. Freakishly exactly on time.

Photos from New York tomorrow, as well as a breakdown of the important stuff: all the food we ate.

Bryan and I both got haircuts today! Oh thank god. Bryan’s hair was getting a little big (I’d show you the frightening perspective photo I took of him two days ago, but you don’t deserve that) and mine was getting too long and too heavy. Now we look like relatively well-groomed people who are ready to go out in public.

Here is the whole reason we’re here in Texas. Bryan’s grandfather turns 90 this week, so there was a grand old party in Waco on Saturday to celebrate. This is Bryan with his hair, his grandmother and grandfather at the shindig.

There’s also the draw of our grand-nephew, Daylon Cade, who has managed to reach 18 months before we got to chase him around.

Bryan and I are in Texas through Tuesday. We spent today in Waco. No, realy. Say it with a flat tone of voice. If I weren’t incredibly tired, I would post photos of Bryan’s grandfather’s 90th birthday party. Tomorrow. Vacation runs through a week from Monday.

Since I seem to be on a video kick (that will be a pun in a moment), check out this parkour meets soccer video. Goddamn.

Bryan and I are sick. This is the first time in more than six years that we’ve been sick together. Usually one of us is healthy enough to take care of the other for the first few days of the hacking. Now we’re both sick and it’s stupid.

The last two months have been…busy. Which just translates into “too lazy to blog.” In addition to the illness, I’ve got three days off this week so I’ll be working behind the scenes here trying to get a good theme up and running (including making the gallery work again–which might mean just dropping the dollars for a SmugMug account) and getting a few enhancements up.

What have I been up to?

• Sandy organizes my life.
• Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles has been making what was otherwise a dreary writer’s strike better.
• Watched a lot of movies recently. Highlights include Death Proof and the semi-related documentary Double Dare, Brief Encounter, and Samurai Fiction.