Surreality

What a weird-feeling week it is turning out to be. Especially today. A 40 degree drop in temperature! Tonight I made it to Home Depot, finally. I was in there for much longer than I expected. It was getting a little colder when I went in, but I left my hat and gloves in the car, thinking that I didn't want to carry them around. Later, when I walked out a few minutes before they closed, there was a blizzard outside! Literally! The snow was blowing sideways at like 60 mph (well, not quite)!! The most surreal thing was, the snow was so bad that I had no idea where I was. I felt totally disoriented. I didn't recognize anything, and I had no idea where I was parked. It just seemed like I was in another world. I couldn't even see where to go to get out of the parking lot once I blew across the lot into the car. Everything was white and the wind was whooshing and I couldn't even see Mt. Trashmore and the park across the street. Once out on the street I still saw white and more white. I could not tell where the yellow line was. When I caught a glimpse of it peeking out I realized I was halfway into the other lane, oops!

I went to do some looking and research for some renovation and ended up with an informal lesson from the sales guy, based on his experience. ( I like learning this kind of stuff. ) This was in the bath department. Besides finding out what the best brands of faucets they carry are, in his opinion, I also found out which faucet styles guys choose and which ones they hate, as well as which ones women prefer. I found out what faucet the sales guy always shows moms with kids. (single handle, he says) I found out which granite vanity top colors men like, which one women always choose but men never do, which one old ladies like, and which one no one ever buys! As well as which one couples agree on as a compromise. Men prefer cabinets with knobs. Women go for handles, and drawers are a big plus. Light colors for women, dark for men. Men supposedly will tolerate a less than manly countertop and vanity if they like the faucet. Litttle old ladies like vanities with legs, so that they can clean underneath. I found out what vanities are likely to come apart and get moldy if they are right next to the shower. I pointed out that the bathroom cabinetry line that the guy said was real wood really wasn't. He hadn't realized that. Hmmm. Maybe he's not the Professor of the Bath.

I didn't realize how much bathroom trends have changed, I don't normally pay attention to that stuff. Some of the newer style sinks and cabinets are really cool looking, but not always so practical! Alot of the trendy vessel sinks don't have an overflow hole, for one thing. And the design of it really limits your counter space. I saw a really cool hammered copper vessel sink that the salespeople have nicknamed the "armadillo sink". Cuz it looks like it has scales, I guess. His impression is that alot of his customers were buying for rental apartments. The people buying for their own home spend alot more time making decisions, going to lots of different places, and might come back to the store 4 times before they decide on everything.

The bad thing is I had every intention of going straight to the gym from Home Depot - but I made the mistake of stopping at home. I never made it to the gym, unusual for me. I try to go every day, except on days that I get out for a ride.

Other out of the ordinary things - in the space of two days I got a request from a friend to photograph her artwork, and an offer from another friend to join the business that she is thinking about starting. I have been told that when your life isn't going the way you had planned (for example, being injured and having to change your focus on racing), other things present themselves. But sometimes people are too stubborn to recognize those things and take a different path.... As I said that I was not qualified for the photo job and didn't have the right equipment, and as I said I wasn't sure I had time to get involved in a new business, I wondered if these were things that were supposed to lead me in a new direction.... new-agey as that sounds.....

As for last weekend, I got to get out and play in the snow twice before the big melt. Saturday was 2 hours of snowshoeing in a lakefront park and on the beach, and Sunday was x-c skiing for 2.5 hours in the same place. I hadn't x-c skiied in years and years - I felt super ackward on my new skiis! I have had them for a while but didn't get to try them out last year. Different type of boots, bindings, and skinnier skiis, than I used to have. The old ones had metal edges and were wide for backcountry trailbreaking. I will miss that, but I won't miss waxing!! The new ones are waxless and I will probably use them a lot more because I can just grab them and go. If we get enough snow, that is. The boots are Rossignol and have zippers, which I could barely zip once they hit the ankle. Really a struggle. I know for sure that I am not ready to go skiing somewhere like Kettle that's really hilly. I have memories of struggling uphill at Kettle and being out of control on the downhills trying to turn at the bottom and miss trees!


Those crazy snowshoers....

Your next bike?

For you singlespeeders, here is your next bike!

Cool Hunting - Puma Bicycle and World Bicycle Relief

I get an email newsletter called Cool Hunting Daily about what's new and cool. I opened the January 25th issue, and the first thing I saw was an article about a new Puma urban mobility bike (customized by an artist) that they are auctioning off on Ebay to benefit World Bicycle Relief. Pretty cool.

Also, congrats to Julie on the great profile of her recent accomplishments on the Chicago Bike Racing site Friday.

(Regarding Pam spray to prevent mud from sticking, mentioned in Julie's interview, there was a also product for a while called Mud-Off that was meant to do the same thing. Does anyone remember it? I won a big spray bottle of it once at a race, which I think I still have. I carried a can of Pam to some of the races this year, but forgot to use it when it would have helped the most!)

And, thanks to Ben for his Friday blog link to a fun bike video that had me laughing every time I watched it. I sent it out to a bunch of non-blog readers and alot of them liked it too. Even if you have already seen it, watch it again and smile.

Is Blue the New Green?

An article in the Chicago Tribune's Tempo section (print edition, Thursday 1/24) discusses whether or not blue is going to overtake green as the environmental movement's new hue. A trendspotter is quoted as saying that "green is used up, played out and weighed down by associations with the "beards and sandals" activists of yesteryear." Blue, on the other hand, strikes her as fresh, distinctive and relevant.

On a different note, a friend sent me a link to a video of a police motorcycle contest. Even if you don't ride a motorcycle, you have to appreciate this guy's handling skills! I don't think he knocked over a single cone. The Police Harley he is riding probably weighs 800 lbs, but he makes it look much lighter. I had to watch this one a couple of times. (Good thing they don't use that course for the license test.) It'd be interesting to see how he'd do out on the trail on an mtb, if he had the fitness to go with the skills.

I ran across an ad for the the Police Bike Store when I googled "police Harley", looking for a pic. This site sells police bicycles and accessories. It's a whole world that I have never thought much about. Check out the police bike lights, complete with sirens! They also sell a Fuji helmet with an integrated lighting system. I wonder why there isn't a commuter version of that on the market - maybe there is? Too heavy?

Cycling on ESPN

There's a long feature on Slipstream on espn.com. Complete with witty comments from Dave Zabriskie. They are profiling Jonathan Vaughter's efforts to have a successful "clean team".

Fore

I am not a golfer. I imagine most readers aren't either. But I read that this is really fun and addictive, so I had to pass it along for those of you who need one more computer time-waster! It's called World Golf Tour. It works in a browser - you don't have to download anything. Supposedly you can play with your friends. I only have tried the tutorial. Check it out, if for no other reason than to see some refreshing greenness and sunlight on one of the coldest days of the year. You can even hear the birds chirp.

You are what you Eat

You can be one too.


(I found this link blogsurfing. M and M's are long time friends of mine!)

Like Pulling Teeth

I might have a chance to sell some stuff at a friend's table at the bike swap this weekend. I have always had a hard time parting with bike stuff, I always think I might need it. I haven't taken the time necessary to get organized and sell stuff in the past. And bikes are just hard to part with, period!! If I go to the swap it's a chance to start getting rid of stuff I thought I would use but haven't.

I have never sold anything at a swap or on ebay, and I am wondering which way would bring a better price? Most of the stuff I would sell is in brand new condition, but older, except for a few used things like suspension forks and saddles. I have used parts, too, but I really don't have time between now and Saturday to dig them out and get them cleaned up and ready to sell.

An example would be top of the line road racing clinchers that are older, but brand new in the box. If they retailed for $60ish, what can I get for them? Would I do better on Ebay or at the Swap? Craigslist? What about a set of older, but never used, shimano road racing wheels? I'm not sure if I should just keep them if I can't get a decent price, and have extra wheels. But that's the logic I have always used, leading to a crowded basement ... and mavic is working really well for me right now.

How does clothing do at a swap? Mostly new stuff that didn't fit and couldn't be returned. Are people only interested in parts or is it worth it to bring a few pieces of clothing?

At a swap, do most people have only a price on the sign, or do they add an "or best offer" on their sign?

For a whole bike, is a swap better or ebay? If it's a nice bike that might have some fans, I would think more people would see it on ebay.

There is so much stuff I dont know any more. I miss hanging out at a shop and learning from everyone there.

It boils down to, what is the best way to sell bike stuff? is it worth it to make the effort to go through everything and take some of it to the swap? The timing is not the best for me, I have other things I should be doing.

if anyone has experience with this, any comments or suggestions would be helpful!

Maybe if I do sell some stuff I can get one of those cordless inflators Julie saw in her mechanic's class. Oh, wait, that would be getting more stuff!

Happy Birthday

Happy birthday to Holly K.!

Congratulations

Congrats to Ben and Julie on their engagement!!

Happy New Year!