Monday Rambles

Lots going on last week, for sure!

First off, the weather.  There's an old joke that if you don't like the weather in Louisville, wait fifteen minutes and it will change.  On Tuesday, that was true.

When Keith was leaving for work at 7, he said "Oh! Snow!" when he opened the door.  I was thinking he meant a dusting, but when I went to the window to look a little while later, there were a couple of inches on the ground.  The roads and the sidewalks were clear, though, and it had stopped snowing.

When I left for work at 10, I grabbed my heavy gloves and one of Keith's winter coats.  It was on the back of a chair and easier to get to than mine.  I thought the jacket that I'd been weraing most of the winter would not be warm enough.  I put on my hat and headed out.

Since it had stopped snowing and the pavements were clear, I decided to ride the bike.  It was misting, but not raining and it didn't really seem that slick.  I had discovered the day before that my back brakes were going out, so I just took it slow and steady.  I quickly discovered that, while Keith's coat and my heavy gloves were perfect, my hat was too lightweight and my ears were cold.

I got to work about 10:45--the ride took longer than normal because I was going slower.  I ate my lunch, got ready for class, had class until 2:30, and stepped out into warmer temps and no mist and also no snow anywhere to be seen.  None whatsoever.  Everything had still been covered when I went in.

It was warmer, but not balmy.  Now Keith's coat and my heavy gloves were too hot, but my lightweight hat was perfect.  Go fig.

I got a call Monday about the next evolution of the part-time gig (PTG).  The current source of most of my hours is grant-funded, and that grant ends next month, which means that hours will too.  I can't say much about the next part just yet, since I don't have all the deets yet.  I'm heading to a training next week to find out all about it.  In the meantime, my evening classes are starting soon and I've had a call from one of my private clients about some more classes.  I think I'm going to be okay.

Did I really just say "deets"?  Note to self:  you're not seventeen.

Keith and I went to a newish tapas-style Asian vegetarian restaurant for Valentine's Day.  The woman who started it is responsible for the menus at two of our other favorite places in town, so we were curious.  It was seven different kinds of AWESOME!  A tad too pricey to be a regular dining stop, but just right for a special occasion.  Pure exponential yumminess.

Last Friday's post was # 700, by the way. I made it!  Woo Hoo!  Where's my cake?  For the record, I've now passed post totals for 2003, 2004 and 2009, and it's not even March yet!  Could this be the year I get 200 blogs posted?  I need to pad this puppy with some more videos!

We took my bike to the shop Tuesday night to get it tuned up.  It's been needing it for a while, but with the brake problems I've been having, it seemed like the time to take it in had arrived.  So, I had to ride Keith's bike for a while, which is quite a shift for me.  My bike is a Wahoo.  His is a Townie Electra.  It's like going from your zippy little sportscar to your grandfather's big ole Pontiac. 

On the one hand, it's so relaxing to drive.  You sit way back and get a lot of push from your legs without a lot of stress on them.  There's no pressure on your back either.  It really is quite fun.  On the other hand, it's bigger and heavier than my bike.  Plus, it has only one handle bar brake, for the front wheel.  You back pedal for the rear brake, like a kids bike.  Starting up from a stop takes me a little longer, due to the difference in size and weight.  And it has a much wider turning radius.

Other than that, it's really fun to ride.  It doesn't really take me any longer to get to work.  I kind of feel like some sort of royalty all laid back like that when I ride it.  Kind of like I'm in the Rose Court at the Rose Bowl Parade or something.  I've had to fight the urge to start waving at people and shouting "Hellooooo!" in my best Hyacinth Bucket impression.  I just know that as soon as I start doing that something like this is going to happen to me:



Or this:



(Isn't Patricia Routledge a hoot?  Just love her!  That second clip is my favorite from the whole series, by the way.)

This week is going to be pretty nuts.  My evening classes start back, so I'm out three nights a week and Keith is out three nights a week. And they're not the same nights!  Not sure how two booths are going to fit into this at all.

Sales were pretty brisk at both spots last week, after a lull at YesterNook.  Saturday, I dropped some small furniture off there, then bought a desk to take to the Peddler's Mall.  Dropped it off there, and got a shelf to take back to YesterNook.  And in between, got my bike out of the shop!

It really needed the work, too.  I didn't get a tune up last year, so I needed several things replaced/updated. It cost a little more than I initially thought it would, but it's worth it.  That bike is my primary weekday transportation.  It rides like a completely new machine!

By the way, Happy Early Ash Wednesday.  (Is that said?)  And Happy Mardi Gras!  And Happy National Pancake Week!  Which is fitting, given that tomorrow is Shrove Tuesday!

And, on a final note:  when did Van Halen get so old?