Boneshakerbike

Month: November 2003

  • Everything begins and ends

    Everything begins and ends

    Last night was a solo adventure through The Matrix, and honestly, I didn’t stay “solo” for long, I got completely sucked into that digital theater. You know how sometimes you’re watching a movie, and suddenly it feels like it’s speaking right to you? Yeah, that was me. It felt like every line was nodding to ideas I’ve mulled over for years. Stuff like, “So what is the point… everything begins and ends.” I’m still unpacking it all this morning.

    Meanwhile, here at work, it’s a ghost town. I’d need a map and compass to even find a “good morning” from someone, everyone must’ve taken the day off. And the run last night? Brutal. I was out there in the rain, and at one point I hit a slick rock, landed right on my elbow, and just kept sliding. Freezing leaves, wet mud, nature’s version of an obstacle course, and I only managed the “one hilla killa” instead of the full three.

    Laundry’s looking like an adventure too. With just two dollars and fifty cents to my name, I’m on a strict hand-wash and dryer-only budget tonight. It’s like Survivor: Laundry Edition, but hey, it might work.

    Anyway, back to the grind. Hope your morning’s smooth and a whole lot less slippery than mine!

  • Matrix Movie Out Today

    Matrix Movie Out Today

    Today’s the big day, the final Matrix movie finally hits theaters! I was all set to see it with the group at noon, but now they’ve pushed it to 4, which throws a wrench in things. So, guess who’s going solo? Yep, that’s me. I could tag along with them later, but that means I’d have to skip my afternoon run, and that’s not happening. Not a chance.

    And to top it off, it’s raining today, just like it was yesterday. But hey, I’m choosing to see the bright side, it’ll make tonight’s run feel all the more refreshing. (Or maybe just damp, but let’s be optimistic here.)

    Oh, and in today’s saga of minor annoyances, Sam’s Club is claiming that I damaged those rims myself. Can you believe that? Sure, because I have so much free time for casual rim damage.

    Wish I could head up to Plattsburgh to celebrate Paul’s birthday, but I’ll just have to send him some long-distance cheers. Anyway, happy lunchtime, folks! Hope it’s treating you better than Sam’s Club is treating me.

  • H E L P

    H E L P

    The statement below is from the company that I work for (no joke). Please read:

    An important addendum to your Savings Plan SPD and prospectus is now available on Employee Self Service. This addendum provides additional information about two recently announced changes to the Savings Plan: expanded ESOP diversification rights and conversion of ESOP stock from preferred to common stock. This addendum is an important part of your SPD. Please take a moment to review it…

    What the fudge does it mean? Here are my questions:

    1. What is a SPD?
    2. What is a prospectus?
    3. What is ESOP ?
    4. What is preferred stock vs common?

    Please comment!

  • New Pictures are Posted

    New Pictures are Posted

    Tonight, I realized I’ve been slacking on sharing all the photos I’ve been getting in the mail. So, I’ve finally posted two sets! The first batch is from my trip to Saratoga Springs to visit Paul and Lucy (such a good time with those two!). The second set features Emerson and his mom, Julie. There’s a cute Halloween shot of Emerson, plus one where he’s somehow flying a bassinet. 😂 Ah, kids these days, always keeping things interesting!

  • Giving Up

    Giving Up

    Mood: Grouchy
    Music: Enya – Miss Clare Remembers
    Food: Blueberry Scone & Coffee
    Setting: Work

    Alright, I think it’s time to throw in the towel on these morning runs. It’s just too dark out there, I’m talking pitch black, can’t-see-your-hand-in-front-of-your-face dark. I’m planning to do what I did last winter: head to work early, knock out the day, then hit the trails for an evening mountain run. Less “early bird catches the worm,” more “evening owl avoids face-planting in a tree.” Honestly, I was already itching to dust off the mountain bike the other day. And any day now, it’ll be ski season, so maybe I should just wait and swap out my trail shoes for skis.

    Right now, I’m sitting here with my scone and coffee, trying to summon that elusive burst of ambition everyone talks about, the kind that makes you feel productive. (Spoiler alert: not feeling it yet.) If it doesn’t show up soon, I’ll settle for just getting through the day. Tick-tock, tick-tock… I woke up with a raging headache around 4 or 5 a.m., so that’s probably not helping either.

    Hope y’all are faring better out there. Here’s to surviving ‘til quitting time.

  • Description Of Good Weekend

    This weekend was wonderful. Friday night I went to a Halloween party at my friend Sean's house. We handed out candy to 250 children. Why so many … he said that there neiborhood is a popular place during Halloween and a lot of inner city kids show up. All these mini vans full of trick or treaters. It is a real weird situation. I am not used to that kind of thing. As a child I knew all the houses I visited. I cant imagine boarding a bus to go to Billings to invade a neiborhood that I did not know.

    Saturday I traveled to Plattsburgh. Some of the stretches of the New York Thruway that goes through the Adirondacks are soooo long. Some times I had the car at 120 MPH and others I had the cruise control set at 100. I know all the police hideouts along the way. I used to travel that stretch every weekend. Once in Plattsburgh I got all involved in cleaning and vacuuming my car for the drop off at Scratch Club (Scams Club). We dropped my car off for new tires then we went out for dinner.

    We drove from place to place to only find that they were closed. Finally we settled upon Hitchcocks. It is a pub and sports bar. I had a huge burger and fries. It was good to be with friends again.

    After that we went to the new Starbucks to see how that was. It wasn't built completely yet so we headed over to Borders Books. It has a new coffee pavilion off the side encompassed by glass. I noticed that as you site you can see all the weather clouds coming and going across the North Country. I found a Adirondack Picture book and some other books by Richard Back to enjoy with my big coffee and cookie. We had a great and relaxing time there. Very nice.

    Paul and I dropped Lucy off at the Limberises, her parents new house in the evening and we returned to a used book store downtown. We browsed through old books and found a lot of cool stuff. Some books were from the horse and buggy times. We found some great books on Alaska and talked about going in two years for an adventure. After the grueling wait (Paul found some books to buy) we headed back to Scratch Club to pick up my car.

    That evening we had Lucy's Birthday Dinner at the Limberis's. I enjoyed the Greek tea and the olives. The squash was awesome as well. Niko enjoyed the game were you keep the balloon from touching the ground. It was fun. After dinner we jumped to Paul and Lucy's house for the desert. You cant beat Ben and Jerry's Ice cream. That was wonderful as well.

    One of the authors that i like is E. M. Forester. While we were at the used books store I browsed his books and noticed “A Room With a View”. I suggested that we watch the movie and Paul thought that it was a good idea as well. We stopped by the local wine shop for some wine. Paul left it up to me to choose. I immediately chose Shiraz by Yellowtail (cheap). Although I did find some by Rosemont Estates. The guy behind the counter agreed. His face lit up when I lifted the bottle and gestured. He said that Yellowtail cant hold a candle to the Rosemont. The guy was an expert! I felt proud that I even knew such things. When we arrived at the house I said that the wine was inspired by Monica, my friend that introduced me. Paul and Lucy had not tried Shiraz before. Ahhhhh that comfy feeling….the movie, a chic flick that even I found too bland. And I like those types of movies. Room with a View is very dry!

    Sunday morning I woke up to find out that my rims on my car were screwed up by Scratch Club. Paul and I took them in for a good argument with the staff. Not much I can do living down here and not being a member. It seems though that Paul has them admitting that they screwed up. After that cobossal we went hiking at Rattlesnake Mountain. It was slightly raining but the hike was good. Driving back home sucked. No money (had to borrow 55 cents from Paul for the tolls), no sleep, and raining most of the way.

    It was a good weekend. I cant wait till I get back up there. Possibly for a job interview some day.

  • Weekend In Plattsburgh

    This weekend was wonderful. Friday night I went to a Halloween party at my friend Sean”s house. We handed out candy to 250 children. Why so many … he said that there neiborhood is a popular place during Halloween and a lot of inner city kids show up. All these mini vans full of trick or treaters. It is a real weird situation. I am not used to that kind of thing.

    As a child I knew all the houses I visited. I cant imagine boarding a bus to go to Billings to invade a neiborhood that I did not know.

    On Saturday I went to Plattsburgh to be with my friends Paul and Lucy. We drove from place to place to only find that they were closed. Finally we settled upon Hitchcocks. It is a pub and sports bar. I had a huge burger and fries. It was good to be with friends again. After that we went to the new Starbucks to see how that was. It wasn”t built completely yet so we headed over to Borders Books. It has a new coffee pavilion off the side encompassed by glass. I noticed that as you site you can see all the weather clouds coming and going across the North Country.

    I found a Adirondack Picture book and some other books by Richard Back to enjoy with my big coffee and cookie. We had a great and relaxing time there. Very nice.

    Paul and I dropped Lucy off at the Limberises, her parents new house in the evening and we returned to a used book store downtown. We browsed through old books and found a lot of cool stuff. Some books were from the horse and buggy times. We found some great books on Alaska and talked about going in two years for an adventure. After the grueling wait (Paul found some books to buy) we headed back to Scratch Club to pick up my car.

    That evening we had Lucy”s Birthday Dinner at the Limberis”s. I enjoyed the Greek tea and the olives. The squash was awesome as well. Niko enjoyed the game were you keep the balloon from touching the ground. It was fun. After dinner we jumped to Paul and Lucy”s house for the desert. You can’t beat Ben and Jerry”s Ice cream. That was wonderful as well.

    One of the authors that i like is E. M. Forester. While we were at the used books store I browsed his books and noticed “A Room With a View”. I suggested that we watch the movie and Paul thought that it was a good idea as well. We stopped by the local wine shop for some wine. Paul left it up to me to choose. I immediately chose Shiraz by Yellowtail (cheap). Although I did find some by Rosemont Estates. The guy behind the counter agreed. His face lit up when I lifted the bottle and gestured. He said that Yellowtail cant hold a candle to the Rosemont. The guy was an expert! I felt proud that I even knew such things.

    When we arrived at the house I said that the wine was inspired by Monica, my friend that introduced me. Paul and Lucy had not tried Shiraz before. Ahhhhh that comfy feeling….the movie, a chic flick that even I found too bland. And I like those types of movies. Room with a View is very dry!

    Sunday morning I woke up to find out that my rims on my car were screwed up by Scratch Club. Paul and I took them in for a good argument with the staff. Not much I can do living down here and not being a member. It seems though that Paul has them admitting that they screwed up. After that cobossal we went hiking at Rattlesnake Mountain. It was slightly raining but the hike was good.

    Driving back home sucked. No money (had to borrow 55 cents from Paul for the tolls), no sleep, and raining most of the way. It was a good weekend. I cant wait till I get back up there. Possibly for a job interview some day.

  • Back from Plattsburgh: Adventures, Tantrums, and (Maybe) New Tires?

    Back from Plattsburgh: Adventures, Tantrums, and (Maybe) New Tires?

    Yes, this is a boneshakerbike mountain bike frame with road gear and I was able to sneak away for a rare pizza cutter win.

    Yo yo yo, Plattsburgh survivors! Guess who’s back, like a bad penny refusing to stay hidden in your couch cushions? That’s right, yours truly, fresh off an adventure (or was it an ordeal?) in the great northern tundra. So strap in, folks, ’cause this update promises more twists and turns than a pretzel factory.

    First things first: Plattsburgh. Did it break me? Did it reform me? Did it, dare I say, confuse me more than a politician’s campaign promises? Let’s just say I may have returned with a few extra stories (and possibly a questionable tan line). Details to come, stay tuned!

    Speaking of stories, buckle up for the holy trinity of chaos: new tires, a Sam’s Club snafu of epic proportions, and a mind-bending experience so intense it rivals the season finale of Lost. (Remember that show? Wild times.) Unpacking might take longer than deciphering hieroglyphics, but fear not, pictures are coming soon, proof that I actually ventured beyond my front door.

    Now, excuse me while I go wrestle with these boxes and contemplate the existential questions raised by Sam’s Club’s return policy. Until next time, remember: sometimes, the best souvenirs are the stories you (almost) can’t believe yourself.

    P.S. Did anyone else catch the meteor shower last night? Or was that just my sanity shooting stars across the sky? Asking for a friend… (who may or may not be me, but hey, who’s judging?)