tonight i'm gonna cut it out and then restart
Jun. 9th, 2025 07:50 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
musesfoolI made this black cocoa loaf cake yesterday, and followed it exactly as written despite some skepticism, which turned out to be warranted, because the middle of the loaf collapsed as it cooled. Even as I was measuring out 1 TBSP of baking powder(!!!), I was like, this seems excessive, but maybe it's because the cocoa is so alkalinized??? So I might cut that back slightly to 1.5 or 2 tsps if I make it again, which I might, because the flavor is good, despite all that baking powder. I didn't bother with the ganache since I don't have room in the fridge for the cake. But it would also disguise that kind of collapse, so if I were serving it to other people I probably would make it.
It's been gray and cool since last night, but it hasn't rained yet, so I've been able to keep the windows open. I did have to use the AC a couple times last week, especially to sleep, and I'll put it on again when necessary, but it was nice just using the fan last night.
Anyway, work remains busy, the world is on fire, but the Mets stay winning! Gotta take the little joys while you can...
*
It's been gray and cool since last night, but it hasn't rained yet, so I've been able to keep the windows open. I did have to use the AC a couple times last week, especially to sleep, and I'll put it on again when necessary, but it was nice just using the fan last night.
Anyway, work remains busy, the world is on fire, but the Mets stay winning! Gotta take the little joys while you can...
*
that double just loosened him up last night
Jun. 7th, 2025 10:22 pmmusesfoolI used decaf to make coffee granita last night, and I had it for dessert this evening along with a dollop of homemade whipped cream, and it seems to have worked out all right - no late evening side effects of caffeine that I can feel. And I think it's better later in the day as a treat than as my morning coffee, because I eat it so quickly and also it's sweet. I don't put any sugar in my regular coffee, but granita requires it so it doesn't freeze solid. I used vanilla sugar but can't really detect the vanilla (or, rather, differentiate it from the vanilla in the whipped cream).
Also, they were on sale, so I bought a pack of paper plates and they made cleanup after cooking so easy that I remembered why I used to use them regularly back before I had a dishwasher. My plan to replace my dead dishwasher is to try the 4th of July sales - Friend L is going to join me at the store to see if the model I want (Bosch) actually fits in the space I've got (and if it goes on sale - it did not for Memorial Day, that I saw, but maybe I don't need the more expensive/top-of-the-line model? It's just that it has something that will allegedly turn the machine off if it senses a leak, which seems like a good thing to have, especially when you live in an apartment above other people and are responsible if any leakage causes damages below you). Anyway, July is a three-paycheck month, which gives me some leeway for paying most of it off ASAP and not increasing my credit card debt any more than I have to.
*
Also, they were on sale, so I bought a pack of paper plates and they made cleanup after cooking so easy that I remembered why I used to use them regularly back before I had a dishwasher. My plan to replace my dead dishwasher is to try the 4th of July sales - Friend L is going to join me at the store to see if the model I want (Bosch) actually fits in the space I've got (and if it goes on sale - it did not for Memorial Day, that I saw, but maybe I don't need the more expensive/top-of-the-line model? It's just that it has something that will allegedly turn the machine off if it senses a leak, which seems like a good thing to have, especially when you live in an apartment above other people and are responsible if any leakage causes damages below you). Anyway, July is a three-paycheck month, which gives me some leeway for paying most of it off ASAP and not increasing my credit card debt any more than I have to.
*
it's only me who wants to wrap around your dreams
Jun. 6th, 2025 04:24 pmmusesfoolThe Mets lost a game yesterday they should have won, but I guess it doesn't matter that much because they took the season series from the Dodgers, which means if they are both divisional winners and meet in the NLCS in October, the Mets will have home field advantage. I mean, it would have been nice for them to win on a day when both Atlanta and Philly lost, but I guess you can't have everything.
Anyway, staying up for the previous games in the series (they were out in LA) caught up with me and I couldn't keep my eyes open last night, so I ended up going right to bed at 8:30. It wasn't even fully dark yet! But I slept through till 4:15, got up to use the bathroom, and then slept through again till my alarm went off at 8:15, so I guess I really needed it. I had a lot of dreams, but the one that stuck with me was something where I was already in the hospital visiting someone, and the doctor was like, "we need to talk about your appendix, it needs to come out!" And I was like, "that's news to me since I haven't had an appendix since 1976!" (truth!) And she was like, "what?" and I was like, "what?" and then the dream moved on - I don't remember anything else.
There's really not a whole lot else going on. Work is busy - our CFO keeps trying to steal me away from my boss, but like, there's nothing in Finance for me to do? My main job is board support, and that belongs either in legal or the CEO's office, so...*hands* I guess if something ever happened to my position I might consider trying to transfer, but I just don't see how that would work. No one is indispensable, but no one else in this organization does what I do (and frankly, no one else wants to). If a new CEO comes in and has different ideas, that could be a problem, but I'm trying not to think about that too much. There are closer threats to my job right now. *gestures at everything*
*
Anyway, staying up for the previous games in the series (they were out in LA) caught up with me and I couldn't keep my eyes open last night, so I ended up going right to bed at 8:30. It wasn't even fully dark yet! But I slept through till 4:15, got up to use the bathroom, and then slept through again till my alarm went off at 8:15, so I guess I really needed it. I had a lot of dreams, but the one that stuck with me was something where I was already in the hospital visiting someone, and the doctor was like, "we need to talk about your appendix, it needs to come out!" And I was like, "that's news to me since I haven't had an appendix since 1976!" (truth!) And she was like, "what?" and I was like, "what?" and then the dream moved on - I don't remember anything else.
There's really not a whole lot else going on. Work is busy - our CFO keeps trying to steal me away from my boss, but like, there's nothing in Finance for me to do? My main job is board support, and that belongs either in legal or the CEO's office, so...*hands* I guess if something ever happened to my position I might consider trying to transfer, but I just don't see how that would work. No one is indispensable, but no one else in this organization does what I do (and frankly, no one else wants to). If a new CEO comes in and has different ideas, that could be a problem, but I'm trying not to think about that too much. There are closer threats to my job right now. *gestures at everything*
*
this team is so loaded with fire power*
Jun. 2nd, 2025 10:40 pmmusesfoolWork was nuts today, especially since I was out on Friday and some of my cow-orkers apparently just waited around for me to come back instead of sending an email themselves. Plus I had 2 committee meetings (unusual - we try not to do that unless we absolutely can't avoid it) but luckily 1 only lasted 15 minutes, so I was able to knock out the minutes in about a similar amount of time. *g*
Yesterday I roasted some ears of corn, and ate 2 for lunch and then scraped the other 3 into a big bowl and the added some crumbled up bacon, 2 pints of really beautiful grape tomatoes, some little pearls of fresh mozzarella, a sliced vidalia onion, and some salt and pepper, oregano, basil, rosemary, and thyme, and dressed it all with some balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Delicious! I will make some orzo to add to it for lunch over the next couple of days and I am looking forward to it.
I also finally hit upon a good way to cook hotdogs without a grill - in the broiler. I don't eat them very often but a couple times during the summer I get a craving, so when they go on sale, I sometimes snag a pack and some soft, cheap buns to eat with them. Of course, since I have the palate of a 5-year-old, I still prefer ketchup on my hotdogs, but since I live alone, there's no one here to judge me. *g*
*The Dodgers, not the Mets. Sigh.
***
Yesterday I roasted some ears of corn, and ate 2 for lunch and then scraped the other 3 into a big bowl and the added some crumbled up bacon, 2 pints of really beautiful grape tomatoes, some little pearls of fresh mozzarella, a sliced vidalia onion, and some salt and pepper, oregano, basil, rosemary, and thyme, and dressed it all with some balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Delicious! I will make some orzo to add to it for lunch over the next couple of days and I am looking forward to it.
I also finally hit upon a good way to cook hotdogs without a grill - in the broiler. I don't eat them very often but a couple times during the summer I get a craving, so when they go on sale, I sometimes snag a pack and some soft, cheap buns to eat with them. Of course, since I have the palate of a 5-year-old, I still prefer ketchup on my hotdogs, but since I live alone, there's no one here to judge me. *g*
*The Dodgers, not the Mets. Sigh.
***
goes right back to that breaking ball
May. 31st, 2025 06:36 pmmusesfoolRecs update!
unfitforsociety has been updated for May 2025 with 13 story recs and 2 vid recs in 3 fandoms:
✭ 12 Batfamily
✭ 1 Star Wars
✭ 1 Avengers vid and 1 Star Wars vid
***
I bought some string cheese a couple weeks ago on sale and today I breaded and fried it into mozzarella sticks. So good to eat! So messy to clean up after!
I slept poorly again last night - I had to shut the window while it was raining, and I don't know if it's the barometric pressure that's been giving me these headaches, but I don't like it. At least this cool rainy weather meant I made it all the way through May without turning on the AC. It looks like I will probably start needed it next week though. Last year, I signed up for the thing where they charge you the same amount each month to smooth out the ups and downs, which I've grown to prefer to the $110 swings in my electric bill come summer.
In other news, I learned that there really is a cocoa shortage and I'm not imagining it. So I'm glad I stocked up from King Arthur. Unfortunately, the bag had a small tear in it, so everything in the box it shipped with was covered in a fine dusting of cocoa powder. 🤨 But I washed it all and transferred the cocoa into a ziplock so it's all nice and tidy now.
***
unfitforsociety has been updated for May 2025 with 13 story recs and 2 vid recs in 3 fandoms:✭ 12 Batfamily
✭ 1 Star Wars
✭ 1 Avengers vid and 1 Star Wars vid
***
I bought some string cheese a couple weeks ago on sale and today I breaded and fried it into mozzarella sticks. So good to eat! So messy to clean up after!
I slept poorly again last night - I had to shut the window while it was raining, and I don't know if it's the barometric pressure that's been giving me these headaches, but I don't like it. At least this cool rainy weather meant I made it all the way through May without turning on the AC. It looks like I will probably start needed it next week though. Last year, I signed up for the thing where they charge you the same amount each month to smooth out the ups and downs, which I've grown to prefer to the $110 swings in my electric bill come summer.
In other news, I learned that there really is a cocoa shortage and I'm not imagining it. So I'm glad I stocked up from King Arthur. Unfortunately, the bag had a small tear in it, so everything in the box it shipped with was covered in a fine dusting of cocoa powder. 🤨 But I washed it all and transferred the cocoa into a ziplock so it's all nice and tidy now.
***
so high you can't see over
May. 31st, 2025 03:12 pmunfitforsocietyVids
Avengers
My Metrocard by![[archiveofourown.org profile]](https://p.dreamwidth.org/b164c54b26e4/-/archiveofourown.org/favicon.ico)
seekingferret
Fun Avengers + NYC vid!
✭
Star Wars
What Was I Thinkin'? byTafadhali
Fun, fantastic Han/Leia vid!
✭
Avengers
My Metrocard by
Fun Avengers + NYC vid!
✭
Star Wars
What Was I Thinkin'? by
Fun, fantastic Han/Leia vid!
✭
falling feels like flying
May. 31st, 2025 03:07 pmunfitforsocietyStar Wars
Sparks bySpellCleaver
AU where Luke is raised by Vader, but is working as a Rebel agent and complications ensue. A good, long read.
✭
Sparks by
AU where Luke is raised by Vader, but is working as a Rebel agent and complications ensue. A good, long read.
✭
there will be no sign from above
May. 31st, 2025 03:03 pmunfitforsocietyBatfamily
Bury Me Face Down byhistorical_allusions
After his confrontation with Batman leaves Red Hood bleeding out on a warehouse floor, Jason Todd wakes up back in his teenage body and still trapped in his casket.
When every death leads back to the same starting point, Jason stumbles through attempt after attempt to get things right. But he's not giving up until he's fixed things. Interesting, slightly melancholy time loop AU where Jason keeps reviving in his grave until he gets things right. <3
door, opening bycowboysorceror
Long, compelling casefile focusing on Dick and Jason's contentious relationship. I really enjoyed it.
Forget me, Forget me not byCaptain_Aurinko
Kon gets erased from reality, and Tim keeps trying to figure out why there are so many weird gaps in his life. Oh heart...
Head in the Clouds bylurkinglurkerwholurks
Jason takes a week off to heal from injuries and enjoys it more than he expected.
Independent Variable bypotofsoup
Tim is doing great being an independent vigilante, he's fine! He doesn't need help, he's definitely not estranged from the family -- he's just being independent.
Good thing he's part of a family of detectives who have their own ways of reaching out.
Featuring two powerpoints, one casefile, half a contract, a roomba, and several hugs. Oh Tim... I enjoyed this! (Plus, there's art!)
Jason Todd: Regular College Student byAddictedApple
AU where, at the end of his League of Assassins training, Jason decides to go to Metropolis for college instead of going back to Gotham for revenge. Things spiral from there. The title is so sarcastic by the way. There's nothing regular about Jason Todd. This is a lot of fun!
Join the Club byCephalogod
In which Jason Todd meets Tim Drake, who is inexplicably Dick Grayson's #1 Fan, and decides the only reasonable course of action is to plot to get the two of them to meet and see what happens. It definitely won't have a major impact on his life or anything. This is super cute!
Lois Lane's Number One Fan Tim Drake byChiyana
Bruce is missing - as Bruce Wayne - and somewhere in Metropolis. Tim knows Bruce said to tell Clark Kent in case something like this happens, but why would you go to Clark Kent for help when Lois Lane is right there? I mean, he's not wrong...This is fun!
No Need To Fake It byLakeAwen
When Talia and Cheshire start a civil war against Ra's, they send Damian and Lian to safety with the one bodyguard they can trust: Jason Todd. Jason and his charges set up house in a small New Zealand town, and try to figure out civilian life together. They find more of a home -- and a family -- than they ever expected. Jason just can't let himself forget that this is temporary. This is really lovely. There's a sequel in progress, but I think this story can stand on its own.
Nobody bygoldenraeofsun
One week of feverish research. Two days of furious tracking. Thirty minutes of hopeless fighting.
It is all coming to this, a deal Tim has no choice but to accept.
"I'll release your family in exchange for all their memories of you," Klarion the Witch Boy says.
"I'll do it," Tim says loudly before he can second-guess himself. His fingers tighten around his last birdarang, but he does not throw it. Instead, he stands stock still, forcing himself to keep breathing, keep standing, despite the bone-deep exhaustion weighing his body down.
After all, Gotham needs Batman much more than it needs Robin. Oh Tim...
Of A Genius' Legacy bysparkoflena
Tim takes a couple of months off in order to catch up on two and a half years of school all in one go - and graduates high school. He knows he deserves a celebration.
He just didn't expect his whole family to show. <333
you long for a feeling you'll never get back bypuddingcatbeans
In a family made of up people unused to having such a big family, sometimes you get lost in the noise. And Tim has always been taught to be the child that was seen, not heard. Oh Tim...
✭
Bury Me Face Down by
After his confrontation with Batman leaves Red Hood bleeding out on a warehouse floor, Jason Todd wakes up back in his teenage body and still trapped in his casket.
When every death leads back to the same starting point, Jason stumbles through attempt after attempt to get things right. But he's not giving up until he's fixed things. Interesting, slightly melancholy time loop AU where Jason keeps reviving in his grave until he gets things right. <3
door, opening by
Long, compelling casefile focusing on Dick and Jason's contentious relationship. I really enjoyed it.
Forget me, Forget me not by
Kon gets erased from reality, and Tim keeps trying to figure out why there are so many weird gaps in his life. Oh heart...
Head in the Clouds by
Jason takes a week off to heal from injuries and enjoys it more than he expected.
Independent Variable by
Tim is doing great being an independent vigilante, he's fine! He doesn't need help, he's definitely not estranged from the family -- he's just being independent.
Good thing he's part of a family of detectives who have their own ways of reaching out.
Featuring two powerpoints, one casefile, half a contract, a roomba, and several hugs. Oh Tim... I enjoyed this! (Plus, there's art!)
Jason Todd: Regular College Student by
AU where, at the end of his League of Assassins training, Jason decides to go to Metropolis for college instead of going back to Gotham for revenge. Things spiral from there. The title is so sarcastic by the way. There's nothing regular about Jason Todd. This is a lot of fun!
Join the Club by
In which Jason Todd meets Tim Drake, who is inexplicably Dick Grayson's #1 Fan, and decides the only reasonable course of action is to plot to get the two of them to meet and see what happens. It definitely won't have a major impact on his life or anything. This is super cute!
Lois Lane's Number One Fan Tim Drake by
Bruce is missing - as Bruce Wayne - and somewhere in Metropolis. Tim knows Bruce said to tell Clark Kent in case something like this happens, but why would you go to Clark Kent for help when Lois Lane is right there? I mean, he's not wrong...This is fun!
No Need To Fake It by
When Talia and Cheshire start a civil war against Ra's, they send Damian and Lian to safety with the one bodyguard they can trust: Jason Todd. Jason and his charges set up house in a small New Zealand town, and try to figure out civilian life together. They find more of a home -- and a family -- than they ever expected. Jason just can't let himself forget that this is temporary. This is really lovely. There's a sequel in progress, but I think this story can stand on its own.
Nobody by
One week of feverish research. Two days of furious tracking. Thirty minutes of hopeless fighting.
It is all coming to this, a deal Tim has no choice but to accept.
"I'll release your family in exchange for all their memories of you," Klarion the Witch Boy says.
"I'll do it," Tim says loudly before he can second-guess himself. His fingers tighten around his last birdarang, but he does not throw it. Instead, he stands stock still, forcing himself to keep breathing, keep standing, despite the bone-deep exhaustion weighing his body down.
After all, Gotham needs Batman much more than it needs Robin. Oh Tim...
Of A Genius' Legacy by
Tim takes a couple of months off in order to catch up on two and a half years of school all in one go - and graduates high school. He knows he deserves a celebration.
He just didn't expect his whole family to show. <333
you long for a feeling you'll never get back by
In a family made of up people unused to having such a big family, sometimes you get lost in the noise. And Tim has always been taught to be the child that was seen, not heard. Oh Tim...
✭
went to the curveball, bounced it
May. 30th, 2025 07:45 pmmusesfoolI slept very poorly last night and woke up with a blinding headache and some serious nausea, so I called out of work and went back to bed for a couple of hours.
I keep meaning to post then forgetting what I want to say, since it's mostly just about work. I did get several amazing photos of Baby Miss L in a Spider-Gwen outfit with a hood (with a glittery pink mask on it), a cute blue spider on the torso (when I first saw it, I admit my initial response was "Khaji Da?" so it's more scarab than spider but also she's 2 and a half, so) and a skirt decorated with webbing. It's so cute and she apparently approved of it by saying "Spider-Man! Spider-Man!" in her specific toddler lingo. And the Superman dress finally arrived so I hope to see pictures of that soon, too! Also, she has taken to carrying her Easter basket over her shoulder like a purse and calling it her bag, so she is definitely getting a headstart on her fashionista personality.
In other news, I was reading some fic I was otherwise enjoying but I will never ever ever understand why in EVERY SINGLE FANDOM I have ever read fic in, there are some gobsmackingly awful non-canon nicknames that proliferate. Sometimes for characters who already have a canonical nickname, so why? I mean, I get that the use of a nickname can be intimacy marker (much like the switch from last name to first name, or full first name to canon nickname), but the fact is, none of the characters this is applied to would ever allow themselves to be called these names by ANYONE, not even an intimate partner. The worst is when Jason calls Talia "Tals." NO. WHO thinks TALIA AL GHUL, DAUGHTER OF THE DEMON, is going to let ANYONE call her "Tals." No, really, meet me in the parking lot, I just have some questions.
I also don't understand when people apologize for...well, anything really, in their author's notes, but especially when they say shit like, "Sorry this chapter is mostly dialogue! We'll get back to the introspection soon!" I mean, I guess some people don't like dialogue??? Obviously mileage varies. But it is frequently the best part of a story for me. If your story holds off on dialogue for too long in favor of maundering introspection, I will likely wander away and never come back (like, obviously if it's a 900-word plotless character ramble that's fine, but then you are not posting it in chapters, at least I'd hope not).
I guess if you're not confident in your character voices, dialogue can be difficult, but you're still going to need to get the character voice right in the narration/introspection, and some characters are not really going to be doing a lot of introspection at all, even in their own heads, so it's even harder to get them right. Which is probably when it's time to revisit canon. But I admit, dialogue is pretty much the easiest thing I find to write, so possibly it's just me.
*
I keep meaning to post then forgetting what I want to say, since it's mostly just about work. I did get several amazing photos of Baby Miss L in a Spider-Gwen outfit with a hood (with a glittery pink mask on it), a cute blue spider on the torso (when I first saw it, I admit my initial response was "Khaji Da?" so it's more scarab than spider but also she's 2 and a half, so) and a skirt decorated with webbing. It's so cute and she apparently approved of it by saying "Spider-Man! Spider-Man!" in her specific toddler lingo. And the Superman dress finally arrived so I hope to see pictures of that soon, too! Also, she has taken to carrying her Easter basket over her shoulder like a purse and calling it her bag, so she is definitely getting a headstart on her fashionista personality.
In other news, I was reading some fic I was otherwise enjoying but I will never ever ever understand why in EVERY SINGLE FANDOM I have ever read fic in, there are some gobsmackingly awful non-canon nicknames that proliferate. Sometimes for characters who already have a canonical nickname, so why? I mean, I get that the use of a nickname can be intimacy marker (much like the switch from last name to first name, or full first name to canon nickname), but the fact is, none of the characters this is applied to would ever allow themselves to be called these names by ANYONE, not even an intimate partner. The worst is when Jason calls Talia "Tals." NO. WHO thinks TALIA AL GHUL, DAUGHTER OF THE DEMON, is going to let ANYONE call her "Tals." No, really, meet me in the parking lot, I just have some questions.
I also don't understand when people apologize for...well, anything really, in their author's notes, but especially when they say shit like, "Sorry this chapter is mostly dialogue! We'll get back to the introspection soon!" I mean, I guess some people don't like dialogue??? Obviously mileage varies. But it is frequently the best part of a story for me. If your story holds off on dialogue for too long in favor of maundering introspection, I will likely wander away and never come back (like, obviously if it's a 900-word plotless character ramble that's fine, but then you are not posting it in chapters, at least I'd hope not).
I guess if you're not confident in your character voices, dialogue can be difficult, but you're still going to need to get the character voice right in the narration/introspection, and some characters are not really going to be doing a lot of introspection at all, even in their own heads, so it's even harder to get them right. Which is probably when it's time to revisit canon. But I admit, dialogue is pretty much the easiest thing I find to write, so possibly it's just me.
*
The Sixth of the Recced Book Reviews: Rules for Ghosting
May. 29th, 2025 04:37 pmbethbethbethOn May 8th, I offered to read the first five books people recced - assuming they were available (preferably from the library) - and I'd give a short review [https://bethbethbeth.dreamwidth.org/701769.html].
This is the sixth recced book review.
Rules for Ghosting (2024), by Shelly Jay Shore (recced by mx-sno on bluesky)
Yes, this is a romance (gay cis man/bi trans-man), but it's also a story about family dynamics, grief, birth and death, found family, Judaism, and a dog named Sappho.
Oh, and ghosts!
I'm passing on the rec, but I'd offer two caveats:
One...if you have anxiety surrounding death rituals, including taharah (the "ritual washing, purification, and dressing of a deceased Jewish person before burial"), you might want to think twice.
Second, on a pure story level, there's sometimes a little too much "not telling people important things either for their own good or because you don't know how to start the conversation" for my personal tastes, but for all I know, that's your favorite trope. :)
However, Rules for Ghosting is generally an interesting, good-hearted story with a clever premise and a diverse group of likable characters.
This is the sixth recced book review.
Rules for Ghosting (2024), by Shelly Jay Shore (recced by mx-sno on bluesky)
Yes, this is a romance (gay cis man/bi trans-man), but it's also a story about family dynamics, grief, birth and death, found family, Judaism, and a dog named Sappho.
Oh, and ghosts!
I'm passing on the rec, but I'd offer two caveats:
One...if you have anxiety surrounding death rituals, including taharah (the "ritual washing, purification, and dressing of a deceased Jewish person before burial"), you might want to think twice.
Second, on a pure story level, there's sometimes a little too much "not telling people important things either for their own good or because you don't know how to start the conversation" for my personal tastes, but for all I know, that's your favorite trope. :)
However, Rules for Ghosting is generally an interesting, good-hearted story with a clever premise and a diverse group of likable characters.
I want to ride my bicycle I want to ride my bike
May. 28th, 2025 06:10 pmthe_shoshannaWhen I was ten years old, friends and I came back from seeing a James Bond movie and were playing at James Bond on our bikes, and I swerved too sharply, fell over, and broke my left leg. I broke both the fibia and the tibula, in fact, but they were clean breaks, very tidy. Hurt like screaming hell, though. As was the custom of the time I was in the hospital for several days and came out in a full-leg cast. My father, who lived some distance away, couldn’t get there right away and sent me a dozen roses in the hospital, which made the whole thing absolutely worth it; I had never felt so grown-up!
But that was the end of my bicycling career. For fifty years.
Now, however, I've moved to a small, mostly flat, navigable city, and I want to try getting back on that literal-not-proverbial bike! I fairly often have places to go and errands to run where driving feels silly but walking might take juuuuust too much time, and a bike seems like the obvious option. But do I want to spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars on a new bike and run the risk that I won't enjoy it, or feel safely balanced after so long, or whatever, and will in fact end up not using it much? I do not.
Fortunately this city has a couple of nonprofit bike repairing and reselling organizations! So I stopped by one of them this afternoon and chatted with the head mechanic, and he picked out a bike for me from their (all donated) stock on hand, and we verified that it fits me. It needs some repair work and tuning up, which they will do over the next couple of weeks (him: "There's about six bikes ahead of you in line." me: "It's been fifty years, another two weeks is not a problem!"), and they asked for $125-$175, according to my ability to pay. I wasn't able to actually test-ride it, since it has no tires at the moment, but I was able to balance pretty well; I do feel pretty confident that I haven't forgotten how to ride a bike.
(And this time I hope to learn how to shift gears, too! Kid-me's bike was a three-speed and I just left it in second all the time.)
Now I just need to get a helmet -- which I do know to buy new/unused. And a lock. Whee!
But that was the end of my bicycling career. For fifty years.
Now, however, I've moved to a small, mostly flat, navigable city, and I want to try getting back on that literal-not-proverbial bike! I fairly often have places to go and errands to run where driving feels silly but walking might take juuuuust too much time, and a bike seems like the obvious option. But do I want to spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars on a new bike and run the risk that I won't enjoy it, or feel safely balanced after so long, or whatever, and will in fact end up not using it much? I do not.
Fortunately this city has a couple of nonprofit bike repairing and reselling organizations! So I stopped by one of them this afternoon and chatted with the head mechanic, and he picked out a bike for me from their (all donated) stock on hand, and we verified that it fits me. It needs some repair work and tuning up, which they will do over the next couple of weeks (him: "There's about six bikes ahead of you in line." me: "It's been fifty years, another two weeks is not a problem!"), and they asked for $125-$175, according to my ability to pay. I wasn't able to actually test-ride it, since it has no tires at the moment, but I was able to balance pretty well; I do feel pretty confident that I haven't forgotten how to ride a bike.
(And this time I hope to learn how to shift gears, too! Kid-me's bike was a three-speed and I just left it in second all the time.)
Now I just need to get a helmet -- which I do know to buy new/unused. And a lock. Whee!