aaaaaand... SHIFT

I'm in Maryland now! Burtonsville, specifically, for no longer than the end of the month, and then hopefully this groovy little apartment complex in Silver Spring that exists a couple blocks from the metro station and a couple more to Amy's office. That means not usin' cars for many days at a time, which means lower insurance rates (I hope) and no more $280 gasoline bills (at least until that sick black crap is $6/gallon). I am pleased, I think. I drove to the metro and metro'd to the bike shop, and at the end of the day metro'd back and ate at Lebanese Taverna because they have Monday half-price sandwich platters. $6 for my meal and $2 of that was tip. I flippin' love this place. Metro was $3.70 round-trip, while the estimated 24-mile-each-way trip from Burtonsville in a car would set me back easily double that in gasoline at $3.09/gallon. If any of you South Carolina folks are reading this, a) comment, dammit! and b) buy all the $2.88 gas you can because you don't know how good you've got it.


This has become an awfully money-centric post. So be it. I got nothin'.

New bike & new developments

First, lemme get this out of the way -


...whew, alright. Took it to Pisgah Forest last Saturday and on the long descents it wanted to get out from under me, like I wasn't riding it fast enough. Well, next time I'll just have to ride it fast enough, I guess. Fit is just about perfect - maybe a slightly longer stem, maybe. We'll see. I'm looking forward to seeing how it treats the old stomping grounds back home. I will have to get in better shape to properly take advantage of it. Someone on a message board compared bikes to prostitutes the other day, and he's right:

I guess bikes are kind of like prostitutes, you can ride a cheap one but the expensive ones are better to be actually seen with and brag about to your friends.
They probably will perform better but you have to perform also to really get your moneys worth.

Gave notice to the office a week ago. My last day will be July 28. If you work for the Hawley Company, please don't tell the owner that my supervisor intends to take care of me when it comes to the monthly bonus (if we make it), even if I'm not around for the last day of said month. That'll be nice.

Still looking for a place to live come the end of August. Anybody know any decent units within walking distance of the Takoma Park or Silver Spring metro stations? I'd like to mothball my car and do everything by bike or metro - and since Amy's office is right near the Silver Spring metro, she could too. That'd rock so hard you have no idea. Well, I have no idea, anyway. I'd like to find out.

....aaaaand it's about time to rock out of the office. Hopefully the next installment won't be nearly two months coming. Party on.