As I headed to bed last night I knew what today was going to have in store for me: a trip to the dentist office to FINALLY get the left side of my mouth right (what?) and then working at the bike shop ’till six. On paper that is pretty swell, especially since I would have a few hours in the morning to putz around before work. Here’s what happened…
I went about my normal day: get up at 6 AM, drink coffee, get B up, feed B, get B off to school, have breakfast, fight crime, etc., etc., Since I had a dentist appointment at noon, I took the morning off work at the shop (just a couple of hours) because it wouldn’t be worth driving back and forth to Alma. So, I had some time on my hands. I thought of what to do… Ride? No, too hurried and it would take me forever to cool down, shower, and get my dentist office face on, it wouldn’t be worth it (I think it would have been). Hike? Sort of lame. Go throw a line in the water a few times and see what happens? Sure, why not, it beats sitting around in my underwear staring out the computer for two hours (don’t ask).
So that’s what I did. I drove over to Majeske Landing and took my chances on some bass fishing, or “masterbassing” as I like to call it, from the few, small stretches of banks available to do so (me thinks I need a boat or a kayak!).
I tried this lure, I tried that lure, I walked here, I walked there, I saw big ass water snake (seen above) and then I finally caught a small bass for which I was searching for…
It’s been a few years since I pursued any bass, but once I got hold of one, it was just as fun as I remembered when I would go in my younger days with my dad. Even the little (12″?) dude above put up a good fight and made it fun.
Once Mr. Bass was back in the water, I checked the time and saw that I had time for just a few more casts. One here, one there, nothing was biting, so it was time to head home, shower and get ready for the dentist and work.
The dentist proved irritating and fruitless; after waiting for ten minutes they called me to the desk and told me that my crown did not come in with the day’s UPS shipment. Umm… WHAT?
Yeah, I wasted two hours–thus losing two hours of work cash–to go have my crown put on, only for them to tell me it didn’t come it. Who does this shit? Oh well, at least I nabbed a photo of a cane straddling old man gentleman of advanced years nodding off to sleep beside me in the waiting room. Sorry buddy, but you looked super cool.
With those hours wasted it was time to get to work, but first I needed lunch, something I failed to pack since I THOUGHT I would be getting my snags worked on. I went to Subway for a Veggie Delight. It was good, but Goddamn, $7.95 for some bread with veggies and a crap Diet Coke. Eph that! There’s a reason I always pack(ed) a lunch! The sub was OK, but I won’t be going back anytime soon.
Work was swell; I did a little of this, a little of that and managed to swap some parts to a back up wheel for the Boone. The proper wheel is going to be rebuilt with some better spokes in the coming days/weeks/etc.,
One of the many things that working at the shop is teaching me, is that while you and I (or at least me and many of those who read this blog) are used to higher end bikes that cost between $2,000 and $10,000, there are others out there who are majorly stoked to layaway a non big box store bike of a few hundred dollars. Their excitement and anticipation to get their cheeks on the saddle of a bike is infectious and it’s cool to see. I think what so many cyclist lose sight of, is that there are very few of us whose first bike was a high zoot road, mountain or cross machine. For better or worse, we all started somewhere: a cheap ride became a better one, a better one became a more expensive one and a more expensive one became one that is so stupid expensive that we hide the receipts from our significant others. The next thing you know a charity ride becomes a race, a race becomes a season, a season become a lifetime of pedaling, racing, riding, stacking up miles, and amazing memories from the saddle of a bicycle.
I have a full day in the shop tomorrow, so there won’t be much going on in the way of outdoor recreation other than some post work beers on the porch with Wifey (I hope).
Later.