80's Budget Bianchi Bit Busted But Born Better

Not much I want to blog about lately. Fixed up my friends old bike so he could ride it and/or use it on an indoor trainer. Did that for his birthday as part of his birthday present. Probably you are super interested in reading about that? I thought not. It wasn't much of a project, as the bike itself was not great when it was new, and as my man dumbomollusk reminded me: you can't polish a turd. Even so, I polished that thing up as much as I could. It turned out pretty good.

I put new tubes and tires on it, fixed the handlebar tape, which I think was original vintage circa 80's. Lubed the chain, which should really be replaced, but there's a limit to how much I want to invest in this bucket. And I deleted the awful reflectors, which were hideous and useless.

The updated handlebar wrap will not be confused with anything from your local bike shop but it's not bad for a first effort, and it is perfectly adequate given our source material. You can actually ride it now, which is something. And if you did ride it somewhere people would not look at you funny. They would think you were a dedicated hipster riding a retro bike. Except for the saddle, but that was another piece that was a step too far for this effort. If my buddy wants to replace it then he will do so.

Me At Every Party Ever

I don't get out much in my advanced age, but this song describes a very familiar feeling, and it makes it sound very catchy.

No Need to Argue and Dolores O'Riordan

News out today that Dolores O'Riordan has died.

I have not listened to a Cranberries song in a while, so it was time to dive into the back catalog. Of course I bought the records in the mid-90's; EVERYONE bought the records in the mid-90's, and that was a time when people were still buying records for real. Those copies are long gone but the internet provides.

Linger was their first hit, but Dreams was very much My Jam, and I absolutely wore it out back in 1993, so I was well-primed for their follow-up record in 1994. Zombie ended up being the song that charted the best on that record, and it's a great song, but if you're dealing with some kind of overly dramatic love-of-your-life relationship breakup drama in 1994 (or ever) then look no further than the underrated No Need to Argue.

We could dive into the mechanics of this song, and explore its' clever combination of simplicity and sophistication, but let's not. O'Riordan had a beautiful voice, and this song is beautifully sung. It either speaks to you, or it does not. It speaks to me in a different way than it once did, because it's been a long time, but the sound has held up well. I expect it will continue to do so, and that sad-hearted kids will be listening to it for many years to come.

Dolores O'Riordan was 46.

Happy Fuckin' New Year!

Hot damn! The year of our lord two thousand and eighteen. Twenty-fucking-eighTEEN!!! Are you ready for this shit? I SAID ARE YOU READY?? I am so ready. Just, so goddamn ready. What are we gonna fuckin' do this year? Oh you have no idea. NO IDEA! So here's some things that we are gonna fuckin' do:

• Hit the gym, because that gets me out of the house, which is Good and Healthy. (Sleeves optional, obvs.)
• Shock the fuckin' pipes (see previous bullet point) 
• Work at the place where I work, up to and including maybe getting a new job, at which point I will work there like its my fuckin' job. It's not easy being a goddamn genius at work every day but somehow I manage. 
• Ride the fuckin' bike farther and faster than ever before, though not at the same time. (Actually kind of looking forward to this one.) May make a pilgrimage to Santa Barbara and do some fuckin' riding up there. May ride from LA to SB and take the train back. May also ride down to Solana Beach and take the train back. Maybe both? We will see. 
• Read the pile of books in my bedroom currently doing double duty as a nightstand
• Fuckin go somewhere. Not sure where yet! Mexico City was awesome so maybe go back there and do different stuff. Maybe somewhere further afield. 
• Be fuckin' social

Tried to get started on this last one already by creating an account in one of the free-to-browse online dating app services. It fuckin' sucked. Out of the 300 or so people I found in my search and that I can message "right now" mayyyyybe five in my age range are appealing? Thousands of guys on the site in my area are looking at that and seeing the same thing. Sooooo... yeah. It's a tough market. 

Let's fuckin' do this.