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Oct. 28th, 2003
Today, I was going to ride down to K-Mart and grab a bike pump and a tire repair kit. I wish I had done it yesterday. For when I got down to the garage, my front tire was completely flat. To think it was the rear tire I was worried about! It's 85 degrees, and I have a mile or so to walk.. each way. It is amazing how fast I got spoiled by having to wheels. I don't have 18 gears, for example. (But I do handle tight corners better.)
Trudge, Trudge, Trudge. Walking right by the repaving work on Almaden was a joy.. nothing like the smell of hot asphalt on a miserably hit day to make things just that much worse! My first stop had to be the bank, to deposit the unemployment check. Got my usual twenty, and decided to check out the new, monstrous, Westgate-Oakridge Shopping Center. This place more than doubles the size of the old Oakridge Mall. I wandered through the newer sections. They have a WotC store.. which has DnD3e stuff stuck into a corner. Focus on your audience guys! It reminds me of the old GameKeeper where I worked (in the same mall, oddly enough.)
I ducked into various stores, asking about applications. This was sort of pro forma, since the big job fair, (which I missed) was only a month ago. To my surprise, I scored a couple of applications, including one for Borders. Fill those out, and head back tomorrow. I also got to hold the new Harry Turtledove in my hands! Aiieee! After forcing myself away, and checking out some books on bicycling in the fitness section (about two dozen different books about Lance Armstrong.) I realized that I need Bicycling for Dummies if I'm going to stay serious about this.
I have seen the "State of the Art Food Court" we were promised. No robot waiters. No intelligent grease (other than the Magic players, but I wasn't sure about the "intelligent" part there) no inattentive parent-blasting lasers.. I was bummed. They do have a Subway.
The best part is I got lost trying to find my way out! Sheesh, I nearly grew up in this mall! I saw Rocky at the old Oakridge 6 for a long time.. oh, my lost childhood... I find the exit, and regret it. The Bay Area Blast Furnace has turned it up a notch, and The short walk over to K-Mart was making me think of Fort Irwin, and bad movies about the la légion étrangère française.
K-Mart has air conditioning. I was happy. Get over to the bike section, and quickly find a variety of pumps, but none with built in pressure gauges. Settled on a model I can carry with me, and a tire-patching kit. Then I looked at the goodies. Man, with a little cash I could hang enough stuff from my handlebar to make me flip forward from the weight. What I need of course is a head light. What I really want is a Bell Speedometer.. it has an odometer, average speed listing,.. all sorts of goodies. Considering all the street riding I do, a mirror would be nice. While there I checked tires and tubes. More good news, I can get puncture-proof tubes for about $15 each, and better tires for about the same. I will have to get professional (or skilled amateur help to remove/replace the rear wheel. I am not messing with all that until I know what I am doing.
Purchases in hand, including a Coke, I start walking home. Duck into various places to see if they are hiring, some are, some aren't, but what is frightening is how many have run out of applications! This is quire scary. At one of the little shopping centers, I nearly smack myself. There's a bloody bicycle shop right there. I go in to ask a few questions, nice people. They will get my business.
So, now I'm home. I'm not doing anything with that tire until it cools down.
Trudge, Trudge, Trudge. Walking right by the repaving work on Almaden was a joy.. nothing like the smell of hot asphalt on a miserably hit day to make things just that much worse! My first stop had to be the bank, to deposit the unemployment check. Got my usual twenty, and decided to check out the new, monstrous, Westgate-Oakridge Shopping Center. This place more than doubles the size of the old Oakridge Mall. I wandered through the newer sections. They have a WotC store.. which has DnD3e stuff stuck into a corner. Focus on your audience guys! It reminds me of the old GameKeeper where I worked (in the same mall, oddly enough.)
I ducked into various stores, asking about applications. This was sort of pro forma, since the big job fair, (which I missed) was only a month ago. To my surprise, I scored a couple of applications, including one for Borders. Fill those out, and head back tomorrow. I also got to hold the new Harry Turtledove in my hands! Aiieee! After forcing myself away, and checking out some books on bicycling in the fitness section (about two dozen different books about Lance Armstrong.) I realized that I need Bicycling for Dummies if I'm going to stay serious about this.
I have seen the "State of the Art Food Court" we were promised. No robot waiters. No intelligent grease (other than the Magic players, but I wasn't sure about the "intelligent" part there) no inattentive parent-blasting lasers.. I was bummed. They do have a Subway.
The best part is I got lost trying to find my way out! Sheesh, I nearly grew up in this mall! I saw Rocky at the old Oakridge 6 for a long time.. oh, my lost childhood... I find the exit, and regret it. The Bay Area Blast Furnace has turned it up a notch, and The short walk over to K-Mart was making me think of Fort Irwin, and bad movies about the la légion étrangère française.
K-Mart has air conditioning. I was happy. Get over to the bike section, and quickly find a variety of pumps, but none with built in pressure gauges. Settled on a model I can carry with me, and a tire-patching kit. Then I looked at the goodies. Man, with a little cash I could hang enough stuff from my handlebar to make me flip forward from the weight. What I need of course is a head light. What I really want is a Bell Speedometer.. it has an odometer, average speed listing,.. all sorts of goodies. Considering all the street riding I do, a mirror would be nice. While there I checked tires and tubes. More good news, I can get puncture-proof tubes for about $15 each, and better tires for about the same. I will have to get professional (or skilled amateur help to remove/replace the rear wheel. I am not messing with all that until I know what I am doing.
Purchases in hand, including a Coke, I start walking home. Duck into various places to see if they are hiring, some are, some aren't, but what is frightening is how many have run out of applications! This is quire scary. At one of the little shopping centers, I nearly smack myself. There's a bloody bicycle shop right there. I go in to ask a few questions, nice people. They will get my business.
So, now I'm home. I'm not doing anything with that tire until it cools down.
