Blarg

not blog. blarg. my stomach is keeping me at home this morning, and kept me up for much of last night. if it's food poisoning it's not too severe, but it's not getting better as quickly as i'd expect, either. i'm guessing that it's some sort of bug, since it came on slowly during the day yesterday, and still hasn't let go as of noon today. interesting, isn't it? just what people want to read about on a random blog, i'm sure.

I went to the Texans game yesterday with B, her brother in law M, and his friend and Houston radio personality Maria Todd. I don't really listen to the radio, but I'm sure to now. The Texans actually won against the Cardinals, too! Not a bad day, all in all. Now I just have to get over this stupid bug and get the week started.

So much to do...

... So little time. Actually, I'm more nervous about things I've ordered online getting here on time. I still haven't heard about a specific package yet, and it's making me very nervous that it hasn't even shipped yet. Ah well. All I can do is wait at the moment. Work calls. Short post.

I almost forgot

... to mention that I got my TLS back. Woot! It handles and rides better than when I first bought it from its previous owner. Andy at Metric suggests a different brake pad compound, but I'll save that for when I actually have money. (seemingly never, at this rate.) That's all. I've been riding it to school and back, but not much further. My shoulder still aches when I ride, and I don't think long rides are possible as of yet. I'm using that as a mark of being 100% healed from surgery. I'll know I'm better when I can ride for a few hours without noticing my shoulder.

Christmas is coming

Doing: writing emails, prepping samples and experimental setup
Listening to: Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Thinking: I need some more traditional Christmas music, too
Feeling: pretty good, for a Monday

It's nearly seventy today. Less than a week ago the high was in the low forties. What the hell?

I got a haircut this weekend. I also shaved for the first time in a week. I'm so freaking clean-cut! I'm also much more aerodynamic.

I still don't have a present for B. grrr... I'm really bad at this this year.

I wish I remembered all the French I've learned and since forgotten over the years. Then I could converse with the people in the Croissant Brioche like the real French who eat there. That would be fun. Plus girls would think I was cool.

Brrr

It's cold today. Brilliant observation, I know, but below freezing is really cold for Houston. It usually goes near freezing about 4 times a year, and at Rice the high today has only hit 37, with a low of 31. At least I've got a real winter coat down here, unlike a lot of Houstonians. I only get to wear it a couple times a year, but when I do, I really appreciate it. Now if it would only snow, and some mountains would magically grow about an hour away, then I could go snowboarding again! Of course I'd have to win the lottery, too, since I'm so broke. Hooray for self-induced poverty! Nobody forced me to be a grad student.

64 years ago today

...2,390 people lost their lives at Pearl Harbor. Let's not forget.

I saw an old man yesterday wearing USS Arizona hat, and suddenly came down with a heavy feeling of inadequacy. I hope that I can live my life in ways worthy of the incredible sacrifices that these, and many other people have made in the course of defending our country and the things it stands for. In that vein, I also hope to have the courage and conviction to do what's right and necessary to guarantee that our country continues to embody all those ideas and ideals that these people died for. Let's not slip into complacency in the face of national moral and ideological quandaries, but let days like today remind us that we need to be constantly vigilant, both internally and externally, against that which would threaten the basic tenants of our country.

Free Tickets

... to see the Rockets take on the Celtics at the Toyota Center tonight. Sweet. Free parking again, too. Man, B. has the hookups, and I'm getting spoiled. It's not in a party suite this time, so no free food and beer, but I guess I'll get by somehow.

Aside from that, nothing really new. Of course, I'm getting about $600-$700 worth of work done on my TL in trade for my broken Bandit. Seems like a good deal to me, since Andy said it's probably only worth about $500 to him, cash. Of course, with some elbow grease I could probably part it out on Ebay for a good deal more, but it's such a hassle that the trade-off seems worth it. Who knows. Maybe I'll kick myself later, but it will be good to have my TL back in better shape than even when I bought it.

edit: section C107, row 7, seat 7. face value of tickets: $185 per.

Bartering Bandits, Being Broke, and Burgers

I finally bit the bullet and got rid of the bandit. My first motorcycle, a 1992 suzuki Bandit 400 (GSF 400,) just wouldn't stay running for me, no matter how much money I poured into it. It was a fun little bike, but I hadn't ridden it in months, mostly due to its unreliable nature. I didn't want to get stranded on the side of I-45 again. So, seeing as my everyday commuter, the bigger, badder, and generally more useful and fun motorcycle, the Suzuki TL1000s had started having electrical problems, I decided it was just stupid to have two broken bikes. So in a deal with Andy at Metric Motorcycles (a good guy who owns a local bike garage) I've bartered my bandit for his services fixing and tuning up the TL. That required a Uhaul rental, two trips across Houston, and many hours out of the day, but it was worth it. I even stopped for a Bubbas burger with B. for lunch. mmm... Bubbas.

Really, I had no other choice. Seeing as the problem with the TL is electrical, and I have no way of accurately diagnosing, much less fixing the problem on my own, added to the fact that I'm broke, have almost $3k in medical bills (not counting physical therapy bills which haven't even come in yet) and a poorly-aging car, I can't afford to pay for the repairs, and really can't afford not to have my TL working. So there it is. It's been fun, little Bandit. I'm sure Andy will take much better care of you than I have.

Yesterday was a slow day with a bunch of Half-Life-2 on the X-box. It's a great 1st person shooter, with a story as much fun as I remember the first Half-Life to be. Later in the evening, I went with B. to her parents house up 290 in Fairfield for some burgers her dad cooked on the grill. I'm such a sucker for cheeseburgers. Her family is really nice, and Fairfield reminded me of parts of Delaware. It was cold and rainy most of the evening, with a low in the low forties last night. Nice contrast to the 84 degrees we hit on Saturday, when I was lugging bikes in and out of the uhaul motorcycle trailor. Yeesh. I wish it'd just stay cold already.

Friday at last

Doing: Reading and writing emails
Listening to: Jurassic 5 / Daft Punk
Feeling: Full - I just finished eating a breakfast taco. mmmm.... eggy-licious.
Thinking: Is scanning today really going to accomplish anything? (no.)

Physical therapy again today. Hopefully it won't hurt as much as last time. For some reason I was more sore than usual after last session. Then it's the weekend! It looks like I'll be taking my bike to get fixed tomorrow if I get my act together and get a u-haul bike trailor. Maybe some bartering will be an order, too. I was invited to go to B's parent's house on Sunday, too, for some burgers and family fun. mmm... burgers. I can't resist.

And just for fun, here are some pictures I took on the train back from Manhattan to Philadelphia last weekend. Using my little ghetto-digy (2Mp point and shoot, less than $100 over a year ago from Target) the pictures didn't come out so bad.


Who wants to go to Secaucus!!?!?

I liked these lamp posts, for some reason.

I don't think that there was a right side of the tracks around here.