Tag: bike

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Spring Paws

I had a bunch of dreams last night, but none of them were notable enough to remember halfway through the day. I had trouble getting to work because the first two onramps I tried were closed, so I ended up driving all the way across town to the last onramp. Fortunately there was hardly any traffic due to spring break, so it was smooth sailing after that. I was late, but still walked in just as Randy was pulling into the parking lot. He wouldn’t have cared either way, because the old men were playing games or watching videos all day and he just quietly pointed it out to me and laughed.

Several of us went to Black Bear Diner for lunch and I tried the fish and chips, and I’m no longer thrilled about their all-you-can-eat fish on Fridays. It wasn’t bad, but it was just frozen, fried cod. The afternoon was even quieter, and Randy let us go about half an hour early.

I stopped to charge up to 80% to take advantage of my last few days of free Supercharging, and then made it home to run the dog. I was thrilled that Eaddie wanted to go ride her bike with us, so the three of us rode down past Kroger and over to Casey’s where I redeemed a free drink for us. Then we crossed back over to Oakland Heights before turning toward home. We stopped to see my parents and had just gotten back home when Eaddie realized she left her phone at their house. Muad’Dib and I rode back to get it, and after running for the entirety of our first outing, he walked nearly the entire time for our second. All total, we did 8.4 miles in almost exactly one hour with a top speed of about 17 miles per hour. He did great crossing traffic, and I only held the leash when we crossed to Casey’s without a light.

Summer was home by then, so we went to Peg Leg’s for some burgers. We were the only three souls in the restaurant, but we were pleased to see another table of four come in after us, and at least one person come through the drive-through. The food was good, but the cheese dip wasn’t warmed through. The flavors have always been great, but for the price, there wasn’t really any excuse for anything to be underprepared, especially if it’s basically just microwaved.

I unboxed just a couple new things when we got home, and then everyone was off to bed early.

Happy little locomotive.

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Three Wheels, Four Legs, and a Smokehouse

I didn’t want to sleep too late today, so I got up and fed Muad’Dib, then started getting ready so we could take him out on an early run. Eaddie left for Oklahoma City with a friend overnight, so we had the whole day to ourselves. Summer and I had talked about going to Ridgewood, so once I got showered, she got out a bicycle and I took my Onewheel, and the three of us rode straight over once they were open for lunch.

We had a good run, and the restaurant was busy. There was another group of people with a dog or two at the other picnic table outside, but they didn’t want to let them socialize because they were service dogs in training. I tied Muad’Dib up and went in to get food, and Robert gave me a handful of pulled pork for him along with my own rack of ribs and Summer’s mac and cheese bowl. The weather was nice while we ate, and Muad’Dib did pretty well under the table. He gets excited sometimes, but once he’s settled down, he’s always super chill and gentle.

Once we ate, we headed on back toward my parents’ house to visit before eventually making it home. We were both pretty tired by then, and Summer started to feel a little sick to the stomach. She took a bath while I put together a big plant stand.

The afternoon went by pretty quickly, and we eventually got a little hungry again. Summer didn’t want to leave the house, so I picked up some Panda Express to share, and I ate some more of the mushy rice she made a couple weeks ago. Muad’Dib came inside to sit with us, and I gave him some of his pulled pork while we ate. He behaved so well by the table.

After we ate, I put on Moana 2, which should have been a straight-to-VHS movie. It started awful, and it just never got any better. It seemed like fan service for children so they could sell more stuffed animals. I got super sleepy watching it, and eventually had to turn it off and just go to sleep.

Heavy

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Review Recap

I awoke from a deep sleep this morning, and it was off to work again. Jimmy was the only one there, but then Kyle and I walked in together. Randy got there shortly after that, and I recapped my week and a half since I’d left. The rest of the day I tried to catch up on emails in between talks with Randy about getting my evaluation done. They had trouble getting the self-evaluation form to us, so Randy was stuck.

The two of us met Kyle and Jim at the Black Bear Diner, and we had breakfast for lunch. It was super good, and a reasonably good price for all the food we got. It was still expensive, but I had leftovers to save for tomorrow. I finally got my self-evaluation form in my personal email, so I spent the afternoon filling that out more than what was probably necessary. Then I ran home as quickly as I could so we could pick up Muad’Dib.

Traffic was awful even after I stopped to charge in Conway, but I eventually got home where Summer was waiting for me. She had her bicycle out to ride over, and Dad met us outside. Muad’Dib was just hanging out on the porch, and didn’t seem to mind much. I’d seen him really whimper in the past, so I thought he might be even more excited after we were gone so long, but he just sort of greeted us like any other time. We ran Summer home, and then the two of us went for our normal route at a leisurely pace. He did great off leash, but I did end up holding onto him a couple of times near another small dog, just as a precaution.

When we got home, I started unboxing Vine stuff. I got all of the smaller packages done, but I still had a couple large ones that were mostly outdoor light fixtures. I sprang to bed as quickly as I could, so hopefully I can maintain a healthy sleep schedule.

Bark

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Oldies, but Goodies

The girls both had homecoming things they wanted to do today, so I had most of the day to myself. Summer went to the gym in the morning, but when she finished, I had to take the Pathfinder to give her a jump because the battery was too weak to start the Murano. I don’t know why she didn’t take the Model Y, but it was just as well, so we could get the battery on the charger. When we got back home, we took the dogs for an early ride with her on her bike and me on the Onewheel. We visited my parents, then took them to the pond for a splash.

When we got home, Eaddie had left for Tech’s homecoming and Summer got ready to meet her old classmates at Fat Daddy’s for the afternoon. I cleaned up a bit around the house and took a shower, and then Becky and Jennifer invited me out to IHOP. Summer got home just as I was walking out, so I took her car.

Becky was already waiting in the lobby, so we chatted while we waited for Jennifer. Then we visited over pancakes and coffee. On the way out, we saw Antonia and her family coming in. It was a quiet night after that. I laid with Summer and watched TV for a bit before getting ready for bed myself.

Muddy Buddies

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Mudpuppies

Eaddie went out with her father today, so Summer and I had the day to ourselves. She went to the gym while I messed with some things around the house and eventually took a shower. Then we decided to take the dogs out for an early run. I got some shock collars in from Amazon Vine that I wanted to try out, so I got them set up first while Summer prepped a bicycle. Then she rode it while I took the Onewheel with the dogs.

We rode to visit Mom first, and she offered leftover soup for dinner later if we would pick up some cilantro and green onion. Summer and I continued our ride down to the basin, which she wasn’t even aware existed. We rode all around and let the dogs get into the little pond again. It seemed even muddier than last time for some reason, and Muad’Dib was stoked to be able to sink into it. I didn’t want them to go too far, and I also didn’t want to unleash them. The shock collars were theoretically water resistant, but I didn’t trust them to be submerged, so I took those off.

After a bit of rolling around, we continued our run and made it home. I got cleaned up, then Julie called so she could order some discounted Domino’s gift cards for me. She had trouble with Costco online, but eventually got it going. Then I had to run to the Neighborhood Market for some cilantro. I got the dogs some more biscuits as well, and then Summer was waiting for me outside when I got back to the house. That meant I forgot to get the green onions out of our refrigerator, so once we got to my parents’ house, she drove back to get them while I helped Mom prep bowls of soup.

Dad got home from his magic convention while Summer and I were eating. Eaddie came home while we were out, and then texted because someone knocked on the door and freaked her out, so we headed home as soon as we finished eating. We didn’t see any extra packages or flyers, so there was no telling who was at the door. I need to finish tracing the doorbell wire so I can get my Nest doorbell installed.

Summer wound down pretty quickly, and I tried my best not to get too distracted. It’s always tough restricting myself to a 24-hour day during the week. I think I’d be a lot happier on a 30-hour planetary rotation.

Bzzzt!

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Preclipse Day

I got up and made Summer a freshly-ground cappuccino this morning, which she seemed to like. I’ve only used it twice, but so far I’m pretty happy with the grinder we got. I finally cleaned up the corned beef and had a shower, and then struggled to start the smoker to get the ribs cooking. Summer and Eaddie ran to Kroger to pick up some charcoal for me, and the lumps were tiny. I eventually got the smoke rolling, and the girls prepped the bikes to go for a ride downtown.

We parked at the middle school, which in retrospect wasn’t much better than if we had just left from the house. The girls biked and I rode my Onewheel through some neighborhood trails before going back up to Kroger and heading downtown. There weren’t a ton of visitors there that we could tell, but there were tons of cops and “workers” riding around trying to look important. We stood in line and got some stuff from NASA, and I couldn’t tell whether I had actually offended the guy when I asked how long NASA has known the moon and sun are the same size, and why they were keeping it from us.

We didn’t really find much exciting at the depot after that, so we got Eaddie a shirt and then rode through Tech to Bona Dea. We did a small loop and then headed straight back to the car. Eaddie decided to ride all the way home, and I actually had plenty of battery to do the same, but I drove Summer home instead.

I decided to assemble the outdoor sink and prep table with the hopes that I could use it for the ribs. Summer “helped,” but we didn’t get it done in time, and I ended up bringing the ribs inside to wrap. Eli came over, I eventually got the ribs sauced, and then we had dinner. The meat was way too tender and just turned into mush off the bone, but it was still good. I just wanted a bit more bite to them. Everyone else loved it. Summer made mashed potatoes and Brussels sprouts, and we had a good meal.

The kids hung out for a while and Summer wound down quickly. I started dragging pretty hard, and felt a bit sick from sinus trouble. I assumed it was allergies this time, but I just felt crummy all night.

He’s really not gonna like my questions about why the moon is a flat circle instead of a flat square.

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Three Wheelin’

I got up relatively early this morning, but almost immediately gave up and went back to sleep for a couple more hours. The second time I woke up, Eaddie had gotten up and taken a shower. I had some cereal for breakfast and then took a shower myself before texting to request a tow for the old Pathfinder. I asked Eaddie if she wanted to go out on her bike while I rode the Onewheel, and to my delight, she was agreeable.

I aired up her tires, and we took off down the road toward Splash. I had the 16-mile achievement in the back of my mind, but it would take some lollygagging and probably a bit of charging to make it. We got as far as the city park before we stopped for a little break. Eaddie tried riding the Onewheel a time or two, and then we continued to Walgreens. I picked up an online order of some clearanced toothpaste, and then we continued all the way to Splash.

Summer was too busy to entertain us, so we circled around to get some food at Freddy’s until I got a text that David was on his way to pick up the Pathfinder. We went back and got Summer’s car, and met the tow truck at the old house, and then followed him to Orr Nissan. Tim got my information set up for service, and then we went back to drop off the Model Y.

Summer was ready to leave work, but didn’t want to have to do anything with us, so Eaddie and I rode back down the road and ended up stopping at La Huerta for dinner. The food was great, and we had a pretty good time. Afterward, we went back to Freddy’s for dessert before starting back home.

The ride home was pretty long and tiring, and by the end of it, I still needed four more miles to get my achievement. We rested for a little bit, and then Eaddie decided to ride with me to the marina, where Dad had his cameras set up to try and capture a comet. It was super windy and cold, but she got on the Onewheel some more and managed to ride around reasonably well while grasping my arm for dear life. As she got colder, she sat in the car while I rode out my final four miles.

By the time I came back around, Dad had given up on the comet. We headed home and I made us some hot chocolate, and we watched a couple episodes of Better Call Saul. It’s been on our watch list for long enough, and the show started off pretty good, so I think we’re in for an adventure.

I feel so cool!

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Kinder Class

This morning was super quiet at the high school, but Zach asked Josh and me to help deploy laptops at Oakland after lunch. I met them at the shop for lunch, and since Linhs was closed, we went to Smackin’ Wings and Things for the first time in months. The menu looked a bit more finished, but I couldn’t decide what to eat, so I had the waitress surprise me. She did well, with some wings and one of their fry dishes.

After lunch, Ben and Kyle joined us for the deployment party at Oakland. I really didn’t do that many myself, because I kept getting stuck fixing dumb things, or helping others. It was incredibly humid wearing my mask the whole time too, which made it pretty miserable. It was fun getting to see a lot of those people again though, and I had forgotten how much fun it is to walk into a chaotic kindergarten room with kids running and screaming everywhere. Tracy’s room is always a hoot anyway, and she had stories as usual.

We finished up right around the time that school let out, and went back to the shop. Zach got permission for us to leave work early, but I ended up sticking around and chatting with Ben until closer to quitting time. Then I ran by Sonic for a drink on the way to see Summer and Eaddie at the shop.

They wanted to come over and ride bikes, so I came home and cleaned up a bit first. Then when they got there, Summer took Autumn to get some food and face wash while I took Eaddie on a bike ride. It got dark fast, so we didn’t get to stay out very long. We all got back home at almost exactly the same time, so the girls came in and watched The Simpsons while I caught up on some email. Then it was off to bed.

They never quite know what to do when the strange adult starts copying their crying.

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What a Wreck

Autumn got up this morning ahead of everyone else, and actually wanted to take the others out to do something. Once everyone else was up, we sent the three of them to get breakfast from Burger King. When they got back, Eaddie said she had slipped in some gravel and had a little wreck, breaking the bottle holder off of her bike. Fortunately I had about a dozen more, so I had her fixed up with a replacement in no time.

They took off again to go exploring on their bikes, so Summer went to the gym while I took a shower and started some laundry. She and the kids all got back home around the same time, and they came in to rest while I went outside with Summer so she could practice riding the Grom around the neighborhood.

I was in and out with laundry since she seemed to be doing really well. That’s when I heard someone beating on the door. The neighbor came over and said he thought someone hit her in the road. I ran outside, and she was standing on the sidewalk at the end of the road with a couple stopped cars and a bunch of people.

Luckly she hadn’t actually been hit, but she had a low-speed crash after what I guessed was a failed downshift in the middle of turning onto our street. As far as crashes go, it couldn’t have happened in a more convenient place. She was able to walk to the house, and I got the Grom started up and rode it home. It wasn’t until we got there that I realized how bad the gash in her chin was.

We dropped Noah off at work, then tried to go by MedExpress. They came out to check on her, then politely suggested the emergency room just in case it was something more serious. We really should have insisted on getting stitches there, because it took over four hours at Saint Mary’s to get three stitches in her chin. The staff there was overall much less friendly and helpful, and I’m sure it’ll be more expensive. We were running with an abundance of caution though, and didn’t have the gift of hindsight.

Julie was nice enough to pick up Noah from work while we were stuck at the hospital. When we did finally make it back to the house, I had Noah take her home while I finished up my laundry. Then I ran to get her a Baconator for dinner before Wendy’s closed, since we never did eat after breakfast. I picked the girls up from my house, then headed up to theirs for the evening. Summer was obviously exhausted after an afternoon of road rash, a laceration on her chin, and at least one chipped tooth, but didn’t seem as defeated as she had been the rest of the evening. She made it up into bed for some of her kids baking show until she fell asleep. I struggled to get my laptop running long enough to get this blog post up, and then crashed myself.

See what I did there?

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Two Tired to Ride

Autumn came into the bedroom this morning and almost immediately pitched a fit about wanting to go to their father’s today. We had plans to go out for a bike ride, and she wasn’t about to settle for not getting her way. Summer ended up letting them go for a couple hours anyway, then got up to make breakfast. Eaddie had cooked all but one of the eggs though, so I just made some tiny bacon sandwiches out of some sliced “everything” bread.

Once the girls left, I went home to get the bikes mounted to the car, then showered. I suggested that Summer should talk to Nick about Autumn’s behavior lately, so they ended up getting to my house over an hour later than I was expecting them. The girls were behaving pretty well by then though, so it was a pleasant enough drive up to Washburn Park.

The girls took off without us, so Summer and I caught up to them at the other end. My front tire still had a pretty bad leak, but I made the round. On the way back to the car, I split off from Autumn while Eaddie and Summer picked up the rear. I beat them all back after taking a bit of a break at the pump station.

This little bitty kid came up the hill after us, having beat his family to the car as well. Just before they got there, he climbed up onto the trunk of their car and said he was going to pretend to sleep. He played completely dead while his dad picked him up. Summer said he cracked a smirk when I ratted him out, but I missed it.

After the ride, we went to my parents’ house for dinner. Autumn had a tiny bowl of bún bò Huế to go along with the rest of us, which made me happy. We looked at a couple houses online after seeing the one on Inglewood put up a realtor sign. We couldn’t find its listing though.

When we got back to the house, Summer helped me unload the bikes, then went home with the girls. I put my car on the battery charger, then came in for a quiet evening by myself.

The Natural State