2/14/13

VDay, and Kristin is feeling ill. Skipped the party.

Working on the Phillips 3-Speed

Finished the Phillips bike. Walked to work; rode home.

(EDIT 2/19/2014 - The Phillips is a 1971 English 3-Speed. I rode it in stock form last winter, but decided on some upgrades. I re-tapped the bottom bracket shell to standard English threads, and re-built the original hubs into new alloy double-walled rims. I can't say it makes a huge difference, but the stopping power is improved. Steel rims in snow means a little planning is needed before you come to a real stop.)

2/12/13

Walked to and from. Feel like I really need to leave Philly. It's time for me to go.

2/11/13

Monday in kennett. Asked James about potentially building a tiny house at the farm. Awkward.

2/10/13

Lazy Sunday off w/ Kristin.

2/9/2013

Saturday - Su Tao w/ Dave Gary and Danielle

2/8/2013

Friday - Working on various Sketchup ideas, but it's hard to be motivated. I'm scatterbrained and unhappy. I'm afraid that I might not be being true to myself. Whatever that means.

REI Thru-Hiker's Class.

REI thru-hikers class. Left work early feeling shitty and almost melancholy, and barely went to the REI thing.

(EDIT 1/19/2014 - But, I did go to that class. I sat with other people who were planning to walk a long distance. I've already ridden some bicycles pretty far, and driven around in a van. I know what it's like to be dirty and hungry and lonely. I know what it's like to come home after that sort of rompabout. I know what it's like to forget what being hungry and lonely feels like. Right when you forget is when you start to romanticize it anew, and that is when you make plans to subject yourself to a new round of adventure. I already did this a few times.

Some people at the REI class are desperate for their first taste. I hope they get their adventure, and I hope it helps. I no longer feel a nervous intimidation. I am not - at this point - desperately seeking information printed on the inside of another person's cranium. One young man here is. He is trying to read the inside of my skull, and all I can do is hope that he finds what he needs. His plan is to walk the Appalachian Trail from north to south alone. Even in a group, that is a tall order. Alone - the odds are stacked. As a first adventure, and with the prospective adventurer seeking brotherhood from my sorry carcass here - at this meeting - makes me doubt his success. I want him to succeed, but I can't say I even expect that from myself. This is all okay for me, but I want better for him. He needs to get dirty and talk to other weirdos who ask all the big questions.)

2/6/13

Finished the Roberts 3-Speed. What a delight.

(EDIT: 1/19/2014 - I still haven't ridden the Roberts more than 10 miles since I bought it. It's still set up as a 3-Speed with an SRF3 hub. I've purchased a 1952 Sturmey Archer AM hub from a seller in England, and only a few days ago did I get around to pulling out the internals to compare them to the internals on the AW & SRF3. My plan is to ride the Roberts with a few different setups to compare the different gearing ratios and quality of the hubs. Then, I want to improve the internals of the hubs with the help of an engineer, a CAD drawing, and a machine shop. It's an old idea, and it's moving slowly.)

2/5/13

Went into work for a few hours due to other people not being able to. Sick or fixing cars...

2/4/13

Day off spent in Philly relaxing.

2/3/13

Day off with Kristin. Sunday is activity day. Went to AIDS thrift, etc. It was pretty great.

2/2/13

I went two days without taking Adderall. What's the point? there was nothing to get accomplished. Well I took it this morning, and it's a tremendous help at home. We'll see at what point in the day it wears off...

2/1/13

Home alone to watch the Shield some more. Smoke more pot. Had a pretty bad day - slow and not busy at work. Probably making the Roberts bicycle into a 3 speed. But tonight, I didn't even learn more about Sketchup. I just watched some tv and went to sleep.

1/29/13

Kyler got my tent in Kennett. Then people all had dinner at Evan/Geras' later. I'm learning Sketchup and designing a van-size house.

1/28/13

Dreary day in Kennett. Aunt Pat is visiting. Went to Lancaster to drop off Aunt Pam. I'm... depressed. It's cold and dark, and I'm... depressed.

Roadside America (The Miniature Village.)

Roadside America day. I had the fantastic (not sarcastic) idea of taking Kristin to see one of the best displays of kitschy Americana to be found. We had a great time pushing buttons to make small trains run. I have always been nuts about anything miniature, and I am also a fanatic about eccentrics. This place hits it out of the park.

We also checked out some great antique shops and took the long way home.

Aaaaand, I hate the winter. Maybe I'll make a van-sized practice house. Just add that to the list of huge projects that I've thought about doing. Some gets done, some gets forgotten, life keeps going, and I feel like I'm dropping the ball.

Hanging out.

7:21pm. The end of another 4-day work week. Hanging out with Sara.

more stuggles of the privileged.

I got needlessly upset over a small deal. It put a dent in the beginning of my day. But I made it through and eventually made it home where I watched several more episodes of The Shield. This is my version of semi-hibernation. If I could stop working and just stay inside until the temperatures are back in the 60's to 70's, I might just do that. All of this living really feels like a struggle.

Traffic ticket shits on cold shitty day.

Another freezing day, and it looks like it took two cops to issue me a ticket for lapsed inspection. Next came anxiety, and a quick trip to buy new stickers for the van. Then I went to traffic court thinking I could deal with this sooner rather than later. I don't even want to get into the details about how backwards that place and my line of thinking were.

I'm slogging through a Philadelphia winter. Am I insane? We all must be insane.