Last night we returned from a trip to see my parents and a bunch of my fun, crazy cousins. We actually camped - reminding me how much I really hate camping, or perhaps, camping in a crowded campground on Labor Day weekend. I'd rather be camping primitive style, in the middle of nowhere, with a minimum of gear. Anyway, that explains my absence.
Today at work I interviewed five candidates for my replacement. I guess I'm a class act for helping to nail my coffin shut. Actually, it was good practice, considering I'll be on the other side of the desk soon enough. I'm having a little trouble letting go of my job. My position was next to nothing when I took it, and under my tenure I redesigned all four of the existing programs, and began twelve new ones in an industry that had been stable, if not contracting, for a number of years. At least I left my mark, and made my space a better place than when I found it. Of course I rarely think about my job like that. I generally take everything for granted. Of course, when I look at it that way, I think about all the bigger and better things I could be doing.
My cousin talked to me about importing US-made luxury vehicles to Norway. It would be grey-market-- but he apparently had worked with a guy from Iceland and found it to be ridiculously lucrative. The crazy thing is that I'm actually considering it, if even as just a side job. While we are on that topic, I applied for a job with Conoco Philips on Friday. Today I heard back- and it wasn't an outright rejection letter. If that is all it takes to make my day, you can see how low that bar is already. With my expectations this low, there is no way I'll be disappointed. Actually, with their glacially slow hiring process, I'll probably be in Norway in time for an interview. And with today's interviews, it is quite possible we'll hire the outside candidate. Scandalous as that may be, it means good karma for me. I'll truly be the outsider in a few months.
I drove to work this morning. The CEO asked me to stop by her house to pick up a bunch of knock-off designer bags for a silent auction to raise money for the flood victims- or so I was told. Somehow that seems appropriate, considering the FBI apparently was distributing counterfeit fashions to flood victims that they had confiscated. I've never really understood the fake bag scene. It left me wondering if I've ever actually seen a genuine bag. Unfortunately, there were no exotic Italian man purses for me to bid on. I did bid on a cool piece of artwork- that was not a knock-off.
After work I finished the Frankenbike. Last night I realized I was missing a rear brake cable, which halted my progress. Tonight I ran the cable and took it out for its inaugural ride. The friction shifting worked better than expected. I left the 9-speed Ultegra rear derailleur alone, and since I'm only running a seven speed freewheel, I can drop the chain if I over shift. I also discovered that the bargain wheel from craigslist has a slightly bent axel. It gives the bike character.
As I was out riding, I noticed my heart rate was quite elevated. I was a bit concerned that I'd fallen out of shape, until I surmised that all the mega-Sudafed probably was taking its toll. I was still recovering from camping. By the way, if you haven't purchased a Sudafed-like product recently, you are really in for a treat. I felt like I was enrolled in a drug treatment program. They treat everyone like a meth head. To completely add an air of absurdity, the pharmacist - since you now need to actually ask for it- actually asked me if I only wanted one. Then my name, and probably every publicly available detail from my driver's license was added to a ledger of containing the names of other Sudafed users.
Anyway, the bike worked great. It is a tank with the rear rack. I'd like to someday replace the Tektro rear brake. It is really inadequate-- but free, so I can't complain too much. When I arrived home, I noticed that for some inexplicable reason, I'd reversed the brakes- leaving the right lever controlling the front brake. These events make me wonder where my mind goes. Anyway, I reversed the brakes and made a few other adjustments. Tomorrow I'll take it to work. Next step is to grab some panniers.
Lest you laugh, this bike is designed to be as geeky as possible. I'm running a single 42 tooth ring up front and a 7-speed 13-25 rear on a 105 hub. It is almost as silent as my fixed gear. I have a 105 front brake, so my life doesn't hang in the balance with the Tektro rear. I'm charging my Niterider tonight so I can leave early. This darkness is already getting old. Anyway, I'm looking forward to mixing up my commute tomorrow morning- and hoping I don't have any mechanicals to iron out.
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