Monday, Jun. 21, 2004 - 12:17 p.m.
Best present ever!
In the mail yesterday I received this employee notice, complete with reference card! It�s mine now! And it really does say the following:
The radio is advising all listeners to evacuate the area due to an on-coming force 5 typhoon is heading your way, and your office is in Nebraska.
Yes.
Saturday�s Heat Adventure
I totally got heat exhaustion on Saturday! On a walk! L�s mouth fell open when he saw my face, which was a demonic red. It didn�t look sunburned; it looked like I was born with red skin. I feebly stood in a cold shower and drank water, unable to sit or lie down without swooning, frightening myself every time I looked in the mirror to see if the red had gone down. I felt nauseated, too, and picked at the lunch L had made. Hours later my face turned gray instead of red � no sunburn at all except on the tops of my shoulders.
L, on the other hand, after a mere few hours in the sun over plenty of base tan and a good half-Hispanic melanin density, burned to a vibrant maroon color.
So the weekend was hardcore. I found out later that the UV index was 10, which for SC is extreme. It was that high all the time in Colorado, but the dry air made sweating effective. Here you can sweat all you want and it won�t evaporate.
Bicycle Update
I�d always thought Schwinn Green was sort of a blunted olive hue; this belief was based on both Virgil and the bike I bought a few weeks ago. I was wrong � Schwinn Green is sparkly candy green. I went to the auto parts store and bought light grit automotive wax, took a toothbrush and the wax to the new bike, and discovered a whole new amazing renovation process. It�s not as magical as polishing chrome, but it�s close.
But all my work and research has made me dissatisfied with what was supposed to be the completion of the Great Chain of Biking. Because now I want an older bike. I want a 50s or 60s model with a coaster brake. I want whitewalls. I want a curvier frame. I want, to be precise, a purple Schwinn Hollywood, or maybe the pink and white Starlet that sold on Ebay a few days ago.
The bike I�m working on is not at all collectible or in demand. Too many Breezes were made, and 1972 was not an important year for much besides Stingrays, as far as I can tell. So it�s not as though I�ll be able to support my habit with my current project.
I�m getting ahead of myself; the bike�s still in pieces, and I really should ride it before I make these rash, unfaithful pronouncements�but perhaps we are witnessing the birth of a permanent hobby.
And oh, Will just repacked the bearings in my bottom bracket and fork tube, and this bike is going to be the greatest thing of all time. So smooth. So spinny-nice. So silver and green.