Sunday, September 8, 2013

Life, As Done By Jeano

I'm still on a quest to find permanent housing, which is both fun ("Hey, it's kind of like you're my friends and we're hanging out!") and miserable. I have a tendency to get very attached to an idea and go for it without much (or any) thought. Consequently, every time I see a house I tell the people, "That's it, you're my top choice, just say the word and I'll move in." But then, a day later, they're totally not my top choice. At all. Like, I already know I can't live in a gluten-free, wholly local/organic, no hydrogenated-fructose-oil-syrup-whatever household. I KNOW that. And yet I heard myself telling these wonderful-people-but-totally not-my-future-roommates that "I love this place! I'll take it!" And then ashamedly emailing them later to tell them I'm actually not interested. I'm such an asshole.

Another great example of this is my bike. Yeah, I own a bike now - I guess that makes me a biker? Don't expect to see "Tri-ing Jeano" any time soon; biking sucks. If it weren't for the fact that it's faster than walking, I wouldn't have anything to do with it. Anyway, let's take a look at my bike-buying experience.

Scene: Jeano timidly speaks to angry Craigslist man on the phone, drives to his house, unsure if she's meeting an adorable curmudgeon a la Mr. Wilson or the decidedly less adorable BTK killer. Pulls up to his driveway, decides he's not going to murder her (yet), but is confused by the billion different bikes he has for sale.

Jeano: Are you moving? Is this a moving sale?
Old man: No.

Silence.

Well, that sure clarified things. Jeano takes a number of bikes for a spin and narrows her options down to two bikes. One bike is a great bike. Just your run-of-the-mill mountain bike, like every other she's ever ridden. The other bike is a road bike of questionable quality that must be from the early '80s. The gears, strange knobs between the handlebars, don't shift all that well, and the bike frame seems to be way too tall, but damn, it looks cool.

So which one did I buy? Like I even need to answer that.


That's my old, unwieldy, mostly functioning road bike that I'm sort of scared to ride long distances. It doesn't help that the seat has started rocking forward and backward while I ride it, to the point where I spend much of the ride with one hand pushing down on the front of it to keep it semi-level. I'm anxiously awaiting the moment it flips backward off the bike, taking me with it. Or, maybe I'll go get it checked out. Safety first and all that.

So there you have it: life, as done by Jeano.

Oh, and I'm also a chicken farmer now! By which I mean I have access to chickens.

You know, just taking the chickens for their nightly walk.

I can't claim to know what to do with them (Meagan, any pointers?), but they're a riot.

Let's not forget exercise. This was a pretty solid week for running, hiking, and (lolz) biking. My mileage wasn't dazzling, but I made it out for a trail jog the other day, two 3-milers, a 5-miler along the river, and a scorching hike up "Mount" Pisgah this afternoon. Garmin tells me I netted 995 feet elevation gain over the course of 1.4 miles, so I guess that's cool.


This is sort of like when a blogger takes pictures of their plate from six hundred angles; I take pictures of the same scenery from slightly different angles and hope people don't notice. Let's just call this a triptych. 


It's a big river. Taken on Friday.

I might go to a group run tomorrow night. Might. I'm already anxious about it so probably won't go. Running groups are scary. What I need is a personal running companion. Takers?

17 comments:

  1. Pleeeeease stay safe on the road on that bike. Biking on the road is hazardous to your health. :P

    Running group: That's how I found my current training group (Metasport), actually. I showed up at the track one Tuesday night to attempt some intervals. There was a whole bunch of people who were a) churning them out b) faster than I was doing them. I went up to the woman who most resembled a coach and asked how to join.

    Good luck with the housing! Plus, if it doesn't work out, your lease is only for a year, no?

    What is your definition of 'scorching', please? ;)

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    1. How right you are! I guess I was a bit flippant about the whole thing but bike safety is no joke!

      So... I ran with the running group. I'll undoubtedly write about it at some point, but so far I have very mixed feelings. I couldn't BELIEVE people weren't tripping over each other to come talk to me and tell me how awesome I am. Rude.

      I'm too embarrassed to give you my definition of scorching, but I swear it was like 45 degrees (Celsius). Or maybe actually more like 26. You know: scorching!

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  2. I'm terrified of running groups too. I've been saying I was going to go to a Wednesday night running group for three months now. Never been once.

    So funny about the house thing. Good luck with the search

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    1. I wish I could say running groups live up to the hype, but jury's still out on that one! Good luck, though. I find it's easier to do random things like that when you're new to an area. I never would have joined a running group in Anchorage.

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  3. I have a road bike that I am sure is from the same era as yours. It runs like crap but I love it. I got it from an old man on Craigslist who had several bikes for sale, Weird.
    GO FOR THE GROUP RUN! I am also skeptical of group runs, but you really need to do this since you like to hide this who running thing from people you know. If I were there, I would absolutely be your running companion since I loved running in Eugene.

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    1. I tried, Amy, I really did! You should probably just fly out here to run with me because group running might not be my thing.

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    2. We need to get the China people at UO to pay for me to come again :( That said, I definitely need to get to Crater Lake sometime in the next year and I do not think it is too far from Eugene so you better believe I will be stopping by on my way to/from.
      Now that I think of it, I should send you to Crater Lake to do some reconnoissance work for me to find the best spots to go. You know, like I did for you before you moved to Eugene?

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  4. Group runs rock! You should definitely do it!

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    1. I did! And it didn't rock! But it wasn't a complete waste of time, either. I'm wondering if it's worth going back again and again even though those runs may suck, with the hope that someday I actually start enjoying it... We'll see!

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  5. Pisgah? For some reason, I'm laughing over this little name here, right now, at my kitchen table.

    Try a few different groups. Group running is great, but with the wrong group, it feels wrong. With the right group, it feels right. Hint: Don't decide whether it's wrong or right until the next day. Until then, be very, very vague. [Heck, maybe try the same approach with potential housing. Be vague. Very vague. Until the next day. Maybe?]

    Finally...Can you find the ring that holds the seat post stable?Usually the seat is on a post that fits into the main frame, so even if it's loose, it won't go flying off. But if you can find a little ring around the frame with a hex bolt (like, an empty hexagon), then all you'll need is a hex wrench to tighten the bolt which will secure the seat. Hopefully? Unless it's a quick release lever. Then you're in trouble and resigned to wobble-seat...

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  6. This post is hilarious!!!! I feel your pain in finding housing and having to change your mind and let people know the day after. I did that soooo many time a few years ago and just felt super guilty (at the time, trust me I got over it! Lol). Housing is important so I don't blame u for not settling.

    Be safe on that bike!!! I've been thinking getting a bike myself to change my running routine for a bit. We shall see!

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    1. Ahhhhh, biking in New York is terrifying! I had a bike for a while (until it got stolen), and I was kind of relieved once it was because I was never quite sure whether I was going to come out of it alive... Not to be a downer or anything.

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  7. First of all, your very first paragraph had me laughing out loud. "I'm such an asshole" At least you were honest with them (via email).

    Second, of course you got the cool-looking though possibly life-threatening bike. You're Jeano.

    Third, congratulations on your chickens!! If you want entertainment, give them a treat like cracked corn or some scraps (fruit or veggie) from the kitchen. Do this for a few days. Then once they get accustomed to you giving them treats, they will come running when they see you. You can also just be standing there with them and then randomly run to a specific spot and stare at the ground like there's something important there. They will all come sprinting over to investigate, which is pretty funny.

    Last, running groups intimidate me, too. Actually groups in general do. I'm lucky my running buddy found me.

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    1. Well, that's great chicken advice but I never actually got to do it-I don't live there anymore! But I'll definitely keep that in mind, since I'm pretty sure I'll be running into a chicken or two during my time here.

      Your running buddies found you?!?! How?!

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    2. It's kind of a long story, but the cliff notes version is that she just started talking to me on a trail one day and now we have been running together for about 2 years.

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  8. So I was debating trying a new running group, but then I read your more recent post and got scared off again, ha.

    Sweet bike.

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    1. Ahahaa, that's my goal in life, to prevent runners from coming together. (okay, not really)

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