This week was far from lazy.
My mother was in town. I had a paper due. I'm taking my Girl Scout Troop camping this weekend (first time!). Pressure is on at work with us trying to get a press release out the door AND I'm starting to venture into grant-writing. Eek!
So, it's been a while since I've posted, and I've learned some exciting info about my new bicicleta. Here's the stitch:
1) I went to Back Bay Bicycles a few weeks ago to look at waterproof gloves. The weather (at that point) was turning and I knew my hands would be feeling the cold!
2) I was also on the hunt for PEDALS! I'd been doing some online research (you should know I am an intense research-before-you-buy person) and determined that I wanted cages (perhaps VO's half clips) and new pedals since my foot had already slipped off, and one pedal's plastic component was breaking+uncomfortable.
3) I bought some gloves! Only approved for 40 degrees, but supposedly waterproof and we shall see how they do... Haven't needed them since purchasing since it's been just balmy lately. I think gloves have been jinxing me lately since after I bought gardening gloves I haven't gotten to go gleaning at all :(
4) Their pedals were PRICEY! And no half clips. So I decided to wait.
5) BUT, while I was there I solicited some advice. It is my goal to convert this bike into a fixie, so I asked what type of wheel I should be getting. Unfortunately the shop guy there busted my dream and told me I needed a rear-facing rear dropout. Now, since I did EXTENSIVE research before purchasing my bike, I knew this wasn't true, but held my tongue anyway since I'm really not in any place to argue with a bike mechanic.
6) Luckily the fellow was still nice, he played around with my gears some, which had been having trouble shifting (and in fact still are), and also told me that the bike was probably from 1976-1978. Wow info!
A few days after this trip, I was on an all day biking+shopping trip with a friend, and I convinced her to stop at the Cambridge Antique Market with me. Did you know they have lots of bike parts in the basement? I was able to pick up some pedals with attached clips and straps for $30. A tad rusty but I'm very happy with them so far and have been able to get my foot in!
Took forever for me to muscle off the old pedals, but I think they are doing well, and I haven't noticed any difficulty with me getting my foot in or out. Even better is that the straps are cloth and not leather! (I also periodically go through and anti-leather phase, despite the fact that my favorite purse is leather, but never fear, I did weigh costs and benefits for quite a while before that purchase).
Pics to come!
EDIT:
And I forgot to mention! Tonight I went to the Food for Free Party Under the Harvest Moon, their annual fundraiser, with my employers. It was a darling event, with free food, open bar, silent auction & live music. I had TONS of delicious food: a veggie burger slider, chocolate mousse tart, lemon cookie, bean & rice burrito (and one is in my fridge now too!), curried coconut crab soup (delicious though I don't think the crab is necessary), gorgonzola stuffed apricot+probably more that I'm forgetting.
Also got to meet Ton & Ray Magniozzi from Car Talk! I remember my parents listening to that ever Saturday (?) on the radio, so I was lucky enough to get an autograph for my mom. Also snapped a few pics of my boss posing with them for her Car Talk obsessed niece, cute!
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