The most awesome bike ever...

I went to visit my father today. Normally not something that brightens my day given he is "just sitting around waiting to die."
However, today's visit was good. I took lunch to assure he would eat at least once today. The biggest treat though was his latest purchase. He bought himself a vintage Schwinn bicycle. This bike was made in the 1940's and was the most awesome bike I have ever seen. While viewing this awesome bike I got the story of why he bought it.
When he was 9 years old, he wanted a bike just like this.The price was 29.99. His father told him to buy a cheaper one and learn how to ride and then buy the one he wanted later. Well, he bought the cheaper one (with his own money I might add) and then of course the second purchase never happened because I think his dad was an ass. All his life he has wanted that bike. I heard stories of how he used to ride his bike all over Portland as he had two paper routes and on top of that riding his bike was his life.
I heard all the places he rode and what the weather was like etc. My dad was a bike riding fool back in the day.
But yet, he never got that one awesome bike he wanted.
Well, he is 70 some odd years old and now has the bike!(price went up from 29.99 to 1500.00) It is parked in his dining room where it will remain until he dies I'm sure.
My dad cannot ride a bike anymore. But I can! I was allowed to take it out for a spin. I cannot tell you how awesome this bike is. It weighs about 800 lbs to start with and a seat the size of Missouri. It is called a paper carrier as it was made for paper routes and the weight of all the newspapers. It rode like a cadilac. The best thing though was it has this string you pull which causes this thing to rub against the spokes and the output is a "siren" that sounds like a clackety, loud, bell.A very loud, happy sound. As I rode around the neighborhood I pulled that siren and decided it was the best bike ride I had in a long time. The whole time in my head I am giving my father's father the finger. Take that! Whose got the bike now?
I am sad my father cannot actually ride the bike. Age has not been kind to my father. But I have decided at some point my brother and I will go over there and get him on it and somehow help him to take it for a spin. (with our fingers on 911) He deserves not only to have the bike, but to ride it at least once and pull that damn siren for all to hear. A childhood dream that must come true.
Every once in a while I learn something about my father that touches my heart. It's not often because he's normally a pretty grumpy old man. But today I got a glimpse of another side to him.
Today, I rode that bike for him.

jb

The Geek Squad....sucks

Well, my laptop finally died. Windows 98 is but a fond memory to me now. The bad thing is when it died, it died. I cannot retrieve anything from it. Well, I could pay the Geek Squad 100 bucks to do it. I figure there is nothing on there that I can't live without. I hate the Geek Squad. I bought a new computer. Seems all new computers come with a bunch of junk on them that you don't want. In comes the Geek Squad... they will remove it for you!! They will optimize your computer, remove the junk and install virus protection. Wow... what a scam. But of course I paid it. What else you gonna do?
Windows Vista sucks. I can't find anything.
However, it is nice to have a computer that actually will bring up a website. This is quite a treat for me.
Things are just way more complicated than they need to be. And don't ask the Geek Squad to explain anything. They will talk a hundred miles a minute as if they are so damn busy they can't be bothered by you, and they are kinda snippy about it. the Geek Squad are asses and they really are a bunch of Geeks.
All my e-mail addresses are gone. It will be like Christmas Cards. If you send me an e-mail than I will have your address to write back. If you don't, then I must not really need your address anyway and that will end our one sided e-mail affair.
It's a new era for me. New car, digital camera, new phone, and now a new computer. I'm almost in this century.
I like being old school better. It was easier.
jb

The comforts of our lives...

It came up in conversation yesterday that we don't realize how comfortable our lives really are.
The daily trips to Starbucks to buy the 3.95 cup of coffee is just part of what I do. It's not a treat I give myself, it's just routine.
As times get tougher, and I see people I care about being affected by lay offs and my own job security hanging by a thread, I am examing what is necessary and what is not.
Can I live without cable? What would life be like without channel 55 or CNN? Of course I can live without it, I just don't want to.
Starbucks, cable, expensive face soap, heat blasting at 70 non stop. These are all things I can live without. And I just may have to at some point.
At this point I am still able to have these things, but only ponder their absence.
I have a vacation coming up. It will consist of going to Portland art Museum, maybe a day trip to Mult. Falls, an afternoon at Powells. Yes, I would rather fly down to California to visit friends, but that would be irresponsible to myself right now.
We are all going to be forced to live simpler whether due to losing a job, or the fear that we will.
I think we are all going to discover just how much we can live without and may even find some forgotten things we love to do.
I"m thinking the kitchen table will come back to life for many families. Egg salad will replace oven roasted turkey sandwiches and monopoly will replace a night out. This could definetely have an upside.
jb