Funky Chicken, or Jive Turkey?

That could be the most important decision you ever make. Bigger than "paper or plastic?" A better window to your soul than "boxers or briefs?"

I admit it. Some decisions are hard to make. Myself, sometimes I find it hard to decide what to eat for lunch. Some decisions are easy though. I knew that getting married to Alphagal was the right decision. It was very easy, and I made the right choice. Easily, the best decision I've ever made.

On the other hand, it did take us a long time to decide to have a baby. I probably didn’t know for sure if that was the right thing well into the pregnancy. But, you know what? It's amazing. We were never less of a family when it was just the two of us, but with e.baby it really adds purpose. When a sleepy little child holds on to you, there is nothing wrong in the world.

Being Sick is Boring

I've spent the last 2 days home from work, sick. I'm not fond of work, generally, but it beats being sick any day. And I don't say that just because sick time and vacation time are the same thing at my office (I rarely get sick, so it isn't a problem). The thing is, being sick is boring. When you feel like crap, it's not as if there's anything to do that's much fun. The good news is, tonight I feel like I might be getting better. My plan is to go back to work tomorrow.

More good news- I finished the bike. The old brake levers didn't work with V-style brakes, so I just bought a cheap "upgrade" kit with brakes, levers, and cable in one box. The whole project cost less than $200. The photo shows the new bike hanging in the center and most of the others in the shot. I think the only one that didn't make it into the frame is e.baby's little red bike. Some people might say we have too many bikes, I just say the garage is too small.

Another Bike to Not Ride

I actually only bought the new frame because I thought it would be a fun project. I figured very roughly that I had most of the parts to build up a new bike, so when I saw a frame for $45 I figured I couldn't pass on it. Yes, for $45 I didn't expect much. My $45 delivered a painted blue steel frame with low quality welds, almost something you expect to see , "huffy ironman triathlon pro titanium boron steel*" printed on the sticker. But, my Forty-Fiver does have standard disc brake mounts, rack mounts, and anything else you'd want in a low-cost steel frame. Paired with a $35 rigid fork, it should be a fun ride.

Yeah, I have named the bike, it's the Forty-Fiver. I've already had a headset put on, and I need to buy a stem and bars. From my used parts bin, I have installed a bottom bracket and the STX-RC cranks. I have also have front Deore V-brakes, although I don't know if the brake levers I have will work with them. I have two full pairs of cantilever brakes that I know will work with the levers, but then I'd also have to dig up some cable hangers, since even for $45 they assume you'll come up with v-type brakes.

My Klein hard-tail may be almost 12 years old, but it's still a great frame and I've kept it fairly updated. The more I think about it, the Forty-Fiver needs to be a bit quirky because I don't actually need another bike. At first I had planned to use some old grip-shifters and put full gears on the bike, but along that quirky idea the Forty-Fiver is going to be a single speed, and I might not even install the rear brake. My best friend growing up had a BMX bike with only a front brake- why not just build the 26" version? Let's see: rigid fork, single speed, front brake only... opps, I think it's a BMX cruiser.


*real bike: Dianaverse took me to a creek at Dix to try to rescue one from the mud for free. Everything below the waterline was toast. Last week Alphagal saw one listed for sale on a message board at her place of employment.