Dave’s Good Stuff

This weekend marks the second weekend in a row we’ve held a garage sale. I’m going to count it as a nearly complete success. Most of the large items we wanted to peddle away have been, and those that remain will very likely go on Craig’s List or eBay without too much trouble. It’s been a lot of work, but we’ve got hard cash in hand now and open garage space.

Everybody wins!

It’s official. I’ve taken pictures, and have offered the Giant up for sale. I’m not asking much, probably way too little in fact, but in resisting the urge to be a pack rat, and in the spirit of recent events, it’s time to clean house, even of those things near and dear to us. Not to sound like a sentimental dolt about a bicycle, but I’m going to wax sentimental and doltish about a bicycle for a bit, so bear with me.

In this case, it’s the first bike I ever bought on my own with my own money. Ok, it was Mom and Dad’s money, but I was away at college out from under their immediate supervision. I made what I consider, in hindsight, a mature and responsible decision to purchase a bicycle for transportation and exercise, even opting for a lower end model, rather than the far flashier, but more expensive and alluring models. I could have bought posters, or booze, or food, or any number of other aesthetic, transient and ultimately useless things that college students away for the first time typically collect (note, I don’t include role-playing supplies, music, or computer games :). Instead, I chose a mode of transportation that was far cheaper, more efficient and more than adequate for my needs. I went practical. I thought ahead. I’m proud of myself.

That decision led to many years of service from a faithful and reliable friend. In the eyes of any one else, it’s just another bike. A Cro-moly frame populated with low end Shimano parts. Every spot of chipped paint and roughed up brake covers is a memory…

• This chip is from moving from my first apartment to my first rented house.
• That tear in the brake cover is from the spill I took turning around on a hill to talk to a friend. I ripped something in my shoulder, and to this day I can’t play racquetball because of it.
• Shiny and new beneath me the day I rode it out of Rick’s Bike Shop. All sleek lines and bright red.
• Spills in the rain trying to corner too fast.
• Following cars into parking lots to get their license plate and call it in after they nearly right-hooked me.
• Riding 20 miles out to Clinton Lake and back, thinking that was a fantastically long haul.
• Platform pedals with toe clips, and never once thinking about a helmet.
• Watching fully geared up cyclists running hill reps up to Clinton Lake dam and back over and over again, happy in my tennis shoes and jean shorts.
• Arriving to work in the freezing cold, my long hair frozen in icy ringlets and my bike stuck outside u-locked to the bike rack.
• Arriving home after work, my hands so cold the coldest tap water felt hot.
• Making it up the 14th St. hill onto campus for the first time, my lungs burning and my heart pounding, both from the effort and an overwhelming sense of first-accomplishment pride.
• Thinking I was surely going to die when, after two years of being stuck in a corner, she took me out on a quick two mile errand to get my car in the 90°F heat.
• Getting her out again after years, and loving that she still just worked.

To you, those are pictures of a red bike. To me, they’re an old friend that I’m finding increasingly difficult to let go.

I’m thinking of selling my Weider Max. Bought in January of 2006, it’s seen some use, but is in great shape, with only minor signs of wear. Not only is it just too big for the house I’m in now, but I’m not a fan of the tension bars, preferring free weights and nautilus. It just doesn’t feel right to me. I want a simple bench and a few dumbbells… maybe a bar, but for now, dumbbells will do.

I bought it for about $600, and am debating the price now. I’ll post it on Craig’s List, eBay, and maybe Larryville.com. Local pick-up only. I thought I’d put it here first though.

You can find a link to the Max on Weiderfitness.com, or here, to be more specific.

Not realizing that the 2nd gen Nano’s had a different chassis than 1st gen versions, I now have a Nano case that I can’t use. Anyone with a 2nd gen Nano looking for a case? It’s a Griffen blue reflect(tm). Pretty nice, except that my 1st gen Nano won’t fit in it. Blah.

Oh, and to the ass that was driving 40mph+ in the Best Buy parking lot. Yeah, I pulled out in front of you. You were speeding around a curve, and breaking out of your lane to speed around a huge SUV that I couldn’t see around. Honking at me and waving your arms about all angry won’t make it any less your fault.