Entries this day: Bicycle_shopping Nathan_at_RSA_Inline Pacific_Ocean balboa_ferry finding_Jamboree party_plans

Bicycle shopping

2:35pm PST Thursday 12 December 2002

Been riding around Huntington Beach today, looking to purchase new gloves, and new liner for my skate helmet. I don't wanna buy a whole new helmet cause I like the stickers on this helmet:

• KTRU (black rightside up, yellow upside down)
• Fly High Little Bunny ("Bunny" in the front and "Fly High" plus the bat head in the back.)
• Alien Workshop
• NIN
• ROCES Nuclear Power Under Your Feet
• Senate

Stopped in a few different shops and got new gloves from Seaside Schwinn, and new helmet liner from Play It Again Sports. I like Play It Again Sports owner, Sean (sp), who was quite customer service conscious even while busy as fuck. I commented on this, and he said he took over the store some months ago, and profit has been going up ever since.

"Why?"

"Better personality, for one thing; taking care of the customers. Plus not stealing from the store. Little things like that...."

"hahah wow."

"Yeah, I've basically fired everyone who was working here - fired six people in the last month."

"Rebuild your staff from the bottom up."

He doesn't have a website, but they're at the corner of Harbor and Victoria in Costa Mesa. 949-548-7852.

My bike is ready. Tightened the back brake.

Nathan at RSA Inline

3:18pm PST Thursday 12 December 2002

Bang!

RSA Inline on 1644 Superior Avenue. Nathan gave me a new top flower shape thing for my helmet!! Whoooo!!!

Telling him all cool stuff about my travels and stuff. Cool cat.

He used to live on Kauai (Hawaii!!) for five years going to school there. Says it was boring - everything closes at 7 and only one movie theater.

He's heard of Ed Veiseh. Woah. He knows a cat named Rachard Johnson, professional skater. Three different people from Kauai have showed up living in this area and he's just found them again randomly.

3:54pm

Nathan gave me a Strychnyne sticker to add to me helmet. I tried to give him a dollar tip for being so awesome and he gave me a Powerade for it.

Showed me behind the shop they've got a skate park with a bunch of four foot tall 10 year olds sailing around the ramps doing sick tricks but wearing bike helmets instead of skate helmets. Dunno what's up with that, but hey.

Um, oh, they're hosting a skate competition and then a set of bands is playing from 8 until ? on this Saturday night, so I may go to that after sailing with Stefan and Cathy and Christie (if he gets unsick by then)

Pacific Ocean

3:59pm PST Thursday 12 December 2002

So right now I am sitting on the beach in Balboa Island area. I don't see an island, but Fashion Island sure isn't an island either.

Bike is chillin' behind me, sun is low in front of me, bathing surfers in warmth as they frolick about these waves on (and off) surfboards.

So beautiful. I'm glad Sally encouraged me to visit this beach.

balboa ferry

4:49pm PST Thursday 12 December 2002

I'm on the ferry now, waiting a bit until we go to the other side. I haven't had to pay yet, but it says bicycles are $0.65

4:50pm

Now we are underway and I've paid. One car, one bike, two pedestrians, two operators floating across the bay now. Three cars and several people on the other ferry going the other direction.

Wow wow wow this is fun cause it's such a small operation. The cat just walked up to me with a wad of singles for change and a change dispenser on his hip, "Sixty-five cents." After we were already underway. I wonder if they would make me ride it back?

4:53pm

We're across. Bye!!

finding Jamboree

5:20pm PST Thursday 12 December 2002

Once across the ferry I saw a sign welcoming me to Balboa Island. "What? Am I on an island now? I'm trying to get back!"

Behind me was water and I could see boats a couple blocks in front of me.

Suddenly I saw a sign pointing toward Pacific Hwy, or Highway 1, or the 1. Perfect. Over a bridge, through some small cramped houses on small streets in beautiful dusky weather. Got to a highway looking thing and couldn't see if it.. ah, there it's Bay Avenue. I'm looking for Pacific Highway so I can get to Jamboree.. PCH must be up this hill.

The name of the street up the hill? Jamboree.

Wow! I didn't know I had come this far back yet. I was expecting a couple miles at least. A woman started up the hill on bike at the same time as me, and she made it to the top by walking her bike, by the time I had reached the top and waited for the cycle of lights to come around again.

Left turn for Jamboree. Good enough. I got across half of Hwy 1 well before they made it across to my side turning left. Zooomed down the hill and was dying on the way up, then zoomed down the next hill and turned left across 4 lanes of traffic behind me as I had the left turn light green and I zipped through it with one foot down ready to catch me if my tires slip.

No slippage. Perfect. Speedy. Awesome.

party plans

9:46pm PST Thursday 12 December 2002

Woah.

I'm going to miss the party at RSA Inline, but Sally and I are going to fly to San Francisco for a double-birthday-plus-homecoming party tomorrow night! (Jennifer and someone's birthdays are today or tomorrow, plus Christine is returning from Costa Rica)

I've never done anything quite so... wild in my life.

$118 for round trip tickets, one day in advance.

Oh my god... I just realized that we'll be coming back on Sunday, which is the day I planned to drive up to San Francisco. How nutty is life???

We'll go sailing on Sunday to see the seals.