Entries this day: Dreams Got_my_new_bike My_first_crash Sanami bike_at_night mutsumi

Dreams

9:41am JST Wednesday 15 September 2004

Cooking with janette, and we had melted a bit of butter into each mold of a metal ice cube tray. Each melted pat of butter had to be poured into individual cups in a chandelier, where candles would cook each dish. But the chandelier had bamboo strips around it so we couldn't get the ice cube tray inside to pour out the butter.

janette quickly came up with a solution of putting the chicken into the butter first, and then shredding the chicken and putting each piece of chicken individually through the bamboo strips and into the chandelier. janette is such a genius!

- - - -

Fred and I were walking in a small ditch and I accidentally dropped a piece of trash. He bent down to pick it up, I thought, but he threw it into a sewer so it couldn't be seen. I told him to get it out and he said it was only a dream so it didn't matter. I agreed with him that it didn't matter in a dream, but that I would prefer if he didn't do it because it was my dream. He conceded and picked up the trash.

Got my new bike

12:22pm JST Wednesday 15 September 2004

I bought my bike today!!! Actually, I haven't taken possession of my new bike. The brakes were Japanese style with the right brake stopping the front wheel and the left brake stopping the rear wheel. No. Soon as I slam on the right brake and fly off my bike, I would be like, "shoulda gotten that switched..."

So, I'm getting it switched.

He balked at first when I asked if he could switch it, but.. I hadn't paid for the bike yet, so I gave him the cash for the purchase of the bike and was like, "can ya switch it?" and he was like, "yeah."

Bike cost 89,000 yen suggested retail; he gave me 8000 off that and 2000 on for the switch plus tax for a grand total of almost 88,000 yen. Awesome.

I'm also getting it registered in case of theft (no charge), *and* I'm going to buy some phat locks. I have my killa dilla chain lock, and I want two rings locks (one for each wheel) and a longer fat cable lock to lock it to a something.

I will be more careful locking this bike than my last bike.

I need a name for this bike.

Maybe "Frisky" or "Fluffy." Maybe "Molly" or "Mauly."

How about

Bucky
Flash
Bengal
忙
Mr Bike
Bikey

Mail me yer brilliant suggestions!

12:38pm

He's nearly done switching the brake cables now. I'll be riding home soon. Yay!!!!!!

My first crash

1:48pm JST Wednesday 15 September 2004

Only crashed once on the way home.

- - - -

Ug, how embarassing. It was a low speed crash; the bike is way bigger than my mountain bike was, and I can't (yet) control it as handily. I tried going up a small lip of a driveway at a fine angle and the tires didn't go up, but I was angled that direction and just ate it sideways. Skinned my knee pretty effectively, but not deep. I took the picture when I arrived home.

Didn't take time to clean it before I went to teach Sanami's lesson.

Sanami

1:49pm JST Wednesday 15 September 2004

Time for lesson with Sanami now.

- - - -

She pointed out my injury, and I was like, "it's okay" but she didn't agree and she told her mom who offered some cleaning stuff and bandages after the lesson.

bike at night

8:11pm JST Wednesday 15 September 2004

My bike has cool lights. Well, a cool light in front.

I picked up Hitomi from the train station, and she rode side saddle on the back bracket thing that is rated for 25 kilograms, but it held me, so I figured it could hold her. I imagine it's for 25 kg and heavy riding.

Briefly chatted with her and then rode to Toritsudaigaku, no problem in about 35 minutes, including breaks to check my map a few times. It was cool when I arrived at Jiyugaoka - it appears that I won't need to take the train to work anymore. And I will probably make it no problem to Shibuya for Japanese lesson. Maybe 20 minutes from here if I know where I need to turn.

mutsumi

8:12pm JST Wednesday 15 September 2004

I'm here to meet Mutsumi, who said she would be about 10 minutes late. But now it's 15 minutes. But she's a good kid; she'll be here soon or contact me.

9:07pm

Good to catch up with 睦! She asked me if I had received the postcard she sent from India, which I had, but hadn't really remembered it. Am I a bad friend? Can everyone else remember what all their friends have done for them? She brought me a cute carved elephant tonight. I hope I remember that she gave it to me!

10:44pm

睦 and I are trying to think of names for my bike. Right now we're focusing on Japanese names/words that have a good meaning in Japanese and a good sound in English.

かむ ("kamu" = bite)
さるいしゃ ("saruisha" = monkey doctor)
がんバイク ("gambaik" =~ hard working bike)
Gumbike (an attempt to spell it in English)
Speedy

I should talk to Jen and Olivia; they nickname everyone.

1:02am

I made it home by midnight after we left Jonathan's at 11pm and then stopped by her apartment so she could loan me a sweatshirt. It's getting a bit chilly out in these parts! Dumb cold weather. I think I'll ride to Jiyugaoka from now on.

On the way home, there was construction happening to block one of the streets I used. I was able to get by, and the dude even confirmed I was on the street that I wanted to be on (I had a photocopy of a portion of my wall map of Tokyo).