Journal
20 November 2008 | 8:50 AM
It Takes So Little
~~~
Day’s Verse:
I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.
Philippians 4:12 (context)
~~~
I stayed home from work sick yesterday, and my primary activity evolved into blowing my nose, with breaks for doing other things like reading a book. The Kleenex we bought last, although billed as ultra-soft, still turned my nose into a sad, raw, red zone much faster than I might have expected.
So it was with great pleasure that I pulled out a Kleenex and realized that I supplied myself with lotion Kleenex here at work. Really, it takes so little to make me happy these days. Some nice soft Kleenex and I’m all set.
PS - I know I really am sick when all I want to eat is maybe a little bit of apple sauce. This doesn’t bode well for continuing to commute by bike in sub-freezing (20°F this morning, with a nice brisk wind in my face) weather.
Day’s Verse:
I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.
Philippians 4:12 (context)
~~~
I stayed home from work sick yesterday, and my primary activity evolved into blowing my nose, with breaks for doing other things like reading a book. The Kleenex we bought last, although billed as ultra-soft, still turned my nose into a sad, raw, red zone much faster than I might have expected.
So it was with great pleasure that I pulled out a Kleenex and realized that I supplied myself with lotion Kleenex here at work. Really, it takes so little to make me happy these days. Some nice soft Kleenex and I’m all set.
PS - I know I really am sick when all I want to eat is maybe a little bit of apple sauce. This doesn’t bode well for continuing to commute by bike in sub-freezing (20°F this morning, with a nice brisk wind in my face) weather.
Posted by Katie ::
18 November 2008 | 11:09 AM
Delicious Cycle (Pasta)
~~~
Day’s Verse:
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.
Proverbs 1:7
~~~
Ian and I have this problem, only with spaghetti sauce and noodles.
We entered another phase of this cycle last night by making ravioli. This finished off the previous leftover jar of sauce (about half full), but left us with another new, slightly fresher half-full jar of sauce in the fridge. Pasta, anyone?
Day’s Verse:
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.
Proverbs 1:7
~~~
Ian and I have this problem, only with spaghetti sauce and noodles.
We entered another phase of this cycle last night by making ravioli. This finished off the previous leftover jar of sauce (about half full), but left us with another new, slightly fresher half-full jar of sauce in the fridge. Pasta, anyone?
Posted by Katie ::
16 November 2008 | 6:55 PM
Windy Ride
~~~
Day’s Verse:
All that my eyes desired I did not refuse them. I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure, for my heart was pleased because of all my labor and this was my reward for all my labor. Thus I considered all my activities which my hands had done and the labor which I had exerted, and behold all was vanity and striving after the wind and there was no profit under the sun.
Ecclesiastes 2:10-11
~~~
Sitting on the couch at 7:05 am this morning, I told Ian, "I think today will be one of those days I’ll wish I never got out of bed."
Oh how right I was.
Then how wrong I was, in deciding to ride to church. Granted, the underlying logic makes sense: Ian had sound. He wanted to arrive at church two or two and a half hours before the service started. I, however, have no desire to sit around church for a couple long hours. The crazy raining had stopped and we saw patches of blue sky, so the weather seemed to cooperate. Yes, I knew it was windy; I heard the wind chimes (after I reattached the bottom dangly thing, which had fallen - thankfully on our porch - when the string snapped), saw the trees and leaves whipping around, heard the whistle as it went around corners.
Little did I realize that sustained headwinds of 15 to 20 mph winds with gusts up to 30 mph would not only utterly exhaust me after 25 miles of riding, but it would also make the temperature so significantly colder than I expected that I would lose feeling in my toes by the time I arrived at church. Partway through, I gave up hope of even reaching church before 10:30, although I left the house at 8:20. You may think two hours to ride 25 miles sounds rather slow, but again, the constant, battering, steady hard headwind forced me to just put my head down and pedal steadily, not worrying about speed.
It actually ended up taking me an hour and 45 minutes, giving a grand total of 13.74 miles an hour. Normally I ride between 15 and 16 miles an hour. I was grateful to make it to church at all, no matter how long it took. And I am incredibly grateful that I live in a relatively calm place so that these winds are extraordinary, rather than status quo. Still, the rest of the day has been a haze of exhaustion and misery (for various other reasons as well) that I admit I will gladly bid it farewell when I go back to bed in a couple hours.
I also got the estimate to complete my Charlotte-into-an-Xtracycle conversion: $1,110, including repairs to Charlotte and the conversion. I have $825 right now. I guess that project will have to wait for a while, too, like so many other good things only hoped-for in our life right now.
Day’s Verse:
All that my eyes desired I did not refuse them. I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure, for my heart was pleased because of all my labor and this was my reward for all my labor. Thus I considered all my activities which my hands had done and the labor which I had exerted, and behold all was vanity and striving after the wind and there was no profit under the sun.
Ecclesiastes 2:10-11
~~~
Sitting on the couch at 7:05 am this morning, I told Ian, "I think today will be one of those days I’ll wish I never got out of bed."
Oh how right I was.
Then how wrong I was, in deciding to ride to church. Granted, the underlying logic makes sense: Ian had sound. He wanted to arrive at church two or two and a half hours before the service started. I, however, have no desire to sit around church for a couple long hours. The crazy raining had stopped and we saw patches of blue sky, so the weather seemed to cooperate. Yes, I knew it was windy; I heard the wind chimes (after I reattached the bottom dangly thing, which had fallen - thankfully on our porch - when the string snapped), saw the trees and leaves whipping around, heard the whistle as it went around corners.
Little did I realize that sustained headwinds of 15 to 20 mph winds with gusts up to 30 mph would not only utterly exhaust me after 25 miles of riding, but it would also make the temperature so significantly colder than I expected that I would lose feeling in my toes by the time I arrived at church. Partway through, I gave up hope of even reaching church before 10:30, although I left the house at 8:20. You may think two hours to ride 25 miles sounds rather slow, but again, the constant, battering, steady hard headwind forced me to just put my head down and pedal steadily, not worrying about speed.
It actually ended up taking me an hour and 45 minutes, giving a grand total of 13.74 miles an hour. Normally I ride between 15 and 16 miles an hour. I was grateful to make it to church at all, no matter how long it took. And I am incredibly grateful that I live in a relatively calm place so that these winds are extraordinary, rather than status quo. Still, the rest of the day has been a haze of exhaustion and misery (for various other reasons as well) that I admit I will gladly bid it farewell when I go back to bed in a couple hours.
I also got the estimate to complete my Charlotte-into-an-Xtracycle conversion: $1,110, including repairs to Charlotte and the conversion. I have $825 right now. I guess that project will have to wait for a while, too, like so many other good things only hoped-for in our life right now.
Posted by Katie ::
15 November 2008 | 8:09 PM
Reflectivity
~~~
Day’s Verse:
God has shown me that I should not call any man unholy or unclean.
Acts 10:28
~~~
For those of you who haven’t seen me on my bike, I have a pair of orange streamers -- made out of a long length of orange strap I found on the road back in the early spring -- attached to my helmet. They hang down and, I imagine, stream out behind me when I ride fast. The idea is to catch drivers' attention with something bright-colored and unusual, so they see me better. On the Tour de Landry’s ride a gal said: Hey! You should put reflectors on there.
Hmmm. Flapping orange straps with eye-catching flashes of light? What’s not to like?
However, my first attempt plain failed. I obtained plastic Cut'n Peel Stick-On Tape, cut the squares out, and stuck them on both sides of the streamers. As I rode, though, the corners of the squares kept catching on my bag, my jacket, my hair, etc. I lost one at some point, because I had to keep jerking my head free as the sticky bits and corners caught on stuff. So I stapled the plastic reflective squares. This certainly solved the issue of losing the squares; the catching-and-sticking issue, however, became increasingly acute. I started getting frustrated as the straps caught and, instead of letting go as stickers fell off, really stuck so that I had trouble turning my head. Instead of increasing my safety by making me more visible, the strap-and-reflector idea in this iteration left me irritable and with a less safe range of motion.
Eventually I ran across Lightweights. I ordered them because they claimed to stick to fabric and because I could get 20% off at Team Estrogen, but frankly I expected nothing significantly better than what I had already tried. When I got them, they were smaller than I thought, and came with ten-step attachment directions. Step seven involved pulling out tweezers and an iron, which made me suddenly ask myself: Do we even own an iron? Then I realized all my bike clothes are, in essence, plastic in a fancy form. Plastic + an iron?
We do have an iron, as it turns out, although it has gathered dust for the last five years. I dug it out, plugged it in, and tentatively ironed a little tiny dot onto the very end of my orange strap. The iron worked, and my strap did not melt. A little over an hour later, I had ironed several dozen reflectors onto the fabric. It not only stuck, it melded into the fabric. Nothing could catch those or rip those off; the orange strap looked like it had come new with reflectors. Perhaps I will also obtain some of their reflective tape for -- well, more reflectivity, of course.
In any case, I count this as a success. I can still hardly believe they make iron-on reflectors that bond with fabric to become utterly permanent. Crazy. Now I only wish I could see what my reflective straps look like when I'm out in the dark.
P.S. For those of you interested, Ian blogged today.
Day’s Verse:
God has shown me that I should not call any man unholy or unclean.
Acts 10:28
~~~
For those of you who haven’t seen me on my bike, I have a pair of orange streamers -- made out of a long length of orange strap I found on the road back in the early spring -- attached to my helmet. They hang down and, I imagine, stream out behind me when I ride fast. The idea is to catch drivers' attention with something bright-colored and unusual, so they see me better. On the Tour de Landry’s ride a gal said: Hey! You should put reflectors on there.Hmmm. Flapping orange straps with eye-catching flashes of light? What’s not to like?
However, my first attempt plain failed. I obtained plastic Cut'n Peel Stick-On Tape, cut the squares out, and stuck them on both sides of the streamers. As I rode, though, the corners of the squares kept catching on my bag, my jacket, my hair, etc. I lost one at some point, because I had to keep jerking my head free as the sticky bits and corners caught on stuff. So I stapled the plastic reflective squares. This certainly solved the issue of losing the squares; the catching-and-sticking issue, however, became increasingly acute. I started getting frustrated as the straps caught and, instead of letting go as stickers fell off, really stuck so that I had trouble turning my head. Instead of increasing my safety by making me more visible, the strap-and-reflector idea in this iteration left me irritable and with a less safe range of motion.
Eventually I ran across Lightweights. I ordered them because they claimed to stick to fabric and because I could get 20% off at Team Estrogen, but frankly I expected nothing significantly better than what I had already tried. When I got them, they were smaller than I thought, and came with ten-step attachment directions. Step seven involved pulling out tweezers and an iron, which made me suddenly ask myself: Do we even own an iron? Then I realized all my bike clothes are, in essence, plastic in a fancy form. Plastic + an iron?
We do have an iron, as it turns out, although it has gathered dust for the last five years. I dug it out, plugged it in, and tentatively ironed a little tiny dot onto the very end of my orange strap. The iron worked, and my strap did not melt. A little over an hour later, I had ironed several dozen reflectors onto the fabric. It not only stuck, it melded into the fabric. Nothing could catch those or rip those off; the orange strap looked like it had come new with reflectors. Perhaps I will also obtain some of their reflective tape for -- well, more reflectivity, of course.
In any case, I count this as a success. I can still hardly believe they make iron-on reflectors that bond with fabric to become utterly permanent. Crazy. Now I only wish I could see what my reflective straps look like when I'm out in the dark.
P.S. For those of you interested, Ian blogged today.
Posted by Katie ::
14 November 2008 | 8:13 AM
Input Accepted
~~~
Day’s Verse:
Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge,
but he who hates correction is stupid.
Proverbs 12:1
~~~
Back in May I ordered some zipper pulls from Wm Spear Design. I think they make some of the most unique, amazing pins and pulls I’ve ever seen. Anyway, when I placed my order, I received the following email:
After sending that off, I forgot all about it. But this morning I received a surprising email, with the subject line "your wish is answered." That sounded like spam, but I read it anyway. Good thing, since it was a legitimate email from somebody at Wm Spear Design, saying:
*Happy glow*
Also I have that happy glow because I successfully obtained an apple and an orange -- $1.20 at Roche Brothers -- this morning on my way to work. Took a total of 5 minutes, and now I have fruit to eat today. Yay!
Day’s Verse:
Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge,
but he who hates correction is stupid.
Proverbs 12:1
~~~
Back in May I ordered some zipper pulls from Wm Spear Design. I think they make some of the most unique, amazing pins and pulls I’ve ever seen. Anyway, when I placed my order, I received the following email: Hello Kathleen,Because I’ve had some training in visual design and think about things like web site usability and organization, I actually gave it some thought and then replied:
Thanks for the order. It is on the way via US Postal Service - delivery varies 4 to 9 days.
Just curious, how did you find our page?
Cheers,
XXXX
Wm Spear Design
Hi XXXX,*Note: You can see what I mean if you go here. They had everything subdivided into fairly narrow, specific categories, which is nice... Except that unless I have a specific item in mind, I probably will find browsing their inventory rather irritating. Even if I do want to find a specific item, I might have to look through several categories, since my idea and their idea of how to categorize items (ex: a mushroom. They have it under, I kid you not, Kitchen & Garden > Stimulants. I would probably look under Kitchen > Botanicals or not even imagine they have a mushroom).
Thank you for the update! I liked your page. My only complaint would be that there's no easy way to see ALL of the pins/zipper pulls at once. You have to either search or go through several layers of categories before actually seeing the designs*. I'd like to browse everything, or have only very broad categories, if I didn't know exactly what I was looking for. I think people prefer to look at images rather than words. Also, if I was just browsing, I'd probably be more drawn in by seeing lots of pictures of your cool pins and pulls, rather than just seeing a long list.
Sorry that got long -- hope it's helpful! :)
Katie Ferguson
After sending that off, I forgot all about it. But this morning I received a surprising email, with the subject line "your wish is answered." That sounded like spam, but I read it anyway. Good thing, since it was a legitimate email from somebody at Wm Spear Design, saying:
Katie:Sure enough, now there is an option to View Entire List. This is, to me, pretty darn cool. How often do people listen to your suggestions and actually implement them? Especially total strangers?
We took your suggestions to heart and now show the entire line of our pins/pulls on one page. It is amazing to see it all in one place. You can view it this way under the "catalog" title on our site. Thanks for helping us make our site even better
*Happy glow*
Also I have that happy glow because I successfully obtained an apple and an orange -- $1.20 at Roche Brothers -- this morning on my way to work. Took a total of 5 minutes, and now I have fruit to eat today. Yay!
Posted by Katie ::
12 November 2008 | 12:27 PM
The Terrifying Possibilities of Impatience
~~~
Day’s Verse:
Vindicate me, O God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation;
rescue me from deceitful and wicked men.
Psalm 43:1
~~~
View Larger Map
Imagine me riding down Route 30, nominally coming from the east and heading west. Coming along there, I'd just ridden down a steep grade. I'm going about 30 mph; maybe a little slower. The road goes through a kind of complicated intersection so I don't just let 'er rip most of the time. At the bottom of the hill is a relatively small underpass (you can see Route 9 going over my path in the map above), the kind with perfectly vertical walls. The lanes -- one in each direction -- narrow significantly there, and I tend to place myself just slightly right of the middle of the road because there are, in succession, a killer grate, dead pigeons, and lots of patches in the road. This has worked fine in the past, and most drivers wait patiently until we clear the underpass before passing me.
This morning, however, a full-sized van -- I think owned by a transportation company; it's numbered KTI-474 on the back and I see it all the time -- passed me as we went through the underpass. It passed within a hair's-breadth of me; if I'd twitched, or hit something, or if anything had happened, or if I'd stretched my elbow out a bit, I would've hit the side of the van. It was driving fast, probably over the 35-mph speed limit, but I felt like it was next to me for an eternity. I admit I swore, loudly, as he went by -- and I never swear. I tried to hold my line as perfectly as humanly possible (there was nowhere for me to go: the wall of the underpass on my right, the side of the van inches away on my left, road crap and dead birds to doge beneath my tires) and by the grace of God the van passed without disaster. By the time he finished passing me, I was shaking and gasping and it was really a good thing he was long gone because I was ready to give him a piece of my mind. I'd take an endless line of semi-trucks, garbage trucks, school buses going by me over a repeat of that experience any day. I noticed as he drove away that he wasn't even centered in the lane -- he was off to the right a ways.
I wish I had some recourse, some way to tell the driver how close he passed and how terrifyingly dangerous it was for me. Thankfully nothing terrible happened, but that kind of unsafe driving practice endangered me far beyond necessary, especially since waiting behind me for 30 seconds would've brought us both clear of the underpass to a place where the road widens enough for safe passing. But even if I got his license plate number next time I see him, I'm pretty sure it wouldn't do any good.
Day’s Verse:
Vindicate me, O God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation;
rescue me from deceitful and wicked men.
Psalm 43:1
~~~
View Larger Map
Imagine me riding down Route 30, nominally coming from the east and heading west. Coming along there, I'd just ridden down a steep grade. I'm going about 30 mph; maybe a little slower. The road goes through a kind of complicated intersection so I don't just let 'er rip most of the time. At the bottom of the hill is a relatively small underpass (you can see Route 9 going over my path in the map above), the kind with perfectly vertical walls. The lanes -- one in each direction -- narrow significantly there, and I tend to place myself just slightly right of the middle of the road because there are, in succession, a killer grate, dead pigeons, and lots of patches in the road. This has worked fine in the past, and most drivers wait patiently until we clear the underpass before passing me.
This morning, however, a full-sized van -- I think owned by a transportation company; it's numbered KTI-474 on the back and I see it all the time -- passed me as we went through the underpass. It passed within a hair's-breadth of me; if I'd twitched, or hit something, or if anything had happened, or if I'd stretched my elbow out a bit, I would've hit the side of the van. It was driving fast, probably over the 35-mph speed limit, but I felt like it was next to me for an eternity. I admit I swore, loudly, as he went by -- and I never swear. I tried to hold my line as perfectly as humanly possible (there was nowhere for me to go: the wall of the underpass on my right, the side of the van inches away on my left, road crap and dead birds to doge beneath my tires) and by the grace of God the van passed without disaster. By the time he finished passing me, I was shaking and gasping and it was really a good thing he was long gone because I was ready to give him a piece of my mind. I'd take an endless line of semi-trucks, garbage trucks, school buses going by me over a repeat of that experience any day. I noticed as he drove away that he wasn't even centered in the lane -- he was off to the right a ways.
I wish I had some recourse, some way to tell the driver how close he passed and how terrifyingly dangerous it was for me. Thankfully nothing terrible happened, but that kind of unsafe driving practice endangered me far beyond necessary, especially since waiting behind me for 30 seconds would've brought us both clear of the underpass to a place where the road widens enough for safe passing. But even if I got his license plate number next time I see him, I'm pretty sure it wouldn't do any good.
Posted by Katie ::
10 November 2008 | 9:20 AM
Warm Showers for Everybody!
~~~
Day’s Verse:
"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'"
Matthew 25:34-36 (context)
~~~
I hate getting cold and wet. But worse than getting cold and wet is staying cold and wet. I know this especially from backpacking, when you have no options besides what you brought along. If everything is soaked, there’s no drying out. Imagine being a cyclist on tour, out on the road far from friends or warm accommodations, and getting caught in a downpour. Even on a nice day, the opportunity to take a hot shower, eat a good meal, and sleep in a bed could really make a difference.
Enter Warmshowers.org, which describes itself thus:
-----
Day’s Verse:
"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'"
Matthew 25:34-36 (context)
~~~
I hate getting cold and wet. But worse than getting cold and wet is staying cold and wet. I know this especially from backpacking, when you have no options besides what you brought along. If everything is soaked, there’s no drying out. Imagine being a cyclist on tour, out on the road far from friends or warm accommodations, and getting caught in a downpour. Even on a nice day, the opportunity to take a hot shower, eat a good meal, and sleep in a bed could really make a difference.
Enter Warmshowers.org, which describes itself thus:
The Warm Showers List is a list of Internet cyclists who have offered their hospitality towards touring cyclists. The extent of the hospitality depends on the host and may range from simply a spot to pitch a tent to meals, a warm (hot!) shower, and a bed.I think this is such a great idea, Ian and I have registered to let people stay with us. This is the kind of opportunity I think Christians have a responsibility to take: To share your resources and time with people who need a little caring. To provide for people who need something you have. To listen to their stories, and share God’s love through your hospitality. It may not be comfortable, but I think it’s right.
-----
