Anything your mind can hold

2006-06-16 - 1:48 p.m.

Yesterday morning I decided to do a repeat of Saturday's 52-mile bike ride. This time by myself. It was pretty nice, actually. I left my place a little before 6:30 and got back just after 11, total time 4:48. I stopped for three breaks, one every 15 miles or so. And only one minor mishap. At the bottom of the last big uphill on Mercer Island I was downshifting in preparation for the ascent when my chain slipped off the front cogs. I honestly know nothing about bikes. I had no idea how to fix it and even if I did I didn't have any tools to fix it. The only tool I brought with me was a wrench for adjusting my saddle. So I called Lolo to come rescue me. It was just after 10. He didn't answer his phone because he was still asleep. So I took a closer look. It turned out to be marvelously easy to put my chain back on. I got a little greasy, but all I had to do was grab it with my fingers and pull it over the cog. I didn't think there would be so much slack. So I made it back safe and sound in time for lunch. 4:48 this time, 8:08 last time.

A little later that afternoon I talked to Lolo and he asked me if he could spend the night last night. My answer to that is almost always yes, but I hadn't expected him to want to. A while ago I decided to clean out my closets and other storage areas. I have quite a bit of stuff I haven't unpacked yet after moving over a year and a half ago. If I haven't touched it and haven't missed it in 19 months, I probably don't need it, right? Anyway, partway through this supposed cleaning, I ran out of time and so now everything is just scattered about my apartment making for a rather embarrassing mess. So after I found out Lolo was coming over that evening, I spent the rest of the afternoon cleaning. I really tend to think of myself as a girl who doesn't have all that much stuff, then how could I possibly have thrown out (put in the donation bin in my apartment building) nine pairs of shoes, ten pairs of pants, four purses, more T-shirts than I cared to count, and a tadpole habitat (among other things)? And still I have more stuff than I can fit in my closet. I have a very small closet, true, but I'm amazed at the amount of stuff I have. I managed to get rid of all the stuff I wanted to get rid of, but I didn't put all the stuff I wanted to keep back in the closet. So my apartment is still a mess.

At about 4:30 I drove down and picked Butiki up from work. She works downtown, only a few blocks from where I live. Then I drove up and picked up Lolo from his place and we went over to UW to rent a canoe and paddle around in Lake Washington. From the 520 bridge you can look down and see paths through the water lilies and stuff and it looks like it would be an amazing place to explore. I've wanted to do it since the first time I drove over that bridge eleven years ago. This was the first time I've actually done it, and you know what? It is an amazing place to explore. I can't wait to go back. I was in the front of the canoe, Butiki was in the back, and Lolo had the unenviable position of sitting on the bottom of the boat in the middle. We paddled in and around all the little trails in the plants. We saw ducks, turtles, herons, and a raccoon. I saw lots of picnic areas that I'd like to visit. Lolo promised to take me back--I can't wait. Butiki promised to take me back only to rent kayaks next time. I've never been in a kayak so that sounds fun too. If you ever go to Seattle and you want to do something that not every tourist does, seriously, rent a canoe, paddle UW's arboretum, you won't regret it.