3alarmer 

...honestly speaking, I would never have taken you for a homophone.

FLvector

No spare tube?

3alarmer 

...welcome to the 21st Century, where corporate America has successfully infiltrated every aspect of our existence.

3alarmer 

...we have been invited to participate in at least five different "Earth Day" things, not including the big one out in Davis. They schedule them all on different days so they can try to use the same organizations to table them. This is not your father's Earth Day. (I think the first was 1970 ?)

datlas 

What's that the hand signal for?

Ramona_W

We rode the tandem down to Starbucks which is about a mile from our apartment. We were still within a half a block or so of our apartment when LoP mentioned the rear tire was a bit lower on air than he'd like. There may or may not have then been a discussion about the potential for a flat in the near future. (I'm fond of everyone involved and as such don't want to incriminate anyone.) I did not suggest bringing along a pump and he later said he probably wouldn't have anyway because, as we both reasoned, it would be silly since we were going to be in easy walking distance of the apartment.

We hung out at Starbucks for a while, maybe two hours, then he asked if I wanted to go right home or did I want to stop by Fred Meyer first. I said I wasn't excited by the idea of stopping at Freddy's but it was a nice day and we could use the miles. The tire was still inflated at this point.

We went to Fred Meyer, discovered they didn't have the Orangina he wanted or the curried chicken salad I was looking for but we did buy a few things. We stopped at Redbox and each picked out two movies and then I decided I was going to be regretful all night if I didn't buy one of the Cuban sandwiches with habaneros. I went back in and bought that and the sandwich with brie, apple butter, and bacon and walked out to the front of the store where I found LoP sitting fairly happily in the sun. We rounded the corner, found out we'd flatted and that LoP had an hour to get to class. We both had cash, we took the bus to the apartment, and I drove LoP to class with moments to spare.

This could have been a very unpleasant experience. The tire could have gone flat while we were riding next to cars zipping along at or near highway speed. (LoP says this would have been no big deal but I imagine it would have been frightening and imagination is all I have to go on.) It could have been pouring down rain as it often is here. We could have been a lot longer ways from the bus stop. (As it is, I feel badly because tandems don't fit on the rack on the front of the bus and we have to go back for it.) Worst of all, one or the other of us or even both could have been the kind of person who doesn't react well when something like this happens.

Bottom line is today I'm grateful for sunshine and yummy sandwiches and LoP. Amen.

3alarmer 

Scarlett: Sir, you are no gentleman.
Rhett Butler: And you, Miss, are no lady.

rpenmanparker 

I can only wish.

3alarmer 

Ramona_W

Yepper. 1970. Lewis Black says Earth Day was created by people like him who were doing a whole lot of drugs, more drugs than we can imagine today, and they established Earth Day so they would have one day, every year, to remind them what planet they were living on. (I Lewis Black.)

3alarmer 

...I missed the first one, because I was out of the country (I think that's why I saw Easy Rider the first time with Italian subtitles ). I do seem to recall a buncha drugs, though.

3alarmer 

...cripes, I wish I had that kind of hip flexibility.

Ramona_W

I saw "The Blues Brothers" at the Rock am Rhein motorcycle and music fest with English subtitles and it's even funnier auf Deutsch. Especially the bits with Henry Gibson. (Hope it's okay to say that.)

Ramona_W

Oh dear. Someone's not going to get her quarterly bonus or her name on the Service Recognition board outside the break-room.
WalMart employee accused of stealing $240,000 from store by faking returns

Trsnrtr

Ramona and Lester: Tandems are rolling flat machines. We carry three tubes, three co2 carts and a pump with us at all times.

PhotoJoe 

In college, I worked loss prevention for a retail chain. It's AMAZING what people think they can get away with. Soooo many stories. THAT, was a fun job!

Velo Vol 

It is unnecessary if you are already a qualified bicycle mechanic.

Velo Vol 

I've got big plans for Earth Day . . . on April 22.

Velo Vol 

I'm guessing LoP can cope with having a flat tyre.

rjones28 

Sure.

rjones28 

Do we need to alert Homeland Security?

Ramona_W

There's coping in terms of knowing what to do and then there's coping in terms of not being a French shower sack to the people around you. Luckily, LoP is good at both kinds. Not everyone is. When my daughter was quite young, she, her father, and I drove through California and the Southwestern U.S. Maybe we were all just getting on each others nerves but by the time we reached New Mexico, the car refused to find fourth gear reliably and he seemed to believe this was because the universe had taken on a mission to abuse him personally. I couldn't and definitely wouldn't do another relationship like that at this point in my life.

3alarmer 

...I think the one I'm doing on 4/22 involves a nighttime party over at the same college, but at the dorms. #hotchachacha

3alarmer 

...you must be great fun every year when someone sings "The 12 Days of Christmas".

LesterOfPuppets

Rear wheel didn't even have a rim strip. And it looks like someone tried to drill out one of the nipples??? I wish I could psychically hear what was going on in people's heads when they did such odd things to bikes.