So, went out with the bike camp today for a long-haul ride. It started out kinda phunky, as my shorts leg kept catching my downtube shifters, thus shifting me when I didn’t want to, like when I was trying to accelerate away from a red light, it ended up shifting into my big chainring, thus making me accelerate like a dead mule on a hot summer’s day. I managed to adjust to the rebellious shorts, and continued riding. On the way back from Lake Katherine is where it all fell apart, quite literally as well. Three spokes in my rear wheel popped. Knowing how bad that wheel was, I wouldn’t have tried riding home with only one busted spoke; some of those spokes are under an insane amount of tension. So, I called the park district for what seemed like would be a simple ride back. Nope. No van was available to come and pick up my campers and myself. In fact, no vehicle at all was available. We’d have to start walking the ten miles back. I had my cycling shoes on; these things are designed not to flex in the least. As my rear wheel was at this point currently unrollable, I hoisted the bike onto my shoulder, and started walking with the campers. Two miles later, my boss calls and tells me she’s located someone in maintence who can come and help me out. It’s only Jessica Lach’s bike, which means we ride back, but that’s not a problem. The problem was that I forgot to ask for him to bring my sneakers with. You see, bike shoes are terrible for use with normal pedals; there’s no traction between shoe and pedal. I go and have to take my already sore as hell feet, and pedal without shoes. On a Huffy that’s completely wonked to begin with, and with a seat that’s way too low for me to ever think of comfily pedaling on. Oh, and I used up the last of my water a while ago walking with the bike. Seven miles later, I came back to that park district, and everything hurts. I’ll spare you the details of everything else, but suffice it to say, I was sick, tired, and sore. Unhappy Mister Matt.

In completely different and other news, people just finished with a start-to-finish simulation of the universe, only taking into account dark matter (which accounts for about 80% of the universe’s mass). The pics are awfully nice. I suggest you look at it over at http://www.mpa-garching.mpg.de/galform/millennium/

Categories: Life of Peawee