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Libertad's Journal

libertad
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10/22/2009 18:40 #50076

I'm not moist and cold anymore
The move is over and I am in my new place and am mostly unpacked and I love it here so far. The day of my move last Saturday it was pretty cold but not in my new apartment. That was nice and toasty. It was sort of ironic that it was unseasonably cold the whole week before my move and then it warmed up right after I got into the new place. The radiators are super awesome, it is like a dream to me--I love them! Most importantly, I am dry. Even my things are dry now. I hated being so moist all the time. MOIST, isn't that just a nasty word? It was nice because the place was fairly clean and the walls were in good shape and it didn't really need any work besides several hours of getting the cooties out. Mike and I enjoyed some Jim Steak Out sitting on the window sill and the single chair that I had bought over from the old place. The windows are big and when they are open the apartment is nice and airy. Coco likes it here because he has free range except for my bedroom.

I love walking to and from work. I can get from my apartment door to work in just under 30 minutes. I can walk down Delaware, Linwood or Main Street. None of those seem like good bicycle routes. Delaware is way too fast and there is no shoulder really. Linwood I would be going down the wrong way and I could take the side walk but that is illegal and I don't really prefer it anyways. Main Street might be the best route on a bicycle now that I think of it. Not that it matters at the moment not having a bicycle.

So there are some problems with where I am living as there are with any place. First, they don't have any recycling here. If anyone knows me they know that I am OCD about recycling. I do obsessively judge other peoples recycling which is almost debilitating considering most people do it wrong. It is bad enough to have to give up my composting but the recycling thing is just too much. It is so hard to just throw it away. I will do my best to look for alternatives and stealthily dropping recyclables in other people's bins and pleading with friends to take them with them. The next major thing, and this is major, is that National Fuel will not turn my cooking gas back on until the owners fix a leak that is somewhere between my apartment and my meter. Third , it is a small stove and the range power is dramatically less than what I am used to. There are also several plumbing issues that need to be addressed. I told one of the owners about these problems (major and minor) on Monday, which he chastised me for calling him about them, and I still have not heard anything from them. If I want to communicate with them I must leave a message and wait for a call back. Oh and I almost forgot, one of the linen closet drawers is saturated with a bottle of perfume, one that I am especially repulsed by.

More of the good. I have two huge closets, one of them is a walk-in. I also have a built-in book case which is big enough to fit my entire library and then some. So far my neighbors have been quiet enough. There are outlets almost all over the place and if you have ever lived in a place without enough you will know how important that is. Oh and they are 3 prong so I don't have to use all of those dangerous adapters. I also have overhead lighting in every room. There is actually some good cupboard space too. I also have hardwood floors which is what all floors should be made of in my opinion.
tinypliny - 10/24/09 01:01
"stealthily dropping recyclables in other people's bins"

Join the "Cuckoo about recyling!" club. ;-)
james - 10/22/09 18:50
You can go to HomeFront on Delaware and Allen and they will give you recycling bins free of charge.

10/10/2009 16:24 #49978

Know Your States
This is a lot of fun. They present you with a state and you have to put it in the right spot on the map. The states are presented randomly each time you start it so it is always different.


tiburon1724 - 10/22/09 23:59
it pisses me off because i'll be like a few miles off and it still doesn't count!!
mike - 10/12/09 22:28
ok i was totally determined to get a 100. So after like 3 straight hours I finally got it. It is so hard at least for me to get them all. I evnetually got to the point where i cuold place Iowa first if I had to. I"m a loser but it felt good to finally get it!
jenks - 10/11/09 09:18
whoa, I must have gotten lucky (b/c like heidi said, no way I could have placed all those square states if I didn't have adjacent states to help)-

100% 0 error, 360 sec.
heidi - 10/11/09 01:06
Range 90-96%. Colorado, Iowa & Kansas are hard to get when there aren't contiguous states already placed.
jim - 10/11/09 00:29
Cheaters clearly.
drew - 10/11/09 00:08
96% 4 miles, 523 seconds.
terry - 10/10/09 18:37
94% 15 mi avg error 256 secs
jim - 10/10/09 17:27
Hmm. 92% accurate, 21mi average error, finished in 245 seconds.
lauren - 10/10/09 16:34
wow, i suck at that!

10/06/2009 19:50 #49950

The Red Raleigh- Libertad at 14
When I was 14 and my Grandpa was 57 we went on a bike trip from Rochester to Endicott NY. We took tents and sleeping bags and everything we needed with the exception of food for three days. I have very fond memories of this bike trip. My Grandfather and I developed a strong bond those three days.

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Today I went to the river without my old bicycle. It really made me sad when I realized that I never made the trip over the Peace Bridge with my red Raleigh Technium 420. I wanted to do it so bad but I didn't because I didn't get a bicycle rack and new tires. I thought that I would do it next year after I made those purchases...
ladycroft - 10/08/09 12:58
how fun! i always thought i'd wipe out trying to carry tents and stuff...or maybe that's just because i get in a lot of bicycle accidents :)
heidi - 10/08/09 09:26
What a great story and wonderful memory. I'm so sorry about your bike, (e:libertad). :-(
dcoffee - 10/07/09 12:11
I wish I had a trip like that, it sounds like fun. At least you got to do fun stuff like this.

10/03/2009 16:20 #49917

Operation Pee-wee Herman
Operation Pee-wee Herman is under way. Have spent the last 2.5 hrs riding through the West Side. A friend of mine lent me her bike which is really nice because the best way I can find it is with my own eyes. If I see it, I'm calling 911 while following it and giving them the description of bike, person and direction they are going. My bike is fast, so I hope I can keep up while keeping a safe distance so that they know they are not being followed. I wish I had more flyers to post up. They are like .59 a piece at Kinkos. Maybe I'll check with library to see if they do it any cheaper.

It is October 3rd and the weather is great. Don't have much time before most people stop riding for the winter. I spoke with the guy on Lexington and gave him a flier. He seemed like a nice guy and really doesn't want much to do with stolen bicycles. Gets his stock at auctions he says. He showed me the stuff he had in his garage. Still need to go to the one across from Wegmans.

Time to get back out there. That is so weird. It is 420 right now just like my bike.
paul - 10/04/09 11:43
I feel bad for your bike situation and hope you find it, but I also hope you don't get yourself knifed in the process - that would be ridiculous.

10/02/2009 10:19 #49903

Snuggling up next to a warm laptop
There is nothing more dangerous than recent cooler temperatures coupled with my new *to me* laptop. I love it! I have recently discovered the joys of internet TV as I stay huddled up under my down comforter. My robe is draped over my heater waiting for me to slip it on so I can go venture off into the cold cold house that I can't wait to move out of. It should only be another 3-4 weeks in this super humid and cold space and then i finally will move into a place with radiator heat *my dream*. I'll actually be warm which I anticipate will make this winter much better than last. Yesterday I woke up very wet and cold and noticed that my bedroom window was dripping with condensation. Good luck to my landlord renting this place out as he is out of his mind if he thinks I'll turn on my heat for any showings. People are going to know when they walk in here what it is going to be like the next six or so months.

As I was writing this I just got a call from Detective Nowadly from the BPD. I was really shocked that I got a call regarding the stolen bicycles and that she was so compassionate about my loss. You just sort of assume that they wouldn't give two shits about a stolen bike considering all the other stuff they have to deal with. My fliers featuring my bicycle along side Pee-wee Herman announcing the $200 reward are strategically placed throughout the city. Not sure if they will be noticed but whoever came by and stole them out of my garage are sure to one day pass by again and see it. Today I will walk to work and will no doubt constantly be eyeballing every bike I see.

So it is time to get up and out of this bed. Just wanted to say I love my laptop and internet TV without even mentioning the bike but then I got the call.