Paul's Journal

07/01/2011 17:39 #54616

I have a bicycle at last
Category: transportation

Now that the summer is mostly over, I have a bicycle. I went to the store determined to buy it today. No drawn out 15 days of research to save $50 bullshit. I used to be one of those people that would obsess for weeks on decisions which was such a time waste. Along the same line, I was not going to buy one online, wait forever and then have a box till August when I decided to put it together. Or worse yet put it together and hate it.

I got the bike at Ricks on Allen because I also didn't want to drive to the suburbs on such a nice day. I l know the price is prob a bit hifher but it seemed antithetical to acquiring a bike and honestly they weren't that much above anywhere else when I checked from my phone at the store.

The first one I thought I wanted was a Raleigh route 4.0 19" gold colored bike. It was freakin gold colored and so cute but it was like twice as long as the Raleigh venture 4. The route 4 seemed easier to joy ride for long distance but the venture 4 seemed way better for bumps and stop/start and this is buffalo. Full of stop and go driving and pot holes.

Testing a bike is way worse than test driving a car. With a car terrain is all kinds of similar with a bike it really matters.

In the end I picked the venture 4.0 because you can just run over a curb like nothing and I wanted a bike that will just run over anything and had beefy tires. It also has one of those comfortable prostate sparing, fat seats with the dimple.

tinypliny - 07/01/11 22:46
Back in the day. I paid $400 for my bike at the local store in rochester. Its always better to buy local when it comes to bikes. If there is anything wrong reputed bikes have a 1 year take-to-store warranty covering everthing except theft. Sadly, mine was stolen. My mum then guilted my brother into buying another for me. Being the nicest brother in the whole wide world, he got me an upgrade for a $100 extra. :)

And I never ride it nowadays because I put it together after moving and put it together faultily. :/

paul - 07/01/11 21:24
I think ricks prices aren't so bad. I am at Dicks picking up a lock and then have the same diamond back I almost bought at ricks for $550 which is $50 more than ricks.

tinypliny - 07/01/11 19:36
AND what on earth are you talking about??? Summer just started two weeks back, okay? TAKE THAT FIRST SENTENCE BACK!

tinypliny - 07/01/11 18:41
Fancy! I want to bike riding with you (in my dreams, I know!).

metalpeter - 07/01/11 18:14
1. You still Have all of July and August
2. Some people are more fall riders
3. Not sure what it can handle and what you can handle on but some people drive places and then do trails ..... or use it when they go camping to go places that are longer then one might want to walk.... This is true in the fall
3a. Granted you seem like you guys are more about the hiking at places like these but a bike might be another option or a different way to see things......

paul - 07/01/11 18:10
I forgot to mention the best part is that $250 was funded by secondlife.

07/01/2011 13:07 #54615

Nocciolata at Globe Market
Category: food

I think this is like the pure nutella that (e:tinypliny) was looking for. The jar is $6.97.

tinypliny - 07/02/11 03:34
btw, this is WAAAAAAAAAAAY more sweet than Justin's. But at that I didn't know what Justin's would be like so I did like it. Took me around 3 weeks to finish the bottle.

tinypliny - 07/02/11 00:05
I don't know why they have to put lecithin and assorted gums in every single thing. I know it's for consistency etc (and now I know you were obsessed with gums back in the day) but still, I feel weirded out eating something that I normally wouldn't use in my cooking. It's almost like MSG in way - a kind of texture "enhancement" just like MSG "enhances" flavor. I have started avoiding buying things (especially chocolate and chocolate based stuff) with lecithin nowadays because I don't like the idea... I am sure it's irrational in a way.

On a parallel thought, they sold MSG by the kilo at the chinese store near my flat in rochester. And old chinese parents visiting their kids would buy SEVERAL jars at once. I seriously was freaked out when I saw what the box label said. I thought that old lady was buying cake flour or rice flour or something tame.

tinypliny - 07/01/11 23:59
I am curious now. What else do they have there?

tinypliny - 07/01/11 14:38
That's a deal, it's 7.99 at Whole Foods in NYC.

tinypliny - 07/01/11 14:38
I have had this before, I still think Justin's is the best!

07/01/2011 09:53 #54614

Code Blu Juice Bar on Allen
Category: food

Finally, something is opening up on the desolate corner of Allen across from Cathode. Its a juice bar called Code Blu. While I am excited about tge potential for something new and tasty, I think that might have been an unfortunate choice in names - considering they are a block away from a massive medical campus whose workers could potentially be a large percentage of customers.

As per Wikipedia:

Code Blue - Generally is used to indicate a patient requiring immediate resuscitation, most often as the result of a cardiac arrest.

I realize they dropped off the "e" but that doesn't come across verbally.

tinypliny - 07/01/11 23:29
That name has potential. "hey man, I am code blu-ed out! Oooh a code, blu smoothie will resuscitate you!"

tinypliny - 07/01/11 23:27
It's been "coming soon" for several months now. Definitely a code blue situation.

metalpeter - 07/01/11 17:42
I didn't know the term....Wonder if everything they sell will be blue or if they use blueberry as a base if so that juice will be costly very costly blue berries aren't cheap unlike apple juice.....

07/01/2011 09:43 #54613

Lovebirds
Category: peeps

They looked ready to ride off on a motorcycle.

tinypliny - 07/01/11 19:41
They are so cute. :-)

metalpeter - 07/01/11 17:40
Now that you say that they do.......

07/01/2011 09:41 #54612

For amusement only
Category: games

This video game machine at New York Pizza on Allen is so old fashioned. The graphics are about the quality of an intellivision game from the same era but it has a nostalgic feel.

tinypliny - 07/01/11 19:41
For amusement only? What else is a videogame supposed to do?

mrmike - 07/01/11 19:40
Hard not to be charmed by it though

metalpeter - 07/01/11 17:39
This is (not sure when they started doing this) a new old video game... At the time all it had was Galaga but now you can play many games from that time.... Now what I don't know is if they are full level of those games.... What I mean is if you where good enough at some of those old arcade games you could go pretty far not sure if you could ever really win them or just get the high Score.... I think the reason for the Amusement only is that (this may have only been a rumor) but they had games that if you did well enough you would win things and they had tournaments and stuff...... But I wasn't an arcade rat or what ever those people where called.... By the way one of the game systems not sure what one has a bunch of those games on one disc if you like them......