Squeaky Wheel

Sometimes it pays off to be a whiner, even on the internet.

I haven't been in the best of moods due to lack of work, getting into trouble because of my big mouth(or fast typing fingers, as the case may be), going off of morning energy drinks, and the cats being jerks about their food.

But I was taking a "fukkit" attitude towards life: I always get into trouble, so I just gotta let it roll off my back. The caffeine withdrawals are subsiding dramatically, and I just picked up some freelance that'll kick my butt time-wise and doesn't pay worth a Ca-RAP, but it'll keep my chops up storyboard-wise. More on that later.

So...

Yesterday I woke up disgustingly early(thanks, Neighbors with the Loud Pet Menagerie from Hell!) after going to bed disgustingly late because I had a cup of coffee after dinner the night before. For some wacky reason I thought that I hadn't detoxed enough from my morning routine so that the coffee wouldn't have any effect on my sleep habits. I WAS WRONG.


I groggily went to derby practice, leaving the Dear Husband to his own devices.

His own devious devices, it turns out.

Practice goes OK(well, other than the fact that I skate like sh!t when I'm horribly sleep-deprived) and I come home to bathe and zone in front of the tv. Which I do to great effect, I must say.

The DH comes up behind me as I'm zoning away, and asks what my plans are for the rest of the day.

You're lookin' at 'em! I mumble.

OK he says, and wanders off.

Zoning continues unabated.

The DH comes back and says, Come here, I gotta show you something.

What is it? I spacily ask.

JUST COME HERE he sternly says.

Oh, FINE.

So I grumpily wander out of my lair and find this:





















A NEW BICYCLE!

The Raleigh Retro-7 bicycle that I was drooling over last weekend!

HOLY CRAP!!

Why did you buy this?!?!? I didn't buy it because I couldn't afford it!! I say.

Because you wanted it, and I'm employed with money in the bank, and you had a sh!tty week! the DH replies.

OMG.

I'm floored.

And this is the backstory I got:

The DH had gone out on his new bicycle while I was at practice. On a lark, he went to the bike place that had the Raleigh to see if it was still there. It was, so he bought it! They couldn't deliver it until the end of the day, so the DH came up with a Devious Plan to get the bike home.

As soon as I had stepped into the shower to wash off the post-practice derby goo, the DH literally springs into action by rushing to the back room to grab the bike rack, attach it to my car, and drive to the bike place to pick up the Raleigh.

He picks it up, packs it on the car, drives back, parks down the street, and stealthily creeps up the driveway with the new bike and parks it in the living room.

He did all this while I was home showering and whatnot.

AND I DIDN'T NOTICE!

D'oh!!
















Don't I look overjoyed trying out the new bike?

















It's definitely different from my other bike, and it's rilly kewl-lookin'!



I spent the rest of the day finding kewl accessories for the bike, so now it looks like this:
















I took off the dorky reflectors on the front and back, and replaced them with actual lights for nighttime riding.

I added the white metal basket and a HUGE bell:

















The bell sounds like a doorbell; it's great!

I want to find a more retro-looking light for the bike...the one that I bought is too modern looking.

I took the bike for a test spin along the Venice boardwalk late in the day yesterday. It was glorious! Handles well, shifts great, and is comfy. Used the bell a lot along the bikepath...despite the tourist season being over, there will still a lot of idiots out and about.

So I'm a happier person today...and I think even the DH is happy, too!