Ride In 3/11

Yesterday was gross, so I decided to clean my rims before my ride this morning. Here's a picture of the paper towels I used:

Gross.

The reason that you're supposed to clean your rims is because they serve as the braking surface on which your pads clamp. If your rims are dirty, you don't brake as well. That's a distillation of Part IV of my Tool Academy series (parts I and II & III)and might be the only thing I write about that final class. Sorry. Generally speaking, if you keep your bike clean, it'll run better. That's why I bought one of these things, though, honestly, my first time using it was a bit haphazard on account of my lack of bicycle stand. With my next commute benefit, I think I'll buy one of these. That should be easier than trying to lift the bike, while leaning it against a wall and simultaneously pedaling forward with your hand. Regardless of my continued ineptitude, they can never take away my certificate of completion.

I'm glad they didn't put sarcastic quotes around successfully.

I hope that the guy drinking a beer on his porch on Veitch Street at 8 am was doing it from an excess of awesomeness and not a death of happiness.
Pretty boring ride. Fewer cars on the road today than normal, but I don't pay too much attention to cars on the road anyway. They do their thing, I do mine. Want some unsolicited advice from a self-appointed advocate? Wait- don't answer that because I'm going to tell anyway, by means of a stupid story. Don't develop "rabbit ears."
When I was 12, I became a soccer referee. This means that I got to officiate excruciatingly boring contests between uninterested children. Since your a referee, regardless of the fact that you're still a child, you're the target of every idiot parent's scorn. Growing up in Connecticut, the scorn was equally distributed by sweatered Stepfords, pre-Chardonnayed to make it through Tucker or Brendan's game, and up-from-Queens track-suit dads who call the cheese Moot-zarell. It seemed like everyone had some idiotic commentary to offer from the safety of their lawn chain on the other side of a painted white line. The biggest mistake a young referee can make (and once again, can I remind everyone that a 12 year is a just a kid?) is to listen to them- to develop "rabbit ears" and start actively trying to hear every stupid, snide, idiotic thing they say. It's the same with cars on the road. You want to be aware of your surroundings, but you don't want to start getting distracted by every stupid thing a driver might do. Not every horn honked is because of you. If you need to take the lane, just take it. Do what you need to do to get where your going safely and don't worry about them.
Also, when you fold socks, make sure they're the same kind of sock. I recommend not folding socks in the dark. I have on one black and one blue. Whoops.