Stupid Hurts

I can’t believe I forgot to write about this.

A big reason of the part of the real I returned the first bicycle was the customer service I received when I dealt with them. There was the first time I went in riding my Allez and I was asked if I was riding someone’s bike. That was deeply insulting. And most recently buying a bicycle that was assembled incorrectly from them.

I was out on my first ride on the bike when and, when I approached a stop the cog and lockring fell off, and so did I. Having just crashed at 30 mph a few days earlier you can imagine what this felt like.

So the next day after I shot a letter to corporate I took the back wheel down to the bike shop to have them repair it. I calmly explained to the guy what happened and that there were metal shavings on the hub indicating it was put together wrong, I wanted him to tighten the lockring, and I asked if they used assembly lube like most other shops. I waited 15 minutes in the front of the shop before the tech handed me my wheel and asked me if there was anything else, at which point I spun the lockring off with my fingers. So he took it back in the back again to try again, at that point I found out they don’t use assembly lube another strike against them. I returned home to find out in an email from the corporate office that it wasn’t their fault and they would leave it all in the dealers hands.

Even that adventure aside I have been inspired to shot a few pictures the past few days and those have left me in an amazing mood.

I got this one from the Jones Valley Urban farm this weekend. I had a great time walking down the rows and rows of plants.
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Click it for the larger version it is worth it.

There are a lot of new pictures in the gallery to.

A few nights ago I learned several important things:

1)The auto focus no longer works on my camera

2)Australians play pool a lot differently than Americans

3)Australians think that Fosters beer is an embarrassment to the country

I spent my evening several days ago talking about the finer points of southern culture and bicycling with two Australian guys while playing several rounds of pool in a dive bar. Toby and Will are both spending several weeks in country visiting family and friends and there first stop was Birmingham. While here they wanted to sample some of our legendary fine southern dining before heading up north. the only place open was waffle house, but I think they got the point.
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Since my hours got cut at my night job I started hunting for a day job. The same day my night job increased my hours back to what they were previously, I was hired on at an arts and crafts store that I have been hanging out in since before I could drive.

Looking at my resume I am really only qualified to fix things or break things, but she hired me on to help her teach a class called “kids and clay” and I also get to make stuff out of clay for customers to paint. So far it is pretty interesting, initially I was more uncomfortable around the kids than I was around the drunk drag queens I deal with at the bar. But I found out if you treat them basically the same way they are all easy to keep in check.
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I did recently realize that I spent three hours playing with clay and painting and I got paid for it.

So I also got to thinking recently about an old argument that came up in a restaurant once. It involved the ethics of having kids when you couldn’t support yourself to the degree you saw fit. I got my ass chewed by girl who was working in an all night greasy spoon, who was pregnant soon later. Because she felt I was wrong for trying to get a vasectomy on the state dime, seemed to make a lot more sense than expecting the state to pay for her birth control every month for the rest of her life or worse yet having to feed her and her child for several years. I have always felt it was wrong if you had kids and you were not able to provide a comfortable and loving environment, it takes more than just money to provide this, it takes a degree of maturity and stability. I recently heard someone said they had a child partially because they like being pregnant. I have suggested celibacy in an effort to keep someone around when she didn’t like condoms and she chose not to take birth control. It made more sense to play it safe than risk a kid, plus I enjoyed her company and I still would have enjoyed even if there was not sex involved.

For some reason she didn’t see it that same way I did.

When one of the first things you see is a six foot tall guy in a children’s big bird [tag]costume[/tag] something should tell you that an interesting night is ahead. [newline]
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Friday night the fan club and I all attended the annual showing of the [tag]Rocky[/tag] [tag]Horror[/tag] [tag]Picture[/tag] Show and costume [tag]contest[/tag] at the [tag]Alabama[/tag] [tag]Theater[/tag]. Even after several people bailed on us we still managed to take up a row and a half. I slipped away from the group early on to get a few pictures of some of the costumed people in the contest. And my favorite part watching a few of them fall off the stage in their ill conceived shoes. [newline]
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I have seen Rocky Horror several times and to this day I still have no clue what that movie is actually about, but I really don’t think thats why anybody ever watches it.

Saturday night found me at work for our costume contest. I think I was the only person dressed mundanely. The bartenders took full advantage of the chance to play dress up.
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We also had a special guest in house. [tag]Porn[/tag] star Wendy Williams which meant the club was a lot more crowded than usual. On a plus side part of that crowd was two of my friends I haven’t seen since college Amy and Justice. It was great to spend some time catching up with them. While sitting outside deciding where we wanted to catch dinner we witnessed a car accident, it was old times all over again.[newline]
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I had just gotten my [tag]lucky[/tag] [tag]socks[/tag] on and was tossing stuff into my [tag]backpack[/tag] in an effort to get ready for [tag]work[/tag], and I thought to myself, “I haven’t taken my [tag]camera[/tag] anywhere in a bit.” Well, tonight I am glad I did. (And before anyone even bothers to ask, I really do have a pair of lucky socks, I wonder if my life would be different had I taken them to [tag]Oklahoma[/tag] with me?)
I decided to head into work early. Partly because of the fact I am sick and I wasn’t sure if I was physically capable or getting to work or staying at work, and partly because I wasn’t sure if I even had a job anymore.

Friday night I choose to start celebrating [tag]Halloween[/tag] a little early and went to the 4th annual Witches ball instead of going to work. A bunch of my friends went with me and we even managed to talk my mom into going and having a little fun.[newline]
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I got to see a lot of interesting costumes and well thought out costumes, and a lot of people who were well..just running around half [tag]naked[/tag].
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It was really worth skipping out of work for.

So I went into work tonight and found out due to a scandal that had nothing to do with me directly. No one noticed that I didn’t show up to fill my post last night. I decided there was no real reason for me to point that fact out for anyone.

On the note of upgrading Stupidhurts.org I decided it was best to let well enough be. I looked over the documentation and over the back end code. As my buddy Jake pointed out to me a bit back, this site is held together by spit and love. So if it ain’t broke I really shouldn’t be trying to fix it. Plus I would lose several rarely used but very awesome features like the Stupidhurts map and voicecasting.

The [tag]logic[/tag] behind this decision completely and utterly escapes me. Last weekend the owner of the [tag]bar[/tag] I [tag]work[/tag] at was attacked by a patron while we were understaffed and unable to watch the entire bar, and earlier this week the general manager calls me to tell me they can’t afford to pay to keep the [tag]security[/tag] staff. So they cut the rest of the security team and reassigned me to a different task. But if you have an issue with fights and underage drinkers, gutting your security staff seems like an epically poor choice. I shouldn’t complain on the account I still have a job, but my entire reason for working there was to hang out with my friends on the security team.

Everyone else has already picked up a new assignment and made an offer for me to come with them. It is amazing how quickly these things happen.

This week also included my former roommate Pam’s [tag]birthday[/tag] [tag]party[/tag]. I have to say I had an awesome time catching up with people whom I haven’t seen since I first got out of the hospital.
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Oddly enough I found myself turning down drinks on several different occasions during and having to explain that giving the fact I am prone to [tag]hallucination[/tag] and I still hear voices, it is best that I stay sober in an effort to avoid having a really good post for Stupidhurts.

Lastly it looks also looks like I may have the [tag]flu[/tag]. I got out today in a small effort to run down to the store to pick up a few things and found out I was to weak to effectively stop my [tag]bicycle[/tag]. The intelligent thing would be to postpone the camping trip I had planned for this weekend to a later point in time. So I am thinking that I may take the down time and try to upgrade my wordpress install of this [tag]website[/tag]. Don’t be surprised if I manage to fry Stupidhurts.org or email one of you for a helping hand

I went to the Birmingham Zoo this week and watched the animals do their thing. Well most of them really just looked sorta bored, but a few were really interesting to watch. I managed to spend a good ten minutes watching an anaconda slowly creep up on mice before dragging them down into the water to make a snack of them. [newline]
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There are a loads more pictures up in my gallery from my adventure if you would like a glimpse of some of the things I saw. Just click here Zoo Trip pics!

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While I was living in [tag]Oklahoma[/tag] I had gotten started on a new [tag]messenger[/tag] [tag]bag[/tag] because my daily bag (Seen here) can be a bit too big and a bit unwieldy at times. Unfortunately before I ever managed to finish it I got sick. But looking back at the pictures the color combination was pretty hideous. So it may just be for the best it got [tag]scrapped[/tag]. [newline]
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So last week sometime I started an idea in motion and got started on a new bag. [newline]
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I did learn that basic sewing machine doesn’t really like 1000d [tag]Cordura[/tag]. I ended up breaking 4 needles over the course of making this bag. I still have plans for some art work on the outer flap. I just haven’t gotten around to finishing it yet.
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This one weighs a lot less as well. My other bag weighs nearly 5 pounds empty, this one tips the scales at a little over a pound and a half.

I have been off handedly been looking for a replacement for my [tag]Langster[/tag] since it got sold while I was in the [tag]hospital[/tag]. [newline]
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There is one in town in my size, but being as it is the last one till next year, they are asking near $800 for it. It seems just a bit [tag]excessive[/tag] to me.

I made a big fuss about getting a [tag]fixed[/tag] gear [tag]bicycle[/tag], rode it about 3 times. Then I tried to die before losing it. Honestly I need a second bicycle like I need a hole in my head, but I rode Rocky’s fixed [tag]Trek[/tag] a few nights back and I really want my own fixie again.
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Too bad the current budget doesn’t allow for such toys

After spending more time with the rest of the staff at work I realize part of the reason they stick me on spotlight night after night is because I have a longer attention span than the rest of them. Which is sad, because I have A.D.D just like everyone else.
We have had conversations literally go;

Them, “So what are the plans for the night.”
Me,”I am taking spot light?”
Them, “ohhhh a cat!”

While watching others work the spotlight, I have also seen it wander from off stage to random places in the crowd, or just quit moving all together. It can sometimes get pretty amusing.
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