Bucketworld
Last week was kind of a blur, thanks to having to write not one but two Idol entries--from not-great prompts. I was up late Thursday finishing the first drafts of both stories, and had to drive in to the office on Friday. I got about 6 1/2 hours of sleep, so by the time the alarm clock woke me, it was on the "flail" setting.
There was also the horrible absence of my bike all week. It was supposed to be back last Monday... then Weds/ Thursday... and I finally got it back today. The result was not quite what I expected. It has new shifters, and while I knew it would be a different manufacturer than for the original shifters/brake-hood assembly, I did not expect a different "system" of shifting. The setup with levers on the slanting lower tube worked just fine for maybe 30-40 years. That's the only system I need! But then people started putting the shifters on the handlebars, combined with the brake. This new assembly increases my reach to the brakes/shifters from up-top by about 1 1/2 to 2 inches, and the excess reach was already a problem! Also, the levers to shift up or down are one in front of the other, and they both go the same direction now. I feel as if I'm destined for many future brain glitches where I intend to shift down and shift up instead (increasing the resistance). Also... the lever that shifts up is now in about the same place as the down-shifting lever on the previous set (again, thanks to the longer reach), and it moves in the same direction. So, I surprised myself a few times on today's ride.
One thing I would like with all these setups is for the "result" (not the function!) to be mirrored. I.e., for both sides, shifting inward (or pulling the lever down) lowers the resistance. The reality is, it lowers on the right side and increases on the left side. This is slightly less bad than with the tube levers, where sometimes I would be shifting up to build speed before a hill... and the signal would go to the wrong hand, and I'd suddenly be in "Hamsterwheel" gear instead. I wonder if that happens as much to people who are more solidly right- or left-handed, rather than more ambidextrous?
Cats: I saw this set of pictures last week that any cat-lover will understand. Picture #1... we've had several cats in that category. And once a cat becomes convinced (for whatever reason) that certain unusual water habits are necessary, you will never persuade it otherwise. Of the cats my husband and I have had, we're 3 for 5 on "water issues":
Cat #1: She liked to put her paw in the water and fish around like she was testing for alligators. Then drink off of her paw. Annoying enough inside the house, but outside? She was not the only cat. We would put down fresh water, and she would immediately stick her foot in it and make it filthy for everyone. Ugh.
Cat #2 and #3: No issues. Water is lovely! If I need more, I'll just wait here by the bowl until you notice me.
Cat #4 (The Whale): Moving water is the best water! Always! The first inkling of this was that I used to find the watering can on its side, leaking water all over the breeze way. That was because The Whale would stick his head in it and pull it over, so the water would spill out. He used to haunt The Boy in the bathroom, hoping for the bathtub tap to be turned on. The Boy is kind of a sucker, so it was a good bet. In later years, The Whale flipped over the indoor water dish so many times that I finally got him a heavy metal dog bowl with slanted sides. Unflippable! And geez, I can't believe I had to resort to that.
Cat #5 (current kitty): She didn't have any real issues until we started collecting the shower warm-up water in buckets, to use in the garden or pool. Now, the bathroom has been transformed into Bucketworld. She's always hoping someone will go in there with her to tilt a bucket so she can drink out of it. Flirt with the bucket, flirt, flirt! So the humans will get a clue! If you don't tilt the bucket, or the water isn't quite high enough, she'll try to drink it anyway. To the point where sometimes she's choking herself on the bucket rim, but to her, it is imperative that she drink THAT water NOW. Even though Bucketworld didn't exist a year ago...
Tomorrow: Is Monday again, and I sure hope this week is lower on the mayhem factor than the last several weeks. Yark.
There was also the horrible absence of my bike all week. It was supposed to be back last Monday... then Weds/ Thursday... and I finally got it back today. The result was not quite what I expected. It has new shifters, and while I knew it would be a different manufacturer than for the original shifters/brake-hood assembly, I did not expect a different "system" of shifting. The setup with levers on the slanting lower tube worked just fine for maybe 30-40 years. That's the only system I need! But then people started putting the shifters on the handlebars, combined with the brake. This new assembly increases my reach to the brakes/shifters from up-top by about 1 1/2 to 2 inches, and the excess reach was already a problem! Also, the levers to shift up or down are one in front of the other, and they both go the same direction now. I feel as if I'm destined for many future brain glitches where I intend to shift down and shift up instead (increasing the resistance). Also... the lever that shifts up is now in about the same place as the down-shifting lever on the previous set (again, thanks to the longer reach), and it moves in the same direction. So, I surprised myself a few times on today's ride.
One thing I would like with all these setups is for the "result" (not the function!) to be mirrored. I.e., for both sides, shifting inward (or pulling the lever down) lowers the resistance. The reality is, it lowers on the right side and increases on the left side. This is slightly less bad than with the tube levers, where sometimes I would be shifting up to build speed before a hill... and the signal would go to the wrong hand, and I'd suddenly be in "Hamsterwheel" gear instead. I wonder if that happens as much to people who are more solidly right- or left-handed, rather than more ambidextrous?
Cats: I saw this set of pictures last week that any cat-lover will understand. Picture #1... we've had several cats in that category. And once a cat becomes convinced (for whatever reason) that certain unusual water habits are necessary, you will never persuade it otherwise. Of the cats my husband and I have had, we're 3 for 5 on "water issues":
Cat #1: She liked to put her paw in the water and fish around like she was testing for alligators. Then drink off of her paw. Annoying enough inside the house, but outside? She was not the only cat. We would put down fresh water, and she would immediately stick her foot in it and make it filthy for everyone. Ugh.
Cat #2 and #3: No issues. Water is lovely! If I need more, I'll just wait here by the bowl until you notice me.
Cat #4 (The Whale): Moving water is the best water! Always! The first inkling of this was that I used to find the watering can on its side, leaking water all over the breeze way. That was because The Whale would stick his head in it and pull it over, so the water would spill out. He used to haunt The Boy in the bathroom, hoping for the bathtub tap to be turned on. The Boy is kind of a sucker, so it was a good bet. In later years, The Whale flipped over the indoor water dish so many times that I finally got him a heavy metal dog bowl with slanted sides. Unflippable! And geez, I can't believe I had to resort to that.
Cat #5 (current kitty): She didn't have any real issues until we started collecting the shower warm-up water in buckets, to use in the garden or pool. Now, the bathroom has been transformed into Bucketworld. She's always hoping someone will go in there with her to tilt a bucket so she can drink out of it. Flirt with the bucket, flirt, flirt! So the humans will get a clue! If you don't tilt the bucket, or the water isn't quite high enough, she'll try to drink it anyway. To the point where sometimes she's choking herself on the bucket rim, but to her, it is imperative that she drink THAT water NOW. Even though Bucketworld didn't exist a year ago...
Tomorrow: Is Monday again, and I sure hope this week is lower on the mayhem factor than the last several weeks. Yark.