Gah! (bitch, bitch, bitch)

I left one of my thigh-high black socks (with the white stripes near the top) too close to the rats' cage yesterday and now it's unwearable, because whenever there's something fabric within reach of the cage, they try to pull it in and shred it for bedding.

I mean, I suppose I should be glad I didn't leave something irreplaceable near them, but still, it's irritating.

I made a lot of stupid mistakes yesterday at work. I'm blaming my period.

AND I have trouble forcing my circadian clock to readjust. I've been staying up late/sleeping, pretty much, for a month. And now I have to get up at five-thirty or so every morning. My natural time to be most alert and all that is between eight and ten pm, and what happens is that I'm tired all day until eight pm or so and then I perk up, which makes it difficult to get to bed on time. Uggggh.

I get home from work around two pm, and I keep intending to seize the day, but I'm always starving when I get home, and then after I eat I'm sleepy because it's mid-afternoon and I'm usually sleepier then. I think I'll have some coffee when I get home today and see if that works. I really need to get on the ball with my laundry.

And I loathe my commute. Riding the max isn't so bad, I get time to read or knit and listen to music; there's almost always a hook available for my bike. But I hate waiting for it on either end, and I dislike riding my bike in the suburbs. From the max station to work is almost entirely downhill and kinda steep, so I end up riding my brakes for a lot of it. I'm trying to learn not to do that so much. But that means, of course, that the way back is uphill. I've wussed out and taken the bus all but once, and that once I did ride it, I was wheezing all the way until I got off the max downtown.

I might try riding the route the bus takes, on the way back. It adds almost a mile but it breaks up the hills. Well, all except that last one that tries to kill me. I swear to god, it's steeper than N Mississippi or something, and goes on for longer.

One odd upside to riding out there: it's fun to wave at other cyclists. So far, without fail, they've been lycra-clad dudes on racing bikes, but if I ding my bell and wave, they always smile and wave back. I mean, that's one of my favorite things about riding a bike in Portland in general, the camaraderie among cyclists, but it feels somehow more valuable out there. Also, I love being the odd one out with my old bike, wearing a fancy rain jacket over a dress.

So far, motorized vehicles have been polite to me, but then, I do have my own lane for 90% of it. I hope that keeps up.

Okay, enough complaining. I have a job that will cover my living expenses, an hour's commute isn't that bad (if it was an hour riding my bike through Eastside Portland I'd be excited!), it's not graveyard. So there. Off to my shower.

But the day improves!

1. At the intersection leaving Sunset Transit Center this morning, I was waiting for the light with another cyclist. Turns out he's a guy I've seen around, an older guy who also attends the Midnight Mystery Rides. He was wearing normal clothes and riding...a fixie! On those hills! Damn. We chatted almost all the way to my office, although I did coast ahead of him on the steeper downhills.

2. Took the same route as the bus, from work to the max station. It was an effort, but not as awful as the shorter route. It's totally doable.

And I remembered something I read in a Rivendell bike catalog thing: When you're doing a steep climb, count to a hundred or recite the alphabet. One letter for each breath, starting over when I finish it. It doesn't make the ride physically easier, but it makes it mentally easier. Instead of thinking "oh fuck oh shit I hate this it sucks," I'm just taking it one moment at a time.

3. Went to People's farmers market and went shopping, and came home and ate an artichoke, with melted margarine and dill. Mmmm... And I have the ingredients for several more meals. AND the new issue of Bitch Magazine was there.

4. Discovered Google translator. Having fun looking at websites for Japanese clothing. Amused endlessly to discover that "petticoat" is occasionally somehow translated to "bottle holder." WTF? I know that petticoats are sometimes called panniers and maybe that's related? I don't know. Sometimes I can figure out what they're saying and sometimes I can't. Bah.

But I have to say, oh god, some of these dresses are beautiful. I am especially enamored of the brands Victorian Maiden and Innocent World. Both brands make some dresses that could pass for just really dressy clothes; so much lolita stuff is cute but I would feel odd wearing it in public. But, yeah: I found several dresses I'd be willing to get married in.

Of course, I don't have $300 to blow on a dress. And neither site ships outside of Japan. Which is kinda dumb, the sites that are willing to sell to Americans do tidy business from what I can see, with lots of American lolis wearing them. I mean, if I had the cash I could still buy the clothes, but I'd have to do it through a buying service and pay extra.

5. Got a postcard from Shawn G. when he was in Santa Cruz (he's in California for two weeks visiting friends and going to the Bike Summit in LA). Every other time I've seen his handwriting, it was photocopied! The part of the postcard he wrote on is completely covered in small but very legible text. He started it "April dear," which gave me the warm fuzzies. Which is what inspired me to write this list.