Feeling Very Hipster

Maybe hipster's not the right word. Trendy? I don't know. In the past week-ish I have acquired a bike for transportation, an iPhone 4 (There's been much happy dancing.) and a yoga membership, so what does that make me? Cooler than two weeks ago? Probably.

In what Lee defines as my habit to "Name Any Purchase Over $100" (We should name the house!), meet Helen. Helen is named for Helen of Troy because they both have a gorgeous design that has led men (and women) to engage in expensive and obsessive behaviors. Please play Words with Friends with me. (I'm kmearley. You might also include a message letting me know who you are because stranger = danger.)

Have you noticed that as iPhones get smaller, they need bigger cases, and are now quite large? I have no idea what the actual size of my phone is because of her gigantic case. With the case, she is probably one of the bigger phones I've ever had, rivaling my first cell phone from 2000. (I've had a cell phone for the past decade. Wow.)

My bike does not have a name yet, but she's pretty sweet. She has taken me to work and back twice and we even went through the bank drive-through together. That was classy.

And special thanks to my dear husband for successfully attaching my basket (It was $15 (with coupon) from Michael's. Yay for not spending $50+ on one!) with a classy combination of zip ties and wood. I've questioned Lee's use of zip ties but it has held up well.

(Okay, I admit the zip ties were originally my idea but that was before I realized there are holes on the rack for screws, which seem sturdier than zip ties. But so far, so good.)

The Buying Cycle

I'm a budget-er. The only debt Lee and I have is our house. We have few credit cards and they are paid off when we purchase anything on them. I clip coupons. We have an emergency fund with 3 months income.

These characters are crucial to my survival, because just as meticulously as I record every $1 McDonald's sweet tea, I lovelovelove to spend money. I love the feeling of walking though the mall with recent purchases in hand. It scares me sometimes how much joy I get from spending money. (Of course that joy is increased by knowing I have the money to spend and am getting a great deal.)

This love of spending is something that often needs to be tempered. My mind jumps to spending conclusions quickly and irrationally.

Example: Behind the kitchen wallpaper there was this weird 70s back splash. Concern was expressed about if paint would adhere to it.

"Well we could tile it," I say. "I would like a tile back splash. You know, if we tile, we might as well update the counter tops. And, if we get new counter tops we should probably replace the cabinets too."

It's like the Paris Hilton version of If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. Fortunately, the paint stuck to the back splash.

But the spending-thought-loop is cycling again. For a new bike. (Ha! Pun!)

I bought my current bike in 1998-ish for $100 from Walmart. After a decade abandoned in the garage, I've pulled it back out to start cycling for health, transportation and because I want to bike across England eventually. Our house is only 1.5 miles from work and it's really silly to drive when I could bike.

But if I bike to work I'll need a basket. And maybe one of those rear rack things. And a bell. And a mirror. And lights.

However, the bike isn't in the best condition. After having my uncle-in-law look at it (He knows about bike things.), the gear shift is still a little wonky. I pretty much just stay in second because adjustments require shift-wiggling and painful sounds. Why get pretty accessories for a bike that's near death?! (Uncle said it would be fine to use but clearly with all the creaking it's not.)

And look at how pretty this is! And this is in my dream bike colors! Hmm...

It's Not Like Riding a Bike

I told you months ago (October 27 to be exact.) that I was going to start biking. But I was afraid to start biking without Lee's company since I haven't gone out in years, and we were lazy retrieving Lee's bikes from his parents, and then we've been busy so last week was our first bike adventure.

Fortunately there's a commercial parking lot by our apartment that's empty outside of business hours so we went there for me to re-learn biking. Not that this should be difficult, right, because they don't say "It's easy like riding a bike!" for nothing!?

Wrong.

Apparently I get on and off my bike incorrectly. I sit on the seat with my tippy toes on the ground to push off. When I stop, I stay in my seat and put my tippy toes back on the ground. I like this. It makes me feel in control. I have some paranoid issues with falling so being able to sit and place my feet on the ground gives me comfort that I can deal with sudden stops or anything else that might sway my balance.

However, Lee says that my legs need to fully extend while pedaling, and if my seat is low enough for my tippy toes to touch the ground, it's not high enough for my legs to fully extend. Which is why I should board and exit the bike correctly: from a standing position. But this requires so much more BALANCE!

No worries though, we have been doing circles in the parking lot just like I did when I was 8, re-learning how to get on and off my bike. I finally got confident enough to do a loop around the low-traffic, wide-lane section of our neighborhood. Baby steps to success! (Or baby pedals?)

In other fitness-related news, I just spent the most on running shoes ever! (Not sure that deserves an exclamation mark.) Lee convinced me that I might like running more if I had my gait examined and got proper shoes. So I went to a fancy running store, had my gait examined (I don't need stability after all!), and got some extra nice shoes and insoles as well. (The insoles do make a big difference and will last for three pairs of shoes.) I have yet to really test them out, but hopefully tomorrow they will make me a runner. Or at least a regular jogger.

My New "Sport"

Awhile ago, I posted this rambling about how I felt very boring and old, yet was repeatedly carded for R-rated movies. Despite being very happy with my life, I felt like I should be doing more of something that makes for a better story than, "Well I watched You've Got Mail again" come Monday morning. (Although that does sound like a pretty sweet weekend.)

I have decided that the real problem is my lack of doing things. I accomplish what needs to get done, but I want to do more than that. Expense is partly to blame, but I also get lazy and tired and just stay home. So I'm resolving to do more fun things, more activities, more somethings.

What are these "things" of which I speak? There are several. Some are big; some are small. At some point I might make some sort of goal list. But I took an important step this weekend in one of my big goals, or I guess my dad did, by bringing me my old bike.


I don't even know if this is the kind of the bike I should be riding. I've had it for at least a decade and have probably ridden it twice. Considering we're heading into non-ideal bike weather, who knows when I'll start biking (Santa's going to bring me a helmet!), but I have a bike.

Bike riding isn't really the ultimate goal though. Yes, it will be a great way to stay in shape and a fun activity for Lee and I to do together (Believe it or not, Lee does not enjoy You've Got Mail weekends.). The ultimate goal is to bike across England. For reals. There's a website and everything. I really want to do this.

I have no idea when we'll go. I have no idea when in the foreseeable future we'll be able to afford to fly to England (or sleep or eat). Not to mention we'll be having kids in the next couple years. But, I have a bike. I might need to get a different one, but there is a bike in my apartment. I've taken the first step.