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rebeccmeisterYesterday I gave the departmental seminar, in which I presented about some of the things I accomplished during my sabbatical. That was one of the more fun talks I've ever written and given, largely because I got to tell funny stories and show people photos of my cats, my childhood bedroom, one of my sister's cats (Izzy), and the lab I set up in the Motel 6 in Omaha. There was an extremely adorable moment when I noted that some of the work I'd carried out finally got published, and the mostly student-based audience applauded. And I may very well have a new ant research team forming up.
There was freezing rain in the forecast for last night, so I tried to book home relatively early to try and avoid harrowing conditions. But while I rode home, it wasn't raining and instead there were large, floppy, wet snowflakes falling from the sky, creating a layer of slop on the pavement. So after dinner S and I decided we should still go for it and make a grocery run.
The real trouble with bicycling in those conditions isn't so much the actual bicycling (although that can get dicey after a certain amount of accumulation on the roads), as it is dealing with the salt and slush and grit that get everywhere. When I checked this afternoon, Frodo's drivetrain is still frozen, so there's a good chance I'll need to go out with a bucket of warm water tomorrow to melt everything off so I can commute on Monday.
Along with that, I think I've already worn all the way through the pair of brake pads I put on less than a month ago. So that was enough impetus to get us out the door and in the car over to the next-closest local bike shop (since the closest one closed). I can't remember if I bought 8 or 10 sets of brake pads, but I do know we'll go through them eventually. We're loose friends with the guy who owns and runs the next-closest bike shop, so it was fun to catch up with him in addition to buying a zillion brake pads, a bunch of shift cables, brake and cable housing, and a couple of spare chains.
Since our friend M said he is less experienced with building wheels, from there we went up to Bike Shop 3 (not its real name), which is also in a remarkably bike-unfriendly location, ogled their wares, and S was able to get them to say they'd work on his special wheelbuilding project with a 2-speed hub.
Since we were out and about, we also stopped by the hardware store for a few things, then came back home again.
In the midst of it all, we did a bit of garage rearranging, and in the midst of that I realized that it was silly to try and arrange the garage to try and make space to do varnish and other finish work in there. Instead, it made more sense to try and set up the front porch for finish work again. After all, that's where I finished my desk, back during the pandemic. So that's what I wound up doing. As part of that I was also able to give that half of the porch a good sweep-out, which it really needed. And I set up the wire shelf to accommodate plants again.
Not pictured, all of the slumps and runs and drips in the varnish. This is NOT Fine Woodworking! Also, it was really cold on the front porch, which was not ideal for varnish application. But the worms won't care.
Caturday tax:
George really likes watching Cat TV.
Snuggle kitties!
There was freezing rain in the forecast for last night, so I tried to book home relatively early to try and avoid harrowing conditions. But while I rode home, it wasn't raining and instead there were large, floppy, wet snowflakes falling from the sky, creating a layer of slop on the pavement. So after dinner S and I decided we should still go for it and make a grocery run.
The real trouble with bicycling in those conditions isn't so much the actual bicycling (although that can get dicey after a certain amount of accumulation on the roads), as it is dealing with the salt and slush and grit that get everywhere. When I checked this afternoon, Frodo's drivetrain is still frozen, so there's a good chance I'll need to go out with a bucket of warm water tomorrow to melt everything off so I can commute on Monday.
Along with that, I think I've already worn all the way through the pair of brake pads I put on less than a month ago. So that was enough impetus to get us out the door and in the car over to the next-closest local bike shop (since the closest one closed). I can't remember if I bought 8 or 10 sets of brake pads, but I do know we'll go through them eventually. We're loose friends with the guy who owns and runs the next-closest bike shop, so it was fun to catch up with him in addition to buying a zillion brake pads, a bunch of shift cables, brake and cable housing, and a couple of spare chains.
Since our friend M said he is less experienced with building wheels, from there we went up to Bike Shop 3 (not its real name), which is also in a remarkably bike-unfriendly location, ogled their wares, and S was able to get them to say they'd work on his special wheelbuilding project with a 2-speed hub.
Since we were out and about, we also stopped by the hardware store for a few things, then came back home again.
In the midst of it all, we did a bit of garage rearranging, and in the midst of that I realized that it was silly to try and arrange the garage to try and make space to do varnish and other finish work in there. Instead, it made more sense to try and set up the front porch for finish work again. After all, that's where I finished my desk, back during the pandemic. So that's what I wound up doing. As part of that I was also able to give that half of the porch a good sweep-out, which it really needed. And I set up the wire shelf to accommodate plants again.
Not pictured, all of the slumps and runs and drips in the varnish. This is NOT Fine Woodworking! Also, it was really cold on the front porch, which was not ideal for varnish application. But the worms won't care.
Caturday tax:
George really likes watching Cat TV.
Snuggle kitties!
no subject
Date: 2025-02-02 06:24 am (UTC)Love the pair of photos of your cats snuggling--how between the first photo and the second, the darker one relaxes more into and onto the lighter one.
Do you have a backup way of getting to work if the roads *do* get too difficult for bicycle commuting?
no subject
Date: 2025-02-02 10:12 am (UTC)And usually at that point there are school delays or closures anyway, because the powers that be agree that it's not safe for anyone to be out.
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We thought George (gray) and Martha (tortie) were being super adorable, too! Martha is pretty attentive to the sounds and motions of the camera, so it's hard to catch her actually relaxing.
no subject
Date: 2025-02-02 10:07 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-02-02 02:16 pm (UTC)As always, I remain AWED by your amazing productivity & industry!!!!
no subject
Date: 2025-02-02 08:47 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-02-02 08:46 pm (UTC)