School, the Day 2 saga

by Shaun

It was only the second day of school and I already almost didn't make it to class!  I took my sweet time this morning, having coffee and reading blogs (specifically, Wet Behind the Ears by Julie McQuitty Rhodes).  Then I go to pump up my bike tire (front tire desperate for it - unrideable without it), and there's a problem.  Something with the tire valving was not allowing any air to get in there.  Crap!  I've got about 5 minutes within which I need to be on the bike and headed west on Cheney St!  

I fooled with it a bit, but then gave up on the bike and jumped online to check the bus schedule - we have 2 different route stops nearby.  I find the schedule, Crap!  It only comes by on the hour and will come by at perhaps the worst possible time.  I would be 15 minutes late to class if I took the bus.  But, who cares, it's my only option.  Okay, I need some bus money.... oh, Crap!  We got no cash here!  I mean, I find like 30 cents, that's it.  That's not going to work.  "Crap" is turning into, well, you know...

I contemplated dropping the course and just walking to starbucks to take the edge off.  I could get my registration money back and by a Wii or somethin'.  Then, I remembered -- Kyndra's bike!  It's an okay size and has good tires on it.  It's yellow and all, but hey, I got no qualms with that.  As long as it gets me there on time.

Suffice it to say, I had to fish it out from the basement, dragging it up the back stairs while trying to move the awkward "stair roof" thing with the rusty nails out of the way.  Come over sometime and I'll show you!  It was also a grueling task.  But, I was on the road in time - that's what matters.

In the end, I rode hard and made it to class with 3 minutes to go.  Not bad!  Of course, my face was tomato red, I was sweating like the Chip N' Dales SNL version of Chris Farley, and trying hard to keep the breathing under some semblance of steady control.  I think I pulled it off; I mean, I didn't pass out.  

Really though, the class chatted about Annie Dillard, and the tiger of my back-in-school excitement  was fed a healthy, literary snack.  The registration fees are worth it, I think.  And I guess in the process of learning new things at school, I'll ALSO be learning more and more about what makes my bike work!  At the least, I'll find a way to keep the tires inflated.

"When I go biking, I repeat a mantra of the day's sensations:  bright sun, blue sky, warm breeze, blue jay's call, ice melting and so on.  This helps me transcend the traffic, ignore the clamorings of work, leave all the mind theaters behind and focus on nature instead.  I still must abide by the rules of the road, of biking, of gravity.  But I am mentally far away from civilization.  The world is breaking someone else's heart."  

~Diane Ackerman

Comments

[Shaun O]

Brian, look - I can comment!

[Richard Carpenter]

Great story Shaun, but only because it has a happy ending. I'm lovin that you're lovin school. I'd like to have more of these blog posts.

[Laura]

what a great story!! so glad it all worked out well... :) and so glad you're loving school. you've made me want to go drag my bike out of storage, too!