I'm devoting this weekend to projects. Since I'll be traveling for the next two weekends, I need to get some of these half-finished projects off my list. Otherwise I'll turn into my father, who has unfinished projects that last as long as five or ten years.
My lack of freezer space was one task that urgently required my attention. All this gardening means that I don't have enough room for my vegetables, and the edamame will probably have to be picked this week. After plenty of research, I settled on a larger chest freezer. (Compare my old freezer on the left to the new one on the right). It's an annoyance to dive for my food every time I want something, but I figured out that I'd pay an extra $1000 over the next decade for increased energy costs and decided I could deal with inconvenience. I'm relieved that the new model is as quiet as the reviews promised, because the freezer lives in my bedroom.
I'm also trying to turn my father's garage-sale-find of a bicycle into something that will work for my everyday use. I want things like a luggage rack and a different handlebar. Working brakes and new tires would be good things too. The repair job is made more difficult by the fact that I have to figure it all out without expert help. There are lots of bicycle shops in the area, but they primarily (1) sell new bikes and (2) repair the bikes they sold you. When I took my $5 bike in, they politely looked at it and then explained that I would need to replace almost every single part. This made the $700 bike they suggested look like a good deal. I can't blame them too much- we live on different planets. They sell reliable, stylish, comfortable bikes that you can use for serious commuting and racing. On the other hand, I like to bicycle sitting bolt upright, in my work clothes, at slow speeds. I'm looking for a functional bike that, when it is stolen, I won't cry about too much. Bonus points if it looks rather shabby, so that thieves target the bike next to mine - generally poor bike appearance along with a sturdy lock are my chosen defense against criminals.
3 comments:
When we get the garage sorted, or have a kitchen extension, I would like to get a chest freezer, so that we can cope with gluts of garden produce at a sensible pace - I'm not holding my breath.
RM, you are in the wrong country. The bike you are looking for exists in spades and repair shops to service in on every corner here in the Netherlands.
Yes, that's exactly it, AinA! I want to be an Amsterdam commuter with an Amsterdam bike shop to help me. But I'd like to keep the sunshine of DC...
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