In the back of my mind, I sorta knew this day would come. Figured I wouldn't last forever in the Northeast without confronting the awful realization that my bike had been stolen.
I travel barely a mile to and from the train station to get to work. The bike has been a convenient way to get there and back without troubling Liz for a ride or paying for a taxi. But the bike rack is out in the open, rather exposed. I thought my cable lock would be enough. Instead, I returned to New Haven one night last week and found the bike gone. The only trace left was the little velcro strip used to secure the cable together.
It was a great bike, a hand-me-down from Keith that I adopted as my own. A couple of years ago, I sunk maybe $200 bucks into fixing it up, new handlebar tape, spiffy new tires, clean gears. It looked sharp, and I felt proud to ride it.
Maybe a bit too proud. If I had bought a second bike, one that looked like trash, I could have rode that to the train station and locked it up with no fear of anyone ever ripping it off. But the sharp-looking Trek was a thief magnet, I guess, locked up next to all those other, beat-up bicycles. Some guy with boltcutters or equivalent firepower make quick work of my lock and left me scratching my head and cursing, forced to catch a miserable cab ride home.
I'm still debating what to do about my bike-less state. Invest in a snazzy new bike? Get a broken-down workhorse to get me by? Take up walking instead? To be continued...
READ MORE about the bike's history and what it meant to Keith on Keith's Wausau Daily Herald Blog.
Showing posts with label Work. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Work. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Motel Madness: Manhattan/Mohegan
OK, not quite a motel, in fact nothing like it, when I spent Friday night in the city because yet another hurricane had screwed with my schedule.
This time, Ike struck late Friday night, so I worked late overseeing our coverage and had to get back into the office by 7 a.m., which meant a nearly impossible turnaround if I had to ride the train home and back. So my boss offered a hotel, and I didn't waste any time arguing.
The place was called the Muse Hotel, about a block from work. The second I walked into the room, I felt guilty. First of all, guilty that my employer was putting me up in a 17th floor room with a fleeting glimpse of Times Square, two flat-screen TVs, a minibar (Heineken for $7.50), a whirlpool bath, a leather couch and cute little square bars of soap. And doubly guilty because I should have been sharing such a cool experience with Liz.
Maybe someday, when we have $400 to burn without the hope of work reimbursing me.
The other motel experience, which was closer to a true motel, thankfully was shared with Liz. On a whim Sunday we decided to run up to the Mohegan Sun casino for a little spontaneous fun. It's about a hour drive, and we got a cheapo hotel for $80 that offered a shuttle van to the casino.
It was our first trip to one of Connecticut's two Indian casinos, but not as eventful as it sounds. We stuffed our bellies at the casino buffet and I lost $90 at blackjack. I think I would have had better luck had I moved to the poker room, but Liz wasn't really enjoying the gambling scene so we just headed back to the hotel.
To quote that old Third Eye Blind song, I guess we lead a "semi-charmed kinda life, baby." Not really all that glamorous, but at least a little excitement on the weekends to get us through our work week.
This time, Ike struck late Friday night, so I worked late overseeing our coverage and had to get back into the office by 7 a.m., which meant a nearly impossible turnaround if I had to ride the train home and back. So my boss offered a hotel, and I didn't waste any time arguing.
The place was called the Muse Hotel, about a block from work. The second I walked into the room, I felt guilty. First of all, guilty that my employer was putting me up in a 17th floor room with a fleeting glimpse of Times Square, two flat-screen TVs, a minibar (Heineken for $7.50), a whirlpool bath, a leather couch and cute little square bars of soap. And doubly guilty because I should have been sharing such a cool experience with Liz.
Maybe someday, when we have $400 to burn without the hope of work reimbursing me.
The other motel experience, which was closer to a true motel, thankfully was shared with Liz. On a whim Sunday we decided to run up to the Mohegan Sun casino for a little spontaneous fun. It's about a hour drive, and we got a cheapo hotel for $80 that offered a shuttle van to the casino.
It was our first trip to one of Connecticut's two Indian casinos, but not as eventful as it sounds. We stuffed our bellies at the casino buffet and I lost $90 at blackjack. I think I would have had better luck had I moved to the poker room, but Liz wasn't really enjoying the gambling scene so we just headed back to the hotel.
To quote that old Third Eye Blind song, I guess we lead a "semi-charmed kinda life, baby." Not really all that glamorous, but at least a little excitement on the weekends to get us through our work week.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Road Race & Gustav
Dave ran the 31st Annual New Haven Road Race on Monday. It was 20K. He finished 441 out of 2090. Awesome! Here he is near the finish line. Dave wrote about the race on his Northeast Runner blog.
The best part was that they had free beer for the runners!
The bad part was that he later got called into work because of Hurricane Gustav. It's going to be another six-day work week for Dave.
Thankfully, the storm wasn't as devastating as it once appeared. My cousin Ben and his fiancee Kira -- who are getting married in New Orleans in November -- evacuated to Florida. My step cousins also evacuated. Who knows what property damage was done.
The best part was that they had free beer for the runners!
The bad part was that he later got called into work because of Hurricane Gustav. It's going to be another six-day work week for Dave.
Thankfully, the storm wasn't as devastating as it once appeared. My cousin Ben and his fiancee Kira -- who are getting married in New Orleans in November -- evacuated to Florida. My step cousins also evacuated. Who knows what property damage was done.
Friday, August 29, 2008
Conventional Wisdom
Barack Obama ruined my week. John McCain will do the same next week.
Because of the Democratic National Convention, I had to work an extra day, Monday, and wound up staying an extra hour each night, as our FOXNews.com political team relayed stories from Denver to us back at the New York newsroom. If the Democrats had scheduled their speeches an hour earlier each night, I might have gotten home on time, but no matter. It was an exciting experience. I only regret that I couldn't pay close attention to the speeches because my mind was focused on keeping our home page up to date.
Luckily, I still have this Monday off, so Liz and I can relax on Labor Day — after I attempt to compete in New Haven's annual 20k race that morning. Then it's back to convention coverage, this time with the Republicans from the Twin Cities. So hey, all you Minnesotans, if you see my colleagues Sharon, Judd, Steve, Christina or Mary Ann, tell 'em I said hi.
Because of the Democratic National Convention, I had to work an extra day, Monday, and wound up staying an extra hour each night, as our FOXNews.com political team relayed stories from Denver to us back at the New York newsroom. If the Democrats had scheduled their speeches an hour earlier each night, I might have gotten home on time, but no matter. It was an exciting experience. I only regret that I couldn't pay close attention to the speeches because my mind was focused on keeping our home page up to date.
Luckily, I still have this Monday off, so Liz and I can relax on Labor Day — after I attempt to compete in New Haven's annual 20k race that morning. Then it's back to convention coverage, this time with the Republicans from the Twin Cities. So hey, all you Minnesotans, if you see my colleagues Sharon, Judd, Steve, Christina or Mary Ann, tell 'em I said hi.
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