Wow. Knowing that Stennie's blog got mentioned in the L.A. Times makes me really nervous about blogging. I am not worthy!

This weekend was an interesting one. thought I was going to have to take a break from the "brand new bike" for a couple of days because I bust the rear inner tube and didn't know how to fix it. (Go figure, I can change the oil in a car, jack the thing up and change a tire, deal with all the fluids and check the transmission on a manual, but I couldn't figure out how to get the tire off my bike!) However, I had my monthly breakfast with Peer today, and casually (ok, I knew he knew how to fix the bike, but far be it from me to actually ask for help when I can drop hints, n'est pas? ) mentioned my dilemma, and before you can say "Alpenfahrradresort" , he was at Walgreen's buying the appropriate kit, showing me how to pry my tire off and look for the leak. Unfortunately the leak was in the valve, requiring me to purchase a new inner tube. But that was very cheap and Peer showed me how to remedy the situation in the future. His absolute willingness to help out blew me away. I mean, I think it did something for him to be able to do something for me. That kind of thing doesn't happen very often, and I have to say it made my day. Maybe the world isn't filled completely to the brim with assholes after all.

Erika called me from Berlin today, which was fun, since I hadn't talked to her since July somethingorother. She is doing well over there, and will be going to London later in the month for a little R&R before heading back to Duke. Berlin is a wonderful city, and talking to her really made me want to go back out that way. Lord it sucks to be bound to two weeks vacation a year. Well, and then there is that salary issue - I just don't make enough to afford a monthly trip to Europe. I should have taken a job as a courier. Do they get a retirement package and health insurance?

'So the list of things to do on the weekend kind of got lost in the shuffle - putting "get a new bike" so high on the list probably wasn't a good idea. It kept me from cleaning the bathroom, decobwebbing the living room and doing the laundry. I don't feel so bad about that though, I'll have time this week to tend to those matters.

The Spam count: 97 this weekend. (THREE more came in while writing this entry). I've decided that the spammers of the world have decided I am a hermaphrodite with an animal fetish and really bad credit. I received spams for: Viagra, penis enlargement, breast enlargement, and this link to a site that advertises a poster that compares relative penis size in animals. In addition, I got 32 emails about getting my apparently bad credit fixed and 5 emails that promised me lower rates on my non-existent mortgage if I refinanced with such and such a bank. Eight emails were inviting me to watch various "barely 18 year old girls" webcam broadcasts.

Gee whiz.