Something I Learned Today

My girlfriend lives in West Philly. I live downtown in Center City, which is about 30 or 40 blocks from her house. Sunday was a really weird day, in terms of weather.

At brunch, we waited for a table in the rain. In the afternoon it was sunny and 67°. By dinnertime, chunks of hail had blanketed the town. Truly, it was a weird omen.

During the brief oasis of warmth that we bathed in for a few hours, I made the aforementioned trek across town. Today, I suited up in my American Apparel hoodie, out-of-place Banana Republic corduroys and Chuck Taylor shoes and returned in a damp, chilly morning, completely unlike yesterday.

It didn't matter how cold it was, I was on a mission. To. Get. Home. I rode down Spruce Street to 33rd. Shit! The South Street Bridge is closed!! I darted to the left and cut through the UPenn campus; a sea of collegiate tweed eyes glaring at me for riding on the riding on the sidewalk. I then deftly maneuvered onto Chestnut Street and took the bike lane to 22nd Street trying to pretend like a couldn't hear the suburban commuters honking their horns at me. Telling me I should not exist in the same space as them.

Once at 22nd Street, I hopped off my bike and walked it the rest of the way. No real bike lanes downtown and I possess neither the skill nor the resolve to dare ride in a car-only lane. And then, a mere four blocks from my apartment, at 18th Street, it happened. My front quick-release wheel popped off!! Nevertheless, I struggled and walked this albatross back to my personal sanctuary and tried to regroup.

When I finally was relaxed, I tried to force my wheel back on and POP! the left brake pad came loose. The pad was too big to fit back into it's metal cartridge easily, so I did what anyone in my situation would do: I took out a pair of pliers and pulled the cartridge apart to make the pad fit. By the time I was done, I was exasperated, hulking mess. Man 0, Machine 1.

So now it looks like I need to buy new cartridges (as pictured below) and it will run me $20 to $80.

What I learned today can be summed up in a quote from my dad,

If it has tits or tires...IT'LL COST YA!!