dumpstered flowers...aaahhh, how cute!

last night i had dinner with the fabulous nickey robo of sprockettes fame. it was the first time i had really hung out and soaked in the glory of the 'kitten shack'. also, the gals living there sounded really hip to the idea of me moving my glorious yurt into their backyard, which is super exciting. the yurt is making the journey down here with the help of the jolly van at the end of the month. only thing left now i replacing me at the old house. i can't wait to move! reuniting with my circular home, hanging out with the rad bicycle ladies at the kitten shack, walking up to birds singing perched directly above my head, cheap rent (!) allowing me to have more fun and dedicate myself to things i actually care about, and oil lamps!

nickey baked up some mean vegan brownies, which we chowed down on while watching donny darko. once it got late enough we piled into the vehicle i was gifted for a week to hit the town in search of plentiful dumpsters. we hit new seasons first. it's super well lit, and tricky to be very stealthy. when we first walked into the little gated area we heard the door open, and skittered off. but, it was just a young looking dude, so we waved from a distance, and wandered back towards the gold to inquire as to whether he would mind us digging through the trash. he was cool, and told us to go right ahead. we found pre-packaged 'pear gingerbread coffee cake' that was delicious! there were also a lot of good looking veggies.

the next few stops were all bakeries, and we ran into nothing but locked up dumpsters. it was really sad. we picked through a flower dumpster, which was the best smelling trash i've ever meddled with, but we found only clippings.

then we headed to trader joe's. i had a good feeling about it, which was entirely warranted because it was amazing! we collected TONS of cheese, packaged edamame, blue berries, grapefruits, and fresh flowers! we piled our loot into bags, took a quick glory picture, and ran like hell to the car because nothing this good could last for long without transforming into a disaster. it was too good to be true.

anyhow, nickey being the adorable gal she is, wrote a cute note and left flowers on the doorstep of the guy she's been seeing. it made me wish i could do the same, but living vicariously through her was glorious enough.

i dedicated today to fixing my sad bicycles. it was pretty hilarious because:

a. i'm super sick right now. i've spent all week rocking the hot scratchy voice in a big way. i've been seducing men left and right on the phone while taking pizza orders.

b. i'm really clumsy all the time, and when i'm sick it only escalates. so, dragging all of my bikes out of our already awkward basement to the living room was a nightmare.

c. i didn't change out of my pj's that morning, and the drawstring of my fleece pants found it's way between the tire and my rim while i sitting on the floor changing it. so, when i was done i stood up, and my house full of visitors witnessed the wheel yank off my pants. it was pretty funny, we all had a good laugh as i deflated the tube and freed myself.

all in all i ended up changing a tube on one bike, patching a different tube, adjusting some brakes, breaking a chain with the intention of putting it back together (but, i pushed the pin all the way out...bummer), and pumping up a bunch of tires. it was a fun day.

later i am heading up to the women's and trans bicycle nite to learn how to true a tire. my road bike wheels need some serious love in that department.

hooray! portland adventures are the greatest. why haven't you guys all moved here yet? what's the holdup?