Arrival

Maybe the delay was due to the JFK fuel depot "terrorist" scare or maybe it's because of Paris Hilton going to jail...all I know is that it took 11 days for the new bike to be shipped from NYC to Seattle. In any case, it's here and I'll be picking it up tomorrow morning--at which time I'll share more photos--of both the bike and of all the equipment I'll be carrying with me. So...Hooray! Now that the bike is here, I'll be able to take it on a few shakedown rides before leaving this weekend. I'm a little anxious--you don't normally switch ponies before the big steeple chase--about getting used to the new set up. The adage "It's just like riding a bike" does not apply in this situation.

Tonight, I'm playing poker with Chris and some of his buddies. It sounds like it's something he does on a regular basis with a regular group of people, so I don't know exactly what I'll be getting into. He says it's small stakes (a $10 buy-in) so it ought to be a relaxed friendly game. A full report will follow.

Oh...and an elaboration on my statement "Chris acted honorably, I did not." from my last post. The Blue Moon Bar, where we spent the last part of the evening, is festooned with a large decorative library of technical manuals, out-of-date encyclopedia sets, etc. I walked out of the bar at the end of the evening with a copy of The New Comb Honey Book by Dr. Richard Taylor. It's a how-to bee keeping book that caught my attention and I was so enamoured of it, that I just walked out the door with it. Tonight, I plan on returning the pilfered paperback to its proper owners.