Here and Gone, and Limiting "Stuff"

In preparation for a potential move, Sam and I have to clear out several bikes (as well as a lot of other "stuff"). If all goes according to plan, the new house we'd be moving into is about 600 square feet smaller then our current home (and we live in a small house as it is now), and it also has a one car garage (compared to the current two car). The one car garage isn't really a true garage, so it will become the art studio. Because the space is so limited, we've decided that at least three bikes between us must go. Sam is still working out which of his will go, but after some debate about which of mine should be sold, it made the most sense to sell Fred.

Fred posed for his listing shot. His basket was removed to be put on the Poppy.

It feels so wasteful to have purchased a bicycle such a short time ago that I just can't keep, but truly, of the three current bicycles of mine, he has the most limitations, or the least usefulness (depending on how one views the situation). So, yesterday, I put him up on Craigslist to attempt to get as much out of him as I could in a re-sell situation. He's basically a new bike, so I thought it was possible that it wouldn't be too bad a loss.

I had a strange, extremely low offer yesterday, to which I didn't bother responding, but this morning, I received an email from a woman who was very interested. She came to take the Om for a test ride, and it turned out to be a perfect fit for her. So, Fred has left the house to live in his new home in Denver. His new owner looked so happy riding him, and I hope it will be a good match for some time.

Letting Fred go was a bit therapeutic in some sense. Over the weekend I had to clean out my closet and eliminate a lot of clothing too that I have hung on to for no apparent reason. I couldn't believe how much excess I was clinging to. I shared with Sam that I was truly embarrassed to have so many large garbage bags full of clothing to donate, particularly when I had just cleaned out the closet a few months ago.

Eight of the ten bags full of clothes to donate

The two rules for cleaning out the closet were these: 1) If it hasn't been worn in the last year, it goes, and 2) If you're not going to wear it in the next year, say goodbye. With the exception of my wedding dress and a formal dress, I stood by those rules. There will be other eliminations coming in the near future, as we're realizing we'll have to take on a very minimalistic approach to living in order to make the potential new house functional. Everything from extra kitchen items to unused books to extra parts for various projects will need to go. We're trying to get a head start on it so as to not be caught off guard if this move actually transpires. While we may be jumping the gun a bit, regardless of whether or not we move, the extra things need to go. As someone who believes that excess is unnecessary, I'm ashamed of myself for allowing this to all grow into such a pack rats mess, particularly when there are others who could utilize these things. I have vowed that anything new-to-us coming into the house in the future will require an elimination of something else. Hopefully, this will help me to really think about purchases and not buy things simply because they are "a good deal."

Fred, and Back to School

Forgive me this indulgence, but I'm still obsessing about Fred. Today, I took a few pictures of him to attempt to better capture his fabulousness. I haven't yet decorated the basket (which I intend to do), and the tires are already quite filthy, but I still think he's beautiful!

Detail shot of lotus flowers and design

Detail in Om saddle

White tires - dirty, of course

Chainguard detail

Front half of Fred

Wald basket and Om bell

Snow is headed our way for tomorrow, but we'll go for a ride very soon, my Fred!

Tomorrow is the first day of the spring semester of classes. It will be a long day (12 hours of class related nonsense), but it will likely do me well to be back into a routine. Though I immensely dislike routine and any sort of schedule, I think I am in need of it for a bit. Today, I also received an offer to hang some of my art in a Denver show next month, so things are already moving right along.

Welcoming Fred

Last week I posted that a decision had been made regarding which Electra cruiser bicycle I intended to purchase: the Om. The end of December brought about a purchase (online, to save some money), and my choice was to be on its way. To make a long story short, some issues arose from the shippers end of things, and it wasn't looking promising. I found myself getting sad about not being able to get out and ride the new bike, and along with some other personal issues that have been developing, I was sinking into a pit of despair. I tried desperately to pull myself out of it, but by Thursday of last week, my dearest Sam came home to his depressed wife, sleeping in the middle of the living room in the dark, with three dogs taking full advantage of the situation by napping on top of me. I'm sure it was quite a sight.

Electra Om that should've arrived January 3-4

On that same Thursday evening last week, I was awakened by Sam standing over me asking for help to bring some things in to the house. It was his last day at his prior employer, so I assumed he was dragging more things home that he'd been gathering in the office over the last several years. When I stumbled outside, I was surprised to see not office stuff making its way home, but rather an Electra Om in the back of his little Honda. "Huh?" I couldn't help but think. I believe I was more confused than anything. Instead of going to celebrate his departure and new job forthcoming with his work cronies, he left early from work and went and purchased the Electra Om for me at a bike shop in Boulder. I swear, I have the sweetest husband ever.

Friday was a much better day. The sun was shining, the weather was, well, still winter, but at least it wasn't snowing, and we decided to go for a bike ride. It wasn't that all my problems were solved, but it really was great to be outside, to be with Sam, and to have some time together before he started his new job and I go back to classes.

Me and Fred, roaming Longmont with Sam and his Globe

While I forgot the locks for our bikes deeming it impossible to do all of the things we had planned, and my camera to take any decent pictures, we were able to get the above shot with my not-so-great camera phone.  The new Electra's name is Fred (officially, his full name is Right Said Fred after the kitschy UK Band of the early 90s), and he is an absolute joy to ride. He's also much more gorgeous than he appears in the photo here, and I do intend to add some decorative elements to the basket over time, but for now, he's a ton-o-fun and I am so grateful to have him around. The best part is, I really do get to "relive" my gift of Stuart, the Electra Daisy through Fred, the Electra Om from Sam. I feel as though I'm getting a second chance, and I don't intend to waste it!

The Choice is Made

Last week, I made my decision in regard to the debate about which bicycle was right for me. I had talked about how I really miss my Stuart and was going to attempt to recapture his spirit in another model. My decision was the Electra Om, over the Surf.

*Image from Derby Bicycle

The choice was made for this model because I just felt as though it was more "me," and I suppose that is really the only reason I can give. In addition, I was able to get this model at a discount of about 25% (and I received free shipping), which made it an even easier choice. I love the design on the fenders and think that they really make the bike something special.

*Image from emago.com

The only thing I wasn't really in love with on this bike was the tire color choice. While many of the Electra cruiser models have cream/white tires, they chose to put black tires on the Om. Why? I'm not sure. There is no black in the design color choices, and I think it would've looked better with the lighter color tires, so I will simply make that swap out myself, and have in fact already ordered the tires to make it here close to the same time as the bike.

*Image from amazon.com

The only reason I was able to get the bicycle so quickly was due to some Christmas money from my parents, the sale of several things I had sitting around (like several pair of shoes I wasn't using, a Brooks saddle, Brooks grips, the folding bike, etc), as well as the departure of the Raleigh. In some ways, it was a good way to clear out items that weren't being used, plus it had the added bonus of bringing back the Electra.

While I could have purchased the Electra locally, it would've been at a much higher cost, so it just didn't make sense, and I am happy with the decision. Now, I just have to wait patiently for the new bike to arrive.