Chili Verde

I also did some good deeds and that makes me the happiest. Isn't it funny that the most selfish thing you can do is doing something selfless for others? Nothing makes me feel better, nothing. If you are feeling blue try it. It is not pretending that everything is hunky dory. It is a coping technique when it is not.
This is a core principle in 12-step. Classic situation is when a new sponsee with only two weeks calls the sponsor and starts complaining that his wife and kids would drive anyone to drink, and the sponsor says, "Call three newcomers today and ask them how they are doing. Oh, and show up early for out 8:00 meeting, I want you to greet everyone. And clean out the ashtrays, and I may need you to give this other guy a lift to rehab, so clear your calendar for Saturday."

I gave a lift to a guy who was straight out of prison one night. (He was no problem, and I was armed in case he was!) My favorite Thanksgiving meeting, we were hanging out outside, and some girl ran up to us asking for protection from four guys who were following her. She pointed at them-- no one was there, she was hallucinating wildly. She wasn't even looking for an AA meeting, she was running to the church figuring God might help her!

We finally figured out she had to go to the hospital, so I took her. This time I did ask her to turn her pockets inside out and show me her waistband to make sure she was not strapped. We had a hilarious ride to the ER. "I was so sure those guys were real!" She said. "Believe me, I know the feeling," I told her. "My pursuers usually were demons or giant pterodactyls flying up at me through the sidewalk from another dimension, but I get the general idea." We had a lot of laughs. She was too paranoid to give her ID to anyone at the Emergency Room, so I finessed it with her. "I think she lost her driver's license." The security guard rolled his eyes, and said they'd evaluate her anyway-- she wasn't safe wandering around in that state.

One of the best Thanksgivings ever! And I forgot about whatever was bothering me really quickly!
 
@DaveMatthews, I do your trick regularly. Someone will have me do an overhaul of their regular bike over a four-day weekend. And I will say, 'Since I have your bike; Why not take one of mine?' It is like giving someone a 'free' four-day supply of heroine.
 
N-1 begins ?
N - 1, N + 1...
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I decided to order up some Chili Verdi. That is a sweet Spring onion with an Anaheim Chili. And here are a couple of photos from a ride today.
I have a significantly different picture from my ride today.

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That's Dale, @Prairie Dog 's brother in law.
We rode in some interesting conditions with some lovely winds (often gusting over 50km/h)...

I suppose that could be considered spicy, so we're on subject. :cool:
 
I have a significantly different picture from my ride today.

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That's Dale, @Prairie Dog 's brother in law.
We rode in some interesting conditions with some lovely winds (often gusting over 50km/h)...

I suppose that could be considered spicy, so we're on subject. :cool:
I am all for the Friends of Bill. Snow is okay as long as it is 70 Km away and in the tops of distant mountains, It is for our greater appreciation of the dynamics of nature. It is lovely to view at a distance. Snow is a passing beauty to then forget. She is lovely walking past far away. But not to deal with in person. Working on bikes is not without risks. It can get spicy. Removing a BB this happened today.
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Spring’s Wild Joy in a Burning World

March 7, 2022

March comes in like a lion, except when it comes in like a chorus, a symphony and an exquisitely choreographed ballet all at once...

Come to the woods and stand with me in the sunshine beneath the trees. Watch the bluebirds diving for insects. Watch them peeking into the nest holes the woodpeckers carved out years ago. Listen to the cry of the woodpeckers deep in the echoing woods. Let it lift your heart. Let it still your busy hands and feet, and let it still your worried mind. Listen with everything you are...

We don’t deserve a March like this. We have tortured the earth so thoroughly and for so long that we deserve only the hungry lions of March...

It’s entirely possible to understand what human beings are doing to the woods — and to one another in this moment of dread and grief and terrible struggle — and still exult in birdsong and tiny blooming flowers peeking out from the dead leaves of autumn...

We are creatures built for joy. At the very saddest funerals, we can hear a funny story about our lost beloved, and God help us, we laugh...

This is who we are. The very best of who we are.

The quotes above come from a much longer piece behind the NY Times paywall. I can't figure out how to "share" the whole thing, but it's important to remember the joy in Spring and in this world.
 
Spring’s Wild Joy in a Burning World

March 7, 2022

March comes in like a lion, except when it comes in like a chorus, a symphony and an exquisitely choreographed ballet all at once...

Come to the woods and stand with me in the sunshine beneath the trees. Watch the bluebirds diving for insects. Watch them peeking into the nest holes the woodpeckers carved out years ago. Listen to the cry of the woodpeckers deep in the echoing woods. Let it lift your heart. Let it still your busy hands and feet, and let it still your worried mind. Listen with everything you are...

We don’t deserve a March like this. We have tortured the earth so thoroughly and for so long that we deserve only the hungry lions of March...

It’s entirely possible to understand what human beings are doing to the woods — and to one another in this moment of dread and grief and terrible struggle — and still exult in birdsong and tiny blooming flowers peeking out from the dead leaves of autumn...

We are creatures built for joy. At the very saddest funerals, we can hear a funny story about our lost beloved, and God help us, we laugh...

This is who we are. The very best of who we are.

The quotes above come from a much longer piece behind the NY Times paywall. I can't figure out how to "share" the whole thing, but it's important to remember the joy in Spring and in this world.
Margaret Renkl?
 
@Catalyzt, You have mentioned about 12-Step programs. These have helped untold millions around the world for almost one century. There are many of them and some people are members of more than one group. Now to the bike perspective: Imagine a 12-speed bike. The gears are the steps that multiply the work. It has a triple chainring in front and a four cog cassette in the rear. The three in front are 1) Self, 2) Another, 3) Community. The four in the rear are 1) Admit, 2) Prepare, 3) Prayer, 4) Action. That is how the twelve work. They need to be worked in order except for 11 which can be done anytime. Anyway, that is this bike mechanics take. Another x Admit would be step five. Community x Action would be step 12. I do not know if anyone else has thought this way. But maybe it will help someone sometime.
Forgive me for joking about snow. I used to live in it in NY state and North Dakota where is could be -35 f.
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With the Mexican Coke. Well played...
The Mexican Coke with Myer lemon is yummy with Mexican food. It was 26 and snowing here today. That is it was 26C and snowing blossoms. The finger just has a smile on it. I was using a two foot bar on a stubborn bottom bracket with about 70 pounds of pressure when it slipped. I did not have the Cider Vinegar to to soak it in as @Gionnirocket recommended so I used lemon juice. Thanks for the advice. Did you ever bust a knuckle under a car, in the cold, and it gets packed with grease?
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Glad you were not seriously hurt, my Dad used to put kerosine on my 'kiddy" wounds( I do not recommend this at all!) I have found that gloves do help save the hands from bloody nuisances, used to hate getting blood all over my carpenter projects.
 
The Mexican Coke with Myer lemon is yummy with Mexican food. It was 26 and snowing here today. That is it was 26C and snowing blossoms. The finger just has a smile on it. I was using a two foot bar on a stubborn bottom bracket with about 70 pounds of pressure when it slipped. I did not have the Cider Vinegar to to soak it in as @Gionnirocket recommended so I used lemon juice. Thanks for the advice. Did you ever bust a knuckle under a car, in the cold, and it gets packed with grease?
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I will remember 26 degrees and snowing...California style.
 
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