breaking away

Still spinning on this tdf high, it's all I can do to wait for the weekend where a tdf brunch is planned.
I'm secretly [okay, not so secretly anymore] scheming. Brioche from Bouchon Bakery or Balthazar? Or should it be a croissant? Coffee or an Americano from Abraco? I'm torn.
But one thing I'm certain of: even if I don't expect him to win, I'll have my sights on Lance, for sure.
Can you tell I'm a fan? And being Japanese, that's defined in the most manic way possible. Because although I've never been to Austin, TX [or even close to Austin, TX], I'm already a fan of Mellow Johnny's. Ignoring the obvious Lance connections, the concept of Mellow Johnny's is hard not to love: a coffee shop attached to the bike shop, all kinds of incredible bikes, and they even offer spinning classes and rides for women.
I may have posted about PDX earlier, but Austin is looking like a very good contender city, too.

And when the object of my affection throws a party with Mellow Johnny's to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of "Breaking Away" [even enacting the last scene!], well, I'm going to celebrate in my own way.
Unable to watch the Tour, but dying to be a part of it, I hatched this idea about a week or so ago, and got to embroidering late last week. My first attempt at embroidering something so minute, I found out that not only do I dislike embroidering straight lines, curves sort of bother me too. And this, like most things, was [unfortunately] full of both.

Completed late Sunday night, it made me feel sort of better that I won't be able to fly down to Austin this Sunday, when the men of Rapha will partying at an event that, if you're in the area, is not to be missed. But if I could, I'd be wearing this hat - hand embroidered with lots of love for the tdf, Lance, Mellow Johnny's and Rapha - hollering "CUTTERS!!!" at the top of my lungs. Instead, it's been entrusted to a modern day Dave Stoller to be delivered to Austin, TX. Hopefully on a bicycle with the drivetrain on the correct side. And perhaps even on his head.
Meanwhile, I'll be pushing away feelings of jealousy and the urge to pout in disappointment at another unattended not-to-be-missed event. I may even be crossing my arms. But hopefully this will be on a couch, in front of a TV with cable, brunch within easy reach, and surrounded by bicycles.

freddy v. jason

Despite hailing from the land of really twisted psychological thriller movies, I can't watch scary movies. Even the really cheesy fake ones. I end up lying in bed with all the lights on, terrified. I might be considered tough enough to brave the elements on my bike, but anything scarier than "Bambi" will make me wobbly-kneed, bursting into cold sweats, and have my bowels turning into liquid.
Yeah, I'm a huge baby.
So that's my excuse for not having seen this movie. At this point, I'm sure everyone's seen it, so I'd be left to watch it alone. And that's just unacceptable. At least if I want to get some sleep this week.
Ironically, this movie I've never seen had me up late, terrified that I wouldn't make a deadline. And then it had me pissed that I was messing up. And then it had me not working on my legal note because I was too worried about how smoothly the finishing would go.

But, it turned out better than expected, and it's not like I didn't have fun doing it. It was one of the most challenging, shoulder-cramping, blurry-vision inducing things I've done in a while. And the masochist in me loved every...single...frustrating...second of it.
This hat actually got me chattering - a sure sign that I'm excited about something. It had me asking the peeps over at Cambridge Bikes for creative input [4 slashes over 5, even though I'm aware Freddy has 5 claw-finger-things]. It had me showing off a half-finished brim to everyone on the internets...and being the kind of person that zealously guards her workspace, that's a big deal.

I already know one person who's called dibs on the hat, despite not having seen the finished product. He claims he's "gonna win that hat if it's the last thing [he] do[es]." I say everyone who reads this blog should get themselves down to Elm Street this Friday to make it that much harder for him to win. After all, isn't victory that much sweeter when it involves blood bikes, sweat, and tears?
Bring on the alleycats, Cambridge, and I'll bring the prize hats!
[See you at the afterparty!]

guilty panic

I'm currently on spring break...and there just aren't enough hours in the day to get everything done.
I have more than a few deadlines coming up, along with the list of things I should be doing [but am not], the things I have to do [which I'm scrambling to get done] and the things that I'm forcefully making time for [which I don't have to do per se but I need it to stay sane].
And I'm still feeling guilty. I woke up today with this to welcome me. More guilt. It's not finished yet [clearly].

Those four letters took a few good solid hours of straight work. I love the challenge, and anyone that can come up with an interesting, really complicated idea will always get my attention. The whole design for this hat - being made as a prize for the Freddy v. Jason alleycat sponsored by Cambridge Bikes next week - is going to be suh-weeeet.
I just need to get it done. Neurotic worry and guilt are fueling the too-late-night sessions that only end when I realize it's well past midnight and I need to be up and functioning in less than six hours. What can I say, I like to keep my promises. Or, more accurately, I abhor the idea of being considered flaky.
It's too early to worry about this already [hat work starts after dinner]. Still, I'm terrified that the rest of the hat's not going to work out, or I'm somehow going to fuck things up.
And then I sometimes worry [when I'm stressed, moody, and tired...like right now] that no one really gives a shit. Yup, that's right; all you're hearing from me today is "wah wah wah." Which means it's time I got off the Internet [at least for a little bit] and go on a bike ride.

poker face

I'm terrible at poker.
I think the last time I played, the best hand I had was a pair of 2s. I folded almost instantaneously.
And while I tend to play my hand close to my chest when it comes to life in general, I ironically cannot keep a straight poker face.
So it was with a stupidly happy smile on my face that I met Joshua and Zack of Open Bicycle a few nights ago at Herrell's in Allston. I handed over to them my first full custom job for the Royal Flush Pokercat & Boldsprints event this Sunday. I was so excited, I even did a fair share of giggling.
And while the cards are stacked against my attending this event - a fact that I've been upset about all week - this is going to be awesome. Not only because one of my hats will be a prize, but who can really turn down 100 free burritos at 10pm after an alleycat, boldsprints, and a few beers?

[And with the exception of a particular law student with an Environmental Law final from hell on Monday,] no one, that's who.