Okay, the contents of this post will be pretty much the same as that of my previous one because of reasons I'll get to soon. Sorry. Anyway, this isn't so much bitching as confusion, but here goes anyway.

So, a couple of days ago I received a Valentine's Day card. This is pretty unusual already, and I think it's the first one I've received via mail in the past fifteen years. The somewhat romantic card was stuffed into a fancy envelope with two heart-shaped chocolates and a stamp, presumably so that I could send a card to whoever sent this one in the first place. There's no indication as to who sent it, and my address and name and all that were done by a printer rather than a human hand, so I couldn't track it by handwriting even if I was competent enough to do so, which I'm not. I first thought the card was sent by Girlfriend, although I seriously doubted it because we're not too big on gestures like this, or Valentine's Day for that matter. The next day another card arrived, this one definitely from Girlfriend.

This narrows the original sender to people who know my address (which is hardly a secret, so doesn't really narrow it down at all since a distant acquaintance could just ask one of my friends), think they have reason to believe I could recognize their handwriting and who might think I could guess who they were (so I could send a reply). Basically, either my life might get more complicated at some point or my friends are trolling me hard. Not sure what I should do about this, if anything.

I also blew nearly sixty euros on bike accessories today. This bike had better not get stolen anytime soon.

Open a B&B.
First year open someone tried to flush a bath towel. True story.

A Yooper? Hi from a Cheesehead.

Kind of a good-news bad-news bitch. My old employer and I kissed and made up so they're again contracting work out to me. That's fine - I don't really need the work but it'll help out if things get slow later in the year but I'm not really counting on this being a steady thing - I've seen this cycle too many times for me to put much stock in it. So the downside is that I've been home about 8 days so far this year, and five of those were for the last couple days of life for my stepdad, and then the funeral.

I used to travel like this all the time, back when I worked for the company. It got old, I didn't like being thrown hither and yon with little or no say in the matter, and have come over the years to dislike flying (which I used to enjoy). So between my own work and the few jobs they've tossed at me so far, it feels kinda like it did from '95 - 2006: often bouncing from one customer to the next and getting some time at home whenever possible. At least I told them I'm only driving these days, and I can refuse jobs I don't want to take on.

But geez, feeling kinda ragged at the moment. Driving home tomorrow (it's been over 6,000 miles since the beginning of the year) and have "booked" myself for office time for two weeks - even then, I'll be out for at least one over-nighter but that one is for my own work. Got a million little things to accomplish in that time, including a root canal Friday morning (awesome!), taxes (yay!), helping Mom take care of the after-death paperwork (sweet!), and whatever else I managed not to forget. It's still home, though, and that's better than all of these hotel rooms.

Just hoping I can avoid being sucked back into the heavy-travel lifestyle. And I'm not completely thrilled being drawn back into the realm of dealing with the factory again.

I'm alone for Valentine's Day...

Sure, had a visitor and a nice conversation, but my girlfriend lives half a globe away.... feeling so lonely...

I did get a box of chocolates today!
From my mother. :C

Okay, a new reason to go FML in 24 hours. Seriously, FML.

So my bike got nicked. I've only owned her for a few months and there we went again. Luckily I know my bike pretty fucking well, so I tracked - tracked! - her to a nearby parking lot and carried her back up the stairs and the hill and took her home. Yes, she's a girl now that she's been a damsel in distress. On Valentine's Day. I love my bike.

So, any good locks out there that you people would recommend?

Great locks, but weakness always in the chain or cable. Suggest getting a good lock (cylinder key type), and buying your own hardened chain/cable to make your own.

Edit to add: Another weakness is in the rack, if you use one, that you attach to. Often they are cheap iron, easily compromised. Better to attach cable/chain around a fat tree than those junky racks.

Here, try this:

Cylinder keys have two problems: one, they can be fairly easily picked with a disposable pen (allegedly, some models deifinitely) and two, they freeze over easily. A common keyhole can freeze over, but can also be defrosted by sticking a lit match into it. I know because I've done it a few times. Cylindrical locks seem to require more effort, especially if you lock them hole-side up.

I've got a U-lock at the moment, but the bastard it really difficult to wrap around a broad post and can be rather easily broken if placed around anything else.

Had a laugh. Thanks for that!

A recently funded kickstarter may be the answer, though I'd wait for a little feedback before ordering. Liked the idea of it, but I don't have a bike, so I skipped it.

i think alpha flag is definitely discontinued

Had a hardened lock that looked like a padlock, had a cylindrical key and tumbler area, and held up years until I gave it away. Not sure if I defined the type well enough.

I'm sure you know how to secure your bike, but it is amazing how many times I see wheels still locked up when the bike is gone.

Edit, typo.

There was a 'Kids in the Hall' bit where Bruce chained up the body to avoid that and someone took the wheel. It showed him walking down the street carrying his bike around with just the back tire on it.

Thieves are even dumber sometimes. They'll saw off through the frame and think they'll get retail for it on a resell with a crappy weld.

Bike owners have real problems, as punks often steal everything attached to it and leave a stub.

my bike was stolen inside my house... 1st week after moving...