Bike Maintenance and Shopping Behaviour

I went to the Post Office this morning to pick up a package from Ma (Thanks Ma! xxx)

When I got there, I realised that I would have to haul it back to my apartment somehow... and what was a beautiful Autumn day yesterday (translate: no wind, no rain, spots of sunshine, autumn colours in full bloom) has turned into a wet and windy day... again.

Luckily, next door to the post office, there was a bike shop, and I pleaded with the dude in the shop to sell me an elastic for the back seat of my bike with all the change I could muster (EU 5.70 instead of EU 6.50) He sold it to me, on the condition that I come back to the shop after I get back from London and Berlin, to fix my handlebars that keep sliding off... I promised I would.

Bike maintenance is just such a hassle for me. I barely took care of my cars in Australia, but this bike is doing my freaking head in.

I just bought a rain cover for the seat, which I always have to carry around because in the likely chance that it rains, and my bike seat gets wet, I won't have to sit on a wet bike seat, and because I can't be bothered getting my front light fixed, I bought these little portable lights that i just tie on to the front and back of my bike every night, which is SO annoying. If i get caught with no lights on my bike its a EU 35 fine. Now I need new handlebars, and probably some air in my tires, and I am just about to go shopping for a bell, and some spray paint or flowers to tie to it, because everytime I pass a bike rack that I THINK my bike is in, I can NOT find it for the life of me because there are about 20,000 ( NO FUCKING KIDDING, it's ridiculous) bikes that look like mine, all racked up in a chaotic mess. Add the wind, rain, darkness and usually drunken state that I am in when seeking my bike, and it's just a big ol' shit fight to get home.

But the irony is, the better kitted out and good looking your bike is, the more chances that it will get stolen. So you go to all this effort to personalise your bike, and then some fucker just takes it.

I can't really talk, I suspect the guy that sold me my bike wasn't exactly a legitimate sales person.

In fact, shopping in general can be pain because of the whole "no car" situation, so it's really opportunistic shopping for convenience of carrying little loads in your arms or on your bike. If I happen to be near a chemist or a Hema ( like Big W, but tonnes more awesome and stylish!) I just have to go in and buy stuff I anticipate to be running out of, even if it's the most expensive shop because I just don't want to spend my weekends looking for stuff, and I don't know when the next time will be that I will be near a store like that. If I move house, and am more in the centre, as opposed to the harbour, I think life would be easier, but at the moment, I am just buying things every day to get me through the days...

The dutch haven't really grasped the whole convenience shopping thing yet....like if I want to wrap a present, I have to go to 3 different stores to buy the paper, the stick tape, and the ribbon. The only plaza type place I frequent every day is Centraal Station, and they don't even have a full supermarket, (just 2 x convenience type mini mart things). I would expect a mobile phone store, and also a shoe repair guy there at least!! But nooooo... they just don't get it.

I then went to the bank today to activate my new card (banks are open Saturdays here, Love it!) and then I went to the el cheapo chain store in town (Blokker) to buy some house stuff....because I just got paid!!! Yes!! Yes i did!! Damn it feels good!

The rate of pay was slightly lower than I thought, because I am getting taxed 30% of my wage. 30%... shit. That's high.

Saturday nights plans?
Wallowing. I am feeling a bit low at the moment, the weather is making me a bit flat, and I suddenly feel like my life has plateaued into boredom.

I might have a drink with Irish chef tonight and catch up with him, but otherwise no real plans.

Sunday:
Mobile Phone contract
New handbag
SD card for my camera so that I can finally start taking photos of my house and put them up, and also of my daily life sights!!
Soup?!?