I've given upon Comfort Me With Apples; it lacks the wit and charm of Reichl's first book, Tender at the Bone, and is further hampered by the author's arrogance and her tendency to change facts stated in the earlier work.

So I'm left with a dilemma: what should I read next? I'm in one of those states where I cannot decide on a book. Everything sounds appealing.

I've narrowed my options to:

• Marcel Proust's Within a Budding Grove (but I'm wary of the time-commitment required to finish it),
• Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe (but there's a chance that Mackenzie will announce this as his book group selection, so I ought to wait),
• Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Books (which is quite fun after only one chapter, but just not what I'm in the mood for),
• or Henry Adams' The Education of Henry Adams (which I've attempted to start several times before, but never made it past the first few pages).

J.D., soaking in a hot bath on a Saturday morning: I'm impressed with this book. I've tried to start it a couple of times before, but always lost interest. Now I've finished the first chapter, and I'm impressed. It's well-written: interesting and funny, too.

Kris, brushing her teeth: (dripping sarcasm) Like Proust, sweetie?

J.D.: (earnestly) No. Proust is laugh-out-loud funny.

It amuses me that, as adults, my friends and I have evolved the concept of the "extended loan". (And I wonder: have others evolved a similar concept?)

Say I have something that I no longer need, yet with which I'm unwilling to part permanently. Say also that I have a friend who could use this something, and that I'd be happy to let him have my something but only on the condition that it's mine and that I'm allowed to reclaim it if I need it. Well, then, under these circumstances, I'd give the something to my friend on an extended loan (an explicitly state it as such).

I find this concept amusing, but useful.

I've given friends computer parts on extended loan, and books, and games. I've borrowed other computer parts, and books, and games.

Nick recently gave me his mountain bike on extended loan.

I have a great road bike—a touring bike (a Bianchi Volpe)—which I love, but it's rather uncomfortable for around-the-town type commuting, and impractical for trips to work. When I visited Paul and Autumn at the end of March, I was impressed with their cycling setup: mountain bikes with hybrid tires, specifically designed for commuting in Eugene. I've been eager to create a similar setup for myself, but because of my knee surgery I've lacked the funds.

Nick's mountain bike had sat unused at Custom Box Service for years. It was dirty and rusty and needed some work, but he said that I could have it on extended loan if I wanted. I wanted. I took it in to the bike shop and they lubed the chain, adjusted the brakes, and gave the bike a tune-up. I removed the old, battered seat and replaced it with a soft, wide cushy seat that I had on-hand. I bought a detachable basket (essentially a shopping basket), and mounted it on the front of the bike. I'm going to add a headlight and a taillight.

Wouldn't you know it? I now have a commuter bike. It's great! I used it for the first time the other day, biking to physical therapy and then to the grocery store. I removed the basket and used it for my shopping. Afterward, I mounted it back on the front of the bike and pedaled home.

Excellent!

On this day at foldedspace.org

2005 — Car Itch   Lately I've had the itch to buy a new car.

2004 — Embarrassing Moments   Sunday was a day of embarrasments for me.