Of bikes and books

So this weekend the bike got all her finery. Best of all, because I had a little complaint with the bike shop, the sales guy came to my house in Santa Cruz (pictured) - a 1.5hr drive and fitted everything for free!!! Needless to say I did tip him......a very Amercian moment - complain, you get the service in a new and special way and you tip for the pleasure. Now she's looking like a cruiser, windshield, saddle bags, boards (rather than pegs) and a backrest.....that is not really because I think I want to ride two up so much as a convenient place to tie things to!
On Sunday I braved the 17 and headed to San Jose to visit some bike shops. Found the first one easily but then spent a CONSIDERABLE amount of time trying to find the second one. I think I crossed SJ at least twice and went down the same stretches of freeway many many times. The only reason I didn't give up was that I felt it was simply too moronic to ride all that way and then fail to complete the mission. Anyway as it turned out the illusive leather jacket (I am still wearing Karens) remains illusive so I have resorted to ordering online, seeing what I get and sending it back if it's wrong. I pretty much order everything online now or call it in - so easy and one way funny moment - I went to order a cover for the bike and had to call an 0800 number. The person who owns the business is a woman, has my name, spelt the same first and last with one extra letter in the middle name.......good grief, it was very funny!
I have also just finished reading Jodi Picoult's novel, Nineteen Minutes. Very interesting, and I quote "deals with the truth and consequences of a smalltown high-school shooting. Set in Sterling, New Hampshire, Picoult offers readers a glimpse of what would cause a 17-year-old to wake up one day, load his backpack with four guns, and kill nine students and one teacher in the span of nineteen minutes." This is a good read if anyone has ever pondered what may or may not have happened behind the scenes of a high school shooting. It's not a really big pychological insight just.......an interesting read. Highly recommend it.