America is under attack. I am not speaking metaphorically. I am not using hyperbole. We are under attack. The opposition has been building up its forces, its munitions, and its other resources for many years now. It has been waging a propaganda war for quite some time now and has been softening us up without our even knowing it. The first shots have been fired. They have been strategic attacks aimed at our best and only defenses. They attack now with impunity secure in their beliefs that we have become so apathetic and helpless that there will be no resistance. They fight with words. They fight with ideas. They fight with money.
I've had enough. I am not content to let this happen. Wisconsin has shown us that resistance is not futile. We have numbers. We are the people and we should all be saying, "Enough is enough!" Sure we have differences, but we should be united by what we have in common, rather than divided by how we are different. Divide and conquer has been their mantra. We need to stop saying, "Why should that person get something when I don't?" We need to start saying, "What can I do so we can all have that?"
There is an orchestrated concerted effort on many new/ish Republican governors acting under the guise of fiscal conservatism. They are making a power grab. They are eliminating their competition. They are working to do the opposite of their traditional role of limiting government. The patterns are there across the country. Anywhere they can, they are increasing the influence of corporations and diminishing the rights of actual human beings. Michigan's governor is trying to pass legislation that would allow a corporation to swoop in during a "financial crisis" and actually dismiss elected officials. Who decides if it's a crisis? The governor. The Wisconsin governor has been trying to eliminate public unions' right to collective bargaining under the guise of a budget repair bill. Thanks to a prank phone call, we got proof that he is just a tool for corporate money.
It's time for elected officials to stop pandering to corporate interests. They represent us, not a company. They need our best interests in mind, not how they can raise more money for their campaigns. Across the nation, our "leaders" are attempting to push through legislation that limits people's rights. In the name of fiscal responsibility, education is being gutted with school vouchers to private/religious institutions as an alternative. Schools are being told that they need to increase performance, will be held accountable for students scores, and must do all of this with drastically reduced funding that will result in larger class sizes, fewer resources, and no respect. The Pennsylvania governor announced a budget that would no longer reward teachers for earning Master's Degree and would actually lower the requirements to become a teacher!
I'm sick of it. I'm sick of money ruling all. I'm sick of personal gain being a roadblock to societal success. Do we want to be a successful country, or do we want it to be easy for corporations to run their businesses? I'll leave you with one last question: Where do corporations go to make the most money? They go to countries with the laxest laws that let them do whatever they want to the workforce to mass produce products regardless of the cost to human welfare. Is that where we are going? (sorry, had to add another question.)
Please, contact any and all government officials that you can. Remind them that there are more of us than them. They call rile up the extremes of their party all they want, but all parties have reasonable people with common goals. People need to come first, not money.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Letter from my state representative
Pennsylvania is considering a bill that will implement a voucher system. I contacted my state representatives to voice my concerns which include public money to religious institutions (many private schools), public money being used to fund education that is not held to any standards or accountability, and public money to institutions that get to pick and choose who gets in and who doesn't. That is only a very brief version of the problems I have with school voucher programs and was more detailed in my contact.
Today I got a letter from Lynda Schlegel Culver who is the representative from the 108th district, located in Sunbury and whose email is unashamedly partisan: lculver@pahousegop.com (please contact her with concerns). Her response ignored every single one of my concerns while thanking me for the time I took to share them. In fact, it highlighted the fact that Senate Bill 1 would expand a program that gives tax cuts to corporations that donate money to a scholarship that funds student tuition at NONPUBLIC schools - corporate tax cuts to fund possibly/probably religious institutions. I thought the letter was bad at that point.
In the closing paragraph, the letter read, "It is important to know that my constituents have concerns when it comes to the debate about increased educational options and parental choice...Rest assured that I will carefully consider the pros and cons of any legislation that reaches the House floor for a vote, and will make my decision based on what is most beneficial for my constituents." I am a constituent.
Is it just me, or does she not care what my concerns? Is she going to consider what her constituents want, or is she going to do what she thinks is best? This letter disgusted me. Other letters I've gotten have at least responded to at least once concern that I raised, but this one was such a form letter, it couldn't even be bothered to address any of my concerns and actually highlighted one of them as a benefit of the Bill.
Today I got a letter from Lynda Schlegel Culver who is the representative from the 108th district, located in Sunbury and whose email is unashamedly partisan: lculver@pahousegop.com (please contact her with concerns). Her response ignored every single one of my concerns while thanking me for the time I took to share them. In fact, it highlighted the fact that Senate Bill 1 would expand a program that gives tax cuts to corporations that donate money to a scholarship that funds student tuition at NONPUBLIC schools - corporate tax cuts to fund possibly/probably religious institutions. I thought the letter was bad at that point.
In the closing paragraph, the letter read, "It is important to know that my constituents have concerns when it comes to the debate about increased educational options and parental choice...Rest assured that I will carefully consider the pros and cons of any legislation that reaches the House floor for a vote, and will make my decision based on what is most beneficial for my constituents." I am a constituent.
Is it just me, or does she not care what my concerns? Is she going to consider what her constituents want, or is she going to do what she thinks is best? This letter disgusted me. Other letters I've gotten have at least responded to at least once concern that I raised, but this one was such a form letter, it couldn't even be bothered to address any of my concerns and actually highlighted one of them as a benefit of the Bill.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Non-political
This post will be entirely non-political (I'll write a separate one later).
I got the geocaching bug again last week. It was 60 degrees, I had the day off, and everyone else was at school. So, I tried the first cache that we never could find and possibly turned my daughter off of treasure hunting forever. The last attempt ended in her and my wife's trek through thigh/head (depending on height) high weeds to take a short cut to the road as I headed back the .75 mile trail with the boy on my shoulders to get the car at the parking area. This was preceded by tears, crying, and complaining that the picnic bench was too hard to rest on and many other very funny comments about legs not working. That was also the second time that day we tried to find it. Since then, I'd tried many times to get the girl to go with me, but was met each time with refusal.
I now have a new GPS device that is not a car unit and therefore much more useful off-road. I headed off in shorts and T-shirt and a $2 bill to trade and quickly found some of the squishiest terrain I've ever encountered outside of a bog. Try as they would, even the SmartWool socks couldn't wick fast enough to deep my feet dry, but it was fun. I could smell dirt and splashing through mud, water, snow, and ice was very cathartic. I got back to the same place we had gotten to last time, but this time I had a little bit more precision in my gadgetry and quickly found my first cache.
Fueled by this success and the ability to download coordinates directly to the device, I found some that don't require a hike to reach and are near parks. I took the kids to a park today and before we went home, I said we were going to look for a treasure. The girl immediately groaned and started whining and complaining, somehow simultaneously, but I pushed forward and said she could hold the GPS and follow the arrow. As we waded through large herds of ducks, we got to the location and found the treasure. Seeing me write our names on the log got her even more excited. When I asked if she wanted to find another, I got and enthusiastic "Yes!"
There was one more nearby, so we headed there, only to be confronted with some angry sounding geese advancing towards us. We approached from another direction and were faced down by goats. We turned back. I didn't feel up to facing geese and goats with a 2 and 5-year-old. She does want to go again tomorrow, though.
I got the geocaching bug again last week. It was 60 degrees, I had the day off, and everyone else was at school. So, I tried the first cache that we never could find and possibly turned my daughter off of treasure hunting forever. The last attempt ended in her and my wife's trek through thigh/head (depending on height) high weeds to take a short cut to the road as I headed back the .75 mile trail with the boy on my shoulders to get the car at the parking area. This was preceded by tears, crying, and complaining that the picnic bench was too hard to rest on and many other very funny comments about legs not working. That was also the second time that day we tried to find it. Since then, I'd tried many times to get the girl to go with me, but was met each time with refusal.
I now have a new GPS device that is not a car unit and therefore much more useful off-road. I headed off in shorts and T-shirt and a $2 bill to trade and quickly found some of the squishiest terrain I've ever encountered outside of a bog. Try as they would, even the SmartWool socks couldn't wick fast enough to deep my feet dry, but it was fun. I could smell dirt and splashing through mud, water, snow, and ice was very cathartic. I got back to the same place we had gotten to last time, but this time I had a little bit more precision in my gadgetry and quickly found my first cache.
Fueled by this success and the ability to download coordinates directly to the device, I found some that don't require a hike to reach and are near parks. I took the kids to a park today and before we went home, I said we were going to look for a treasure. The girl immediately groaned and started whining and complaining, somehow simultaneously, but I pushed forward and said she could hold the GPS and follow the arrow. As we waded through large herds of ducks, we got to the location and found the treasure. Seeing me write our names on the log got her even more excited. When I asked if she wanted to find another, I got and enthusiastic "Yes!"
There was one more nearby, so we headed there, only to be confronted with some angry sounding geese advancing towards us. We approached from another direction and were faced down by goats. We turned back. I didn't feel up to facing geese and goats with a 2 and 5-year-old. She does want to go again tomorrow, though.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
I'm gonna be rich and you can be too.
I just got this email, and because I'm so generous, I'll let the first person who volunteers do this instead of me for my cut. I ask only for $1.7 million up front in cash. Oh, trust me and Mr. Bongani. We go way back.
Hello Friend,
My heartfelt greetings to you and to your family, I appreciate your email response and your willingness to participate in this business. So, kindly feel free to corporate with me. However, I will like to let you know more details of this business and reason why I contacted you.
I contacted you independently,based on my internal investigation and no one has been informed of this communication except you and I decided to intimate you with certain facts that I believe would be of interest to you. As a matter of fact, I am the database engineer of T.E.S deliver and Security company,I found out something that is very secret and after my investigation,I found out that the only of the deposit was a politician and he was murdered last 2years and since then no one is coming for the claim of the deposit he made before his death and he did not expose it or tell any one about the deposit he made, so as my position on the company now as the database engineer, I decided to find some one who is willing to work with me so we can claim the deposit from the company so it can be delivered to the person as the rightful owner of it, which I will change all the information’s stored in the database and put your own information as the owner.
He deposited the uncut Diamond and 8 bars of Gold with $9.6 Million Dollar as his foreign business partner valuable treasures and expensive antiquities. With my experience and position in the company i can be able to give you some vital information's on how to make the claims, the management of our company is ready to approve the delivery of the uncut Diamond and 8 bars of Gold with $9.6 Million Dollar to any foreigner that comes up with prove and relevant document which will confirm that he/she is the beneficiary of the deposit.
This is a very big secret, between me and you, know one in the company no the original content of the box only me, reason why I no the content of the box is because of my position as the database engineer new manager of the company still don't know the original content too. Once you have made up your mind to carry with me and give me the required information’s below from you so I can change and the information’s from the database after that I will give you direct contact of the manager so you can contact him for the claim of the box, to be delivered to you in your country and the owner, which once t is done, I will start coming to your country for the sharing of the money and for we to sell the diamond to a diamond dealer and for me to set up a small business in your country too.
To proceed in earnest furnish me with your detail information as stated below:
1. Your Full Names:
2. Your Full Contact Address:
3. Your Occupation:
4. Date of Birth/Age:
5. Marital Status:
6. Your Telephone/Cell Phone and Fax Numbers for effective communication between us.Confirm the good receipt of this email along with your detail information as required so that we can proceed towards the success of this great business venture that we will all benefit from .
Mr.Bongani.
Hello Friend,
My heartfelt greetings to you and to your family, I appreciate your email response and your willingness to participate in this business. So, kindly feel free to corporate with me. However, I will like to let you know more details of this business and reason why I contacted you.
I contacted you independently,based on my internal investigation and no one has been informed of this communication except you and I decided to intimate you with certain facts that I believe would be of interest to you. As a matter of fact, I am the database engineer of T.E.S deliver and Security company,I found out something that is very secret and after my investigation,I found out that the only of the deposit was a politician and he was murdered last 2years and since then no one is coming for the claim of the deposit he made before his death and he did not expose it or tell any one about the deposit he made, so as my position on the company now as the database engineer, I decided to find some one who is willing to work with me so we can claim the deposit from the company so it can be delivered to the person as the rightful owner of it, which I will change all the information’s stored in the database and put your own information as the owner.
He deposited the uncut Diamond and 8 bars of Gold with $9.6 Million Dollar as his foreign business partner valuable treasures and expensive antiquities. With my experience and position in the company i can be able to give you some vital information's on how to make the claims, the management of our company is ready to approve the delivery of the uncut Diamond and 8 bars of Gold with $9.6 Million Dollar to any foreigner that comes up with prove and relevant document which will confirm that he/she is the beneficiary of the deposit.
This is a very big secret, between me and you, know one in the company no the original content of the box only me, reason why I no the content of the box is because of my position as the database engineer new manager of the company still don't know the original content too. Once you have made up your mind to carry with me and give me the required information’s below from you so I can change and the information’s from the database after that I will give you direct contact of the manager so you can contact him for the claim of the box, to be delivered to you in your country and the owner, which once t is done, I will start coming to your country for the sharing of the money and for we to sell the diamond to a diamond dealer and for me to set up a small business in your country too.
To proceed in earnest furnish me with your detail information as stated below:
1. Your Full Names:
2. Your Full Contact Address:
3. Your Occupation:
4. Date of Birth/Age:
5. Marital Status:
6. Your Telephone/Cell Phone and Fax Numbers for effective communication between us.Confirm the good receipt of this email along with your detail information as required so that we can proceed towards the success of this great business venture that we will all benefit from .
Mr.Bongani.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Chilli Success
I completed my first triathlon today. I did it with style. I did it with panache. I definitely did it the hard way. You'd think that most people would try a sprint triathlon the first time. I'm not talking about those professionals who run, say 10k and think, "Gee, a marathon might be fun," and go out and win some big marathon in their first attempt. No, I'm talking about your regular person, above average in athletic terms, but an average person. No, I chose a triathlon that included kayaking in place of the swimming. I've never been in a kayak other than a debacle with a sea kayak in Belize. Most of my small watercraft experiences end with my being responsible for it's tipping over or falling sideways over a waterfall, things like that.
Suffice to say, when my wife informed that she wouldn't think any less of me if I withdrew before I left the house, you might understand where she was coming from.
I got to the event, got my kayak, paddle, and life jacket and took it over to the boat area. After a 20 minute wait in line for the port-a-potties, the race got started. I decided to let people get ahead of me so I didn't have to deal with the jostling to get to my bike. Having gone on 3 (now 4) bike rides in the past two weeks and past 6 years, I didn't figure on needing to be out front so I could be in the lead. Luckily, one person was still behind me because as I started to peddle, my new-fangled bottle cage slid down the frame and got in the way of pedals, the chainring, most anything that helped the bike move forward. I got off and was about to attempt to rip it off when the last person offered help and actually had a set of allen keys. Five minutes later, we were back in the race. I hadn't even made it out of the parking lot before that first malfunction. Things were going well, I was making really good time, and then I hit the hill that is said to separate the men from the boys. I guess I'm a toddler. I didn't even make it to the steep part before I got off and walked. Most people couldn't make it up, so I wasn't alone, but I was thirsty, not having any water because I left the bottle and cage in the grass by the starting area. At the top of the hill, they had a drink station, and then there was a huge, long downhill as a reward for making it that hill. Soon after that, it felt like I was coasting slower, pedaling was harder and I looked down to see my front tire was about half way flat. I had five miles left and hope nothing would happen, but it definitely slowed me down.
Then I got in the kayak. As a volunteer pushed me in, he asked if I was ready. "Ready as I'll ever be," I replied and I tried my hand at kayaking for the first time. It was really windy and at points there were whitecaps on the lake. When the wind came from any directions except in front, it kept turning my boat and I had a really hard time moving forward rather than sideways. Eventually I sort of got the hang of it and during the lulls in the gales, I got a pretty good rhythm going. I can see why people like kayaking. Working my way around the lake (about 2.2 miles) I thought we had a straight shot to the finish when I came around a bend and had about 15 more minutes of paddling with a really vicious wind. But, I made it, didn't tip it, and stayed relatively dry.
Starting the run was an exercise in reversing rigor mortis. My shuffle would have done a zombie proud, but I slowly loosened up so I was able to actually lift my feet of the ground. I didn't go any faster, but I managed to avoid all of the tree roots and stay upright. A few old men passed me, but I did manage to pass one person in the last mile.
Overall, it was a lot of fun. I'm planning on doing it again. I'd like to actually be in shape the next time and not lose 10 minutes to bike problems. Accounting for the 10 minutes, I finished in about 2 hours 58 minutes. I think I could take a half hour off of that time. So there's my goal for next year: 2.5hours or less.
I need a nap.
Or a massage.
Probably won't get either.
Suffice to say, when my wife informed that she wouldn't think any less of me if I withdrew before I left the house, you might understand where she was coming from.
I got to the event, got my kayak, paddle, and life jacket and took it over to the boat area. After a 20 minute wait in line for the port-a-potties, the race got started. I decided to let people get ahead of me so I didn't have to deal with the jostling to get to my bike. Having gone on 3 (now 4) bike rides in the past two weeks and past 6 years, I didn't figure on needing to be out front so I could be in the lead. Luckily, one person was still behind me because as I started to peddle, my new-fangled bottle cage slid down the frame and got in the way of pedals, the chainring, most anything that helped the bike move forward. I got off and was about to attempt to rip it off when the last person offered help and actually had a set of allen keys. Five minutes later, we were back in the race. I hadn't even made it out of the parking lot before that first malfunction. Things were going well, I was making really good time, and then I hit the hill that is said to separate the men from the boys. I guess I'm a toddler. I didn't even make it to the steep part before I got off and walked. Most people couldn't make it up, so I wasn't alone, but I was thirsty, not having any water because I left the bottle and cage in the grass by the starting area. At the top of the hill, they had a drink station, and then there was a huge, long downhill as a reward for making it that hill. Soon after that, it felt like I was coasting slower, pedaling was harder and I looked down to see my front tire was about half way flat. I had five miles left and hope nothing would happen, but it definitely slowed me down.
Then I got in the kayak. As a volunteer pushed me in, he asked if I was ready. "Ready as I'll ever be," I replied and I tried my hand at kayaking for the first time. It was really windy and at points there were whitecaps on the lake. When the wind came from any directions except in front, it kept turning my boat and I had a really hard time moving forward rather than sideways. Eventually I sort of got the hang of it and during the lulls in the gales, I got a pretty good rhythm going. I can see why people like kayaking. Working my way around the lake (about 2.2 miles) I thought we had a straight shot to the finish when I came around a bend and had about 15 more minutes of paddling with a really vicious wind. But, I made it, didn't tip it, and stayed relatively dry.
Starting the run was an exercise in reversing rigor mortis. My shuffle would have done a zombie proud, but I slowly loosened up so I was able to actually lift my feet of the ground. I didn't go any faster, but I managed to avoid all of the tree roots and stay upright. A few old men passed me, but I did manage to pass one person in the last mile.
Overall, it was a lot of fun. I'm planning on doing it again. I'd like to actually be in shape the next time and not lose 10 minutes to bike problems. Accounting for the 10 minutes, I finished in about 2 hours 58 minutes. I think I could take a half hour off of that time. So there's my goal for next year: 2.5hours or less.
I need a nap.
Or a massage.
Probably won't get either.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Scratching That Itch (see previous post title)
I went for my first ride the other day and realized how long it's been since I last rode. I hope the course is not as hilly as the roads near me. 20 miles may be longer than I remember, and my butt is not in cycling shape (and I'm not talking about fitness). It felt good to be on a bike again, though. There were little things that came back to me. There's a particular sound to the gears when the rear derailleur is off the gear just a bit and it lets you know if you need to move it up or down a tiny bit. I couldn't describe it to you, but without thinking about it, I knew how to adjust it. Even though it's been over six years since my last ride, I kept reaching for the downtube shifters that were on my old bike. These are mounted on the stem and I think I miss having them down there. I got into the big gear today and the feeling of moving the big crankwheel just felt like power that I've missed.
However, there were a lot of things my body didn't remember. The most significant was how to be comfortable on the seat. Until I stopped 6 years ago, I had been on a bike so regularly, that I couldn't remember ever feeling uncomfortable in the saddle. That changed the other day. Even with bike shorts, I'm definitely out of practice, but it's still worth it. Being out on a back road, rolling along, it all came back why I love to ride. There will not be another seven year itch because I will never again go that long without riding.
As for the triathlon, I'm not sure what's going to happen. It's 20 miles and I've got two weeks to get my butt into riding shape. Hopefully I won't be wet from the kayak portion before, and hopefully I'll be able to run the 4.5 miles after.
However, there were a lot of things my body didn't remember. The most significant was how to be comfortable on the seat. Until I stopped 6 years ago, I had been on a bike so regularly, that I couldn't remember ever feeling uncomfortable in the saddle. That changed the other day. Even with bike shorts, I'm definitely out of practice, but it's still worth it. Being out on a back road, rolling along, it all came back why I love to ride. There will not be another seven year itch because I will never again go that long without riding.
As for the triathlon, I'm not sure what's going to happen. It's 20 miles and I've got two weeks to get my butt into riding shape. Hopefully I won't be wet from the kayak portion before, and hopefully I'll be able to run the 4.5 miles after.
Seven Year Itch
It was over six years ago that I last went for an actual bike ride. An ensuing move to a gated community in the middle of the Appalachians in a geographical location called Deep Gap started the decline. The only flat surface around there were the decks that surrounded each house and most of the roads in the area weren't paved - not the most conducive to a road bike. Following that was the first move with a child which led to the realization that the truck was filled and there was no room to insert a bike without unpacking and repacking many items. I donated that bike to a deserving student that both I and my wife had as a student at the university and was helping us load the truck. Four years passed, another child joined the household, and still I didn't have a bike.
In my infinite wisdom, I figured that I could get a bike and be ready for a triathlon in one short month. It's not a regular swim, bike, run triathlon. No, that would be too easy. I chose a paddle, bike, run triathlon. Did I mention that the last time I was on a kayak (and the only time) I managed to tip it end over end? I didn't just turn it over, but actually tipped it backwards so that the front end went up and over and dumped me off backwards. In my defense, my wife and I were given no instruction other than to go ahead and take out a kayak that was sitting on the beach. As we walked the kayak back to shore we found out that the kayaks were supposed to be drained before going out. Ours wasn't. That explained why the moment one of us leaned, the kayak would tip. All of the water in the kayak would rush in that direction. There was a lot of water and we provided a good half hour of entertainment for the spectators on the beach. At least we were in Belize.
I finally got a bike last weekend. After searching for used bikes in the area, I had some luck. I was getting very discouraged. Moving from Madison, WI, I though finding a used bike would be easy. They have entire showroom floors filled with used bikes at a couple of locations there. Not quite so easy here. I found a wonderful little shop in Bloomsburg, Paul's Bicycle Shop. Getting to the shop was the hard part. I had to bring the 5-year-old with me who had been a good sport going to a community yardsale in the morning, but I wasn't sure if she had two trips in her for the day. As we got to Bloomsburg, I realized with a growing sense of dread that it was the beginning of the Bloomsburg Fair. Following the GPS directions, we were taken to a street about a block from the fair and everywhere you looked, there were signs in yards selling parking. 15 minutes later, I found a spot on the street about four blocks away, surrounded by $2 parking (it was about $5 right by the fairgrounds). As we walked up the alleys towards the shop, all we could see were all of the rides. Being 5-years-old, she was convinced we were going to the rides. By the time we were at the shop, we were half a block from the rides. Somehow, I got her to understand that we weren't going on the rides and she didn't throw a fit.
The moment I saw the shop, I figured I had picked the right place. It was tiny. It was crowded with bikes and supplies and barely had room for people. It was a shop run by somebody who just likes bikes. He had about 20 used bikes, three of which were road bikes. There was an old Peugeot, a Fuji, and some yellow beast for which I didn't catch the brand. The Peugeot and the Fuji were about my size. I took the Fuji. It is an old Fuji Supreme that I'm guessing comes from the early 80's. It's just the kind of bike I was looking for and with, if I remember correctly from my few days as a bike mechanic, a 10mm wrench, I can fix most anything that I need.
In my infinite wisdom, I figured that I could get a bike and be ready for a triathlon in one short month. It's not a regular swim, bike, run triathlon. No, that would be too easy. I chose a paddle, bike, run triathlon. Did I mention that the last time I was on a kayak (and the only time) I managed to tip it end over end? I didn't just turn it over, but actually tipped it backwards so that the front end went up and over and dumped me off backwards. In my defense, my wife and I were given no instruction other than to go ahead and take out a kayak that was sitting on the beach. As we walked the kayak back to shore we found out that the kayaks were supposed to be drained before going out. Ours wasn't. That explained why the moment one of us leaned, the kayak would tip. All of the water in the kayak would rush in that direction. There was a lot of water and we provided a good half hour of entertainment for the spectators on the beach. At least we were in Belize.
I finally got a bike last weekend. After searching for used bikes in the area, I had some luck. I was getting very discouraged. Moving from Madison, WI, I though finding a used bike would be easy. They have entire showroom floors filled with used bikes at a couple of locations there. Not quite so easy here. I found a wonderful little shop in Bloomsburg, Paul's Bicycle Shop. Getting to the shop was the hard part. I had to bring the 5-year-old with me who had been a good sport going to a community yardsale in the morning, but I wasn't sure if she had two trips in her for the day. As we got to Bloomsburg, I realized with a growing sense of dread that it was the beginning of the Bloomsburg Fair. Following the GPS directions, we were taken to a street about a block from the fair and everywhere you looked, there were signs in yards selling parking. 15 minutes later, I found a spot on the street about four blocks away, surrounded by $2 parking (it was about $5 right by the fairgrounds). As we walked up the alleys towards the shop, all we could see were all of the rides. Being 5-years-old, she was convinced we were going to the rides. By the time we were at the shop, we were half a block from the rides. Somehow, I got her to understand that we weren't going on the rides and she didn't throw a fit.
The moment I saw the shop, I figured I had picked the right place. It was tiny. It was crowded with bikes and supplies and barely had room for people. It was a shop run by somebody who just likes bikes. He had about 20 used bikes, three of which were road bikes. There was an old Peugeot, a Fuji, and some yellow beast for which I didn't catch the brand. The Peugeot and the Fuji were about my size. I took the Fuji. It is an old Fuji Supreme that I'm guessing comes from the early 80's. It's just the kind of bike I was looking for and with, if I remember correctly from my few days as a bike mechanic, a 10mm wrench, I can fix most anything that I need.
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