Good news, bad news, lots of news.

This might be a long one. Maybe. (OK, it's long... really long) (you've been warned)

The new brown spots caught my gaze not because they weren't supposed to be there, but because they couldn't be felt. "Funny. I was just thinking my hands were finally warming up. That sure looks like hot coffee on my hand... Cool." I was making preparations for a serious writing session, having just popped a bag of popcorn, reheated a bowl of spaghetti from breakfast, and made a cup of coffee. "Maybe I ought to let my hands warm up some more before trying that whole 'put thoughts down' thing."

I'm still waiting.

So, most of the past few posts have been downers. This one is not. It does contain some bad news for me, but this news isn't entirely unexpected, and has already started the process of being figured out.

Here's the first piece of bad news: I've already eaten the spaghetti and popcorn, and only a small bit of coffee remains in my mug. This is my second dinner. Ha! Oops. Scratch that: coffee's gone.

Now, for some excellent news. First, it comes with much thanks to Thomas for sourcing software for me to play with, and then uploading it to Dropbox for me to download over here. I wouldn't know where to start looking for this stuff, so I'm very glad he does. I now have editing software capable of importing the file type I used to record the Suzuka Eduro Race!! This means that I can begin editing and playing, and with luck, give you something to be amused with for a few minutes. I'm excited.

Next: bike.
As many who might meander this way know, I've been playing with the idea of getting my recumbent shipped over here. The Street Machine is an amazing piece of equipment, and I went back and forth with prices, options, shipping carriers, and of course the pros and cons of having it here. I'll spare you the details, but have decided to not have it brought over. Instead, I'll spend a little cash on an amazingly-improved lighting system for riding at night, something I do about five days per week (every day I go to work). More on this when it's up and running since I've neither received my new lights, nor built the new wheel necessary to run the system. But, already I believe I've made the better choice by not opting for a second bike, and the reason is some more bad news: my bike (not surprisingly) has some parts that will need to be replaced in the near future.

Short story: as manufactures of almost every product have learned, planned obsolescence and lifespan make more money if the reputation of the product is not damaged. 40 years ago, bicycle parts were designed to last much longer than they are now, in part due to the previous sentence, and in part due to the ongoing war to make parts as light as possible. As such, one can expect to get about 8,000 miles out of a bottom bracket, cables, and derailleurs, 2,000 miles out of a chain, and about 4,000 miles out of a crank disk set. Of course, these change by how you ride and shift. If you shift under load or ride hard, expect less.

Since I put somewhere around 5,000 to 5,500 miles on my first chain (expected life: 2,000 miles), the other components associated with it (derailleurs, cassette, crank disks) have suffered a reduced life span. As of now, I'd estimate that I have somewhere around 7,000 to 7,500 miles on my bike (Bike & Build was 4,300, my solo CO trip this year was about 900, I've ridden over 700 miles since having arrived in Japan, and I'm sure to have put many more miles on my bike in the year from Bike & Build to the CO trip) in the last year. So, it's getting close to that "major overhaul required" point even if you don't consider the reduced lifespan of not changing the chain.

Some of my cable housings are wearing through, one of the cables has already frayed a bit at the shifter (meaning the other strands aren't far behind it), the brake pads are about 80% worn (though oddly, front and rear have worn about the same amount), and I can feel a click with each chain link engagement when turning the crank by hand. What's more, I noticed that the bottom bracket bearings are failing, as they not only feel rough, but sound rough, and they also allow a lateral wobbling motion of about 1 mm at the pedals. Yes, I measured. I'm having to make adjustments to both derailleurs more often, too. Last year, I didn't adjust them at all once set up on Bike & Build. Since arriving in Japan, I've adjusted my rear derailleur three times, and my front derailleur more than a dozen times. Was it a bad idea to look for problems, then? Hardly. At least I know.

This is why it was a good idea to not to bring the recumbent: I may need the cash to rebuild my only form of transportation. Options are as follows:
1) Buy all parts in Japan, install myself. Most convenient, most costly (by about 30% compared to option 2!!).
2) Buy all parts in USA, have them shipped over here, install myself. Less expensive, less convenient.
3) Have someone volunteer to rip the necessary parts off of my spare road bike in Kentucky, have them shipped over here, install myself. Cheapest, least convenient.

Option 3 has two added benefits and one setback. First, it gives me a triple crank (currently running a double), which improves my range of gears, and also provides me with 10 speeds in the rear instead of my current 9. So, I'll end up with 30 speeds instead of my current 18 (minor detail, really). Second, it will upgrade my level of components from Tiagara to Ultegra (two steps up the chain of product lines), which like the first benefit, is really of marginal significance. The downside, however, is that I'll have to buy a new front derailleur (I'm going to, anyway), since the one on my spare bike is a clamp style, and the one I have here is not, and it's possible that the cassette may not fit my current rear wheel.

Next on the list of things: xkcd.
I can't accurately convey how much I relate to this comic. If you don't know what it is, look it up. Then again, if you don't know what it is, that tells me you didn't read the post titled, "Today. Yesterday?" In the past week and a half, I've managed to read through all 990+ comics this guy has written. No, I don't think there's anything wrong with that. I enjoy the hell out of many of them. You'll find an example or two at the end of this post. Don't cheat and scroll ahead!

A slight lament I have no control over: Korea.
Mark, Will, Aya, and I will be heading to Korea this month. I've never been, and I'm excited to try yet another new culture out for a few days. This causes no lament. What does, however, is something I really have no control over. Since having arrived in Japan, my grandfather has suffered some serious health issues, and one of the things most on my mind when leaving the USA was that I may not get a chance to see him again. That was difficult to think about. With his recent hospitalization (October) and subsequent discharge (November), this comes to mind much more often. For this reason, wanting to see my friends again really badly, and because it would make finding a few things I want over here a lot easier, going back home for the x-mas break seems like a good idea. What makes it look like a bad idea is the nearly $2,000 price tag for only 6 days. So, consider it an idea fun to think about, but whose execution is laughably unrealistic.

Next subject: Ryoki. This is good.
It's a bit related to coming back to the USA for a visit. My contract with iTTTi expires next September, and I fully plan on not renewing at this point (subject to change, but if I find reason for this, I'll post here in a hurry). I love the free time and subsequently the pay per hour for actual work. However, I don't think I care for teaching little kids (older ones are fine), and I often feel like the company is a joke I should be laughing at, but somehow am not. Instead, the current plan is to pursue employment with Ryoki Tools Company, the company owned by my private student, Hara-San.

On many occasions he has spoken briefly about the idea of hiring me on as an engineer and English-speaking emissary, but it's always seemed nebulous, fleeting, and fanciful, not focused, set, and decided. Well, the other night, he made it a topic to discuss my plans post-contract at length, including some time I want to take after the contract and before a new job to go home (hence the relationship to the previous topic) and possibly take a bike trip there. Given the public nature of this blog and his request for confidentiality, I won't disclose his long-term plans, but will say that he's attempting to find ways to include me in the acquisition of new clients that speak English, like those in the US and Europe, as well as expanding his client base in Taiwan, with both Ryoki Tools Company and its subsidiaries.

"I think you're a perfect fit," is encouraging to hear. Good news, indeed.

Three more topics. I told you this was a long one. :)

1) Terumi.
I teach at a second private school called Green Leaves. I learned of it because it's where Mark also teaches on the side. Terumi, the woman who operates it, however, can be difficult to work with. Don't ask Mark about this; he'll go on for hours on the topic.

On two occasions that I can recall (more, I'm sure, but off hand I can recall two), she has assumed that I said yes to a question or schedule inquiry that I most certainly did not. Silence does not give consent. As a result, the first time I was 30 minutes "late" for a lesson I never said I could cover, and the second time (last Saturday) I had to rush like the dickens to get to my main job on time, leaving the moment the class "you said you could teach" was over. This made me look bad, and frankly wasn't my fault. I'm considering not teaching for her in the future; the income isn't that important.

2) Today I went for a 10.5 km run (6.5 mi) in my Five Finger shoes (toe shoes). I haven't run in over two months, and when I last ran, it was never further than 4.2 km (2.6 mi). So is running 2.5 times my previously-normal distance suicide? No, I just had to pay really close attention to my form and gait while keeping up with Inoue-San, a 28 year-old engineer who lives across the street. As it would turn out, he's slightly faster than me, perhaps because he's a runner and I'm a cyclist. After that, we met up with Ma-ma (I still don't know her actual name), the lady who owns Sen Sen, the restaurant/social club across the street from my apartment. The three of us went to a museum of pharmaceutical history, lunch, an aquarium, the double-arch observation deck in Gifu, and finally for coffee before heading back home. It was a lot of fun, though a bit cold once I stopped running. I made out for a mere 1,500 yen.

3) I recently sent Marc McCoy an email. He's my previous boss at Sypris. It was short and humor-filled, and I received a similar reply. I hope he and the rest of the guys I worked with are doing well.

Quote of the day: "Don't fight the problem, decide it." - General George C. Marshal

And now, your xkcd examples (these are some of my favorites):
First.
Second.
Third.
Fourth.
Fifth.
Sixth.
Seventh.
Eighth.
Ninth.
Tenth.
Eleventh.
Twelfth.
Thirteenth.
Fourteenth.
Fifteenth.