Might be the difference between "Boomer" and "Generation Jones". Those of us born after 1955 had significantly different experiences, growing up. Gates and Jobs were both born in 1955.

I should note that my siblings, all Boomers, don't think there's any reason to make such a distinction. Typical Boomers.

I used to think that 90% of kitchen gadgets and small appliances were wastes of space and money. I've softened that stance somewhat - I now think that 90% of kitchen gadgets and small appliances are wastes of space and money for 90% of people. If you fall within that 10% though, some of these stupid things can be heaven-sent.

One such stupid thing, at least in western culture, that I've felt myself coming around on is rice cookers. My mom always had one, as all little Asian ladies should, when I was growing up, but I've always thought that they were unnecessary in my own kitchen. Well, I still think they're unnecessary, but I'm starting to feel that one would be really helpful.

We've had a rice cooker for decades. Literally the same one. But 30 years ago, our best friends were a Japanese woman and her husband, so we got the idea from them. We got along well, and our children were best friends. Then they got more religious and we...didn't. I think when their son asked The Older Boy if he knew about Jesus, and TOB said, "Isn't he the son of Zeus?", that might have been one of the last straws.

Typical. I'm the only person on our thing who fits into a men's medium jersey.

Thumbs up. Waaaay up.

In Pearl Izumi jerseys, a Large is a good fit. In Le Col, an XL is a skin-tight fit. In Castelli, XXL is snug.

The sizing of bike clothing has made me more sympathetic to the plight of women trying to buy clothing - they get a single, dimensionless number which has to cover all the different shapes women come in. Men's clothes, by contrast - pants have a waist size and inseam, shirts have collar size and sleeve length and then slim or regular.

Friday rant:

I call my bank to put a travel alert on my card. The woman with whom I speak with sounds like she's in high school. I emphasize that this needs to work because I may be in places where I need to use an ATM and have no cell service to report a locked card. She enthusiastically tells me she is going to give me a confirmation number so I can call and yell at someone if my card gets locked. WTH. I felt compelled to tell her that listening is an important part of being a customer service agent.

I wish they’d just use realistic people in the size guide photos. I don’t care of Rueben is 6 feet tall and wears a small, because Reuben clearly weighs 135 pounds.

My guess is he's on paid vacay from work, and is taking his BF vacay at the same time.
Swinging in a hammock on a Caribbean beach.

I am always amazed when someone is so convinced the world gives a **** what they have to say that they refuse to adopt a readable writing style. It's a continual struggle with the trainees, especially the ones from backgrounds where grandiose turgidity is equated with smarts.

I think that bampilot06 just needs to embrace the sausage casing look - his jerseys aren't quite Velo Vol levels of parachute, but they're too flappy for a serious cyclist :D

A bot, no doubt.

Last night was the first ride on the Canyon with the new, thread-together BB. I'm embarrassed to admit it, but the bike creaked just the same. :bang:

On the plus side, it's a better BB, and I was going to do something like that anyway. But I should have been a bit less sure I knew what the problem was. Since it was EXACTLY the same creaking noise, I spent more time diagnosing it. It doesn't happen when I'm out of the saddle - AT ALL. It doesn't happen as much when I'm on the saddle working hard, like a seated climb. It happens when I'm pedaling along on the flats, and I can make it better by concentrating on pedaling circles. I thought it might be the bars, but then I tried torquing them up and down, and nothing. My best guess is the seatpost, or rather the seatpost/seat tube interface. So I pulled the post last night, slathered it with the last of the carbon assembly paste from the assembly kit that came with the bike, and carefully torqued it down to the indicated 5 Nm. We'll see. Over the winter, when the bike was on the trainer most of the time, I had lowered the seatpost about 3-4 mm, chasing the elusive Perfect Position, and it's possible I didn't torque the clamp screw enough.

We'll see, and hear, tonight. If that doesn't fix it, I'm not sure what I'll do next.

There are those among us who are convinced that word is used in only one manner. I have argued with them to no avail. Thank you.

Nope, sadly. She sounded like a Valley Girl poster child. Customer service has hit new lows since the pandemic.

This last batch were from Eliel. And yes, the women have it tough in many ways.

Tell him it's fast!

I got on my daily town bike this morning, and it was almost unrideable due to an over-tight headset.

you are way ahead of me. After curse words my vocabulary is about 34 words. Sad.

Last year, after I'd gotten down to the neighborhood of 200 lbs and kept it off for a while, I got new pants in a smaller waist size. They fit!!! Then I saw Louis Garneau FitSensor 2 bibs on sale. I figured I'd gone down a size, so I bought 2 pair of L, vs the XL I'd been wearing for years.

Turns out, the L bibs have SIGNIFICANTLY shorter legs. So short, in fact, that I cannot wear them to ride outside. Think "women's shorts" length. They're relegated to Zwfting. This is too bad, because otherwise they fit fine and do a good job keeping everything in place.

I hate that? Every sentence sounds like a question?

I have one of Rapha's Race/"Compression Fit" LS jerseys in an M and, boy howdy, is it ever a compression fit. Sure does feel fast, though.

As long as it's not constricting your breathing.

Nope. Fabulously stretchy - it's just a very clingy look, which requires a whole 'nother level of lack of modesty/self-consciousness.

My wife and I have crossed over behind the Cheddar Curtain. We’re going to spend the week riding in Illinois’ largest state park, aka Wisconsin.

I got a Le Col like that. I don't have the stones to wear it in public.