In which I talk to strangers and tell you how to get free things

I'd normally have wushu today, but I haven't done wushu since last Tuesday, and will have no wushu until Friday, because the school is closed for "quarterly break" or whatever. Siiiigh. I can't remember if I've already complained about that, but yeah, it's annoying. I miss wushu, I feel lazy without it! :p

On the plus side, there are two good things happening instead: the damnportlanders meetup, and a free haircut!

If you want a fancy-schmancy salon haircut or color, hair modeling is the greatest thing ever. People post on Craigslist looking for volunteers periodically, so all you have to do is respond to the ad. You don't have to be gorgeous, you mainly just have to be willing to let a stylist do what he/she wants to your hair, and possibly have people watching while the stylist works on you. When the folks posting ads ask for a photo, they're usually just making sure that the cut or color they want to do will actually flatter you.

So, basically, it's a haircut that would normally have been expensive, except that you get it for FREE, and all you have to do is surrender some creative control. I'm the type who generally plops down in the chair and says, "I want something different, but I'm not sure what," so if you're anything like me, giving a hairstylist permission to get creative is hardly even a sacrifice. :D

...of course, now that I've posted that, I'll probably come out of today's cut looking awful. XD Oh well, no worries!

The DP meetup should be fun. I guess they're trying out a new location, so hopefully it's good and doesn't have dismal and grody bar food, because I don't know if we'll have time to grab dinner.

Speaking of meetups, I learned of a lunch being hosted downtown by MEETinPortland people, and it was just a few blocks from The Job, so I bopped on over there and had lunch at Veganopolis with strangers, heh. :) There were a couple of no-shows, so it was a smallish group, but they were super-nice folks, and they're also apparently regulars at the MiP karaoke night, so they were all about getting me to join up for that. Which, I may have to, even if the venue is on the opposite end of town from me.

In closing, they played this video at the Buffy Sing-along on Saturday: Coin-Operated Boy. A funny and appropriate song choice, for sure. :D

Bicycle commuters FTL

I have to admit, I'm always making fun of--well, in my head, anyway--those corporate dingus types who bike to and from work in those full-on lycra shirts and shorts sets with bicycle company logos and bright colors plastered all over them. You know they're corporate dingus types, because when you stop behind them at the traffic light, they're laughing very pretentiously with each other, and talking about big business things, and being generally very yuppie.

And you KNOW that they're the guys who are running around in fancy suits and playing at being Very Important all day, and it kind of cracks me up to see them with their matching-and-probably-ludicrously-expensive racing outfits, and their special cycling shoes, and their garishly shiny racing helmets, looking all "ZOMG I AM TEH HARDCORE CYCLIST!!!11" Because it's *that hard* to just grab a pair of shorts and a t-shirt! Pshaw.

Yeah, I know, I shouldn't judge. Maybe some of them *are* hardcore cyclists! But, on the other hand, I doubt that ALL, or even most of them are hardcore cyclists.

Anyhoo, rewind to yesterday morning, after I've ridden to work in my boring business casual slacks-and-shirt. I see a kinked-up piece of black thread snagged on my bike frame, and I think, "wow, where did this mysterious thread come from?"

Less than a minute later, I step into the elevator, and the hem of my left pants leg flops open onto the floor. Because the thread on my bike was the thread that had previously been holding the hem of my pants together.

Oops.

...soooooo, um, yeah. I guess I kind of get the whole cycling outfit thing. I still don't think you need to blow hundreds of dollars on some goofy spandex thing, but I can see where those guys might get their undies in a twist, if their bikes were yanking threads out of their ludicrously overpriced slacks.