Life experience #5

Okay, I randomly made up a number, it's more like life experience #1203974.. haha.

Today... I changed the bag in the vacuum cleaner! Haha. At home, we have a central vacuum ... thing... so whenever I vacuum, I plug the vacuum hose into the wall, and I honestly don't know where it goes (must be in the garage cause it gets loud in there). But the handheld or standalone vacuums... have always baffled me. Where does the garbage go?

Well, not nowhere, I can tell you. In the vacuum here, it goes (remarkably enough) into a bag.

I noticed the other day that it was looking full, so today I braced myself and opened up the vacuum, somehow half expecting everything to fall out. But it was very clean, and really easy to put in a new bag.

Congratulations, vacuum cleaner engineers! You did a good job.


I also had a good number of bicycle experiences this past week. Starting last week (or two weeks ago?) I was having trouble pedalling. To the point where I would get home and my thighs would be numb with pain and exhaustion. I know I'm out of shape, but it can't be that bad! -- It's almost totally flat here!

So eventually, I gave in and decided to bring the bicycle to be repaired. I may try to be thrifty, but I don't think I can bike back and forth for 25 minutes each way with my legs dying in tiredness. It turned out that there was something wrong with the pedaling mechanism ... I think. It was hard to tell because the person told me over the phone, and his English wasn't particularly fluent. Anyway, I was able to pick up my bike on Monday, and happily rode it home.

However, on Wednesday, a new problem came. As I was leaving work to go to class, I noticed that my bike was again having trouble moving as I was walking it out of the bike shed. Lo and behold... the front tire was completely flat!

Now, I don't cycle back in Calgary much, because I'm not crazy (like some people I know) and I live on a hill. Therefore, I have no idea how to do anything related to a bicycle. I can barely adjust the saddle to the correct height. I most certainly did not know what to do with a flat tire. I was worried that I would have to replace the tire completely. Anyway, I had to go to school, so I left the bike at work and I walked.

The next day, I took the bus and I also had a meeting with my supervisor that morning, so I asked him where I could get my bike fixed. Of course, the Dutch being the Dutchies that they are, it became apparent that any average joe in Holland is capable of fixing a flat tire. It's like one of those life skills that your dad or mom teaches you when you're a kid. But, my supervisor was kind enough to offer to fix it for me!

So the following day (Friday) I got to witness bicycle surgery in action. Some of my colleagues stopped by and they were discussing their opinions on how to fix bicycles -- "my dad taught me to do it this way!"
Actually I don't know exactly what they were saying since it was all in Dutch, but one of my colleagues mentioned that they all have their own "ways" that their parents taught them.

It was pretty neat. And so far it's alive, so hopefully it keeps up. I think the flat tire was caused by some tiny shard of glass, but I'm not quite sure. Anyway, it's making me slightly paranoid when I bike now.

One of my colleagues mentioned that I should take a picture, so I did, but I'm not sure if I should be publishing my supervisor's photo on here without his permission, so if you want to see, just let me know and I can send it to you.