Into The Belly of the Beast!

Yesterday was not AS interesting as Monday and Tuesday (C'mon people!  You're slacking!) but kept very busy throughout the day.  Primarily with repairs (thanks' to those and all their trust!) as I had the remaining two full rebuilds, one being more then I had anticipated, but that happens.  I managed to get out one newbie though, another ladies 26" cruiser, which was fortuitous, as the one I had just finished the night before sold almost immediately after that one went out!  Oh yes, we are once again starting to dwindle.  Have no fear, though, as I still have several out back to finish up (which I am sure the landlord and my neighbors will appreciate me getting out of the way!) and already have a sweet little Haro sitting in my rack, as we speak, to start the day off with, although I have to get one of the more mundane tasks I continuously put off, out of the way.  Stripping down wheels.  UGH.  We reuse every aspect of a damaged rim that can be salvaged, but the process is time consuming, and less then rewarding, so I just stack them up under my work bench until I start knocking them over and tripping on them to the point I break down and say "enough's, enough", pull out my spoke wrench, my metal stool, a bucket, suck in a deep breath and just give in.  It's how I spent the last hour of yesterday, while watching MST3K "It Lives At Night", as an attempt to distract me!  I'll be banging out the remaining dozen shortly, then on to more fruitful endeavors!
Thanks to all the folks and their kind words yet again, and my heart does go out to those few who do not heed my gentle cautionary tales in regards to not putting off a bike purchase on a ride they really liked.  I understand budgetary constraints, but the expectations that the bike you really liked would still be here two or three days later, while you "thought about it", are ill conceived.  Please keep that in mind, especially the RARE few who get angry with me, questioning me why I didn't "hold it" while they "thought about it" because they "really wanted it".  Seriously, I do not even know HOW to respond to that one.
That aside, it was another fulfilled day!
Well, until I got home.  Oh, don't take that the wrong way, I always enjoy my return and the rush of happy greetings from Angela and the kiddo's (well, the wee ones at least.  The remainder are pretty much lumps on the sofa who grunt a greeting at me with slightly upturned lazy eyes, unless they want something of course), no, it's having to deal with our resident "over-eighteen" Elijah, and his issues regarding responsibility, commitment, integrity, respect etc, etc.  Don't get me wrong, he's not a BAD kid, just...lazy.  Thanks to all the bleeding hearts in our generation, for relinquishing control to children.  Successfully tying the hands, FIRMLY, of parents everywhere, stripping them of all necessary tools for child rearing (you know, the things our parents, schools and officials did to US when WE were growing up that enabled US to become productive members of society) so that we could produce the new generation of inconsiderate, arrogant, snot nosed little whiners who can NOT perform the simplest task in life because they cannot "handle" it due to their tender sensibilities (not to mention Dug Company manufactured "disorders" that required them to be handled with kit gloves and a modicum of medications!)  and granted the ideology that their parents, and society as a whole "OWES" them...everything, so why should they have to WORK for it!
Oh yea.  You want to see proof of any of that statement, spend half a day at your local middle school, you will die of shock at what kids get away with nowadays! 
Anyway!  I could go on for a LONG time about this, but suffice to say, Angela and I figured out, perhaps a little to late for the older kids, to hell with all the constraints!  We were going to raise our children to be respectful, polite, ambitious, appreciative, hard working people...even if it kills them!  OK, before some granola munching, anemic, natural fiber wearing, Prius driving, bleeding heart jumps on me, NO we don't beat the children.  Don't have to, the threat of a "pop" is enough to make the trouble stop. And consistency!  The fact that Angela and I have almost identical opinions on child raising, goes a LONG way.
No, our troubles are regarding the older boy and his lack of drive and ambition, totally content to be a lump on the sofa, putting out the minimalist of efforts, with NO thoughts of his future.  Yesterday, having once again passed out on the couch after being woken up in the morning, he arose around noon time and supposedly "headed out" to look for work.  He was, of course, dressed COMPLETELY inappropriately for job hunting and happened to be carrying his back pack which contained his Magic Cards.  Obviously, he was off to play with friends, using the guise of job hunting to get out of the house.  Well, enough was enough, so I laid it out succinctly (suck...what?) to him when he returned.  From today, until he found a job (and, yes, he DOES have a deadline!) he would be up, cleaned and dressed appropriately for job hunting BEFORE I left in the morning and out the door, not to return until six PM each day.  No, we would not be giving him ANY money for lunch, drinks or snacks, he'd have to figure that out on his own, or just store up his appetite for dinner.  Hey, we have had to go hungry many a days, or pay visits to soup kitchens for sustenance, and we didn't die, he's a big boy, he can handle it.  My hope is, a little discomfort and suffering from a lack of cash may just spur him on to making some!
Here's hoping!
OK, so back at it, those wheels aren't going to break themselves down!
See y'all REAL soon!
K...E...Y....M...O....U....S.....E!

LADIES 26" CRUISER!!
ONLY $65.00!!!