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Last Saturday...

Okay, so I told you that I had some interesting stuff go down recently that I wanted to blog about.  Well  here it is.  It might not seem like much, but last Saturday was pretty eventful, so I figured I'd post a few pics to help me explain. 

Last weekend, IU had this bike auction where they made an attempt to sell a large amount of the bikes that had been confiscated from various campus locations over the past year.  Andrea, our friend Erin, and I decided it was worth a try to find a decent deal, as the two of them were in need of a bicycle.  

As we walked up and down the aisles of bikes (they were all parked in the bottom of a campus parking garage, hence the dark picture) it didn't take long for us to realize that the condition of each bike was pretty bad.  The reason why most of these bikes were confiscated was due to abandoment by their owner.  Considering the rust, faulty mechanics, and all around neglect, nothing seemed worth bidding.  

 
Which brings us to this place; the Bloomington Bicycle Project.  A nonprofit with the main purpose of taking in old, broken down bikes, fixing them up, and selling them for VERY reasonable prices.  Did I mention that it is primarily volunteer driven.  The majority of people you see in the "maintenance area" to the left are there out of the good of their hearts.  

Thankfully, Andrea found a Schwinn in excellent condition and made a purchase of only $60!  We are both thrilled that we can go on bike rides together.  

Here are a few pics of the inside of the repair shop.  It is EXTREMELY tiny.  However, it has a great location and wonderful functionality.  Eric, the guy in the white t-shirt has been with the BBP for the last 3-4 years or so.

Part of their mission is to provide the community with tools to make their own repairs on their own bikes.  If you have a problem with your bike, just bring it by and fix it on your own, use their tools and extra parts for free!  Pretty cool, 'eh?

My mode of transportation on this day was my new skateboard.

Later that evening, Andrea and I cleaned up and went to a concert at the IU Musical Arts Center and heard the IU Symphony Orchestra.  We arrived early, to the free showing and had exemplary seats.  
Surprisingly, Andrea and I had never been there before.  The architecture on the inside is so distinct I'm sure people either love it or hate it.  I feel as though I'm more towards the former.  

Just to tide you over...

Geeesh! I've been busy recently, and even worse I've had some good stuff happen that I want to blog about. Anyway, until that time comes here's a picture for you. My skateboarding is getting MUCH better. It's kind of like riding a bike. Once you learn how to do it, you can do it for the rest of your life. Don't get me wrong though. I had a tiny little spill, but stuff like that is going to happen.

New Skateboard!

So, for a while I've been thinking about getting a skateboard.

Living in downtown Bloomington, I'm surrounded by concrete and sidewalks. Additionally, the only skate shop in town is just a short walk away from our apartment and I constantly see skateboarders doing their thing (grinding rails and what not), outside nearby. Ever since I was younger I have wanted to skate, just enough to do it leisurely. Growing up I had this red Variflex skateboard, however living in Brown County, Indiana there was nothing but gravel roads and wooded forests surrounding our house. I was reduced to skating small circles in my family's basement two car garage.

Here is a pic of a skateboard similar to the one I had growing up.

Recently, I won an auction on eBay for this skateboard.

Only 45 bucks, including shipping and handling! On Wednesday it finally arrived all boxed up and ready to be assembled. Needless to say, I was extremely excited to put it together.

Once I opened everything up I realized one of the nuts didn't fit correctly. Without panic I trottednext door to the skate shop and was greeted by the friendly skate technician. "Why don't you just bring it over here and we can put it together."

"How long do you think everything will take?" I responded.

"No more than 10 minutes," He said.

Less than a couple minutes later, these two guys are performing surgery on my board. Before I knew it, it was all completed and I had it... MY VERY OWN SKATEBOARD. We'll see how things develop from here. Rest assured I'll keep you posted on my progress.

Beautiful Day For a Run...

So, Nathan and I couldn't coordinate our workout time today.  It turned out to be good thing.  Considering it was one of the most gorgeous days Bloomington has seen in a while, I decided to go for a run around campus.  

I think if you click on the map above you should be able to see the 3.06 mile route in blue.  Andrea and I love IU's campus and claim it's one of the most beautiful in the nation.  Then again, we could be a little biased.

Colorado... wow!

If you've never been to Colorado, go.  Seriously, you need to go.  But please, in an effort to protect all that is beautiful, all that is still untreaded and untouched by man, all that is still in it's precious and undisturbed state, do so in good taste and with respect for nature.  However, I have a feeling that anyone who has an interest in doing so would also hold the Earth in such a high regard.  Colorado is undeniably one of the most beautiful places I've ever been.  

The purpose of our trip was to visit Andrea's mother, and to be there for her marriage to a great man.  Fittingly, the wedding took place at almost 12,000 feet at a place called Lake of the Clouds, located in the Sangre de Cristo mountain range.  Sangre de Cristo extends for 250 miles, all the way from New Mexico and up into central Colorado, and contains a list of 13-14,000 foot peaks.  The wedding party of about 20 close friends made the trek all together and ceremony was spectacular.  I was honored to be asked to say a prayer at the end of everything.

Andrea and I took almost 500 pics during our entire trip.  Andrea posted about 390 at this album.  If you have any interest at all in seeing some of the most beautiful sights in the world, you'll check it out.  If you don't feel like it, here's a few for you anyway.  

Parking Garage Photoshoot!

After I finished working out today and religiously purchased my ceremonial quart of Dean's Lowfat Chocolate Milk at the friendly neighborhood Village Pantry, I stopped by my buddy's place to pick up my IU Adidas fleece.  I'm SO glad to have that jacket back in my possession.  He held on to it for me after a tailgate and I never took the time to pick it up.  

Anyway, I was driving home and as I took a left on 4th off of Walnut it occurred to me that I was in no hurry and today would be a perfect opportunity to take some pictures at the top of this parking garage.  Don't ask me why, but this is something I have been wanting to do for a while.  After spiraling upward, I was thankful not to find a pack of mangy stoners or small family of sidewalk squirrels.  The setting was excellent and an opportune time to take a few pics.