P: Groin Pains: I Want to Ride My Bicycle, I Want to Ride My Bike...

No, it's not due to flagrant escapades or anything unholy that's making me sore. It's from rock climbing one full week ago, where I was roped into an uncomfortable harness, and I got stuck on a route and so I just clung there for awhile (minutes, seconds, but felt like hours and days) trying to plan my way up the climb. Granted, I could have been lowered down, but I was really PO'ed that I couldn't get up to a certain part of the climb, so I just wasted more energy by reaching for the same handhold, but my left foot kept wobbling and shaking, and then... SIGH. The only reason why I bring up the soreness in the general upper upper thigh region is that.... I JUST GOT A NEW BIKE!!! How ridiculous, with 2 months left in this city/country, that I now decide to get one. But my friend Amy gave me her old Mongoose, and I had a bit of a hooha finding a place to tune it up ($67-$100), then buying a helmet ($35) and lock ($18-40), and now I need t oget a headlight (?). And it is so worth it because now I am whizzing through Boston's relatively flat streets at breakneck speed.

Although I actually didn't know how to ride a bike in the city, and nearly got mowed down/mowed other people down when I took it for its first spin on Friday. I didn't know if you were supposed to bike in the streets or on the sidewalk, and when I was in the street the cars were honking at me and I thought I was about to get hit, so then I moved up onto the sidewalk and almost hit a few pedestrians, including this really pissed off looking runner. Anyway, it was really scary to be shuttling along at this unfamiliar speed--I'm used to either walking (3mph) running (7-7.5 mph) or car (65mph). Now I was cruising at 15-20mph and I kept having nightmare visions of flying of hitting a pothole and flying off my bike. Also, I felt super dorky with my helmet, messenger bag, rolled up jean leg, and showing up sweaty to EVERYTHING, then the awkward handling of brakes and handlebars and almost falling over when I come to a stop at the traffic light. And it's not even like htis is a fixed gear bike! Anyway, I'm really happy to be riding, because getting from Boston to Cmabridge, e.g., is a total pain in the butt via public transport, and biking is actually faster than anything else.

So last night, after a 12-hour work day revising the Thanksgiving/academic flash cards scene in JANE (8:30am-12noon library, 12:00-12:40 home for lunch, 12:40-5:45 back to library, 5:45-6:40 home for dinner/talked with Morgan/my mom, 7:00pm arrived at a cafe in Cambridge, worked till 9:04pm) , I was feeling burnt out. I needed a drink badly. And while Annie was rocking out in F21 heels and hitting up Nicaraguan fare and having rendezvouses with potted plants, this past weekend I was pretty tame. The highlight of my wknd was running a freakin 5k on a COW FARM in Ipswich, for X's Sake. And so, as Annie might call it, the "animalistic" impulses needed to have an outlet.

It turned out my friend Heather was with some of the poets at De-ep Ell. u.m. in Allston, a neighborhood that is overrun by college kids. Namely, BU kids. It's kind of dirty and cheap and gross but with good ethnic food, and weird dive bars and the occasional nice bar. So--thanks to the beauty of the bicycle--I was able to get from Central Sq to Allston in probably what would have taken 15 minutes, but actually took more like 35 as I decided to take a 3+ mile detour along the Mass Ave Bridge, just for the hell of it. Anyway, D.E. was kind of interesting, as I'd been meaning t ocheck it out, and I'd definitely go back, since the crowd skewed a bit older. Even though I looked like I was 14, with a huge backpack, bike helmet tied to it, short American Eagle preppy shorts (um...what the hell compelled me to buy them this wknd), a soaked-through T-shirt, Converses, and a headband.

Then we were off to Silh -ouet.te Lounge, this ridiculously dive bar with 45yo dirty men in the front and college kids in the back. And we were playing darts, and I just felt super old. Heather wasn't sure whether these kids were in college or in high school. After a couple of PBRs, some dart throwing, and some inappropriate smiling at way, way younger boys, we were off to the Model, because Heather was chatting with the bearded boy to our right, and he invited us to head there. Said bearded boy was probably a dozen years younger than Heather, but I think there was a number exchange involved, and some mention of a party Fri night. I, on the other hand, was talking with the bearded boy's age-appropriate brother, who was wearing a Hanes T-shirt, black square glasses, and played in a band. Oh, Allston. Thank God that's not my type (anymore). We're already by the bar, and he excuses himself to go get another beer-- even though MY BEER is running on empty and he doesn't ask ME if I'd like one. I'm thinking, Really? You are a 28yo man and you don't know how to offer a girl a drink? And then this short dude who was friends with them starts talking to me, asking me my ethnicity. Apparently he thought there was a link between my being Korean and he being half-Philippino, to which I almost gave him some sass, but decided it wasn't worth it, since he was a nice boy and I actually had to peer down to look at him.

So, it's 2am, and I'm now tasked with having to ride my bike home tipsy and in the dark. Also, this is about when my groin--well, upper upper thighs--are feeling really sore from the bike seat and from residual rock climbing pains, and I'm biking and there are few cars out but a couple of them honk and I'm slightly swerving... but the happy ending here is that I discovered the Star Market on Comm Ave is open 24/7!!! so I get off my bike and wheel it through the supermarket, pick up some California rolls, burritos, a pint of blueberries and a peach (what?), cradle them in my hands along with my bike helmet, WHILE steering my bike, while trying to get to the checkout. Within 5ish minutes, I am home, stuffing food in my face while watching Kitchen Confidential on hulu. I will wake up dazed and dehydrated at 8:30am, shower, then eat leftover burrito and drink ginger ale while blogging in the theology library. Wearing last night's daisy dukes. And...scene!