Riding with Murphy

Beacon Hill Park

It is nice to be home in Victoria even if it is only for a short period.   We have been visiting with friends, getting the next section of our escape teed up, and shivering in the damp and cold. 

Victoria is a wonderful place but Murphy lives here.   You know Murphy – the guy that writes those bad laws.  Murphy has always been a close acquaintance of mine but I think he missed me and started hanging out with me in earnest.

I went for a bike ride the other day when the weather was clear, windless and warm.  I know, I know – after riding across Canada you would think I would be sick of cycling.   So I am an addict!  Anyway, most of the ride was great.  As I said, it was a perfect day for a ride.

Murphy joined me as I was coming home along the Galloping Goose trail between Royal Oak Drive and Mackenzie.   I got a flat.   No big deal – they happen and you fix them. 

Not with Murphy there, you don’t.

I got the tire off (back wheel, of course).  Found the cause of the flat and put a new tube in the wheel and put the tire back on.   Got out my CO2 cartridges to pump up the tire.  The first cartridge became a scud missile as I tried to affix it to the chuck.  Luckily none of the ducks in Blenkinsop Lake were injured.  I then attached my second cartridge to the chuck and nothing happened.  I could not get it to inflate my tire.  No matter what things I said about it’s ancestry, it’s status with God or it’s unhealthy relationship with it’s mother it would not work.

Luckily cyclist tend to stop when they see another cyclist with his wheel off even if he is dancing around in circles, shaking his fist at the sky and blaspheming at maximum volume.  One of them gingerly handed me a pump and backed away quickly.   So I started to inflate the tire.  The stem of the valve broke in half.  No one had seen that before and a scientific discussion ensued with other cyclist stopping to comment.   One of them had another tube he agreed to give me if only I bring my voice down.

As we started to inflate it the tube exploded and blew the tire off the rim.   Thank you, Murphy!  

I thanked the gentlemen and suggested they keep their distance and I would walk home since there had obviously been a Holy Decree that “Thou shalt not ride thy bicycle”.

To add insult to injury on my walk home I lost one of my cleat covers. I think it is fair to say that by the time I got home I was not in the euphoric state I usually am after a ride.

Last night we went to the movies.  I went down to the concession stand to get our usual treats: tea for Telen, coffee for me and a bag of popcorn to share.  I decided to forego the tray since I could carry all three things in all two of my hands.  I had the tea between my left arm and my chest, the popcorn and the ticket in my left hand and the coffee in my right hand. 

Murphy came to help.  The lid came off the tea – which was in a to-go cup, which immediately collapsed from the pressure of my arm and poured over my stomach.  Hot tea – not iced tea.  I tried to maneuver so that I could put things down and in doing so spilled the coffee over my hand and dumped the popcorn on the floor. 

When I arrived at our seat and gave Telen her tea she looked at me with some puzzlement.  What she saw was me standing there with half a torn bag of popcorn, half a cup of coffee, half a cup of tea – both held gingerly by the rim in my right hand and a huge wet steaming stain on my shirt that I was holding out from my body with a reddened left hand. 

Is it any wonder the woman finds me so attractive?

My daughter says that I thrive in an environment of chaos.  I don’t think that is true.   I don’t thrive - I survive. 

Is Southeast Asia ready for this?  I don’t think so.