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Thursday, August 31, 2006

Weekend, I Prefer the Weekend

So someone's got one of those hot new messenger style "over the shoulder" bags. And if you're thinking "Hey, if you're so hardcore, why do you wear big ol' crosstrainers to ride a 10 speed?" well don't even think it, because I just bought some guy from Santa Rosa's smelly old cycling shoes off Ebay for $10.

This past weekend we took a trip down to Long Beach, the main point of which was for me to see the harbor where all the goods from China arrive on ships. The scale of the operation was amazing. It's the second largest port in the US and they unload over 18,000 semi truck sized containers a day. That's a lot of semi truck sized containers. There's something about how the ships pull in and the cranes start unloading it one by one that makes you ( or maybe just me) feel like this all just *might* be a few thousand guys just playing around like they're 6 years old. I'd imagine that they just hum and whistle all day and that the ship captain makes engine noises with his mouth when he pulls out of the harbor. The one guy who sits up top and works the crane just sort of over-exaggerates moving the gears back and forth randomly and moves his head side-to-side making squeaky crane noises with his mouth, and all the while the containers are magically loaded on the trucks. There's a whole category of jobs that seem to be basically grown up versions of curious hyper 6 year old boys on a Saturday afternoon. Writing computer programs is not one of those jobs. But it's still awesome. I need to go back for a better look and a tour to verifiy that this isn't actually what's going on. Wouldn't that be something. Dayna was really very good about the whole thing for someone who is not...you know...into really big cargo ships. Next time I'll get some pictures.

This weekend I'm planning on visiting the LA central library branch in downtown LA. So if you think pictures of me in slightly wet t-shirts are amazing, wait until you hear my fantastical tales of wonder about microfiche, hot librarians, and the technological marvels of the self checkout machine. Put me and the Dewey Decimal system the same room and you better bring a helmet. And a digital camera. And a laptop with an internet connection so you can write about it, add the pictures you took, and put it up on a website where people you know can read about it.

11 Comments:

  • and then you misplace all of those technological marvels. Zing.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at September 01, 2006  

  • And just think of how many of those shipping containers are lost to the sea every year only to spill forth their goods. I've heard there are still Nike Air's from the early 90's washing up on shores in lands far away.

    By Blogger Steve & Gillian, at September 01, 2006  

  • it's true Gareth, This summer i got trained as a front end loader operator, 3 ton dump truck driver, and taught myself how to use a back ho. ("take that back ho! or imma..." ( quote from probably a pam greier movie) and i did feel like a six year old... only with dirier clothes on. i actually find it quite amusing to look at some folks and picture what "person" they were back in nursery/elementary school. personnally i was the kid that wasted everyones time by telling long drawn out stories that only somewhat pertained to the topic at hand, and didn't have a hot clue that i was pissing everyone off, even when they made not subtle hints.(the teachers would hit me with a sack of oranges repeatidly saying "shut up, no one wants to hear what you have to say. SHut up. why don't you ever shut up?")



    sorry.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at September 01, 2006  

  • Remember when you were home a couple of weeks ago and it was really hot? Well, twice this week my bike ride to work required gloves (because of the cold, not the hardcore messenger mystique). Needless to say, courier-bag (again, for function) sweat marks aren't a problem here any more. Until next July. Hopefully.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at September 01, 2006  

  • Gareth says:
    I think a large shipment of those gloves with the fingers cut off from the 80's washed up in Chris's hallway closet.

    Ryan, you will look back on those summer days driving a dump truck and you will relish them. "Don't let the days go by..." - Gavin Rossdale

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at September 01, 2006  

  • I'm jealous. I miss Trader Joe's, Venice beach, Huntington library, Van Nuys Blvd. and Happy Hours that can have a complete meal. Now all there is here in Toronto is cold, Price Choppers, and a pint of Canadian

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at September 03, 2006  

  • Somewhere here is a place to lament the fact that there are 18,000 semi loads of goods a day that are no longer manufactured there. Prices are lower and good thing because retail jobs pay less than manufacturing jobs.
    Wonder how much oil it takes to run all those boats and trains and trucks?

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at September 03, 2006  

  • Come on dad. We went so long without drawing someone into an "I know more about economics than you do" back-and-forth. Let's just keep the discussion focussed on Gareth and his incredible sweating problem.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at September 03, 2006  

  • Hard to say which is more disturbing; the concept of buying used shoes (but they have them at the bowling alley) or the sweat-stained shirt. Better hope the guy who used to own the now-second-hand cycling clogs wore socks and didn't have a nasty case of planters warts. I'd boil the buggers in lye before I removed them from the shipping envelope.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at September 04, 2006  

  • Hey no complaints so far. I never met a man who died from a used pair of sneekas. But I have met one that limps really bad. Be on the lookout in 2009 on ebay for a sweet pair of cycling shoes. Only 20 bucks. (plus shipping)

    By Blogger Gareth, at September 04, 2006  

  • Free can of Micatin included. Sweet.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at September 05, 2006  

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