Replacing the Rear Tire

 

As I wrote earlier this week, I'd ridden my bicycle about 5,000 miles since I last changed my tires. The front tire had been getting frequent flats, so it was replaced on Monday. I had to wait until payday to replace the rear. The cost Monday to replace the tire and tube (including labor) came to ₱ 1,590. Today, for some reason, the cost was ₱ 1,525. Perhaps, the tech who replaced the tire Monday charged a little more for his labor. I had tipped the first tech ₱50. I gave the 2nd tech a ₱ 60 tip. I believe taking off the rear wheel is a bit more work.

The Bloody Chamber & other stories

The first book I've managed to read this year is The Bloody Chamber & other stories by Angela Carter. The stories within the book are explicitly based on fairy tales, although Carter's version are in no way written for children; some of the stories may be too explicit for some adults.

Her stories are based on such tales as Bluebeard, Beauty and the Beast, Puss and Boots and Little Red Riding Hood. Her versions will not be reproduced by Disney, I'm sure.

That doesn't mean I didn't enjoy the book.....I did, but it's not at all like I expected. It's not often that one comes upon the word "cunt" in a collection of fairy tales.

Tire Replacement

I've been getting flats on my front bicycle tire regularly over the past two or three weeks. Fortunately, there haven't been any on the rear tire during that time period. I suspected that it was time to replace the tires and I searched the blog to find out how long it's been since the tires were last replaced. A blogpost from July of 2024 gave the answer. As near as I can estimate, I've ridden 5,000 miles on the set I put on at that time. According to the post, 5,000 miles was about the same number that I had put on the earlier set.

It's still a week from payday, but I couldn't wait any longer to replace the front tire (and tube). Since I haven't gotten any flats on the rear, I think I can hold off changing the rear tire for another week.

I'm making a note of the total miles on my bicycle app.. I can reference this post to keep a more accurate count of the mileage between tire replacment.
8,802 miles.
The cost to replace the tire and tube (including labor) came to ₱ 1,590. That doesn't include the ₱50 tip.

 

A Few More Books.

As I mentioned in my last blog post, I've fallen behind on my reading during the past few months. With Hangover Square by Patrick Hamilton, I hope to get back up to speed.

Upon finishing Hangover Square I began reading a book recommended by Christine Rosen on the Commentary Magazine podcast, Out by Japanese writer, Natsuo Kirino. Being a Japanese mystery/detective novel makes Out exactly what I'm looking for.

As I write this post, I am 50% in. I should be finished before long. There are more twists and turns in the story than I expected and I have absolutely no clue as to how the book will end.

I also mentioned in my last post that my PC had been acting up. While trying to get it back up to normal, I transferred quite a few ebooks to my phone. I'd have plenty to read if my PC continued to give me problems. Now that I'm back to reading, I'm going to read the ebooks in the order in which they come up on my phone app.. These means the next two books following Out will be The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories by Angela Carter and Dracula by Bram Stoker. I last read Dracula in 2016. I'd been watching newer film versions and decided I'd reread the book. I don't recall how I came upon Angela Carter's book. Looks to be a bit spooky.