The Week #220

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  • 🍝 I tried my hand at making pasta for the first time. I don't have a pasta machine so I had to cut the noddles by hand. It's difficult to cut them all the same exact size, but man was it good. I think I may try making pasta the next time I make lasagna.
  • 🚲 Leo and I rode bikes to the 100 store for the first time. This is closer than our usual Ito Yokado ride, but it requires him to climb a hill and navigate with more cars about. He only pushed his bike partially up the hill and did a good job following me in the streets. On the way back we swung by the Onigiri shop. I've discovered that if you go early they have a much wider variety.
  • 🎡 We went to Minatomirai. I've had a mixed relationship with minatomirai. I love going and walking about. The water and shopping, it's so nice. But since having Leo it always ends in conflict and a meltdown. Two articles from the NY Times this week (gift links) inspired me to give it a try again: Parents Should Ignore Their Children More Often (Opinion) and Today's Parents: Exhausted, Burned Out and Perpetually Behind. The first one is ignore in the sense of it's fine if your gets get bored, you don't need to always keep their brains active. The second, I just feel it and am sharing in solidarity.

    The experiment this time was we're gonna let Leo get bored on the train. And he's gonna walk by himself. And we also made it clear that the reason why we're going is for me to check out a bike (more on that later), and that each person has a turn to do the thing that they want to do, then see what happens.

    While out and about we visited the Lego Store (the Zelda set is really cool!) and the Harry Potter store (even cooler!). For lunch we went to Bubby's, which used to be good about 15 years ago. This time it was disappointing. I don't think we'll be back 😔.

    Leo rode one of the roller coasters at Cosmo World. We also played this near AR game where you have a cellphone that has a gun attached to it and you shoot at ghosts in a room. It was a lot of fun. While in World Porter, we walked passed a zillion capsule toys and different areas that would have usually been a meltdown each.

    But this time, he walked right past them. Didn't even ask. We went out without a meltdown?! Are we getting close to the point where it's more than just exhausting to go out...where it's...dare I say... fun? Good job, boyo!
  • 🚲 So I said we'd talk about bikes. The reason we went to minatomirai was for me to check out the Bromptons. I've seen them before in passing, but never really up close to touch and fiddle with. I know roughly the size of the bike but photos, but my main concern was the weight. I picked up a P-line, it's not bad. The C-line 6 speed (the one I'm looking at) also felt really light? I can tell it will take a little practice to get the folding and unfolding down to second nature... 

    Colors. Based on photos online, the colors I like the most are: black lacquer, black, green, and unsure about macha green. But the match green looks really nice in person. I had this idea in my head (perhaps from smaller stores in videos taken a few years ago) that you basically had to pick a color in stock or wait months. Turns out it's just a 7 - 10 days. Post-pandemic? Larger store? Combination of both?

    On the subway ride back my wife asked a valid question: "Do you really need 3-bikes?*. The answer to that is "yes". They all serve a different purpose. The electric mama-chari is for trips when I need to take Leo with me. The cross-bike is for when I'm going fast and or long distances. And the brommie is for everything else. Leo will only be able to ride on the back of my mama-chari (legally) for another 6 or so months. And if push came to shove, I could get rid of the cross-bike (though I bought it used for 3-man 4 years ago or so, so I suspect it's not worth selling). Point is, yes.
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