Massachusetts has a proprietary holiday in April called Patriots day. Most business is halted and the city is paralyzed due to 25,000 runners and 100 thousand spectators lining the streets from Hopkinton to Copley square. My friend A.P. and I added to the crowds yesterday to cheer for his dad and try to catch up to him while running the Boston Marathon.
We didn't see Lance but we did catch Billy.
So we're standing on top of heartbreak hill, near Brookline. Scanning the masses of runners flowing by, looking for familiar faces, I hear someone ask if we've got a bike pump. So I respond, yeah. This guy is frantic and asks if he can buy it off me for $50. So (like a fool) I say No. (I'm thinking) I paid $9.00 for it, but it's the best damn mini pump I've ever owned.
Now the guy reaches into his pocket and takes out cash and is waiving it in front of me, I'm thinking this is some kind of joke. At the same time thinking this could be really BAD karma if I take the guys loot. He takes the $50 and stuffs it in my pocket. "I don't want to miss my brother, he is running it!" So, I say that I'll fix his flat and hand him back the money, minus $20 for my time. (5 minutes of time and a $2.90 tube, = 60/5=12*20-2.90= $237.10 per hour is my new rate to fix flats, two hour minimum) So, the frantic guys comes back after 5 minutes, his flat is fixed and he insists that I take the $50 for my "trouble". Who am I to argue?
So, thanks for dinner, pizza and beer AND the train fare home. Anybody else have a flat? I gotta a really nice pump.
Massachusetts has a proprietary holiday in April called Patriots day. Most business is halted and the city is paralyzed due to 25,000 runners and 100 thousand spectators lining the streets from Hopkinton to Copley square. My friend A.P. and I added to the crowds yesterday to cheer for his dad and try to catch up to him while running the Boston Marathon. We didn't see Lance but we did catch Billy.
So we're standing on top of heartbreak hill, near Brookline. Scanning the masses of runners flowing by, looking for familiar faces, I hear someone ask if we've got a bike pump. So I respond, yeah. This guy is frantic and asks if he can buy it off me for $50. So (like a fool) I say No. (I'm thinking) I paid $9.00 for it, but it's the best damn mini pump I've ever owned.
Now the guy reaches into his pocket and takes out cash and is waiving it in front of me, I'm thinking this is some kind of joke. At the same time thinking this could be really BAD karma if I take the guys loot. He takes the $50 and stuffs it in my pocket. "I don't want to miss my brother, he is running it!" So, I say that I'll fix his flat and hand him back the money, minus $20 for my time. (5 minutes of time and a $2.90 tube, = 60/5=12*20-2.90= $237.10 per hour is my new rate to fix flats, two hour minimum) So, the frantic guys comes back after 5 minutes, his flat is fixed and he insists that I take the $50 for my "trouble". Who am I to argue?
So, thanks for dinner, pizza and beer AND the train fare home. Anybody else have a flat? I gotta a really nice pump.
2 comments:
nice! Jamie and other shop owners wouldn't have to feed their kids ramen to live @ 200+ $ per hr.
graduate to kraft dinner baby
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