As it turns out, knowledge really IS power..

So I finally stopped avoiding my trip to the bike store. But my reasons for avoiding it were once again founded.

I went to the college park one because I'd had lunch in downtown college park & was like 20ft away. And since I was on my bike on an 85 degree day, I had even further reason not to go to the other bike store (Proteus, which I've been told is much better because the guys who work there aren't assholes). But I went to this one because I knew what I needed and it wasn't expensive, even when they overcharged me.

So I walk in, ask for a shifter cable, and they asked me if I was going to switch it myself. I said no, I know someone who'll do it for me. Now the respectable thing to have done was for the guy to leave it alone. But no, he asked who it was, and if it was ORC (which are the people on campus who will fix your bike for free). Apparently ORC and this bike store hate eachother.

So I said yes, that I was going to bring it to the ORC for them to switch it, and he didn't seem to like that.

So when I paid for it (a dollar more than it should have been), I asked if there was anything else I could check if this cable didn't fix my gear shifting problems. He did mention that sometimes when that happens, you need to adjust the actual gears (tighten them so they can't slide around so much). But then he says, "But I'm sure your friends at ORC can help you with that."

We are in college, people, not highschool. Why does no one here understand that.

Anyway, my point here is that if I just had the right oil and the right size screwdriver, I could figure it out myself and this stupid bum would not have been able to disrespect me. Yes, knowledge is power.

My brother says "People are just like that. Don't let it get to you." Talk about useless advice. I have been in college park for a year now. And I have one good friend. ONE! (And those of you who know me, know that I make friends easily). The other people I know are only acquaintances. You can't live by yourself and have only one friend AND NOT let people's rudeness get to you. At least I can't. I'm still trying to figure out why this bothers me so, so much.

P.S. It's times like these where I want to go and learn everything in the whole world. But I can only learn so much at once. And by the time I'll finally know lots of things, it will be semi-useless because I'll be old.