what’s more frustrating than trying to teach a technologically impaired person how to do something simple on the computer? doing it moments after you’ve been suddenly woken up. over the phone. in Chinese.

the mainspring on my beloved Vostok Komandirskie broke this past weekend while i was in Indianapolis. this came as a blow to me since i had worn the watch almost every single day since purchasing it in a dubious shop in Kabul where Soviet militaria gleaned from Afghan battlefields was sold alongside assorted firearms and bricks of heroin.

i suppose it’s a fitting death for a good watch, to finally succumb after accompanying its latest owner to nearly a dozen different countries in over four years of tireless service. it’s braved just about everything from dust storms to category three hurricane force winds and kept perfect time up until only a few days before it finally perished.

fixing it will be near impossible because spare parts for Soviet timepieces are extremely difficult to come by, especially in Chicago (believe me, i’ve asked) so i’ve decided to order a shiny new one. i know it won’t have the same electrifying history as my old one but, with any luck, i’ll be able to give it one.

the city shut off the water to our building for about two hours today because they were doing some work on the pipes. when service was resumed, the kitchen faucet spat out a splutter of brown water, the bathtub kicked out yellowish water for the first 20 seconds and now the bathroom sink hardly works at all.

bad pipes: one, Department of Water Management: zero.

back in Chicago now after a long and sweaty Indianapolis Grand Prix weekend. although i think i still prefer watching the race broadcast in the comfort of my own home, my first MotoGP experience was a blast and i hope to do this again sometime.

but probably not anytime soon.

another sweaty day at the track culminating in a series of fantastic qualifying sessions. Spies got pole and Hayden also made it on the front row of tomorrow’s grid. can’t wait!

for full MotoGP qualifying results for the 2010 Indianapolis Grand Prix, click here.

i think what caught me off-guard the most about today was the sound of the MotoGP bikes. they already sound pretty loud on television but to hear it in person is a different thing entirely. a MotoGP bike at full chat sounds like a jumbo jet taking off as its runway erupts into a sea of flame. the sheer volume is incredible and the sound is absolutely glorious in pretty much every way that matters.

on a side note, Shoya Tomizawa waved and said hello to me!

i was getting out of my car today when an Indian man driving by slowed down and asked me if my beat up 12 year-old car was for sale. i think it was because he was an idiot.

anyway, Beka and i are driving down to Indianapolis today for the Indianapolis GP this weekend. i’m not sure what the internet situation will be at the hotel so i may be a bit quiet for the next few days. however, the photoblog will still be updated regularly regardless.

great news: i got my car back this afternoon. bad news: my money is gone.

it turns out that my radiator had cracked and was leaking coolant like a colander. luckily, i suspected as much and was able to avoid serious engine damage by periodically pulling over to add water while drawing stares from passersby. i felt like a freak.

but not for the first time.

spent about 20 minutes today on the hard shoulder with steam billowing out from my engine bay. it seems i’ve got some sort of radiator leak which is causing the engine to overheat. anyway, i’ve nursed the car home and going to get it checked out tomorrow. wish me luck.

eight Hong Kong citizens were killed in Manila recently when a former police officer hijacked a bus full of tourists and took them hostage, demanding his job back. what madness drove him to do such a thing, i don’t know. ugh.