I like that she’s apparently not overly concerned with it being a paid position or not. I DO hope Thistle ends up working at the shop, I’ve really come to enjoy her character.
I love how this has grown over time, very cool plot line. I would totally work an LBS for free, assuming I had the time after my real job to do it. Still have to pay the bills, you know.Not sure how I’d Explain that to the ol’ lady though.
And what exactly does Thistle’s husband (or partner, I don’t want to make any assumptions!) expect her to do during the day when Fizz is at preschool. More laundry???
I think chick bike mechanics rule! There are women who might not venture into an LBS because of the crazy dudes with bike aprons, but if they see a crazy dudette painted in bike grease they might want to learn more!
I guess Thistle quit her engineering job to have more time to raise little Fizz; and working with Yehuda & Joe is certainly more fulfilling for her.
One thing is true: it doesn’t matter if she has worked for a very large corporation, if the job sucked. Few things are worse than getting caught in an unsatisfying job just for the money.
Adam: I agree completely, as I work for “Big Blue” as an engineer. But after all, it is a bike shop wrenching gig … no smarts needed, right? Hahahahaha!!! Cheers to the wrenches in here!
I quit a successful music teaching career to become a bike mechanic in my early 30′s. My musician parents were dumbfounded. A few years later, my father came to visit me in the shop, stood at the back and watched me for half an hour while he waited for me to take my lunch. He told me he was proud of me, and he could tell I was really happy.
There is a lot to be said for the simple life, and it seems to me a bunch of cyclists would understand the draw of that. In fact, I think the act of cycling helps me re-center, and promotes that kind of thinking in others.
Absolutely! I learned too late that my field of study is not suited to me, and finished for the sake of finishing something I started, leaving me with student loans and two degree majors that I am not using, and wrenching in a bike shop.
If you have a successful bike shop, with a scrupulous owner/management, and competent mechanics, they should be getting paid the wages that reflects their knowledge, skill, experience, attention to detail, and productivity just like any other skilled professional. Just because bike shops are ‘traditionally’ low paying doesn’t mean that mechanics should be forced to live off ra-men while working for parts until they can move on to a ‘real’ job. It’s the reputation for low wages that sometimes keeps potentially brilliant mechanics away, leaving hacks and noobs that have nothing better to do, no scruples, no experience, etc, etc. It’s a chicken and egg quandry, a viscious cycle, but if someone breaks the cycle, if enough shops catch on, and retain good mechanics, the tide will change. I’m lucky enough to wrench in such a shop, and can’t thank the people responsible enough.
Does anyone else read her husband’s reaction differently? In my imaginary scenario Thistle used to be well-paid and her husband had to start working a lot harder to support an entire family when she took time off to have Fizz. Secretly he has been waiting for her to be ready to go back to work to take the pressure off of him. Now he’s citing her experience at a huge engineering firm because that’s the sort of thing he assumed all along that’s what she was interested in going back to. If Thistle is going to embrace the simple life it looks like she clue her husband into that. They should sit down and talk about how they see their roles as breadwinners in the family and probably adjust their lifestyle. Before resentment ruins their marriage!
Mirco,
“they should be getting paid the wages that reflects their knowledge, skill, experience, attention to detail, and productivity just like any other skilled professional.”
Bike wrenches aren’t the only skilled pros who get chump wages…
No matter what the job, there’s always somebody out there hungry enough and not too concerned about having such niceties as a roof that doesn’t leak that we’ll never be paid what we’re truly worth.
I think that Alexis may be on to something. Furthermore, as a biracial person myself, I’m curious about this husband. No matter how Aryan he is, the darker genes are all dominant, so it’s confusing to me how Thistle’s kid, Fizz could be so pale. Is Fizz adopted? Albino? A fluke? I think that the feminist statement of a woman engineer who can also spin a wrench will be subverted if she isn’t paid…
Ooh, that’s a pair of underwear I’d like to see my LBS mechanic in. Or..
I’d do it for free. I guess it’s a labor of love. It’s not like I would need the money for gas, right?
So, in other words, Thistle would do it for the fun of it. Cool. let’s see where Rick takes this.
Why’s she being so careful with all those bike cleaning rags?
Phwoar! Thistle is a mechanically minded, smart, cyclist!
I’m in love.
The Kickstand Cyclery?<Mike Yanagita>If you’re an engineer, yah, you could do a lot worse</Mike Yanagita>
@M
I think that I’d like to be a lot more like Thistle.
good to see the “child care issues” have been resolved. Hope she gets the job!
Panties!
That is all.
I like that she’s apparently not overly concerned with it being a paid position or not. I DO hope Thistle ends up working at the shop, I’ve really come to enjoy her character.
I love how this has grown over time, very cool plot line. I would totally work an LBS for free, assuming I had the time after my real job to do it. Still have to pay the bills, you know.Not sure how I’d Explain that to the ol’ lady though.
Working at one of the country’s biggest engineering firms does not mean someone is intelligent…at all….trust me (personal experience with this one).
Maybe @M
And what exactly does Thistle’s husband (or partner, I don’t want to make any assumptions!) expect her to do during the day when Fizz is at preschool. More laundry???
I think chick bike mechanics rule! There are women who might not venture into an LBS because of the crazy dudes with bike aprons, but if they see a crazy dudette painted in bike grease they might want to learn more!
To 545h4: It’s her husband. See the 4th July strip <http://www.yehudamoon.com/index.php?date=20080704>
I don’t think that was in doubt.
I guess Thistle quit her engineering job to have more time to raise little Fizz; and working with Yehuda & Joe is certainly more fulfilling for her.
One thing is true: it doesn’t matter if she has worked for a very large corporation, if the job sucked. Few things are worse than getting caught in an unsatisfying job just for the money.
Adam: I agree completely, as I work for “Big Blue” as an engineer. But after all, it is a bike shop wrenching gig … no smarts needed, right? Hahahahaha!!! Cheers to the wrenches in here!
She’s going to “check” if it’s a paid position. I’m getting the impression she’d take the job even if it WASN’T.
Which kinda short-circuits Joe’s argument…
I quit a successful music teaching career to become a bike mechanic in my early 30′s. My musician parents were dumbfounded. A few years later, my father came to visit me in the shop, stood at the back and watched me for half an hour while he waited for me to take my lunch. He told me he was proud of me, and he could tell I was really happy.
There is a lot to be said for the simple life, and it seems to me a bunch of cyclists would understand the draw of that. In fact, I think the act of cycling helps me re-center, and promotes that kind of thinking in others.
Yeah, but figuring out how to disassemble and reassemble an internally geared hub on your own does make ya pretty smart.
Plus, she rides a Bakfiets! Need I say more?
My goal from childhood has always been to have my own shop
is the shop gonna supply babysitting?
Maybe we have have a bull (fizz) in the china(bike) shop.
Good on Thistle.
Too many people choose ‘prestige’ and money over quality of life.
She’s going to be doing something she loves (and believes in) and have more quality time with Fizz. There should be more of it!
Absolutely! I learned too late that my field of study is not suited to me, and finished for the sake of finishing something I started, leaving me with student loans and two degree majors that I am not using, and wrenching in a bike shop.
If you have a successful bike shop, with a scrupulous owner/management, and competent mechanics, they should be getting paid the wages that reflects their knowledge, skill, experience, attention to detail, and productivity just like any other skilled professional. Just because bike shops are ‘traditionally’ low paying doesn’t mean that mechanics should be forced to live off ra-men while working for parts until they can move on to a ‘real’ job. It’s the reputation for low wages that sometimes keeps potentially brilliant mechanics away, leaving hacks and noobs that have nothing better to do, no scruples, no experience, etc, etc. It’s a chicken and egg quandry, a viscious cycle, but if someone breaks the cycle, if enough shops catch on, and retain good mechanics, the tide will change. I’m lucky enough to wrench in such a shop, and can’t thank the people responsible enough.
Does anyone else read her husband’s reaction differently? In my imaginary scenario Thistle used to be well-paid and her husband had to start working a lot harder to support an entire family when she took time off to have Fizz. Secretly he has been waiting for her to be ready to go back to work to take the pressure off of him. Now he’s citing her experience at a huge engineering firm because that’s the sort of thing he assumed all along that’s what she was interested in going back to. If Thistle is going to embrace the simple life it looks like she clue her husband into that. They should sit down and talk about how they see their roles as breadwinners in the family and probably adjust their lifestyle. Before resentment ruins their marriage!
Well, if resentment DOES ruin their marriage, that might reawaken the possibility of Thistle being a romantic interest for Yehuda…
So – Thistle doesn’t really care if it pays or not, Joe insists they can’t afford to pay her. Is there an unpaid “internship” in Thistle’s future?
Mirco,
“they should be getting paid the wages that reflects their knowledge, skill, experience, attention to detail, and productivity just like any other skilled professional.”
Bike wrenches aren’t the only skilled pros who get chump wages…
No matter what the job, there’s always somebody out there hungry enough and not too concerned about having such niceties as a roof that doesn’t leak that we’ll never be paid what we’re truly worth.
Thank you Ronaldus Rex…
I think that Alexis may be on to something. Furthermore, as a biracial person myself, I’m curious about this husband. No matter how Aryan he is, the darker genes are all dominant, so it’s confusing to me how Thistle’s kid, Fizz could be so pale. Is Fizz adopted? Albino? A fluke? I think that the feminist statement of a woman engineer who can also spin a wrench will be subverted if she isn’t paid…