Parts is Parts, Down the Road

So if you've been following along at home, you, the reader, know that I've been adjusting and fooling with the seating position on the Bianchi.
The road bike position takes a bit getting used to.
I mean the bars are all twisted like and the controls are perpendicular to regular bicycle stuff so it can get quite confusing.
Imagine my surprise when I realized that you actually have to put your hands on the hooked part of the handle bars!
I thought they were there to hang your helmet.
Or something.
The problem with my position now is that I'm feeling sort of stretched out on the hoods. The words drawn and quartered come to mind except I arrive back home with all my limbs attached.
Except that I swear my arms are getting longer.
Or maybe I'm just getting used to it.
Well anyways, I went ahead and got me a new stem:



My old stem, and the stock stem were 90mm, this one checks in at 80. It took me some time to find it, as these shorter stems are either in high demand, or there weren't too many made.
I'm guessing there weren't too many made.
I also had to wait for this one, because it's not just any stem:



That's right sports fans!
It's 80mm of pure Cinelli goodness!
I feel the need to eat some pasta!
The Cinelli is about on par with the finish of the Nitto. The only thing I'm worried about is that it was listed as having a 26.0 clamp, but it took quite a tightening to secure the bar. I hope it's not like a 26.4.
Honestly though, I wish they'd come up with a better way to attach the handle bars to a bicycle.
I mean I've come to have quite a collection of parts:



That's just the stems.
The quill stems I mean.
I think I got a couple of regula kine stems in my box too.
As I was assembling the stems for that portrait, I also realized that I've accumulated some front derailleurs:



I think it's time to hit the bike co-op and donate some stuff.
Two of them derailleurs are Campagnolo Mirage, they came with the rear derailleur I got. The others are for some reason old XT types.
I think I got those when I was working on the Lanikai Express, a bike that hasn't seen the road in a couple of months.
The other day, my friend Marc(MFM) came over to tell me about an art thingy coming up.
MFM makes some awesome sculptures, though he hasn't done anything in some time. Hopefully that will change as we talked a bit about trying to do some small scale metal casting.
We'll see how that goes.
Anyways, I sent the Lanikai Express down the road over his way.
Hopefully he puts a couple of miles on it.
I just don't want to start collecting bicycles like I'm collecting parts.
Don't get me wrong, I'd have one each of every bicycle ever made.
If I had someplace to put them.
Right now, I just need someplace to put all that other stuff.
The parts I mean.