Reading (For Dummies)

The Return of Biking, Part Deux

A Scene from a Graveyard...

The past couple of days have been unseasonably warm. I've been walking a lot, and even got to the throwing my German road slicks on my Trek mountain bike to go for a tour of the city. Photo above is from the cemetery that overlooks Wegman's Dewitt/481. Just short, 1.5 and 1 hour rides yesterday and today, but it was nice to feel the taste of copper in my lungs, dormant since the start of winter. The next few days will hopefully present opportunities to do the same (even though I should probably be studying...).

I'm Jealous of Cornell

I went down to Cornell University campus this evening to see the Banff Mountain Film Festival. I was slated to meet Kaitlin for a date/ticket discount accomponiment.

I'm glad that I simply view things going wrong as coincidences -- my car was sputtering and spattering on the way out (plug wires, again). I ended up stopping at a NAPA on the way and buying new wires, and also putting de-icer in my gas tank. The combination seems to have smoothed things out again. Also, the directions I got for Cornell were wrong -- fortunately I was saved by my GPS (was smart enough to get the GPS coordinates for Cornell at Wayhoo. So the trip out was kind of a series of mini-disasters, requiring some quick-thinking and analytical skill to save my own ass. I think this is why I usually travel alone...things like this would irritate the hell out of passengers.

Anyway, the film fest itself was awesome. I snuck my phone camera inside (I hear that the Banff folks are a little psycho about bringing cameras to these things) and snapped some pictures of the crowd. Unfortunately, my computer lacks infrared, and my phone lacks bluetooth, so I have to wait for the picture to arrive to myself via e-mail, (which is ridiculously slow on T-Mobile service). The place was packed, though.

The films are working their way down the Northeast Extension over the next week or so, to be shown in Philadelphia next weekend. See it if you can, even if you aren't into outdoors stuff. You won't be disappointed, if only because of the X-treme trampoliners and the rock-climbing dog.

After the films, we hit up a little bagel shop around the corner from kaitlin's flat (/sorority house?) and grabbed a late-night dinner, gabbing for a good long while, involving much swapping of hilarious family stories and witty one-liners. It has been a long time since I have had a conversation like that with someone totally (or mostly totally) random. Normally such meetings are very hit-or-miss; I'm glad it went well.

The frisbee-playing, jive-talking chemical engineer herself

So I take it back: meeting people on the Interweb isn't so bad...Even if a former Ithacan conversationalist (quite a different person, I assure you) posited the belief that she is completely apolitical, "like Kurt Vonnegut," and is therefore far superior to my liberal little self. Riiiiight.

Sayonara, Yukiko

Today was our last Aikido session with Takiguchi-sensei, as she is returning to Japan. We had a little party after practice.

It was a pizza and beer affair, except for Chris (?), who is allergic to Basil. He got a little something special...

One of our Senseis cooked some Soba noodles

And, of course, the beer was no ordinary beer.

Tony (my former-psuedo, psuedo-boss at Infimed) drinking his home-brew beer

Tasty beer, but it needs a little time to get bubbly. He's tentatively promised some homebrewing sessions for the summer. Yum!

Yukiko is scheduled to return to us in a month, although whether she will stay in the US seems uncertain (or perhaps doubtful?). Finding work in the economic slump has proved difficult for everyone, not the least of which being foreigners.

This evening I really got to know the members of our dojo. It is an amazing group of world travellers: A couple from Japan who are witty, amazing artists, and the most amiable people I have met since visiting Austria; Tang-sensei, who prior to teaching at ESF worked as the environmental consultant to Sweden; the rest of us have been earth-walkers, movers and shakers who speak smatterings of twenty languages between us. A new group to call home?

Ultra-Productive Mode, Activated

Spent the last bunch of days, "gettin' shit done," as they say. First stop was over to the hardware store, where I bought some plant food for my ailing ficus (I haven't given it plant food in the two years I've owned it, no wonder it's wilting!), and also found it, at long last, the Holy Grail, the solver of the Bane of My Existence....

A fix for my futon...

I ended up buying a doorjam (the kind that goes on the hinge to prevent doors from whacking walls). I cut it down a little using the chain cutting tool at Chase-Pitkin, and voilla, it fit perfectly! My futon now folds up and down like it's supposed to.

In celebration, and in need of endorphines, I went hiking around the university area. Total distance: 8 miles in 2 hours. I snapped a few photos as usual, not much interesting this time...

A photo of the stream by that park on Westcott

Erik and I are talking more of the Colorado trip. I can't wait to see rivers that don't have old chairs and trash bags on the bottom (like every major creek around here). It will be a beautiful thing, assuming I live the semester...rough weeks ahead with multiple exams.

Bike News

I got my new wheelset Friday: Mavic X519 rims laced with Shimano XT hubs, ready for the disc brakes that are in the pipeline. One word: sweet.

I took the rims over to the LBS and got rim strips, cheap tires (cheap because they were "used" in the parking lot by people who bought complete bikes, and decided to swap the tires out right away), and a cassette. I also suddenly realized why the shifting on my Trek always sucked -- I was using the 9-speed cassette from my Rotor on it, and it only has an 8-speed shifter (and 8-speed chain). Not helpful that the shifter isn't labelled. As I acquire more parts, I'll upgrade it to a real 9-speed, probably giving it a new cassette and a drivetrain upgrade (chain and crankset from my current iteration of the Rotor).

The Rotor Arsen, version 2.0b1

I have some other pictures of my bike: new, and somewhat soiled. Lots more parts are on the way. My off-roader will soon be a XC rider's wet dream.

Also while at the bike shop, the mechanic showed me his Christini, which had me grinning ear-to-ear. A few weeks ago I thought about how to build a front wheel drive bicycle, and my idea was exactly what Christini has implemented. I shared this idea with a few people, most of which said I was crazy. Chris (the mechanic) loves it.

Anyway, the only problem with all this bike stuff is that our living room is becoming awfully crowded lately. I'm surprised that Henry doesn't threaten to find a new roommate, it's getting so bad.

The living room

Hopefully I can sell one of my older mountain bikes (retrofitted with 9-speed shifting and a newer crankset) when the project is finished.

For reference, it's a lot more expensive to put a bike together piece-by-piece like I've been doing (several hundred more for a complete bicycle, no doubt), but it is quite nice to pick and choose all the parts you want. One thing I sort of regretted with the first compy set on my german frame was that I bought everything straight Shimano Deore (kind of "meh" if you put a lot of off-road miles on your bike). This time around it's going to be a lot better. And seeing as how I've probably got the only frame of its kind on this side of the ocean, all the sweeter.

A Night with the Nields

I went to the old May Memorial Church to see a tiny little concert featuring the Nields. But first a social commentary on self-revisionist history: the Nields "history" makes little mention of Nerissa being married, and no mention of the divorce. Strange, as it is somewhat relevant to their past life as a band...It's like trying to tell the history of Fleetwood Mac without mentioning that everyone was screwing everyone else. It's kind of key to understanding why they break up and make up so much. In the case of Fleetwood, I'd say their current website intro is fitting -- a morphing pictures of pairs of the band members laying on something (we could only presume it to be a bed).

But I digress...

The sisters themselves

They have a pretty groovy show, much more low-key now that they're just an acoustic duo. It was a smattering of old favorites (the best of it being the unplugged encore), with witty storytelling.

I also ran into an old acquaintence at the concert, which wasn't at all unwelcome; although it should be known that I am on the tail-end of my "man period." For those not in the know, the "man period" is a somewhat usual bout of antisocial behavior that men go through, usually in a 2-3 month cycle (though sometimes more often) when they aren't having sex regularly. Almost every guy I've talked to on the subject admits to having it, but Google doesn't even turn up a definition. Maybe now it will.

Anyway, this woman, Kate, is a real genius. Perhaps why it wasn't an unwelcome encounter. Smart in the sense that I am slightly afraid of her from an intellectual standpoint. Not to be immodest, but that's saying something...kind of interesting that she's a folkie, and attends Sunday mass at the Unitarian church to boot.

It's nice to be getting back into music with words (/that I can understand). Lately it's been all classical, German rock, and French techno...

Imaginary Friendster

The other night, while talking to Poingly, we hit upon an idea: Imaginary Friendster. We both have artificial alter-egos on the friendster network now. I am curious if we could make an entire set of Friendster friends that are all imaginary. It would kind of finalize the point that online friends network are stupid, as friends of friends aren't always what they seem.

If you'd like to invite my imaginary person as a Friendster friend (preferably to your imaginary Friendster alter-ego), you can do so: rowan@vendaworld.com. He is quite interesting: just shy of 22 years old, he owns and operates his own antique dealership in an undisclosed location in Central New York. He enjoys swordfighting and living forever, as well as sex...lots of sex. Your imaginary friendster doesn't have to be quite so out there, of course.

The Return of Biking

It's been a long time since I went for a bike ride. My brother and dad are talking of going out west in the spring, to mountain bike and hike in Colorado and Utah. I'm trying to get my Rotor prepped for a trip, replacing wheels and brakes and drivetrain and suspension. Is it worth it? I hope so. In the meantime, I've been reading a blog full of winter bike riding stories, and I'm finding myself itching to go for a ride after months of physical activity dormancy. I think that I may actually try and hit some trails this weekend, and try my hand at riding in the snow with my aging mountain bikes. So this week may be the week that I finally get health insurance...

Valentine's Date

I went to the Middle Ages Brewery with Stephen and Dan tonight, an unromantic getaway with two lumberjacks of the wrong gender.

The brewery is quite sweet though. Perhaps the style is common, although I've never seen the likes of it.

A Free Bar...

The well-lit bar was full of local regulars and closed at 5:00PM. The taps were free for sampling, and you were welcome to try as many of the different beers as possible. There wasn't even heavy pressure to buy a growler, although Dan and I decided to go in and get a flagon of the Kilt Tilter, a surprisingly smooth 8.5% alcohol content beer. I think that a trip to this little brewery might become a regular thing, as the standing patrons are eager to strike up conversation about canoeing in the Adirondacks during the summer months.

A rugged, yet friendly crowd leaves me with a head slightly abuzz and a warmth in the cockles of my heart.

Sarah's Birthday Bash

It was quite a little soiree at Sarah's this evening, as she celebrated her 22nd birthday.

Our hostess, gyrating hips over Megan

Sarah was in rare form, wearing mini-booty-skirt, bumping and grinding with all present. Permission was granted by Pat to slap her ass on repeated occassion. Am I getting too old for this? I think not.

While there, I discovered how small a world it is, when I ran into a New Paltz resident. Not one I knew, but we talked a bit about rock climbing. Then another guy, a graduate from NOLS walks up and joins the conversation, followed by a Jennifer Connely look-alike who is big into kayaking and ice climbing. I keep forgetting that Sarah is really an outdoorsy chick, and that consequently a lot of her friends are, too. In any case, I've made some new contacts for rock climbing adventures, and probably other fun outdoor acitivity.

Valentine's Day Round-up

Years ago, Valentine's day used to be a day that I hated. Then I got a girlfriend, and I rather liked the day. Then I moved to Germany and hated it for different reasons. Nowadays, I'm rather ambivalent.

It's certainly turning out to be a strange year in the romance department. All these women who I asked out and got shot down last semester (and years ago as well) seem to be coming out of the woodwork suggesting we go on dates. It's all very confusing, especially after I've taught myself to be disinterested. Am I that much more interesting now than then, or is it just that people are getting more desperate? I have to wonder...

I have found some fun links regarding Love, though. If you're convinced that you should grow old and die (wait, I mean fall in love), you can move the process along by buying that special someone a cute bear. Just remember, she's faking orgasm and wants you to work for a living. By the way, most of the links are not suitable for work.

Ember Swift

I went to see Ember Swift play in Schine tonight.

Ember

Ember Swift reminds me of my Aunt Mary, if my Aunt Mary got divorced, announced that she was a lesbian, smoked a lot of weed, and then became a politically-charged musician that travelled between the US, Canada, and Australia on a regular basis. Okay, so the two are nothing like, but they have similar facial features.

As for a review, the concert felt...weak. It was their first concert in the US since their Australian tour (which they've been on since the fall of 2003). They felt a little uncoordinated compared to the last time I saw them (some years ago, I don't even know what the date was). Still, they have talent and spirit, and it may have just been the flu talking about weak performance.

And it all comes crashing down in Fluville

My body finally gave out on me. It probably had something to do with running in the cold last night when I wasn't feeling particularly well to begin with. I've got a nasy flu/cold/something, weighing down on my sinuses with fifteen pounds of sludge. My brain is being squished, restricted bloodflow making the thought pipeline stall.

I feel like it's going to be one of those bad semesters.

Winter Harmony

The last week has been a flurry of studying, problem-solving, computer troubleshooting, and perhaps strangely, good eating.

Self-portrait at James'

The week ended with some gabbing with James over brewskis, gabbing with Stephen over brewskis, and having fun with my roommate's RWD vehicle in the ice at the Wegman's parking lot.

Somewhere in here, I managed to bag a computer from Stephen -- Single CPU P3 1Ghz (dual capable), 1024MB ram, 3x18GB scsi disks (1 15krpm, 2 10krpm cheetah drives). The disks alone are almost worth the selling price. These things fly! So I'm definitely not in need of a new computer now. I've even bagged enough parts to build something better for my dad on my next visit down.

Sadly, no time to assemble them these days. Aikido practice and schoolwork have my hands all but tied, my wrists and shoulders sore, and my brain trying to apply some centering to my life.

Comment Captchas

After receiving Yet Another Bundle of Spam (YABS), I decided to take a little action and install MT-Comment captchas. From now on, comments will require you to type in the number that you see in the box. Apologies to the blind...

Car Woes

My suby-jet has been running really rough lately. It's loped like mad when idling, backfired often during acceleration, and provided generally a lot less power than I've been used to. I figured it was just the extreme cold and short driving distances that have been experienced lately, but it's been warm (above freezing, in fact!) the last two afternoons and it has still run miserably. So ice in the fuel line was out as well.

I popped the hood and not one but two spark plug wires were unseated. Yeah. That's bad. I snapped them back and they seemed to hold, but it started loping again and lo and behold they were off again. I had bought new plugs anyway as I was planning to replace the old ones. So I swapped out the plugs (one of the unfiring even had cracked ceramic for some reason...hm), and crimped the wires and everything seems to be happy now.

The question is, what kind of damage will having two unfiring cylinders do to a horizontally-opposed 4 cylinder engine? The car still feels way underpowered and lopes every now and then when idling -- could I have damaged a valve? And could any of this explain why the ceramic was chipped from the tip of one of the plugs?

I wish I knew more about car engines, but I guess I'll have some opportunity to learn more when I get the motorcycle...

Ozy and Millie

Ozy and Millie has returned after a many-month hiatus. This little comic strip is a true replacement for Bloom County -- socio-political commentary presented by fuzzy little animals.

Violin Fireworks

I decided to become un-Japanese for a night and do some traditionally Western things.

Like Italian food and wine...

Thanks to my mum, who sent some Roselli's frozen lasagna up with my dad last week. Delicious, healthy, and a no-brainer. Definitely my kind of food!

I went to the Symphony again tonight as well.

Special guest Corey Cerovsek

The pieces for tonight were Copland's Tender Land, Corigliano's The Red Violin (yes, from the movie of the same name), Ravel's Tzigane, and Tchaikovsky's 4th Symphony. An evening full of joyous and sorrowful music. Henry opted out, claiming that the concert would be too violent. I didn't think so up until the second movement of the Tchaikovsky piece...now I can only nod vaguely in his direction.

Corey is an interesting character though. I don't have much knowledge of classical music yet, but I do know that I could compare his intensity and fervor to Pamela Means -- in fact, his bow was shedding hairs during the Red Violin, reminscent of good old Pam snapping guitar strings left and right.