Slipping Gears

Last Weekend in Paris, a Success

2011-02-27T16:21:00.000-08:00

Crazy times...this was my last weekend in Paris proper. Next weekend I'll be in London visiting my cousin Molly, and the weekend after that, a school friend in Madrid. The last weekend I'll be visiting my uncle's family near Alsace, in the east of France. I didn't think I would want to leave France once I was hear, but the opportunities arose to make a few special trips to nearby countries, and I couldn't resist, knowing it will be my only chance in a long while.

So, I did my best to be very Parisien this weekend. Friday evening, Rachel invited me over for dinner since her host family was out of town for the weekend. They had prepared food for her though, so we got to have quite the dinner. We started with spiced pumpkin soup and salad, then had roasted veal and rice with a lemon sauce. After that, a bit of flan nature was enough to finish us off and we just sat around and listened to a Jacques Brel album we found in the stereo.

After dinner, we went to le Caveau de la Huchette, a famous Jazz bar that had a big cave downstairs with a dance floor lined with benches and a few smaller sitting rooms. A quartet of soprano sax, drums, bass, piano was playing some lively tunes, and Rachel dragged me onto the floor to step on her toes as I tried to not embarrass myself next to a trained swing dancer. Andrea and Kallie showed up, and we watched with amusement as Rachel danced with various other fellows, including a 70-something year old who knew some good moves. We finally left and caught the very last metros home.

Saturday I went to the Salon International de l'Agriculture at the Porte de Versailles convention center. This was an 8 day, 8 exposition hall epic display and taste of everything you could and couldn't imagine about food, drink, animals, and farms from all around France, and all over the world. Rachel, Andrea and I spent five and a half hours roaming several halls and sampling assorted cheeses, meats, wines, aperatifs, fresh fruit, strange dried fruits, chocolate, yogurt, and more. They had a milk bar where they served up fresh milk flavored by different syrups like mint, cafe moka, or strawberry. This big display also featured a guy juggling milk bottles in front of a DJ mixing up some sick Moo-beats.

There were easily a hundred live cows and bulls on display, some for milking, some I'm sure will end up producing some amazingly juicy steaks. The shear size of these animals was mind blowing, and it brought to mind some of the things we are learning in our biology class about selective breeding. There were also a bunch of big soft looking sheep, goats and pigs. Another hall had arenas for horse shows, dog shows, and vendors showing off the newest in all the related gear and food.

The food hall had two levels, and both were jam packed with people showing off the best of the best from all around the world. I had a cured duck meat sandwich from Hungary, with sliced cucumber and tomato. I got a handful of wasabi covered peanuts, and nearly died from one overly saturated one that just about exploded my sinuses. I was able to convince Rachel to try one, and the look on her face was priceless. We sampled a watered down fruit beer (no wonder it was only 3.50 for a big bottle), some spicy yet silky red wine, and a wine based aperitif called Diablito. Everyone was so eager to share their treasures, and so proud of what they had. I surprised the girls with a kilo of some crisp delicious apples, because I couldn't live with only a small slice to sample.

After we were thoroughly satiated and exhausted, we returned home to digest what we just experienced. I found a cd of Bach's violin Partitas and Sonatas and we listened to some of my favorite pieces. For dinner, Rachel took me to an awesome organic food store where we picked up ingredients for a hearty beet, avocado, small leaf lettuce and goat cheese salad. I fried up a couple eggs and put them on top of slices of a good dark baguette with thin layers of comte cheese in between and a few slices of salami and cured ham on top. Shredded carrots accompanied, and a small bottle of red helped wash it all down.

After dinner, I went to a small concert at Church of Saint Severin just below the little island that Notre Dame is on. A violin soloist was playing Vivaldi's Four Seasons, accompanied by a string quartet and harpsichordist. I didn't realize how many movements each season was, and it was a struggle to keep from dozing off. I did really enjoy the music, especially the way it resonated in the tall ceilinged church. However, I decided to forgo the last two pieces and return home after Vivaldi to get some sleep. I did, however, have to stop and get a banana and nutella crepe on the way to my metro. So good.

Sunday, Rachel and I met up at a small bike shop that rents bikes and we soon found ourselves riding along the Seine river under a semi sunny, mid 50s day. It was absolutely fantastic to finally be back on a bike after 2 and a half months off. We found some really bumpy pave to ride on, and made it across Paris in about 30 minutes. After an apple stop, we continued on to the Bois de Boulogne, a big forest area just outside of Paris on the lower west side. We rode around the lakes and through the trees for a while until we made our way back along the Champs Elysees. Granted, riding with Sunday car traffic was not the same as a pelaton in the Tour de France, but riding around the Arc de Triomphe and then down to the Concorde was really special. After a bit of an urban riding detour, we finally made it back to the bike shop. Famished from our two wheeled excursion, we stopped at a bakery to grab some pastries. At the house, I ate my first ever croissant au chocolat et amandes...i had to close my eyes while I ate it so more of my energy could go towards enjoying how freakin delicious and gooey it was. I guess not eating lunch may have also affected my opinion of this pastry. I washed it down with another pastry, a Pain au chocolat, and a glass of milk, then waited for the food coma. After an hour of slothing on the couch, I went back home and had dinner with my host family. Salad, breaded chicken, noodles, baked tomatoes, and a tangerine finished my weekend of food indulgence. We watched the new minister of foreign affairs give a speech on TV, and then I retired to bell tower for the night.

A demain!

Hang dry

2011-02-23T09:04:00.000-08:00

This is how the laundry is dried in our house. It is rather ecological and energy-conservative

Banal Object

2011-02-23T02:48:00.000-08:00

Autoportraits

2011-02-22T03:06:00.000-08:00

At the Cantillon Brewery in Brussels, where they brew Lambic, a spontaneously fermented beer of barley malt and wheat that is aged for up to three years in wood barrels, then used as the base for Gueuze and fruit beers like Kriek (cherry), Framboise (Raspberry), and Faro. The wild bacteria and yeasts are native to the Senne valley that Brussels lies in. Lambic is only brewed in the Pajottenland region of Belgium (southwest of Brussels), and at the Cantillon Brewery. They have been using the same processes since they opened in 1900. This unusual process gives the beer a distinctive flavor: dry, vinous, and cidery, with a slightly sour aftertaste. Lambic beer originates with the working classes of the region some 500 years ago who appreciated a weak, quenching drink that could be produced cheaply and easily on the farm. The lambic is a flat beer, since all the carbon dioxide escapes from the barrels. It is later combined with younger lambics and bottled to undergo further fermentation to produce the carbonated Gueuze. Fruit is added and aged for 2 months to make fruit beers.

This is at the cemetary Pere Lachaise, where now over 300,000 people are buried or cremated. I went there to look at the memorials of those who were deported to Nazi concentration camps or died fighting for France. The cemetary is named after a Jesuit priest who lived on the land that the cemetary now occupies. It became a cemetary during Napoleon's rule, and slowly grew in size and popularity as many celebrities were buried there.

Wednesday

2011-02-17T15:28:00.000-08:00

We played Jeopardy in our class on evolution and natural history, and it was kind of a joke. Some of the questions were pertinent, but there was a whole category where the answer was the name of our professor's dog, Kiwi. My team came in last both rounds, but we probably had the most fun. I spent the rest of the afternoon writing a report on the Pantheon that I visited Monday, and studying for my French midterm.

The highlight was going to the Grand Epicerie, which is basically a Whole Foods on crack. They have big sections for every category of food: fantastic looking meats, seafoods, cheese, bread, eggs, coffee beans - with their own roaster, tea, a whole wall just for yogurt, chocolate cream desserts, wine, crazy beers, "American" food, and many more incredibly well presented items.

After eating a couple "petit pot de creme chocolat" at home, I had to try out some more chocolate desserts that come in small glass cups/jars. These are some of the most amazing and clever desserts I have had. It is delicious chocolate mousse/pudding in a small glass that can be washed and used as a small wine glass later. I now have 5 assorted jars in my room. I have decided to become an expert in small chocolate pudding desserts, and will now attempt to try and judge a new type every day, since the grand epicerie is just a couple blocks from school.

The organic produce was, in my opinion, overpackaged

They had a container of ready to eat Escargots in a fridge section!!

Cool bike we found on our way to the epicerie

Au Fond de la Seine...

2011-02-17T15:07:00.000-08:00

Last Friday in our photography workshop, I was given the poem "Complainte de la Seine" by Maurice Magre, for me to illustrate with a single photo I take. The poem is a bit morbid, but intriguing nonetheless. Here is the English translation:

Lament of the Seine

At the bottom of the Seine there is gold,
rusting boats, jewels, weapons.
At the bottom of the Seine there are dead bodies.
At the bottom of the Seine there are tears.

At the bottom of the Seine there are flowers,
in their vase of mud, they are nourished by silt.
At the bottom of the Seine there are the hearts
that suffered greatly from having lived life.

And then the rocks and the grey beasts
The pipes of the sewers blowing out poisons,
The rings cast off by unappreciative lovers,
The feet cut off by a propeller From their trunk.

And the cursed fruits of sterile wombs,
The innocent abortions that no one loved,
The vomit of the grand city...
On the bottom of the Seine they are there.

Oh, lenient Seine where the cadavers go,
Oh, the bed with sheets made of silt,
River of losses with neither beacon nor haven,
Singing a lullaby to the morgue and the bridges.

Welcoming the poor one, welcoming the woman,
welcoming the drunkard, welcoming the insane one,
Mixing their sobs to the sound of your tears,
And carrying their heart among the rocks.

At the bottom of the Seine there is gold,
the rusted boats, the jewels, the weapons.
At the bottom of the Seine there are the dead.
At the bottom of the Seine there are tears.

(in French)

Au fond de la Seine il y a de l'or,
Des bateaux rouillés, des bijoux, des armes.
Au fond de la Seine il y a des larmes.

Au fond de la Seine il y a des fleurs,
De vase et de boue elles sont nourries.
Au fond de la Seine il y a des coeurs
Qui souffrient trop pour vivre la vie.

Et puis des cailloux et des bêtes grises,
L'âme des égouts soufflant des poisons,
Les anneaux jetés par des incomprises,
Des pieds qu'une hélice a coupés du trone.

Et les fruits maudits des ventres stériles,
Laits blancs avortés que nul n'aima,
Les vomissements de la grand' ville,
Au fond de la Seine il y a cela.

O Seine clémente ou vont des cadavres,
Au lit dont les draps sont faits de limon.
Fleuve des déchets sans fanal ni havre,
Chanteuse berçant la morgue, ils le font.

Accueille le pauvre, accueille la femme
Accueille l'ivrogne, accueille le fou,
Mêle leurs sanglots au bruit de tes larmes
Et porte leur coeur parmi les cailloux.

Au fond de la Seine il a de l'or,
Des bateaux rouillés, des bijoux, des armes.
Au fond de la Seine il y a des morts
Au fond de la Seine il a des larmes.

It paints a rather dark picture of the Seine river, which flows through such a lively city. However, this day was cloudy with hint of rain, I was in a bit of a morose mood, so I was very inspired to walk along the river for a couple hours in the afternoon looking for an scene to photograph. I took the metro to Passy station, which is just across the river from the Eiffel Tour, and then walked southwest along the edge of the river, away from the center of the city. Anyways, here are a couple photos I took that I thought captured aspects of the poem.

Later in the afternoon I went for a run along Rue de Rome and found the block with at least a dozen music instrument shops. Violins, bases, guitars, horns, you name it. At one of the many violin shops, I could see the craftsmen working on various parts of violins in the workshop. It was really cool, I have to return again when I'm not in running clothes.

After dinner, I met up with Rachel at a really cool cafe called La Cantoche Paname to study a little for our game of jeopardy in our biology/evolution class. We got distracted by a nutella tiramisu and peach kir, and by the nostalgiac childhood theme of the place. They had various toys all over the walls and the menus were written in school notebooks. They had signs for "Soldes," or sales on food items on the walls. I'll definitely go back for a full meal, it was a really fun place to find.

French Sunday and Opera Monday

2011-02-16T15:03:00.000-08:00

Sunday was very relaxed, which is fitting since almost all of Paris shuts down on Sundays. I woke up at noon and found a "gateau yaourt etoile de pomme" at a bakery down the street. This star shaped, moist apple cake, along with a cup of coffee made a fantastic breakfast. I spent most of the rest of the day doing some studying and creating a little presentation I had to give in French class on Monday.

Monday, after my two classes of Evolution and French, I went home and took a nap and then went for a run around Park Monceau near my house. I got back in time to shower and grab a couple rolls of bread, then I was off to the Palais Garnier for Georges Handel's opera Giulio Cesare. This was four hours of absolutely magnificent orchestra, singers, and actors telling the story of Cesar, Ptolemy, Cleopatra, Cornelius, and others. The stage was a clever mix of modern and ancient time zones, set in the basement of a museum, with many large statues, paintings, and rugs. It was my first opera, and I have to say, I really really enjoyed it. The music was baroque, which is just so easy to listen to, and the singers blew me away with their ability. I spent some time trying to read the french supertitles projected above the stage, since the opera was sung in Italien, but I definitely had to close my eyes a few sections just to focus on the music.

Palais Garnier was home to Phantom of the Opera.

The cast was rather colorful. Especially Cleopatra

Professor Helms from Stanford and her husband on the Grand Staircase

Me as an opera singer

Andrea and I being "royal"

After the show, we explored the amazing Grand Foyer of Palais Garnier, which outdoes the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles. The opera hall itself seats 2200 and has room onstage for 450 performers. The interior was possibly the most detailed, luxurious, extravagant theatre I have ever been in.

Andrea and Rachel in the Grand Foyer

Once we left the Opera house, Rachel and I still had a little energy, so we walked through the Louvre, mini arc de triomphe, and along to the Seine while we enjoyed a bottle of good red wine. I was looking for images of the Seine river to photograph to illustrate a poem I was given in my photography workshop, Complainte de la Seine by Magre. More on that later.

Walking by the mini Arc de Triomphe near the Louvre on the way home

Quite a fantastic way to spend the evening of Saint Valentine.

Beau Friday

2011-02-12T18:08:00.000-08:00

Friday morning we had the second meeting of our photography workshop with the fascinating Oscar Villegas-Paez. We brought in our photo scrapbooks documenting our first 4 weeks in Paris, and took turns presenting them to the class. Oscar often pointed out the least expected photos as the ones that he found most troubling, or problematic, in the sense that they inspired the most thought and consideration and needed to be further explored. He has a very different idea about photography than I have ever had, and it is extremely interesting to hear his ideas and try to emulate his way of thinking about photography. He is not just looking for the visually most stunning or pleasing photographs. He looks into the scene, the history, the symbols, the relevance, the emotion of the subjects, the whole story behind why this photo was taken. As I have gone about my life observing, it is a side of photos I never considered. Here is the photo of mine that he felt most riveting and an opportunity for further exploration.

Afterwards, he picked out a French poem for each of us based on the types of pictures we showed. I received "Complainte de la Seine," by Maurice Magre and made into a song by Kurt Weill. It is a dark lament on the Seine river. I need to submit one photo that represents this poem on Wednesday.

After class ended, Rachel and I decided to go check out a new park near Porte de Versailles, since it was actually amazingly beautiful outside with warm sun and blue skies. I found a piece of the Berlin Wall near the train station.

We walked a little ways to Parc André-Citroën, named after the founder of the car company that used to be situated at that spot. We explored some of the 35 acres, checking out the two large glass green houses that hold exotic trees and orange trees.

Feeling hungry, we picked up some sandwich ingredients then found a gently sloping grass section to lay out our jackets and have a picnic. Fresh rustic baguette, cured ham, tomatoes, goat cheese, and lettuce made an exquisite sandwich, with lemon Perrier and Haribo gummy candies to go along. We lounged on the grass for a couple hours, trying to translate our poems and watching the groups of French kids sitting around smoking a mini hookah and drinking beer. Everyone was having a relaxing afternoon.

We eventually left the park and walked for a while along the Seine, checking out all the barges turned into house boats with cute little patios and plants. This is a transmission type thing for pulling in a boat anchor, I believe.

Later that night, after a nap at home, Adam and I met Andrea at the Eiffel Tower for an elevator ride up to the second floor and a fantastic view. Every hour, there are a bunch of strobe lights that flash for a couple minutes, and we actually caught them blinkling three times this night: once as we got off the metro, once while we were on the tower, and last as we were several blocks away walking home. It was very pretty

Life in Paris. Cite de l'architecture et du patrimoine

2011-02-12T10:47:00.000-08:00

It's been 5 weeks already, but I figured I'd start posting my daily adventures in the City of Light. I will probably just start from where I am today, and fill in the past later. I just switched bedrooms with my friend and housemate Adam because my room was in the main apartment of our host family while his was 4 stories above in a secluded section of the building. I figured I would let him experience living in the family proper for the last half of our stay here, since one could say that he got the worse end of the deal when we moved in. It's not bad up here, just a bit of a hassle walking 4 flights of stairs to go to the bathroom. I'll have quads of steel by the end of the quarter. I'm also really excited that there is a radio boombox up here. I love listening to new radio stations, especially French stations that play odd American music. The view is nice too, I can see all the roofs of the surrounding buildings and a pretty graffiti artwork by 1UP Berlin.

This morning, I woke up and had some cereal, brioche, and a cup of coffee with Adam, then we left the house for Cité de l'Architecture et du Patrimoine, a museum of architecture and heritage. We had a fascinating tour with a nice older gentleman guiding us. This museum was truly incredible. There were full size replicas of grand archways around doors of cathedrals and castles. Such intricate scenes with all sorts of people, animals, and things. I am so impressed with the time and effort put into such purely aesthetic creations, and surprised by the silliness of some of them.

There were also many extremely detailed maquettes (small models) of famous cathedrals, which I was completely entranced by. I want to build a model of something when I go back home. Another floor of the museum had drawings and models of more modern buildings, apartments, parks, and houses. I noticed many of the models were made out of Corian, a solid surface material made by Dupont, consisting of acrylic polymer and alumina trihydrate. I thought it might have been built using a 3D printer, but after looking up the material, it appears it can be thermoformed and the joints can be made invisible.

After the museum, Adam, Andrea and I took the metro over to Breakfast In America, a restaurant that serves chocolate chip pancakes, bottomless cup of coffee, and all other sorts of American breakfast. I was seriously craving some scrambled eggs. Unfortunately, the line outside the restaurant was way too long to accommodate our hunger, so we found a different little restaurant and were happy to find they served omelettes too. The waiter thought we were Spanish, then was confused why we spoke French when we told him we were English. It was a satisfying meal, starting with a plate of tomato and mozzarella cheese slices, warm rustic bread, and then a ham and cheese omelette and salad.

We then parted ways with Andrea and I headed home with Adam. We had to take a bit of a detour due to a "grave accident" that shut down a section of a metro line. We eventually made it home and stopped by the grocery store to pick up food for dinner. Baguettes, chicken, ham, tomatoes, cheese, apple beignets and a bottle of a red Bordeaux from Médoc. I'm getting hungry, so this will be a nice meal. We eat dinner with our host family during the weekdays, but we are on our own Friday and Saturday nights.

Well, I have to finish unpacking my clothes and start a little presentation I will make Monday in French class, so until next time, amuse-toi!

I knew I shouldn't have

2010-12-23T10:35:00.000-08:00

I Biked LA

2010-09-05T22:27:00.000-07:00

On my last day of work, I recorded my bike commute. Santa Monica to Van Nuys, 17 miles each way. I have survived the summer.

Muffin Fiasco

2010-09-05T13:38:00.000-07:00

Brother and I decided to make peanut butter and banana muffins from scratch yesterday so we looked up "best muffin recipe" on google to find, well, the best muffin recipe. I quickly jotted down the ingredients and steps, then cruised to the store to pick up a few things we didn't have in the kitchen. We then mixed all the ingredients. Connor, as per instructions, "lightly beats" the dry and wet parts together. Sliced bananas and peanut butter were mixed in, and my cousin, who actually bakes often, took a taste of the raw batter and exclaimed something was very wrong. D'oh!! We then realized that I mistook "white sugar" for "white vinegar" when writing down the ingredients. I don't bake often enough to know that was not supposed to go in there. Sooo, we then proceeded to play with the batter before tossing all of it out and starting over. So sad yet I was laughing until I cried. Allie found it to be a good skin cleanser. Eventually we got it remade with sugar instead of vinegar, and stuck them in the oven for 30 minutes. We baked one vinegar muffin to give to an unlucky family member. Besides that, the rest were amazingly delicious, with veins of peanut butter winding through the muffin and soft banana pieces throughout. I consider it a success. If you are interested, the recipe can be found here, and just a note that we used what the website said would make 24 muffins to make the 12 large ones we made.

The Ceviche Pact

2010-08-19T10:33:00.000-07:00

After an inspiring meal of "ceviche style" raw oysters at Blue Plate Oysterette in Santa Monica, I wanted to make a ceviche salad of my own. This decision was further progressed after a conversation with my friend Lauren where we made a pact to try our own way making ceviche and to report back on our success and findings. She is in Paris by the way, where certain vegetables are apparently hard to come by. It will be interesting to see what ingredients she chooses.

So when I got home, I walked to the grocery on the corner and perused the produce aisle. Here is what I foundRed bell pepper, bunch of radishes, red/white onion, tomatillo, cilantro, lemon, lime, orange, and a handful of tiger shrimp.

Before I started chopping and dicing, I needed something to get going. Blue Moon with a squeezed slice of an orange.
Unfortunately I don't have any pictures of the chopping process, but here is how it ended up. I chopped everything to around 1/2 to 3/4 inch size, placed it in a bowl, and squeezed the entire lemon, lime, and orange into it. I ground some pink sea salt in as well, and then mixed it all up with my hands. **HANDS BURN!**

I then cooked up the 1/4 pound of shrimp (that's only 5!?) in some oil and butter. Might try boiling them next time.
Then I put it all together on a plate
I must say, I was surprised to find I replicated most of the magical, mystical taste I associate with "real" Ceviche found in restaurants and cooked by real chefs. The tomatillo adds a bit of sweetness; the radish a bit of spice. Next time I might try actual raw fish. That will be another seafood market adventure.

And the rest of it left to marinate overnight for what will be a fantastic lunch today. Side note, the radishes have turned the entire thing red after a night.
For desert, I sliced up a giant white peach and drizzled chocolate syrup over them.

Buen Apetito!

Photos from Tuesday

2010-08-18T16:04:00.000-07:00

Overlooking the valley from Dartford Way and Alana Drive just off of Sepulveda and Mulholland tunnel

If only all cokes were stuck like this

In Santa Monica, even the stairs have addresses

Our Ferris wheel beats your Ferris wheel

weekend travels

2010-08-16T12:18:00.000-07:00

Instead of riding bike down to San Diego again, I joined the family for a leisurely car cruise down the coast. It afforded me the ability to sleep in, although it did not get me down to sd any quicker. In fact, if I had left the house as early as I usually do when biking there, I would have arrived when we did by car,around 3pm. Let it be know we left the house at 9:30am... but of course, we got to enjoy some tasties at our favorite il fornaio bakery in irvine, and some prime outlets in camarillo.

My first real novel read of the summer, another thriller by Patricia Cornwell, one of my favorite authors for "fun" reading. I love crime thrillers and sci fi (michael crichton) that have lots of technical and medical background, and it definitely helps when the author has immense experience in the field.

My one purchase from the outlet stores. Chocolate flavored mouthwash. But they sponsor a cycling team, so they are still cool.

Saturday morning I joined my uncle on the weekly donut ride that meets a block from his house in coronado and rides down the silver strand to imperial beach, and back. Easy cruise on the way out, then all hell on the way back. I kept up a little easier than last time I was in town, when I had 140 miles in my legs from the day before.

After the ride, we meet back at the founder's house for coffee, orange juice, and of course, donuts. everyone lays their bikes on the grass lawn and there are always some interesting pieces.

This time, it was a Lemond with the Cinelli Integralter stem/bar combo

Anyways, that was the last of the cycling I did that weekend, until I took the train back home since my family had to leave early in the morning. Biking from Union Station in LA to my house, I passed by a Spanish heritage festival on Olvera St, and a Nisei week parade a block away. So much culture downtown!
This is me in my strange yet urban-mixed-mode-transportation-useful "jersey and chamois under t-shirt and shorts" get up after a quick dinner at Philippe's French Dipped. Oh, and that's not a urinal in the background. It's just a sculpture that looks like one.

Little friends on the road

2010-07-23T14:59:00.000-07:00

This is almost-warp speed

I said hi to my favorite shredded tire today. I bet it gets lonely there at night.

I also said hi to two firetrucks, a police car, and an ambulance. The police car came to warn us about the ambulance before it arrived, then it went the other way

I found a new use for my empty mint tins: holding a serving size of wasabi covered peas, so that I don't have to pick up the bag every time I want a couple. I think they are rather cute in there.

Someone with lots of pink duct tape and lots of creative love for their small white maltese posted a few murals along the fences for the caring commuters of sepulveda blvd to see. I was one of the caring commuters, but I don't see many dogs on my route

Early Mornings

2010-07-15T10:56:00.001-07:00

There are moments on my morning commute to work that I think to myself, "I'm not riding my bike to work, I'm just out on a lovely ride in the morning sun!" These thoughts usually occur before I hit Sepulveda Blvd with its dreaded glass covered hill and imminent heat.

Sometimes I time things right and end up at San Vicente and 26th just as the LaGrange cycling club begins its daily morning ride. I jump on their train for about a mile as they head north on San Vicente on their warm up. If I didn't have work, I'd join them for the rest of their ride, but alas I have to continue North alone.

New Blog First Post: internal cable routing

2010-02-04T14:59:00.000-08:00

I haven't updated the Lenovo@Stanford blog recently, but I want to start posting on my various quirks of life, without completely disrupting the previous blog. So here's the first of the new.

Last night, I was helping TimTam tune up a road bike for the Haiti fundraiser he's doing. It was a fantastically colored Klein Quantum, bright blue and pink. Awesome scheme. Anyways, it has internal cable routing, meaning there are small holes cut in the frame for the gear and brake cables to run through, hiding them from the elements and giving the frame a cleaner appearance. The problem is the issue of fishing the cable through the holes when replacing cables, which I was trying to do. There is no internal housing to direct the wire from the first hole to the second, so once you place the cable in the first hole, it is about 1 in 1000 chance of getting it to poke back out on the other end of the tube. IMPOSSIBLE. How in the world do they do it in the factory or bike shop?

I assume the mechanics have some stiff wire with dandy hook on the end they can fish through and grab the new cable to pull through, but I doubt any owner of the bicycle has such contraption. So we had to come up with another solution.

I was trying to replace the read gear cable, so I grabbed a free brake cable, which is slightly wider and stiffer than the gear cable. I figured it would be easier to fish the larger cable through the opposite direction, and somehow attach the gear cable to pull back through. Somehow, we were able to get the brake cable through successfully, but then got stuck on how to attach the gear cable to the brake cable, and still allow it to slide through a hole not much larger than the cables. Electrical tape was too big and slid off. We didn't have any duct tape, which might have stuck better.

There was a tube of 2 part epoxy in my backpack, but I didn't want to wait that long for it to dry. TimTam mentioned he had superglue, which I didn't think would bond well to the metal cable, but decided to give it a try as a last, frantic resort.

I overlapped about three inches of the cable ends and taped the two ends, leaving about two inches to glue together. The glue dried enough in about 4 minutes, I took the tape off, and carefully pulled it back through the frame. SUCCESS!

But definitely more effort than I would care to repeat. Do you have a better solution??