Morning Commute

This is most unfortunate.


And this is normal.

I went Over to the Dark Side ...

Of the moon. It was worth the trip. I hope you all are not too jealous. After all, I really only went because my son wanted to go.

Pick of the Week

Photo sandip.pakhi@gmail.com

Check This Out

My friend Julie's site for art on walls. She has been painting murals in houses and designs in homes for a few years now -- and the work and the site look great. Enjoy.

i Really Wanted some Kimchee Mandu ...

Last night.

WildBird on the Fly: 18 Whooping Cranes on their way to Florida!

This is really something: WildBird on the Fly: 18 Whooping Cranes on their way to Florida!

What? is that. That lead Whooping Crane looks like it might be a lot of trouble for him to fly. My question is -- since when do we have to de-ice the wings of a whooping crane? Go team.

2003-2006 Polaroids and Contact Prints

Indian Water Lilies in Coastal California


Autumn Oregon Pond


Chardonnay -- Shan Creek Grapes


Morro Bay Harbor


Bamboo Chair and Red Banana


Yosemite Valley

I just found an interseting quote here: "If I'm going to Hell, I'm going there playing the piano."-Jerry Lee Lewis (born 9/29/35). If I am going to hell, I am going there with a paintbrush camera.

I am thinking of producing a show of poloroids and contact prints in 4x5 for gallery presentation. It seems a interesting way to ease into the showing of photographs, it' s kinda retro, and it's simple to manage. These images are all 4x5 polaroids.

What do y'all think?

Have You Had Enough Yet?

Showy Stuff. From the official Blue Angels Website

Blue Angels

I took this pictures of the Blue Angels doing a flyby at the 12th and Folsom studios. Take a good look at the flying saucer in the picture, as it tries to escape.

It seems that the Blue Angels are in fact in San Francisco for Fleetweek.

Across the Street

Chicken Satay and Egg rolls from Manora Thai. It's the lunch combo. Includes that just devoured bowl of lemongrass soup.

Are You Hungry?

I ate lunch a few times over at Manora Thai at Folsom and 12th in San Francisco. The Blue Angels are in town for fleet week. They did a few flybys


Rahd Na with Chinese broccoli.


Basil Chicken.


Basil Beef.

Calling all Single Guys

That's my kind of tune -- playing over at More Than Just Another Bike Blog. I am not sure I can make it -- however -- some of my friends might. Saturday next -- Menlo Park Caltrain station, 35 miles, moderately paced, with minestrone soup lunch at Barrone's afterward, I'll have the minestrone soup and Peter's Panini. Thank you!

The ride home today included a movie, The Illusionist. One of my friends managed to catch me on my bike as I was passing the theater in San Mateo. I didn't really manage to review a restaurant at lunch today (it was sad -- the restaurant). The movie was good and I enjoyed the company. Two thumbs up. Should I start reviewing movies?

3 October 2006 PM/October Total

Swimming: 0 yards/500 yd.
Riding: 3.28/13.10 Miles
Running: 0/0
Walking 0/3.6 Miles
Weather; Sunny 59° F.


On the Way Home.

According to this the weather is going to degenerate tomorrow into rain. Do I believe them? NO.

Kissling

Do you notice anything odd about this?


And this? 

Train to Work

Bean Street Cafe for the double espresso.


Here's the commuter on the train. The train accomodates 32 bicycles so it's kinda nice. It's a bit like segregation, only it just effects bicyclists.

I sit reading The Journey Home, by Edward Abbey. I don't exactly know where he's going yet because I just started it. "Across the river waited a land that filled me with a strange excitement: ... a vast and silent emptiness smoldering with heat , color and indecipherable significance, ... For the first time I felt I was getting close to the West of my deepest imaginings -- the place where the tangible and the mythical become the same."


I am sure it wasn't here he was talking about.

So here is the bike graffitti, where the tangible and the mythical become the same. This was taken through the window of the train -- in case you're wondering.

3 October/October AM

Swimming: 0 yards/500 yd.
Riding: 3.28/9.82 Miles
Running: 0/0
Walking 0/3.6 Miles
Weather; Sunny 60° F.

Train, train, train.

Photo Credit
I saw some cool bike graffitti yoday from the train -- Caltrain -- not that vandalism is acceptable behavior or anything like that. I am going to take the camera in tomorrow and see if I can get a picture of it ... I bet you can't wait. I had Thai for lunch, and then I had Chili Tofu (also Thai) for dinner. The rice is always important.

2 October/October

Swimming: 500 yards/500 yd.
Riding: 6.54/6.54 Miles
Running: 0/0
Walking 0/3.6 Miles
Weather; Foggy AM/Sunny PM. 62° F.

Ride, train, ride, Thai
Ride, train, ride, Thai
Swim Train
Dont think to complain.

The Route to Work, or The Road Home

Depending on how you look at it.


To the train station, 1.2 miles. Stop for coffee not included.


1.4 miles ...

Link to the actual Google map, where you can see me in the picture on my bike on Townsend Street. Just kidding. This is not the best route for a bike, but it is pretty close to my actual route. It is much better to get off Division at 11th and head to Harrison. Division is noisy and busy and although it wants to be bike friendly, it's not.

That's 2.6 miles x 2, or 5.2, each day. The hardest part of the ride is the endless stairway at the end, carrying the bike.

Seven Hills -- They Told Me

The great cities of the world have Seven hills. Rome -- San Francisco ... etc. That's what every one told me ...

This guy (Tom Graham) says there are 43 hills in San Francisco. Have you got you're hillclimbing gear running?

"At the very beginning," city archivist emeritus Gladys Hansen says, "San Francisco was a very small city and we had only seven hills -- which were copied (figure that one out -- if you can -- copied???? Hello.) from the seven hills of Rome. There was Telegraph Hill, Nob Hill, Russian Hill, Rincon Hill, Mount Sutro, Twin Peaks and Mount Davidson. " He cites. But what about Potrero Hill, and that ungodly thing that funnels the wind into Candlestick Monster™ park (talk about wrecking history -- grumble -- monsterpark) . OK, so it's the hilliest city outside of La Paz, Bolivia (37000 ft, serious verticle -- like that). 43 hills. Second hilliest city in the world.

I particularly like this bit -- about San Francisco is a great center of world-wide commerce in 1859. Have a gold rush and become a center of world commerce:

When Dana returned, he wrote:
On the evening of Saturday, the 13th of August, 1859 -- the superb steamship
Golden Gate ... bound up from the Isthmus of Panama, neared the entrance to San
Francisco, the great centre of a world-wide commerce .

There are streets with stairs in San Francisco. Ride your bike up that. There are stairs all over.

He's right. It's a hilly city. I spent all day uphill in it.

But the Burrito at La Cumbre -- was worth the walk. If you didn't read that link, there is way more about the San Francisco Burrito than you ever wanted to know. The burritos at La Cumbre in San Francisco are famous the world over. The truth is -- if you want a really good burrito -- you need to cook a steak and throw it in. Carne Asada -- Salsa Caliente. Sweat. Eat. Feast. Add cheese.

San Bruno Mountain Summit Loop Trail

San Bruno Mountain Summit Loop Trail

September 30 2006 - 111 Photos

The hike went well and was good. The weather was super.

Happy Birthday Critical Mass

Ok -- I missed by a couple of days. It is the last Friday of the month and this is San Francisco, which is where this says the first critical mass ride was , to wit:

The first San Francisco ride, with
48 riders, began at 6 p.m., Friday, September 25, 1992, although it did not come
to be called Critical Mass until the second ride, on Friday, October 30, 1992
(with 85 riders).

I particularly like this bit,"analyzing the tactics of the ride, as part of an evaluation of decentralized decision-making for potential military battlefield use." Wow -- I don't know if that person had enough to do.

Critical Mass is 14 years old. Next time.

San Bruno Mountain

The hike. Tomorrow, methinks. 3.5 miles, 650 ft up and down. I am going to try to break my 581 mph speed record. Here's an interesting pictureMap showing the edges of this little bit of wilderness.