Wednesday, January 31, 2007

rollers!


rollers!
Originally uploaded by tylernol.
after almost going nuts with all the rain and ice, I bought these a week ago and have managed to figure them out, I can stay on for 10 plus minutes and I am improving quickly. It was very daunting at first, and I cannot put the rollers on the hardwood floor like you see here because if I start losing my balance, the rollers go skidding across the floor. The deck outside works fine, and the new rug I got also works.

Friday, January 26, 2007

SSWC2007 in Scotland

this year the singlespeed world championships are in Scotland. I went in 2005 when it was in State College,PA, and had a blast. Last year was in Stockholm,Sweden and I really wish I went as I really want to visit Sweden(nothing to do with the plethora of tall blondes there I swear). After talking with a Swede I met in Florence, I have a list of things to check out in Sweden, which I could combine with a trip to Scotland. So -- fly first to Scotland for the SSWC and stay a few days there checking out Scotland, which is high on my list of places to visit. And then fly or take a boat over to Sweden for about a week.

Friday, January 19, 2007

latest LP

someone sold their AC/DC collection to Waterloo, most were in pretty bad shape, but I managed to snag this copy of Back in Black, which is in pretty good shape -- it needs cleaning, but no scratches. I also finally got Red House Painters II and Ocean Beach on CD, it was time for me to stop mooching them off Sean's iTunes collection at work.
I also picked out my new eyeglass frames today - a really nice blue pair of Alain Mikli frames. My eyesite is quite bad now -- I will probably be wearing them all the time, so this will be the most major appearance change for me since I grew my beard out over a year ago.


Thursday, January 18, 2007

ice storm, Pan's Labrynth

I ventured off to work for about 4 hours in the middle of the day yesterday before it started icing up again. I grabbed some more food to stock my kitchen a bit better and stopped by Design Within Reach to order some cubit shelving -- the size is perfect for LP's and I can reconfigure the shelving as my needs change. I have to figure out my carpeting situation - I need some area rugs. I also saw Pan's Labrynth last light at Drafthouse S. Lamar with some friends -- we could not take being cooped up any more. I thought it was probably Guillermo Del Toro's best movie yet. It was definitely a fairy tale, but more in the Grimm's fairy tale model. It was extremely beautiful in many scenes, but graphically disturbing in others. I could not bear to watch the Captain stitch up his slashed mouth. The only thing I did not like about it was how it tried too hard to drop clues about what would happen later in the movie -- how many times did we have to see the knife wrapped up in the dress?

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

austin ice storm

took forever to get my DSL service operational, but finally I have connectivity, which is good because I am effectively marooned inside my house today. The ice storm has made it quite trecherous to drive, let alone walk, outside. I should have bought more food becuase I all bought the other night at whole foods was a quart of butternut squash apple soup, wasabi peas, bacon, whole yogurt,cheese, a case of session ale, and a 6-pack of some wheat beer, banana, and some baby carrots. I have already consumed the soup and half the package of bacon, and all the wasabi peas, so I am down to carrot, banana, cheese, and beer. I have my turntable set up, so I am listening to some B-52's, which seems appropriate for some reason today.

Sunday, January 14, 2007

moved

with the assistance of James and Jose, I moved from my apartment on S. Congress to my new house on S. First. I still have to clean up my apartment, but all my stuff is at my new place. Gizmo is a bit confused, but he loves the huge new backyard. New neighborhood coffee shop - Green Muse. New neigborhood bar -- G & S Lounge. I will still frequent S. Congress, but it is not walking distance like it used to be. I have a lot of unpacking to do and I am tired.

Thursday, January 11, 2007

new singlespeed wheelset


pink chris singlespeed king hubs
Originally uploaded by tylernol.
before I crashed the other night, I did manage to experience my brand new, "lightweight" (for me) singlespeed wheelset. My old wheelset was 36H king hub/rhino lite rims/brass nipples/heavy duty spokes, which was heavy. The new wheelset is 32H king hub/bontrager mustang rims/brass nipples/heavy duty spokes. I have not weighed them, but they are noticeably lighter than the rhino lite wheelset. I also moved the kenda nevagel tires over, they were rubbing in the chain stays on my vicious groover. No clearance issues on the stays of my indy fab.

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

dented toptube on my singlespeed

ouch . Did a nightride on the greenbelt and my HID lamp went out right when I was crossing through a rock garden, causing me to crash very hard into some nasty rocks . I have a prominent dent in the toptube of my IF singlespeed and I bashed my right knee hard as well, causing it to swell up dramatically. It is very painful to bend it at the moment. I dont think I broke anything, it will just be very painful for a week or two. My IF is still rideable, the dent is cosmetic. When I get it repainted, they should be able to get rid of the dent or cover it up with some putty. It makes me think I should eventually get a straight-gauge Ti frame at some point - it would be more durable in crashes, and no paint to chip either.