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Friday, March 29, 2013

Afternoon Ride

After some deliberation over where or how far, I got some air into my tires and went out in search of dry pavement.  There was plenty, PLENTY of trail without snow, ice, sand, salt, grit, water and wildlife, but there were also a few patches of ice I walked over.  A number of cyclists were also out on the trails, besides myself, and today Minneapolis and Saint Paul are saturated in sunlight and warmth for the first time in months.  I estimate many bushy tailed squirrels are chasing one another throughout all of the trail systems, urban, rural, suburban...it's just the way spring is.



After completing the ride and saving it with the Strava application, I noticed a few inconsistencies with the data recorded, (a maximum speed of 65 MPH, a KOM score for going 35 MPH), which is ridiculous.  Having the capacity to record the ride in real time leaves me free to admire the things the GPS and mapping software are able to get right - the map, the time and possibly the average speed.  Anyway, first ride of the year on the skinny tires.  Same Specialized 2005 53 CM Allez Sport I've been riding since 2006.

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Good times, Noodle salad.

With this last class finishing, I've completed a number of mugs and small bowls, and have eight pieces of greenware waiting for firing and glazing.  I used two blocks of Raku clay, and found that again my centering was dependent on making sure the piece of clay I was working with was properly kneaded before throwing it onto the wheel...the proper term for this is Wedging.  I usually think of Star Wars, "'That's impossible even for a computer!' 'No it's not, I used to bulls-eye womp rats in my T-16 back home and they aren't much bigger than two meters!'", whenever I hear the word Wedge, so I tend to avoid it for that reason.  The glazes turned out a lot darker than previous classes, and after a suggestion, I wound the handles into braids of either two or three, and despite having the wheel fall apart at one point, the class was enjoyable and productive.
Today is Wednesday, I haven't ridden my bicycle since...monday.  After watching another documentary about alley cat racing and bike messenger culture, I think the motivation for year round cycling has to come from productivity, or the requirements of ones lifestyle - despite getting out pretty frequently myself, the people who see me riding my bicycle, in the winter, always ask the same question, "Do you ride year round?"  I don't know how to address their concern any more clearly than being on the bicycle, as they are asking me if I ride my bicycle.  I've many times thought out a rational, proportionate response, devoid of frustration and criticism, but I think from now on, the response I will give will be something more like, "I do what I have to do."
That being said and done and over with, it would have been nice to ride more, given the capacity for studded tires, brighter lights and bigger wheels that are on the markets and readily available to interested cyclists.
I'm adding a few pictures of the pottery, including another piece that was broken during the greenware phase.  Having once broken an anonymous artist's piece of greenware myself, I can't feel any more upset about the accident than blaming myself for not having a job and keeping myself too busy earning a wage to attempt pottery in the first place.

Block of Raku, wet and single-fired pieces.

Wet, green, single-fired and finished pieces.   Photo by Michael McKinney.

Greenware and finished pieces.  Photo by Michael McKinney.

Greenware and unfinished pieces.   Photo by Michael McKinney.

Broken vessel, greenware.  Photo by Michael McKinney.



Bicycle sale paycheck.  Photo by Michael McKinney.

With the weather getting warmer and spring just around the corner, I am starting to think about getting away from the security of riding the single speed mountain bike, (I named it Richard for Richard Farnsworth from the Straight Story, in the winter you could substitute Richard Parker from The Life of Pi), and getting back to a commuter bike or a more versatile machine.  As per having sold my Schwinn, here is a photo of the check I got for selling it - five dollars went for coffee, forty dollars went towards my new bike and forty dollars went towards rent, bills, groceries....all the living that occurs between riding.

Friday, March 8, 2013

DIY, Part Two

After getting some help with the disc brakes, (some help is a laughable excuse for "had a mechanic install and adjust") on my Raleigh XXIX, I asked more than one mechanic about a knocking on the crank arm. After a brief inspection and a little intuition, the consensus was re-greasing the Egg Beater pedals. The nice thing about them is they clip in and out well, are easy cleared of dirt, snow and mud, have a warranty and also come with instructions.
I peppered the mechanic with questions anyway...then waited 36 hours before finding the instructions and getting on with it.  Compared to disc brakes, the re-greasing was not overly complicated. I also managed to actually ride a little today, and took a couple pictures of Minnehaha Falls. I've been in a state of lethargy and "active recovery" since the Birkebeiner, and even a short ride on a nice day was kind of epic.

Crank Brothers Pedals, 3-8-2013.  Photo by Michael McKinney


Crans Brothers pedals, 3-8-2013.  Photo by Michael McKinney.


Crank Brothers Egg Beaters, 3-8-2013.  Photo by Michael McKinney.


Minnehaha Falls, Minneapolis, 3-8-2013.  Photo by Michael McKinney.


Drinking Fountain, Minneapolis, 3-8-2013.  Photo by Michael McKinney.