Half Century

This being the first week since the spring Equinox that hasn't had an unprecedented snowfall, and the Specialized Allez, with a new double crank was staring at me, taunting, almost daring me to get out and ride, I spent yesterday on a three hour tour around Lake Minnetonka, via the Geenway and the Luce Line.  The ride was great - no technicals, no flats, other riders getting out and knocking off the last of winter's grip were in good spirits and a light wind from the SouthEast emboldened me at the start and humbled me at the finish.  Like a good drink.

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Since re-configuring the Allez, I've been riding it around town as I still don't own a car, and riding safely is less expensive and less restricting than buying bus passes.  That being said, I spent some time on tuesday at a sewing studio in Minneapolis patching a pair of jeans.  A friend has been bartering her skills and artistry, (trading pottery and bread for her time), in order to keep me from appearing too raggorous.  Raggedy.  Comprised of rags.  I guess the term is "Distressed".
Here are a couple of photos of that project, including the distressed jeans, before and after being patched, again.

Photo by Michael McKinney, at Sewtropolis

Photo by Michael McKinney, at Sewtropolis

Photo by Michael McKinney, Hamline Avenue bridge

Photo by Michael McKinney, Como Lake

Photo by Michael McKinney

Triple to Double, DIY part three

Photo by Michael McKinney

I've been waiting to convert the factory drivetrain on my Specialized Allez Sport for a few months now.  After consulting a few different sources, including an estimate for a comprehensive overhaul from my nearest Specialized dealer, I decided to take it upon myself and consult the Park Tools Blue Book and Minneapolis's own Freewheel Midtown Bike Center for a DIY appointment.

Photo by Michael McKinney

Photo by Michael McKinney

The long story is I had to buy two bus passes, walk a few miles, buy lunch, dinner and snacks throughout the day, rode without a helmet, traveled through Saint Paul, Minneapolis and Roseville, and finally parodied my lack of integrity.  Deja Vu.

The short story is, "Hey, I took a picture!"

Photo by Michael McKinney

I also recently enrolled in another pottery session through Saint Paul's Community Education program, and have been learning the differences between an electric wheel and a more primitive kick wheel, and made some loaves of a walnut and cranberry bread I'd like to share with ya'll.

Take care.

Photo by Michael McKinney

Photo by Michael McKinney

Review of Atonement

Atonement by Ian McEwan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

There is a moment in this novel that hinges the entrance and the exit together.  Cecelia's landlady, asking Briony, "Are you in or are you out?"  The whole story of one person's mistake leading to a lifetime of doubt and second guessing can be balanced easily on that question.  Mcewan's skill in painting the whole story around outliving the past or carrying it with you as a balast is so impressive, it is easy to see past the simplicity.  The finer points of the novel, the vernacular, the common usage of british idioms, the subtlety of youth, the perniciousness of lust, the blind destruction of war all converge in the reader's palms.
The proclivity to accept sensationalism when it appeals to an audience is also evident, and any reader familiar with Annie Proulx or Norman Mailer might recognize tones of sexual predation leading to damaged lives - those knots tied in youth are permanent and as Mcewan convinces us, impossible to atone for.  The most appropriate response seems to be learning ones own pride is the strongest reason.


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Rainy Saturday

Between waiting for passing traffic, negotiating a left turn against steady traffic, the rain, the cold, the lingering puddles of icy slush, the passive aggressive Minnesota Nice drivers who are trying so hard to try harder than my worst effort at being a considerate cyclist, the Farmer's Market not being open and puzzling a sudoku puzzle for a couple hours, the day was not what I would call overtly enjoyable. Or fun.
Other terminology escapes me.
So, besides a few well worn, time-tested vices that inescapably lead to ruin, what can a person turn to?
I don't know.
If I did, would I share it here?
One thing, besides toast, or a companion animal, or going crazy broadway style, (requires a slushy made of pure syrup) I occasionally resort to Jiffy cornbread.
Master the one egg, 1/3 Cup of milk, and you might add yogurt, or chocolate chips, or bananas. Or all three.
This is not an endorsement, or therapeutic advice, if I could take back the various poorly handled interactions that dictated my bike ride today I would. In lieu of a time machine, I offer Jiffy cornbread. Seriously.
There are still eleven.

*Footnote - due to the low grade quality of this pre-packaged product, I strongly suggest sifting the mix before adding anything to it. Those Tenebrio Obscurus eggs are everywhere.

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.

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.

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.