Where you should eat, chain edition

seen here.

pilfered from Marginal Revolution

Get Rich Slowly

Great article here. Sure, it is mostly a piece promoting someone's new book, but I think it is sound advice nonetheless.

The only quibble I have with the Millionaire Next Door guys is that they treat becoming a millionaire as an exceptionally worthy goal in and of itself. Nothing wrong with gathering assets, I think everyone should. I don't think that living like an ascetic is worth it, if you can afford not too. Don't forget to stop and smell the roses etc.

Palinomania

Andrew Sullivan columns on S. Palin can be found here. In my opionion, he is doing this country a favor by digging into this stuff. She is an ambitious, charismatic lunatic. The more people that know about the lunatic part, the better.

New Ballard Loop

In my continuing, but perhaps futile, quest to improve my hill climbing, I did my new Ballard coast loop this weekend. It has about 2,000 feet of elevation gain in around 25 miles. That's not a lot for some people, but quite a change for me.

Until last summer, I always avoided hills when I could. I'd detour a mile or more to miss them in LA. Now I turn toward them when I can - not to anything outrageous (I'm looking at you Counterbalance), but I don't mind moderate grades any more. I can slowly grind up all the routes I've tried so far, but I've been somewhat cautious. I spend a LOT of time in my smallest gear however.

I've noticed small, but continuous improvement in my uphill speed this year, so I guess this plan is working for me to some extent; my overall speed still hovers around 11 mph though. I need to keep it up, and hopefully I'll be ready for a SIR 200k next year. My goal for 2010 - finish a 200k with a "reasonable" cushion. Did I leave myself enough wiggle room?

Who makes the Subaru roof rack?

Is it these guys? Looks like it could be Mont Blanc, but I can't find any good info. Next question, how do I get my Thule accesories to work on my '10 Outback?

How to make a dinner plan

From Ben Casnocha's blog

When no party is willing to express a preference out of politeness or genuine deference to another party of the decision -- on what type of cuisine to eat for dinner, say -- the decision-making process often gets trapped in a death spiral of deferential indecision. Certain decision-making tricks are needed. One reader taught me the 3-2-1 rule for deciding where to eat. The first person person names three types of cuisine (Chinese, Japanese, and Indian). The next person picks two of those three (Indian and Japanese). The next person picks one of those two (Indian). Done!

See the whole post o' tips at http://ben.casnocha.com/2009/10/assorted-musings.html

You go Al!

Does it take a comedian to defend our civil liberties?

http://washingtonindependent.com/60611/al-franken-reads-the-4th-amendment-to-justice-department-official

Ketchup! We try Ketchup!

Some kids live on it, but not mine. This is a first.

School supplies - 20 years later

I went shopping for school supplies today, this time for someone else.

I haven't made a shopping trip like this in over twenty years now, since I graduated from college. My last trip was all about divided spirals, pens and blue books, at least as far as I remember. In my earlier years, the school district published an official list - pencils, loose leaf binder paper, dividers, compass, pens and more. (why didn't anyone sell these things pre-assembled at an extra markup?) My son's school did the same, but since he will be a kindergartner soon, the collection was modest. Some pencils, paper and markers. Kleenex for the classroom, glue and erasers all helped fill our shopping basket.

Suddenly, for me the memories came flooding back. Shopping with my Mom at Eckerd's for Big Chief tablets, the lined paper tables with perforated tops and double spaced lines for us to practice our cursive. Big Mo pencils - huge green ones about as big around as one of my fingers. Paste (remember that smell?), pink erasers, Tiny Tot staplers. The atrocious compass and protractor sets, the bane of geometers everywhere.

We'll repeat this process every year I expect, and every year the requirements will grow with his capabilities. I look forward to it, though I'm momentarily focused on the past and recollections of my own schooldays.

Persistence matters

Link here. I have definitely found that the intangibles matter greatly for success. Persistence, playing well with others and more. Just wish I had more day to day grit.

Permission to push harder!

This article from the NYT talks about the brain's role in fatigue. I found it interesting because I've experienced something similar. After the SIR ride a few months ago, I found myself climbing better - and I think it is all because I found that when I pushed, my hillclimbing was better than I thought. It was as though I'd learned where my new limits were and my body now had permission to pedal harder. I thought it was all in my head, as it turns out, it is - but not in a bad way.

Things I learned from Slate. (today)

I really enjoy reading Slate, and often pick up a tip or two. Today, it was two.

1 - how to fix your passwords.

2 - I've always disliked warm soda, even after I put ice in it. Here comes the science. Scroll down to the bit about temperature and how the CO2 enters the head space in the can while warm. Also, I'm one of those who can taste the can, at least after the soda has been stored a while. For many reasons it is Mexican cane sugar coke in bottles FTW!

STP wrap up

Overall, I had a pretty good ride. I'm not really sure what my average speed was, as I managed to reset my bike computer several times, but I think it was in the 14 mph range. Of course, I had lots of help doing this, as I spent quite a bit of time drafting other cyclists - but not too close! I tried to get on the end of packs/pacelines and let people slide in front of me if they wished, as I know that riders following my recumbent get very little benefit.

Physically I felt pretty good after the ride, but had some saddle sore type issues on Saturday. Egads, that's painful, and I really need to find a solution. I'm pretty sure it is just one pair of shorts that give me trouble, and only on long rides. I used quite a bit of chamois creme, and still had problems. My legs were sore and tired Monday/Tuesday, but only a bit tired on Wednesday - back, neck, arms and the rest all felt fine.

I was also very hungry from about Saturday lunch until Monday afternoon, though I just didn't feel I could eat enough at one sitting to make a dent in it. It is pretty common for me to feel like my stomach is the size of a shot glass when exercising, and that makes it quite a challenge to keep the calories coming, and to replenish them when done. I finally had a giant sandwich for lunch Monday that did the trick, though it took me almost an hour to polish it off.

My jersey choices were perfect. A light synthetic one for the heat on Saturday, and a wool Swobo on Sunday. The Swobo was particularly good in the cool wet conditions, and I never felt like I needed a jacket. Any temp above 60 or so, and I'm good to go even with a bit of rain.

I think I spent more time in the big ring this weekend than I have the entire time I've owned the bike. I was frequently riding over 16 mph with bursts up to 20, and I found it easiest to keep these speeds on the outer ring. This is really a big step for me, and a good indication of how much stronger I am now than I was last summer.

I was still slow up hills, but not as slow as I was. Still, it was disconcerting to pass dozens of riders, only to have them pass me right back on the next up hill. I did a bit better on Sunday, but almost everyone passed me. Road bikes, hybrids, and mountain bikes, but not recumbents.

I saw quite a few recumbents, mostly bikes similar to mine or LWB easy racer type machines. Also a few trikes, tandems, and a handcycle. Most of them were pretty slow, my guess is that the faster riders started earlier than I did and stayed way, way in front of me. I only saw one highracer, a RANS F5 ridden by someone who'd just broken his Lighting. He slowed down long enough to tell me how awesome it was, then cruised off into the distance on a climb, not to be seen until the next day.

If I'm to do the STP again, I think I need a group that's committed to training and riding together. I spent a lot of time alone, or drafting off strangers, and that's not such a great way to spend 200 miles. No matter what, I'd prefer to do the ride on another bike next year, and see how much better, if any I can do.

Wine Descriptors

http://blindtaste.com/2009/07/02/do-taste-and-smell-adjectives-signal-valu/

I really enjoy this blog. Great to check out if you are interested in food, but less interested in pretension.

Things I learned on the SIR 100k

• I need a better hydration setup for my Lightning. One water bottle cage won't cut it, as switching stuff from my bags is too time consuming while riding to a time limit. Ditto for food.
• I need a place to put the cue sheet. Jersey pocket + recumbent = sweaty, inaccessible mess.
• If I'm going to ride with SIR, I need to ride more hills, and/or get a better climbing bike (or just use the Salsa). I was spent after the 100k, but part of that was underhydration and lack of calories.
• My stomach tolerated my gatorade/bread/luna bar diet quite well.
• The Lightning is flexible, and slightly scary on bumpy downhills.
• Need to accurately calibrate my cycle computer. Mismatch between my mileage and the cue sheet made navigation harder than it needed to be. I was off by about .3 miles a third of the way in, which made finding the turns harder than it had to be.

Well, I finished

Update - photographic evidence here (last manned control) and here (Loretta's dining al fresco). Lovely yellow helmet no?

Yesterday I rode my first rando event, the SIR "The Sound and the Fury - 100K" populaire. The course had some incredible views - Mt. Rainer, Tacoma Skyline, and lots and lots of water views. There were some killer hills, as advertised. I think I ended up walking three of them. I rode the first really steep hill in West Seattle, but it took so much out of me, that I thought I'd be better off hoofing the rest of them. Thankfully, all of the worst hills were over by about the 50k mark.

There was one other recumbent rider there, with a brand new Carbent - John (whose last name escapes me). He was new to recumbents, and his bike in particular, and I think he suffered a good bit on the hills. I saw him about 20 miles in, and he passed me, or I passed him, but either way I didn't see him again. Duncan was planning on riding the event, but life intervened and he had to miss it.

The ride started out at a pretty sedate pace in a good size pack. Everything blew apart by the first big hill. Suddenly we were many small packs, and I was toward the back, as expected. At the second hill, we fragmented even more, and I ended up in a pack of 1. Not much later, coming down Fauntleroy, I saw the biggest raccoon ever loping across the street, that thing looked a like a tiny bear.

A few minutes later, someone caught up to me and gave me a navigation/riding/suffering companion. Ryan was suffering a bit, as he'd replaced his front triple with a double after a mechanical mishap. Our paces were almost the same, and we stuck together through a quick 7-11 stop and some bio breaks.

Somewhere around mile 25 I checked the time against the cue sheet and control open/close times and realized we needed to step it up. It seemed to me Ryan was slowing a bit, and I needed to pass him, but I didn't quite have the oomph. At the manned control near Tacoma, Vincent helped us with water and snacks, then mentioned "Gentlemen,the control is closing, that means you have no time in the bank." At this point, Ryan and two other guys were chatting about who worked where at Microsoft, and I realized I needed to go. I said "point taken! I'm out of here", and none of the other riders seemed interested in departing. With that, I was off on my own for the rest of the ride.

The next few miles were quite favorable to my recumbent, and I averaged 17+ mph for quite a while and really made some time up. After turning north, up a longish climb, I had my first "maybe I could just quit now" thought, but I pushed on. I could see another rider a few hundred yards ahead of me, but couldn't close the gap uphill. At the top of the climb, we turned east with a descent (that I flew down) and some rollers, but I never saw him again.

I missed a turn not long after that as I couldn't see a street sign, and my odometer was out of sync with the cue sheet. That gave me a few bonus miles and a bit of extra climbing, though not many of either, as I realized my mistake pretty quickly.

At about mile 45, I think I started to run low on energy and had some bread and gatorade, but probably not enough. The terrain was mostly rolling the rest of the way in, and I struggled a bit on the uphills, and didn't even make particularly good time on the downhills. Nevertheless, I pulled into Loretta's with 7 minutes to spare, so I finished in time, and got my pin. I did go to the wrong door to check in, so I really could have finished a minute or so earlier without that minor mishap. I was so concerned about time at that point that I ran, pushing my bike down the sidewalk and through the parking lot to check in. I was pretty sure that would be faster than getting on the bike, riding and dismounting again.

All in all, it was a good, but tough ride. I shared a beer and burger with a few other riders, then headed home for some rest.

Climing getting less pathetic?

Today I managed over 10 mph up the hill on Dexter going Southbound. Not setting any records to be sure, but several mph faster than I could manage last summer. Of course, I was on the Salsa which helps a lot, but still.

Post STP, I plan to do quite a bit more hill climbing. Hopefully I can improve even more by next summer.

Bike Diet?

This morning, when I had a few minutes to spare, I weighed each of my bikes. The Salsa Casseroll came in at 27 lbs with a Tubus rack and a pump. The Lightning Phantom was a whopping 39! That was with a rack, tail trunk and seat bag. Otherwise, both bikes have 1 waterbottle cage, computer, and fenders. (The Salsa also has a bell)

I think I may need to cut back somewhat on the amount of stuff I carry when I ride. I've been doing hillier rides recently, and I can really feel the extra heft of the recumbent. I'll probably start with removing the rear rack and tail pack, and see where that gets me.

I hope this doesn't mean I'm in for a case of Titaniumitis, or even worse - Carbon Fiber Flu.

70 miles 70!

Saturday I took the Lightning out the Burke Gilman, to the Sammamish River Trail, then east into some hills near Redmond. I averaged a paltry 13.6 mph, but really spend most of my time over 14. The hills just killed my average speed. Although I think I'm a bit faster uphill now than I was earlier this spring, going from 3.5 mph to 5 isn't enough improvement.

Overall I felt great on the ride, except for my lower back. It was a bit tired and sore on the last two long rides I did (56 and 70 mi), but felt fine after getting off the bike for a few minutes and resting. I'm trying to do more ab and back exercises during the week to help with that, and I'm pretty confident I can make some improvement over the next five weeks.

I doubt I can improve my climbing much in that time period though, especially with my limited training schedule. Since the STP route is pretty flat, I'm not too concerned about it. I mostly want to get better on climbs so that I can enjoy more riding in this area and keep up with any groups I join. Once the STP is over, I think I'll start riding shorter, but more difficult routes in pursuit of this goal.

Salsa Casseroll again

I took the Salsa out for a quick ride south of downtown Seattle and back last night, and just loved it. I really enjoy my Lightning for longer rides and comfort, but the Casseroll has a sprightly feel that is completely lacking on my recumbent. (It is also 10 lbs or so lighter)

I ended up riding several hundred yards on a dirt/gravel path to get around a detour and the relatively fat tires ate it right up. Ditto for the many RR crossing and potholes I encountered in SoDo. I returned home up 4th to Dexter, then up the east side of QA. I'm far faster on moderate slopes than I was last summer, but still find myself looking for one more gear on the steep stuff. Honestly, I think my gearing is low enough, I just need to ride more hills.

Nice weekend for a ride

After 6 weeks off the bike with a medical issue (think "plumbing"), I did about 54 miles this weekend on Saturday, a round trip out the Burke Gilman to the Sammamish River Trail and on to Marymoor.

Part way out I got mixed up in a Cascade ride that was supposed to keep 16 - 18 mph pace. In reality, we had several bursts up to 20, but good communication. The ride leader invited me along, but I politely declined. Their plan was to do 80 miles at that pace, and I'm pretty sure I'd have dropped off the back within an hour. Still I did manage to stay with them for a few miles, so that was encouraging.

Overall I averaged about 14 mph, and felt pretty good on Sunday. Monday I did 15 miles with a bit of climbing and felt fine. I think I'll finish the STP, but I won't be nearly as strong as I hoped. Nevertheless, I'll keep training as much as I can.

Movie Trilogies Meter

Seen here.

Wet Loop of Washington

This past Saturday, Duncan and I lapped Lake Washington again. Though the company was pleasant, the weather was not. It rained, and rained, and rained, pretty much the entire time we were out. On top of that it was pretty chilly. At one point we stopped for a snack, then froze when we remounted. I only warmed back up after we sprinted up the west side of the airport and got our cores up to operating temperature again.

I rode the Phantom this week, as I had no mishaps on the way to Gasworks Park. I felt a bit slower uphill, but stronger overall, and far more comfortable. Last week my legs started hurting at about mile 20, this week they didn't really hurt at all. I felt fine on Sunday, and took the Salsa on a quick 15 mile ride around Magnolia and then back up Queen Anne. I also averaged over 14 mph, including climbs, for the first time in Seattle.

Lake Washington Inaugural

I did my first lap of Lake Washington this past weekend with Duncan, and overall it was a great ride. Just over 50 miles with more climbing than we'll see on the STP. I finished the ride feeling better on my Salsa than I ever have on an upright before. I'm really, really excited about that. My legs were a bit more fatigued than expected, both during and after the ride, but nothing to do about that except train harder.

But before the ride started things weren't so rosy. My recumbent flew off the roof rack, not once but twice, and got a bit mangled in the process. Now I'll have to take it into the shop for some hopefully minor repairs. Then I had to head back home and get the Salsa, put it back on the car and head back to Gasworks Park to start the ride. Somewhere during that process, I forgot to bring my carefully packed tailpack, so I ended up leaving without many of my supplies (mostly extra clothes) I'd packed the night before. Since I didn't end up needing any of them, I guess I was a bit overpacked.

In any case, I started about 40 minutes late, then pushed it hard to get to the Eastside at a reasonable time. Juanita hill turned out to be less fearsome than I expected - I wasn't fast on it, but it didn't feel too bad either. One nice side effect of riding up Queen Anne frequently is that most other hills just don't worry me much now.

Duncan was kind enough to lead the rest of the way, which went pretty well, though I was a bit spent from getting to his side of town as quickly as I could. Still, it was a really nice ride overall, with some killer views to boot. I'm looking forward to doing it again.

reCAPTCHA

Saw this cool article yesterday. I wonder how much I've been contributing to the effort?

Iphone tips

Did you know you can look up people's email addresses, if you use your iphone with Exchange?

If emailing, press the plus to add names, then the groups button, to the left. now choose Directories. It probably says you@xyz.com. In the search box, put in a few letters of the address or name you are looking for, then hit search and there you go!

Also, to put a period after a sentence when typing, just hit space twice, and you'll get a period and two spaces without going to the punctuation screen. Neat.

Saturday Recumbent Riding

This past Saturday Duncan (and his brain)and I took our recumbents on a bit of a tour of Seattle's bike paths. What was planned as a leisurely out and back on the Burke Gilman turned into something else.

Only a few minutes into our ride, my wife called to inform me I'd locked her out of the garage and that she had to call a friend to pick her and my son up for an am birthday party. (In one of my brainier moves, I'd given a mechanic ALL her keys, not just the car keys.) There was some discussion of how they would get back from the party, but Duncan graciously agreed to ride back to my place and then help me ferry the car over to the birthday party (in Magnolia) before we continued our ride.

So we turned our trusty steeds westward and slogged up QA hill, only to discover that his bike wouldn't fit on my roof rack. That led to Duncan riding over to Magnolia solo, and waiting for me as I dropped off my car, unloaded my bike and headed back to our arranged meeting spot.

Finally, we could ride in earnest. We did a lap of Magnolia, then went down the path through Myrtle Edwards park toward downtown. Back uphill through downtown to the Dexter bike path, then parted ways as I headed up the hill and he down.

Overall it was a nice ride, with about 2,000 feet of climbing and 25 ish miles overall.


p.s. I got 2 extra copies of the garage key made yesterday.

Why yes, I'd like to park my bike there

Build some of these please!

Need more friends?

Cool link of the day.

Cool blog of the day

Getting better all the time.

Random thoughts

Why is there no garment like a sweater for your legs?

January Recap

Well, January was a pretty low mileage month. My guess is that I rode no more than 50 miles total, with 20 of that on Saturday. I commuted in a few times, and spent time test riding bikes to make up the rest of that. My goal is to follow the 2 day STP plan posted on the Cascade site, and I'm pretty sure that is doable, but I'll need to get a bit more focussed.

On the plus side, I did buy the Salsa Casseroll, which has been a very nice ride so far. I also took the rack off my Trek and transplanted it while I wait for the Tubus I ordered. The stem might need replacing, and my cleats adjusting, but otherwise the fit seems pretty good. Only time will tell.

If all goes according to plan, I'll ride around 150 miles in February.

Up (and up) Queen Anne

Yesterday I climbed the hill two times on my new Casseroll, once up the Olympic to 10th route, then up 3rd from SPU. That was the first time I'd ever climbed it twice in one day, though I was pretty sure that I could.

The first time was on the way home from work, and went pretty well. I rode downtown, then up the hill. I found myself pushing harder than normal, as the bike just feels like I should be racing around. I never really found myself wishing for a lower gear, but I spend plenty of time in my lowest.

After I got home, I decided to run a quick errand at SPU, so I hopped back on the bike. Descending was a bit scary - I don't feel like I have the control on braking power on the Salsa that I do on my other two bikes, but that may change as I get used to it. The climb back up was uneventful, but quick, though I got passed by someone doing repeats. I couldn't help but think I'd like to carry that kind of speed uphill, but that's why we train. My guess is I was 10 - 15% percent faster up the hill than normal, but I'd need to time it to be sure.

I'm still not totally comfortable on the bike, especially descending. I also need to learn what cogs/ring combinations work best for me and in what order, but no way to do that without riding! Hopefully I'll get some decent miles in this weekend.

Return of the wedgies!

A long time ago, in a city far far away....

I rode a "normal" bicycle, or really a few of them. A Free Spirit 10 speed (what happened to that thing?), followed by a Schwinn Varsity Deluxe (purchased in HS, stolen in college), replaced by a Trek 360 (ran the frame into a carport years later on a roof rack), then a Paramount frame that I gave away to someone for cutting my yard in about 2002. At some time around 1999, I just couldn't ride the things any more, due to significant discomfort, and finally threw in the towel. In 2001, I bought a Lightning recumbent and never looked back. Not that I could, due to the seating position, but still.

About 3 years ago, I picked up a Trek 7300 Hybrid to use around LA (stolen from the garage) then an identical replacement not much later. It saw dual duty as a kid hauler/commuter in workmanlike fashion. A few years of riding it around town made me wonder if I should reconsider whether I could be comfortable on an upright bicycle again.

After loads of internet research, and countless hours in bike shops, I decided that given the proper fit, I could probably make it work. My first step was to narrow the choices of LBS's down to those that focused on fit first. My early candidate list was Aaron's Bicycle Repair, R + E Cycles, and Montlake. Montlake turned out to only pay lip service to fitting, i.e. "yeah, you could do that if you want", and Aaron's was just too far/odd for me to deal with. R + E has some great stuff and nice folks, but the entry level price point was just too high for me. I wasn't sure this would work out (still not), and I wanted something not TOO expensive that would hold its resale value.

A stroke of (bad) luck led me to Counterbalance Cycles on the Burke Gilman. One day while out on the recumbent, I flatted out and stopped for air and a tube, and casual discussion with a mechanic lead to an off hand comment about their "fit guy". One thing led to another, and I started spending a bit of time there. Eventually I spent several afternoons trying various things out, but finally focussing on a Surly Long Haul Trucker and a Salsa Casseroll.

So yesterday, I picked up a Casseroll. Why add to my existing fleet? Well, I wanted something lighter, faster feeling, and better fit to me than my hybrid, while having better situational awareness than my recumbent. Also, my recumbent has a high crank position that can make urban cycling awkward.

I'm pretty excited about this bike, and I can't believe it is snowing outside (but birds are chirping!) after 2 weeks of pretty good weather. Hopefully things will clear up a bit later so I can really get out there and try it out.

Year End Wrap Up

Looks like I ended up with 314 on the odometer for the Lightning, and around 90 and the Trek, for a total of 25 miles in December, or less than a single good ride in November. If it hadn't been for the snowpocalypse, I'm sure the totals would have been higher, but there was the holiday travel and whatnot. January hasn't started well, I think I've ridden about 10 miles total, so I'd better get cracking.

Overall I'm pleased with the year though, as I barely rode at all in the previous 4. This year I intend to ride the STP, and that means training miles. Hopefully I'll do close to 4,000 this year, but we'll see. My fitness level is much better than when I arrived in Seattle, and so is my hillclimbing. Just getting back on the bike has been a victory of sorts.

My first major Lego assembly as a dad

3 hours, 445 parts. The worst part was threading the string through the little holes though.

I'm sure there will be many more Christmas related assembly projects in my future.

November Mileage

Looks like I did around 175 miles in November, my biggest month in many years. It was primarily a mix of 7 mile commute rides, 10 mile Saturday rides, and 25 mile Sunday rides. I did get one nice 30 miler in that I took over the I90 bridge, that left me tired, but not absurdly so, and a 25 miler out to Alki. Both were firsts for me, and my average speed was a bit low, as I was not sure about where I was going, and had to do a bit of map reading/wayfinding as I went. My long rides are averaging between 11.5 (ouch) and 13.5 mph. I'd like to get that up to 15 or so by STP time, but we'll see.

Beginning odo readings for December are 71 on the Trek and 290 on the Lightning.

RANS Fusion - Quick Review

Quick Riding Impression – this thing is FUN! I took it out for a 7ish mile jaunt the other night and had a blast. It is very user friendly (except for those trigger shifters, which I loathe), and basically comfy to boot. Plenty wide gearing, big cushy comfy tires, and a head up riding position all contributed to the fact that it was a hoot to ride.
A few minor nits:
• My behind was fatigued during the ride and a tiny bit sore the next day. I don’t know if that is bike setup, me, the design or a combination of the three.
• The low end gearing was very low, which was nice for climbing, but I found the bike a bit “floppy” at low speeds. This led to some weaving as I climbed Queen Anne, and that was unnerving.
• I hit the chain several times with my feet as I was riding. That probably wouldn’t be an issue with clipless pedals, but was a minor irritant while underway. Full disclosure, I wear size 11 shoes, YMMV.

Overall, I really enjoyed it. If I had unlimited bike dollars and space, I’d certainly add one to my stable. I think it would be a great loaner bike for friends or errand bike for rides under 10 miles.

Big day yesterday!

Got my first glimpse of my growing bald spot during my haircut. What a thrill. :P

Another weekend, another ride

Last Saturday I took a look at the windy and cool conditions outside and tried to talk my son into a ride. "No daddy, it's too windy". As it turns out, he was right.

I really wanted to go for a quick ride though so I thought I'd take the Magnolia scenic loop, which turned out to be tougher than expected. First of all, I had to do some climbing right off the bat, and I wasn't really warmed up. Secondly - The Wind! Once I got to the scenic part of the loop, the wind was so strong coming off the Sound that I thought I might get blown over. The noise was so loud I had no sonic cues about my speed, as it always sounded like I was going 30 miles an hour. I did finish the ride strongly though, flying down the east side of Magnolia at over 40 mph, and had a decent climb up Dravus (only stopped once).

Sunday's ride was much better. For the first time since I started riding again, I got the feeling that I was actually riding more strongly after 10 miles. It is a great sensation, and really helps my enjoyment of the rides. I took my usual out and back down the BG, but went a bit past Matthews park this time. I was maintaining well over 16 mph much of the second half of the ride, so my fitness level is definitely improving.

The most odd thing about the ride was the relative lack of other cyclists. Plenty of runners, but really not many of us. Is everyone already hanging it up for the season?

20 Miles again

This Sunday I did another 20 miler with no hills, but at a bit faster pace. I went down the Burke Gilman, and met up with 2 other Bent riders near Gasworks. One was on a V Rex with huge tires, the other on a homebuilt streamliner, both could drop me at will. :P It was a nice ride (except for the streamliner crash) up to Matthews park where I turned around. The weather was incredible, with occasional glimpses of Lake Washington and the mountain from the trails and perfect temps for riding, just above 60 or so.

Saturday I did about 7 miles on the Hybrid and pulled the boy on his Trail a Bike. Destination: Shultzy's for a beer and dog. Overall, it was not a net negative calorie ride, but the company, beer and lunch were great.

Next step, figuring out how to increase my mileage to 45 or so per weekend.

Ballard and Back

Yesterday, I did an even 20 miles on the Phantom. It was about 55 and raining when I left, and didn't change much en route. My new wool jersey and shorts kept me plenty warm though, even when soaked. The original plan was to cross the Fremont bridge, then take the Burke Gilman to Ballard, up to Golden Gardens, then ascend into the neighborhood above. From there I'd head north to a friend's place and have an easy downhill cruise home.

Along the way I discovered that the road up the hill is closed (has been for 6 months) and that 100th street doesn't go through from the Blue Ridge area east. Add those things together and you get a good bit more climbing than I'd planned on. The ride out of Blue Ridge was particularly tough, as it was steep and I was getting a bit tired since I'd been climbing slowly for several miles from the locks up to about 85th street. The good news is that I feel pretty decent today, and that the long climb from the locks went well too.

Ever since I've had the boom adjusted on the Phantom my climbing has been much easier. I'm going faster, more comfortably and with less effort. It has been a huge improvement. I need to keep up the hillwork though, as I'd like to be ready for the Chilly Hilly next year, and I'm a pretty poor climber in general.

Dollars per mile

Stuff I've bought for cycling so far since moving to Seattle:

Commute related items

• Fenders - 2 pair
• Tailpack - 1
• Tubes - 2
• Front light - 1
• Rear flasher - 1
• Mirror - 1
• Rack - 1

Non commute items

• Wool clothing items - 2
• Tubes - 2
• Tire - 1
• New boom for recumbent
• New seat for recumbent
• Seatpost - 1
• Adams Trail a bike

My guess is that I've ridden about 200 miles so far since I arrived, and spent close to 5 dollars a mile on equipment. I think I need to up the mileage a bit to make that dollar/mile ratio a bit more palatable.

I have often wondered about those little white things in potting soil. Now I know more. Via Marginal Revolution.

My first fancy Seattle latte is below (from Top Pot). The barista assured me that the design makes the drink taste better, but I'll repeat the experiment a few times to verify.

So the other day, the boy and I turned on the TV and caught the end of some mediocre animated movie. At 15 min to the hour -

Him: Daddy, this movie is almost over.

Me: Oh, why do you think that?

H: They're fighting all the bad guys. Usually, when they fight all the bad guys, the movie is almost over.

Interesting article here on the resentment the merely wealthy feel toward the ultrarich. I'd say this echoes some of what I'd heard here in LA.

Update, another take on the same article.

Ever wonder where nachos came from? No? Well here's the story anyhow.

Need spare parts for your bicycle or accessory? This is the place to go. I couldn't find replacement parts for my pump anywhere in LA, but Mr. Spicer at SpicerCycles.com was able to get them, no problem. He's got access to one of the biggest distributors in the country, and you can search the catalog online. What more could you ask for? Good service? He's got that too!

Fascinating post on why progressives lose elections. This reminds me a bit too much of my own experience in sales. I used to believe that people bought based on facts, hard experience has taught me otherwise.

Sure, sure one isn't supposed to talk about such things but hey - I just saw Robert Redford by my dentist's office! I can add that to my sightings list which includes

• Anthony Edwards - airline club/LAX
• Al Pacino - Toys R Us
• Jon Voight - LAX
• Pierce Brosnan - LAX
• Dick Van Dyke - Best Buy
• Ahnuld - several times in/around Santa Monica
• Slash - bicycle shop
• Lyle Lovett - motorcyle dealership (he later purchased it)
• Scott Bakula - LAX
• Dennis Hopper - art gallery

and probably some others that have slipped my mind. No biggie overall, but still - Robert Redford!

Interesting piece on L.A. schools (and attitudes towards low income students generally)

http://www.dailyhowler.com/dh030106.shtml

If liberals care about public schools, and about low income people in general, why are schools in a liberal Democratic stronghold so darn bad? I don't have the answers, but the article raises some great points.

Many affluent liberals in the L.A. area shell out approximately 20k/year for private school - why not spend the same time/attention on our local district?

A note to some less experienced employees:

Yes you are smart, and yes, you are knowledgeable. But you don't know everything, or even everything about the things you think you are expert in. Before opening your mouth and inserting feet, you might pause to consider that maybe, just maybe, someone else knows how to do their own job, and suggesting otherwise is not endearing.

Just a tip.

Right now, I'm reading the Cryptonomicon, an interesting book all the cool kids were reading a few years ago. It's the best story about cryptography, warfare and cross generational treasure hunting I've ever read. The sad part is everyone else has moved on.

Ditto for Freakonomics, Blink, and just about everything else I've read recently. I used to stay quite current with books, but now not so much. I'm sure part of it has to do with being the father of a 2 year old, but it also has to do with the way I get books these days. As I learn about a book that sounds interesting, I add it to my Amazon wish list. Then once a year for Christmas, I send a list of those books around, and I hope I get some. So in general, I don't even bring a book in my house until many months after it has been published, and I usually don't read it until many months after that (in my annual pre Christmas book reading/shelf clearing frenzy).

I'm not sure exactly how I'm going to break this cycle, but I am going to give it some thought.

MAC 3 Stroller - Avoid if you can

My wife and I bought one of these about 18 months ago, and at first we loved it. It was easier to handle than a "real" jog stroller, looked nice, and was easy to fold. Unfortunately, as the review notes, the design/build quality leaves something to be desired. Screws have fallen out (no locknuts or similar fasteners), we've had several flat tires, and the thing almost never tracks straight.

The official Maclaren site doesn't even list the stroller anymore, which is probably for the best.

Whew, big Day for Max today.

1. Playdate at the park - swings, trucks, swings, sand, swings and more swings. Yes, he does like swinging. If you take him out too quickly he yells, points at the swing and arches strongly in its direction.
2. We went to the public library! No books for Max though, he likes to eat them as much as look at them right now, and I think the librarians would frown on that.
3. First time we played with crayons. In this case play = eat, but only after trying to scribble a little bit. It was rather amazing how quickly he got the crayon in his mouth. Mmm, crayon.
4. First time we ordered Max his own dinner at a restaurant. True, it was a horrible little cheese pizza, but that didn't seem to bother him any.
5. We watched planes take off and land at the Santa Monica airport. The highlight had to be watching two Great Lakes biplanes take off one after the other - one of the passengers even gave us a wave!

Hey blog, long time no see.

So much to say, and apparently little inclination to say it.

1. The Boy is great. He's so happy and gregarious I'd question his parentage (If I didn't know better) He's just started to move, sort of an infantryman crawl where he drags himself along by his arms. When he tries to crawl, he just pushes himself backwards - I'm sure he'll get his limbs synchronized soon, then look out.
2. The company is good. We're making money on a consistent basis, and growing at a decent clip. Now we're having trouble finding good people...
3. Life in general is good. Wife is healthy and happy, as am I. We're a bit boring, but really, that's not news eh?

Not much in the way of cuisine hunting lately, guess I'd better get moving. I'm having Moroccan this weekend though, I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

9 lbs. 6 oz! Delivered by C Section. More details later.

Still blogging from hospital.

Wow, way way better nurse after the shift change, she is a real pro. Not too talkative, but at least she's doing her job well, to our untrained eyes at least.

No significant change recently, we are at 6cm, but are due to be examined soon. We'll cross our fingers.

Dandy.

She hasn't been turned in two hours, I got the wrong meal, her IV bag ran dry, and worst of all the doctor is over an hour late.

I can't wait to get the comment card.

Second breakfast was about as bad as it looked, lunch looked and tasted slightly better. Not going to be any culinary highlights during this hospital stay.

At about 11 a.m., her pain got so intense we had the doctors put the epidural in. Our was administered by a Russian doctor who seemed extremely competent, but was almost unintelligble. It was rather hard to understand his jokes and small talk as he took a rapid fire medical history and performed the procedure.

The procedure itself was rather exciting, mostly due to her IV tube becoming clogged. This meant a new line had to be inserted, which would ordinarily be no problem. Unfortuately, while our nurse should have done this before the doctor started he didn't. To make matters worse, last night's nurse had secured everything too, well - securely. I had to jump in and help the nurse while he tried to make the new connection and move the tubes. I was removing tape, unscrewing stuff (I have no idea what it was), applying pressure here etc. I think the highlight of the event was when I got bled on. I felt like a real pro.

She is trying to sleep now, but it is difficult under the circumstances, and she's not the best sleeper anyhow. I caught another hour's worth after lunch, but she's just been resting. She's hooked up to a blood pressure cuff, and a pulse monitor on her finger. She finds the pressure from both a bit annoying, and particularly dislikes the cuff inflating itself every so often to take her blood pressure. Completely understandable.

She was on oxygen for a bit, but we're not completely sure why. The doctors and nurses seem to tell us less and less as we get farther into this, and I'm not sure how big a stink to make about it. I awoke from my nap to find the doctor and nurse discussing something, and next thing you know - O2 mask. We feel like we are headed for a C section - which we were trying to avoid.

More later - I have to go make her feel a bit more comfortable.

Her water just broke! I wont go into any detailed discussion about it. If you are curious, I'd try Google.

Surprise, they just brought me what Hobbits might call "second breakfast". Looks slightly gruesome, but i'll eat some anyhow I'm sure.

Bleh, that was just fuel, but the price was right - 1.73.

She's not feeling so great, still a bit hungover from the morphine, and her left side is sore from sleeping on it last night. Turning over to the other side is a bigger ordeal than you might think, but she managed. Started the second, more potent drug to induce about 20 minutes ago. This also means no more eating or drinking for her until after delivery. The drug is administered via IV and has Dextrose in it for some nourishment. Luckily she got down a Luna bar this morning, but no coffee. I imagine the caffeine headache that's looming will be basically unnoticed in the coming excitement.

Been awake for about an hour now, she's been up for 30 minutes or so and feeling woozy from the morphine. She isn't crazy about the after effects of the morphine, but I doubt she'd have slept so well without it. As it is, she probaby got 4 solid hours, and 2 fitful. I'm at about 5, which should be plenty.

The nurse just recommended the breakfast burritos downstairs - I'm on my way.

Just had a visit from the nurse. She "repositioned" the Cervidil, looked painful. She was also kind enough to remove the monitors for a while, though they'll have to be reattached later. Some good news, the baby's head is on top of the cervix, and the cervix is feeling thin.

Think we're going to try and get some sleep soon.

Just saw J & J from our childbirth class and they looked exhausted, she just delivered next door. Oddly enough, we watched her contractions and her baby's heartbeat on the monitor in our room. Small world.

My wife is holding up well, and truth be told, has for almost the whole preganacy. Every so often now, she stops talking and gets a look of pain or concentration or something else entirely. After a bit it passes, and she's back to normal. She's definitely planning on pain medication during labor, so hopefully none of this process will be *too* painful. Easy for me to be somewhat detached from the contractions - I'm not having them.

Among the many supplies in the room are something called "chux". Anyone have any idea what those are? It just wouldn't be any fun asking the nurse.

Just finished dinner from Izzy's deli on Wilshire. Her - 1/2 Turkey Salad Sandwich, cup of matzoh ball soup (plus fruit salad and green salad not touched). Him - Tuna melt with cheddar, fries, bit of slaw (also not touched). The spawn is so big that he's mushed up her stomach to point that she just can't eat too much. She just told me she's topped off, sounds like a car.

Just had a nursing shift change. From a good nurse to a great nurse, things are lookin up. :)

Ruth and I are at the Hospital. We arrived about two hours ago and have already had a few surprises. First, she is hooked up to monitors, and will be until the delivery is over - apparently this is standard for induction. Second, she gets to wear these over the thigh compression stockings from now until a week after delivery! Sexy!

We are, by the way, in the room where Amy Irving delivered both of her children. We feel so honored.

More details later.

Starbucks vs. Subway

I don't know why Starbucks own their stores outright, and Subway has franchisees, but I'm pretty sure Arnold Kling is wrong. Subway is notorious for selling many franchises in a given geography.

According to a press release excerpting a study Pierre Azoulay (Sloan School of Management, MIT)



...another franchisor in the sample declared it was following the Subway franchises lead when denying exclusive territories to franchisees, apparently not realizing that Subway faces chronic litigation from franchisees because of encroachment-related disputes.

I'm not sure I believe CE Petit's claims about the relative difficulties of making sandwiches and coffee either. There is a world of difference between a good sandwich and a bad one. If you don't believe me, try a Subway turkey sandwich and compare it to one in shrink wrap from a convenience store. Think the only distinguishing factor is the knife they used to cut the bread?

So why have they chosen their respective strategies? I think Wayne Eastman's thoughts are the closest to mine. It's all about the brand...

My most expensive burger ever

I went to Josie's on Pico last night. It was heavenly as usual.

Dinner started with Josie's customary slice of cheese and mushroom quiche; it was very thin, and very, very good.

We only ordered one appetizer for the table - the sublime 100 tomato tart. Why 100? I have no idea. The tart consists primarily of rather sweet grape tomatoes on a bed of melted goat cheese, all nestled in a shallow tart shell. The tomatoes are impossibly sweet and explode with flavor when you bite into them – a nice contrast to the creamy taste and texture of the cheese.

When I was ordering, I had my eye on two entrees, the lamb chops (too normal?) and the buffalo burger topped with foie gras (too gimmicky?). When I asked our waitress for more detail, she recommended the lamb chops, but said ordering the burger was an “event”. That sealed it, I got the burger.

It was monstrous. Without the top bun it was easily 7 inches tall and surrounded by herbed and truffled fries tossed with a bit of grated cheese. The fries were fair; in my opinion they would have been better without the terrible truffle treatment. Eggs and truffles – fine, pasta and truffles – also fine. Fries and truffles – I’ll pass. The ground buffalo was quite good and just slightly on the rare side of medium. Topped with a thick slab of foie gras, grilled onions and mushrooms, it was served with fresh catsup, mayonnaise, and an excellent red pepper based sauce. A Juicy Crumbly Rich Meaty Mountain of meat. Of course, I ate the whole thing. (and inspired the woman at the next table to do the same)

Dessert was a chocolate lava peanut butter cake, with peanut butter cream and a wedge of peanut brittle. Imagine a 6 inch wide Reese’s peanut butter cup, and invert it. Then inject an ounce or so of warm chocolate sauce and serve. Two (or more) great tastes that taste great together.

If I could eat at Josie’s more often, I’d be as big as a house.

10 of my LA favorites

Inspired by Armed Liberal, who in turn was inspired by Tedman.

I've only lived here 3 years, so I'm hardly an expert on L.A. dining, but listed in alphabetical order below are 10 of my favorites....

26 Beach Cafe - Breakfast - Venice
Although some praise their burgers and salads, I will not. I must however state, for the record, that they serve the most incredible French Toast I've ever eaten. There are many varieties available, but I favor the one with strawberry and cream cheese stuffing.

Abbot's Pizza - Pizza - Venice, Santa Monica
Tomato/Basil and BBQ Chicken are my favorites. The Venice location turns out more consistent pies and a more interesting experience , but Santa Monica has the better parking and fountain drinks. An excellent meal for the money, the taste/dollar ratio is in the same league as In N Out.

Carousel - Armenian, Hollywood and Glendale locations
Falafel, hummus, baba ganoush and a whole lot of stuff you may not have eaten before. Everything I've had here is excellent. Relatively simple dishes, but executed very, very well. Plan of attack - Go with friends, order too many items, share, waddle home.

El Cholo - Mexican, various locations
Yes, some people hate this place, but I think they're nuts. Anyone who has served so much food to so many people for so many years has clearly got a good thing going. My personal favorite here is the #1 combo, a cheese enchilada and beef taco, two staples that should always be this good, but often aren't.

El Tarasco - Mexican - various locations
Oh, the beefy, cheesy, greasy goodness. The Super Deluxe reminds me of the Tex Mex of my childhood - only better. As good as the Super Deluxe is, the El Tarasco burrito is even better. Marinated beef with onions and cilantro (among other things), and it's outstanding.

In N Out - Almost everywhere
Could be the best taste/dollar ratio available in the Southland. I don't go for any of that off the menu stuff, though I'm sure it's fine. They only sell a few items, but each one is excellent. Compare/contrast with Carl's Jr, many items of dubious quality.

Langer's Deli - Mac Arthur Park
The Best Pastrami Ever. Get the rye bread, which is exceptional. And don't forget the validated parking down the street.

Josie - Fine Dining - Santa Monica
I'm not really sure how to categorize this one besides excellent and expensive. Minor emphasis on game, creative (but not annoyingly so) menu. The only restaurant in this price range that I like enough to spend my own money on; so bring your wallet, or better yet, someone else's.

Pie and Burger - Burgers of course - Pasadena
The urBurger that all others aspire to. Simple, meaty, tasty. The pies are also excellent; this is always worth a trip to Pasadena. Better than Apple Pan in my opinion.

Versailles - Cuban - various locations
Yummy, Garlic, Chicken, Pork, Beans. I don't really think I need to say anything more about it, except for the fact it is the only place I've ever seen Mate soda. Did I mention the garlic?

Favorite Thing I Saw On A Blog Today

A bit of a movie review from Bruce Anderson's Journal (no permalinks, but dated 2003-06-06)

"Movie is muddled and confusing. If you have to read a long treatise on the meaning of the film after watching it to understand it, it's crap."

I know I've had that feeling before.

The World's Best Concession Stand Crabcakes

It was mid afternoon in Northern Virginia, at a little town fair. You've probably seen the type, plywood booths selling cotton candy, softserve ice cream and frozen -> microwaved corndogs. (These last are abominations, settle only for freshly dipped and fried dogs served with mustard. Yum) Also, little tent type booths selling "art" that seemed to be made primarily of coke cans and rusty wire, or wooden toys turned out by retired engineers. Upon arrival, I had two thoughts: first, there would have been approximately 254,876 more people if this was in Southern California; second, where is the "food" court?

When I saw that sign, I knew there was no way I could pass it up. I mean, come on, "The World's Best"? I wasn't exactly qualified to judge, as I'd never before eaten a Concession Stand Crab Cake, but I plunged ahead nevertheless. As I slowly moved to the front of the line I noted that the crab cakes didn't come from a box - good. Buns fried in butter like substance, pleasant aroma, no heat lamps - good, good, good. So I forked over my $5 and got, well, The World's Best Concession Stand Crabcake. Nice juicy lumps of crab meat crisply fried and pleasantly spiced. I've spent more on crabcakes that weren't as tasty many times.

I'm amazed and pleased when I come across a treasure like this. Now just one question remains. What is Old Bay seasoning, and why did I see it all over the region? As usual, I'll turn to Google for answers and post if I find anything interesting.

Southern Pride?

Went to the the Robert E. Lee Chapel and museum in Lexington, Va. last week. His horse, Traveler (who died of lockjaw) is buried outside. Patrons (mostly southerners) leaving the museum throw pennies on top of the horse's grave.

I don't know about you, but I'm fairly sure Lee would not have appreciated people tossing portraits of Lincoln on Traveler's grave.

The blog words

They're not flowing. They are unlike a well poured Coke, or a beer with the perfect head. Or even the glug glug glug of milk from the nifty paper box with a plastic cap.

No, recently they've been more like honey. Not just any honey, but the kind of honey you bought for a recipe a year ago. And used once, then stored on the lazy susan. It waited, quietly drying out and crystallizing until it barely flows at all. Until only a Herculean squeeze of the little plastic bear could coax it out into a guest's tea. (Be careful not to let them see you do this.)

So I guess really, the words are just like the honey in my kitchen. Mostly ignored, seldom used, and in danger of being discarded.

ROOOWWWWRRR!

Chewie's Back!

But please, oh please, don't bring back the Ewoks.

On Making Enchiladas - regardless of recipe

A few times a year, I make enchiladas, Tex Mex style (cheese inside, topped with red sauce, onions and more cheese), for about 10 people, and I’ve learned a few things along the way. I don’t really recommend making them yourself, as the whole process is quite time consuming, but if you live somewhere you can’t get decent Tex Mex or you really enjoy cooking, here are a few things to keep in mind.

Tortillas
Tex Mex enchiladas are almost always made with corn tortillas, and the quality of the tortilla makes a big difference. As far as I can tell, the brand doesn’t matter much, but freshness does. Ever had sort of rubbery or tough enchiladas? Chances are good the tortillas were old. Do not despair though; you can avoid old tortillas easily by using a trick I learned from the tortilla salesman. First, go to the tortilla shelf and grab a package from the front and one from the back, making sure both are from the same vendor. Now, take each package in both hands and gently bend it back and forth, as though you were trying to make a wave run through the stack from side to side (not top to bottom). Feel a difference? The old package should feel stiffer. Nine times out of ten, the old stock is rotated to the front as new deliveries are made, and the fresh ones are put in back. Take the time to find the softest, most pliable package; it’s worth the effort. Also, if you have really fresh ones, you should be able to taste the corn (just a tiny bit sweet) in the final product.

Cheese
I’ve used a number of cheeses, including fresh mozzarella and a number of Mexican varieties, and I don’t think the variety matters too much. Even supermarket brands are ok if you shred them yourself. However, it is nice to get a bit of a mix; I prefer mostly cheddar with some monterrey jack and mozzarella thrown in. Since grating a lot of cheese is a pain, I sometimes buy it preshredded (if Seliot isn’t around to help), but you have to be careful here. Once cheese is grated, the taste goes downhill fast - so avoid something that was processed weeks ago by joyless gnomes who seem to think of cheese as a consumer product, not a delicious foodstuff. In other words, just say no to Kraft.

Chiles
Honestly, it’s hard to go wrong here. Ancho and California peppers work well, but the long red ones from New Mexico seem to have the most heat and best flavor. If you can stand the fire, I recommend about half New Mexico and half something else. Some people toast/roast them before processing, but I’ve given that up. When you process the chiles into a paste, be sure to grind them finely. If you don’t, you and your guests will be picking bright red bits of seemingly indestructible chile pepper from your teeth for a day or so. The first time you see a little red sliver you’ll suspect your mouth is bleeding -- probably not, you just didn’t run the blender long enough. Feel free to add chili powder to spice up your sauce, but do not use it as the foundation.

Stock
Now this is where you’ll make or break your enchilada experience. Even though tortillas and cheese are important, the sauce is where the rubber hits the road. The single most critical thing about the sauce is you use high quality stock. If you’re seriously considering canned stock from the supermarket, go ahead. Then, when you discover that your enchilada sauce tastes like salty, slightly spiced, and highly processed bits of red rubber playground balls, you can pour it out and start anew. My stock hierarchy goes something like this:

Homemade > Premium/gourmet > Stock in a box > Low sodium > bouillon > generic

If you can’t get stock in box, don’t bother making your own sauce. Trust me on this.

And now please, enjoy your enchiladas.

Restaurant of the week:


My favorite category of good food is undoubtedly the kind that is cheap. And while there are many manifestations of good cheap food, they can be horribly difficult to find. Probably fewer than one burger/taco/burrito/hotdog place in five is worth returning to, and only one in 20 are really outstanding. This week, I was fortunate enough to find one of them.

I don't know why it took me so long to try falafel sandwiches, what's there to dislike? They’re fried (good) and wrapped in bready packages (good). However, it must be noted that the fried/bready combo alone is insufficient for tastiness: - I had a burger in Cincinnati that had French fries on it, it was disgusting. I not only quickly warmed up to falafel; I mentally added them to the list of foods to be Sought Out.

At Sunnin Lebanese Café, the falafels make the grade. Unlike most I’ve tried, where 2 – 4 balls of (hopefully recently) fried goodness are stuffed into half a pita, these are rolled in pita bread like a burrito. Inside are tomatoes, tahini, greens (probably lettuce, but maybe not), and falafel of the heavens. It’s a great combination of tastes: sweet, bitter, tangy, earthy – and consistencies: crunchy, doughy, mushy and crisp. Each is a meal in itself, with no accompaniment needed. However, being an American, I couldn’t resist the siren call of some fairly good French fries. I also tried a beef shwarma that was decent, but not in the same league as the other sandwich. If there is anything to improve, I’d prefer the falafel a bit crispier, but I’m certainly not complaining.

Sunnin has now leaped to the front of the falafel pack, and eclipsed Falafel King as my go-to Mediterranean spot. Now, if I could just get them to switch from Pespi to Coke…

Sunnin Lebanese Café
1779 Westwood (Just north of Santa Monica)
(310) 477-2358

Restaurant of the week:


I only knew it by the sign over the little blue building with the line out front. It reads, Mariscos, in big red letters painted over a shrimp who seems to be enjoying a day at the beach. The real name is either La Playita or Guillens Mariscos, but that was impossible to divine from the exterior, or extract from the guy at the counter. He was a bit impatient with my high school Spanish, and kept eyeing the growing line behind me.

There are two main categories of things on the menu - seafood cocktails including:

Octupus
Shrimp
Fish/Shrimp combo?

and Tacos/Burritos including:

Beef
Pork
Pork Skins
Brains
Beef Head
Chicken
Shrimp
Chorizo

I had two tacos, one shrimp, one pork. The pork taco was mostly meat with diced onion, chopped cilantro, and a bit of diced tomato - but not much. Everything seemed pretty fresh, and was wrapped in two corn tortillas. The burritos (ordered by my friend Seliot) differed from the tacos by being bigger, and having some rice and a little bit of beans added to the mix. Again, the burrito was mostly meat, not much in the way of filler. Each order was accompanied by a small portion of hot pickled veggies - carrots, radishes, a bit of onion and a jalapeno.

Ok ok you say how about the taste? Well, overall it was pretty darn good. Let me start by saying the tortillas were top tier and seemed pretty fresh. The pork was far better than the shrimp in my opinion. In fact, it was one of the best non sausage pig products I've had in quite a while. Tender, tasty and not greasy or gristly. The shrimp was a bit disappointing though, there wasn't quite enough of it and the taste was fairly bland. I addressed this minor shortcoming by dousing the taco with Tapatio sauce and bringing the taste to life.

Overall, it was pretty good. Cheap, tasty, quick. Not the best ever, but I'll work it into my rotation.

La Playita
3306 Lincoln Blvd
(310) 452-0090

This seems startlingly accurate, but I would have guessed that my percentage would be at least 50.

You are 32% geek

You are a geek liaison, which means you go both ways. You can hang out with normal people or you can hang out with geeks which means you often have geeks as friends and/or have a job where you have to mediate between geeks and normal people. This is an important role and one of which you should be proud. In fact, you can make a good deal of money as a translator. Normal: Tell our geek we need him to work this weekend. You [to Geek]: We need more than that, Scotty. You'll have to stay until you can squeeze more outta them engines! Geek [to You]: I'm givin' her all she's got, Captain, but we need more dilithium crystals! You [to Normal]: He wants to know if he gets overtime.

Take the Polygeek Quiz at Thudfactor.com

Via The Poor Man.

We're the 53rd best place to live accordking to this survey; bah, how can I trust any ranking that puts L.A. behind San Francisco and New York? I sure wish I could see the ranking criteria they used. I'm fairly certain Mercer Human Resource Consulting didn't put the same priority on weather that I would have.

Coffee is not really the first thing (not even the first beverage) that springs to mind when someone says "Playboy".

But in the grand tradition of hard hitting business exposes like "The Women of 7 - 11" and "The Women of Enron", Playboy plans to follow up with "The Women of Starbucks". I know that lots of writers hang out there too, so maybe the editors could make it an all Starbucks issue. You know, some journalism and fiction for people who, um, read Playboy for the articles.

As my archives slowly accrete, the numbers of hits from search engines grow also. Some of the more common ones are:

SUV tax breaks

Goodyear blimp

National Geographic Swimsuit

Less common:

Trista Ryan Tahoe

Goodyear (and Goodrich) blimp

Luke Ford

And my favorite - Doritos ads

I hope at least some of you found your visit enjoyable.

Update: My wife, who considers herself a Liberal Democrat, scored 44%.

MUWAHAHAHAHAH


But wait, maybe the joke is on me.

Well, this clears up a few things.


How Republican Are You?
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via Howard Owens

Beautiful drive in this morning, all 2.2 miles of it. Snow on the mountains, low clouds hugging the Hollywood Hills, diffuse gray light washing over all of it.

Alas I lack a
Digital camera now
No picture to share

I could not possibly offer better coverage of the blog event than these folks already did. (Round up here.)

Of course, I do have some random musings…

I really hate to be late, but there we were, late: Sara, Seliot, the wife and your humble correspondent. After some monumentally poor L.A. traffic decisions (let’s just take the 405 to the 101) on my part, we finally made it to the panel about 30 minutes after it started, but apparently hadn’t missed much.

The discussion had a very different feel from the Chinatown blogfest. For one thing, most of the bloggers were basically journalists, as opposed to the previous panel where the participants seemed to blog as a form of artistic self expression. Also, the acoustics of the two rooms couldn’t have been more different. The Chinatown space had a lively and boisterous feel (not many panel discussions are disrupted by the sounds of a noisy shower upstairs), and the AFI room seemed dead in comparison. Have you ever been in a room that just seems to suck the life out of audience? Think back to your last professional conference, the one where you fell asleep after lunch after the lights dimmed.

Also, kudos to Emmanuelle who kept the “panelists must discuss cam girls” theme going in tony’s absence

Highlights included:

Luke Ford’s hilarious logic chain “proving” that most bloggers should be right wing. Distilled to something like - most bloggers are well informed, most well informed people lean toward the right, therefore most bloggers should be right wing. I can’t possibly do justice to his rapid fire delivery or air of confidence.

Meeting Howard Owens

Having Eugene tell me “you might be right” after I contradicted him. (ever so slightly)

Meeting the Number One RiShawn on the internet.

The little salami things topped with a cherry tomato half and five dots of mustard, arranged in the same pattern as the five dots on a six sided die.

Seeing tony’s new, more aerodynamic hairstyle

OK, Seliot

It's not the car, it's the driver.

Huzzah for the SUV's!

That last guy does sound like a bit of a jerk though. :)

A few thoughts on Armed Liberal's post, and his question asking – “what you see as your safety.”

One reason his potential partner has more capital might be that he manages financial risks better than most, perhaps including A.L. I know a decent number of people who have been successful financially, and I wouldn’t consider any of them gamblers. Although our culture has an image of entrepreneurs as aggressive risk takers, the ones I know are not. Although many, if not most of them, are willing to put capital and their reputation on the line, they only do so when the odds are stacked heavily in their favor.

The Millionaire Mind (and to a lesser extent The Millionaire Next Door) explore some of the above issues thoroughly and are certainly worth reading. Rather than being get rich quick guides, these books study the habits of people with money and how they got it. In a sense, they are get rich slow guides

Also, a few of my safeties:

A prudent, supportive, but questioning wife (and family)

Arai helmet, Aerostitch jacket w/ armor, boots, gloves etc.

SIPDE Scan, Identify, Predict, Decide and Execute

Outstanding business partners (who hire the best employees we can find)

A willingness to walk away from potentially lucrative business when it just doesn’t smell right

Obligatory Bachelorette Post:

I watch about 7 minutes a week of these shows, usually when my wife calls me in saying “comehere comehere comehere hurry” for some romantic moment or another. I trudge in, watch the vignette, often make a snarky comment, and leave.

Until last night, I would have argued that many watched “those shows” not to see the romance, but to see, in the words of ABC, “who will leave broken hearted”. It’s the same sort of fascination (IMHO) that causes people to rubberneck while driving by accidents on the freeway.

Last night was different. After watching a cannily edited show that implied Charlie would be “The One”, Trista picked Ryan. The Nice Guy. Mr. Sensitive. A poetry writing, animal painting, toilet seat down putting (ok, I’m guessing here) nice guy. As a fellow nice guy, I just have to say

MUWAHAHAHAHHAAHAHA!


It is a pity all nice guys don’t have those pecs, but we work with the tools God gave us, no?

P.S. Did anyone, I mean anyone REALLY need to hear about Charlie clipping his chest hair? Egads

Resolved:

That I shall not, nay will not, eat the same sandwich (no matter how good) more than one time per week. Also, I will not purchase more than one bag of either acceptable Dorito color (orangey red and greenish blue) per week, instead I will opt for Trader Joe's potato chips. Yea, though they contain more fat than the aforementioned fried corn snack, they are so, so much cheaper and moreover, leave neither a lingering salty chemical taste in the mouth, nor an unsightly (though tasty) residue on the fingers.

Medium cokes will continue to be ok.

Putting Your Money Where Your Mouth Is

Come on, you know you've got one. Some grandiose prediction or another that you might pontificate on after knocking back a few cold ones.

Maybe you've been known to wax eloquent on the "inevitable" ban on fossil fuels, or speak long and loud about Europe's need to abandon the social welfare state as its population ages. Whatever your particular hobbyhorse, now is your chance to back up all that talk - and it's all in the name of charity.

Hop on over to Long Bets and check it out.

Ok, so that was pretty cool. I went to the live from the blogosphere event last night, and had a great time.

I met Tony, Armed Liberal and Tenacious G., Kitty, and Ev. My friend Seliot and I had great seats right behind some guy blogging the event with his mobile phone.

Some impressions:

Tony - funny, and seems to be a heck of a nice guy (I even took his picture with Ev)

Ev - very thoughtful, and had the night's coolest announcements

Armed Liberal - Interesting in person, as expected, but also more intense than I anticipated. Not intense as in scary, but intense as "he seems to know and care an awful lot about the things he discusses"

Kitty - got a ton of applause when she introduced herself, and handled herself fine in front of the crowd (better, I think, than she imagines)

I'll probably blog more on the event later, but it was an excellent evening. Good dinner (eat the fried eel Tony!), good companionship, a rather interesting panel discussion capped off by a little blogger networking.

By the way, did I mention Google is acquiring Blogger? Wow!

So I heard the Syrian Grand Poo Bah speak this morning. (At least I think he was Syrian, he spoke right before the Frenchman)

Blah blah Israel, blah double standard, blah blah blah.

It reminded me of nothing so much as Eric "Otter" Stratton's speech in Animal House.

"The issue here is not whether we broke a few rules, or took a few liberties with our female party guests — we did. [winks at Dean Wormer] But you can't hold a whole fraternity responsible for the behavior of a few, sick twisted individuals. For if you do, then shouldn't we blame the whole fraternity system? And if the whole fraternity system is guilty, then isn't this an indictment of our educational institutions in general? I put it to you, Greg — isn't this an indictment of our entire American society? Well, you can do whatever you want to us, but we're not going to sit here and listen to you badmouth the United States of America!"

I'll let you make the necessary word substitutions on your own.

Postapolooza!

I had all these weird ideas in my head today while updating my computer OS. While shaking my head ruefully at the process, a few of them spilled out and managed to sneak onto blogger.

I'll try to stay in the upright and locked position from here on out, at least when I'm near the keyboard.

Bruce Bair of Santa Monica Yoga!

You are now on Google, congratulations!

Did you know that when trying to unlock a car door with your remote it doesn't matter:

-how long you push the button (although on some models this sets the alarm off)
-how hard you push the button
-what angle you hold the remote
-what side of the car you are on, or
-whether the batteries are fresh?

If that car is not yours. Regardless of how much it looks like your car, it just won't open - no matter what.

In case you're wondering about the context for the following post, you can check the comments on Moxie.nu for 1/31/2003.

But you're probably not.