Bike to Work day

Every day is bike to work day. And it is easy, although the seasonal rains have yet to begin. My commute is about 5.5 miles and easy, relaxing. I use a commuter bike with fenders, etc. with my regular business casual pants. It helps me keep casual. No real bike gear. No bike posturing. I almost feel like one of the East Village hipsters, although not as hip, or pretty.


We have a locked bike room in the parking garage so that is nice. Especially on a day like today when I have my titanium road bike since I will be doing a night ride after work. Not only do we have a bike room, though. It is stocked with bikes. And panniers, and locks. Is that awesome or what? And it is also helpful to me when I have my road bike, which is rare, since I can take one of the commuters into town for errands, lunch, etc. Which I will be doing shortly.

Trader Joe's Rediscovered

When I lived with my parents in the summer of '95, I ventured out to Trader Joe's once or twice in Westfield, NJ. I remember liking it a lot. I don't know why 13 years passed since I entered a store. Mostly NYC I suppose. But boy I feel stupid. There was a Trader Joe's in Union Square in NYC (although my friend told me the crowds were stupendous so that kept me away). There is one near my workplace in Menlo Park. There is one in San Carlos, near where I live, probably the closest major supermarket. And I've been here over 2 months. Yet I've been ignoring them, acting like they don't exist, are not convenient, cheap and fine. Since I've been to 2 different stores 4 times in the past week, those days are over.

This blog is going to be a lot about food and transport, namely transporting food home via bike. I guess that's my life. Got to maintain it. Love would be nice but food is required. Here is my haul from San Carlos Joe's on Monday, as transported and as unfurled. (I know... I drink too much.)

Oh Boy Blagoy!

As with the rest of the world, I am pretty shocked that the Illinois Governor refers to his power to appoint Obama's Senate successor as "f***ing golden. I am not going to just f***ing give it away." Oh no, you are not. Not at all, low-life. You just don't expect this kind of stuff. But I don't want to pile on that sorry excuse for a leader. 2 points really struck me on the story:

1) Do they now listen to everyone and everything? I think he should be put in a stockade in the public square for a long time where people can throw rotten tomatoes at him. Just humiliate and make suffer. BUT, he didn't even get to do the crime, he was just talking of it. So there is the issue of the Feds, there is the issue of privacy, of a sense that every thing we can say someone is listening to. But now it is legal it seems, PATRIOT Act, RICO, war, police-worship, military-worship state. This is a real problem.

2) Prosecutor Fitzgerald says "Lincoln is rolling over in his grave." Well I hope so since he was honorable. The fact that a titan or righteousness would be appalled is no measure. How about, "Nixon would roll over in his grave." Is not that what you meant, Fitz. Oh well, it is a weird saying and probably should not have been uttered.

Speaking of climbing hills

It is funny that somehow Bach came up at Thanksgiving and I love Bach and was asked for a recommendation. But while I love him, I don't really know the names of pieces or his ouvre so much that I can just whip out recs. I thought of the Cello concertos but since those are for one instrument, it does not capture the man. So I said, "The Brandenburg Concertos." I was nervous. Are they that good? Is that what I should recommend to newbies. I have hardly stopped listening to them since. Good pick.

The Freiburg Baroque Orchestra has their version of the Concertos up on YouTube. When they say allegro, they mean fast. Really fast. And the pieces have been swirling in my head. And they really help me. They are full of love and joy but mostly they are fast. And that really helps when you are climbing for hours, i.e. Mt. Diablo, Mt. Hamilton. This one really helped me up Quimby/Hamilton.

Day 1: Mt. Hamilton; Day 2 - OLH, Pescadero, Alpine

Life could be worse.

Saturday, Mt. Hamilton. Most of the crew took the classic Hamilton route, but a hard-core quashed Quimby. I call Quimby a shortcut since it is just over 3 miles compared to the other route which, although you end up at the same point, takes 6 miles. You gain over 1800 feet in the 3+ miles. Then to get to the top, to the Lick Observatory, you have about 10 more miles with a descent or 2 thrown in and a net elevation gain in that span of about 2500 feet. All in all, it is exceptional.

Then Sunday was the classic Old La Honda-Pescadero-Alpine jaunt. This is really a local ride for me. As a cyclist, it is hard to describe how nice it is, especially since we take if for granted. But the ride goes up glorious Old La Honda, through a tangle of Redwoods, then out to San Gregorio and Pescadero by the sea. And finally back home, culminating in a 6.5 mile climb up Alpine and an equidistant rip-roaring descent down Page Mill Rd. I love it, even when menaced by a gun-toting skeleton on Stage Rd.

Mt. Diablo and Pennywhistle Thunder

Well I had a ton of photos from Mt. Diablo. And I had the urge to get the rare and unavailable Pennywhistle Thunder out there. So it was time to throw up a new video on YouTube. I probably am breaking copyright laws but I mean no harm and reject any profit. Pennywhistle Thunder came out ONLY on a 10" vinyl EP single with Cold Son. The band is Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks. Malkmus is critically acclaimed beyond all get out but no one has ever heard of him. I came across the new but obscure song on some bootleg live shows. It blew me away. Which makes sense because after all, it was apparently an outtake from Real Emotional Trash, released in early '08 and in my player all year. Every song on it is good; really, really good. It's a masterpiece. So of course the new, the fresh Pennywhistle Thunder blows my mind. It's like Malkmus on steroids. But you can't get it on mp3, can't get it on any CD, can't find it anywhere. There was a great live version at imeem but the dude who posted it disappeared. I bought the vinyl through eBay back in July but did not have a record player and then relocated West so I finally got around to listening to it a couple of weeks ago.

As for the YouTube video, all I did was show every photo in chronological order, everything saved from that day. No thinking, not a moment attempting to fix the photos to the music. You don't have to, it always works out. And just look at the fixed image on YouTube - the exact halfway moment - and lo and behold, it's CCurlew and Oldstrong sprinting up the wall. The highlight of the day yet by total chance. You can't make this stuff up. There was still over a minute to fill so I name-checked the band with photos and captions as a tribute. I love the Jicks beyond belief.



"I'd rather kiss a cop than use a malaprop." What a line.
"I'd rather be a circus freak than wake up with your hairline." I like that line too but it hurts. I guess I'm the cop there.

Another Thursday - A Good Day

I finished up my project at work. Boy I am glad that's over. I probably have absolutely nothing to do at work until Tuesday. I'll develop the blog... I really don't like my job. It's my fault. It is a great place to work, however. Take today for example...

Since I had some extra time, I took the chance to go for a lunchtime run in the side streets just outside my workplace. Just outside and across El Camino Real that is, and that's no small task. It was a great day, a little cool but sunny and fresh. So it was a perfect if uneventful run. And twice a week my firm provides a nice catered lunch, and today it was fajitas, chips, salsa, guacomole, salad, etc. So after my run I was able to shower in the gym and grab a sweet lunch. It tasted so good.


It is pleasant in the more spacious, green 'burbs.

Thursday's the day I do my good deed, which is a new thing for me. When I came out here, I volunteered for this group, the Humanimal Connection. I've always loved animals but haven't had a pet in years, since Trima died. So it made sense for me to look for some local group and I came across the Humanimal Connection. They basically do their best to rescue cats and run adoption centers out of local pet stores and were looking for volunteers.

The cats are great. It is really being selfish. I may have to clean up after them and feed them, but I get to play with them a lot and they are a playful lot. I dealt with a bunch of new kitties today since I had not been there in a couple of weeks. And the older cats in the cat room have a ringworm issue so I did not go in there. Another volunteer with protective gear dealt with that area. The worry is that it will spread to other cats, humans are safe.

Bach Rocks

The Brandenburg Concertos have been making me feel very good this week. I hope you can see why. Props to the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra and YouTube.

Food Shopping

All I really needed was beer and Lucky had a 12-pack of Sierra Nevada for $11.99 so they got me in. I like Sierra Nevada. Coming from the East, it may be more alluring. Out here, it seems more abundant. I wonder if locals look down on it. But the trip was easy of course. I went after dinner so the streets were pretty empty. The store is about 2.5 miles away. The Safeway is the same distance. I have a nice market near me, Emerald Market, so I mostly go there. They have nice produce at good prices, and fresh bread and things like that. But if you need bulk type groceries, you can save good money at the major markets.


Not that my diet matters, but this is the first time I've bought a jar of mayonnaise in well over 10 years. But lunch has become an issue so I think I am going to make batches of macaroni and potato salad. I also rarely buy the Progresso Soups but they were $1 and I had space. I buy potatoes a lot but this is the first time I ever bought the Yukon Gold. But the beer, bread, bananas, peppers, onions (I got a couple of red onions but unfortunately they did not get in the photo): those are staples. Anyway, this is an easy trip. You can see from the photos that I have a lot of space in my back pack and the produce transported well. I like how I am very reflective on the bike. Now I need to be more reflective off it...

Damn I keep forgetting my camera

Oh well, nothing really happened anyway. But I do want to show what it's like to ride at dark. It's kind of cool because I take the side streets of Atherton, and apparently they don't believe in streetlights. I mean, it is probably one of the wealthier communities in the world, but no streetlights? They don't have curbs, either. Don't even ask about sidewalks. But actually it's really nice. And I love the lack of streetlights. And it makes it a little more dangerous and hence more fun. (I am a little worried about walkers or runners in blind curves and sometimes vocalize my presence.) It is like the Golden Gate bridge, with the clamor to put up a suicide protection fence. The people are like - no! It's not aesthetically pleasing, it doesn't fit. The non-nanny state yet very liberal, too. California is awesome.

Drove past this somber site in October - RIP

California is awesome but life is tragic everywhere, and often very unfair and cruel. But so far, it does seem a little easier out here in Redwood City than in New York City, in a macro, cosmic-type way. (Damn, kind of a bleak post with the multiple death references, but that New Yorker article is excellent and memorable..)