My long vacation is coming to a creeping end and it's now time to find work. When I lost my job a year ago, I felt like I was given a new lease on life and the freedom to pursue whatever I wanted.
However, over the past few months, as my mind grinded on my next pursuits, I was humbly gripped by fears of taking two years off to go back to school and starting over in a completely new capacity (teaching) on blind faith alone. In my time of reflection, my firSSt revelation came from a friend who reminded me of the story of a farmer that found a frozen snake in the field. He took the snake into his home and nurtured it back to good health. As he picked up the snake to release it, the snake bit him. Perplexed, the farmer asked the snake why he bit him after he saved his life. The snake responded "I'm a snake, that's what I do."
While channeling my inner snake, I realized I'm a finance guy. Starting in the new year, my search for a job in finance will begin in earnest. However, I'd prefer to trade quality of life for stress/pursuit of riches. Here's my wishlist:
1. Job in finance department or strategic development area of a company (e.g., position reporting to CFO)
2. Institutional equity sales
3. Buyside analyst
I realize the search isn't going to be easy given the current employment situation. Thus, I'm taking a systematic approach:
1. Networking
2. Headhunters
3. Websites
I will keep you guy(s) updated on my progress.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Who's Going to Save the Savers?
What a difference a year makes. Or does it? Has anything really changed in our societal behavior patterns? What our economy needs in the long-term is some good old fashioned prudent saving but everything the government is doing encourages the opposite.
Consumption, speculation and greed. Feels like deja vu all over again. God save you if you decide to save -- he may be all you'll have left.
Consumption, speculation and greed. Feels like deja vu all over again. God save you if you decide to save -- he may be all you'll have left.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Bullying the Market
Did the Bully just nail the top of the market? The S&P closed at 1097.91 on the day he recommended to sell equities. (You could have easily sold at this level the next day as well.)
Take a look at the daily S&P candle chart. Looks like we are going to test the 50 day MA for the second time in a month. Will we hold this time? The Bully's best guess is we bounce off the 50 day MA initially but break through to the downside shortly thereafter.
Take a look at the daily S&P candle chart. Looks like we are going to test the 50 day MA for the second time in a month. Will we hold this time? The Bully's best guess is we bounce off the 50 day MA initially but break through to the downside shortly thereafter.
Monday, October 19, 2009
From Bully to Beary
Back in the beginning of April, the Bully called for a 50% retracement in stocks that would likely take us above 1000 level on the S&P (see link below). Actually, technically speaking, the 50% retracement level is closer to 1125 but no matter how you slice it we're basically there. Can you smell the optimism in the air now that "the recession is over"? Hmmmm...investors are eating up the profits and asset prices that are being supported by the government pumping tons of stimulus into the economy. But the structural issues surrounding our economy continue to be avoided and have only gotten worse. The only way to find a true bottom in the market is without intervention. It's only a matter of time until the index finger collapses on the hopes of a V shaped recovery and all that is left is the market giving investors the middle finger.
For the one or two of you who look to the Bully for market and financial advice, now is a great time to sell your equity positions and start getting defensive again. Surely you can't imagine this would be the right move with such optimism brewing but these are the moments that define great investors (going against the thundering herd). With Wall St. paying out huge bonuses again and Main St. suffering, you can bet your sweet bottom that more stimulus is going to be hard to come by when it's needed again (which will be soon).
http://thebullycockpit.blogspot.com/2009/04/50-retracement.html
For the one or two of you who look to the Bully for market and financial advice, now is a great time to sell your equity positions and start getting defensive again. Surely you can't imagine this would be the right move with such optimism brewing but these are the moments that define great investors (going against the thundering herd). With Wall St. paying out huge bonuses again and Main St. suffering, you can bet your sweet bottom that more stimulus is going to be hard to come by when it's needed again (which will be soon).
http://thebullycockpit.blogspot.com/2009/04/50-retracement.html
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Movie Wednesday
Semi-retirement is turning into a bit of a grind. Sure, I'm back looking for work and trying to get into a Master's of Education program, both of which are good for my mental state as it relates to having a longer-term plan. Nevertheless, trying to keep busy on a day-to-day basis is proving a bit of a challenge, particularly as the weather is now cooling.
So I decided to go to the movies on Friday afternoon. Like every good (semi-)retiree, I'm always looking for a good deal. While the matinee deal of $7 is a nice little bargain, Wednesday is a special day with all movies only $5.50 all day long. So now each Wednesday that I'm free I plan on going to the movies. If the mood strikes me and there's something worthwhile, I'll provide a movie review here.
I do have a review of the first movie I saw, Capitalism: A Love Story. Overall I'd say it was a solid movie that is worth seeing. It brings up some very interesting points, particularly in light of the record Wall St. bonuses that are likely going to be paid this year. The best parts of the movie are when MM gives historical perspective comparing us to the Roman Empire and the how the Reagan and Carter eras set some destructive wheels in motion. He argues that we have exported all of our manufacturing and industrial expertise in the name of profits (agreed). Finally, he provides some interesting insight on the bailout package (although I think he borders a bit too much on conspiracy theory here). Areas where I believe he falls short are when he tries to humanize the situation and shows depressing footage of people's homes being repossessed. While it's sad and I'm sympathetic to people being put on the street, it reaks of the victim syndrome. He shows several families that have lived in their houses for 40+ years that get evicted. But if they've lived there for so long why do they have debt on their houses? Sure MM tries to blame the politicans giving confidence in the value of people's homes and that they should tap the equity but in my book you can never blame someone else for your own greed. I'd like to see the whole story of the ridiculous items they bought by tapping their home equity loans. This may not actually be the case (they may have tapped their homes to just survive) but it's an area where MM comes off as sensationalist and potentially without regard to facts. I know this sounds insensitive but I'm just providing a review. Another area where he falls short is in not providing solutions. Sure, he does delve a bit into companies that are run as cooperatives (which I believe are great and likely where our economy is headed in the longer-term). But he could have done more to provide potential solutions.
Overall, I'd give the movie 3.5 stars out of 5.0
So I decided to go to the movies on Friday afternoon. Like every good (semi-)retiree, I'm always looking for a good deal. While the matinee deal of $7 is a nice little bargain, Wednesday is a special day with all movies only $5.50 all day long. So now each Wednesday that I'm free I plan on going to the movies. If the mood strikes me and there's something worthwhile, I'll provide a movie review here.
I do have a review of the first movie I saw, Capitalism: A Love Story. Overall I'd say it was a solid movie that is worth seeing. It brings up some very interesting points, particularly in light of the record Wall St. bonuses that are likely going to be paid this year. The best parts of the movie are when MM gives historical perspective comparing us to the Roman Empire and the how the Reagan and Carter eras set some destructive wheels in motion. He argues that we have exported all of our manufacturing and industrial expertise in the name of profits (agreed). Finally, he provides some interesting insight on the bailout package (although I think he borders a bit too much on conspiracy theory here). Areas where I believe he falls short are when he tries to humanize the situation and shows depressing footage of people's homes being repossessed. While it's sad and I'm sympathetic to people being put on the street, it reaks of the victim syndrome. He shows several families that have lived in their houses for 40+ years that get evicted. But if they've lived there for so long why do they have debt on their houses? Sure MM tries to blame the politicans giving confidence in the value of people's homes and that they should tap the equity but in my book you can never blame someone else for your own greed. I'd like to see the whole story of the ridiculous items they bought by tapping their home equity loans. This may not actually be the case (they may have tapped their homes to just survive) but it's an area where MM comes off as sensationalist and potentially without regard to facts. I know this sounds insensitive but I'm just providing a review. Another area where he falls short is in not providing solutions. Sure, he does delve a bit into companies that are run as cooperatives (which I believe are great and likely where our economy is headed in the longer-term). But he could have done more to provide potential solutions.
Overall, I'd give the movie 3.5 stars out of 5.0
Monday, October 12, 2009
Under the Gun
I set a goal of cycling 4k miles this year. I was holding out hope, but after this weekend I don't think it's realistic (I'll explain more below on the weekend). I have a new goal of beating last year's mileage. I've done 3,235 so far in 2009, which is 365 miles shy of the 3,600 I did in 2008. But it's gonna be tight. The days are getting shorter and the weather is getting colder. I'm going to need a lot of motivation and some luck from the weather to get things done.
This past weekend, I was scheduled to do three days of riding in the Catskills. An NYCC member put together a plan to have about 30-40 serious cyclists stay at a cheesy dude ranch (in order to keep the costs low) and ride amongst the fall foliage. He spent countless e-mails downplaying the accommodations in order to manage expectations about the condition of the property and the quality of the food (it's an all-inclusive type of deal).
All told I was hoping to get in about 200 miles over a 5 day stretch including a warm up ride on Thursday. However, early Thursday morning I got an e-mail from a company for a last minute interview. I really want the job so I skipped the warm-up ride. Fast forward to Friday night. We pull up to the ranch, which is about 2 hours from NYC, and I can't believe how hillbilly the clientele is. It's 9pm and there's a full-blown drunken Karaoke session happening just a few feet from the reception desk. I'm beside myself. I'm ready to eat the cost of the whole weekend. I can't imagine staying here much less eating all my meals here.
When we got to our room I felt a little better. It didn't quite smell as bad as I had feared and while the condition wasn't great, it was bearable. The walls however were paper thin. At this point I'm still fearing eating at this place.
We wake for breakfast and some of the anxiety has washed away. We sit with a bunch of people I know and I'm feeling better. The food is actually fairly edible. And the visuals weren't near as bad as I was expecting. I head back to my room feeling better.
The weather forecast called for 60 degrees and sunny, which is on the border for a normal shirt sleeve jersey. I debate bringing my windbreaker, which folds into a pouch, but I leave it behind thinking it is an unnecessary inconvenience. As I'm leaving my room I see everyone in cold weather gear. I jokingly poo poo them. Boy was I wrong. About 5 miles into the ride I'm feeling a chill as the sun goes away. Then we start climbing, and climbing hard, for about a mile. I ask someone if this is one of the two big climbs we're scheduled to do. Nope, just a warm up they say. Hmmmm, I'm losing my edge. About 15 miles into the ride the wind starts kicking in as we pass a reservoir. Now I'm getting cold. We make a right and head into some more brutal climbing. This time instead of a mile it's about 3 or 4 miles and steeper. I ask someone if now this is one of the two big climbs we're scheduled to do. Nope, just another warm up they say. Ok, had enough. I'm freezing and my legs are burning already. If we are doing substantially more climbing I figured it's going to get even colder. I thank everyone and turn around to head home. I feel like a bit of a wuss but the cold and climbing just psyched me out. I ended up getting 40 miles in, which wasn't so bad.
At dinner that night I learned that the second climb I did was, in fact, one of the two big climbs we were scheduled to do. Actually, it was the harder of the two climbs! No matter, I was so friggin' cold I really needed to just go back. Turns out that it got even colder at the top and people who were dressed in tights and layers with jackets were cold. I can't imagine how I would have felt in a short sleeve jersey!
Ok so long story longer the meal at dinner was actually pretty solid but the visuals were really getting to me. I can't get too descriptive for fear of being called a snob. But given that I didn't really want to ride the next day, my desire to leave the place was burning. Additionally, my elbow was hurting me for some reason. I spoke with the guy I rode up with and talked him into leaving a full day early! It certainly helped that the weather was even colder on Sunday. I went to the front desk and told them we were checking out early in the slim hopes we'd get a refund for the last day...and we go one. BONUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So I wasted two days and a couple hundred bucks. I'll never do this trip again, no matter how little money I have. Just not my thing. Now I have to figure out a way to makeup those miles.
This past weekend, I was scheduled to do three days of riding in the Catskills. An NYCC member put together a plan to have about 30-40 serious cyclists stay at a cheesy dude ranch (in order to keep the costs low) and ride amongst the fall foliage. He spent countless e-mails downplaying the accommodations in order to manage expectations about the condition of the property and the quality of the food (it's an all-inclusive type of deal).
All told I was hoping to get in about 200 miles over a 5 day stretch including a warm up ride on Thursday. However, early Thursday morning I got an e-mail from a company for a last minute interview. I really want the job so I skipped the warm-up ride. Fast forward to Friday night. We pull up to the ranch, which is about 2 hours from NYC, and I can't believe how hillbilly the clientele is. It's 9pm and there's a full-blown drunken Karaoke session happening just a few feet from the reception desk. I'm beside myself. I'm ready to eat the cost of the whole weekend. I can't imagine staying here much less eating all my meals here.
When we got to our room I felt a little better. It didn't quite smell as bad as I had feared and while the condition wasn't great, it was bearable. The walls however were paper thin. At this point I'm still fearing eating at this place.
We wake for breakfast and some of the anxiety has washed away. We sit with a bunch of people I know and I'm feeling better. The food is actually fairly edible. And the visuals weren't near as bad as I was expecting. I head back to my room feeling better.
The weather forecast called for 60 degrees and sunny, which is on the border for a normal shirt sleeve jersey. I debate bringing my windbreaker, which folds into a pouch, but I leave it behind thinking it is an unnecessary inconvenience. As I'm leaving my room I see everyone in cold weather gear. I jokingly poo poo them. Boy was I wrong. About 5 miles into the ride I'm feeling a chill as the sun goes away. Then we start climbing, and climbing hard, for about a mile. I ask someone if this is one of the two big climbs we're scheduled to do. Nope, just a warm up they say. Hmmmm, I'm losing my edge. About 15 miles into the ride the wind starts kicking in as we pass a reservoir. Now I'm getting cold. We make a right and head into some more brutal climbing. This time instead of a mile it's about 3 or 4 miles and steeper. I ask someone if now this is one of the two big climbs we're scheduled to do. Nope, just another warm up they say. Ok, had enough. I'm freezing and my legs are burning already. If we are doing substantially more climbing I figured it's going to get even colder. I thank everyone and turn around to head home. I feel like a bit of a wuss but the cold and climbing just psyched me out. I ended up getting 40 miles in, which wasn't so bad.
At dinner that night I learned that the second climb I did was, in fact, one of the two big climbs we were scheduled to do. Actually, it was the harder of the two climbs! No matter, I was so friggin' cold I really needed to just go back. Turns out that it got even colder at the top and people who were dressed in tights and layers with jackets were cold. I can't imagine how I would have felt in a short sleeve jersey!
Ok so long story longer the meal at dinner was actually pretty solid but the visuals were really getting to me. I can't get too descriptive for fear of being called a snob. But given that I didn't really want to ride the next day, my desire to leave the place was burning. Additionally, my elbow was hurting me for some reason. I spoke with the guy I rode up with and talked him into leaving a full day early! It certainly helped that the weather was even colder on Sunday. I went to the front desk and told them we were checking out early in the slim hopes we'd get a refund for the last day...and we go one. BONUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So I wasted two days and a couple hundred bucks. I'll never do this trip again, no matter how little money I have. Just not my thing. Now I have to figure out a way to makeup those miles.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
10,000 Miles Under My Feet
I haven't been posting much because I haven't had much to say. I also haven't been riding that much lately. Only about 200 miles over the past month. I did however, surpass a nice milestone today as I now have 10,000 miles under my belt as a cyclist.
Getting back on the bike after a bit of a layoff really reinforces your love for the sport. I pushed pretty hard today and did surprisingly well. I feel great right now.
Getting back on the bike after a bit of a layoff really reinforces your love for the sport. I pushed pretty hard today and did surprisingly well. I feel great right now.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Rohan the Barbarian
Next week I'm off to Amsterdam, Belgium and France with Dr. Ed. It seems like every cycling tour brings a new twist and my next adventure is no exception. Unlike my prior three tours, this time we are flying in to and out of different airoports so I can't use my hardshell bike box. Instead, I need to pack my bike in disposable cardboard box.
Yesterday, I went to my local bike shop to pickup a box. They will give you a cardboard bike box for free since they are just going to throw them out anyway (these are the boxes used to ship new bicycles to the store). But they charge you $65 to pack the bike in it. I decided I'm going to pack it myself since I have the time and the mechanical knowlege. But I really have no clue on the logistics.
Enter Rohan. He's the head mechanic at the shop. Plain and simple, I love the guy. He's a nice, calm dude who always goes the extra mile for you. I'm not sure of his nationality but he's likely West African or Hatian. When I entered the service area he gave me the calm, smooth and slow "is everything allright with you, Jeff?". It's a great open ended question that can really elicit any response. When I told him I needed to pack my bike in a cardboard box he gave me the simple steps as well as some zip ties and a piece to protect the front fork:
1) gear up to the largest cog on the cassette to protect the rear derailer
2) remove the pedals
2) remove the saddle/seatpost
3) remove the front wheel
4) zip tie the drive side crank arm to the chainstay to keep the crankset locked at parallel
5) remove the handlebars and stem
6) set the front wheel on the non-driveside of the frame locked into the crank arm (takes a little practice once you get it, it's easy)
7) set bike into the box
I just did a dry run and it fits pretty well. I picked up some pipe insulation at Home Depot for $5 that I'm going to use to protect the frame. If I can get motivated I'm going to finish the job today so I just have the soft packing left for next Wednesday.
Yesterday, I went to my local bike shop to pickup a box. They will give you a cardboard bike box for free since they are just going to throw them out anyway (these are the boxes used to ship new bicycles to the store). But they charge you $65 to pack the bike in it. I decided I'm going to pack it myself since I have the time and the mechanical knowlege. But I really have no clue on the logistics.
Enter Rohan. He's the head mechanic at the shop. Plain and simple, I love the guy. He's a nice, calm dude who always goes the extra mile for you. I'm not sure of his nationality but he's likely West African or Hatian. When I entered the service area he gave me the calm, smooth and slow "is everything allright with you, Jeff?". It's a great open ended question that can really elicit any response. When I told him I needed to pack my bike in a cardboard box he gave me the simple steps as well as some zip ties and a piece to protect the front fork:
1) gear up to the largest cog on the cassette to protect the rear derailer
2) remove the pedals
2) remove the saddle/seatpost
3) remove the front wheel
4) zip tie the drive side crank arm to the chainstay to keep the crankset locked at parallel
5) remove the handlebars and stem
6) set the front wheel on the non-driveside of the frame locked into the crank arm (takes a little practice once you get it, it's easy)
7) set bike into the box
I just did a dry run and it fits pretty well. I picked up some pipe insulation at Home Depot for $5 that I'm going to use to protect the frame. If I can get motivated I'm going to finish the job today so I just have the soft packing left for next Wednesday.
Monday, August 3, 2009
Definitely Starting to Assimilate
I'm working my way through the Assimil language program. Not 100% sure what to make of it yet but I'm starting to see some benefits. For instance, I learned my first grammar rule! This is the bizarre thing about Pimsleur. You have such great speaking abilities but you are a bit like a robot in that you are just repeating certain things back without understanding the rules.
The grammar rule I learned is regarding definite articles. While doing PIM, you kind of just mish mash the definite articles you hear when you repeat them back because they take so many forms and can sound very similar. What's a definite article you ask? In English, "the" is the only definite article and it's used for both singular and plural nouns. Additionally, nouns in English aren't assigned a gender. Well, they are in Italian. Kinda sexist, huh? Leave it to the Italians.
There's a different definite article for each situation (and a few exceptions which follow): 1) feminine singular nouns use "la" (la mano); 2) feminine plural nouns use "le" (le mani); 3) masculine singular nouns use "il" (il bagno); and masculine plural nouns use "i" (i bagni).
But wait, there's more: "lo" is used with masculine singluar nouns beginning with: a) the letter S and followed by consonant (lo scompartimento); b) the letter Z (lo zucchero) or c) a vowel -- but you drop the o and combine l' with the noun (l'operaio). Oh and finally, "gli" is used these same situations a) (gli compartimenti) b (gli operai), and c (gli zucchero).
Easy stuff, huh?!
The grammar rule I learned is regarding definite articles. While doing PIM, you kind of just mish mash the definite articles you hear when you repeat them back because they take so many forms and can sound very similar. What's a definite article you ask? In English, "the" is the only definite article and it's used for both singular and plural nouns. Additionally, nouns in English aren't assigned a gender. Well, they are in Italian. Kinda sexist, huh? Leave it to the Italians.
There's a different definite article for each situation (and a few exceptions which follow): 1) feminine singular nouns use "la" (la mano); 2) feminine plural nouns use "le" (le mani); 3) masculine singular nouns use "il" (il bagno); and masculine plural nouns use "i" (i bagni).
But wait, there's more: "lo" is used with masculine singluar nouns beginning with: a) the letter S and followed by consonant (lo scompartimento); b) the letter Z (lo zucchero) or c) a vowel -- but you drop the o and combine l' with the noun (l'operaio). Oh and finally, "gli" is used these same situations a) (gli compartimenti) b (gli operai), and c (gli zucchero).
Easy stuff, huh?!
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Old Time's Sake
When I showed up for my weekly ride on Saturday I noticed there weren't any A riders to be found. The A rides coordinator was out of town but supposedly others were riding. I wasn't sure what to make of it. All I know is I wanted to ride. So I decided to ride with the B's for old time's sake.
After taking almost 2 hours to go 25 miles I realized I've been affected. I can no longer do the "slow" miles. It's not that the pace is all that slow, it's just that there seems to be constant stops. Flat tires, waiting for the rest of the group, people stopping for water, etc... When we got to the first official rest stop I decided to call it quits. I headed back to my car solo and realized I may never be able to ride with the B's again. Now I really need to lose that weight!
After taking almost 2 hours to go 25 miles I realized I've been affected. I can no longer do the "slow" miles. It's not that the pace is all that slow, it's just that there seems to be constant stops. Flat tires, waiting for the rest of the group, people stopping for water, etc... When we got to the first official rest stop I decided to call it quits. I headed back to my car solo and realized I may never be able to ride with the B's again. Now I really need to lose that weight!
Friday, July 31, 2009
Burn Baby Burn
Participating in the faster rides lately has really made me think about my weight in a lot of ways. While I'm not "fat", at 220 lbs. I'm definitely a larger rider and it really takes its toll on hills. I'm not really into the technical side of cycling but I'd be curious to know how much more power/energy I need to expend vs. other cyclists in order to get up some of the larger hills. Why do I suddenly bring this up? Well I've been struggling a bit on the rides lately, particularly in the hotter weather. I realize I need to lose weight in order to take up my cycling game.
This is where it gets tricky. I read somewhere that the best way to burn calories/fat and lose weight on the bike is through long rides with sustained low-intensity effort. In other words, you are much more likely to lose weight riding 75 miles at 15 mph than doing 50 miles at 20 mph. I definitely believe this to be the case. While I'm so much more tired after the faster rides I do, I'm having a lot of trouble losing weight doing them. By contrast, when I rode longer distances at much slower speeds in Italy, the weight was flying off of me.
I also need to do a better job of watching what I eat. I'd love to get down to 200 lbs and see how my riding responds. I don't want to put too much pressure on myself because that'll guarantee failure but it's something I'm targeting. I guess it's just a question of how to get there?
This is where it gets tricky. I read somewhere that the best way to burn calories/fat and lose weight on the bike is through long rides with sustained low-intensity effort. In other words, you are much more likely to lose weight riding 75 miles at 15 mph than doing 50 miles at 20 mph. I definitely believe this to be the case. While I'm so much more tired after the faster rides I do, I'm having a lot of trouble losing weight doing them. By contrast, when I rode longer distances at much slower speeds in Italy, the weight was flying off of me.
I also need to do a better job of watching what I eat. I'd love to get down to 200 lbs and see how my riding responds. I don't want to put too much pressure on myself because that'll guarantee failure but it's something I'm targeting. I guess it's just a question of how to get there?
Friday, July 24, 2009
PIMp My Language
I'm nearing the end of Pimsleur and it's definitely a bittersweet moment. I'm psyched to have completed the series but I'm truly going to miss it. If you ever decide to try and learn a foreign language, please give Pimsleur strong consideration. Like any other language program it has some shortcomings, but the methodology is so incredibly positive in terms of your ability to retain information and speak the language. I'm truly amazed how far I've come after only a little over 3 months.
Knowing Pimsleur was coming to an end, over the past few weeks, I started to contemplate what was next for my quest to learn Italian. I considered taking a course at the local community college but given the relatively unorthodox way I am learning I figured this was not a good fit. Next, I started researching other self-study courses that would specifically address grammar and vocabulary, the two biggest Pimsleur deficiencies. After careful consideration, I've chosen Italian With Ease by Assimil. It's a nice transition from Pimsleur for a bunch of reasons, not the least of which is there's also a CD listening component to the series. I got the program a few days ago and it looks pretty interesting. It has 105 lessons and the publisher says it should take you 6 months to complete -- although I'm thinking I should be able to do it in about 4 months because they assume you need a few days to get through each of the first few lessons if this is your first language series. I would agree with them that it appears fairly advanced off the bat/it's not as accodomating for true beginners as PIM.
So regarding PIM, today I'm doing lesson 28 of level III. This means I have only 2 more lessons left. Next week I'll be starting Assimil. However, I get the feeling I'm still going to using PIM in my quest to learn Italian. I'll probably re-do level III lessons as I drive in the car, etc... So maybe this isn't goodbye to PIM as much as a transition to a different way of using it. Regardless, PIM is GOD.
Knowing Pimsleur was coming to an end, over the past few weeks, I started to contemplate what was next for my quest to learn Italian. I considered taking a course at the local community college but given the relatively unorthodox way I am learning I figured this was not a good fit. Next, I started researching other self-study courses that would specifically address grammar and vocabulary, the two biggest Pimsleur deficiencies. After careful consideration, I've chosen Italian With Ease by Assimil. It's a nice transition from Pimsleur for a bunch of reasons, not the least of which is there's also a CD listening component to the series. I got the program a few days ago and it looks pretty interesting. It has 105 lessons and the publisher says it should take you 6 months to complete -- although I'm thinking I should be able to do it in about 4 months because they assume you need a few days to get through each of the first few lessons if this is your first language series. I would agree with them that it appears fairly advanced off the bat/it's not as accodomating for true beginners as PIM.
So regarding PIM, today I'm doing lesson 28 of level III. This means I have only 2 more lessons left. Next week I'll be starting Assimil. However, I get the feeling I'm still going to using PIM in my quest to learn Italian. I'll probably re-do level III lessons as I drive in the car, etc... So maybe this isn't goodbye to PIM as much as a transition to a different way of using it. Regardless, PIM is GOD.
Monday, July 20, 2009
P-Push It Real Good
I never got to my Italy tour follow-up post and not sure I ever will. I kind of missed the sweet spot for writing it because I got caught up in some other things (firSSt can attest to how busy you can get not working sometimes).
So if you're wondering about my blog post title, aside from a good opportunity to homage Salt-N-Peppa, I've been stepping up my cycling game lately and really pushing myself to the limit. Before I jump into the details I want to give LI cycling the props it deserves. If you recall, when I moved out here I was nervous about finding good riding. But now I can't imagine riding anywhere else. The north shore of LI has some awesome scenery and hills with very limited traffic. I would estimate that I see about 25% of the cars on LI rides as I do on NYCC rides.
Two Saturdays ago I decided to join the fastest "A" group in the Long Island Bike Club. I had previously done two rides with the club but both times with the B group. Man, was it a challenge. But a good challenge. They really take no prisoners and they don't stop nearly as much as the B group. The A group can bang out 50 miles in under 3 hours including a bathroom/snack break. It takes upwards of 5 hours to ride 50 miles in a B group because of the slower speed and the generally more relaxed attitude towards stopping and overall lingering.
I definitely struggled a bit on my first A ride because I had forgotten about the importance of nutrition when you push yourself. I'd been doing so many B rides that I got into the bad habit of 1) not eating before the ride and 2) not bringing food on the ride. These came back to haunt me big time on my first fast ride. About halfway through I started to bonk (go anerobic) and I became like a homeless person begging for food. Someone was nice enough to give me an energy bar but the damage was already largely done. (Once you go bonk, you never come back.) Luckily I only half-bonked so I was able to struggle my way through the rest of the ride. Afterward, Phil, the rider leader, invited me to a training ride on Tuesday.
The Tuesday ride took things up another level. The best woman triathlete on the east coast rode with us, as well as a professional woman triathlete who was ranked in the top 50 in the world up until two months ago when she broke a bone in her foot. Suffice it to say she still roasted me on the bike even with a broken foot and after not riding for two months. After the Tuesday ride, I got invited to the Thurdsay training ride. This ride was even tougher than the Tuesday ride as a guy who used to race in Europe showed up. Man was he fast. These Tuesday/Thursday training rides seem like they have a certain minimum pace but can be a bit faster or slower depending on who shows up. Needless to say I did a lot of sleeping after the rides on Tuesday and Thursday but I'm feeling better and better with each ride. Saturday I rode with the A group in the LIBC again and felt great afterward.
I'm hoping the weather holds up tomorrow so the Tuesday ride is on. If I can continue making these rides I will soon be in the best cycling shape of my life and smash my mileage record from last year. I'd also love to lose some weight as I have issues keeping up on the hills sometimes. If I could lose another 15-20 lbs. (down to 195-200 lbs) I think I could be a force to be reconed with on the bike.
So if you're wondering about my blog post title, aside from a good opportunity to homage Salt-N-Peppa, I've been stepping up my cycling game lately and really pushing myself to the limit. Before I jump into the details I want to give LI cycling the props it deserves. If you recall, when I moved out here I was nervous about finding good riding. But now I can't imagine riding anywhere else. The north shore of LI has some awesome scenery and hills with very limited traffic. I would estimate that I see about 25% of the cars on LI rides as I do on NYCC rides.
Two Saturdays ago I decided to join the fastest "A" group in the Long Island Bike Club. I had previously done two rides with the club but both times with the B group. Man, was it a challenge. But a good challenge. They really take no prisoners and they don't stop nearly as much as the B group. The A group can bang out 50 miles in under 3 hours including a bathroom/snack break. It takes upwards of 5 hours to ride 50 miles in a B group because of the slower speed and the generally more relaxed attitude towards stopping and overall lingering.
I definitely struggled a bit on my first A ride because I had forgotten about the importance of nutrition when you push yourself. I'd been doing so many B rides that I got into the bad habit of 1) not eating before the ride and 2) not bringing food on the ride. These came back to haunt me big time on my first fast ride. About halfway through I started to bonk (go anerobic) and I became like a homeless person begging for food. Someone was nice enough to give me an energy bar but the damage was already largely done. (Once you go bonk, you never come back.) Luckily I only half-bonked so I was able to struggle my way through the rest of the ride. Afterward, Phil, the rider leader, invited me to a training ride on Tuesday.
The Tuesday ride took things up another level. The best woman triathlete on the east coast rode with us, as well as a professional woman triathlete who was ranked in the top 50 in the world up until two months ago when she broke a bone in her foot. Suffice it to say she still roasted me on the bike even with a broken foot and after not riding for two months. After the Tuesday ride, I got invited to the Thurdsay training ride. This ride was even tougher than the Tuesday ride as a guy who used to race in Europe showed up. Man was he fast. These Tuesday/Thursday training rides seem like they have a certain minimum pace but can be a bit faster or slower depending on who shows up. Needless to say I did a lot of sleeping after the rides on Tuesday and Thursday but I'm feeling better and better with each ride. Saturday I rode with the A group in the LIBC again and felt great afterward.
I'm hoping the weather holds up tomorrow so the Tuesday ride is on. If I can continue making these rides I will soon be in the best cycling shape of my life and smash my mileage record from last year. I'd also love to lose some weight as I have issues keeping up on the hills sometimes. If I could lose another 15-20 lbs. (down to 195-200 lbs) I think I could be a force to be reconed with on the bike.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Days 15, 16, and 17
On day 15, I rode 21 miles from Sant'Andrea Bagni to Salsomaggiore Terme. It was the first time I didn't need to ask directions on a ride! I spent day 16 exploring Salsomaggiore, which is a beautiful spa town about 70 miles southeast of Milan. It was my second time in the town but the first time I really got to spend time there (the first time I visited two years ago it was for a pass-through/overnight). Salsomaggiore really is one of the prettier towns I've seen here in Italy. It's surrounded by incredible natural beauty. However, Salsomaggiore is a pretty heavy tourist town and it highlights one of the pitfalls of Italy (and everywhere else for that matter). If you are a tourist in a touristy town, they won't treat you very warmly. There were times I didn't feel all that comfortable in Salsomaggiore -- not from a safety standpoint -- just in terms of feeling like an outsider.
Today, on Day 17, I had a pretty unique experience. I was scheduled to ride from Salsomaggiore to Milan, which is about 70 miles. When I arrived in the town of Vicenza, which is roughly 40 miles from Milan, I noticed that the bridge which crosses a big river was closed. After speaking with a few people I figured out there's only one other bridge nearby but it's on a superhighway and not be ridden by bike. I was told by a local that I needed to take the train. I went to the ticket office at the station and explained that I needed to bring my bike on the train to Milan. Luckily, a train left in about an hour.
When I arrived at the platform, I noticed a big collection of bikes with touring packs. I started speaking with the people who were riding the bikes. Turns out there was a big cycling convention/trip a few miles from the train station. The people spoke very little English but we were able to communicate well. I told them I needed to get to Linate airport and in typical Italian style they went above and beyond in helping me. One guy got out his iphone and showed me the route from the train station in Milan. Another person said they would get off at the stop with me and take me halfway to the airport. He pointed me in the right direction and I got there no problem. I never expected to take the train while I was here but it was a cool experience to chat with these people in Italian and to have them help me so much.
When I arrived at the airport, I was relieved to get my bike packed away (I left it at the airport and will pick it up just before me flight). The trip was an incredible experience overall but riding alone definitely takes its toll mentally dealing with trucks and cars whizzing past you all day. For the next two days, I'm just a plain vanilla tourist in Milan. I'm flying home on Tuesday. I'll post a recap of the trip in a few days.
Today, on Day 17, I had a pretty unique experience. I was scheduled to ride from Salsomaggiore to Milan, which is about 70 miles. When I arrived in the town of Vicenza, which is roughly 40 miles from Milan, I noticed that the bridge which crosses a big river was closed. After speaking with a few people I figured out there's only one other bridge nearby but it's on a superhighway and not be ridden by bike. I was told by a local that I needed to take the train. I went to the ticket office at the station and explained that I needed to bring my bike on the train to Milan. Luckily, a train left in about an hour.
When I arrived at the platform, I noticed a big collection of bikes with touring packs. I started speaking with the people who were riding the bikes. Turns out there was a big cycling convention/trip a few miles from the train station. The people spoke very little English but we were able to communicate well. I told them I needed to get to Linate airport and in typical Italian style they went above and beyond in helping me. One guy got out his iphone and showed me the route from the train station in Milan. Another person said they would get off at the stop with me and take me halfway to the airport. He pointed me in the right direction and I got there no problem. I never expected to take the train while I was here but it was a cool experience to chat with these people in Italian and to have them help me so much.
When I arrived at the airport, I was relieved to get my bike packed away (I left it at the airport and will pick it up just before me flight). The trip was an incredible experience overall but riding alone definitely takes its toll mentally dealing with trucks and cars whizzing past you all day. For the next two days, I'm just a plain vanilla tourist in Milan. I'm flying home on Tuesday. I'll post a recap of the trip in a few days.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Day 14: Montecchio Emilia to Sant'Andrea Bagni (37 miles)
Today's ride was relatively short but not so easy. It was the first time I did some climbing (probably about 1k feet -- nothing too killer but enough to get the blood pumping, especially in the heat). Also, whereas yesterday's ride had one turn in 50 miles, today's had like 30 turns in about 35 miles. Needless to say, I was asking for a lot of help from locals.
Yesterday's experience with the computer guys (who didn't ask me for money after spending 15 mins fixing my laptop) got me thinking about the Italian economy. I mean, the amount of economic activity here pales in comparison to the U.S. People just kind of hang around all day. It's not like they are lazy, they just don't obsess with constantly being busy. Sure, once in a while someone will buy something or require services, but commerce just seems to be so matter of fact here. It makes you wonder how their economy can sustain itself. Italy faces demographic issues even worse than the U.S. I believe (in terms of an aging population) so they have even more headwinds for growth. When you combine this reality with a more relaxed attitude (living life to the fullest and in the moment), I guess it sheds more light on the economy here. In reality, I think Italians are blessed with fertile land and they basically live off the benefits of it.
I'm only in Sant'Andrea for one day. Nice little town in the foothills of the mountains. Tomorrow I'm headed to Salsomaggiore where I spend two days before heading back to Milan on Sunday and then I fly home on Tuesday. It's been a great trip but I'm definitely looking forward to being home soon.
Yesterday's experience with the computer guys (who didn't ask me for money after spending 15 mins fixing my laptop) got me thinking about the Italian economy. I mean, the amount of economic activity here pales in comparison to the U.S. People just kind of hang around all day. It's not like they are lazy, they just don't obsess with constantly being busy. Sure, once in a while someone will buy something or require services, but commerce just seems to be so matter of fact here. It makes you wonder how their economy can sustain itself. Italy faces demographic issues even worse than the U.S. I believe (in terms of an aging population) so they have even more headwinds for growth. When you combine this reality with a more relaxed attitude (living life to the fullest and in the moment), I guess it sheds more light on the economy here. In reality, I think Italians are blessed with fertile land and they basically live off the benefits of it.
I'm only in Sant'Andrea for one day. Nice little town in the foothills of the mountains. Tomorrow I'm headed to Salsomaggiore where I spend two days before heading back to Milan on Sunday and then I fly home on Tuesday. It's been a great trip but I'm definitely looking forward to being home soon.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Day 13: Bologna to Montecchio Emilia (53 miles)
Today's ride was a walk in the park compared with the last two. The conditions were perfect. It was about 75-80 degrees and there was no wind. Just to highlight how much of a difference heat can make on a ride, today I drank ONE waterbottle in roughly 50 miles. Whereas I estimate I drank 15-20 in the 75 mile ride I did in the blazing heat a few days back.
While today's ride was relatively easy physically, I did have one issue with the route. It was almost too easy. I only needed to make one turn. But I forgot if the turn was before or after the city of Reggio. So I decided to stop in a relatively high-end bike shop I saw before Reggio. When I entered the store, there were five guys working on the bikes etc...When I walked in they all just stared at me. First I asked them if they spoke English. They all laughed. Then I told them I spoke a little Italian and asked them "quale la strada justa per Montecchio Emilia?" which translates to "where is the road to Montecchio Emilia". What ensued was classic Italian comedy. These guys argued for like 10 minutes back and forth as to which was the best way to Montecchio Emilia. Mind you, this place was only like 10 miles away. Yet each guy had a different opinion. And then each guy changed their mind on their opinion. Finally one guy steps in and tells me how to go. Just as he's finishing and I'm confirming back the directions another guy steps in and says "NO NO NO -- this is the right way". He overrides the other guy with new directions. Again, the town I was going was like 10 miles away and these guys were arguing which left turn I should make. One guy wanted me to turn like a 1/4 mile earlier than the other guy did. Yet they were arguing about it like it was an opinion about the existence of god. The best part is both roads led to exactly tht same spot. Italians are so funny when it comes to giving directions.
In Chioggia, the hotel owner had to change some network settings on my computer in order for me to gain access to their network. My computer worked okay in Ravenna but I had problems using the wifi connection in Bologna. When I arrived at my hotel today, I had the same problem. So I suspected my settings needed to be reset. But I didn't know how to fix it. Fortunately, there was a computer repair store next to the hotel here in Montecchio Emilia. Unfortunately, they didn't speak much English. This was going to put my Italian to the test. I brought my dictionary with me. I explained to them I only spoke a little Italian. I tried to explain my problem. They said they understood perfectly. They came back to the hotel with me to test things out and they fixed the problem. They were pretty good computer technicians because I didn't even explain to them that it was probably an issue with the settings (this would be way too sophisticated/nuanced for me to say in Italian). They narrowed down the problem themselves. When I asked them how much I owed them, they smiled, waved their hands, smacked me on the back and told me it was their pleasure. Italians are so mint.
I'm only in this town one night. It's just a pass through town to another destination. But I think it's like the Parmesian Reggiano capital of the world. When I entered the town there was traffic circle with a huge statue of a chunk of cheese and 10 foot cheese knife. I'm looking forward to dinner tonight so I can check out some of the cheese. Here's some pics of the cheese and knife:
While today's ride was relatively easy physically, I did have one issue with the route. It was almost too easy. I only needed to make one turn. But I forgot if the turn was before or after the city of Reggio. So I decided to stop in a relatively high-end bike shop I saw before Reggio. When I entered the store, there were five guys working on the bikes etc...When I walked in they all just stared at me. First I asked them if they spoke English. They all laughed. Then I told them I spoke a little Italian and asked them "quale la strada justa per Montecchio Emilia?" which translates to "where is the road to Montecchio Emilia". What ensued was classic Italian comedy. These guys argued for like 10 minutes back and forth as to which was the best way to Montecchio Emilia. Mind you, this place was only like 10 miles away. Yet each guy had a different opinion. And then each guy changed their mind on their opinion. Finally one guy steps in and tells me how to go. Just as he's finishing and I'm confirming back the directions another guy steps in and says "NO NO NO -- this is the right way". He overrides the other guy with new directions. Again, the town I was going was like 10 miles away and these guys were arguing which left turn I should make. One guy wanted me to turn like a 1/4 mile earlier than the other guy did. Yet they were arguing about it like it was an opinion about the existence of god. The best part is both roads led to exactly tht same spot. Italians are so funny when it comes to giving directions.
In Chioggia, the hotel owner had to change some network settings on my computer in order for me to gain access to their network. My computer worked okay in Ravenna but I had problems using the wifi connection in Bologna. When I arrived at my hotel today, I had the same problem. So I suspected my settings needed to be reset. But I didn't know how to fix it. Fortunately, there was a computer repair store next to the hotel here in Montecchio Emilia. Unfortunately, they didn't speak much English. This was going to put my Italian to the test. I brought my dictionary with me. I explained to them I only spoke a little Italian. I tried to explain my problem. They said they understood perfectly. They came back to the hotel with me to test things out and they fixed the problem. They were pretty good computer technicians because I didn't even explain to them that it was probably an issue with the settings (this would be way too sophisticated/nuanced for me to say in Italian). They narrowed down the problem themselves. When I asked them how much I owed them, they smiled, waved their hands, smacked me on the back and told me it was their pleasure. Italians are so mint.
I'm only in this town one night. It's just a pass through town to another destination. But I think it's like the Parmesian Reggiano capital of the world. When I entered the town there was traffic circle with a huge statue of a chunk of cheese and 10 foot cheese knife. I'm looking forward to dinner tonight so I can check out some of the cheese. Here's some pics of the cheese and knife:
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Day 12: No Bologna
Bologna was one of my favorite cities the first time I visited Italy. This time, not so much. The seed was planted when I was chatting with a woman in Ravenna who said to me "Bologna is an armpit of a city". Strong words!
While I still like Bologna overall, I see her point. The city is filthy in some areas but there are some very nice areas as well. It does have a great energy though, which is what drew me to it in the first place. It has an incredible art museum called Pinacoteca Nazionale di Bologna with some impressive religious paintings. There also aren't that many tourists here, which makes it appealing. One of the things that put me off on Florence two years ago was the amount of tourists there (said the tourist).
I'm staying at a great hotel here, the people are very friendly. I told the women at the front desk the coca cola story and they said it's just as cheap as in the U.S. at the supermarket. I just saw a "supermarket" (it's more like a big bodega) and they're right. Also, bottled water is absurdly cheap. I got two 1.5 litre bottles for 58 cent Euro. They usually cost like €2-€3 each in Tobacco shops and cafes! In retrospect I could have done a better job on saving money this trip. I still have some time left so I can put some of the things I've learned to good use. I don't want to frontrun my final summary post of "lessons learned on the trip" so I'll just stop right here.
While I still like Bologna overall, I see her point. The city is filthy in some areas but there are some very nice areas as well. It does have a great energy though, which is what drew me to it in the first place. It has an incredible art museum called Pinacoteca Nazionale di Bologna with some impressive religious paintings. There also aren't that many tourists here, which makes it appealing. One of the things that put me off on Florence two years ago was the amount of tourists there (said the tourist).
I'm staying at a great hotel here, the people are very friendly. I told the women at the front desk the coca cola story and they said it's just as cheap as in the U.S. at the supermarket. I just saw a "supermarket" (it's more like a big bodega) and they're right. Also, bottled water is absurdly cheap. I got two 1.5 litre bottles for 58 cent Euro. They usually cost like €2-€3 each in Tobacco shops and cafes! In retrospect I could have done a better job on saving money this trip. I still have some time left so I can put some of the things I've learned to good use. I don't want to frontrun my final summary post of "lessons learned on the trip" so I'll just stop right here.
Day 11: Ravenna to Bologna (48 miles)
Man, is it getting hot. I think it hit 95 degrees today. Riding in the heat is a bear. I left early in order to avoid the hottest part of the day but even at 9am the air is roasting.
I stopped in a little town called Massa Lombarda for a drink on the way to Bologna. The people were so friendly there. I had a five minute conversation with a woman in Italian. She was asking about my journey, etc... and I was able to hold my own.
I think I'm starting to take the next step in my knowledge of Italian. I'm beginning to understand the structure of the language and can construct sentences and phrases on my own. But just like in life, if you get too confident with your language skills you are bound to get knocked down a peg quickly. So I'm taking things slow and staying humble.
When I was in Ravenna I ran into two guys from Austria who were touring Italy. I told them how much I paid for a room (€50) and they laughed at me. They stop in random small towns along their route and pay like €15 a night each. If my Italian improves enough, on my next trip I may just wing it on hotels and use the same strategy. If you can avoid staying and eating in the big cities you can probably cut your trip costs in half or even up to 75%.
I stopped in a little town called Massa Lombarda for a drink on the way to Bologna. The people were so friendly there. I had a five minute conversation with a woman in Italian. She was asking about my journey, etc... and I was able to hold my own.
I think I'm starting to take the next step in my knowledge of Italian. I'm beginning to understand the structure of the language and can construct sentences and phrases on my own. But just like in life, if you get too confident with your language skills you are bound to get knocked down a peg quickly. So I'm taking things slow and staying humble.
When I was in Ravenna I ran into two guys from Austria who were touring Italy. I told them how much I paid for a room (€50) and they laughed at me. They stop in random small towns along their route and pay like €15 a night each. If my Italian improves enough, on my next trip I may just wing it on hotels and use the same strategy. If you can avoid staying and eating in the big cities you can probably cut your trip costs in half or even up to 75%.
Day 10: Ravenna Rocks
I'm in love with the town of Ravenna. It's not a town that you really hear all that much about. It's kind of an under the radar sea-side town to the south of Venice and east of Bologna. And truth be told, there's really not that much to say about it. It's famous for its murals and definitely has some historical significance. But it's not necessarily a place you would target if you went to Italy.
Yet there's just something about it. It has a great vibe. It's the perfect size -not too big, but just big enough. The people are friendly, happy and welcoming. The food is very good and cheap. And there are some beautiful and tranquil hidden areas if you take the time to look.
But I may not be alone in my admiration for Ravenna. The travel guide I have says that most people go to Ravenna just to see its murals but realize it's a pleasing medely of shops, restaurants and piazzas. Additionally, when I arrived in Bologna (yes I know I'm jumping ahead a bit), a tourist was asking a local what his favorite city in all of Northern Italy was - he answered "Ravenna!".
Let's keep Ravenna our little secret though, okay?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ravenna
Yet there's just something about it. It has a great vibe. It's the perfect size -not too big, but just big enough. The people are friendly, happy and welcoming. The food is very good and cheap. And there are some beautiful and tranquil hidden areas if you take the time to look.
But I may not be alone in my admiration for Ravenna. The travel guide I have says that most people go to Ravenna just to see its murals but realize it's a pleasing medely of shops, restaurants and piazzas. Additionally, when I arrived in Bologna (yes I know I'm jumping ahead a bit), a tourist was asking a local what his favorite city in all of Northern Italy was - he answered "Ravenna!".
Let's keep Ravenna our little secret though, okay?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ravenna
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Days 6, 7, 8 and 9
Hello. I'm sorry I've been away so long. I'm taking an online math teaching course and needed to dedicate most of my time to it. Here's a recap of the past few days.
Day 6: Pinarello for a Day
Treviso is the headquarters of famed bicycle company Pinarello. It's a small and surprisingly not well known brand in Italy - but in the United States people love Pinarello's high end status and beautiful style/craftmanship.
I started the day by visiting the company's retail store, which is located in the middle of the city.
I was fortunate enough to meet Giovanni Pinarello, who started the company building bicycles in the late 1940s at the age of 15. Giovanni is a very nice but definitely old man who doesn't speak much English and keeps repeating the same stories about his cycling career in Italian.
I spoke with one of the Pinarello daughters about getting a tour of their factory. Luckily they were able to give me a quick view of things. Normally they require advanced notice but I explained I send an e-mail but never heard back. The factory is very impressive.
The carbon frames are made in Asia (mainly because they don't have access to high end carbon fiber here) and the painting and assembly are both done by hand in Italy.
I met Fausto Pinarello (current President of the company) and Miguel Indurain's head mechanic (who still works at Pinarello) and got a good shot of them working on a bike.
Day 7: Treviso to Chioggia (51 miles)
Today was a relatively easy 51 miles. Once again I did a lot of pre-work on the route and it paid off big time. I discovered one of my favorite cycling roads in Italy, via Brenta. It sprouted off SP53 near Corte along the river and was like 10 miles of cycling heaven:
I pulled off the road to grab a drink in Rosara, a small town, and the townspeople were shocked to see an American. One guy said I was the first American he ever met and he wanted to name the main street "via Jeff" in honor of my visit. He didn't speak any English but said his daughter did so he brought me to his house to have a chat with her. It was all a pretty cool experience.
As I was entering Chioggia, I noticed I had no choice but to take a pretty big highway into the town because it's basically surrounded by water and there's only one way in. I was sitting at the entrance to the highway ramp stressing about having to ride on it and looking around to see if there was another way. Just as I was about to bailout and head back to find an alternate route, an Austrian man and woman both riding hybrid bikes with no helmets cruised past me onto the highway. I felt like a wuss. I followed them onto the highway with my tail in between my legs.
Day 8: Making Friends in Chioggia
I had a great day off in Chioggia. It's a beautiful town right on the Adriatic Sea, just south of Venice. It's much less touristy and just a short boat ride to Venice if you want to visit for the day.
I needed to sit in the hotel lobby in order to access the internet connection for my online class. It was a blessing in disguise as I made friends with the hotel owner, Fausto. He put me in touch with two friends, Beppe and Paolo, to show me around town. We went to some "locals only" restaurants and bars. One of the guys, Beppe, was a local math teacher -- pretty funny stuff. I exchanged e-mails so hopefully we'll keep in touch. Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture with them.
Day 9: Chioggia to Ravenna (75 miles)
Today was a surprisingly difficult ride. While there was a highway that went directly to Ravenna and would take about 60 miles, I decided I wanted to go by smaller roads to avoid traffic. While i found some absolutely gorgeous cycling roads, it may have not been the best decision in retrospect.
Here's why. Today I ran into heat and headwinds, two of the three H's that are a cyclist's worst nightmare (the other being hills). The roads I took were through farmland so there were no trees to block the sun and wind. On the previous 75 mile ride I did, I probably drank a total of 4 or 5 total water bottles. On this ride I think I drank 15-20 water bottles. I was going through water like it was water. Miles 50-60 were a huge struggle. The temperature was over 90 degrees, the wind was blowing fierce and the sun was beating down on me. I could barely crack 12 mph. For the last 15 miles I no choice but to take the bigger highway into Ravenna. When I arrived there I realized I probably should have taken it the whole way. Why, you ask? Because there were TREES on it. The trees block the wind and sun. It felt 20 degrees cooler and I could ride like 17 mph. The scenery on the smaller roads was so beautiful, it might have been worth the effort:
Plus, I found a great little market in the town of Mezzogoro and bought some fantastic meats and cheeses for lunch. I can't even put into words how good the grapes were!
Day 6: Pinarello for a Day
Treviso is the headquarters of famed bicycle company Pinarello. It's a small and surprisingly not well known brand in Italy - but in the United States people love Pinarello's high end status and beautiful style/craftmanship.
I started the day by visiting the company's retail store, which is located in the middle of the city.
I was fortunate enough to meet Giovanni Pinarello, who started the company building bicycles in the late 1940s at the age of 15. Giovanni is a very nice but definitely old man who doesn't speak much English and keeps repeating the same stories about his cycling career in Italian.
I spoke with one of the Pinarello daughters about getting a tour of their factory. Luckily they were able to give me a quick view of things. Normally they require advanced notice but I explained I send an e-mail but never heard back. The factory is very impressive.
The carbon frames are made in Asia (mainly because they don't have access to high end carbon fiber here) and the painting and assembly are both done by hand in Italy.
I met Fausto Pinarello (current President of the company) and Miguel Indurain's head mechanic (who still works at Pinarello) and got a good shot of them working on a bike.
Day 7: Treviso to Chioggia (51 miles)
Today was a relatively easy 51 miles. Once again I did a lot of pre-work on the route and it paid off big time. I discovered one of my favorite cycling roads in Italy, via Brenta. It sprouted off SP53 near Corte along the river and was like 10 miles of cycling heaven:
I pulled off the road to grab a drink in Rosara, a small town, and the townspeople were shocked to see an American. One guy said I was the first American he ever met and he wanted to name the main street "via Jeff" in honor of my visit. He didn't speak any English but said his daughter did so he brought me to his house to have a chat with her. It was all a pretty cool experience.
As I was entering Chioggia, I noticed I had no choice but to take a pretty big highway into the town because it's basically surrounded by water and there's only one way in. I was sitting at the entrance to the highway ramp stressing about having to ride on it and looking around to see if there was another way. Just as I was about to bailout and head back to find an alternate route, an Austrian man and woman both riding hybrid bikes with no helmets cruised past me onto the highway. I felt like a wuss. I followed them onto the highway with my tail in between my legs.
Day 8: Making Friends in Chioggia
I had a great day off in Chioggia. It's a beautiful town right on the Adriatic Sea, just south of Venice. It's much less touristy and just a short boat ride to Venice if you want to visit for the day.
I needed to sit in the hotel lobby in order to access the internet connection for my online class. It was a blessing in disguise as I made friends with the hotel owner, Fausto. He put me in touch with two friends, Beppe and Paolo, to show me around town. We went to some "locals only" restaurants and bars. One of the guys, Beppe, was a local math teacher -- pretty funny stuff. I exchanged e-mails so hopefully we'll keep in touch. Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture with them.
Day 9: Chioggia to Ravenna (75 miles)
Today was a surprisingly difficult ride. While there was a highway that went directly to Ravenna and would take about 60 miles, I decided I wanted to go by smaller roads to avoid traffic. While i found some absolutely gorgeous cycling roads, it may have not been the best decision in retrospect.
Here's why. Today I ran into heat and headwinds, two of the three H's that are a cyclist's worst nightmare (the other being hills). The roads I took were through farmland so there were no trees to block the sun and wind. On the previous 75 mile ride I did, I probably drank a total of 4 or 5 total water bottles. On this ride I think I drank 15-20 water bottles. I was going through water like it was water. Miles 50-60 were a huge struggle. The temperature was over 90 degrees, the wind was blowing fierce and the sun was beating down on me. I could barely crack 12 mph. For the last 15 miles I no choice but to take the bigger highway into Ravenna. When I arrived there I realized I probably should have taken it the whole way. Why, you ask? Because there were TREES on it. The trees block the wind and sun. It felt 20 degrees cooler and I could ride like 17 mph. The scenery on the smaller roads was so beautiful, it might have been worth the effort:
Plus, I found a great little market in the town of Mezzogoro and bought some fantastic meats and cheeses for lunch. I can't even put into words how good the grapes were!
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Day 5: Verona to Treviso (87 miles)
Today was a long riding day that reinforced a lot of touring/cycling rules.
I wasn't expecting the ride to be 87 miles but I needed to make some detours in order to find strade secondaria per Treviso (secondary roads to Treviso). This is my first rule of touring. The smaller the road, the better. Unfortunately, I didn't do so well following this rule today. I ended up on the autostrada or something similar I believe. When this happens you definitely get a contact high and start ripping it on your bike (exceeding 20mph) but it's a treacherous game because cars and trucks are passing you at likely 60-70mph. All we cyclists need really is a shoulder to cry on (pardon the double meaning) but still it's very stressful to be on those types of roads. When a guy in a truck screamed at me something to the effect of "mafabafaguoloio"...I realized it's a road I shouldn't be on. The challenge in touring is finding the small roads because maps just don't show them. And Italians, god bless them, they know about as much direction as they can see in front of themselves.
Generally speaking, a good rule of thumb is to ride through the center of each town because it will then put you on the smaller roads to the next town, and so on. The problem is you get sucked into the ease of the bigger roads, which have less traffic circles and chances of getting lost.
The second rule that was reinforced this ride is what I like to call the "law of twenties". Each 20 mile increment in cycling becomes progressively more difficult. For example: 20-40 miles is pretty easy; 40-60 miles becomes challenging; 60-80 starts to put definite pressure on your muscles and limbs; and 80-100 miles it feels like body parts are going to start to fall off. Combine the physical feeling of being on mile 80 with the mental feeling of being lost and rain falling from the sky and you can imagine how I felt toward the end of the ride. Luckily, the rain stopped and I found my way pretty quickly. Things can change in an instant when you are on your bike (and in life).
My Italian is progressing but it's definitely two steps forward and one back. At this stage I would say that I'm pretty proficiet at asking and answering most things. However, if someone tries to break into a conversation, I'm toast. Had a pretty funny encounter today with a waitress at a restaurant. When she gave me my bill, I saw that my 0.5 litre glass of coke was €5! I just wanted to point out an interesting tidbit of how much more expensive coke is in Italy. But unfortunately, I got way ahead of myself because there's no way for me to communicate any type of tone to the conversation. At this stage, it's similar to trying to communicate tone by e-mail or IM. I practiced what I was going to say in my head. This was going to be a tall order trying to put two relatively difficult sentences together in my head. I fired away (ps, this may not be written correctly bc the study guide I'm using is listen-only so I'm not sure how to spell certain words!):
ME: Mi scuzzi (excuse me)
HER: Si (yes)
ME: Le posso dire cualcozza? (Can I tell you something)
HER: Si (yes)
ME (pointing at my check): Nelle Stati Uniti, due litre de coke solo costa un euro!
(In the United States, two litres of coke only costs one euro!)
HER (with a perturbed look): Well, siamo en Italia (Well, we are in Italy).
ZING!!! She obviously thought I was complaining. But doing my best Larry David impression, I was determined to explain to her that I only told her because it was an interesting fact. This was going to be difficult.
ME: Allora, Senora, solo digolo era tropo caro perque interesante (I only say it's expensive because it is interesting).
She smiled and said "va bene", which means "it's okay" but I have no idea if she actually understood what I was trying to say!
I wasn't expecting the ride to be 87 miles but I needed to make some detours in order to find strade secondaria per Treviso (secondary roads to Treviso). This is my first rule of touring. The smaller the road, the better. Unfortunately, I didn't do so well following this rule today. I ended up on the autostrada or something similar I believe. When this happens you definitely get a contact high and start ripping it on your bike (exceeding 20mph) but it's a treacherous game because cars and trucks are passing you at likely 60-70mph. All we cyclists need really is a shoulder to cry on (pardon the double meaning) but still it's very stressful to be on those types of roads. When a guy in a truck screamed at me something to the effect of "mafabafaguoloio"...I realized it's a road I shouldn't be on. The challenge in touring is finding the small roads because maps just don't show them. And Italians, god bless them, they know about as much direction as they can see in front of themselves.
Generally speaking, a good rule of thumb is to ride through the center of each town because it will then put you on the smaller roads to the next town, and so on. The problem is you get sucked into the ease of the bigger roads, which have less traffic circles and chances of getting lost.
The second rule that was reinforced this ride is what I like to call the "law of twenties". Each 20 mile increment in cycling becomes progressively more difficult. For example: 20-40 miles is pretty easy; 40-60 miles becomes challenging; 60-80 starts to put definite pressure on your muscles and limbs; and 80-100 miles it feels like body parts are going to start to fall off. Combine the physical feeling of being on mile 80 with the mental feeling of being lost and rain falling from the sky and you can imagine how I felt toward the end of the ride. Luckily, the rain stopped and I found my way pretty quickly. Things can change in an instant when you are on your bike (and in life).
My Italian is progressing but it's definitely two steps forward and one back. At this stage I would say that I'm pretty proficiet at asking and answering most things. However, if someone tries to break into a conversation, I'm toast. Had a pretty funny encounter today with a waitress at a restaurant. When she gave me my bill, I saw that my 0.5 litre glass of coke was €5! I just wanted to point out an interesting tidbit of how much more expensive coke is in Italy. But unfortunately, I got way ahead of myself because there's no way for me to communicate any type of tone to the conversation. At this stage, it's similar to trying to communicate tone by e-mail or IM. I practiced what I was going to say in my head. This was going to be a tall order trying to put two relatively difficult sentences together in my head. I fired away (ps, this may not be written correctly bc the study guide I'm using is listen-only so I'm not sure how to spell certain words!):
ME: Mi scuzzi (excuse me)
HER: Si (yes)
ME: Le posso dire cualcozza? (Can I tell you something)
HER: Si (yes)
ME (pointing at my check): Nelle Stati Uniti, due litre de coke solo costa un euro!
(In the United States, two litres of coke only costs one euro!)
HER (with a perturbed look): Well, siamo en Italia (Well, we are in Italy).
ZING!!! She obviously thought I was complaining. But doing my best Larry David impression, I was determined to explain to her that I only told her because it was an interesting fact. This was going to be difficult.
ME: Allora, Senora, solo digolo era tropo caro perque interesante (I only say it's expensive because it is interesting).
She smiled and said "va bene", which means "it's okay" but I have no idea if she actually understood what I was trying to say!
Monday, June 8, 2009
Day 4: My Verona
Spent the day checking out Verona today. It's an interesting city with impressive architecture and a very storied history. I'm a bit tired right now so here's the Wiki link if you feel like reading up on it:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verona
I liked Verona a lot but can't say I fell in love with it. If you've ever done a search to buy an apartment or house, you know that vibe you get when you first walk in the door and say "this is it". I think it's kind of the same situation for Italian cities -- it's all about the feeling they give you when you roam the streets and interact with the people. So far my favorite cities have been Lucca, Bologna and Ravenna. I'm returning to two of them this trip so it'll be interesting to see if I still feel the same way about them.
Tomorrow, I'm off to Treviso, which is the headquarters of Pinarello -- perhaps the most revered cycling company in the world. Maybe if I have a few too many wines I'll be coming home with a new custom bicycle frame?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verona
I liked Verona a lot but can't say I fell in love with it. If you've ever done a search to buy an apartment or house, you know that vibe you get when you first walk in the door and say "this is it". I think it's kind of the same situation for Italian cities -- it's all about the feeling they give you when you roam the streets and interact with the people. So far my favorite cities have been Lucca, Bologna and Ravenna. I'm returning to two of them this trip so it'll be interesting to see if I still feel the same way about them.
Tomorrow, I'm off to Treviso, which is the headquarters of Pinarello -- perhaps the most revered cycling company in the world. Maybe if I have a few too many wines I'll be coming home with a new custom bicycle frame?
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Day 3: Bergamo to Verona (75 miles)
Today was simply a classic Italian touring day - the kind of day you dream about.
Last night was probably a good omen for today. When I was at dinner, I met two guys from Spain, Josè and Salvatorè, that were in Bergamo for a shoe convention. They invited me outside for a Cuban cigar and some grappa and we chatted about life. The only downside to meeting them was they were speaking some Spanish to me (I studied Spanish in high school and college so I know it a bit). But it was confusing now to speak Spanish because it's so similar to Italian. Up until that point I was able to keep Spanish and Italian pretty much compartmentalized but unfortunately now I think the seal has been broken.
Given my experience on Friday riding from Milan to Bergamo without a map, I did a lot of work on today's route last night. I identified smaller roads to take etc...and it paid off big time. The weather was beautiful and the roads had only a few cars. As I was leaving Brescia (which was about 30 miles into my 75 mile ride), a cyclist rode up beside me and we stared chatting. He took me on a hidden bike only route to Largo di Garda. He taught me some new Italian words and we exchanged e-mails so we could learn each other's language. Riding with him was an awesome experience. Here's a picture of us right before we descended to the lake behind us:
I guess it's just human nature, but I'm sitting here laughing at the fact that I had such a great day and my post is so short. I was so excited to write about all the details but I'm just going to keep it short and sheet. Oggi era un giorno molto buono (today was a very good day).
Last night was probably a good omen for today. When I was at dinner, I met two guys from Spain, Josè and Salvatorè, that were in Bergamo for a shoe convention. They invited me outside for a Cuban cigar and some grappa and we chatted about life. The only downside to meeting them was they were speaking some Spanish to me (I studied Spanish in high school and college so I know it a bit). But it was confusing now to speak Spanish because it's so similar to Italian. Up until that point I was able to keep Spanish and Italian pretty much compartmentalized but unfortunately now I think the seal has been broken.
Given my experience on Friday riding from Milan to Bergamo without a map, I did a lot of work on today's route last night. I identified smaller roads to take etc...and it paid off big time. The weather was beautiful and the roads had only a few cars. As I was leaving Brescia (which was about 30 miles into my 75 mile ride), a cyclist rode up beside me and we stared chatting. He took me on a hidden bike only route to Largo di Garda. He taught me some new Italian words and we exchanged e-mails so we could learn each other's language. Riding with him was an awesome experience. Here's a picture of us right before we descended to the lake behind us:
I guess it's just human nature, but I'm sitting here laughing at the fact that I had such a great day and my post is so short. I was so excited to write about all the details but I'm just going to keep it short and sheet. Oggi era un giorno molto buono (today was a very good day).
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Più o Meno
So far, I’ve been surprised by my ability to communicate in Italian. I’m guessing it’s the same for all languages, but Italian definitely falls into the 80/20 category (i.e., you use 20% of the words/phrases 80% of the time). One phrase that gets used repeatedly is più o meno, which means “more or less”. If you ask a question asking for a specific answer regarding time or distance, there’s a high likelihood that an Italian will respond più o meno. It’s almost as if nothing is exact here.
I was successful in two missions today. First, I got my tubes. However, I almost made a costly mistake. By way of background, there are a few different kinds of valves. In the U.S. we almost exclusively use presta valves. However, in Europe I believe they use multiple types. As I was walking away from the bike shop I decided to check the valves to make sure they were long enough for my rims. I noticed they weren’t presta. When I went back to the shop the owner said they didn’t have presta valves. But he looked and found some. Phew.
As far as the maps go, I couldn’t find the right compromise between weight and convenience; however, I did come up with a unique solution. The problem with the maps is they are too unwieldy. Thus, my plan was to photocopy the areas I needed but the stores won’t let you make copies yourself. Trying to direct a shopkeeper on what to photocopy would be pushing my Italian language abilities way too far. An atlas would work well because I could show a shopkeeper the page I wanted photocopied. But atlases are huge and there’s no way I could carry one on my bike. I was a bit perplexed but thought maybe I could lookup the maps online, do a “print screen”, save it as a jpeg and then download it to my Blackberry. Guess what? It WORKED. I can even zoom and scroll. This is what touring is all about. It’s an adventure that requires patience and ingenuity. At times it can seem frustrating but the rewards are awesome when you overcome obstacles.
A bit off topic but I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention food considering I’m in Italy. So far my meals have been very good. Yesterday I went to my favorite pizza place in Italy, Capri da Nasti and had a pizza with bacon and onion. For lunch today I asked a bookstore employee for a recommendation and she gave me a pretty good place nearby. I’d have to say my discussion with her was the best I’ve had so far. I understood about 90% of what she was saying and it wasn’t as if she was babying me. She was full out talking and giving directions.
I was successful in two missions today. First, I got my tubes. However, I almost made a costly mistake. By way of background, there are a few different kinds of valves. In the U.S. we almost exclusively use presta valves. However, in Europe I believe they use multiple types. As I was walking away from the bike shop I decided to check the valves to make sure they were long enough for my rims. I noticed they weren’t presta. When I went back to the shop the owner said they didn’t have presta valves. But he looked and found some. Phew.
As far as the maps go, I couldn’t find the right compromise between weight and convenience; however, I did come up with a unique solution. The problem with the maps is they are too unwieldy. Thus, my plan was to photocopy the areas I needed but the stores won’t let you make copies yourself. Trying to direct a shopkeeper on what to photocopy would be pushing my Italian language abilities way too far. An atlas would work well because I could show a shopkeeper the page I wanted photocopied. But atlases are huge and there’s no way I could carry one on my bike. I was a bit perplexed but thought maybe I could lookup the maps online, do a “print screen”, save it as a jpeg and then download it to my Blackberry. Guess what? It WORKED. I can even zoom and scroll. This is what touring is all about. It’s an adventure that requires patience and ingenuity. At times it can seem frustrating but the rewards are awesome when you overcome obstacles.
A bit off topic but I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention food considering I’m in Italy. So far my meals have been very good. Yesterday I went to my favorite pizza place in Italy, Capri da Nasti and had a pizza with bacon and onion. For lunch today I asked a bookstore employee for a recommendation and she gave me a pretty good place nearby. I’d have to say my discussion with her was the best I’ve had so far. I understood about 90% of what she was saying and it wasn’t as if she was babying me. She was full out talking and giving directions.
Friday, June 5, 2009
Just One of Those Days
To say my first day of touring alone was an adventure would be an understatement. The flights were very smooth and easy but from there it was all downhill (or uphill – not even 100% how that cliché goes or if it even makes sense).
When I dropped my bike case off at the X-ray machine, a TSA worker looked at me strangely and asked “what’s in here?”. I told him a bike and he just shrugged. I figured the odds were good they were going to open the box, which is disconcerting because it’s not the easiest thing to pack and close. Sure enough when it came down the luggage conveyer belt I knew it had been opened because of the way the straps were closed. I held my breath a bit when I opened the box and sure enough there was a ding in my top tube and a bunch of black marker on my rims. Not sure how either got there. I can’t think of how my top tube could have been dented other than them just doing it purposefully but I guess I’m just being paranoid. The ding sucks to look at but it really doesn’t affect the ride of the bike.
The bike went together relatively smoothly except for one thing. I snapped the valve stems on two tubes. I’ve never done this before. It was one of those very frustrating bike moments. I was sweating my stones off putting this bike together in the airport and couldn’t get my tires to inflate properly for about 15 minutes. Finally I got things fixed but now I’m down to just one spare tube. I need to go buy a few more today.
In the past two tours Ed has photocopied maps for us to use each day for our rides, which has worked very well. This year I figured I’d go high tech and use a website that creates cue sheet directions automatically from point A to point B. It sure seemed pretty slick, but what a friggin’ disaster they are. The main problem is the website uses very official names for roads etc…and when I asked Italians for help they looked at my directions and were very confused because they didn’t recognize the names of the roads. When I say it took me an hour to figure even the right road to get out the airport it’s not an exaggeration. Getting around Italy by bike is difficult for two reasons. First, there are traffic circles every mile or so and it’s not always so evident as to how to keep on the same road/the signs can be very confusing. This is why a map helps so much since you can identify towns on the way to your route that you can head toward. The second reason it’s difficult to get around Italy by bike is because you could ask five Italians the direction to a town and get 10 different answers.
God bless the Italians, they are truly the best people on earth. When I say I stopped to ask directions 25 times it wouldn’t be an exaggeration. I actually did pretty well with my Italian, although I did notice that some people were easier to understand that others. One gentleman at a gas station insisted on giving my free soda and bottled water when I told him about my trip. He refused to take my money. Italians will always go out of their way to help you. They are never in a rush or too busy to engage you in conversation.
The road I took to Bergamo was concerning because it had a limited shoulder and cars and trucks were whizzing by at 50 to 60 miles an hour. I pulled to the side of the road several times to make sure it was okay to ride on the road and people reassured me it was. I did have to laugh at one point because as I was asking a gas station attendant, an old guy with a big clunker bike and wicker basket cruised by on the road at about 5 miles per hour. I guess that answered my question.
I finally found Bergamo but that was the easy part as it turns out. As I approached the city I was utterly confused as to where my hotel was. No one has heard of the street or the hotel. Finally, I bought a map from a newsstand. I guess it was Murphy’s Law in a sense but when I had a hard time understanding the newsstand owner who didn’t speak a lick of English. When I was plotting my course to get to my hotel he kept shaking his head no and pointing me a different way. But his way seemed very indirect and confusing so I just rode away map in hand, determined to go my way. About 5 minutes later the sky opened up and it just started pissing rain. I’m trying to read this huge street map (you know one of those kinds that folds up like 20 times and you can never get it to refold properly) and it’s a race against time until it disintegrates from the rain. As I’m riding my route I can see why the gentleman was shaking his head. The way I was going had huge hills and roads that were paved with big and awkwardly shaped stones that were impossible to ride on because of the grade and slickness of the roads. I was now 45 miles into what was supposed to be a 35 mile ride and my legs were burning since I got only about 2 hours of sleep on my flight and had about 11 hours of flight travel time (including the layover). As I approached the top of the big hill I looked at my map and laughed as I realized why the newsstand guy told me not to go this way. I was now about to descend back down the hill on the other side. Basically I did this hill (calling it a hill just doesn’t seem right – it was more than a hill – more like a mini-mountain) for no reason. I could have simply ridden around it like he suggested. I finally found my hotel just as my map disintegrated from the rain.
Despite all the adventures and mishaps, I’m here and I’m safe.
Need to buy maps and tubes today!
When I dropped my bike case off at the X-ray machine, a TSA worker looked at me strangely and asked “what’s in here?”. I told him a bike and he just shrugged. I figured the odds were good they were going to open the box, which is disconcerting because it’s not the easiest thing to pack and close. Sure enough when it came down the luggage conveyer belt I knew it had been opened because of the way the straps were closed. I held my breath a bit when I opened the box and sure enough there was a ding in my top tube and a bunch of black marker on my rims. Not sure how either got there. I can’t think of how my top tube could have been dented other than them just doing it purposefully but I guess I’m just being paranoid. The ding sucks to look at but it really doesn’t affect the ride of the bike.
The bike went together relatively smoothly except for one thing. I snapped the valve stems on two tubes. I’ve never done this before. It was one of those very frustrating bike moments. I was sweating my stones off putting this bike together in the airport and couldn’t get my tires to inflate properly for about 15 minutes. Finally I got things fixed but now I’m down to just one spare tube. I need to go buy a few more today.
In the past two tours Ed has photocopied maps for us to use each day for our rides, which has worked very well. This year I figured I’d go high tech and use a website that creates cue sheet directions automatically from point A to point B. It sure seemed pretty slick, but what a friggin’ disaster they are. The main problem is the website uses very official names for roads etc…and when I asked Italians for help they looked at my directions and were very confused because they didn’t recognize the names of the roads. When I say it took me an hour to figure even the right road to get out the airport it’s not an exaggeration. Getting around Italy by bike is difficult for two reasons. First, there are traffic circles every mile or so and it’s not always so evident as to how to keep on the same road/the signs can be very confusing. This is why a map helps so much since you can identify towns on the way to your route that you can head toward. The second reason it’s difficult to get around Italy by bike is because you could ask five Italians the direction to a town and get 10 different answers.
God bless the Italians, they are truly the best people on earth. When I say I stopped to ask directions 25 times it wouldn’t be an exaggeration. I actually did pretty well with my Italian, although I did notice that some people were easier to understand that others. One gentleman at a gas station insisted on giving my free soda and bottled water when I told him about my trip. He refused to take my money. Italians will always go out of their way to help you. They are never in a rush or too busy to engage you in conversation.
The road I took to Bergamo was concerning because it had a limited shoulder and cars and trucks were whizzing by at 50 to 60 miles an hour. I pulled to the side of the road several times to make sure it was okay to ride on the road and people reassured me it was. I did have to laugh at one point because as I was asking a gas station attendant, an old guy with a big clunker bike and wicker basket cruised by on the road at about 5 miles per hour. I guess that answered my question.
I finally found Bergamo but that was the easy part as it turns out. As I approached the city I was utterly confused as to where my hotel was. No one has heard of the street or the hotel. Finally, I bought a map from a newsstand. I guess it was Murphy’s Law in a sense but when I had a hard time understanding the newsstand owner who didn’t speak a lick of English. When I was plotting my course to get to my hotel he kept shaking his head no and pointing me a different way. But his way seemed very indirect and confusing so I just rode away map in hand, determined to go my way. About 5 minutes later the sky opened up and it just started pissing rain. I’m trying to read this huge street map (you know one of those kinds that folds up like 20 times and you can never get it to refold properly) and it’s a race against time until it disintegrates from the rain. As I’m riding my route I can see why the gentleman was shaking his head. The way I was going had huge hills and roads that were paved with big and awkwardly shaped stones that were impossible to ride on because of the grade and slickness of the roads. I was now 45 miles into what was supposed to be a 35 mile ride and my legs were burning since I got only about 2 hours of sleep on my flight and had about 11 hours of flight travel time (including the layover). As I approached the top of the big hill I looked at my map and laughed as I realized why the newsstand guy told me not to go this way. I was now about to descend back down the hill on the other side. Basically I did this hill (calling it a hill just doesn’t seem right – it was more than a hill – more like a mini-mountain) for no reason. I could have simply ridden around it like he suggested. I finally found my hotel just as my map disintegrated from the rain.
Despite all the adventures and mishaps, I’m here and I’m safe.
Need to buy maps and tubes today!
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Nerves Kicking in a Bit
Riding to the airport today I was thinking to myself "what the f*ck were you thinking planning a solo bike tour in a foreign country?" I think the weather forecast (I hate riding in rain) and the anxiety of checking in so much baggage was getting to me given the potential for additional hefty baggage fees. I'm feeling a bit better here sitting at the gate having had no issues checking my bike etc...
I also got a chance to check the price of IFN which has been a huge success so far (knock on wood - this is likely the top now that I've mentioned how well it's doing!). I know only 1.5 to 3 people read this blog so the odds of anyone else having bought it are slim. But if you did, sit tight -- I think this is just the beginning of a huge multi-year run.
I also got a chance to check the price of IFN which has been a huge success so far (knock on wood - this is likely the top now that I've mentioned how well it's doing!). I know only 1.5 to 3 people read this blog so the odds of anyone else having bought it are slim. But if you did, sit tight -- I think this is just the beginning of a huge multi-year run.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
A True Adventure Brewing
As I was finishing packing for my solo Italy tour today, I decided to check the weather and it's looking like a true adventure. Plenty of rain forecasted early in the trip. And not just plain ol' rain, but serious thunderstorms.
I have to say I've been fortunate overall so far in my bicycle touring experiences and especially with regard to the weather. I'm probably due for some serious rain and pain. Should be interesting.
I really have no expectations for this trip other than to soak up some Italian goodness (food, culture and people). To be honest, while I've made great strides on my Italian language studies, I have VERY low expectations about my ability to speak Italian while I'm there. I've been practicing my "deer caught in headlights" look because I plan on using it often.
On a lighter note, I'm planning another tour in August with Dr. Ed. Bought the plane tickets yesterday and will try and book a few of the hotels before I leave. The route starts in Amsterdam, goes through Belguim and France and ends in Paris.
I'll try to post as often as possible while I'm in Italy.
Ciao for now.
-the Bully
I have to say I've been fortunate overall so far in my bicycle touring experiences and especially with regard to the weather. I'm probably due for some serious rain and pain. Should be interesting.
I really have no expectations for this trip other than to soak up some Italian goodness (food, culture and people). To be honest, while I've made great strides on my Italian language studies, I have VERY low expectations about my ability to speak Italian while I'm there. I've been practicing my "deer caught in headlights" look because I plan on using it often.
On a lighter note, I'm planning another tour in August with Dr. Ed. Bought the plane tickets yesterday and will try and book a few of the hotels before I leave. The route starts in Amsterdam, goes through Belguim and France and ends in Paris.
I'll try to post as often as possible while I'm in Italy.
Ciao for now.
-the Bully
Monday, June 1, 2009
If You Want Something Done Right...
I just completed my first real true bike repair and the high is beyond words.
While fixing a bike may on first blush appear easy because of its relatively simple design, it is truly a reflection of Newton's law of motion (to every action there is an equal and opposite reaction). Thus any tweak you make will likely result in another tweak...triangulation at its best.
I've been riding my touring bike a bit to make sure it's ready for my trip to Italy this week. For as long as I can remember, my back brake keeps sticking/won't release properly. It often results in the brakes rubbing against the wheel rim, which is never good because it creates resistance and requires more effort. I was always blaming it on my rear rack/which seemed to interfere with the brake's movement. However, the brake still doesn't work correctly even with the rack off, which kills this theory. This weekend I was at Dr. Ed's place making a few last minute adjustments to the bike and he noticed a problem with the brake as well. I needed to head home so I told Ed I'd take care of the brake on my own.
The issue with these brakes is that they are cantilever brakes which have a ton of adjustment points and can get very frustrating because of their relative complexity. I've admittedly tried to fix them several dozen times to no avail. I've even brought them to several bike shops which have kind of half fixed them and talked me into the fact they are fixed.
This morning I became a man on a mission. I studied the front brake action, which works perfectly, and then compared it to the back. Long story short, I finally identified the issue but then I had to figure out a way to fix it. I took the brake off the bike, disassembled it and studied the mechanism. About halfway through I wanted to cry and bring it to my bike shop but I persevered. I finally figured out how to make the adjustments that were needed and now it works like a charm. I can honestly say the amount of satisfaction I have right now is incredible.
Hopefully this is a good omen for the trip.
While fixing a bike may on first blush appear easy because of its relatively simple design, it is truly a reflection of Newton's law of motion (to every action there is an equal and opposite reaction). Thus any tweak you make will likely result in another tweak...triangulation at its best.
I've been riding my touring bike a bit to make sure it's ready for my trip to Italy this week. For as long as I can remember, my back brake keeps sticking/won't release properly. It often results in the brakes rubbing against the wheel rim, which is never good because it creates resistance and requires more effort. I was always blaming it on my rear rack/which seemed to interfere with the brake's movement. However, the brake still doesn't work correctly even with the rack off, which kills this theory. This weekend I was at Dr. Ed's place making a few last minute adjustments to the bike and he noticed a problem with the brake as well. I needed to head home so I told Ed I'd take care of the brake on my own.
The issue with these brakes is that they are cantilever brakes which have a ton of adjustment points and can get very frustrating because of their relative complexity. I've admittedly tried to fix them several dozen times to no avail. I've even brought them to several bike shops which have kind of half fixed them and talked me into the fact they are fixed.
This morning I became a man on a mission. I studied the front brake action, which works perfectly, and then compared it to the back. Long story short, I finally identified the issue but then I had to figure out a way to fix it. I took the brake off the bike, disassembled it and studied the mechanism. About halfway through I wanted to cry and bring it to my bike shop but I persevered. I finally figured out how to make the adjustments that were needed and now it works like a charm. I can honestly say the amount of satisfaction I have right now is incredible.
Hopefully this is a good omen for the trip.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Vado a Andare Trovare Italia Solo
For those of you who don't speak Italian, I'm heading to Italy alone next month. For those who do speak Italian, apologies for the inevitable grammar mistake(s) in my blog title.
Before I get to the trip details, I wanted to give an endorsement to the Pimsleur language series that I'm using to learn Italian. It's a three level audio series with 30 daily 30 minute lessons in each level. After only five weeks (I just stared level II), the progress I've made is incredible. Pimsleur certainly doesn't have the marketing muscle or cache of Rosetta Stone but I can't imagine Rosetta Stone being better. However, Pimsleur is actually a bit more expensive (unless you live near a library that has it for free like I do).
On to the trip. I've decide to tour Italy by bike alone next month (June 4th-23rd). I've already purchased the plane ticket so I committed at this point. The original route I was contemplating largely resembled the first Italy tour I did two years ago. However, after doing some research on the individual rides I decided some of the rides were too difficult/remote to do alone. If something were to happen to my bike while climbing a remote mountain pass I could be seriously screwed. Thus I'm going to stay out of the mountains and spend most of my time in the relatively flat Emilia Romagna region.
I'll post details on the route once I have it finalized.
Before I get to the trip details, I wanted to give an endorsement to the Pimsleur language series that I'm using to learn Italian. It's a three level audio series with 30 daily 30 minute lessons in each level. After only five weeks (I just stared level II), the progress I've made is incredible. Pimsleur certainly doesn't have the marketing muscle or cache of Rosetta Stone but I can't imagine Rosetta Stone being better. However, Pimsleur is actually a bit more expensive (unless you live near a library that has it for free like I do).
On to the trip. I've decide to tour Italy by bike alone next month (June 4th-23rd). I've already purchased the plane ticket so I committed at this point. The original route I was contemplating largely resembled the first Italy tour I did two years ago. However, after doing some research on the individual rides I decided some of the rides were too difficult/remote to do alone. If something were to happen to my bike while climbing a remote mountain pass I could be seriously screwed. Thus I'm going to stay out of the mountains and spend most of my time in the relatively flat Emilia Romagna region.
I'll post details on the route once I have it finalized.
Friday, May 1, 2009
All Aboard the India Express
If you want to play this global rally, there's no better place than India. India has the best demographic trends of any developing country so it's a great buy and hold investment. It's like buying into the U.S. or Japan in the 70s/80s. Of course everyone will argue that if the U.S. economy/market doesn't do well neither will India because decoupling was proven a farce. Well that's the trap. Decoupling didn't happen with Asian economies in the last runup because they were all riding the U.S. consumption wave. But now with the reset to their economies and markets and less external economic influence from the U.S., decoupling can truly happen as they build their internal infrastructures to accomodate their growing populations and desires.
This appears to be a great entry point.
Here's a long term LOG chart for IFN, the India ETF:
And here's the long term LINEAR chart for IFN:
Finally, the daily chart for IFN, which is forming a wedge and a big breakout to the upside appears imminent:
This appears to be a great entry point.
Here's a long term LOG chart for IFN, the India ETF:
And here's the long term LINEAR chart for IFN:
Finally, the daily chart for IFN, which is forming a wedge and a big breakout to the upside appears imminent:
Thursday, April 23, 2009
A Cycling Milestone, But not a Good One
I popped my cycling cherry today. Got hit by a car. Was fairly wicked but I escaped relatively unscathed. Was riding on Merrick Ave., which is a very busy road, and an older guy drilled me in the rear (that's what she said). He apparently never saw me because he kept going. But his mirror and all the guts of the socket that hold it into car ripped straight off and were lying on the road. I flipped over on my bike, landed on the side of my ass and my bike flew onto the sidewalk. Some guy was nice enough to track down the driver's car and get the license plate number. The cops went to his house and said the driver was just plain old. An ambulance came to check me out. I was fine except for some road rash and some pain where the guy hit me. Also, my ankle hurt a bit because I was clipped into the pedals and the bike kind of rolled over my ankle/leg. I kept my sense of humor through the whole thing though. The EMT took my bloodpressure and was shocked it was only 130/80. I told him I felt pretty lucky to be walking away from the accident was probably the reason I was so calm. Plus I said getting questioned by my mom about it was going to hurt more than getting hit by the car itself.
I'll probably be pretty sore tomorrow but at this juncture I'm planning on doing my weekly ride Saturday.
I'll probably be pretty sore tomorrow but at this juncture I'm planning on doing my weekly ride Saturday.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
50% Retracement
What do you get when you mix the most oversold stock market conditions in history with bottomless stimulus and a bottoming economy? You get the mother of all 50% retracements that will likely lead the S&P to the 1,000 range (or even higher) and suck everyone back in for the next leg down. Believe me, I'm bearish longer term because I think demographics make our fate inevitable, but you have to listen to the market. The market is telling you it believes the worst is over. Now you may disagree, but it's going to pay to voice your opinion later rather than sooner. The market will tell you when it's topping and ready to head back down. Until then, BUY MORTIMER BUY!!!!
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Options, Options Everywhere
It's a bit of a long story but I missed my SIG ride yesterday. It may have been a blessing in disguise though. Feeling guilty, I set out to log some miles around Rockville Centre. However, the thought of doing 8-10 five mile loops wasn't sitting well so I ventured out a bit to gain some distance. In the end, I found a way to lengthen my standard ride to 8.5 miles and can also add mileage with an optional 4.5 mile loop and/or 3.5 mile extension. The 3.5 mile extension goes through some less than desirable areas but it's a nice gradual 1.75 mile climb so it's the closest thing to a hill I can't get around here.
Finding the extra miles locally is a huge benefit. It wasn't sitting well that I needed to drive my car in order to get some training miles. Now I can just roll out of my front door at a moment's notice and ride. That's cycling at its best.
Finding the extra miles locally is a huge benefit. It wasn't sitting well that I needed to drive my car in order to get some training miles. Now I can just roll out of my front door at a moment's notice and ride. That's cycling at its best.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Rockin' Out the Base Miles
I did my first ride in Rockville Centre (RVC) yesterday and it wasn't half bad. In fact, I'd say it was surprising good. It was really just a spur of the moment type thing. I wanted to get in a few miles to warm up for today's ride since I was in Florida this week and didn't do any riding. However, I didn't want the intensity of my Old Westbury Training Route nor the 30 minute drive each way. The upshot is I found a nice 5 mile loop here in Rockville Centre that I can now use to work in some base miles on a more regular basis.
The route, pictured below, is surprisingly good and very flat. There are only three or four "head on a swivel" moments. The most dangerous part is riding on Sunrise Highway which is far from ideal but definitely doable. It's never soothing to have cars whizzing past you at 50 mph but there's a very wide shoulder and the biggest risk is most likely a flat from all the road debree on the shoulders (knock on wood).
The key to riding in this area (or any area for that matter) is a rear view mirror that attaches to your glasses. I started using one when we were touring in Italy. It looks pretty darn goofy but it's invaluable to have a view of the traffic behind you as you maneuver on highly trafficked roads. Actually, the biggest risk to riding in RVC is the ridicule I'm going to face when my childhood friends see my in my ride gear. I got a preview last week when I was talking on the phone in front of the deli after a ride. All of a sudden I heard a voice from behind me "are you f-ing kidding me with that outfit?". It was a buddy of mine in a car with his family in tow. He immediately called a few other friends to rip on me (that's what good friends do in Rockville Centre).
The route, pictured below, is surprisingly good and very flat. There are only three or four "head on a swivel" moments. The most dangerous part is riding on Sunrise Highway which is far from ideal but definitely doable. It's never soothing to have cars whizzing past you at 50 mph but there's a very wide shoulder and the biggest risk is most likely a flat from all the road debree on the shoulders (knock on wood).
The key to riding in this area (or any area for that matter) is a rear view mirror that attaches to your glasses. I started using one when we were touring in Italy. It looks pretty darn goofy but it's invaluable to have a view of the traffic behind you as you maneuver on highly trafficked roads. Actually, the biggest risk to riding in RVC is the ridicule I'm going to face when my childhood friends see my in my ride gear. I got a preview last week when I was talking on the phone in front of the deli after a ride. All of a sudden I heard a voice from behind me "are you f-ing kidding me with that outfit?". It was a buddy of mine in a car with his family in tow. He immediately called a few other friends to rip on me (that's what good friends do in Rockville Centre).
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
The Art of the (Illegal) Park
I mentioned a few posts ago that I was skittish about parking at NYIT. The main reason is they have security cars constantly looping through the parking lot. In fact, on Monday I had to endure at least 5 security loops. I made the mistake of spending a decent amount of time putting on all my equipment by the side of my car with my bike still up on the roof rack. It was like an advertisement that I was doing something wrong. I thought to myself "this is so obvious, they have to know I'm parking illegally". My only hope was the security guards were thinking "this is so obvious, there's no way he's parking illegally".
I decided today to get as much prep work done at home as possible in order to minimize time in the lot. I wore my cycling shoes (typically I drive with regular shoes and put on my cycling shoes there) and had all my equipment laid out on my backseat ready to roll. When I arrived, I immediately took down my bike and laid it up against the car while I got prepped. It only took a minute or two to get everything done. I only saw one security guard this time, a nice little victory. Hopefully I won't run into any issues parking here because it's the perfect starting point for my training loop.
Speaking of the training loop, this was the first day I it exclusively. I've ridden all of the terrain before but as parts of different rides. The loop was even better than I was expecting but also very difficult because there's almost no stopping. Don't get me wrong, that's a good thing. But there's a huge difference between a 25 mile ride with no stops and one that has multiple lights/stops because you get no natural recovery periods. I actually pushed it too hard today. Funny because I was all set to write a post this morning titled "Take'r Easy", which was going to explain how it's better to ride slower early in the season while you build a base of miles. Then I go out and blast it today. I averaged 17mph for 24 miles. That's pretty much midseason form for a GROUP ride. Doing that solo this early in the season is pretty stupid. I need to tone it down next time.
I decided today to get as much prep work done at home as possible in order to minimize time in the lot. I wore my cycling shoes (typically I drive with regular shoes and put on my cycling shoes there) and had all my equipment laid out on my backseat ready to roll. When I arrived, I immediately took down my bike and laid it up against the car while I got prepped. It only took a minute or two to get everything done. I only saw one security guard this time, a nice little victory. Hopefully I won't run into any issues parking here because it's the perfect starting point for my training loop.
Speaking of the training loop, this was the first day I it exclusively. I've ridden all of the terrain before but as parts of different rides. The loop was even better than I was expecting but also very difficult because there's almost no stopping. Don't get me wrong, that's a good thing. But there's a huge difference between a 25 mile ride with no stops and one that has multiple lights/stops because you get no natural recovery periods. I actually pushed it too hard today. Funny because I was all set to write a post this morning titled "Take'r Easy", which was going to explain how it's better to ride slower early in the season while you build a base of miles. Then I go out and blast it today. I averaged 17mph for 24 miles. That's pretty much midseason form for a GROUP ride. Doing that solo this early in the season is pretty stupid. I need to tone it down next time.
The List Goes On...
As I'm finishing The Catcher in the Rye, I began thinking about which book would be next. I ran across this high school reading list and will pick my next literary classic from here. Again, I'm open for suggestions. Did anyone just hear a tree fall?
-----------------------------------------------
Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice
Baldwin, James. Go Tell It on the Mountain
Bellow, Saul. Humboldt's Gift
Camus, Albert. The Stranger
Cervantes, Miguel de. Don Quixote
Conrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness
Crane, Stephen. The Red Badge of Courage
Defoe, Daniel. Robinson Crusoe
Dickens, Charles. David Copperfield; Tale of Two Cities
Dostoyevsky, Fyodor. Crime and Punishment
Eliot, George. Adam Bede
Ralph Ellison. Invisible Man
Faulkner, William. The Unvanquished; Intruder in the Dust
Fielding, Henry. Joseph Andrews
Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby
Flaubert, Gustave. Madame Bovary
Fowles, John. The French Lieutenant's Woman
Golding, William. . Lord of the Flies
Hardy, Thomas. The Return of the Native
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter
Hemmingway, Ernest. A Farewell to Arms; The Nick Adams Stories
James, Henry. The Portrait of a Lady
Joyce, James. Dubliners
Kafka, Franz. The Trial
Lewis, Sinclair. Babbitt; Arrowsmith
Malamud, Bernard. The Complete Stories: The Magic Barrel
Melville, Herman. Moby Dick
Orwell, George. 1984; Animal Farm
Paton, Alan. Cry the Beloved Country
Poe, Edgar Allan. The Complete Stories: The Tell-Tale Heart; The Black Cat; The Pit and the Pendulum
Salinger, J.D. The Catcher in the Rye
Scott, Sir Walter. Ivanhoe
Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath
Stendhal. The Red and the Black
Stevenson, Robert Louis. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Swift, Jonathan. Gulliver's Travels.
Thackeray, William. Vanity Fair
Tolstoy, Leo. War and Peace
Twain, Mark. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn; The Adventures of Tom Sawyer; Innocents Abroad
Vonnegut, Kurt. Slaughterhouse Five
Waugh, Evelyn. A Handful of Dust
Wright, Richard. Native Son
-----------------------------------------------
Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice
Baldwin, James. Go Tell It on the Mountain
Bellow, Saul. Humboldt's Gift
Camus, Albert. The Stranger
Cervantes, Miguel de. Don Quixote
Conrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness
Crane, Stephen. The Red Badge of Courage
Defoe, Daniel. Robinson Crusoe
Dickens, Charles. David Copperfield; Tale of Two Cities
Dostoyevsky, Fyodor. Crime and Punishment
Eliot, George. Adam Bede
Ralph Ellison. Invisible Man
Faulkner, William. The Unvanquished; Intruder in the Dust
Fielding, Henry. Joseph Andrews
Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby
Flaubert, Gustave. Madame Bovary
Fowles, John. The French Lieutenant's Woman
Golding, William. . Lord of the Flies
Hardy, Thomas. The Return of the Native
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter
Hemmingway, Ernest. A Farewell to Arms; The Nick Adams Stories
James, Henry. The Portrait of a Lady
Joyce, James. Dubliners
Kafka, Franz. The Trial
Lewis, Sinclair. Babbitt; Arrowsmith
Malamud, Bernard. The Complete Stories: The Magic Barrel
Melville, Herman. Moby Dick
Orwell, George. 1984; Animal Farm
Paton, Alan. Cry the Beloved Country
Poe, Edgar Allan. The Complete Stories: The Tell-Tale Heart; The Black Cat; The Pit and the Pendulum
Salinger, J.D. The Catcher in the Rye
Scott, Sir Walter. Ivanhoe
Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath
Stendhal. The Red and the Black
Stevenson, Robert Louis. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Swift, Jonathan. Gulliver's Travels.
Thackeray, William. Vanity Fair
Tolstoy, Leo. War and Peace
Twain, Mark. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn; The Adventures of Tom Sawyer; Innocents Abroad
Vonnegut, Kurt. Slaughterhouse Five
Waugh, Evelyn. A Handful of Dust
Wright, Richard. Native Son
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Nothing Beats a Nice Loop
In life, familiarity can breed contempt but in cycling I believe it breeds confidence and strength. A great training ride is a key element to a happy cycling existence. Luckily, I just found mine on Long Island. I've pieced together some sections from a few rides I've done to create a nice 12 mile loop. The good news is it's twice as long as my prior training loop (Central Park) and the better news is it's 1% as crowded. On the downside, I need to drive 20 minutes to get to it and I'm still a bit skittish about parking at NYIT (although I was successful yesterday).
This "Old Westbury Training Route" as I've named it, gives me some nice options as I can create 24 or 36 mile training rides depending on my mood and what my upcoming ride schedule is looking like. Generally speaking, your mid-week rides should optimally be about 1/3 the distance of your longer weekend rides. Thus, 24/36 mile rides are perfect training for my typical 60-80 mile Saturday rides. Additionally, I've found a few nice hills just off this route if I want to do some hill training.
This "Old Westbury Training Route" as I've named it, gives me some nice options as I can create 24 or 36 mile training rides depending on my mood and what my upcoming ride schedule is looking like. Generally speaking, your mid-week rides should optimally be about 1/3 the distance of your longer weekend rides. Thus, 24/36 mile rides are perfect training for my typical 60-80 mile Saturday rides. Additionally, I've found a few nice hills just off this route if I want to do some hill training.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Instant Classic
I'm only about 30 pages into The Catcher in the Rye but I'm really enjoying the book. I found a page that does a great job illustrating Salinger's writing style and Holden Caulfield's point of view. Holden pays a visit to the house of Mr. and Mrs. Spencer on the way back from Pencey School, from which he was just expelled. Mr. Spencer is one of his teachers.
Enjoy.
Enjoy.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Parking Dilemma
Armed with the powerful motivation that starts with each cycling season, I decided to head out for a ride in relatively brisk weather today. I left my house around 11am in order to catch what was likely going to be the warmest part of the day (low 40s).
As I pulled into the Westbury High School parking lot, I saw the security guard who pleasantly let me park there a few weeks ago. I decided to take nothing for granted so I pulled up to him and kindly asked him if I could park there for a bike ride. He gave me a stern no, stating there's no parking during school hours. I referred back to last time and he hinted it was after hours (he's right, it was). I asked him if there was anywhere else to park and he indicated it was a difficult area to find parking.
I left the lot in search of street parking. But all the side streets are very narrow and didn't appear to have any room. I saw a mail carrier and asked him where I could park -- he said there aren't many spots but pointed to an area maybe I could try. I didn't feel comfortable parking where he suggested.
I decided to cruise around a bit to find parking but everything was so tight and residential -- my excitement about cycling on Long Island was starting to fade. If I couldn't find a place to park mid-week, how was I going to do training rides? Just as I was about to give up, I saw a cyclist riding on the street so I pulled up and asked him about parking -- he lives in the area so he never needs to park. He also acknowledged how difficult parking was but suggested a municipal lot over by the LIE.
I found the lot but unfortunately it was for the town hall, courtroom and police department. I decided to go in and ask the cops what the town parking regulations were and where I could park. "No street parking in the whole town of Old Westbury", one cop said. "So I'm screwed, huh?" I asked. The cop then hinted that while it was 20 minute parking in their lot that they wouldn't break my balls if I left my bike there for a few hours to ride. But that they didn't want it turning into 50 cyclists parking there every day. I appreciated his kind offer but it didn't seem sustainable. The second cop suggested I check the colleges on Northern Blvd.
I pulled into the New York Institute of Technology and found a lot about 1/4 mile into the campus drive. I didn't see any signs for permits so I asked a few students. They all said that permits were required but that it's never enforced as half of them don't even have them stuck in their windows. This felt like the spot to park, but it was almost 1pm and I was getting hungry. I decided to go home and try this lot the next time I ride. If it works out, the New York Institute of Technology is actually a great spot to park because it's on the route of the training ride I've been doing.
I'm also going to check with members of the LIBC to see if they have any suggestions for mid-week parking.
As I pulled into the Westbury High School parking lot, I saw the security guard who pleasantly let me park there a few weeks ago. I decided to take nothing for granted so I pulled up to him and kindly asked him if I could park there for a bike ride. He gave me a stern no, stating there's no parking during school hours. I referred back to last time and he hinted it was after hours (he's right, it was). I asked him if there was anywhere else to park and he indicated it was a difficult area to find parking.
I left the lot in search of street parking. But all the side streets are very narrow and didn't appear to have any room. I saw a mail carrier and asked him where I could park -- he said there aren't many spots but pointed to an area maybe I could try. I didn't feel comfortable parking where he suggested.
I decided to cruise around a bit to find parking but everything was so tight and residential -- my excitement about cycling on Long Island was starting to fade. If I couldn't find a place to park mid-week, how was I going to do training rides? Just as I was about to give up, I saw a cyclist riding on the street so I pulled up and asked him about parking -- he lives in the area so he never needs to park. He also acknowledged how difficult parking was but suggested a municipal lot over by the LIE.
I found the lot but unfortunately it was for the town hall, courtroom and police department. I decided to go in and ask the cops what the town parking regulations were and where I could park. "No street parking in the whole town of Old Westbury", one cop said. "So I'm screwed, huh?" I asked. The cop then hinted that while it was 20 minute parking in their lot that they wouldn't break my balls if I left my bike there for a few hours to ride. But that they didn't want it turning into 50 cyclists parking there every day. I appreciated his kind offer but it didn't seem sustainable. The second cop suggested I check the colleges on Northern Blvd.
I pulled into the New York Institute of Technology and found a lot about 1/4 mile into the campus drive. I didn't see any signs for permits so I asked a few students. They all said that permits were required but that it's never enforced as half of them don't even have them stuck in their windows. This felt like the spot to park, but it was almost 1pm and I was getting hungry. I decided to go home and try this lot the next time I ride. If it works out, the New York Institute of Technology is actually a great spot to park because it's on the route of the training ride I've been doing.
I'm also going to check with members of the LIBC to see if they have any suggestions for mid-week parking.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Literary Classics Revisited
My frequent library visits and search for interesting new books have actually made me yearn for the classics.
I'm starting with The Catcher in the Rye. Oddly enough, the library has only two copies and they are both in horrific shape. Not sure what this says about my first reading choice but I'm definitely enjoying the first few pages. Salinger has an crisp and deliberate writing style. It's matter of fact but insightful at the same time.
I'm thinking my next book will be A Separate Peace by John Knowles, however I'm flexible. Let me know if you have any suggestions. If nothing else it would be nice to know if anyone actually reads this blog or if it's the literary equivalent of a tree falling in a forest.
I'm starting with The Catcher in the Rye. Oddly enough, the library has only two copies and they are both in horrific shape. Not sure what this says about my first reading choice but I'm definitely enjoying the first few pages. Salinger has an crisp and deliberate writing style. It's matter of fact but insightful at the same time.
I'm thinking my next book will be A Separate Peace by John Knowles, however I'm flexible. Let me know if you have any suggestions. If nothing else it would be nice to know if anyone actually reads this blog or if it's the literary equivalent of a tree falling in a forest.
What a Difference a Year Makes
Just a refresher that the SIG is a 12 week progressive Saturday ride series that starts with a 40 mile ride at about 15mph and ends with a 100 mile ride at about 19mph. Last year, I could barely finish the 40 mile ride at a 15mph pace. I started out in the first group but go dropped (quickly) as as I was dropping from group to group I had leaders (who didn't know I was a leader - but who could blame them, I sucked) yelling at me "keep spinning your legs" to which I yelled back with the limited breath I had "I'M A F*CKING LEADER!!!!" as my legs twitched and buckled.
This year, the captain of the SIG program introduced me as a guy who has ridden his bike around the world and "it's early in the season so he's not much to look at but trust me he'll form into a great rider later on". OUCH. Well embarrassment is a great motivator. I was in much better shape this year. In fact, I was borderline strong. I guess the spinning has paid off, which is great.
I'm really motivated to ride this year. Each year it feels like I enjoy the start of the season more and more. With my semi-retirement status, I'm thinking I should be able to break last year's mileage mark of 3,600 miles although I don't want to pressure myself too hard.
Here's to a great ride season.
This year, the captain of the SIG program introduced me as a guy who has ridden his bike around the world and "it's early in the season so he's not much to look at but trust me he'll form into a great rider later on". OUCH. Well embarrassment is a great motivator. I was in much better shape this year. In fact, I was borderline strong. I guess the spinning has paid off, which is great.
I'm really motivated to ride this year. Each year it feels like I enjoy the start of the season more and more. With my semi-retirement status, I'm thinking I should be able to break last year's mileage mark of 3,600 miles although I don't want to pressure myself too hard.
Here's to a great ride season.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Stimulate This: Immovable Object (Entitlement) Meets Unstoppable Force (Boomer Deflation)
The problem with our society and economy really comes down to three things: entitlement, entitlement, entitlement.
You see, the wealth game is over and our standard of living has seen its greatest day. It will not increase from here -- it won't even stay the same. The sooner we can come to grips this with as a nation, the better. Only our sense of entitlement stands in the way.
For the past 25 years our incredible economic prosperity and resulting wealth creation was driven by the surge of the Baby Boomers. The Boomers are the greatest ponzi scheme of all time. They have moved through our economy like a rat through a snake, resulting in too much infrastructure and astronomical asset prices that haven't correlated with underlying economic fundamentals for years. Like every bubble, people thought this growth was going to persist forever. Irrational exuberance at its best.
But Americans feel as if they are entitled to wealth and a resulting ever improving standard of living. The problem is that wealth is a residual function of economic growth and capital allocation. You can't create wealth out of thin air, particularly when you are reliant upon external capital to support it (and your consumption). As a general rule as it relates to stimulus, anything the government does to directly support wealth (e.g. buying mortgages or preventing foreclosures), will be throwing good money after bad. It's a classic case of the tail wagging the dog.
"Stimulus" should be directed toward fixing the structural anomalies that have emerged in our economy. Financial services have become a huge unproductive bubble in our economy driven by the equity bull market, ridiculous concept of retirement (to be addressed in another post) and the financing of assets (which have mistakenly been assumed to always go up in price). The government needs to help transition people that leave financial services into other parts of our economy that will drive real economic growth (and wealth) in the future. Trying to keep the finance game going will also wrongly entice people to try and stay in the game.
Wealth creation through assets and investments will only resume once our infrastructure and asset prices have reset to a post-Boomer equilibrium and a new demographic group starts to pressure our infrastructure. This should happen somewhere after 2020. Until then, expect deflation and plenty of it.
You see, the wealth game is over and our standard of living has seen its greatest day. It will not increase from here -- it won't even stay the same. The sooner we can come to grips this with as a nation, the better. Only our sense of entitlement stands in the way.
For the past 25 years our incredible economic prosperity and resulting wealth creation was driven by the surge of the Baby Boomers. The Boomers are the greatest ponzi scheme of all time. They have moved through our economy like a rat through a snake, resulting in too much infrastructure and astronomical asset prices that haven't correlated with underlying economic fundamentals for years. Like every bubble, people thought this growth was going to persist forever. Irrational exuberance at its best.
But Americans feel as if they are entitled to wealth and a resulting ever improving standard of living. The problem is that wealth is a residual function of economic growth and capital allocation. You can't create wealth out of thin air, particularly when you are reliant upon external capital to support it (and your consumption). As a general rule as it relates to stimulus, anything the government does to directly support wealth (e.g. buying mortgages or preventing foreclosures), will be throwing good money after bad. It's a classic case of the tail wagging the dog.
"Stimulus" should be directed toward fixing the structural anomalies that have emerged in our economy. Financial services have become a huge unproductive bubble in our economy driven by the equity bull market, ridiculous concept of retirement (to be addressed in another post) and the financing of assets (which have mistakenly been assumed to always go up in price). The government needs to help transition people that leave financial services into other parts of our economy that will drive real economic growth (and wealth) in the future. Trying to keep the finance game going will also wrongly entice people to try and stay in the game.
Wealth creation through assets and investments will only resume once our infrastructure and asset prices have reset to a post-Boomer equilibrium and a new demographic group starts to pressure our infrastructure. This should happen somewhere after 2020. Until then, expect deflation and plenty of it.
Friday, February 13, 2009
Just One Ride
That's all it took to restoke the cycling fires inside me. I'm really excited to explore the North Shore of Long Island by bike this year. Further, I'm amped up to find a big touring trip. I really don't know where, when, how or for how long it might be, but I'm very open to the idea and am doing some exploring on the subject.
Until then.
Until then.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
First Tracks
I did my first Long Island ride today and I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised.
I live on the South Shore of Long Island, where riding is virtually impossible. I joined the LIBC, which does rides on the North Shore each Saturday and Sunday from the Westbury High School parking lot. Westbury High School is a 15-20 minute drive from my house -- a bit of a bummer to have to drive your car to go ride your bike but at least I finally get some use out of the bike rack I purchased.
LIBC has cue sheets listed on the site. I polled a few members and asked for a good mid-week training ride and they suggested two. I picked the shorter one.
I arrived a Westbury High School and was immediately a bit intimidated by the looks of the student body. I pulled into the faculty lot and asked a teacher if she thought they'd mind if they park there. She said it should be okay. As I was preparing my bike I saw a security guard approaching me. He said "great day for a ride -- great idea" and kept walking. I rode up to his car and confirmed it was okay for me to park there. He gave me the thumbs up.
The ride was supposed to be 32 miles but I had to cut it short bc I understimated what time it gets dark -- I did a total of 21 miles. Even with cruddy winter conditions I could see the beauty of the ride. Some of the houses I passed were unbelievable. The car traffic wasn't too bad either. Similar to some spots in NJ it seemed like the cars were used to seeing cyclists in the area so they were rather patient.
I probably won't be able to ride again for a while bc the weather is looking cold and I have a bunch of trips coming up. However, the outlook for riding on LI just took a big turn up.
I live on the South Shore of Long Island, where riding is virtually impossible. I joined the LIBC, which does rides on the North Shore each Saturday and Sunday from the Westbury High School parking lot. Westbury High School is a 15-20 minute drive from my house -- a bit of a bummer to have to drive your car to go ride your bike but at least I finally get some use out of the bike rack I purchased.
LIBC has cue sheets listed on the site. I polled a few members and asked for a good mid-week training ride and they suggested two. I picked the shorter one.
I arrived a Westbury High School and was immediately a bit intimidated by the looks of the student body. I pulled into the faculty lot and asked a teacher if she thought they'd mind if they park there. She said it should be okay. As I was preparing my bike I saw a security guard approaching me. He said "great day for a ride -- great idea" and kept walking. I rode up to his car and confirmed it was okay for me to park there. He gave me the thumbs up.
The ride was supposed to be 32 miles but I had to cut it short bc I understimated what time it gets dark -- I did a total of 21 miles. Even with cruddy winter conditions I could see the beauty of the ride. Some of the houses I passed were unbelievable. The car traffic wasn't too bad either. Similar to some spots in NJ it seemed like the cars were used to seeing cyclists in the area so they were rather patient.
I probably won't be able to ride again for a while bc the weather is looking cold and I have a bunch of trips coming up. However, the outlook for riding on LI just took a big turn up.
Monday, January 5, 2009
Road Resistance
The South Shore of Long Island is a difficult place to ride your bike. The roads are narrow and the traffic is pretty fierce. Additionally, drivers aren't what I'd call accomodating. The North Shore is much easier from what I hear, and this is where most of the action is. I joined a cycle club that does rides each Saturday and Sunday from Westbury High School, which is about a 20 minute drive from my house. It'd be nice if I could find a rideable bike route there as it's only 9 miles away. I'm going to work on this.
So living on the South Shore of Long Island, the problem I'm going to have is mid-week training rides. I'd love to find a nice 20 mile route in the area but just looking around as I drive leads me to believe it's a pipe dream.
The solution appears to be spin class. I've never been a big fan of spinning. Probably equal parts because it's indoors and it just seems cheesy. However, after taking a few classes, I have a new found respect for it. I took some measurements from my road bike and positioned the spin bike to replicate the fit. I actually enjoy the class, instructor and the techno music. The only drawback to spinning is no matter how hard you try, you just can't replicate the feeling of riding outdoors. I don't mean the scenery, etc... I mean the road resistance -- the deep burn you feel in your thighs as you grind on pavement.
I think about riding outside while I'm spinning - it's providing good motivation and fuel to ride oustide in the spring. It's definitely much better than riding the trainer with Coach Troy yelling at you.
So living on the South Shore of Long Island, the problem I'm going to have is mid-week training rides. I'd love to find a nice 20 mile route in the area but just looking around as I drive leads me to believe it's a pipe dream.
The solution appears to be spin class. I've never been a big fan of spinning. Probably equal parts because it's indoors and it just seems cheesy. However, after taking a few classes, I have a new found respect for it. I took some measurements from my road bike and positioned the spin bike to replicate the fit. I actually enjoy the class, instructor and the techno music. The only drawback to spinning is no matter how hard you try, you just can't replicate the feeling of riding outdoors. I don't mean the scenery, etc... I mean the road resistance -- the deep burn you feel in your thighs as you grind on pavement.
I think about riding outside while I'm spinning - it's providing good motivation and fuel to ride oustide in the spring. It's definitely much better than riding the trainer with Coach Troy yelling at you.
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