5pairs

Weekend in Kentucky

2009-05-20T03:02:00.003-06:00

What a nice weekend in Kentucky at Will's School. We saw a play, went to a Burbon Distillery and went canoeing. Very relaxing and great to see Will so happy. We also had some strange instructions from our car.

Tiny Sign, Big Problem

2009-05-07T06:41:00.001-06:00

While at the Thames Barrier Park a few weeks ago I noticed this sign attached to the fence along the river. Very telling.

Magic Berries

2009-04-25T07:44:00.006-06:00

I love being at the RCA. It seems that everyone has something up their sleeve. For example my friend Katrien is currently working on a project about taste which lead here to some fruit commonly known as "magic berries" in the UK (Magic Berries). The magic in these berries is that they turn very sour foods sweet. Lemons taste like sorbet and strawberries are almost too sweet to eat. Cheese on the other hand, not so good as Pip demonstrates below. When I found out that Katrien had some dried berries for us to try I was ready to be disappointed, but the change was amazing. We were eating lemons like apples. We of course have ordered some more and are going to have a magic berry buffet soon.

I'm Back! (if anyone is still listening)

2009-04-21T10:12:00.006-06:00

After far too long of an absence I thought that I would update this blog. The last few months have been very busy but fun and successful. I finished the first part of my masters in February and am currently working on my final project. Last week I was in Holland presenting my conductive ink project at an Interaction Design Conference. The project was well received and we enjoyed Holland. My friend Andrew was also in town which was great. You can see a video of him conquering a labyrinth below. Stay tuned....

An Early Thanksgiving and B-Day Bash

2008-11-23T10:28:00.009-07:00

On Saturday we had a b-day/early thanksgiving bash. Having a birthday so close to thanksgiving always ensures a good meal. After 8 hours in the kitchen, Isabelle and I were completely satisfied with the bird and so was everyone else. The dutch contingent enjoyed it so much they suggested a repeat in February.

TeamWork

2008-11-12T02:25:00.002-07:00

Testing out some suction cups that Becky got turned into a feat of human endurance as you can see in the photo above. Each cup is rated to 40kg, pretty impressive.

WHAT AN ELECTION!

2008-11-06T07:21:00.003-07:00

In celebration of yesterday's election results we had a little party at the Art Bar. Everyone was happy and London reacted with a lot of enthusiasm towards our new president. What a fantastic day!

Will's Photos from Chicago

2008-11-04T06:55:00.002-07:00

About a month ago I posted some of my pictures from Chicago. After getting Will's photos today I thought that I would post them too. I especially like the composition of the crane photo.

Marathon Number 1

2008-11-03T02:39:00.003-07:00

Exactly one week after finishing the Dublin marathon with my Dad and Gianpaolo, I am posting the pictures. I finished with a time of 04:03:53 which I was happy with, but will no doubt be trying to better soon. I had a great time training and even more fun on the day of the big run. As masochistic as it sounds, I'm already looking for one to run in the spring.

WOW!!!

2008-11-01T05:10:00.003-06:00

My Friday was made much more exciting with Becky's purchase of spring-loaded stilts. Very, very cool.

My Group

2008-10-23T09:39:00.004-06:00

Above is a photo of the group that I am working with for the first half of this year. From left to right is Me, Isabel, Bibi and Becky. Quite a photogenic team.

Participation

2008-10-21T13:45:00.002-06:00

I've voted and it felt good, but I couldn't be more nervous about this election. I couldn't find Tina Fey on the ballot so I went with the default choice.

A Little Slice of Paradise

2008-10-20T14:11:00.003-06:00

Becky demonstrates our tube installation. Not popular with other passengers, but a great way to commute.

Chicago

2008-10-15T02:34:00.007-06:00

Just a few photos from a short weekend in Chicago. First, my mom with Carl Castle of NPR fame. Second, some photos of the city and Millennium Park and third photos from dinner on Saturday night. A great weekend, but far too short.

Kills Bugs Fast (see link below)

2008-09-26T03:20:00.006-06:00

The first photo was taken by my mother a few weeks ago in Bowling Green Kentucky. She shocked my brother Will by renting a Corvette from Hertz. Of course Will was not so shocked that he couldn't spend a little time posing. He always said that he wanted a yellow Corvette and it seems to suit him well. The second photo is of a 1951 Mercury on the Denver Colfax Cruise last weekend. Before leaving for the UK, Paul and I spent the day absorbing a little americana (ie. I ate a hot dog, Paul did not. I regretted it, Paul did not). There were some great cars out and the weather was fabulous. The last shot in this post was a result of my enthusiastic drive to see my mother. Fast car, great roads and one too many birds. When I saw it fly up, but not over, I wondered what I would find. I couldn't help but be reminded of this memorable Porsche poster.

Ride With Ryan

2008-09-15T17:57:00.001-06:00

Great Sand Dunes National Park. I love Colorado

Weekend at the Cabin

2008-09-15T17:52:00.002-06:00

Soooooo.......relaxing. Lots of hiking, a little mushroom hunting and a few games of Uno.

Perth to Colorado Via Sydney Biennale, Stars and a Sunrise at 34,000ft.

2008-08-30T18:47:00.004-06:00

Even though I'm glad to be back in Colorado, I'm more sad to have left Australia. I was really starting to enjoy my time in Perth, and especially my time at Symbiotica. Frankly, the last month has gone by so fast that I'm afraid I wont remember it. I know that I will though, because I have so much to digest.

After a nice dinner in Perth on Friday night I was taken to the airport to fly to Sydney. An overnight flight to Sydney left me exhausted but I was able to see a bit of the Sydney Biennale and really liked what I saw. I was back on the plane again towards San Francisco when I was treated to some fabulous stars over the pacific, and an incredible sunrise. No one else seemed to be looking out the window. What a shame. It's too easy to forget how amazing it is to watch the sunrise from 6 miles up. Home now, off to take a shower and get some sleep.

My New Haircut

2008-08-27T07:12:00.005-06:00

Today I was asked to be a hair model. Not one to say no, I got a free haircut. As you can see from the first photo, I choose to "Change to a new style." What a day.

This is Where I Work

2008-08-26T02:39:00.004-06:00

I thought that everyone might appreciate this panorama of the space that I have been working in here in Perth. There are a lot of lab spaces as well. The Symbiotica space has plenty of natural light and a lot of strange objects hanging around. Plenty to be distracted by. CLICK on the photo to scroll through the whole space.

No Surprises Here

2008-08-23T02:10:00.002-06:00

It tasted as bad as you might expect, but I had to check for myself. Ingredients: Carbonated water, yogurt, salt, mint. I really can't describe how unpleasant this taste was.

My Little Bro

2008-08-22T01:23:00.003-06:00

I had to post this picture of my brother and his girlfriend Margret from last weekend. What a dapper man. What a good looking couple. My mom took the photo, wish I had been there to see them.

Who Is That Man?

2008-08-21T02:58:00.002-06:00

Is that "Captain Science" or is he just taking that lab coat to the golf club? Either way he's enjoying himself.

Diving

2008-08-17T20:33:00.003-06:00

I'm proud to say that I am now a PADI certified "Open Water Diver." This means that I can dive as deep as 18 meters. I've been diving every weekend here in Perth. On Saturday I followed the Rockignham dive trail south of Perth. We explored two plane wrecks and a scuttled boat. Lots of life, but very creepy to see an airplane sitting on the bottom. On Sunday we dove in the Swan river (still salt water but toally different topography). The rive had visibility at best of 2 meters and at worst it was less than a foot (see photo). Very disorienting. As strange as it sounds it was easy to forget which direction was up. I'm heading off to Rottnest Island next weekend to do some reef diving and I can't wait.

Lab Work

2008-08-12T22:18:00.002-06:00

Above: A bioreactor for tissue culture from the Symbiotica lab. I'm currently trying to figure out how to make this simpler and cheaper. I'm out of my element in the lab (which is great) but there are lots of cool pieces of equipment to play with (which is also great).

One Week in Western Australia

2008-08-09T21:58:00.004-06:00

I have now settled in a bit to WA. Perth feels like the way I remember Denver feeling 15 years ago. The city is packed during business hours, dying quickly after 6:00 with the exception of a few hot spots. There is a good gallery scene here and I never feel overwhelmed by the city. It's clear that Perth's boom has been going for a while though as I've been told that house prizes are high and there are expensive cars and bike everywhere.

I ran through the "CBD" this morning (Sunday) and no one was out. Though the nightlife can't compete with London I enjoy how laid back it is here. For the middle of winter the weather is fantastic too. I spent all day yesterday scuba diving in a swimming pool. After getting comfortable in the gear, all of the hoses disappeared and I felt like I was breathing underwater. A surreal experience. I can't wait until next weekend when I go diving in the ocean.

Working at Symbiotica has been great. I am completely out of my element in the biology lab which is exactly what I was looking for. The people are great and the projects are interesting. I enjoy the precision and thoroughness required by standards of sterility and ethics. I'll post some photos of the lab soon. Above I've posted some photos of the University of Western Australia campus. Not a bad place to be.

More Info

2008-08-07T01:44:00.009-06:00

I thought that I would pass on some more info about the projects that I will be working with while in Perth. I'm having a great time so far, plus I'm learning to Scuba dive. Check out the projects here:
http://www.tca.uwa.edu.au/previous.html
http://www.tca.uwa.edu.au/

Catching Up To The Present

2008-08-03T03:29:00.003-06:00

I have to thank everyone who has been on my case about posting some new content. I appreciate knowing that someone is watching. As many of you know I finished my first year at the RCA and was happy with how it went. After our Japan trip the end of the year I focused on opening the second-year show and organizing groups for next year's work. After finishing school I spent a few days getting organized in London, and one day riding in Paris (video below). My one day Paris ride was a great way to de-stress after the year.

After leaving London, I spent a week in NYC working with a sculptor (www.akairways.com). I really enjoyed learning from him and as usual NYC was great. I would not be unhappy to find myself there in the next few years. My week in the unsleeping city was too short but I flew back to Colorado anyway. I rushed through Denver and Aspen, finding myself drawn to stay as usual. The quality of life in Colorado beats everything else and the family and friends aren't half bad either. It's tough to keep coming home and leaving again.

Finally, catching up to the present: I'm now in Perth, Australia working at a biology lab at the University of Western Australia. I don't have much to say yet, except that it's nice to finally stop moving for a month, but I'm sure I'll find a way to distract myself. Check out the project that I'll be working on here: http://www.fishandchips.uwa.edu.au

JAPAN JAPAN JAPAN!

2008-06-07T01:38:00.005-06:00

As usual I have not taken the time to post anything to my blog, for good reason though. For the last 2 weeks I have been in Japan with my RCA course and we have had an amazing time. We spent the first few days in Tokyo and then moved to Tsukuba, a Toyko suburb. We were collaborating with Tsukuba students on a workshop titled "The Future of Food." We came up with some interesting ideas, but being in Japan was far more interesting. I'm back to London tomorrow, and I'll post some more pictures and description then. It's going to take a while to digest everything that I have seen.

Will

2008-05-17T09:19:00.003-06:00

I've just finished a short project about my brother Will. As many of you already know, I spent the last two weeks calling friends and family asking about Will's communication with you. I distilled the research into a short film and a design brief that I might be taking foward in another project. Thanks for everyone's help, I hope you enjoy the film.

Wow....Check this out.

2008-05-17T08:54:00.001-06:00

A friend of mine was an engineer on this Bollard project. This video is definitely worth watching.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=lNYl3ecihEY

London Flash Mobs

2008-05-02T11:30:00.003-06:00

Last Wednesday night I finally received an email from the London flash mob group. As you can see from the flier I arrived at Liverpool Street Station just in time to see about 150 people freeze in place as the rest of the crowd looked confused. After 4 minutes everyone started moving. It was great! What a cool event.

Bike Ride in Dover

2008-04-29T02:38:00.004-06:00

Last Sunday I was finally able to get to the sea with my bike. I took the train to Dover in the morning and spent all day riding North East along the coast. The weather was great and the coast line is really beautiful. In general the ride was quite flat, but at times I began to regret my 46-15 setup. Especially on the 17% climb to the top of the white cliffs. I was just able to see France from the top of the cliffs. I was so close that my cell phone told me I was in France. I'll never fall asleep on the train again. How confusing. I also rode through the town of Sandwich. Not exciting, and not a sandwich to be bought, I guess the police were out in force. My day trip was a great way to celebrate the first really nice weekend in Spring. on another note I am beginning to figure out my summer plans. So far it looks like I will be in Southern California doing something with motorcycles for the first few months. The last month I hope to ride across the US in preparation to bring a bike to England.

Back in Action

2008-04-08T05:23:00.003-06:00

After a very relaxing break filled with skiing and not enough work I am back in London. I arrived to 3 inches of snow which was surprising to say the least. I am in a great mood this week as I have recently registered for the Dublin marathon in October of this year. I have never run a marathon before and I can't wait. I couldn't resist posting a picture of the Chevelle that I saw outside of Glenwood Springs.

Long Time No Post

2008-03-25T11:38:00.002-06:00

Clearly I have been working too much when I don't even have time to post. School has been great. I thought that I would quickly post some pictures from my pinhole camera. I tried to document my walk to the studio but I ended up with what looks like an interstellar journey.

Little Food, Little Flat, Big Drinks, Bigger Party

2008-02-11T02:09:00.000-07:00

I'm happy to say that my impromptu party was a huge success. With 15 people in my flat it felt full to capacity. The last person left at 4:00am. The pictures should tell the rest of the story. What a success!!

My First Flash

2008-02-03T12:03:00.000-07:00

Check out a small animation I did for the phone project. After hours of frustration with Flash, this is what I have to show. It's great on a loop though.

My First Press

2008-02-01T10:43:00.000-07:00

Check it out! : http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_pictures/7220230.stm

Go to the last page for my phone! Amazing no?

A Phone and a Show

2008-01-30T10:05:00.000-07:00

Monday night was the opening of the RCA's Architecture and Design School's interim show. After a really long week finishing my cell phone project (blah) and a long weekend hanging chairs from the ceiling, I'm happy to say that Monday night was a success. Now that everything is up we've been enjoying some good reviews. Also, I'm happy to say that our group won a prize for our cell phone interface. I hope you enjoy these pictures of construction, my cell phone and the giant fluorescent sun that we built. I've finally got a few days to relax, whew.

I Love This Photo

2008-01-17T12:35:00.000-07:00

This picture was taken 4 years ago at my mother's xmas party. What a party...what a party.

This is Amazing

2008-01-15T09:39:00.000-07:00

This project has me totally engrossed:

http://electricsheep.org/

Electric Sheep is a free, open source screen saver run by thousands of people all over the world. It can be installed on any ordinary PC or Mac. When these computers "sleep", the screen saver comes on and the computers communicate with each other by the internet to share the work of creating morphing abstract animations known as "sheep". The result is a collective "android dream", an homage to Philip K. Dick's novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep.

What a Party

2008-01-13T05:41:00.000-07:00

When you think "Papprazzi party", what do you think of? A Pantomime Horse of course. You might remember David and I in our Santa suits from a previous post. This costume was just as successful, but much warmer. Much, much warmer. To answer the obvious question, I was pulling up the rear. Three hours in the back of a horse, what a party!

Home On The Range

2008-01-09T01:47:00.000-07:00

I'm back in London now after a very refreshing (but completely exhausting) holiday break in the US. I spent the first four days of my break recovering from my chair project (first two pictures above) with Laura (third picture). As usual, New York was great. After seeing a Christmas concert at the Guggenheim, and eating a lot of good food I headed back to Colorado. I spent a few days in Denver skiing on the front range and catching up with friends before I headed to Aspen for Christmas and New Years (fourth and fifth pictures). The skiing was absolutely fantastic, the party was as good as ever. New Years eve the party moved from the Pinkhouse to the top of Buttermilk for a bonfire and a moonlight descent. To bookend my US tour I spent three far-too-short days in Wisconsin with my family. My favorite cookies and Fleet Farm, my favorite store are shown in the last two pictures. It was a great break, but I'm glad to be back at school.

The Last Few Weeks

2007-12-08T12:57:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately I am so busy right now that I can't write more than a few sentances. In the last few weeks I have been working on creating a chair. A very complicated chair. On Friday I'll have some final shots. As for this post, I thought that everyone might appreciate some creative bicycle parking (mine is at the bottom), a photo that documents my TIG welding practice (integral to the chair project) and some photos of David and I in our inflatable Santa suits. What a great night!

Security

2007-11-19T00:48:00.000-07:00

I just had to post this:

Too Much Time in The Studio

2007-11-18T13:43:00.000-07:00

Again, too much time in the studio:

Esemplastic Structures

2007-11-10T06:20:00.000-07:00

Given one week, one material and a bunch of architecture students to work with, we constructed a room full of amazing (unstable) structures. My group was assigned medium-density fiberboard (MDF) as our material and geometry as our topic. Look for the network of curved wooden ribs, that's us. They came down faster than they went up as you can see in the video below.

A Spanish Ride

2007-11-07T16:02:00.000-07:00

I've finally gotten around to posting a video from my trip. I filmed this footage on a road in southern Spain. After so many miles, these still remain some of my favorite. I assume you can see why.

My First British Meal

2007-10-30T03:35:00.001-06:00

My classmate Ross (of video fame from previous posts) was nice enough to take Cecile and I on a bike tour around London last Sunday. Out of all of the day's highlights, Pie, Mash and Jellied Eels had to be the most unique (though we did visit a working farm in Central London.... ) I enjoyed the meal. As for the green sauce, Ross said it was "some sort of eel by-product, I think." Hmm....Luckily we got a generous portion as they were almost finished serving this batch.

Finally!!!!

2007-10-28T03:22:00.000-06:00

After hurting my right leg three weeks ago I haven't been able to run. This morning I successfully ran 2.375 miles without pain. It was slow and short, but at least I finished it. What a relief (relief pictured below).

Happy Anniversary

2007-10-27T09:40:00.000-06:00

Happy Anniversary Amma and Afi!

Generative Structures

2007-10-25T11:32:00.000-06:00

I got bored while setting up my group's project last night and thought that I'd do a fly through. In this project we've been exploring fractals, space-filling curves, bistable materials, chain reactions, and the properties of algorithmic modularity. This video is a brief look at our attempt to organize our thought process through a 3D diagram. Right now we only have a pile of concepts, but hopefully in a week I'll be able to post some pictures of a physical manifestation of these ideas. I've really enjoyed this project so far.

Thanks Paul

2007-10-23T11:51:00.000-06:00

A friend in need is a friend indeed. Thanks to Paul's thoughtfulness (and keen memory) I now have a replacement "spork." My previous spork had its eating career cut unnecessarily short thanks to my exuberance at the Pikes Peak Hill Climb in July of this year (see second photo). Thanks Paul!

Rockies

2007-10-15T23:12:00.000-06:00

GO ROCKIES!!!!!!

My First RCA Project

2007-10-15T13:07:00.000-06:00

I thought that everyone might enjoy looking at my first completed project from the RCA. After a crazy two day push we created this video. Day one, concept. Day two, film and edit. I'm happy with the results, but even more happy to have finally gotten both feet in the door at school. Enjoy!

Happy Birthday Mom

2007-10-13T12:22:00.000-06:00

My first project at the RCA is finished, and I was quite happy with the result. My group of four created a film (not the one shown above) that I will hopefully post soon. Last night's "Pirate Party" was great and gave me yet another reason to enjoy my new home here in London. To celebrate the completion of my first assignment I took a long ride around London. As a birthday present to my mom (Happy Birthday!), I documented my bicycle ride and created the video shown above. Click "play" and give it time to buffer as it is three minutes long.

Our First Week at the RCA

2007-10-06T13:45:00.001-06:00

Finished with my first week! Thought you might enjoy some pictures of Andy, Bibi, Jose and I doing some "research" for our first project. A day spent in London ended in a bar with some very creative bathrooms (last picture).

My New Home

2007-10-02T14:22:00.000-06:00

Attached to this post is a picture of new desk at the RCA. I was lucky enough to have secured a window spot. I can't wait to get started on my first project tomorrow. Not much more to say now. I'm sure I'll have plenty of updates soon.

School Is In Session

2007-09-30T09:39:00.000-06:00

I've set m watch to the "mother" time zone and school starts in the morning. Pictures of my place coming soon. Actually, it's small enough that it might be more accurate to say "picture" coming soon.

Off to London

2007-09-16T06:28:00.000-06:00

In 20 hours I'll be a resident of the UK. Can't wait.

NYC

2007-09-12T16:42:00.000-06:00

I had a fantastic weekend in NYC and even though I am excited to move to London, I think it's best to let this picture speak for itself:

Impression: Normal Right Shoulder

2007-09-04T15:23:00.000-06:00

Ever since my spill in Russia, I had been worried about my shoulder. After an irresponsibly long length of time I went to the doctor to get it checked out. They say it's ok, (I'm not so sure) but at least I got to see these cool x-rays. Enjoy!

Run DMC and Emerson Fittipaldi

2007-08-31T08:25:00.001-06:00

I went to Woody Creek Raceway to see Emerson Fittipaldi (see video), but I found something almost more interesting. A Delorean powered by a twin turbo lotus Esprit V8. It was fun to see Fittipaldi in person. The John Player Special car that he was driving sounded spectacular. Wonder how the Delorean handles above 88mph? Predictable humor....

I Am So Sad

2007-08-26T10:31:00.000-06:00

Parked in front of the house, hit by some drunk driver. Damn

Canada Time

2007-08-21T19:46:00.000-06:00

Do these pictures even need an explanation? Of course they do: Ten days in Ontario with Andrew, Bill and Elliot. We spent lots of time, swimming, sailing and eating. I decided that water skiing can't really satisfy my snow ski cravings, but it's a good start in August. The water was warm and the forest was fantastic. We saw fledgling eagles, and played Risk (my Madagascar stronghold is pictured below). As Elliot might put it, it was a "Chillaxing" couple of days.

The Last Couple of Weeks

2007-08-09T16:51:00.000-06:00

Before I leave for Canada in the morning I thoght I'd post some pictures from the last couple of weeks. I went clothes shopping with Molly and Ellis. She found something nice, but Ellis and I... (he found a shirt that zips all the way up to hide his shame). I have gotten my car running again, which was a relief as I now have almost exactly one month to enjoy it. The last picture is from this morning. A perfect day for a ride from Denver to Aspen.

A New Driver's License

2007-07-26T15:47:00.000-06:00

In preparation for my move to England I have been updating all of my personal documents, including my driver's license. In order to get a license to match my new address I had to arrive at the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) in time to beat the crowd. I'm not kidding. I arrived at 6:30 am (pictured) and was the first person in line by only about 10 minutes. By the time the doors opened at 8:00 am there were 75 people in line behind me. Wow.

Pikes Peak International Hill Climb

2007-07-26T15:24:00.000-06:00

For our second trip to the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, Paul and I followed the same formula for success. No sleep, bad food and altitude. At least this year it didn't snow. Attendance was up, but entries were down. Even more of the course was paved this year, which sped things up, but also made the racing less exciting. We watched Monster Tajima set a new record at 10:01, just shy of the sub ten second run that has been just out of reach since 1994. This remains a unique event, but Paul and I decided that it's also a little sad to see it compromised by the litigious nature of modern racing.

Finally... A New Post

2007-07-12T13:17:00.000-06:00

I'm not sure if anyone is even watching anymore, but I'm still here. "Here" is Colorado of course and I'm getting ready to move to London in 2 months. I've done a major maintenance on the bike and repainted the side panels. I also converted the bike to a solo tail. No more passengers for me. After all of this work the bike looks ready to turn around and circle the globe again. In other motorcycle news, my mother has recently bought a new motorcycle. She is quite proud of her 2007 Honda CBR600RR in pearl white with a matching jacket. This a very cool bike. Enjoying the mountains, I spent part of last week hiking between Eldora and Grand Lake Colorado with Bill and his dog. I had not forgotten how much I love the mountains.

I Love Colorado

2007-06-06T20:06:00.000-06:00

It's June 6th and here's the traffic report: snow and blowing snow on I-70 West of the Eisenhower tunnel. What a place.

Two Weeks Back

2007-06-05T10:08:00.000-06:00

I have now been home for two weeks. I'm glad to be back. Everyone has asked if slowing down has been a tough transition, but it hasn't. Helping my dad move, and going through what little I left at my mom's (now relocated) house has meant that I haven't really "slowed down." As you can see above, I've been in the mountains, I've watched some baseball (yep, still boring), and I've thrown things away. I'm still riding the motorcycle almost everyday and I'm proud to say that it made 160.8 hp on the dynamometer last week at 5280 feet (1609 meters). It's still working apparently. I am ecstatic to be back in Colorado, Bill and I are planning our trip across the Continental Divide on our way from Eldora to Grand Lake. I've been riding my bicycle almost everyday and I am getting ready to move to London in the fall. But most importantly, I'm looking for a job. I will be keeping this blog up through the summer and definitely into the fall. Keep watching!

415 Days Later

2007-05-22T21:51:00.000-06:00

May 20, 2007

April 1, 2006

The Last 2000 Miles

2007-05-22T21:40:00.000-06:00

I hope that you will bear with me for a few more days while I digest my recent return. For now here is a brief synopsis of the last 2000 miles of my trip. After riding from L.A. to Reno in a day (with a brief intermission at Stanford - a not insignificant 180 mile detour) I met up with Ellis at the Reno Econolodge. After an "unsettling" tuna melt at the Golden Nugget casino we woke to "fule up" with a pancake breakfast for the ride to Salt Lake City. Before getting to SLC we enjoyed the vastness of the salt flats, and I payed the price in oil consumption. I have learned that anything over 100 mph increases my consumption exponentially. After leaving SLC we rode through Utah and Colorado, ending in Aspen with a short blast up one of my favorite roads. On Sunday we met up with my dad to finish the last 100 miles. After 13 months, it's a little odd to not be riding today, but I don't mind a little break. I'm sure I'll find a way to ride this weekend.

Oil

2007-05-19T09:59:00.000-06:00

The bike is now drinking 1 qt of oil for 200 miles of riding. It's definetly time to go home. Great riding through Nevada though.

14 Volts

2007-05-16T22:32:00.000-06:00

After waiting almost 2 weeks, my bike is finally charging its own battery again. The Monday after Coachella, the voltage at my battery was an inconsistent 11.5-12.7 volts. This was not good. Today I was happy to see a consistent reading of 14 volts. These 14 volts come courtesy of a new stator and voltage regulator.

After returning to San Diego from San Fransisco on Monday I loaded up my bike and prepared to do almost the same trip in reverse. I should be in Reno tomorrow night where I will meet Ellis Scharfenaker. I was frustrated to have to split off from Ryan so early, but we had a memorable couple of weeks as usual. Ryan is continuing north on our original planned route. I am heading back to Colorado, heeding my bike's cries for a break. Let's all keep our finger's crossed that my bike is as commited to returning home as I am.

Shameless Self-Promotion

2007-05-13T19:50:00.000-06:00

Me, Ryan, the Golden Gate Bridge and a convertible...

Pacific Coast Highway and The Hearst Castle

2007-05-13T11:57:00.000-06:00

Driving the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) was great. The coast of California is delightfully empty from San Luis Obispo to Monterey. My favorite sections are just north of San Simeon. Mountains on one side, cliffs to the water on the other. This is a spectacular drive. We found some kite surfers enjoying the incoming front north of Monterey.

On the way to San Fransisco, Ryan and I stopped at the Hearst Castle, a monument that was well-covered in my CC architectural history class. It was still bigger than I expected. As you can see from the first picture above, the view from the complex is amazing. The Castle appears out of nowhere as you drive along a deserted coast. The gardens were beautiful and the house was at the least, extravagant. Besides the courtyards overlooking the ocean, my favorite was the indoor pool which had amazing tile work and a dive platform. If you are driving the PCH, you must see this.

Monterey Bay Aquarium

2007-05-12T12:13:00.000-06:00

FANTASTIC!

No Time for Pictures

2007-05-09T17:32:00.000-06:00

Armed with my Dad's new car and beautiful roads from L.A. to Santa Barbara, these are the only 2 pictures that I took today. Not that anyone reading this really cares, but the new BMW M Roadster is a spectacular driver's car. There is not a better way to get a sunburn. I took the second picture on a quick break on the side of Highway 1. Ryan and I are now headed towards San Fransisco, but not without enjoying every inch of road on the way.

San Diego Zoo

2007-05-09T17:28:00.000-06:00

Last Sunday Ryan, Michelle, "Aunt Sue" and I all went to the San Diego Zoo. It is clear why this zoo is so famous. The facilities are extensive and impeccable. The message of conservation and care of the fauna is clear throughout the park. The plant-life is so extensive that the zoo makes a botanical garden as well. There is far too much to see in one day. I enjoyed my kids meal and "Souvenir Bucket" (which, unfortunately I did not keep) almost as much as I enjoyed the hippo that was lounging on the bottom of the pool. Many of the children were speculating on whether he had "punched out." I would lay down there too if I weighed 900 lbs and it was 95 degrees outside. The aviary was fun and the crocodiles were busy watching the naively-interested children in their strollers.

Pipe Organ

2007-05-09T17:18:00.000-06:00

These photos were taken at the Getty center in Los Angeles, CA. Pictured is a pipe organ by artist Tim Hawkinson. Ryan and I were lucky enough to have arrived right as it started playing its hourly tune. The organ reads its tune off of a sheet in the same basic fashion as a player-piano. The sheet music signals a release of air out of a series of air sacks through a system of valves and reeds. As a fan of kinetic art, this anthropomorphic "organ" tops the list. The Getty Center was beautiful and a little odd. I enjoyed the collection and the gardens, but I constantly felt like I was walking on the set of Woody Allen's "Sleeper."

New Feature

2007-05-07T10:12:00.000-06:00

My blog has a new feature that might interest you. If you look to the right-hand side of the page, below my map, you will find a link entitled "VIEW MY PHOTOS IN AN ALBUM". By clicking on this link you will be redirected to a site that has all of my blog photos together in a single album. Enjoy.

New Feature

2007-05-07T10:02:00.000-06:00

If you look to the right hand side of the page you will find a link entitled "

Cinco de Mayo

2007-05-05T16:14:00.000-06:00

For those who are not familliar with Cinco de Mayo (5th of May) you can read more about this holiday here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinco_de_Mayo. Enjoy. As for me, I am with Ryan and some of his friends in Encinitas, California enjoying the sunshine and good food. Cinco de Mayo is always fun, and I'm sure that my first cinco de Mayo night in southern California will be especially interesting.

I am happy to report that the bike has never run better after new spark plugs, new gaskets, new cooling fans, new coolant....the list goes on. Unfortunatley the bike runs well only until the battery runs out. My intermitent charging problem has come down to needing a new stator (alternator) and a new voltage regulator. Part of me is beginning to realize that my bike has given almost as much as it's willing to give. Fair enough.

Coachella Pictures

2007-05-03T15:03:00.000-06:00

Besides a suddenly unreliable bike, Coachella was great. Hopefully these pictures give that impression. I had so much fun, that I can confidently say that the Burning Man Festival is next on my list. My favorite moment of Coachella? The Tesla Coils pictured below. Unreal.

So Much Music...

2007-04-29T11:55:00.000-06:00

As to demonstrate how impressive the Coachella Arts and Music Festival is, this is who I saw yesterday: Pharoahe Monch, Hot Chip, The Decemberists, The Arcade of Fire, and The Red Hot Chili Peppers. Hot Chip was just as good as I had been told and I enjoyed seeing the Chili Peppers live for the first time. Besides the scorching heat Coachella has been great. I never expected to enjoy it this much. The only shame is that I only saw 5 of the 42 bands that were on the 5 stages yesterday. The quality of the music is equalled only by the quality of the crowd. I have never been to such a big event where so much polite behavior was present. I have plenty of pictures to post next week.

Coachella Morning

2007-04-28T15:08:00.000-06:00

Not wanting to eat warm PB&J, Ryan and I headed to Denny's this morning. Others had had the same thought. My "Grand Slam" was realistically more just of a "Double Play". 2 pancakes, 2 sausages, 2 strips of bacon, 2 eggs over easy and coffee.

Coachella

2007-04-28T01:39:00.000-06:00

My first night and day at Coachella was fantastic. This event is formally titled the Coachella Valley Arts and Music festival and includes art installations and musical acts. Though I am not normally one for concerts, the brief length of sets and the variety keeps this place interesting. Today I saw Brother Ali, Gillian Welsh, The Brazillian Girls, countless talanted DJ's, incredible kinetic sculptures, beautiful light installations and one of my favorites, Bjork. Her show was spectacular. Finishing a day like this makes me rethink my distaste for concerts. Now I just have to learn to love to camp with 100,000 other people.

Livin' In California

2007-04-26T11:24:00.000-06:00

I have arrived back in California. After a 13 hour flight, I took a cab to the freight terminal to collect my bike. I was dissapointed to find a bike that was running on only 3 out of 4 cylinders after a long walk to and from the customs house. What a shame. I made it from LAX to San Diego on my "900" (formerly a 1200 cc bike) on Sunday night. I've now fixed the bike and enjoyed a few days of sunshine, BBQ and my dad's spectacular new car. I've met up wiith my friend Ryan and we're off to the Coachella music festival this weekend. I'm glad to be back in the US, and I feel good about nearing the end of this trip, but I will be even happier when I put some distance between me and these Californian drivers.

Contentment

2007-04-22T00:04:00.000-06:00

I can't believe I'm on my way back to the USA. In 13 hours I will be in Los Angeles after being gone for over a year. Before I left I wondered how I would feel after a year of riding. The answer is not surprising. I would be perfectly happy to keep going. After seeing so much, I have only begun to realize how much there is to see. This is the face of contentment. Pure contentment.

Balls and Paddles

2007-04-21T17:30:00.000-06:00

Thanks to my mother (and a chance trans-pacific meeting) I have found some new friends in Sydney. In my last 24 hours in Australia I will have seen a professional rugby match and a surf ski race in Sydney's beautiful harbor.

The rugby match was great. Imagine, a professional sporting event whose game play takes priority over television commercials. I'm also partial to the beef pies and beer consummed at the match. Required to wear a collared shirt that I did not have, I am now in possesion of the one and only piece of cricket paraphernalia that I will ever own.

As I write this I am sitting on the beach in Rose bay waiting to watch 40 surf skis and their pilots clamber into the water for a 20 km endurance race. No beef pies here. My last 24 hours in Australia have been fantastic.

Moving On

2007-04-20T04:30:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I dropped my bike off for shipment by Qantas freight. While in the freight terminal I "had" to wear the vest shown above for safety reasons. As if they would have to force me. Unfortunately I was not allowed to leave with the vest on. I asked the security guard "what if I want to be 'safe' outside of the airfreight area?" obviously this issue had not come up before. More importantly, the bike should get to LA just before I do. I also picked up a brochure on shipping live Rhinoceroses.

Brains and Braun

2007-04-18T05:38:00.000-06:00

According to evolutionary scientists, it's our brains and not our brawn that have kept us alive for the last 60,000 years. My curiosity seems to work hard to upset this balance. Last night I walked out of my Sydney hostel, stopping when my brain asked "hey, what's that hanging from the tree?" My brain then suggested "better get closer, it's hard to see from here". At the last second my brain reminded me that "this sure is weird, there wasn't anything hanging from this tree at lunch". My brain was right on all accounts (excpet for ensuring my survival). Whatever was hanging from the tree was hard to see from a distance, and had not been there before. After a brief encounter-with the fauna (definetly not flaura) I wondered how I could come so close (less than 4 feet) to a fruit bat with a 3 foot wingspan and not recognize it until it flew at my face. Nice going "brain".

Other Than Riding

2007-04-18T00:44:00.000-06:00

To offset all of the riding pictures and to demonstrate that I have more than a one-track mind (one-track and bike lane actually) I have put these photos up. Riding through the Snowy Mountains I was treated to a view of a fast-recovering forest. After devastating fires five years ago the forest is sprouting incredible (weird) life. I could still smell the charcoal. I have learned that any trip to Australia inevitably ends in a little frustration for the adventurous traveller. There is so much to see here, all of it amazing, and all of it distantly far apart. I am reassured in knowing that I will probably see more in two months than the guy travelling on the beautiful Norton 750 Commando would. More kilometres, but more style, definitely not. Look at those saddle bags. The opera house is beautiful, impressive and over-photographed. And the last picture...well, I'm not quite sure either.

Riding

2007-04-18T00:32:00.000-06:00

Finally some pictures! The last two weeks have had some fantastic riding. The better the riding, the less likely I am to be taking pictures, but nonetheless I have posted some pictures here (all taken directly before, or immediately after a little civil disobedience). Mostly flat, but the hills that Australia does have seem to concentrate the riding into manic 5 mile spurts. This insures sufficient anticipation. You should have seen how excitedly I approached the first curve in Adelaide, after 1500 miles of "Emergency Landing Strips." As for the Russian flag, I hope Caz and Svetlana are looking! The Australians were looking too (looking confused that is). Every day riding just seems to get better.

Customs

2007-04-15T17:08:00.000-06:00

Regardless of my level of planning, everytime I have any contact with Australian Customs I end up frustrated. I am frustrated today. They seemed so offended that I would want to bring the bike in. Now they're aghast that I want to take it back out. Frustrating...

Alpine Way to Brown Mountain

2007-04-13T22:14:00.000-06:00

Four days ago I was enjoying the satisfaction of being more than two thirds across the Australian continent. I was not neccessarily enjoying the roads. The roadsides were interesting (filled with vineyards, pubs and strange lawn-architecture) but the roads themselves were dull. Thanks to my "Australian Motorcylists Handbook", I headed towards Kosciuszko National Park and its "Alpine Way". What a great road. Barely two lanes wide, no road markings and 60 miles of uninterupted mountains. There was a large fire in the park a few years ago, and the forest floor is starting to recover. The contrast of shoots of green to the jet black trees was striking.

After riding the Alpine Way I spent the night in Jindabyne, where yet again the motorcycle found me some new friends. Upon their recommendation I followed the road to "Brown Mountain" which was some of the best riding I have had in Australia. Pictures of all of this will follow. I am about 100 miles South of Sydney now and (as I had assumed) the traffic and riding are suffering. I'm excited to see Sydney, and to ride the Blue Mountains on Monday and Tuesday.

Unlikely

2007-04-12T03:41:00.000-06:00

Twice in two days I have been stung by Yellow Jackets. I realized that they both must have been Yellow Jackets or possibly wasps as both times I was stung more than once. These things seriously hurt, especially when they are stuck in your leathers. This will be much more funny when the swelling goes down. This second sting was earned by a fantastic ride through Kosciuszko National Park. Great forests, fast roads and no one but me and the bees.

See Pictures Below

2007-04-11T05:08:00.000-06:00

To find the pictures that match this text look in the previous post, found below this one.

I enjoyed Adelaide very much. Adelaide is not as exotic as Sydney, Melbourne or Perth, but it seemed self-confidently independant. The downtown reminded me of Denver. Very nice, but not enough to do. The Botanic Gardens (pictured) and the Adelaide hills were both fantastic. The gardens included an extensive rose garden, a national wine center with a vine display and a. garden explaining climactic adaptation. Central Adelaide is ringed with parkspace. There is so much space that it's pretty much empty all the time. Perfect for a relaxing jog.

The car pictures (what's new?) are from a vintage car race that I went to on Easter Sunday. While crossing the Nullarbor plain I met a small group from a national Jaguar rally who were all attending this event. The sight of an E-Type coupe on the Nullarbor was memorable. Note the blue Bugeye Sprite below. This is my mom's favorite (and one of mine as well) as she drove one while pregnant with me.

I made plenty of new friends in Adelaide, proving yet again the introductory power of a motorcycle.

Adelaide

2007-04-09T17:49:00.000-06:00

Adelaide has been great. Enjoy these pictures of the beautiful Adelaide botanic gardens. Also enjoy the pcitures from a vintage race from yesterday! Look above for more text (I will add it soon).