When I was in early grade school the teacher had the class draw one of the US states from an atlas. One boy who may have had some emotional problems (something I didn't fully fathom being under 10 years old) had drawn Alaska. He didn't want to bother drawing all the Aleutian Islands and instead just drew a big horn instead. I looked at it and had said "That looks like the head of an elephant" because it did. It had the side view of its head with a tusk coming out and everything. The boy immediately reacted by crumpling up his drawing in frustration and stormed off in a pout. The teacher of course scolded me for this and I was "in trouble". As I think of this, I realize this is the story of my life. I made an observation and it was received with anger and I suffered the consequences because my observation was misconstrued as a judgement. The judgment in this case was all in the boy's head because he was the one who was unhappy with the drawing. I only pointed out the obvious, and whether he was upset with his own laziness or perceived lack of ability or whatever made him decide not to draw the island chain had made him pass judgment on his efforts and responded in anger as though I had wronged him. The teacher reacted in knee-jerk fashion as though this was my fault, not caring that I was making an innocent observation. It was not like I said "I don't like your drawing" or "you did a bad job". That was all him, yet I got blamed for it.
I think how in life I make observations all the time that people don't want to hear because it makes them have to judge the situation in front of them, and if that judgement disrupts their current perception, it is my fault for making them come to that end. For me this ends up being litmus test for people as to whether or not we are going to be "okay" or not. My good friends have the ability to see this and don't take observations personally and sometimes even respect me for telling them. Still, I often regret opening my mouth because I really am not looking for trouble. I personally think people in general are very sensitive to hearing observable information that they don't want to hear, and the first instinct is to kill the messenger. I think smarter people are the people who are able to discern observations from judgements and those are the people who are able to really learn from experiential data and grow as people. Those who are caught up with taking that sort of input personally are trapped in a world of self-absorption and will always be held back because they not only will not want to hear how others see them from the outside, it conditions people to walk on eggshells and not give them the data that might help them because it is a honest perspective from another person.
Friday, October 1, 2010
Sunday, April 25, 2010
T -13 days, Peninsula Ride
This wasn't as big as last weekend's ride to Fairfox, but it was a fun one. Plus, Michelle R came with me. We both are going to be doing a ride around Lake Tahoe on May 8 so we are trying to get as many rides as we can in, but really it was fun just to get out there because it was a great day! Navigating to the correct Crystal Springs Road off of 280 was a bit of a SNAFU and I missed the turn for Portola and wound up taking Sand Hill down a big hill that we had to go back up, but all in all it was a terrific loop and he extra hill did us some good. I guess the only thing I would change would be how to add some more mileage to it, though I was pretty beat when it was all through which doesn't exactly bode well for Tahoe, but Will assures me it will be "mellow". Mmm-hmm.
We did do over 2600 total climb though. That ain't bad!
We did do over 2600 total climb though. That ain't bad!
Friday, April 16, 2010
First ride on my new bike
I was able to wheel and deal for the Bianci. I realized I could not buy the bike I wanted new and my neighbor Judah let his Bianchi go for a fair price. Having a sweet, new baby daughter that poops a lot might have given me some leeway to negotiate. Most importantly, it feels amazing to ride and really, that is what you are paying for. I have been converted I think. A mountain bike will always have a place in my heart for trails, mad downhill and will always serve best with hard core climbs, but I understand why people swear by road bikes. They are a whole different animal.
Here is what it is:
bianchi reparto corse tsx steel frame, columbus fork.
campagnolo centaur deraileurs, campagnolo veloce flat bar shifters ,
campagnolo chorus brakes, campagnolo centaur seatpost, campagnolo centaur 170mm cranks and 39/52t chainring, phil wood bottom bracket, campagnolo chorus hubs laced to mavic open pro rims 3TTT flatbars (italian made), bianchi saddle, mks gr20 pedals, tires, rims, pedals and bottom bracket are the only non-italian items on the bike, bottom bracket is a bombproof phil wood unit
It feels like a dream and that's all I know. I will be riding this badboy every day and I dub thee "Épée" because it cuts like a fast sword.
Here is my first ride since I bought it. I stopped by the Tooleybeths to say hi and to brag, but they were not home. Oh well.
Here is my little route:
Here is what it is:
bianchi reparto corse tsx steel frame, columbus fork.
campagnolo centaur deraileurs, campagnolo veloce flat bar shifters ,
campagnolo chorus brakes, campagnolo centaur seatpost, campagnolo centaur 170mm cranks and 39/52t chainring, phil wood bottom bracket, campagnolo chorus hubs laced to mavic open pro rims 3TTT flatbars (italian made), bianchi saddle, mks gr20 pedals, tires, rims, pedals and bottom bracket are the only non-italian items on the bike, bottom bracket is a bombproof phil wood unit
It feels like a dream and that's all I know. I will be riding this badboy every day and I dub thee "Épée" because it cuts like a fast sword.
Here is my first ride since I bought it. I stopped by the Tooleybeths to say hi and to brag, but they were not home. Oh well.
Here is my little route:
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Two Towers
Today I did a solo ride while Cathy had to work (poor thing). It was a glorious San Francisco day with bright sun and a good breeze so that while it was warm day, the wind kept things cool. It was what I would call perfect biking weather! My initial objective was to climb to the top of Telegraph hill, the site of Coit Tower. Here is the route I plotted out on Bikely.com, complete with notes and pictures. If you click on the below Bikely map and look at the elevation profile you will see why I called this ride Two Towers.
I started my ride going down Folsom to the Embarcadero, up Bay and and left on Stockton. The climb started there and was actually pretty reasonable on my trusty 14 year old mountain bike. I didn't even have to stand up for any part of the climb since I had a great climbing gear. I got to the top and sent some pictures to brag to Cathy and Captain Kirk since this ride was pretty much my homework over the weekend. It is actually funny to go there because in the 13 years that I have lived in San Francisco I have never actually been to Coit Tower. The views along the way up are more impressive than the at the top since the trees obscure things. I guess that is the reason why people pay the $3 to go to the top of the tower, which I didn't. When I locked up my bike a I said good day to Vietnam Vet was standing there enjoying the sun. He was jovial and said that is a great day just to wake up alive. We chuckled and I pointed out that for days like today you have to appreciate getting a little extra and he agreed.
Looking to the northwest you can get a good view of the bay and as one might expect it was full of sailboats, some really heeling hard so I am sure the wind was strong out on the water. It would have been a great day to be out there, but I had my bike and I was ready to do a lot more riding. I looked over to the west and saw Nob Hill right there and didn't realize at that point that I would be climbing it. I left Coit Tower without any sort of plan and bombed down Telegraph Hill. I then decided to take my chances to go the wrong way on Grant a few blocks since there was no traffic and I tried to climb Fillbert and when trying to shift up to get more turn on my crank it slipped and I totally wiped. Shimano Deore components disappoint again. I fortunately didn't hurt myself but a woman who was unloading her kids from her car heard me curse as I was going down and asked if I was alright. She said that she lived on this hill and would never even think of biking up it. I decided maybe I would save that one for another day. I turned around, said "next time" to some guy who was watching me, trying to play it cool, and made my way into Washington Square.
It was a little less windy down there and it was warm, full of people sunbathing and of course there was a crazy lady yelling obscenities to no one in particular. I made my way over to the artists showing their work over on the southwest corner. I found two artists with really beautiful stuff. First was Stephen Bruce who had some gorgeous pieces of painted copper that made me think of a satellite view of what salt marshes like from very high altitudes I really wanted to get one of them because it would look amazing in our sage-colored bedroom. The aquamarine coloring was really gorgeous, but his prices were a little out of my league. Second I saw the work of James L. Marc who had some very beautiful paintings of horizons that he said were done on location. One that I really loved he said was was done off the coast of Venezuela, but strangely it is called Florida Sunset. Not sure what was up with that. I didn't even bother asking how much his pieces were because I know it was more than I was every going to be able to pay for on my salary. While perusing I also met a curious shirtless fellow named Devin who had some interesting concepts about what he calls "recycled art" which I don't quite get get, but he seemed to have a vision that was positive so I wished him well.
I had enjoyed my stop long enough so I got back on the saddle and headed for some more hills.
I decided to head up Union towards Nob Hill. I turned up Taylor which and this time I got myself into a good gear to do a standing climb. I was very happy to have my bull bars because I was literally pulling my butt up this thing. They really d help for climbs and that hill was a beast! When I got to Green I was totally winded so I stopped and took a picture of the downhill but the picture really didn't do it justice. I wasn't initially going to climb the next leg up but I didn't really want to go back to North Beach on Green so I just went the rest of the way up to Vallejo. That got me pretty much to the highest point of Nob Hill. There is a cute little park up there called Coolbrith Park which I got a few more pictures of Alcatraz and North Beach.
After that, I just cruised Nob Hill proper along Taylor and thought about how to make my way back down. At California, right after Grace Cathedral, I took a left and started to head down the hill, but I decided to take a right down Powell which has the streetcar tracks on a separate elevated lane and rode down the middle of it to avoid the cars since traffic was now becoming an issue. It might not have been the best idea from the MUNI drivers perspective and I got some annoyed barking from them even though I never got in their way. They are on tracks so their path is going to be pretty predictable. I guess these guys are the closest thing to elite they have so maybe he felt obliged to tell me what's what. Once I got through Union Square I banged a left on Eddy so I could shoot back home down Fourth Street. The nice downgrade is such a nice reward after a long ride and I was able to time it just right to really fly.
All in all it was a pretty damned fine ride, and a lot more that I thought I was going to do when I started. I really got to get a taste of San Francisco's North end at its best, hills and all. Days like today you don't just waste and I am glad I didn't.
I started my ride going down Folsom to the Embarcadero, up Bay and and left on Stockton. The climb started there and was actually pretty reasonable on my trusty 14 year old mountain bike. I didn't even have to stand up for any part of the climb since I had a great climbing gear. I got to the top and sent some pictures to brag to Cathy and Captain Kirk since this ride was pretty much my homework over the weekend. It is actually funny to go there because in the 13 years that I have lived in San Francisco I have never actually been to Coit Tower. The views along the way up are more impressive than the at the top since the trees obscure things. I guess that is the reason why people pay the $3 to go to the top of the tower, which I didn't. When I locked up my bike a I said good day to Vietnam Vet was standing there enjoying the sun. He was jovial and said that is a great day just to wake up alive. We chuckled and I pointed out that for days like today you have to appreciate getting a little extra and he agreed.Looking to the northwest you can get a good view of the bay and as one might expect it was full of sailboats, some really heeling hard so I am sure the wind was strong out on the water. It would have been a great day to be out there, but I had my bike and I was ready to do a lot more riding. I looked over to the west and saw Nob Hill right there and didn't realize at that point that I would be climbing it. I left Coit Tower without any sort of plan and bombed down Telegraph Hill. I then decided to take my chances to go the wrong way on Grant a few blocks since there was no traffic and I tried to climb Fillbert and when trying to shift up to get more turn on my crank it slipped and I totally wiped. Shimano Deore components disappoint again. I fortunately didn't hurt myself but a woman who was unloading her kids from her car heard me curse as I was going down and asked if I was alright. She said that she lived on this hill and would never even think of biking up it. I decided maybe I would save that one for another day. I turned around, said "next time" to some guy who was watching me, trying to play it cool, and made my way into Washington Square.It was a little less windy down there and it was warm, full of people sunbathing and of course there was a crazy lady yelling obscenities to no one in particular. I made my way over to the artists showing their work over on the southwest corner. I found two artists with really beautiful stuff. First was Stephen Bruce who had some gorgeous pieces of painted copper that made me think of a satellite view of what salt marshes like from very high altitudes I really wanted to get one of them because it would look amazing in our sage-colored bedroom. The aquamarine coloring was really gorgeous, but his prices were a little out of my league. Second I saw the work of James L. Marc who had some very beautiful paintings of horizons that he said were done on location. One that I really loved he said was was done off the coast of Venezuela, but strangely it is called Florida Sunset. Not sure what was up with that. I didn't even bother asking how much his pieces were because I know it was more than I was every going to be able to pay for on my salary. While perusing I also met a curious shirtless fellow named Devin who had some interesting concepts about what he calls "recycled art" which I don't quite get get, but he seemed to have a vision that was positive so I wished him well.
I had enjoyed my stop long enough so I got back on the saddle and headed for some more hills.I decided to head up Union towards Nob Hill. I turned up Taylor which and this time I got myself into a good gear to do a standing climb. I was very happy to have my bull bars because I was literally pulling my butt up this thing. They really d help for climbs and that hill was a beast! When I got to Green I was totally winded so I stopped and took a picture of the downhill but the picture really didn't do it justice. I wasn't initially going to climb the next leg up but I didn't really want to go back to North Beach on Green so I just went the rest of the way up to Vallejo. That got me pretty much to the highest point of Nob Hill. There is a cute little park up there called Coolbrith Park which I got a few more pictures of Alcatraz and North Beach.
After that, I just cruised Nob Hill proper along Taylor and thought about how to make my way back down. At California, right after Grace Cathedral, I took a left and started to head down the hill, but I decided to take a right down Powell which has the streetcar tracks on a separate elevated lane and rode down the middle of it to avoid the cars since traffic was now becoming an issue. It might not have been the best idea from the MUNI drivers perspective and I got some annoyed barking from them even though I never got in their way. They are on tracks so their path is going to be pretty predictable. I guess these guys are the closest thing to elite they have so maybe he felt obliged to tell me what's what. Once I got through Union Square I banged a left on Eddy so I could shoot back home down Fourth Street. The nice downgrade is such a nice reward after a long ride and I was able to time it just right to really fly.
All in all it was a pretty damned fine ride, and a lot more that I thought I was going to do when I started. I really got to get a taste of San Francisco's North end at its best, hills and all. Days like today you don't just waste and I am glad I didn't.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
2 great bike loops in Mendocino
This weekend Cathy and I went to Mendocino to stay at Stevenswood and get some cycling in. Cathy has never really ridden anything serious and she only has a commuter bike, but she did terrificly! I set up the maps of the trip on Bikely.com since Google Maps is just so damn painful for this sort of application, and mapmyride.com is not much better. Click on the map titlebar for options so you can see the elevation charts and what-not. It is a very cool site.
On Monday 2/15/10 we did what I thought would be a steeper ride and it turned out to be pretty mellow and about 5 miles shorter. We did this route clockwise.
On Valentine's Day we did this ride and it was a lot more elevation than we expected, but it was a very fun ride! There were some pretty rough spots on CR 409 so I was glad our tires had a little width to them. A road bike would have been tough here. We did this route counterclockwise.
I would definitely recommend these rides and beginner to intermediate. Both had moderate climbing grades, beautiful scenery, and very rewarding downhill.
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