anaomalous – Page 2

I um…had to get this new bike

I couldn’t resist this $65 find on Craigslist: A 53cm 1980s steel lugged Nishiki Custom Sport, hardly ever ridden. Now, you may be wondering why I just acquired another 80s red steel road bike. Is this hoarding? Well, first of all, it might be hoarding, but I prefer to think that I just got another… Continue reading I um…had to get this new bike

Do We Have Clearance, Clarence?

A few weeks ago I took what I thought would be the final step in converting my Novara Trionfo road bike into a winter bike: Fenders. I knew that due to the racing geometry of this frame, tire clearance would be an issue for me. I located what I believe to be a pair of… Continue reading Do We Have Clearance, Clarence?

SleepGuard Review, Part 2

Last week I had an awful sinus infection, so ordering the Sleep Guard was a bit of retail therapy that I could look forward to using when I became healthy again. I was impressed with how quickly I received my new Sleep Guard. I ordered it from the stopgrinding.com website on Saturday, December 31, and… Continue reading SleepGuard Review, Part 2

SleepGuard Review, Part 1

This is the year that I am actually doing something to address my bruxism, which is a wonderful word for tooth grinding. Some background, first. When I was 25, my dentist noted that my molars were worn down to levels typically seen in 40 year old people. And when you’re 25, 40 is REALLY OLD.… Continue reading SleepGuard Review, Part 1

From Double to Triple Crankset

After trying to ride home from Downtown to West Seattle a few times, on the Novara, it was clear that I would have to take the long way around, avoiding the more direct route that I use with my mountain bike. This road bike’s gear ratio just didn’t allow for a low enough gear for… Continue reading From Double to Triple Crankset

Area Woman Does Not Have Man Hands

Here’s what’s difficult about improving an old bike: You may have to slog through a few disappointing pieces of advice until you find one that works. Even after spending a tidy $um at Aaron’s Bike Repair to do the initial fixes, (new brake levers, handlebars, freewheel cluster, pedals) I still knew the brakes were too… Continue reading Area Woman Does Not Have Man Hands

Wheelbuilding: Who Knew You Could Just Do It?

I signed up for the Wheel Building class at Bikeworks, because it seemed like the perfect intersection of several hobbies of mine. It turns out that even the novice wheel builder can create a wheel every bit as worthy (and probably more so) than the average wheel created by factory machines. The first week of… Continue reading Wheelbuilding: Who Knew You Could Just Do It?

The Resident Spider

For the past few months, I’ve had front row seats to the life of this spider who has grown quite large. Each day it makes web repairs, wraps up prey, and sits satisfied in the center, mere inches from the window over my kitchen sink. Its markings are intriguing to me.

The End of Celery Island

About 3 days after posting about my cute Celery Island, the base devolved into a rotten mess and the stalks wilted. The stink was vile. I wonder if I should have planted it in soil sooner?

First Commute on the New Bike

Had to go downtown for a meeting today and decided to give my refurbished bike a spin. First impression: I can go really really fast on this bike! Since the route from West Seattle to downtown consists of about 2 miles of mostly rolling and downhill, then 3 miles of utter flatness, the ride was… Continue reading First Commute on the New Bike

Celery Island

I saw this on Pinterest a while ago, and thought I would try creating my very own celery tree from the base of an old bunch in my fridge. From day one, I could see a tiny little proto-celery stalk, which grew into this cute thing after about 2 weeks. I wonder how long it… Continue reading Celery Island

Novara Trionfo, Partially Refurbished

I got my bike back from the shop, and I’m thrilled to finally ride it. After a hectic evening spent installing the new tires (which I did myself in order to save $20), it was too dark to ride it anywhere. So I had to wait until the next day. Sandra and I rode to… Continue reading Novara Trionfo, Partially Refurbished

Out And About

Went kayaking with my dad last weekend as an annual tradition for his birthday. I was fascinated with the markings on the underside of the ships that we passed.

Name That Apple

I’m almost ashamed to say that I spent two hours researching apple cultivars, and still didn’t figure out what my apples are. The closest description is of the “Bramley’s Seed” apple, an old English cooking variety. The description suited my apples perfectly…until I read the part about it being a Triploid which requires two pollinating… Continue reading Name That Apple

The Oud

I started playing the Oud this past June. The instrument was given to me by a dear friend who bought it in Egypt at the beginning of a 3 week trip. It had been sitting in my living room for several years before the right events coincided to allow me to start playing it. One… Continue reading The Oud

Stealth Bike

For a couple of years, I’ve been trying to find a new bike. My 1996 Gary Fisher Aquila was fine for about 14 years, until I realized just how my riding on flat ground was limited by my mountain gears. (“Whoa! Did *that* person really pass me?”) But I didn’t really know where to start.… Continue reading Stealth Bike