As you can see, I have little choice in the matter and do what I am compelled to do. Aaron can relate to this and I am certain, in time, Asa will too. Alas.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
If you were curious...
If you were curious why I would undertake such a foolhardy endeavor as riding my bike through a Midwestern winter, this is an example of the genetics that I inherited. Here's a picture of my Dad slogging through a snow storm in Iowa couple weeks ago.
As you can see, I have little choice in the matter and do what I am compelled to do. Aaron can relate to this and I am certain, in time, Asa will too. Alas.
As you can see, I have little choice in the matter and do what I am compelled to do. Aaron can relate to this and I am certain, in time, Asa will too. Alas.
Back to School
The first week of the semester has come and gone. And, so far so good. I am mostly caught up with readings, which is saying something because I am already inundated with journal articles, texts and other readings. For one class I had nearly 200 pages of reading... before the first lecture! Oh well. So far all my classes seem interesting and I am looking forward to each of them (I don't remember the last time that happened). I have another Statistics class, Public Management, Social Policy, and Community Economic Development. It will be a lot of work, but should be good.
In other news, it's damn cold here. How cold? So cold that boogers freeze in you nose. So cold that eye lashes freeze together when you blink. So cold that I am even taking the bus sometimes. The current temperature as I am writing this at 9:13am is -4 F. Damn, that's cold. But, it's not just here, the cold snap is punishing the entire upper Midwest and you just have to deal with it. Fortunately for me, I got a pair of ski goggles and some face cream to keep me warm. The cream keeps my skin from chapping and the goggles are a God-send. I wear a balaclava and a skull cap to keep my head warm it's really quite amazing how well the goggles keep the rest of my face warm. Previously, I would get a splitting pain right in the middle of my forehead from the cold, but now I bike along in an orange-tinted bliss.
In other news, it's damn cold here. How cold? So cold that boogers freeze in you nose. So cold that eye lashes freeze together when you blink. So cold that I am even taking the bus sometimes. The current temperature as I am writing this at 9:13am is -4 F. Damn, that's cold. But, it's not just here, the cold snap is punishing the entire upper Midwest and you just have to deal with it. Fortunately for me, I got a pair of ski goggles and some face cream to keep me warm. The cream keeps my skin from chapping and the goggles are a God-send. I wear a balaclava and a skull cap to keep my head warm it's really quite amazing how well the goggles keep the rest of my face warm. Previously, I would get a splitting pain right in the middle of my forehead from the cold, but now I bike along in an orange-tinted bliss.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Sanding and Painting are Best Done Outside
I also had a project for myself over winter break. I have been riding an old Raleigh road bike that my dad converted into a commuter for me. Its been ridden and ridden hard for several years and I decided it needed some lovin'. Few (if any) of the parts on the Raleigh were new when they were installed so I intended to replace most everything and give it a new paint job.
Everything started fine but like so many projects, a little snowball turns into an avalanche. It turned out a crack in the frame was of more structural significance than previously thought and I had to abandon the original plan. Fortunately my dad - as only he would - had an extra frame laying around in the garage that would be a suitable replacement for my commuter bike. It was a 90's era Univega (decidedly less classy than the Raleigh) with a hideous red and black spackle finish. So, I set to work.
Over the two or so weeks that I was home, I spent a good portion of time down in the basement working on the bike. First I had to sand down the paint which really wasn't too bad save for a little dusty. The next steps was to prime the frame and fork and then layer on the paint and clear coat. The tedious part was that I had to lightly sand the metal between each application of spray and then wait for each successive coat to it dry fully. This process took several days and in the end, I finished with two primer coats, four color coats, and five clear coats.
One the back of each spray can is a warning advising the user to apply the spray in a warm and well ventilated area. Since it was the middle of winter, there was no suitable place outside and my only option left was the basement. They suggest a ventilated area for good reason. That stuff is noxious. Despite wearing a face mask and moving air around with a fan, I could only suffer a few minutes down there while spraying the bike. More than a couple times I bounded upstairs, fleeing the fumes feeling light-headed and slightly nauseous. What's worse is that the reek seeped through the ventilation shafts and filled house with the lovely aroma of nail polish.
To spice the bike up a bit I made a checkerboard pattern across the top tube and a silver band around the down tube. In the end it turned out OK and I was mostly pleased with it. If I undertake such a project again I will plan a little bit better and hope to be a bit more creative with my design.
Thanks to my Aaron for some helpful suggestions, thanks to my dad for allowing me to steal the frame and helping me hang parts, and thanks to Natalie for documenting.
Everything started fine but like so many projects, a little snowball turns into an avalanche. It turned out a crack in the frame was of more structural significance than previously thought and I had to abandon the original plan. Fortunately my dad - as only he would - had an extra frame laying around in the garage that would be a suitable replacement for my commuter bike. It was a 90's era Univega (decidedly less classy than the Raleigh) with a hideous red and black spackle finish. So, I set to work.
Over the two or so weeks that I was home, I spent a good portion of time down in the basement working on the bike. First I had to sand down the paint which really wasn't too bad save for a little dusty. The next steps was to prime the frame and fork and then layer on the paint and clear coat. The tedious part was that I had to lightly sand the metal between each application of spray and then wait for each successive coat to it dry fully. This process took several days and in the end, I finished with two primer coats, four color coats, and five clear coats.One the back of each spray can is a warning advising the user to apply the spray in a warm and well ventilated area. Since it was the middle of winter, there was no suitable place outside and my only option left was the basement. They suggest a ventilated area for good reason. That stuff is noxious. Despite wearing a face mask and moving air around with a fan, I could only suffer a few minutes down there while spraying the bike. More than a couple times I bounded upstairs, fleeing the fumes feeling light-headed and slightly nauseous. What's worse is that the reek seeped through the ventilation shafts and filled house with the lovely aroma of nail polish.
To spice the bike up a bit I made a checkerboard pattern across the top tube and a silver band around the down tube. In the end it turned out OK and I was mostly pleased with it. If I undertake such a project again I will plan a little bit better and hope to be a bit more creative with my design.
Thanks to my Aaron for some helpful suggestions, thanks to my dad for allowing me to steal the frame and helping me hang parts, and thanks to Natalie for documenting.
Monday, January 5, 2009
Christmas & New Year
After several weeks of enjoying the comforts of home I am back at my apartment in Madison. Although it does feel good to get back to a little bit somewhat of a routine, I must admit I miss being back in Ames. I had a really great break, perhaps the best one since leaving home on my various endeavors. All my siblings were back and Mom, Dad, and the pets were happy to see us. Whenever we all get together things get a little rowdy and raucous but it's always so much fun.
A little insight to what I'm talking about. Only somewhat employed, Aaron has had lots of time to undertake a multitude of projects and experiment with different things. Appropriate to his ecclectic personality, Aaron's latest kick has been homemade bacon and beverages. He, with the encouragement of his accomplice, Jennifer, has taken to smoking bacon and making moonshine or carbonated drinks. He and I drove to meat locker in northern Iowa and picked up some pork belly. We had only desired 4lbs or so, but when they brought out 7lbs, we thought what the heck. Aaron brined the pork belly for 4 days and then smoked them on our grilled and it turned out deliciously. Perhaps the best bacon I've ever had, if not a little salty.
That same day we procured a regulator and a CO2 cannister for carbonating beverages. This was to the kids gift to our dad, who also appreciates exotic gifts. The setup is rather simple but yields remarkable results. We made homemade root beer, carbonated juices, coffee, egg nog, milk, and other drinks. My unexpected favorite was the milk which was delicious. The egg nog was probably the least enjoyable but worth the experiment. On the whole, I ate and drank entirely too much food over the course of the two weeks I was home but I figure that's what the holiday's are for. Now, I'm back at my apartment with a baren pantry, save for all the treats I received, and will be back to my sparse diet.
Other adventures included sledding, a trip to grandma's house, target shooting BB guns in the backyard and the annual Christmas tree hunt. In this last adventure I take special pride because I actually helped picked out the tree. In years past I've ignored the looking part for snowball fighting but this year I managed to find a suitable pine between bouts of throwing. However, whatever pleasure derived from locating a tree was erased by being bested in a wrestling match by my younger brother. I take a certain pride in being the most athletic Ritz and when Asa brought me down I was severely deflated. We wrestled once more the next day to a draw but that is unacceptable. I have not been working out as much as I have in previous ages but I now vow to become fit again and regain my right role as the dominant sibling.
Aside from all this family action, I had a great time hanging out with friends and of course, Natalie. Ames is remarkably comfortable to me and it was excellent to be able to spend so much time with loved ones. I received everything I asked for for Christmas which is certainly more than I need. Natalie spoiled me with too many goodies but I'm not really complaining. I appreciate everything that came my way and hope everyone else had equally good holiday seasons.
A little insight to what I'm talking about. Only somewhat employed, Aaron has had lots of time to undertake a multitude of projects and experiment with different things. Appropriate to his ecclectic personality, Aaron's latest kick has been homemade bacon and beverages. He, with the encouragement of his accomplice, Jennifer, has taken to smoking bacon and making moonshine or carbonated drinks. He and I drove to meat locker in northern Iowa and picked up some pork belly. We had only desired 4lbs or so, but when they brought out 7lbs, we thought what the heck. Aaron brined the pork belly for 4 days and then smoked them on our grilled and it turned out deliciously. Perhaps the best bacon I've ever had, if not a little salty.
That same day we procured a regulator and a CO2 cannister for carbonating beverages. This was to the kids gift to our dad, who also appreciates exotic gifts. The setup is rather simple but yields remarkable results. We made homemade root beer, carbonated juices, coffee, egg nog, milk, and other drinks. My unexpected favorite was the milk which was delicious. The egg nog was probably the least enjoyable but worth the experiment. On the whole, I ate and drank entirely too much food over the course of the two weeks I was home but I figure that's what the holiday's are for. Now, I'm back at my apartment with a baren pantry, save for all the treats I received, and will be back to my sparse diet.
Other adventures included sledding, a trip to grandma's house, target shooting BB guns in the backyard and the annual Christmas tree hunt. In this last adventure I take special pride because I actually helped picked out the tree. In years past I've ignored the looking part for snowball fighting but this year I managed to find a suitable pine between bouts of throwing. However, whatever pleasure derived from locating a tree was erased by being bested in a wrestling match by my younger brother. I take a certain pride in being the most athletic Ritz and when Asa brought me down I was severely deflated. We wrestled once more the next day to a draw but that is unacceptable. I have not been working out as much as I have in previous ages but I now vow to become fit again and regain my right role as the dominant sibling.
Aside from all this family action, I had a great time hanging out with friends and of course, Natalie. Ames is remarkably comfortable to me and it was excellent to be able to spend so much time with loved ones. I received everything I asked for for Christmas which is certainly more than I need. Natalie spoiled me with too many goodies but I'm not really complaining. I appreciate everything that came my way and hope everyone else had equally good holiday seasons.
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