Thursday, October 8, 2009
Monday, March 2, 2009
Den Nya Lägenheten
About 230 bucks a month for rent, with July and August free. I now live at 806. Room 6 on the 11th floor. I have one of the best views in the entire city. More pics on a clear day.
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| From New Apartment |
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| From New Apartment |
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| From New Apartment |
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| From New Apartment |
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| From New Apartment |
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| From New Apartment |
Monday, February 16, 2009
Sagan om ringen
Disclaimer: this doesn't lead anywhere very exciting, it's just a tale.
As you all know, almost a month ago I took of on my journey from my hometown in Northern California to the city where I was an exchange student before: Lund, Sweden. The decision on which bike to bring was kind of obvious. I sold of my fixed gear, left my mountain bike to my brother (the thing got a random flat right before I left, so it'll stay in the garage until I return, save for a miracle), and packed up the Long Haul Tarcker. I didn't bother pulling the cranks at the advice of both frankstoneline and the LBS. Big mistake. When I got off the plane the box was scraped along the ground to reveal a distinctly metal sound. My chainring had been scraped and bent. There was no saving it.
Settling in here didn't leave having a bike as my first priority, but regardless I told dumpsterlife about the situation and he sent me a 46t sram chainring he got off eurojosh. He claimed the BCD was 110, but it was 130. The pain of this realization was offset by the giant wok of quinoa I came home to at my old host family's house:
The conventional tomatoes taste like ice with tomato sauce flavor.
Once I got over that, I ordered the cheapest one I could find along with some krylions from wiggle.co.uk. Turns out they didn't have it in stock, so while my tires came but the chainring remained in transit. Today I finally recieved the chainring, put it on, and rode for the first time since leaving.
This ride was not only a culmination of all that bullshit, but indeed a lot of other bike specific items I had yet to use in their proper circumstance. I suited up: two pairs of gloves (re:PI slices suck), my DIY reflective-X waterproof softshell hoodie, smartwool midweight top and bottoms, a chainlove swobo jersey, some wool socks from xmas, a wool walz cap I got off zombie, and jacques' old carhartt helmet liner. I had added the MKS Grip King pedals and sold my brooks, so the feel of the bike was different off the bat. The tires were also low on air because all I brought was my shitty handpump, which I found at a century. I rode to the nearest bike pump station (38,000 students in this town, 90% of which ride bikes) and filled up. I had never ridden a bike on snow, and it felt a whole lot different that I imagined it would. The pedals are amazing, probably my favorite pedals so far.
I knew the way out to my old house by heart, I commuted it rain or shine for an entire schoolyear. I was going much faster than I used to go on this path, given the shape I was in and the cycling I had been doing beforehand. Breathing was another thing. There was a large difference between the shape my lungs were in and how fast my legs were taking me. I felt very feverish and was breathing painfully deep into my lungs. Before long I had arrived, I parked my bike by the barn, but alas my memory card wasn't in my camera.
I stepped into the house to enjoy some Rooibos tea and open faced sandwiches with mom and pops.
As you all know, almost a month ago I took of on my journey from my hometown in Northern California to the city where I was an exchange student before: Lund, Sweden. The decision on which bike to bring was kind of obvious. I sold of my fixed gear, left my mountain bike to my brother (the thing got a random flat right before I left, so it'll stay in the garage until I return, save for a miracle), and packed up the Long Haul Tarcker. I didn't bother pulling the cranks at the advice of both frankstoneline and the LBS. Big mistake. When I got off the plane the box was scraped along the ground to reveal a distinctly metal sound. My chainring had been scraped and bent. There was no saving it.
 |
| From vinter fotor4 |
Settling in here didn't leave having a bike as my first priority, but regardless I told dumpsterlife about the situation and he sent me a 46t sram chainring he got off eurojosh. He claimed the BCD was 110, but it was 130. The pain of this realization was offset by the giant wok of quinoa I came home to at my old host family's house:
 |
| From vinter fotor4 |
Once I got over that, I ordered the cheapest one I could find along with some krylions from wiggle.co.uk. Turns out they didn't have it in stock, so while my tires came but the chainring remained in transit. Today I finally recieved the chainring, put it on, and rode for the first time since leaving.
 |
| From vinter fotor4 |
This ride was not only a culmination of all that bullshit, but indeed a lot of other bike specific items I had yet to use in their proper circumstance. I suited up: two pairs of gloves (re:PI slices suck), my DIY reflective-X waterproof softshell hoodie, smartwool midweight top and bottoms, a chainlove swobo jersey, some wool socks from xmas, a wool walz cap I got off zombie, and jacques' old carhartt helmet liner. I had added the MKS Grip King pedals and sold my brooks, so the feel of the bike was different off the bat. The tires were also low on air because all I brought was my shitty handpump, which I found at a century. I rode to the nearest bike pump station (38,000 students in this town, 90% of which ride bikes) and filled up. I had never ridden a bike on snow, and it felt a whole lot different that I imagined it would. The pedals are amazing, probably my favorite pedals so far.
I knew the way out to my old house by heart, I commuted it rain or shine for an entire schoolyear. I was going much faster than I used to go on this path, given the shape I was in and the cycling I had been doing beforehand. Breathing was another thing. There was a large difference between the shape my lungs were in and how fast my legs were taking me. I felt very feverish and was breathing painfully deep into my lungs. Before long I had arrived, I parked my bike by the barn, but alas my memory card wasn't in my camera.
I stepped into the house to enjoy some Rooibos tea and open faced sandwiches with mom and pops.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Settling in
So I've safely arrived here in Sweden, and it's been just over a month since I've posted. I've been living with my old host brother Jon, but as of March 2nd I'll have my own student room. It's got a shared kitchen and I share a bathroom with one other person. The rent is 245USD a month, so I'm "pretty HYPED." It's an 8th floor apartment on a 9 floor building, but there's an elevator. I hear when that thing breaks down, the upper levels become bartertown with food, because nobody feels like taking the stairs.
At Stadsparket:
Been studying Swedish at Folkuniversitetet in Lund, some of it is review but a lot of it is pretty tough new vocab and grammar. Some review:
Also been busy designing some stuff for tarck, with some input from the site.
Jersey collabo with artblur:
Stickers:
Header:
What's studying without having a little fun on the weekends? Jon and I went to All Out Dubstep on 1/31...
Pregame burger:
The scene:
This doozie in the bathroom stall:
Walking to another dance scene afterwards:
How could I make a Valentine's Day post without something like this?
At Stadsparket:
Been studying Swedish at Folkuniversitetet in Lund, some of it is review but a lot of it is pretty tough new vocab and grammar. Some review:
Also been busy designing some stuff for tarck, with some input from the site.
Jersey collabo with artblur:
Stickers:
Header:
What's studying without having a little fun on the weekends? Jon and I went to All Out Dubstep on 1/31...
Pregame burger:
The scene:
This doozie in the bathroom stall:
Walking to another dance scene afterwards:
How could I make a Valentine's Day post without something like this?
Monday, January 12, 2009
International Year of Natural Fibr(⇄)es
I've spent the better part of this morning researching wool. I have mixed feelings about it, it's an amazing fabric with all kinds of unique attributes, but animal rights are a concern. Smartwool seems to have excellent policies on mulesing, so I was really excited when I recieved some their baselayer bottoms and a top (in olive no less) for the holidays. Just recently I also went out and bought some Icebreaker lightweight wool boxer briefs. I'm a big fan of the fact that this stuff hardly ever needs to be washed.
- Yehuda Moon knows what's up.
- So does Grant Peterson at Rivendell.
- Mary Stipe weighs in as well.
- And it's apparently the International Year of Natural Fibres...
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Simple 2173 Carload Shoe Review
I was in desperate need of a new pair of shoes that was durable, environmentally friendly, cheap, and stylish. These simple shoes fit the bill and could be my favorite pair of shoes ever. I wanted the vegan model but the price was twice as much, and olive is a great color.
Simple Carload Shoe Review from Patch on Vimeo.
Simple Carload Shoe Review from Patch on Vimeo.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
My bike
Here is my Surly Long Haul Trucker:
Stock 2009 model with some customization
Stock 2009 model with some customization
- Brooks B-17 Honey Saddle
- Kryptonite Seat Saver
- Tortec rear rack
- Jandd Extreme Front Rack (Not Pictured)
- Japanese Dinger Bell from Velo Orange
- Purple bottle cage
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