Painted the frame matted black and shiny red yesterday, put black bar wraps on, and a new chain. Rear brakes are still out, I think I may wait to get a whole new set and cable rather than keep fiddling with the old ones. It sounds dangerous, but I've been riding with my front brakes only for quite awhile in the city, and most of your stopping power should come from the front anyway.
I wish I could post a picture of the bike, but my camera is irreparable. Best Buy said it had "water damage", which makes no sense. Maybe I'll stick to my 35mm for now.
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
cha-cha-cha changes
Finally quit my job. The chefs are very supportive, and I've got a great reference at Soba. They're good people. But it still felt great to get the fuck out. Anyway, I guess the ninth is my last day.
I'll be working as a prepared foods cook at Whole Foods from now on. It'll definitely be nice. If you work there, aside from other benefits, you get a 20% discount from anything you buy there, all the time. I'm even going to have health insurance, dental, vision, etc... The idea of being financially stable as well as covered if I ever fall off my bike and break more bones than I can ducttape back together is very comforting.
Also, Trevett at Legume bistro in Regent Square may be my new best friend. He treated Diane and I to a free meal on Friday, and it may have been one of the best food experiences of my life. I felt drunk after that dinner, especially considering he sent out way more food than we ordered. The place is beautiful--it's the size of my old apartment, and looks like somebody's dining room. They give you coffee in little French presses. The food is fantastic and tastes like somebody really cares. I'll probably be helping out part-time, because he's getting some serious business.
There's a good chance I'll be doing the occasional job for Big Catering, too. Those people like me, and it's always wise to keep your foot in the door. Plus, the money from those gigs is unbelievable--the one last Saturday was 110 plus tips for 525 people, for six hours of work.
Riding a bicycle is still so much fun for me. Last night I went for a 20-mile ride around the immediate area, and rode down the steepest fucking hill in the city at 50 miles an hour. It was such an incredible rush to do that--I let go of all the crazy shit that's going on in my life, as well as worrying about my bike's derailleur moving into the spokes, and just held onto my drop bars for life.
I was obsessed with getting a much lighter chromoly bike for awhile, but it can wait. The Concord feels ten times smoother with the new rear wheel I put on it, and I ordered a seven-speed freewheel and an extractor yesterday so I can replace the old sprockets and bearings. I'm also thinking of painting the frame red and black.
I'll be working as a prepared foods cook at Whole Foods from now on. It'll definitely be nice. If you work there, aside from other benefits, you get a 20% discount from anything you buy there, all the time. I'm even going to have health insurance, dental, vision, etc... The idea of being financially stable as well as covered if I ever fall off my bike and break more bones than I can ducttape back together is very comforting.
Also, Trevett at Legume bistro in Regent Square may be my new best friend. He treated Diane and I to a free meal on Friday, and it may have been one of the best food experiences of my life. I felt drunk after that dinner, especially considering he sent out way more food than we ordered. The place is beautiful--it's the size of my old apartment, and looks like somebody's dining room. They give you coffee in little French presses. The food is fantastic and tastes like somebody really cares. I'll probably be helping out part-time, because he's getting some serious business.
There's a good chance I'll be doing the occasional job for Big Catering, too. Those people like me, and it's always wise to keep your foot in the door. Plus, the money from those gigs is unbelievable--the one last Saturday was 110 plus tips for 525 people, for six hours of work.
Riding a bicycle is still so much fun for me. Last night I went for a 20-mile ride around the immediate area, and rode down the steepest fucking hill in the city at 50 miles an hour. It was such an incredible rush to do that--I let go of all the crazy shit that's going on in my life, as well as worrying about my bike's derailleur moving into the spokes, and just held onto my drop bars for life.
I was obsessed with getting a much lighter chromoly bike for awhile, but it can wait. The Concord feels ten times smoother with the new rear wheel I put on it, and I ordered a seven-speed freewheel and an extractor yesterday so I can replace the old sprockets and bearings. I'm also thinking of painting the frame red and black.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
yowch
So, after a pretty rough crash on Ellsworth Avenue last week that left my bike and body with various mechanical problems, I've been stuck riding one hell of a frankenbike. My rear wheel was totalled--bent, spokes broken, but luckily no damage to the cassette, dropout bar or derailleur--so I took apart a 40 year-old Sears Free Spirit to create a rolling frame that I could get around on. My Concord now has a 27-inch wheel in the front, and a 26 in the back, both different widths. The six-speed freewheel was replaced by a five, so now if I overshift, my chain goes into the axle. But it works, and despite the crumbling Continental tire on the back end, I'm still rolling around the city keeping up with traffic. The bike, however, which used to be a big, heavy, steel sonofabitch to ride, is now even heavier. Tomorrow I'm going to my faithful LBS in Squirrel Hill to buy a new wheel, which will be cheaper than I imagined.
Oh, and the garden is coming along beautifully. I've got about 13 tomato plants, zucchini, corn, peas, broccoli, herbs, greens... it's amazing what you can fit into a space so tiny.
Oh, and the garden is coming along beautifully. I've got about 13 tomato plants, zucchini, corn, peas, broccoli, herbs, greens... it's amazing what you can fit into a space so tiny.
Monday, May 14, 2007
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
crepes suzette
I haven't written in awhile I suppose. Things are busy. While the job search hasn't gotten me anything yet (small bistro job didn't come through for me), I do have a place to live now. I'm moving in with Diane later this month, and I'll be there for the summer, if not longer. Rent's going to be cheap and it's going to be fun--big kitchen, big house, big backyard for me to till and start a garden in. Seriously, I'm going to grow tomatoes and shit.
I guess I'm going to stick with the corporation for a few more months. Every day I stay there is another day that makes me look good to future employers anyway, so I may as well put up with it as long as I can. It's just rough sometimes. Saturday was 150 people, which certainly isn't the worst day we've ever had, but it was tough, cooking dinner long after close and then cleaning that beast of a kitchen. Soba doesn't have slow days anymore. Every staff meeting we have there's always talk of the most profitable year we've ever had, but strangely enough, they say the labor cost is too much to handle, so they can't give out raises. When I got my six-month review last year, they bumped me up two dollars, which didn't exactly move me to another income level, but it got me out of indentured servitude. Recently a few guys have had their reviews, good, valuable members of our crew who are doing good work, and the management basically told them they were shit out of luck. It makes me feel sick that I'm broke, and making more than them, and we're all working ourselves to death.
Nevertheless, I feel like I'm in less of a state of depression/career/apartment crisis at this point. I could be doing worse at some hellhole Pittsburghese Italian joint. This is all going to come back to me.
I'm going to go ride my bicycle. I'm training for the Cleveland thing, although I admit it'll still be at least a month before I can do it. The bike needs a little love before I'll trust it that far, but I've got some free parts coming my way; namely newer brakes. The ancient Dia Compe calipers aren't so good in the rain, and probably 85% of my stopping power comes from the front one.
I was paranoid recently I had a crack in the frame, or a bad bottom bracket, which turned out to be nothing. My crankset was making an awful creaking noise and it turned out to be a loose nut, so I finally quit being a cheapass and bought a 3/8 rachet and a 14mm attachement to take the whole bottom end apart, clean it, and put it back together much tighter than the previous owner had. Even still, I'm looking at getting a brand new Campagnolo crankset on ebay for a few bucks that might make for a smoother ride and gear ratios that'll be better for what I'm doing. All I'd like to have after that is a new six-speed cassette, but they're somewhat hard to find.
I guess I'm going to stick with the corporation for a few more months. Every day I stay there is another day that makes me look good to future employers anyway, so I may as well put up with it as long as I can. It's just rough sometimes. Saturday was 150 people, which certainly isn't the worst day we've ever had, but it was tough, cooking dinner long after close and then cleaning that beast of a kitchen. Soba doesn't have slow days anymore. Every staff meeting we have there's always talk of the most profitable year we've ever had, but strangely enough, they say the labor cost is too much to handle, so they can't give out raises. When I got my six-month review last year, they bumped me up two dollars, which didn't exactly move me to another income level, but it got me out of indentured servitude. Recently a few guys have had their reviews, good, valuable members of our crew who are doing good work, and the management basically told them they were shit out of luck. It makes me feel sick that I'm broke, and making more than them, and we're all working ourselves to death.
Nevertheless, I feel like I'm in less of a state of depression/career/apartment crisis at this point. I could be doing worse at some hellhole Pittsburghese Italian joint. This is all going to come back to me.
I'm going to go ride my bicycle. I'm training for the Cleveland thing, although I admit it'll still be at least a month before I can do it. The bike needs a little love before I'll trust it that far, but I've got some free parts coming my way; namely newer brakes. The ancient Dia Compe calipers aren't so good in the rain, and probably 85% of my stopping power comes from the front one.
I was paranoid recently I had a crack in the frame, or a bad bottom bracket, which turned out to be nothing. My crankset was making an awful creaking noise and it turned out to be a loose nut, so I finally quit being a cheapass and bought a 3/8 rachet and a 14mm attachement to take the whole bottom end apart, clean it, and put it back together much tighter than the previous owner had. Even still, I'm looking at getting a brand new Campagnolo crankset on ebay for a few bucks that might make for a smoother ride and gear ratios that'll be better for what I'm doing. All I'd like to have after that is a new six-speed cassette, but they're somewhat hard to find.