fresh breath

The breath's of spring air that i've take lately have been careful and controlled. i'm almost there-

• One exam short of a semester filled with my last two major courses needed to fulfill degree requirements (regression & ANOVA).
• One meeting short of (hopefully succesfully) defending my dissertation proposal allowing me to dive into data processing (road trip north!) and field work this summer.
• One breath short of allowing myself to be happier than i've been in a long time.

Some semesters i've inadvertantly taken on too much. Semesters like this end with a feeling of wear and depletion with little results to show for all the effort and sacrifice and minimal motivation to keep pushing forward. This is followed by a lull where little is accomplished. This semester however is different. The hard work fueled by intentionally deep and focused breaths jumping from task to task, project to project has paid off in spaids. progress on the degree has been significant. Work is going strong and Yosemite is slowly coming to an end after 2 years of effort. All of interspersed with some solo time on the bike in the forest, and rediscovery of climbing post broken ankle. If this isn't enough, somehow, in the last days and weeks of the semester my spirit has awoken to a sparkling breath of fresh air. breaths taken these days bring with them warmth, content and happiness.

the air is crisp, clean and slowly warming with the coming of summer. the path is clear yet full of adventurous and exciting side trails. plenty to look forward to...

some pictures of events past and to be continued~

Bouldering ...

Bike polo

Rebuild!!

Cycling is not just about riding bikes. It's also about maintaining them. Afterall, you spend the money on a sweet ride, you love riding it, it only makes sense to maintain it. What also makes sense is knowing how to fix your rig when you are miles away from home, broken down. It's a form of empowerment of sorts - facilitating independence. And working on bikes can be relaxing and rewarding.

Unfortunately, I've been so busy, all of my bikes have gone down hill.

As a part of a recent photoshoot, the Serotta got some soapy lovin.


she emerged looking shiny and new. well as new as a 12+ year old lugged steel rig can look.

Unfortunately, the shiny orange beauty was only skin deep.

years of riding in rain and sleet have taken their toll. Alas, there was maintenance i'd missed. (Thanks Billy for cleaning & for showing me the maintenance I should have been doing all this time!)

The bars were locked in but we managed to release them revealing rust and a gritty headset.

I knew the cable and housing were shot. Why not take care of the rust and bars too.

So i stripped it clean in hopes of framesavering its rusted steel insides. (this prevents / minimizes future corrosion).


The overhaul began at home...

And continued at FreezeThaw!! Justin and Sparking at FreezeThaw have taught me almost everything I know at this point. Thanks guys!!!

I pulled everything - headset, bars, bottom bracket...

The bottom bracket was a sight for sore eyes. But on a positive note, if i had the tools, i can now do all this work myself easily - well with a little elbow grease that is.

Once the framesaver love was complete, reassembly, complete with fresh grease and lube began.

Fresh cables / housing.

Fresh tape. This stuff (LizardSkin) is pretty sweet if you haven't tried it. She is tuned and just about ready to go...


ready to roll...

(plumbers) crack & the bounty

Every year, the first big day of gardening arrives. every year i put on my old (and too big for me) jeans and a tank top and go to work forgetting completely about the sun that my skin is not used to being exposed to. And every year, the plumbers crack pays the price... but alas, this annual act of stupidity is a small price to pay... the bounty is plentiful. More importantly, there is something soulful about working in the soil and cultivating your own food. try it, you'll like it.

the crack i've been on lately is not the normal crack though that brings with it nasty side effects, poor decisions and inevitable twitches. this cultivatar is special. said crack is of the garden variety; it's seasonal. and it effects my brain (see next) and body (see bottom of this entry) in different yet similar ways.

said garden has a controversial history. I carved it from the rocky post-construction land over 5 years ago. Every bed was created by hand, by me. no powered equiptment. Just a shovel, a pick and a LOT of sweat. (to say it was a rocky abyss is an understatement). every year i'd amend the clay soil (builders typically strip top soil on a new site. in its place, they truck in rocky, rooty crap). every year the beds would become more productive. After living here for a few years, the condo board decided to force me (and everyone else) to remove their gardens. Obviously, an industrial green, fertilized lawn was ideal path to the uniformity that some sought.

i fought it - going door to door convincing neightbors my gardens should be "grandfathered in" to the association bylaws. I won the vote by a small margin and that leads me to the crack i'm on today. it's good stuff - try it, you'll like it.

This is what "my" yard looked like when i moved in. pure goodness!

my garden this year is all about function. granted there are some flowers but the goal is productivity. left: some perennials and annuals under the bird feeders. right: all pots will be largely herbs and smaller veges. i'm prepping them for planting now.

left: rosemary overwinters! right: mint - don't plant this. it takes over in a HUGE way.


Helebores are early bloomers although this is a bit late for them. lovely.

Columbine - and it's seeding after a few years of cultivation! it's a lovely pink variety.

peony is coming up. the ants love it.

i lost my strawberry patch in the past 2 years being gone in the dry weeks of august... lo and behold there were plants - spread all over. i replanted the entire bed and put in some rows to facilitate spring picking. YUM!!!!

Left: rhubarb - my newest addition! It will take 2 years for the good stuff but i can wait! Right: me giving the bunnies the finger. yea i know they'll throw that sh@t right back at me... but let me daydream that i've won atleast this week.

Left: Garlic! thanks to C this is also a new edition. Right: beets are sprouting! another first. yum!

Brussel sprouts. incredibly they overwinter. i also put in a few new plants just in case.

Left: butterfly garden. truth be told the birds and hummers like it more than the butterflies.
Right: raspberries are starting to fill out.


Spring bulbs....

bleeding hearts waking up...

The back bed is largely annuals, bulbs and perennials. This year i'm transforming it to include more native species that accommodate / feed birds.
2 b continued....