... largely because I'm kind of hungry for some steak.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Fall
So I guess it shouldn't be a surprise, but fall is here. Like every other year, the leaves are starting to change colors, yet it is still a beautiful sight.
today I went the long way to school and took a few pictures as I walked through Hyde Park.
(That is the horse path on the left of the sidewalk.)
As the weather has gotten a bit colder, the parks haven't been quite as busy. Today the sun was out and so where lots of people.
today I went the long way to school and took a few pictures as I walked through Hyde Park.
(That is the horse path on the left of the sidewalk.)
As the weather has gotten a bit colder, the parks haven't been quite as busy. Today the sun was out and so where lots of people.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Richmond Park
With a lighter class schedule this fall, I've found a few more free mornings to ride my bike than last year. While the parks around London can be super busy bordering on unpleasant during a nice weekend, mid-week they feel well utilized but a bit more spacious. Today was a nice day to be in the park.
This morning it was cold enough to see your breath as I rode the 25 minutes across town to Richmond Park. It was a good reminder that despite the sunny skies Fall is on the way.
Once in the park, it is easy to forget that you are still inside a major city.
At other times you feel the proximity of city. Seeing the large herd of deer (the website claims there are over 600 in the park) living a comfortable life in the shadow of tall buildings is still a bit strange.
This morning it was cold enough to see your breath as I rode the 25 minutes across town to Richmond Park. It was a good reminder that despite the sunny skies Fall is on the way.
Once in the park, it is easy to forget that you are still inside a major city.
At other times you feel the proximity of city. Seeing the large herd of deer (the website claims there are over 600 in the park) living a comfortable life in the shadow of tall buildings is still a bit strange.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Not Dead Yet
Ok, so it has been a while….
I’m back in London and am getting prepared for another semester of classes; although, this time around I’m doing a few things differently.
Last year I spent most of my time riding in parks and never ventured much into the country side. It isn’t that it never happened, but it just wasn’t part of the plan.
The last two weeks, I’ve joined a group that rides out of the city and have gotten in 4+ hours on the bike, none of which was doing laps around a park. This has been great. It also helps that the weather has been amazing both days.
View from the top of Box Hill,
which is a bit nicer than the view out of my study room
I’m back in London and am getting prepared for another semester of classes; although, this time around I’m doing a few things differently.
Last year I spent most of my time riding in parks and never ventured much into the country side. It isn’t that it never happened, but it just wasn’t part of the plan.
The last two weeks, I’ve joined a group that rides out of the city and have gotten in 4+ hours on the bike, none of which was doing laps around a park. This has been great. It also helps that the weather has been amazing both days.
View from the top of Box Hill,
which is a bit nicer than the view out of my study room
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Two Stories Related to Bikes
Saturday Evening.
I ventured over to Smithfield Market for the Nocturne Series Event: http://www.nocturneseries.com/smithfield/
It was pretty classic crit racing with a flat, spectator friendly course. I showed up in time for the folding bike race and then stuck around for the main event. My best guess is that there were 5,000ish people watching. The elite race was pretty small with maybe 50 starters and narrowed down to a field of 20 with half of the race to go. A single Катюша (Katyusha) rider was the only europro, and he was marked pretty well by the British teams. Overall, the racing was pretty lively and nothing stayed away. It was a good show, and I had fun listening to the very British centric commentary.
Sunday Morning
The forecast was for rain, so I wasn't planning on riding. But when I awoke the sun was out, and I quickly made plans to head across town to Richmond Park. About an 90 minutes in started raining. About 93 minutes in I got a flat. I had everything I needed with me, and quickly changed to tube and hit it with a CO2. It was still raining, but I was good to go. I decided to head for home but about 10 minutes later, yup, the front wheel was again flat. This time I had no clue what to do, but decided I would just walk till I saw a cab, then grab a ride to the nearest bike shop. At least it had stopped raining. After walking across the intersection, towards a road more likely to have an available cab, I saw a car with two bikes on the roof. I made a "hey, I need help" gesture, and the driver lowered the window.
After a very brief conversation while trying to avoid blocking too much traffic, my bike was on the roof and we were headed to a bike shop. This was amazing. I was cold and wet with a flat tire and 30 seconds ago had no idea what exactly I was going to do about it. Turns out the father and son, who was maybe 12, were riding a few laps of the park and packed it up once it started raining. The son is in a Hilltopper-like program for riding a bit outside of London. We had a great conversation while being stuck in traffic. They live a block from a Cyclopedia shop (http://www.cyclopediauk.com/), so it wasn't too far out of their way. The father also wouldn't let me leave without taking a spare old tire just in case there was a large gash (there actually was). Though if his basement looked anything like what we had at S. Taylor, this was a rare opportunity to meaningfully cull his collection.
Once at the shop, the guy working the counter was really helpful; this was a first for me in London. They didn't have long stem tubes, so I ended up patching the tube while standing in the store's showroom. He even gave me some rags. I bought a few bars and gels to avoid just buying the 2GBP patch kit, but will certainly be back to buy more substantial items when I need them.
Anyway, the sun was back out, and I peacefully rolled a couple laps of Regent's Park before heading home. After the last few weeks of being stuck in the school bubble, I really needed to be reminded of the kindness and generosity of people.
I ventured over to Smithfield Market for the Nocturne Series Event: http://www.nocturneseries.com/smithfield/
It was pretty classic crit racing with a flat, spectator friendly course. I showed up in time for the folding bike race and then stuck around for the main event. My best guess is that there were 5,000ish people watching. The elite race was pretty small with maybe 50 starters and narrowed down to a field of 20 with half of the race to go. A single Катюша (Katyusha) rider was the only europro, and he was marked pretty well by the British teams. Overall, the racing was pretty lively and nothing stayed away. It was a good show, and I had fun listening to the very British centric commentary.
Sunday Morning
The forecast was for rain, so I wasn't planning on riding. But when I awoke the sun was out, and I quickly made plans to head across town to Richmond Park. About an 90 minutes in started raining. About 93 minutes in I got a flat. I had everything I needed with me, and quickly changed to tube and hit it with a CO2. It was still raining, but I was good to go. I decided to head for home but about 10 minutes later, yup, the front wheel was again flat. This time I had no clue what to do, but decided I would just walk till I saw a cab, then grab a ride to the nearest bike shop. At least it had stopped raining. After walking across the intersection, towards a road more likely to have an available cab, I saw a car with two bikes on the roof. I made a "hey, I need help" gesture, and the driver lowered the window.
After a very brief conversation while trying to avoid blocking too much traffic, my bike was on the roof and we were headed to a bike shop. This was amazing. I was cold and wet with a flat tire and 30 seconds ago had no idea what exactly I was going to do about it. Turns out the father and son, who was maybe 12, were riding a few laps of the park and packed it up once it started raining. The son is in a Hilltopper-like program for riding a bit outside of London. We had a great conversation while being stuck in traffic. They live a block from a Cyclopedia shop (http://www.cyclopediauk.com/), so it wasn't too far out of their way. The father also wouldn't let me leave without taking a spare old tire just in case there was a large gash (there actually was). Though if his basement looked anything like what we had at S. Taylor, this was a rare opportunity to meaningfully cull his collection.
Once at the shop, the guy working the counter was really helpful; this was a first for me in London. They didn't have long stem tubes, so I ended up patching the tube while standing in the store's showroom. He even gave me some rags. I bought a few bars and gels to avoid just buying the 2GBP patch kit, but will certainly be back to buy more substantial items when I need them.
Anyway, the sun was back out, and I peacefully rolled a couple laps of Regent's Park before heading home. After the last few weeks of being stuck in the school bubble, I really needed to be reminded of the kindness and generosity of people.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Live Music
Last week I made it out of my business school bubble to see two live music shows.
Telepathe was at 93 Feet East around Shoreditch earlier in the week.
Then, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart played on Friday at The Lexington.
Telepathe's two members played on an intentionally poorly lit stage without much more than 5 words spoken to the crowd the whole set. It also wasn't mixed very well, with the vocals getting lost under the beat. The singles are pretty solid, but I think there is some room to improve the live set.
Conversely, The Pain's one album doesn't come close to capturing the energy of their live set. It was one of those shows where it was clear that the band was having fun, which fed the crowd, and reinforcing cycle just grew.
Telepathe was at 93 Feet East around Shoreditch earlier in the week.
Then, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart played on Friday at The Lexington.
Telepathe's two members played on an intentionally poorly lit stage without much more than 5 words spoken to the crowd the whole set. It also wasn't mixed very well, with the vocals getting lost under the beat. The singles are pretty solid, but I think there is some room to improve the live set.
Conversely, The Pain's one album doesn't come close to capturing the energy of their live set. It was one of those shows where it was clear that the band was having fun, which fed the crowd, and reinforcing cycle just grew.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Field Trip
The planned 4 hour hike on Saturday got extended to a little over 6।5 hours as it took us longer to find the actual trail than planned, but it was entirely worth it. Even though some snow at near the top made it impossible to make it all the way to the summit, the views along the way were spectacular.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Monday, March 30, 2009
Saturday, March 14, 2009
London
I decided to take a slightly different route to the grocery store last week and ended up on an old, narrow brick road. About halfway down the block I saw the following blue sign:
I live less than half a mile from it and had no idea this was here. Maybe it is part of the reason that I can count on seeing a Bentley three or four times a day as I walk around the neighborhood.
I often I forget about all of the history in London, and it is the little things that remind me. Another perfect example was while I was getting fitted for a suit. On the wall was a small plaque stating that this was the former site of the Royal Geographical Society and photo from 1874 showing Dr. David Livingstone's memorial in the map room prior to the interment at Westminister Abby.
I live less than half a mile from it and had no idea this was here. Maybe it is part of the reason that I can count on seeing a Bentley three or four times a day as I walk around the neighborhood.
I often I forget about all of the history in London, and it is the little things that remind me. Another perfect example was while I was getting fitted for a suit. On the wall was a small plaque stating that this was the former site of the Royal Geographical Society and photo from 1874 showing Dr. David Livingstone's memorial in the map room prior to the interment at Westminister Abby.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Snow?!?
It snowed. The news and locals are claiming that it was the largest snow storm in 18 years. My best guess is that we have less than 6in (15cm). Large portions of the public transit system were shut down, stores did not open, and classrooms were about half empty. I felt at home looking out the window in the first week of February and seeing a bit of snow.
Unfortunately the ground is really wet underneath, so the thought of skiing in a local park isn't all that appealing. Well, that, and I don't have any skis.
In other news, The Financial Times placed LBS (in a tie with Wharton) at the top of the table in the 2009 Global MBA Rankings. This shows the strength of the brand here in Europe, and hopefully it will lead to some additional recognition in the North American press.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Suiting Up
Today was the first weekday since my return to London that I didn't have to put on a suit and tie. I think at day 3 (maybe day 2) I started my longest running series of consecutive days in a suit.
All last week, and continuing into this week, was Milk Round. I can't get a clear story as to the origin of the name, but it consists of begging big fancy companies for jobs over snacks and drinks. Although not all of the conversations were boring and tedious, that was kind of the general trend.
In other news, I think it is relevant to mention that I haven't even seen a turtle in at least 12 fortnights.
All last week, and continuing into this week, was Milk Round. I can't get a clear story as to the origin of the name, but it consists of begging big fancy companies for jobs over snacks and drinks. Although not all of the conversations were boring and tedious, that was kind of the general trend.
In other news, I think it is relevant to mention that I haven't even seen a turtle in at least 12 fortnights.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Bike Dust
So I hadn't ridden my bike in a while:
I'm not sure how well it came out in the photo, but I recently found a more than noticeable layer of dust had settled on the saddle. Sunday, which was an unseasonably sunny day here in London, was my first ride in well over a month. I just had time to ride laps around Regent's Park, but it was great to get back on two wheels and remind myself how to drive a bike.
Without an indoor trainer I'm at the will of the weather and my ever increasingly packed schedule to find times to ride, and the two rarely align. Although my bike hasn't yet transitioned into solely part of my bedroom's decor, I'm not too excited about the prospect of having to dust it from time to time.
I'm not sure how well it came out in the photo, but I recently found a more than noticeable layer of dust had settled on the saddle. Sunday, which was an unseasonably sunny day here in London, was my first ride in well over a month. I just had time to ride laps around Regent's Park, but it was great to get back on two wheels and remind myself how to drive a bike.
Without an indoor trainer I'm at the will of the weather and my ever increasingly packed schedule to find times to ride, and the two rarely align. Although my bike hasn't yet transitioned into solely part of my bedroom's decor, I'm not too excited about the prospect of having to dust it from time to time.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Rough Trade
Yesterday I wandered into Notting Hill to meet a friend for coffee and took a bit of time to explore the Portobello Road Market. The outdoor street market was full of stands selling your standard market goods: veggies, fish, bread, used books, antique jewelry, or knee-high boots.
After buying a loaf of wholemeal bread, I spotted Rough Trade.
The ground floor was split evenly between vinyl and CDs. In the basement was a huge collection of vinyl that I didn't take the time to properly explore. All of the titles were sorted into some 25+ genres such as, Dubstep, Post Rock, Ed Banger, Warp Skam Rephlex, and others that I had no idea existed. My personal favorite was:
You can also see a bit of the sticker in the bottom of the picture that has a description of the album. Every title in the store has a similar sticker that contains an undecipherable set of obscure band and genre references to either entice or confuse the buyer. In my case, I just picked up the BPB album in the picture and have been enjoying the live versions of some of my old favorites.
After buying a loaf of wholemeal bread, I spotted Rough Trade.
The ground floor was split evenly between vinyl and CDs. In the basement was a huge collection of vinyl that I didn't take the time to properly explore. All of the titles were sorted into some 25+ genres such as, Dubstep, Post Rock, Ed Banger, Warp Skam Rephlex, and others that I had no idea existed. My personal favorite was:
You can also see a bit of the sticker in the bottom of the picture that has a description of the album. Every title in the store has a similar sticker that contains an undecipherable set of obscure band and genre references to either entice or confuse the buyer. In my case, I just picked up the BPB album in the picture and have been enjoying the live versions of some of my old favorites.
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