Lunch Cards

My company came up with something smart: for the month of July, every ‘alternative commuter’ will receive a coupon to be redeemed at the cafeteria, covering lunch. Initially, only carpoolers would benefit, but then the other alts complained and the program was extended. Now, of course, each morning I fight my own cheapness instead of my laziness, and it’s nice to be on the winning side!

Try

Ok, now I am sick of this fat Marco thing. I decided I am going to lose weight, and you invisible readers are going to help me. This is how it works: every day that I (a) ride in to work or ride for MORE than an hour, and (b) I work out either at the gym or otherwise for more than 30 minutes, I can put $50 towards a vacation fund. Continue reading

Bummer!

I wanted to do the Grand Alpine loop, but the coastal stretch was banked in by the fog, and I decided to cut it short. Too bad, because I really wanted to try the famous Tunitas Creek ascent. The Grand Alpine loop has some of the best biking in the Bay Area: you start on Foothill and El Monte, go up Moody Road until it hits Page Mill, go up Page Mill (it’s a nasty 2400ft). Continue reading

Tired Again

First ride in a while – some weird form of laziness has kept me captive. So I decided to do a short run – just the Alpine look. It was curiously slow moving for a holiday. Looks like 4th of July is a big thing around here, something that doesn’t invite biking. Or maybe the good ones were gone on a road trip.

A Short History of Byzantium (J.J. Norwich) - 2

I finally finished the History of Byzantium and feel compelled to add a few comments to the previous ones. Nothing changed in my assessment of the author’s capabilities: the final chapters are as intriguing as the initial ones, and at no time was the infinite list of names confusing. Norwich succeeds in making all the parties involved come to their own life, personalizing each appearance of any of them and thus making it possible to discern the infinite list of Constantines, Michaels, Johns, etc. Continue reading

2003-07-04 Crystal Springs

Imported Photo Album Continue reading

Skinsuits

Well, the home page says it: I got myself two new skinsuits! One is from the Republic of Anaerobia, a small outfit up in the North Bay; the other one is an eBay find. Both of them will reach me in the next few days – thank goodness eCommerce works! Why skinsuits? Well, for one, they make you look even more ridiculous than the conservative duo of black shorts and jersey (which is really a lot to say! Continue reading

Short Ride

I seized the opportunity and did a quick (50min) ride at sunset. Actually, it was six to seven, so that it is still very warm and bright outside. It is amazing how peaceful a Sunday evening can be. People are gone, the masses of summer bikers are home already, and it is with some amazement that I actually found a rider from Phoenix getting home. He must have been exhausted, because I saw him on the downslope in front of Stanford, three minutes before heading back, and still I caught up with him. Continue reading

Almost There

Fk, fk, f**k! I was so ready for it! I had slowly crept down Foothill, chosen Arastradero over Page Mill, done Portola to avoid the stupid hill before OLH, stopped for ten minutes (sharp!), drank my soda and ate an energy bar. I shot up, I even spun a round just to get into it with a little speed advantage. I had computed that an average ascent of 60ft per minute would get me there, with the initial part being slightly easier and hence slower (ascent-wise). Continue reading

A Short History of Byzanz

Midway through the abbreviated version of the history of Byzanz. The author started out with a three volume history that he had to abridge for the general public – and since I am general public, that’s what I chose to read. First things first: the history of Byzanz itself is immensely fascinating. We are talking about an empire that understands itself as the SOLE successor of Rome (with a certain appropriateness), but is actually not a real power player. Continue reading