Baby things and a granddaddy thing

The growing season starts later here in the PNW than it does in other parts of the country. I have been jealous to hear that my friends in NC and other parts already have more zucchini than they can eat. Well, I am proud to announce that I have spotted my first baby zucchinis, which means I will soon have more zucchini than I can eat! See, aren't they beautiful?


I am just hoping that the slugs don't get to them before they are ready to eat. I found this guy in my yard the other day.

I put my finger as close to it as I could muster to give a little perspective.

Look how big he is! Eeewww.

Sir KFC

This month Portland is celebrating Pedalpalooza. Pedalpalooza is a 2-3 week celebration of bikes and fun on bikes. There's events to suit every personality: naked bike rides, bar hopping bike rides, nature nerd bike rides, and family rides. There's even a ride for people who like to dress up like Santa. One of the events is the Stumptown Joustdown, which is a jousting tournament on bikes. As soon as I told mentaljr about this, he was all over it. He made a suit of armor. This is him on the way to the battlefield.

He worked really hard on the armor.

There was even a helmet.

Here's an action shot.

The best part is that the armor is made of KFC buckets.

Unfortunately, the event started about 45 minutes late and I had an appointment, so I missed mentaljr's bike jousting. By the time I got back, they were getting creative. There were chicken jousts (person on shoulders of biker on tiny bike), sidecar bike jousts (homemade bikes with side cars), unicycle jousts, etc. Mentaljr volunteered for the on-foot joust. I was kind of worried.


The joust quickly turned into a good old-fashioned stick fight at which point the organizer stopped the "joust" much to mentaljr's dismay.

It was a cool event, but still pretty scary. I can't believe no one ended up in the hospital. Here's a last shot of mentaljr on his bike.

Beware the dance of the crispbread

Okay, there's naked guys in this video, but don't worry, you don't actually see anything besides cheeks. They are very crafty with the crispbread. It's super-funny. Maybe just don't watch it at work

via videosift.com

Observations of interactions between automobiles and cyclists in Portland

I ride my bike pretty much every day. On my route to school, I ride on a busy road with a maximum speed limit of 45 mph. It has a bike lane, but there are two spots where the bike lane just ends and forces cyclists into traffic for bridge crossings. I usually ride in before or after rush hour, so it's not too bad. On my route home from school, I take the long way to avoid traffic. The long way goes up a big, windy hill and then down. This ride also has bike lanes, and although it's a more difficult ride, I prefer it because it's safer. Both routes have a lot of cars and buses. They're just going much slower on the afternoon route.

During my many rides, I have noticed differences in the way people treat cyclists based on the kind of car they drive. Here are some of my observations:

1) Prius drivers: There are many Prius drivers in Portland. Most are silver. These drivers are my favorites. They tend to be very accommodating of cyclists, and although the body of a Prius takes up hardly any of the lane, they tend to move far to the left and give cyclists a very wide berth. I figure they're extra nice to cyclists because they feel guilty that although they're driving a hybrid, they still are actually polluting more than a cyclist. Obviously, cyclists care more about the environment and deserve to be revered.

2) Lexus drivers: Lexus drivers seem to be very relaxed folks, not in much of a hurry. In my mind, the fact that they can afford a Lexus shows that they've made it, achieved a certain level of affluence, and they feel they can slow down and enjoy life now. Lexus drivers are gentle around cyclists and hardly ever try dangerous passing, honking, or other annoying maneuvers.

3) BMW drivers: Be aware. People who drive BMWs are impatient and scary. They do not like to be slowed down at all. If you are a cyclist, be prepared for unsafe, erratic behavior from these drivers. My opinion on why they are this way as compared to Lexus drivers, is that although they are obviously successful to the point that they can afford a BMW, they are still moving up, and don't feel they can stop or slow down, or the upward trend might end.

4) Subaru station wagon drivers: It's amazing how many forest green, 4-wheel drive, Subaru station wagons you'll see in Portland. Usually, there is a bike rack on the back. Like the Prius, these wagons don't take up too much lane. However, unlike the Prius, the drivers are not overly cautious around cyclists. They are predictable and safe, but they don't go out of their way to give cyclists a big buffer. I figure since they have bike racks, they must ride, and have experience with what feels safe and what doesn't when you're cycling.

5) Mini van drivers: A lot of these drivers seem to be moms. There's kids in the car. Now, you might think that mom would want to set a good example for the kids and drive nicely around cyclists, but this is not usually the case. Although some of these drivers really scare me by tailgating, passing over double lines on blind curves, etc., I try to be as forgiving as possible. I figure there's a reason mom is so mad. It's probably those darn kids screaming on the way to lessons they don't want to go to.

6) Bus drivers: Let me say first off, that if it's a C-tran bus (from Vancouver), fear for your life. Those drivers do not seem to be as well-trained as Portland's Trimet drivers. Once, on my way home on the curvy route, as a C-tran bus passed me on a curve, the back end of the bus crossed progressively more and more into the bike lane, to the point that I slammed on my brakes for fear that I would end up under the bus before it finished passing. I had plans to jump off my bike if need be. That was too close. Now, Trimet drivers tend to fall into two categories: those that want to kill or at least frighten cyclists and those that don't. One could also view these two categories as: those who have no idea what it feels like to be on a bike a mere three feet away from a multi-ton bus screaming by at 50 mph and those that do. I've noticed a growing number of the latter type of Trimet bus driver. I wonder if they've implemented some sort of cyclist-sensitivity training or something. Whatever it is, I really appreciate it, and I try to do my part in continuing the good will by giving buses plenty of room, trying to stay out of their blind spots, etc.

7) Work truck drivers: Here, by work truck, I mean a truck on the order of an F-350. These drivers don't tend to be very nice. Maybe they're grumpy because they're working. Maybe they figure all cyclists are commie liberals. I don't know.

8) Honking huge SUVs: This is the most bizarre thing. It seems that all SUV drivers have this tendency. After passing a cyclist, their big, fat tail end veers at least a foot into the bike lane. I am not sure if it's some sort of subconscious action as they're looking in the rear-view mirror to make sure that they have safely passed the cyclist, or if they are really just not paying attention at all, and had they passed you just seconds later, you would be toast. Sometimes, I wonder if they do it to be intimidating. In my commie liberal mind, all people who drive SUVs have big egos and chips on their shoulders because they feel guilty for polluting.

My life is like Costco

So, I am getting close to finishing my dissertation and my days are very full with research work. Unfortunately, I am not paid well enough as a research assistant to have a maid, and my dear Micky does not appear to be able to see dirt, clutter, dogs that need to go out, or lawns that need mowing. During busy times when deadlines are looming, I find myself living on the verge of squalor, and try to justify the time it takes to mop the kitchen, clean the bathroom, vacuum the floors...

My rule of thumb when shopping at Costco is: everything costs $10. This is obviously not a strictly true statement, but on average, it works out that way. If I have 10 things in my cart, I'm looking at about $100. Although most purchases at Costco are a bargain, $100 feels like a lot for 10 grocery items.

Lately, I've realized that, on average, each household chore takes about 10 minutes. 10 minutes doesn't sound too bad, until I think of the list of chores and realize that I'm looking at hours of work.

I'm sure by now you see the analogy, but let's do it SAT style, shall we?
$10/item at Costco is to 10 minutes/chore of housework as
a) $100 is to 1.67 hours
b) $200 is to 3.33 hours
c) $100 is to 10 minutes
d) $10 is to 10 minutes
e) none of the above
f) all of the above
g) a, b, and c
h) a and b
i) a and d
j) c and d