It's been a crazy time. First, the move to the new house. Then, the arrival of the in-law family: first my sister-in-law and my mother-in-law, then the arrival of my brother-in-law, followed by the departure of my sister-in-law. Essentially, for the better part of a month, we've had houseguests. On top of that, work went crazy this week: growing pains from scale, along with the surge of the Mother's Day holiday, and several new clients (and a new team member!)...man, what a ride.
The good news is that I survived. Now, to get back to this blogging thing. :-)
I decided to finally listen to Charles and chuck the mountain bike for my daily commute: I'm now 8 miles, each way, to the Ferry. So, last Saturday, we headed to the bike stores for the test rides. First, I was amazed they let you test ride these things on the street: hand over an ID and a credit card, and away you go. With bikes that were, on average, well over $1000, and some stretching up to $5k, this seemed crazy to me. However, instantly I noticed a difference: hills, which I have come to loathe, were now a minor inconvenience. Straightaways were like going downhill. And downhills? For the first time, cycling was not just enforced exercise, but fun!
After 5 test rides, I settled on the Fuji Robaix, from Performance Bicycle. It's light as hell, has carbon fiber for strength and comfort, and let me fly. Plus, it was the least expensive of all of the bikes I rode. I was not thrilled about the shifters or the racing handlebars, but the position of both makes it much more comfortable to ride and take on hills. I added toe clips, but, thanks to Performance's loyalty program, I earned enough with my purchase to spring for those uber-cycle shoes/pedals; I'll be picking those up ASAP for the increased power.
Last week had some unseasonably warm days here, and I was delighted to finish off my ride home a couple of days with a dip in the pool for the first time. That is the ultimate in luxury: a hot, fun, fast ride home (11 minutes less than the mountain bike), followed by a cool swim. Man, now that's living. Not to mention my brother-in-law Brian cleaned up the whole kitchen after dinner every night. Almost made me forget about the insanity of work. Almost.
On the great deal front, only one major new one to report: Ikea has a pretty sexy glass display cabinet for only $60. Finally, Amy can get the various art pieces out and displayed in style. Add a halogen display for only a few bucks more, and it's stylin'. Off to pick up a third one tomorrow.
Finally, a "only in Marin" moment tonight. Yu Shang, a local sushi/Chinese food place, is a regular favorite. Cheap, high quality food, and you can't beat the service, especially with a mother-in-law in a wheelchair. We hit it every week or two for a quick bite. Tonight, busier than usual with the other folks who've found it. Imagine my surprise as we dined in the main dining room (we usually can be found at the sushi bar, but hard to do with the wheelchair), and sitting down across from our table was George Lucas and family! I don't know why I was surprised: he was raised in Marin, and probably knew about Yu Shang long before I ever did, but still, nice to have the validation. The man can eat anywhere, but that's his choice for a Saturday night out with the family. Try it, you will.
Ok, back to a more normal post schedule soon!
The good news is that I survived. Now, to get back to this blogging thing. :-)
I decided to finally listen to Charles and chuck the mountain bike for my daily commute: I'm now 8 miles, each way, to the Ferry. So, last Saturday, we headed to the bike stores for the test rides. First, I was amazed they let you test ride these things on the street: hand over an ID and a credit card, and away you go. With bikes that were, on average, well over $1000, and some stretching up to $5k, this seemed crazy to me. However, instantly I noticed a difference: hills, which I have come to loathe, were now a minor inconvenience. Straightaways were like going downhill. And downhills? For the first time, cycling was not just enforced exercise, but fun!
After 5 test rides, I settled on the Fuji Robaix, from Performance Bicycle. It's light as hell, has carbon fiber for strength and comfort, and let me fly. Plus, it was the least expensive of all of the bikes I rode. I was not thrilled about the shifters or the racing handlebars, but the position of both makes it much more comfortable to ride and take on hills. I added toe clips, but, thanks to Performance's loyalty program, I earned enough with my purchase to spring for those uber-cycle shoes/pedals; I'll be picking those up ASAP for the increased power.Last week had some unseasonably warm days here, and I was delighted to finish off my ride home a couple of days with a dip in the pool for the first time. That is the ultimate in luxury: a hot, fun, fast ride home (11 minutes less than the mountain bike), followed by a cool swim. Man, now that's living. Not to mention my brother-in-law Brian cleaned up the whole kitchen after dinner every night. Almost made me forget about the insanity of work. Almost.
On the great deal front, only one major new one to report: Ikea has a pretty sexy glass display cabinet for only $60. Finally, Amy can get the various art pieces out and displayed in style. Add a halogen display for only a few bucks more, and it's stylin'. Off to pick up a third one tomorrow.Finally, a "only in Marin" moment tonight. Yu Shang, a local sushi/Chinese food place, is a regular favorite. Cheap, high quality food, and you can't beat the service, especially with a mother-in-law in a wheelchair. We hit it every week or two for a quick bite. Tonight, busier than usual with the other folks who've found it. Imagine my surprise as we dined in the main dining room (we usually can be found at the sushi bar, but hard to do with the wheelchair), and sitting down across from our table was George Lucas and family! I don't know why I was surprised: he was raised in Marin, and probably knew about Yu Shang long before I ever did, but still, nice to have the validation. The man can eat anywhere, but that's his choice for a Saturday night out with the family. Try it, you will.
Ok, back to a more normal post schedule soon!
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