Amy and I went to a large local street fair - the Winter Park Sidewalk Arts Festival. We wandered around for a bit, but most exhibitors closed up early. Perhaps late Friday afternoon isn't the busy time so they close down and stay open all weekend instead.
We did see a few booths, ranging from very pretty and intricate marble works, to some rather ugly art featuring people with elongated bodies and shrunken heads. An interesting exhibit was nail sculpture animals - a bear, fish, warthog, and bull made of rusty wires and nails. The price tag for the large items was $16,000, while the smaller ones were $7,500. I cannot believe many of these sculptures are sold!
We decided the line for the Irish pub was too long, so we opted for Olé Olé, a nearby tapas restaurant. Last time I had tapas that good was in Vancouver visiting my friend Gail... Amy and I had olives, cheese, spicy potatoes, garlic spicy shrimp, and a creamy cheese/spice/crabmeat dish that was my favorite.
After that Amy was tired so we played a few rounds of a card game I own, Lost Cities. Then we watched The Constant Gardener.
It was a very enjoyable evening!
Friday, March 17, 2006
Monday, March 13, 2006
Mysterious Rattle Solved
I biked with coworkers during lunch, and everyone agreed the rattle was loud and also quite a mystery as to the source. We did our Heathrow Hills loop and the entire time my bike sounded like I had some jingle bells on it. After the ride - 16.4 miles in 1 hour - I took my bike into the shop.
I described the symptom, and also mentioned shifting was a bit sluggish on a few of the gears. Shifting issues happen all the time, through cable stretch, crud on the cassette or chain, or normal loosening. It is typically a quick and minor fix of a barrel adjustor, cable tensioning, or even limit screw adjustment (but not as often).
So the mechanic put my bike on the stand, shifted through the gears, and then poked the cassette with his index finger. The gears just mushed over... which is not normal at all! It turns out I had a broken cassette spacer, and this was the cause of both the rattle and a sticky shifting. After a new spacer, my bike shifts great and is as quiet as it should be. :)
I described the symptom, and also mentioned shifting was a bit sluggish on a few of the gears. Shifting issues happen all the time, through cable stretch, crud on the cassette or chain, or normal loosening. It is typically a quick and minor fix of a barrel adjustor, cable tensioning, or even limit screw adjustment (but not as often).
So the mechanic put my bike on the stand, shifted through the gears, and then poked the cassette with his index finger. The gears just mushed over... which is not normal at all! It turns out I had a broken cassette spacer, and this was the cause of both the rattle and a sticky shifting. After a new spacer, my bike shifts great and is as quiet as it should be. :)
Sunday, March 12, 2006
Comedy Show
I met Amy and her sister Julie for a comedy show in the evening. Julie mentioned this show at yesterday's 5K, but in the pre-race hustle and bustle I forgot about it until I talked to Amy later on Saturday.
The show was jointly sponsored by the Arabic and Jewish communities, and featured a comedian from each. I like comedy shows but sometimes they can get a bit raunchy; however these two were instead able to get a lot of mileage out of the very fertile material left by Bush, Cheney, and their various screwups. It was a very enjoyable time!
A great extra was was that a delicious banquet of middle eastern food was included with the show: stuffed grape leaves, tabouleh, hummus, shish kebabs, and more!
The show was jointly sponsored by the Arabic and Jewish communities, and featured a comedian from each. I like comedy shows but sometimes they can get a bit raunchy; however these two were instead able to get a lot of mileage out of the very fertile material left by Bush, Cheney, and their various screwups. It was a very enjoyable time!
A great extra was was that a delicious banquet of middle eastern food was included with the show: stuffed grape leaves, tabouleh, hummus, shish kebabs, and more!
Saturday, March 11, 2006
Baldwin Park 5K
Our big PR race was the Baldwin Park "Get Behind the Cause" 5K. I've actually lowered my PR twice since the speed training session started, and am very pleased with that. Going into the race I decided I didn't have to PR again - if I did that would be great, but if not, I wouldn't beat myself up about it.
The race course wound through the downtown-ish area of a master planned community, and as a result there were few long straightaways and lots of turns. It was also fairly warm and I thought about how it is only going to get warmer as the weeks go by. I started off fast (6:24 for mile 1) and slowed down to 13:30 for my mile 2 split. From there I found a pace I could hold onto and finish up. I missed noting the mile 3 split. I am near my maximum speed for a 5K because I have almost no "kick" whatsoever coming to the finish line.
I did manage to PR, shaving 7 seconds off my previous time to finish this 5K in 21:08 for a 6:48 pace. This race was small (254 men, 357 women) but since this was just the second year that is pretty good. I was 4th in my division, and unfortunately the age group awards only went 3 deep. My age group is a tough one, but maybe eventually I'll get to the medal zone.
The race was a good showing for us in the speed training program. Amy finished 2nd on her age group, and Mark finished 2nd. Mary Beth finished 3rd even though she was bummed about not setting a new PR. Well... I'd sympathize but NOT. Hehe.
The race course wound through the downtown-ish area of a master planned community, and as a result there were few long straightaways and lots of turns. It was also fairly warm and I thought about how it is only going to get warmer as the weeks go by. I started off fast (6:24 for mile 1) and slowed down to 13:30 for my mile 2 split. From there I found a pace I could hold onto and finish up. I missed noting the mile 3 split. I am near my maximum speed for a 5K because I have almost no "kick" whatsoever coming to the finish line.
I did manage to PR, shaving 7 seconds off my previous time to finish this 5K in 21:08 for a 6:48 pace. This race was small (254 men, 357 women) but since this was just the second year that is pretty good. I was 4th in my division, and unfortunately the age group awards only went 3 deep. My age group is a tough one, but maybe eventually I'll get to the medal zone.
The race was a good showing for us in the speed training program. Amy finished 2nd on her age group, and Mark finished 2nd. Mary Beth finished 3rd even though she was bummed about not setting a new PR. Well... I'd sympathize but NOT. Hehe.
Friday, March 10, 2006
Robinson Crusoe
Amy, my friend in the running club, had an extra ticket to the Orlando Shakespeare Festival's Robinson Crusoe and she invited me to attend with her. We ate a quick dinner of vegetarian pizza at a nearby restaurant while talking of our various travels - she did a year long Peace Corps tour in 2003-2004 to Lesotho, and I showed a few pictures of my trip to New Zealand in 2004. It was great company and fun conversation, and the pizza was even quite tasty despite having broccoli on it (which just doesn't seem right to me).
The play was staged in a small theater with a very plain set. There were just a few props shared between the opening scene on the ship and the rest of the play. Although the set was simple it had a few clever surprises: one small section held a bit of water which served as a pond, and another small square opened up to reveal a campfire. The left was a climbable pole and a few plants that would serve as a lookout spot and fields of grains that Crusoe cultivated. Behind the stage were some totem poles that eventually displayed the passage of time, and a few crates were the remainder of the props.
The story is the famous tale of a man shipwrecked on an island. It had been so long since I read the novel (actually I am not positive I have read it - that is how long it would have been!) I couldn't remember how he came to meet Friday or if he got off the island. All was revealed during the play...
I was quite impressed with the acting. Much like Tom Hanks in Castaway, the main actor that played Crusoe (Eric Hissom) was by himself for about 3/4s of the time. Just him, the dialogue, his facial expression, and he did a great job acting the part and telling the story.
Overall it was a very enjoyable evening!
The play was staged in a small theater with a very plain set. There were just a few props shared between the opening scene on the ship and the rest of the play. Although the set was simple it had a few clever surprises: one small section held a bit of water which served as a pond, and another small square opened up to reveal a campfire. The left was a climbable pole and a few plants that would serve as a lookout spot and fields of grains that Crusoe cultivated. Behind the stage were some totem poles that eventually displayed the passage of time, and a few crates were the remainder of the props.
The story is the famous tale of a man shipwrecked on an island. It had been so long since I read the novel (actually I am not positive I have read it - that is how long it would have been!) I couldn't remember how he came to meet Friday or if he got off the island. All was revealed during the play...
I was quite impressed with the acting. Much like Tom Hanks in Castaway, the main actor that played Crusoe (Eric Hissom) was by himself for about 3/4s of the time. Just him, the dialogue, his facial expression, and he did a great job acting the part and telling the story.
Overall it was a very enjoyable evening!
Saturday, March 04, 2006
Real Florida 5K
I registered for the Real Florida 5K, a race this morning. It is a small race, and a fundraiser for local parks. What drew me to the event was that it was a trail run. So I dug around in the garage and found my trail running shoes, which had seen many miles at the Redmond Watershed, Cougar Mountain, or the Powerline trail.
We had great conditions, and I just felt like taking it easy so I ran along with some friends. The course was mostly flat with a few short hills. There were the occasional roots to watch for, but unlike the trails in Washington, this course was sandy. It made for a good run that was gentle on feet.
I finished in 26:17, good enough for 46th out of 210 total! The funny thing was the effort felt harder than a 26 minute 5K. I seems like the speed training I'm doing makes you faster by getting your body used to the demands of a faster pace; it doesn't actually make running a slower pace feel easier. On the other hand, maybe it was the sand that made the pace feel harder than it should have.
It was fun and now I have a T-shirt with some kind of native American art that looks like a bear, a fish, a manatee, or some combination of these three.
We had great conditions, and I just felt like taking it easy so I ran along with some friends. The course was mostly flat with a few short hills. There were the occasional roots to watch for, but unlike the trails in Washington, this course was sandy. It made for a good run that was gentle on feet.
I finished in 26:17, good enough for 46th out of 210 total! The funny thing was the effort felt harder than a 26 minute 5K. I seems like the speed training I'm doing makes you faster by getting your body used to the demands of a faster pace; it doesn't actually make running a slower pace feel easier. On the other hand, maybe it was the sand that made the pace feel harder than it should have.
It was fun and now I have a T-shirt with some kind of native American art that looks like a bear, a fish, a manatee, or some combination of these three.
Friday, March 03, 2006
Mr. and Mrs. Smith
This movie came to the top of my Netflix queue and I took it easy this evening and watched it. Most of what I heard of Mr. and Mrs. Smith had to do with the real life affairs of its stars, which seemed to drown out the movie itself.
By day, John (Brad Pitt) and Jane (Angelina Jolie) are in a declining marriage. However, they are secretly opposing international assassins, pulling off jobs in various locales while still making it home for dinner. Both their agencies discover their marriage and send them on the same assignment, where they interfere with each other and figure out the truth. They look to kill each other out of fear, but they realize both their agencies have issued death warrants for them, so they bond together to stay alive, and rekindle their marriage.
This movie isn't exactly a deep intelluctual piece, but I found it quite entertaining. I'm a fan of the spy/action/thriller genre and this was good enough for me. What I also found funny were the scenes where John and Jane snipe at each other over their past - John is upset that the marriage has been a "web of lies" and that Jane is really an orphan, who hired an actor to pose as her mother for their wedding.
So while I did enjoy the movie, I like a similar movie (True Lies) even more. ;)
By day, John (Brad Pitt) and Jane (Angelina Jolie) are in a declining marriage. However, they are secretly opposing international assassins, pulling off jobs in various locales while still making it home for dinner. Both their agencies discover their marriage and send them on the same assignment, where they interfere with each other and figure out the truth. They look to kill each other out of fear, but they realize both their agencies have issued death warrants for them, so they bond together to stay alive, and rekindle their marriage.
This movie isn't exactly a deep intelluctual piece, but I found it quite entertaining. I'm a fan of the spy/action/thriller genre and this was good enough for me. What I also found funny were the scenes where John and Jane snipe at each other over their past - John is upset that the marriage has been a "web of lies" and that Jane is really an orphan, who hired an actor to pose as her mother for their wedding.
So while I did enjoy the movie, I like a similar movie (True Lies) even more. ;)
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