In case someone stumbles upon this page: 2008 had a happy ending, even if it took a bit into 2009. I now live in the lower Haight, having spent a good portion of the past year traveling, and have beat the economy by accepting a good position at a Bay Area biotech company. I’ve attached a picture of my kitchen.
I also bought my dream touring bike for 100$. Got it set up as a nice singlespeed now, and will try and tour on it this spring/summer. Picture attached.
This is a test run of how my fully loaded Novara Randonee will look. I’m gonna wrap up the tent in a few tarps, but this is basically it.
This is how you fit it in a box, with camping gear.
I owe a lot of help to the employees of Performance Bike Shop – they hooked me up with a full set of zip ties, fork stays and all sorts of derailleur protectors that they get with shipped bikes. Also to the dude at Adams Avenue Bicycles who had the relevation that it might not be fitting in my box because I haven’t turned the fork inwards. Bingo! Now, it all gets in there, and just in case there was a fear of all this + a box of pedals, seat, and tools weighing more than 50 lbs to get onto the airplane, let me tell you from first hand experience – it weighs exactly 49.5lbs. Sweet.
I’ve been really slacking on recording music lately. Having a laptop and being able to lounge around the living room slugging back a Diet Coke WHILE TOTALLY SURFIN’ THE WEB is too appealing, so my drum parts sit unfinished (I’m having trouble with a particular blastbeat that’s going to be doubled in stereo and distorted and thrown under a slow, growling organ, that’s right). I even watched some UNIVERSAL SOLDIER last night instead of compositing takes like I said I would.
I have plane tickets. I’m leaving on the 7th and arriving in Lund on the 8th. The first thing I do after dropping stuff off at my place (all confirmed, just need Western Union to take my money) is head up the street to Willy’s to buy milk, yogurt, granola, ice cream, and candy. Here’s what’s in store for me:
When I get a wild hair up my ass and decide to for once pay the exorbitant prices for milk here, I am faced with a conundrum: refreshing but admittedly watered-down 1%? Or creamy, delicious, frothy 2% that sits like some liquid kind of rock in your stomach for the rest of the day? Once again, Sweden destroys all other countries, EVER, in the dairy field. Introducing 1,5% Fetthalt. That comma is the same thing as a decimal, in case you’re wondering. They found the perfect balance of 1 and 2 percentage milks, while the rest of the western world is twiddling their thumbs and complaining about lactose intolerance.
For some reason, Sweden is the only country that does fruit-mixed yogurt right. Yoggi’s “light” yogurt doesn’t have the sweetener aftertaste that the Dannon’s does here. The current US dairy culture (YES I JUST SAID THAT) decrees that the health-conscious yogurt buyer may have either that artificially sweetened, “light” variety of yogurt, or a fat free yogurt bursting with high-glycemic index sugars. Yoggi takes the best of both worlds, takes away any shortcomings or compromises, and delivers the best yogurt known to man. Note the ingenious Tetra-Pak-ing of the product. Real talk.
Sia are ice cream masters. Their knäckebröd ice cream is the most perfect dairy confection known to man. I’d bring everybody back some on the plane if it were possible.
See that yellow piece in the corner? The red ones are strawberry, the center is a creamy marshmallow-type candy, and by eating one you are looking down the flavor barrel of a JORDGUBB PISTOL. A Strawberry Pistol. I will (and have in the past) be eating these by the pounds. My favorite candy ever.
Other than that, I’ll be putting in my notice for sure on Friday. Nervous and happy (after today’s 16.75 hour work day).
