As I write this, I am uploading pictures to the SNM gallery from the show opening party. Check it out here: Rockabilly Surf Show
Author Archive for risu
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Went straight home after work yesterday. There was a bit of a drizzle but it didn’t seem like it was going to last long. The artwork for the Rockabilly Surf Show was done and submitted, so it was time for a long-awaited ride. It took a while to get my riding s#%t together, but eventually got out and rolled around a bit. The new ’08 Fox 32 Vanilla RLC feels good on the bike – no geometry issues with the extra travel over the old 125mm Fox. It was the first time it was really ridden, so it feels a little sticky – I think it needs to break-in before it gets that buttery-smooth Fox feel.  I swapped out to the purple “light” springs when I installed it last week. I guess I could have gotten just the “R”, but the “L” and “C” functions parallel some of the functions on the DHX 5.0 rear shock, so I got the full-featured one. Granted I run the compression and anti-bob settings really low anyway, but “just in case”…
The mysterious contamination of the rear brake last week is still causing issues – it still doesn’t seem as grabby as before.  There is still some dark glaze on the rotor that probably has to be worn through before things are back to normal again, or maybe the pads need more heat-gunning…
I was just taking it easy since I haven’t ridden in a couple of weeks – I was just enjoying being back on the bike after the absence. Distance was 9.83-miles, 56-minutes, Vavr = 10.4 mph
Finished my pieces for the Rockabilly Surf Show this weekend. Had a battle with brain-fart trying to get properly sized frames… bought 16×20, thought they were too big since the working areas of the 12×16 sheets was 8×12, took them back and got the next size down which was 11×14, got them home and discovered those were too small, and went back to re-get the 16×20’s – that was $15 in gasoline I didn’t need to spend!  Dropped them off with Eric at the gallery this morning on the way to get my morning ITM at Lion’s cafe.
Three watercolors – two “pin-up girls” and one “monster hot-rod”. Originally was going to make two of each, but the second “monster” image, a turbodiesel chopper, didn’t resolve in time. Had to crank out the pieces in less than 2 weeks, but if I had advanced notice, I’d probably have procrastinated until the last moment anyway (like the upcoming Showcase 2007 at the HAA…)! I’ll put the images up on the gallery after the show opens.Â
Show opening and reception is Thursday, 31 May 2007 from 18:00 to 20:00 at the Chinatown Boardroom, 1160 Nuuanu Avenue (one door makai of the Pegge Hopper Gallery). Scat, Tracy (not Stacy), and Kris Higa will also have works at the show. I was a last-minute addition through Scats’ influence (thanks, Scat!), so my name isn’t on the manifest.
Yeah, yeah – it’s been almost a week. I’ve been busy, okay?! I had the images on my USB drive all week, just didn’t have time to upload them. The pictures from the 12th and 14th are up on the gallery – you know where… There are some neat slow-sync flash shots from Monday’s freeride session. Interesting colors. and check out Root’s styling air. There’s a long exposure shot at the concrete rest stop that looks like it should be on an album cover. Â
I guess summer is upon us. We got down most of the trail in daylight, with twilight colors and darkness setting in at the rest stop on the concrete road. Just Ckucke, Root, JT, and me again – Chris should be back next week, since it was the last night of birthing class. Dropped into upper dumps for a change, but there was a lot of deadfall leaning into the trail and one big, old ironwood that had to be limboed under. Somewhere up on the side of the park access road was a dead thing – it could be smelled out into the neighborhood. Nothing bad-smelling or dead on the trail. At agave, climbed up to the normal out line and descended. The original D/H trail has been recut, and there looks to be some work being done on the trail that heads out to the point (the “right” off the mainline that is the alternate choice for the “left” to the old ladder trail). Must check some of that out next time…
Ride time of 27-min. with a distance of 3.87-miles. Vavr was 8.5 mph. Vmax was 18.6 mph on the trail – rather slow this time. Too many photo-op stops…Â
Rode Wailuna to Royal Summit on Saturday afternoon. Root was a little late, but since it was in the waning part of the day, it was another half-hour for the world to cool down from the noontime burn of late spring. The climb was as heinous as ever - it seems that the more I train, the worse the climb feels. I saw a trail off to the left of the water tank road, possibly leading over to the terrain between Wailuna and Waimano. It was well-used, and there was a concrete marker with 2 initials and “1928” written in relief on it. Continuing up the road and transitioning to the dirt, my legs felt burnt too: I had to drop granny for the climb arond the back of the water tank. I might be training “wrong” or we’re just going harder and faster now. Continue reading ‘Chiropractic ride’
Just watched the DVD of the movie Dokuritsu Shoujo Gurentai (lit. Independence Girl-gang) 2004, retitled for the USDM as “Samurai Chicks” (Tokyo Shock, 2006). I really wish US releasers wouldn’t go messing with the titles, not only because it is both f#@king unnecessary and is culturally insulting and ignorant, but because it makes it really difficult to identify the movie by the title. When I first saw the title listing, I thought it was Samurai Gal 21 with Koike Eiko and Satou Eriko.  I was elated until I found out that this was a different movie… after which I remained elated, but for different reasons. Viz was one of the first “insipid title” offenders by retitling the USDM release of Shimotsuma Monogatari as “Kamikaze Girls”. WTF?! Continue reading ‘Dokuritsu Shoujo Gurentai’
Took it easy on the knees and quads after Monday. It was windy, so keeping the speed up even on the flats was a bit of a challenge.Â
Kept encountering the same woman in her Millenia smack dab in the middle of the road at WCC, immobile, with her brake lights and reverse lights on. Apparently she was attempting to learn to parallel park. Certainly she couldn’t.
10.88-miles, 50-minutes, Vavr = 12.8 mph.
It rained all morning on Monday, so I went home. Ckucky called just as I drove out of the parking lot at work and said he and Scat were going to ride around town.  I wasn’t trying to be antisocial, but there was no charge in the battery and I had the wrong shoes. I did want to try ot my new shinguards, though…Â
The Windward side was dry, so I rode over to WCC and did some intervals. 8.05-miles, Vavr = 12, 40-minutes. The pulled shin muscle seems to have healed up as there were no issues with it.
The cleats are holding a lot better after I rotated them last week – I’ll have to back off the pedal jaw spring tension now. I also added one adjustment wedge to each cleat and noticed a lot less muscle strain and more knee and foot comfort. I’ll probably need another wedge or two per side, but two is all I had left.
The rain gods were having a party overnight Sunday and until noon on Monday, so no freeride… besides, everyone was otherwise occupied. Chris had birthing class, Ckucky was on the mainland, JT had a project deadline for some pieces, and Root was going to break his FX. Mitch called me just as I was leaving work. He opted to do some road laps since the ride was called. I went home to ice down the muscle I pulled on Saturday. I hope it will be reasonably usable for secret training on Wednesday…