cycling.finial.com

Diabetes and Depression
Been there.

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Seventh (or second) of the Hornblower books. After reading seven of these, I’m still amazed at how fresh and new they can be. I do need a break, though, so this will be the last one for a bit while I turn to other things.
In this one, Hornblower is given his first ship fo [...]

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Spider-Man vs. Doctor Octopus. Or at least that’s what it’s supposed to be. And it was. Eventually. I mean, I know Peter Parker is supposed to be some sort of angst ridden emo kid, but yow! it makes for an awfully long movie when that’s the main theme.
Will he or won’t he? Should he [...]

Had a bunch of errands to run today, so after all that, I stopped at Broadway Bicycle School to true the wheels of my IRO. The brakes still squeak, but at least I can get the pads closer to the rim so it doesn’t feel so squishy.
I accidentally blew a tube while refilling the rear [...]

Last night I got an award from SEBA, presented by the mayor’s office.

Very flattering.

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Someone pointed me to this as a dramatic reenactment of Traudl Junge’s interview that resulted in Blind Spot.
Expertly done. In her interview, Junge talked about how surreal the whole end of the war bunker experience was. This film captures that perfectly. The random and sporadic violence of being in a war zone and [...]

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Another of the Hornblower books (sixth or first, depending).  Unlike most of those I’ve read so far, this one is actually a real novel as opposed to a collection of shortish stories bound together as a book. The short stories work well, but so does this. In this one, Hornblower is a full captain [...]

But cool anyway
Via Commute by Bike

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This is my book group’s selection for October. I hated it. Well, let me qualify that. I appreciate the craftsmanship and construction of the piece. But no one was happier that Ivan finally died that I was. This is a great book for those English 201 classes in short story deconstruction. Lots of stuff [...]

Took a shortish ride yesterday. Was hoping for 50, but ended up at 44. I forgot that this weekend is the Head of the Charles regatta until I got to the Esplanade and saw the crowds. It took forever to get through them and I ended up walking a good portion of the way. Not [...]

via CommuteByBike
One of the things I always liked on things like Mr. Rogers Neighborhood or Unwrapped was the factory tours. Automation is cool. Here’s a bicycle factory tour from YouTube.

I hadn’t heard, but Sheldon’s having some issues.
Sheldon Brown’s Journal – Health Issues

I broke down and bought a courier bag. Carrying the laptop in the bag I currently have (which is more of a canvas briefcase with a long strap) is not working. Everytime I bend over the bars or stand or something, it swings out of place. My laptop is heavy enough so that can throw [...]

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Kenneth Branaugh & al reenact the Wannsee conference where the “Final Solution to the Jewish Problem” was developed. Scripted in large part from the single surviving copy of the meeting minutes, the actors remained in believable character during the extemporaneous non-meeting times (arriving, eating, &c).
If you can put aside, for a moment, the material [...]

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Traudl Junge was one of Hitler’s secretaries. At 81 years old, she breaks her silence about her experiences in the Hitler inner sanctum. She was there in the bunker at the end and was the one who took dictation for Hitler’s will.
Putting aside for the moment any opinion of Junge herself, it is fascinating [...]

I’m finding I’m not riding so much lately. I’m not sure why, but I’m feeling oddly guilty about it.
I suspect two things. First, I’m really enjoying the gym. I leave there feeling like I’ve gotten a lot done; tired in a good sort of way after only about two hours. Second, I’m getting really tired [...]

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Another in the collection of Hornblower books (8th or 5th, depending).
In it, Hornblower takes a barge down the Severn and Thames canal (as a passenger) with wife and child. Upon arriving in London, his is given command of the Atropos, a 22 gun sloop, and tasked with overseeing the funeral procession down the Thames [...]

To all you netflix subscribers:
Murderball is for sale $7.99. The best movie I saw in 2005.
Also for sale: Wallace and Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit for $5.99. Another five star movie.

[netflix] [IMDb]
Filmmaker Greg Whitely follows former New York Doll Arthur “Killer” Kane as he prepares for a Dolls reunion after 30 years. Kane, having survived alcoholism, an apparent attempted suicide, and 30 years of obsurity finally found something to cling to when he joined the Mormon church and started working in the Family History [...]

[netflix] [IMDb]
Victor (Johnny Depp) is about to be married to Victoria (Emily Watson), an arrangment made by their parents. Victor isn’t very good under pressure and botches the rehearsal. He goes off by himself to practice in the nearby woods and finally gets the vows correct, but in doing so accidentally marries the Corpse Bride [...]