Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in Tom's LiveJournal:

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Wednesday, April 22nd, 2009
11:35 pm	Men of Tortuga Slightly late shameless plug! My current show, "Men of Tortuga" at Apollinaire Theatre in Chelsea, opened last Friday. I play Fletcher, the young idealist who helps throw a wrench in the plans of three power brokers planning an assassination. Check below or www.apollinairetheatre.com for more details. =) Hope you can make it! Tom MEN OF TORTUGA OPENS FRIDAY APRIL 17TH!! "Jason Well's new play is cleverly wrought, gripping and dramatically exciting. It's a thriller and it's thrilling." -Chicago Tribune "Wells has crafted a taut, cleverly orchestrated piece about power...a sharp parable for our time." -Chicago Sun-Times Behind the doors of America's code-locked executive suites men in fine suits are planning an assassination In Jason Well's brutally hilarious satire, three power-brokers scheme with a weapons specialist to eliminate their enemy. But when one of them takes a young idealist under his wing, his long-dormant conscience begins to reawaken, forcing the cabal to concoct even more outlandish scenarios of annihilation and ponder whether the ends justify their means. Performances will be followed by a Reception with the actors in the Gallery. April 17-May 17 Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 Sundays May 10 & 17 at 3:00 Chelsea Theatre Works 189 Winnisimmet St., Chelsea $20 at the door, $18 in advance $15 student rush one hour before performance with ID (617) 887-2336 www.apollinairetheatre.com For tickets call:(617) 887-2336, or visit us on the web. Information and directions at http://www.apollinairetheatre.com Starring: Peter Brown, Tom Giordano, Alain Groene, Phil Thompson, Rick Winterson Directed by Danielle Fauteux Jacques Stage Manager: Carol Bortman, ASM: Freya Grunden Set Design: Kathryn Kawecki Costume Design: Paul John Carli Sound Design: David Reiffel House Managers: Richard Richards, Ida Rudolph, Eli Bortman (Comment on this)
Sunday, March 1st, 2009
1:26 am	O Ya firstfrost and I explored O Ya on Thursday. We had the full-menu omekase, or chef's tasting menu, which had the following seventeen courses: Kumamoto Oyster, with watermelon pearls, cucumber mignonette Hamachi nigiri, with spicy banana pepper mousse and truffle oil Salmon Tataki nigiri, with torched tomato, smoked salt, onion aioli Warm Eel nigiri with thai basil, kabayaki, fresh Kyoto sansho Wild Bluefin Maguro Tuna nigiri, with soy braied garlic, micro greens Fried Kumamoto Oyster nigiri, with yuzu kosho aioli, squid ink bubbles Homemade La Ratte Potato Chip nigiri (!), perigord black truffle Salmon nigiri, o ya mayonette, wasabi tobiko, shiso Shima Aji and Santa Barbara Sea Urchin sashimi, ceviche vinaigrette, cilantro Hamachi sashimi, with viet mignonette, thai basil, shallot Wild Bluefin Tuna Tataki sashimi, smoky pickled onion, crispy garlic, truffle oil Chilled Maine Lobster Salad, avocado, creamy yuzu dressing, peppercress, cucumber gelee Yuzu Brined Ballotine of Chicken Wing, napa cabbage and shiitake stuffing Grilled Sashimi of Chanterelle and Shiitake Mushrooms, rosemary garlic oil, seasme froth, homemade soy Seared Petit Wagyu Strip Loin (2 oz.), tiny smoked potato, grilled onion, fresh wasabi Kyoto Style Black Trumpet Mushroom nigiri, garlic soy Foie Gras nigiri, balsamic chocolate kabayaki, raisin cocoa pulp, sip of 8-year aged sake And then dessert, which was Soy Milk Blanc Mange with chilled thai tea and thai basil seeds, and Tres Leches Soaked Boston Creme Pie, ocumare chocolate, sesame. Quite likely the most ridiculously extravagant meal I've ever had. And all very, very good. The wagyu beef was perhaps the best-- it definitely was the platonic ideal of beef. As opposed to the potato chip nigiri, which was amazing but not the platonic ideal of potato chips. The mushrooms, and the foie gras nigiri, also verged on Ridiculously Good, and I can see why they're all signature dishes. As for the sushi and sashimi, the quality of the fish was all first rate. Their use of the torch was quite good-- enough to add some searing without losing the taste and texture of the fish. And the preparations were all very inventive and by and large enhanced the experience of the fish. The thai basil did lovely things for the eel. The torched tomato, smoked salt and onion aioli worked wonderfully to complement the salmon. The fried oyster was perfect, hot and tasting of salt and the sea, and the squid ink and yuzu added complexity of flavor. The banana pepper puree on the hamachi was fruity with just a bit of heat, and worked well with the torching. The Creme Pie was probably the better of the desserts, particularly the flavor combination of the sesame. Service was good and relatively unobtrusive; decor was lovely, although it seemed like it might be a bit dark at the tables. Sitting at the sushi bar was fine though, plus we got to watch the sushi chef work, and see one of the grills. Definitely not an every-day sort of restaurant, but for the decadent splurge on sushi, it's worth it (to me, at least). And there was still a great deal of the menu that we didn't get to try. So perhaps more exploration will be in order, at some point... Current Mood: Gen Ben Shi yunnan (12 Comments |Comment on this)
Tuesday, February 10th, 2009
11:06 am	2008: The Year in Numbers I missed January 1st... I missed Chinese New Year... but here it is anyway: 2008, in numbers (with a few comments): I read 0 books (oof, very sad). I read 37 plays (pretty good), including 13 by Shakespeare, but not quite all of the comedies, which was a goal. I still have yet to read Two Noble Kinsmen, and I haven't read All's Well in years. But those are the only two I haven't read in the last few years. I saw 67 plays plus 30 10-minute plays at the Boston Theatre Marathon! (kind of crazy, actually) I saw 36 movies (decent), but only 3 in the theatre (not so good). I had 15 first-round auditions (including one clearinghouse audition), 8 callbacks, and was cast in 5 shows. I performed in 2 shows (or 3 or 4, if you wanted to count Hound, Sabueso, and Escondido en la Imagen as different shows), started work on a third, and fight directed a show. My cyclocomputer read about 1400 km, which makes my official tally about 3000 km. (Quite sad; sigh.) I raced 0 bike races (sad, but less sad than it used to be). I went climbing maybe ten times in the gym (enh). I took one trip to Oregon and California, and several trips to Lenox. (Okay.) I posted to lj three times-- 2007 in review and two Shameless Plugs. (Okay.) I probably did other things, too, but didn't keep track. =) Current Mood: Namche Bazaar (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, January 26th, 2009
3:36 pm	Upcoming Show: Intimate Apparel, January 30th - February 14th Shameless Plug: My next show, "Intimate Apparel" is coming up at the end of this week. The show is about a black seamstress in 1905 New York; I play Mr. Marks, a Romanian Jewish fabric merchant. It's a wonderful script, and I hope you'll have the chance to come see it. Shows are Fridays and Saturdays from January 30th to February 14th, and tickets are $19 for the first weekend and $21 for the second and third; students and seniors are $17. Save $1 per ticket by ordering in advance. For anyone who can't make the regular Friday or Saturday night shows, or who wouldn't come be able to come because of expense, there's a free preview performance/press opening on Thursday, January 29th at 8:00. Check www.footlight.org for more details. =) Hope you can make it! The Footlight Club presents Boston Community Theater premiere of the award winning Intimate Apparel By Lynn Nottage Directed by Heather Fry Production Dates January 30, 31, February 6, 7, 13 & 14 2009 Curtain 8:00pm To order tickets, please go to www.footlight.org The Cast: Esther: F. Zandra Bennett Mrs. Dickson: Carmen Dillon Mrs. Van Buren: Nicole Prefontaine Mr. Marks: Tom Giordano Mayme: Lyndsay Allyn Cox George: Franklin Onuoha A successful black seamstress, Esther dreams that her skill in making sensual ladies' undergarments will lead her to a brilliant career. But at age 35, is it too late to hope for a family as well? Her business can take her from a bawdy bordello to a high-class boudoir in the space of a day. Hard work and creativity are no strangers to her. Surely, all she has to do is reach out to seize a chance at love...? Set in 1905, Lynn Nottage's work explores some of the issues with which we continually wrestle: loneliness; love; intimacy; divisions of gender, race, and class. Her vibrant characters -- a Romanian fabric seller, a bourgeois socialite, a burlesque entertainer and prostitute, a Barbadian would-be entrepreneur, a landlady mother hen -- navigate various pitfalls and opportunities with the same potential outcomes we see in our own lives. Hearts could come together, or be broken. Careers might be made or lost. Spirits might reach new heights, or sink into cynicism. But ever and always, there is hope for brighter days ahead. Current Mood: Keemun Hao-Ya A (Comment on this)
Friday, September 12th, 2008
3:37 pm	Shameless plug I'm playing Romeo in R&J, September 19th-October 4th. Info below. =) ----- Here's much to do with hate, but more with love. Why, then, O brawling love! O loving hate! Hovey Players presents William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet Directed by Jessie Olson Fight Choreography by Ted Eaton Choreography by Eve Summer One of Shakespeare’s most enduring and well known tragedies will have a modern twist in this season’s opener. Two wealthy families continue to disrupt the streets of Verona with their passionate feud, bursting into violent acts at a moment’s provocation. In the midst of their bloody rage their children fall in love but do not escape the world around them or their star crossed fate. This production features the talents of Tom Giordano as Romeo, Rebecca Baumwoll as Juliet, Bill Doscher as Lord Capulet, Sara Jones as Lady Capulet, Gabrielle Hatcher as Mercutio, Michael Haddad as Tybalt, Stephanie Haddad as Escalus, Ronni Marshak as the Nurse, Peter Floyd as Friar Laurence, Bill DeRusha as Paris, Jorge Martinez as Benvolio, Lauren Hall as Balthasar, and Lis Adams as Montague. Performances are September 19, 20, 26, 27, October 2,3, and 4 at 8pm, and September 28 at 2pm. Hovey Players is located at the Abbott Memorial Theater, Joel’s Way, 9 Spring Street, in Waltham. Free parking. Join the cast and crew for an opening night party immediately following the performance at Baan Thai Restaurant, which is only a 5-minute walk from Hovey Players. Free food and cash bar. Tickets are $16, Seniors/Students $14. For reservations, please call (781) 893-9171 or write to reservations@hoveyplayers.com. For additional information, visit www.hoveyplayers.com or visit our facebook event page http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=23963848061 (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Saturday, July 5th, 2008
12:34 am	The Real Inspector Hound / El Verdadero Inspector Sabueso I'm in a show! I'll be playing Moon in this month's production of The Real Inspector Hound by Tom Stoppard, in both English and Spanish, in Chelsea. It's a fun show, and free, so come early, come often. =) Details below. =) ----- Apollinaire Theatre Company (formerly TheatreZone) is celebrating its sixth season offering New England's only bilingual free summer theater in the park. Apollinaire in the Park / Apollinaire en el parque THE REAL INSPECTOR HOUND / EL VERDADERO INSPECTOR SABUESO By Tom Stoppard With HIDDEN IN THIS PICTURE / ESCONDIDO EN LA IMAGEN By Aaron Sorkin July 9-26 7:30 FREE! English: Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Spanish: Fridays and Sundays. MARY O'MALLEY PARK: Commandant's Way, Chelsea Waterfront (Admiral's Hill) Bring blankets or lawn chairs. The action starts near the fish sculpture by the dock! Traigan sus mantas o sus sillas. La accion empieza por la escultura de peces cerca del muelle! For directions, or in case of rain: apollinairetheatre.com chelseatheater.com 617-887-2336 The Real Inspector Hound/El Verdadero Inspector Sabueso follows two theatre critics watching a ludicrous send-up of a country house murder mystery, with their personal desires and obsessions interwoven into their bombastic and pompous reviews. By chance, they become involved in the action with results that prove surprisingly serious for both. In Aaron Sorkin's one-act satire Hidden in this Picture/Escondido en la imagen, a film director contemplates his final shot: 694 Marines running down a hill at sunset. Weeks behind schedule, millions over budget, and with no retake possible, what's a director to do when three cows join the action? Information and directions at: apollinairetheatre.com http://apollinairetheatre.com/directions/parkdirections.html (Comment on this)
Thursday, April 3rd, 2008
6:01 pm	2007 in Review Belated 2007 statistics: I read 3 books (ick). I read 29 plays, including 13 by Shakespeare, including all of the tragedies (decent). I saw 48 plays (very good). I saw 35 movies (decent), but only 4 in the theatre (not so good). I auditioned countless times, was called back for several shows, and acted in 4.5 plays, including 2.5 Shakespeare (one was cancelled a few weeks before opening). (Quite good.) My cyclocomputer read about 8400 km, which makes my official tally just about 3900 km. (Quite sad; sigh.) I raced 0 bike races (sad). I went climbing maybe a dozen times in the gym (enh). I took one trip to Oregon, and one to California. I probably did other things, too, but didn't keep track. =) (9 Comments |Comment on this)
Sunday, December 30th, 2007
11:35 pm	In the middle of the storm I am safe in Lenox, and have completed my first full day here. I have LJ and email access at the usual locations, but no regular zephyr access for the time being, due to crippled browsers in the computer labs. I may be able to borrow someone's laptop at some point, but for the moment, this seems sufficient. We're supposed to be getting 5-10" of snow by the end of tomorrow. How exciting. And now, I should sleep, for I have another 14 hour day ahead of me tomorrow, and that's before any impromptu NYE festivities that might occur. Happy New Year to all. My standard This Year In Numbers will have to wait until later. =) (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Friday, December 14th, 2007
12:07 am	Out of Town I will effectively be out of town for more than a month, starting December 21st. First I'm off to California for Christmas Part I for several days, and then I'll be home for two days, during which time there will be Christmas Part II. Then packing madness, followed by going to Lenox for a month for the Shakesepare & Company month-long acting intensive. I believe I will have email, phone, etc. access while I'm there, but I'll be pretty busy and so likely not very responsive. There is a small chance I'll be able to get back to Boston for a day or so, but it's not guaranteed. I'll be back January 24th. Current Music: RadioParadise (8 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, November 8th, 2007
11:20 am	"The Importance of Being Earnest", opens tomorrow Shameless plug! I'll be playing Algernon in The Importance of Being Earnest, opening tomorrow and running through the 17th. Table seats are limited and going quickly, so if you're interested in those, best order soon. (There are about six tables of 4-5 people each at the front of the house; those are the best audience seats. The rest of the house is general admission.) For mail order, fill out the following form and send it in: http://www.longwoodplayers.org/DOCS/Earnest_ticket_order_form_mailorder.pdf This will avoid any fees from ordering by phone or web. Hope to see you there! --------------------------------------- The Longwood Players presents THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST by Oscar Wilde --------------------------------------- The Longwood Players' 10th season kicks off in 1895 England following Algernon and Jack, two dapper young dandies caught in an increasingly absurd -- and hilarious -- web of their own deceit. Wilde's wit carries our heroes from town to country, from uncertainty to triumph, and from love to disappointment and back again. This classic satire of societal stigmatism complements the absurdities of this cast of characters, challenging audiences to find for themselves the "vital importance of being earnest." A "Trivial Comedy for Serious People," The Longwood Players will be producing the original four-act version of the play, which affords both actors and audience an opportunity to experience a theatrical classic as originally envisioned by Oscar Wilde. This version contains more characters, more cleverness, and decidedly more food. When: November 9, 10, 15, 16, and 17 at 8pm; November 17 at 2pm Where: Cambridge Family YMCA Theatre 820 Mass Ave, Central Square, Cambridge Access: Central Square T-stop (Red line) Parking throughout Central Square Green St. (paid) parking lot immediately behind theater Tickets: $25 Table $19 General Admission $3 student / senior discount Purchase: Online: http://www.longwoodplayers.org Phone: 1-800-595-4TIX (1-800-595-4849) At the Door: 1 hour prior to curtain (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Monday, January 22nd, 2007
11:09 pm	Requiem for a cellphone According to Verizon tech support, my cellphone, aged almost 3.5, has passed on. Attempts at resuscitation failed, with the ominous cause of death: Bad ESN. I'll do my best to see if there's anything that can be done, but it may be time to move on. In the meantime, this means I won't have cellphone access. This is liable to be somewhat pesky. If you think you're likely to need to call me over the next week or so, you might consider email instead. Alternatively, if you let me know and I can give you home and work numbers if you don't have them already. In the words of me, "doom". Current Mood: disconnected (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, January 1st, 2007
10:42 pm	The Year in Numbers 2006 statistics: I read 4 books (ick). I read 40 plays, including 16 by Shakespeare, including all of the histories (good). I saw 41 plays (quite good). I saw 54 movies (also good). I acted in one play, and one scene for a scene night (could be better). My cyclocomputer reads 4533.1, which makes my official tally just about 5005 km. This probably means 5200-5300 km on the road due to computer error, plus a moderate amount of commuting on my fixie, plus a bit of 'cross and mountain biking. (Fairly sad, really.) I raced 2 road races (sad). I raced 0 'cross races (extra sad). I went climbing 10-12 times in the gym, mostly in the fall (not terrible, but). I completed 9 lessons of Rosetta Stone Mandarin Chinese (fine, for ~2 months of work). I took 3 trips to California, 1 trip to Oregon, 1 trip to London, 2 business trips to Las Vegas with 1 stopover in New Mexico (decent). I posted to livejournal 11 times, including the 2005 year-in-review (okay). Current Mood: White Peach (Adagio) (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, October 5th, 2006
10:28 am	Top Five Musicals "Poll" Inspired by seeing the musical version of High Fidelity last night (world premiere at the Colonial, through October 22nd, before going to Broadway), which is full of Top Five lists, the inevitable discussion ensued: What's your list of Top Five Musicals? Post your favorites, or what you think would win the critics' "best musicals" contest, as you see fit. Or rant about how it's a foolish question, or why I didn't post my list, or what you will. =) Current Mood: Royal Golden Yunnan Current Music: A New Brain (21 Comments |Comment on this)
Wednesday, July 26th, 2006
11:23 pm	Reading Material Inspired by a fit of insomnia, I decided to catalog my collection of plays: ( The results. ) Okay, that's quite a lot, really. Somehow I doubt it will cause me to stop acquiring more. But perhaps I should actually read all the ones I have, first? (4 Comments |Comment on this)
Friday, June 23rd, 2006
12:40 am	Alan Symonds Some people are forces for stability. They are the grounding point of a community. A touchstone, of sorts. In most environments, this role can pass between people, or become dispersed so the social network as a whole has some resilience to it, because the bonds between most of the members are relatively stable. This can be very difficult to achieve in a college setting. Students arrive into a chaotic world, not knowing the school, the people, themselves, and usually by the time they figure out how things work (assuming they do) they're about to graduate. Institutional memory is lost without work, of course. But more important, the social structure in general is much more tenuous when you have highly stressed, highly capable people who are in a period of intense transition and discovery in their lives. So there's an even greater than usual need to have a point of stability, and it often goes unfulfilled. People make do, of course, they have friends and families. But sometimes it's good to have someone outside of these structures, where there's often tension of their own. I didn't know Big Jimmy very well, but it seemed like that was a role he played at EC. He'd seen it all before, he knew everyone, and it seemed like all he wanted was to help people out. In the Harvard theatre community the equivalent might be Alan Symonds. Alan was the "Technical Director for College Theatre Programs" at Harvard, but hardly anyone could have told you his title. He was just Alan. He was an undergrad there in the 70s, and I'm not sure he ever really left-- he was a fixture when I arrived, and has been ever since. You could almost always find him in the Agassiz, in his office (which used to be in the basement, until he got moved to slightly nicer accomodations on the first floor a number of years ago). He was the master of all things on the technical side of theater, especially lighting. He knew every performance space on campus, and all their quirks. And he was available, to everyone who needed him, or just wanted to chat. When your show discovered that the door you built was a foot off from where it needed to be, he could help. If you realized during tech week that you hadn't really figured out where you were getting your lights from, he would help you find some. He always looked in on set builds to see how things were going. He founded the Freshman Arts Program ten years ago, a one-week orientation program for incoming students who were interested in arts programs of all sorts at Harvard. And above all, he was a genuinely nice, caring, giving person. He had a quiet, dry humor that seemed to leave him almost perpetually smiling. I remember him raising his voice once-- one of his jobs was to give the "fire speech" during put-in of every show in the Agassiz, telling people the procedures to follow if the show needed to be stopped for a fire, or a medical emergency, or any other strange occurence. It was a serious speech, because sometimes these things do happen, and he took it seriously. So when people were talking instead of listening, he got their attention. And everyone just looked at the people who were talking, and they stopped, and paid attention. This was Alan. Alan Symonds passed away suddenly yesterday, after suffering a heart attack. I never knew him as well as I'd have liked. I wasn't really a techie, or on the production staff of a show, and so I only worked with him peripherally. But it was always good to see him around the set shop, or in the theatre. He always knew what was going on, and knew just when help was needed, and what sort to offer. And so I will miss him. There's an article about Alan, from a Harvard Office for the Arts newsletter from a few years ago here. (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Friday, June 2nd, 2006
1:18 am	May wrapup Where did the month go? Hrm. Well, one more 3:00 workout on Monday, which was fun and social, rather than hard. Tuesday and Wednesday ended up being off, because I was at work late trying to make progress before a visiting researcher left. Odomoter: 1750 km, I think, probably underreporting a bit. Getting better, but still low. I should be able to get over 1000 km this month, if I can keep some focus. Hopefully work and the weather will cooperate. (Comment on this)
Tuesday, May 30th, 2006
11:30 pm	A good week After quite a while of being inconsistent, I finally managed to put in the time for a good week of cycling. Monday, 1:40 at an endurance pace, about 50km total. Tuesday, 1:50, sprint workout. Ten minutes of light during the warm-up, then three spinners, ten jumps, and six full-length sprints. A good workout, surprisingly not exhausted afterwards. Wednesdsay, 1:45, 2x20 in middle, although it was hard to maintain a high effort. Probably tired from the sprints. Followed it with another 20-40 minutes of light. Still ended up with a decent speed, but it didn't feel like I was keeping the pace high enough. Thursday, 2:00, endurance pace. Nice, steady 60km. Friday, 0. Early work day and late thunderstorms, but that's okay, I needed the rest. Saturday, 3:00. 2x15, better than Wednesday, more consistently around 170-175. Followed by ~40 minutes of light, around 160-165. Sunday, 3:30. Rode out to Wells Ave, did the A training race, 32 miles at ~26.5 mph. Ended up getting into several breakaways, but none of them stayed away very long. Still, it was good to feel like I was being part of the race, rather than just sitting in. Maybe the long middle intervals are helping. Still need work on the top end, though. 110km total. Total for the week: 13:45. Not bad. Maybe I can get in a few more weeks like that... (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Wednesday, May 10th, 2006
11:32 am	Fortune Cookie "Wow! A secret message from your teeth!" Quite possibly the strangest fortune I've ever received. Current Mood: Royal Golden Yunnan (8 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, May 8th, 2006
6:50 pm	"Two out of three ain't bad" depends a lot on the third... After the rains of last week kept me off the bike more than I'd have liked, I tried to start making up for it Friday. Late afternoon, after hearing Christopher Durang speak at Harvard, I went out for a 1:20 ride up to Arlington Heights and did 7 hill repeats. Twice up Park Ave, twice up the Rte 2 access road, once up Eastern Ave, twice up the back side of the hill (can't remember the street name). So about 25 minutes of climbing, mostly in the middle-high range. Then nothing on Saturday, after a failure to sleep, but Sunday redeemed it with a 2:10-2:15 ride in the beautiful afternoon sun, for about 43 miles. Included three twenty-minute intervals at middle intensity, pretty solidly in the 175-183 range, with the exception of the last ~5 minutes of the last interval. Five minutes rest between intervals. These were somewhat tough, but I found I could keep my heart rate pretty steady near 180 for most of them, which is good. Included some moderate hills (Strawberry, Annursnac) on the second one. Then a 15-20 minute interval at 160-170, where I could feel the efforts but was able to maintain it mostly. Today, however, I suffered catastrophic bike failure, as 45 minutes into what was to be a mellow 1:20 ride, the tension on the rear wheel causes one of the spokes to snap, which then gets wrapped up in my rear derailleur, breaking the sprockit cage, making the rear wheel unrideable, and the drivetrain effectively unusable. I tried to figure out what was going on, then walked the bike down to Lexington Center, figuring I could try to catch a bus home, but after just missing one, I adjusted the rear wheel and brake to be barely rideable, and jury-rigged the derailleur to work long enough to get me part way down Mass Ave towards Arlington before the chain locked up completely in the derailleur. So I spent a while taking the derailleur apart and off, taking the chain off, changing the length of the chain, and converting the previously-twenty-speed bike into a single-speed. Then I limped my way home, the chain occasionally deciding it wanted to be in a different gear, which was mildly disconcerting. It held until I got to Somerville, and then I walked it the last bit of the way home. And then I went to the bike store to drop it off to be fixed, and then headed to work. Total elapsed travel time: 4-4.5 hours. Sadly, not quality training time. Sigh... [Total recorded mileage at end of April was about 1050 km, plus probably another 200km of unrecorded riding. Still low, need to find more time to ride, especially the long endurance rides. And hopefully start racing this month...] Current Mood: Upton Keemun Hao-Ya A (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Tuesday, March 21st, 2006
2:45 pm	A smoothly functioning bicycle... ...is a perceivable joy. I had a bunch of work done on my Serotta last week, replacing almost the entire drive train (derailleurs, shifters, chain, cassette) and upgrading to a ten-speed system. (Which means ten cogs on the rear cassette, for twenty different gear combinations.) Plus a new tire, handlebar tape, little things like that. I ended up having to go back to the bike shop for new chainrings, since inspection and a bit of skipping indicated their time was past, and put them on this morning and went out for my first ride with the whole thing working. And it was good. Every shift was perfect, and the system responded smoothly under pressure. No more worrying about dropping my chain during a sprint, no more accidental shifting from the big chain ring to the small one when there's cross tension. This is the way bicycles are supposed to work. Now I can go back to pondering a wheel with a power meter, and a new 'cross frame, and... In other news, King Lear is going fairly well, one weekend left (MIT Shakespeare Ensemble, 8:00 Thursday Friday Saturday in the Student Center). Work is being frustrating, but hopefully that will resolve soon. No climbing in the past while. Finally broke down and ordered a bunch of white tea and keemuns. Et cetera. 1:00 workout today, ten minutes of light, ten sprints in 53x16 or 15. Not where I should be, but getting there, and smoothness helps. Training races have started, and official races start next week or so. I'll have to figure out when I'm making my debut... Current Mood: Xi Shuang Jing Hao Keemun, Upton (3 Comments |Comment on this)