I don't like to travel

 

 

It's true. I don't like to travel that much, and especially not professionally. Being vegan, and always having conferences or offsites where you are stranded in the middle of nowhere and most food served is some rice and steamed vegetables without protein has something to do with it, that is true but I guess I just like my routines too. Here two pictures illustrating life on the road, including the tools of the travelling vegan math person---the laptop, the RSA id login thingy and a can opener. I travel with a huge suitcase full of food that I can eat cold in a hotel room, such as cans of chili. Not very appetizing, but I make do. I am very happy to be home.

Austin, sort of.

 

 

I just came back from Austin, TX where I attended a conference for math nerds like myself. The location we ended up in was quite interesting: The hotel in itself was very elegant, with probably the best service I have had anywhere I have stayed (and I have stayed at a fair number of relatively expensive hotels in the line of work and whatnot). However, the location was very odd---this fancy hotel was located in the middle of a giant strip mall, where a number of the businesses seemed to not be doing so hot (see the abandoned giant home depot; what an opportunity for squatting!). So my hopes of getting to see the vibrant Austin downtown was dashed to say the least (Austin is supposedly a pretty rad town; many compare it to Portland).

Fall

 

The time changed, and now it is really fall here. We had a spell of unusually sunny weather, but now it seems like we are in for it true Portland style with never ending rain for some time. Oh well, it was nice as long as it lasted. In other news, Amelia has a birthday coming up within a couple of weeks. We still have not figured out what to do, but it may involve you dear reader (at least if you are local). So eat you wheaties and stay prepared.

New shorts

 

 

 

This might not be a very big event to most, but I very rarely expand my wardrobe. However, the other day I noticed that the cutoff gray pants I use on a daily basis was wearing out in the crotch (which is a malady all too familiar to the around-town biker). Something had to be done. Fortunately, Dickies' makes $20 pants that makes excellent year-round shorts, once they are trimmed to a length that will guarantee that nothing snags in between chainrings and the chain. What we did not know until the cutting had begun is that the leg parts that you remove make for really nice improvised chef's hats, and if you add a moustache for flair you have a nice saturday morning getup. So now you know that. Feel free to compliment me on my spiffy red shorts next time you see me.

Ok, lets go.

 

Hey, lets have some protein shake before hitting that gym then! I mean it. If we are to become as studly as Donna, it is time to get cranking.

Donna is a world champion

 

 

Last week our team mate Donna came back from world masters track championship in Australia, where she won the 50-54 age group in the match sprint. She is a stud, and now we just need a couple of more world champions on the team to round it out. I guess we will have to hit the gym.

Note the fantastic world championship cake that Heather baked Donna. Due to our late arrival to the party, we could not capture it in its full glory, but you get the idea.

Halloweeen

So as you now may have figured out, the last couple of photos were from halloween costumes. Here halloween is taken very seriously with lots of drunken partying on the streets with people in outrageous getups. I like to think that we here represent a moderate take on the concept. This year, as a lot of other years, we went to Chris and Megan's party. The best costume there was undoubtably this guy who had put himself in a bike box with a hole cut out and weird electronic gadgets installed on the side. Who was he? Well, Han Solo frozen in carbon of course.

Halloween extends to bike racing too. Here are some photos of last weekends halloween cyclocross race. Side note: Cross is crazy popular here, they have 1000-1500 people showing up for races. Nuts.