Loading crossword puzzle. One moment please.

Great Texas Balloon Race 2009

The 31st Annual Great Texas Balloon Race came to Longview, and hot-air balloons dotted the skies July 10-12.

This is an event I look forward to every year, where pilots come from near and far to compete against each other.

Sadly, this year I was only able to attend the Balloon Glow. It was beautiful, and the photos don't do it justice.

Say NO to Derailleurs

Okay, so the bike I ride and adore has a 3 sp Sturmey Archer Internal Gear Hub. I am absolutely whack about internal gear hubs, and here's a few reasons why.

1. Gears are fully enclosed, and this means;

A. Protection from dirt and the elements

B. Practically no maintenance

C. No derailleur to damage

2. You can shift at a stand still.

3. Not as complicated as drive-trains with derailleurs

4. They are relatively cheap to replace if the need ever arises

Awhile back I was having trouble with my Sturmey Archer 3 sp. This particular hub rolled off the production line in 1974. I was worried it might turn out to be some kind of major malfunction, considering it's age, so I started to shop around for a replacement hub, just in case. It was going to be a few days before the mechanic at my LBS could get around to my bike, and he suggested I look at the Sturmey Archer 8 sp IGH. I was pretty sure I didn't need 8 gears, but pulled up Sturmey Archer's website to have a look-see. All of their 8 sp hubs have the lowest gear as direct drive. If I have 8 gears, I'm thinking I'm going to want a couple of gears lower than direct drive. I'm a bicycle commuter, not a racer. Next, I checked out their 5 sp hubs. Those hubs have direct drive in the middle, you have 2 lower and 2 higher. This makes much more sense to me.

I really liked Shimano's Alfine 8, but like I said, I wasn't entirely convinced I needed an 8 sp, and the drop outs on my bike were too narrow.

To make a long story a little bit shorter, there was nothing wrong with my 35 year old Sturmey Archer 3 sp hub. It turned out the cable tension needed to be adjusted. It took my bike mechanic about 2 minutes, and cost me all of $5.00.

Oh, I almost forgot. While I was surfing for hubs, I came across this. Fallbrook Technologies, Nuvinci hub. I was totally blown away! Not a lot of reviews yet, but I'll damn sure be following this closely. Comes with a 6 year warranty. We'll see....

If you're interested in learning more about IGHs, Sheldon Brown posted tons of valuable information here. Thanks Sheldon, and may you rest in peace.

Nightly Ritual

Every night before going to sleep, I listen to podcasts I've downloaded earlier in the day.

Last night I listened to a podcast from the "New Yorker" magazine, called The Fiction Podcast. This particular episode was a short story entitled "Emergency", written by Denis Johnson, and read by Tobias Wolff. This story was originally published in the "New Yorker" magazine in 1991.

The story starts out in a hospital in 1973. It is about 2 friends that are employees of this hospital, and their adventures after ingesting hallucinogenic drugs stolen from work.

While this story is mildly disturbing in many ways, I absolutely loved it.

Click here to listen to, or download this story. I don't recommend listening to it as a bedtime story though.

After listening to Tobias Wolff read "Emergency", I was feeling a little weird, and decided to listen to some music to kind of help lull me to sleep. I checked out Juana Molina. I liked it, and hope to hear more from her in the future. You can find some of her videos on the side bar to the left of this post.

Recent Reads~ "Kabul In Winter: Life Without Peace in Afghanistan"

Not long ago I read an interesting book written by Ann Jones (author of "Women Who Kill") entitled "Kabul In Winter: Life Without Peace In Afghanistan".

Ann Jones went to Afghanistan "after the bombing stopped" to train Kabul's "ill equipped" English teachers, and writes about her experiences in Kabul and the surrounding area.

This book is her report on the impoverished conditions that much of Kabul endures, the lack of women's rights, and how little US aid actually hits the ground.

Not a quick, easy read, but I found it very enlightening and worth reading.

I highly recommend this book.

Here's a great recipe for Cornbread

CREAMED CORN CORNBREAD

1 c. self-rising corn meal 3 eggs 1 c. sour cream Jalapeno peppers, sliced (optional) 1 c. creamed corn 1/2 c. cooking oil 2 c. grated cheddar cheese Mix meal, eggs, sour cream, creamed corn, and cooking oil. Make one layer with half of the mixture. Now sprinkle half of the cheddar cheese over this layer. If you choose to use the Jalapeno peppers, lay them all over this layer of cheese. I usually put the peppers on half of the pan and leave the other half without for the children. Spread the other half of the meal mixture over the top. Top this with the remaining cheddar cheese. Bake at 375 degrees until golden brown and set.