Category Archives: bicycling

Important lessons (re)learned

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This blog is six weeks old now, and you have an idea of how I got to this point. This week, I would like to summarize the lessons learned from the two rides last year. This is not a repeat, but a synthesis: they are actually new lessons, which I could not have learned without looking back over both rides together.

But, first, let’s catch up from last week.

Trip update: This week, I rode from Keller, Texas (north of Fort Worth), to Alvarado, Hillsboro, Waco, Temple, to Georgetown (Austin area), arriving on Thursday. It rained every day except Thursday, as the remnants of Tropical Storm Narda broke up over Baja California and pushed across Texas in front of a strong front from the north. This gave me headwinds until the front passed, but a pleasant, cool tailwind on the last day. Fortunately, I managed to be indoors or under cover when the squalls came by, so the weather was not my biggest problem. Continue reading →

Lessons learned: the Giro della Nuova Inghilterra (GNI).

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Trip update: While I was in Keller, I was able to confirm that the mail forwarding system works. Both my business mail from Tracy and the personal mail from Daniel arrived in two days, plenty of time for me to deal with it before leaving.

The first mail forwarding also taught me that I should have left a better list of disposal instructions. Fortunately, both Daniel and Tracy emailed me to ask about some of the catalogs and magazines before sending them to me. I replied with a list of those catalogs, magazines and other heavy mail that I expected, and what to do with each. Most of my subscriptions are backed up with digital subscriptions now, so I really do not need most of the media mail that comes in.

I left my high-quality microphone/headset behind because it was too bulky. Regretting that when the book translation came in, I ordered a slim Koss USB microphone, which arrived yesterday. Now that I am dictating my translations, the productivity has soared again.

The large monitor back in Charlottesville spoiled me. I stopped by Radio Shack the other day and bought a short (1 meter) HDMI cable for my office. Now I can plug into the TV in the hotel rooms, or borrow my cousin’s large monitor when I need to look at my work on a bigger screen. Most of the time, the 13-in laptop screen is fine, but there are those times…

This week I am on my way to Central Texas, stopping in Alvarado and other towns on the way to Austin and San Antonio. I would like to continue with the lessons learned from the second ride I did last year.

9 Farrar St 20120728

My father grew up here in Cambridge, MA.

The Giro della Nuova Inghilterra (GNI), or Tour of New England, was my first deliberate test of the format that I am using now on the Southern Swing 2013. Enjoy the story at 

http://www.scriptorservices.com/tradux/GNINarrative.

Continue reading →

Lessons learned: the Climate Ride 2012.

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Trip update: the Conference in Atlanta last Saturday (28 September) was very successful. I strengthened some old friendships and made many new friends. Networking is such an important part of Conference attendance that even without the presentations, the Conferences are usually worth the cost. It helped my mood that the attendees seemed to enjoy my contribution, a presentation on how to set your price and economic decision-making for freelancers.

The riding around Roswell and Atlanta was exciting, partly because Google Maps kept trying to detour me through neighborhoods and bike trails, when I could see where I needed to go on the map. I was glad that I rode into Atlanta on Friday before the Conference, because I was ready to take a more direct route on Sunday when I had to go to the bus station. The bus rides to Georgia and to Texas allowed me to pick up the bicycle-borne part of my itinerary where I would have been had I been able to start in Chicago in late July as originally scheduled. I am writing to you this week from Keller, Texas, where I will spend some time with family – and working on a pair of translations – before heading south to the Austin area.

For the next three posts, I would like to take some space to discuss the lessons learned from the two major rides that I completed, preparing for this Southern Swing 2013: the Climate Ride 2012 and what I call the Giro della Nuova Inghilterra (GNI), which means the Tour of New England. Continue reading →

On the road again — at last.

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The home renovation which had already slipped six weeks when I launched this blog is now running more than two months behind. Two days ago, I finally packed up my bicycle and rode to the bus station, leaving Daniel, my son and the resident homeowner, in charge of finishing the renovation. Those who are following my bicycle ride on Facebook already have access to the photo story of our renovation. The house is coming together nicely, but I wish I could have seen it completed before I left. Continue reading →

The Bicycle, then and now.

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First of all, a big thank you to Shai and the others who answered my call for help with image files. Although I have not succeeded in fooling Windows into accepting my old CD dictionary, at least I understand the language now (important for a translator, don’t you think?). Next, I will be looking for backward compatibility issues or an updated electronic Devoto-Oli or comparable dictionary. Now back to the subject:

My friend Heather Warren once she asked me if I had ridden the Blue Ridge Parkway or the Skyline Drive. My answer opens a window to my bicycling soul: Continue reading →