Blog
Liam Colm Askins
On Friday afternoon, Liam Colm Askins came into the world a bit early. The birth was straightforward and both mother and baby are doing well. Being a bit early, Liam will have to spend a few weeks in the hospital, but he's doing well and is otherwise fine. Congratulations Ben and Karen!
Update: I spelt it wrong. It's Liam Colm Askins.
22 Jun 2008 22:51 [category: /me] #
Loads of photos
The trouble with the cheap, mega capacity memory cards you get these days is that I have less incentive to process them all. I've got a gig in my little pocket camera, and 2 gigs in the big one. This one is the pub quiz we sometimes do, and Simon Stewart dropped in.
Scott and Katie just visited for a quick weekend.
Todd and Pete just celebrated their five years together, so we had lunch at The Warren View with them and a few mates. Congratulations!
We went to the Surry Hills Festival a while back, then got sick of paying $6 for Tooheys New (ugh!) and retired to Mr Mary's in Redfern for a boozy afternoon.
I went to the Reunion Rave on Saturday night. It was fun catching up with all the old rave buddies, listening to old classics. Main observation of the evening: my hasn't everyone's skin improved?
Finally, Holly's been cooking up a storm!
09 Jun 2008 13:20 [category: /me] #
Giant CRX City Pro: a year on
About a year ago, I blogged about my shiny new bike, a Giant CRX City Pro. I was very excited about the hub gears on it. A Mark Jones found my post and asked me about it, so I figure I should share my response for anyone else considering buying it.
Glad you asked because I wouldn't recommend it!
The bike itself, frame, wheels, everything but the gearing is brilliant. A mate bought the (somewhat cheaper) deraileur version and is wildly happy with it. It's a really zippy geometry, really wants to go.
The big problem is the Nexus internal hub. It's a real pain in the arse. I was won over by the idea of zero maintenance gearing, but that just hasn't panned out.
To fix a puncture, you need a spanner and end up covered with grease getting the wheel off and on. It takes ages, and you'll get it wrong the first three or four times you do it, causing further problems. Chain tensioning isn't exactly easy, either.
What's more, a couple of weeks ago one of the anti-rotation washers (the yellow one in this picture as described here by the late, great Sheldon Brown) had one of the lugs break off, which meant the axle rotates. Taking it into the shop tomorrow.
So while I was after a much reduced maintenance bike, it really hasn't turned out that way. I managed to seriously screw things up the first few times I had punctures, requiring shop visits to sort it out and show me the right way. What's more, you need to carry a spanner and end up covered in grease.
Longest ride I've been on? Dunno, not that far, maybe 50kms. It's my commuter bike, so it normally only does 10km a day. If you're thinking of touring with it, be aware that the lowest gear isn't all that low, so loaded up and going up mountains wouldn't be good.
If I were buying again, I'd buy the derailleur version of the bike. For the price and the quality of the bike, it's an amazing deal. I might spend the difference in price on a hub dynamo and light set.
14 May 2008 14:27 [category: /me] #
Socceroos calendar
Since the FFA seems too clueless to provide this, I've created a Google Calendar with all upcoming Socceroos matches. I watch the football news about our team pretty closely, so I should be able to keep it updated. Times are in Sydney time, though your calendar app should be able to translate that for you.
Google calendars can also be imported into other apps. XML, ICAL HTML.
14 Feb 2008 13:01 [category: /me] #
Doctor reviews?
My GP has moved practices and is now based in Drummoyne, which is too difficult travel-wise for my tastes. So after being very happy with her, I'll have to change doctors. I'm sure the only industry whose union is also its regulatory body wouldn't allow league tables with qualitative measurements, so I'll have to rely on recommendations.
RateMDs has some reviews, but they're anonymous, don't have many ratings and aren't particularly authoritative. I'd rather solicit reviews where I can at least find out who's giving the review.
So can anyone recommend a GP in the Inner West of Sydney? I want one who gives good advice, is thorough and conveniently located. Not charging the earth would be nice, but I guess if they're particularly good I can afford it.
