27-NOV-2006
Finished product.
With the flash on the camera, it was difficult to capture the exact shade of green in my room, this isn't quite right, but at least now you have an idea. I've been working on this room for about a week, with most of the time spent on masking the edges, and painting around the corners and other tiny obstacles. I'm happy with the way it turned out, and now over time I'll finish furnishing this place. I still have to choose some decent curtains and get some pictures up on the walls as well...
26-NOV-2006
Saturday morning.
As I made my coffee around 7am this Saturday morning, I decided to stand on my balcony and check up on Geneva. This is what I was greeted with. The French alps are in the distance, and aside from the construction crane, I really enjoyed the view, and the moment - thought you should too...
25-NOV-2006
The View.
As I was taking a water break, fighting against the wind, I snapped a shot of my town. We're planning to ride again tomorrow (Sunday), so hopefully the weather will be nicer - and likewise the pictures...
24-NOV-2006
Bike Riding.
Okay, so this isn't your typical picture, but I thought it was worthy of making the POD album. Most people here in lab are very fit, and enjoy spending their free time running, biking, hiking, skiing... I was invited by two people that work here on my floor, Benoit and Markus (who, by the way, are avid bikers and are in superb shape) for a bike ride last Sunday. For them, a 1000 meter (3000 foot) high mountain bike-ride is as easy as riding your bike to the grocery store. I did my best, although they were kind enough to constantly wait for me as I did my best to catch up. The weather was pretty lousy, rain and wind, but the ride was great - and the view from the top, even better. There are so many twists and turns in the road, I can't wait to get my motorcycle up there.
So, Benoit has a tiny GPS that was able to record our ride; the time, speed, location, distance, altitude, etc. When we got back, he uploaded the information and then mapped it onto 3D satellite images using Goolge Earth. So, here's a screenshot from that program, where you can see our path highlighted in turquoise - the gray 'wall' above that line represents our speed (well, actually Benoit's speed), the higher the wall, the faster the speed. This is the view of the ascent.
23-NOV-2006
paysage a droit.
First off - Happy Thanksgiving to all of you! It is quite an interesting feeling to have this holiday as a "normal day" here in Switzerland. I am thinking of you all, and my heart is with you during this Thanksgiving celebration.
This is the view from my balcony when looking to the right down the street. I hung the camera away from the balcony slightly, but my apartment is now to the right. I'm standing near the kitchen door, and the shutters to the immediate right are for my bedrooom. Further down the balcony is my neighbor, who is also the owner of the entire building. She lives there with her family, and has spent 8 years living in NYC in the past. I finally got to meet her and introduce myself to her the other day.
22-NOV-2006
paysage a gauche.
Well, here's an early morning view from my balcony (to the left). Not much action on the street below at this time. The sun was just starting to come up over the horizon. My balcony and apartment are to the left of this shot (obviously). I'm standing near the bedroom door, and you can see the kitchen shutters further up the balcony.
21-NOV-2006
Table!
Well, I now have a table, with four nice chairs. This is the table in it's smallest form, and both sides expand to double this surface area. So, the next time you're in town, there will be plenty of room during your meals. I'm impressed how much "real wood" is packed into this table, it is quite heavy and has a solid feel to it. After painting the walls, I'll eventually post some pictures of the entire kitchen (hopefully sometime before Christmas!).
20-NOV-2006
Kitchen Table.
Slowly but surely, I'm making this place a little more habitable. Here is my new kitchen table, isn't it great? Actually, now you get to see a little more of what my kitchen looks like. The doors in the background open up onto the balcony... And yes, that is my refrigerator in the left corner. Not quite American-sized, but I really don't need to store that much food anyway.
19-NOV-2006
IKEA.
I still can't believe how the Swedish manage to pack so much particle board into such a small space. After a few visits to Ikea, I now have a bed (no more hard wood floors to sleep on), a night-stand, and finally a kitchen table and some chairs. I know how excited you all must be to see pictures like this... Don't worry, maybe I'll eventually post some pictures of my place. In the weeks to come, I'll carry my camera with me around town so that you get a better view of the world outside.
18-NOV-2006
Most Fuel-Efficient Vehicle that I own.
Thanks Mike for working your wonders on my old machine. Now, just like my car, I have a hybrid bike. Half racing bike (with tires that are thinner, gears for higher speed, etc.) and half mountain bike (Thicker frame, good handlebars and shifter components). In the end, I have a bike that is fast through the city, yet can take the abuse of jumping over curbs and any other obstacles (like old ladies) that might get in my way.
17-NOV-2006
Steering.
Remember the old handlebar and stem unit? Now I have more options with bar height adjustments, and also more options with the handlebar pitch angle. All of this affects the steering response, which makes a big difference when navigating through the city.
