Noisy Balloonist Blog is the apprentice

This one is mine. Click the image for a Facebook photo gallery.

• BMC SLX01 Race Master carbon-aluminum frameset
• Torelli Bormio Ultra-Lite wheels with ceramic bearings
• Full SRAM Force  gruppo: 50-34 compact crank mated to an 11-25 cassette
• 3T stem and Ergonova Pro handlebars
• BMC carbon “Streampost” under a Selle Italia Prolink Light Gel Flow saddle
• Vittoria Diamante Pro tires
• Speedplay Zero pedals
• Garmin Edge 500 ANT+ compatible GPS cycle computer

I was a little hasty when I referred to the Race Master as BMC’s merciless dominatrix. There is love and fury here, to be sure, but this is about commitment rather than subjugation. A full ride report is forthcoming and there’s still some build work to be completed—note the uncut steerer tube. My bars were dropped at the suggestion of ex-pro (Paris-Roubaix!) BMC rep Soren. More on him later, and thanks for bib shorts!

After much deliberation, she is called Nahual.

I’m working on some text for a friend’s forthcoming web project. This image was supplied to me:

Friend and I had the following chat:

1:53 PM BEN: that copy work for you?
2:03 PM GR: it did. Thanks. I sent it over to P to get her feedback.
2:06 PM BEN: cool
2:07 PM GR: I think we might use the last line on promos.
2:07 PM BEN: nice
2:07 PM BEN: i sorta thought it would lend itself to some visual flourishes…
2:09 PM BEN: who is that poor very hungry girl wearing the bondage t-shirt?
2:10 PM GR: a mannequin.
2:10 PM BEN: shit
2:10 PM BEN: you
2:10 PM BEN: are right
2:10 PM GR: hehehe
2:11 PM BEN: if it wasnt for her removable hands…
2:11 PM GR: it’s ok. You are not the first to make that mistake.
2:12 PM BEN: fucking sexy deceptive mannequins…
2:12 PM GR: hahaha

I recounted this conversation to another friend:

2:19 PM NE: you thought it was real?
2:19 PM NE: hahahahahahhaha
2:19 PM NE: loser
2:19 PM NE: hahahahahahhahahaha

Truth in advertising spotted at The Winehouse, West Los Angeles.

Caliban gatchapon. Super-deformed. Big fuzzy. Kawaii Poke-neko. He looks like some kind of candy; I want to hang him from my cellphone.

His eyes are kind of narcotic. Caliban really does have mega eyes, like two cavernous golden lamps. Faithful rendering by Kat Moon, who whipped this out of some orifice or other in roughly 10 minutes. That’s why we call them artistes.