Hansen Report

Heading to the Capitol

Fri, 09 May 2008 19:16:41 -0400

This weekend marks the end of the rowing season for the Southwestern Conference in the United States for high school students. As assistant helper coach for the MRA I will be driving up to Sacramento tonight for a weekend of racing.

Over the last couple of weeks I have had the honor of watching the Boys Team over at the Marin Rowing Association come together and hone their skills.

Since September they have been rowing hard. During the Fall there were long chases and in the winter cold winds and rain. The season tests dedication and through merit, fighting spirit and a little bit of luck the teams have gelled into hardened soldiers.

They take to the Battle lines of Lake Natoma this weekend in a last ditch effort to show the rowing community what they are made of. I am rooting for the MRA and the points trophy.

If they do well than there is a chance that some of the teams will be running off to Lake Harsha in Cincinatti for US Rowing Nationals in mid-June.

Watch results on row2k.

R-E-D-W-O-O-D!

Not sure where exactly I saw this on the interwebz, but there is...

Fri, 09 May 2008 19:00:28 -0400

Not sure where exactly I saw this on the interwebz, but there is a certain Duggar Family in Arkansas with 17 kids and more on the way. Its ridiculous. Two parents and seventeen children.

The Discovery Channel decided to make a show about their family. Yes, let us highlight the plight of these people.

Each one of the children has a name starting with the letter ‘J’. Jenna, Jinger, Joe Bob, Justin, the list goes on.

They have to drive everywhere in a bus. Their house is 7,000 feet. Everything about them is obscene. Is this really necessary? Why so over the top?

The answer is simple. God wants them to have an outrageously large family.

I captured a screenshot of the family before they went Christmas shopping. Notice the stickers on their van “Evolution is a Lie” and their politician of choice… I think they probably believe in the Spaghetti Monster and BigFoot too.

Moveon. San Francisco

Thu, 08 May 2008 04:36:42 -0400

Its official: Kristian is moving into San Francisco from Marin County.

The last month I have been taking my bearings of San Francisco and re-acclimating myself to the Bay Area.

Its been a great process reconnecting with friends and family members. Its hard to fathom that I have been away in New York City since August 2001. The occasional “break” out here has always been too short lived. But now I feel like I am making amends with California. A gentle accord.

I shall be moving onto the fabled Haight Street (@ Steiner Street). I found my place on Craigslist under the shared apartments section. There were five or six places I initially emailed people about, but this place seemed the best suited to my personality and needs.

My new flat mates are two laidback and clean women, one is a modern dancer and the other is a therapist. I am sure that Kristian Hansen could use some dance lessons and some talk time.

The neighborhood is fantastic. Its at the bottom of the Haight, so I don’t have any crazy hill to climb up at night or descend late at night. There are plenty of new restaurants, cafes and bars within walking distance with more places opening monthly.

Finding a new place is never fun, but I am happy to be putting down my roots in the City by the Bay.

This is such bullcrap. Who are these programmers over at the...

Thu, 08 May 2008 04:21:29 -0400

This is such bullcrap. Who are these programmers over at the Discovery Channel?

What has the world come to?

Why am I ranting? Its this damn television. I hate TVs like the plague. Living at home for the last few weeks has rotted my mind to sludge. Instead of hanging out with buddies, I am forced to watch “science” on the Discovery Channel as “scientists” go into the forests looking for BigFoot.

The worst thing is that these crazy lunatics are taken seriously by the Disc. Channel. Why do these crazy conspiracists deserve a television show?

”A small and growing group of ardent scientists believe the ancient species of Ape still lives on ( from a 100,000 years ago)”

North American Apes Project. Give me a break.

Who is that adorable mutt? Its Pepper. Family dog at the Hansen...

Mon, 05 May 2008 17:46:08 -0400

Who is that adorable mutt?

Its Pepper. Family dog at the Hansen Manor.

We have been hanging out recently and going on some nice walks. Pepper is busy pushing the double digits. I think like old men, dogs pee too often and do not clean up after themselves.

Feeds, Twitter, Tumblr and I am annoying People

Thu, 01 May 2008 15:11:09 -0400

At first I was super gung-ho about displaying all my feeds in tumblr.

Wow, I can show the world everything I am doing (were my original thoughts).

But then it became too much. Every time I twittered I was sending out a “Hansen Report”, but really it was horrible since the title was my twitter and the accompanying text was my twit. Really pathetic.

I think I am going for the less is more mantra now. I’d rather have a real blog posting that makes sense and send that out three times a week than sending out 20 annoying twits per week with little to no substance.

Thats where we are all heading: something in the middle ground between an all inclusive posting and a brevity stricken twitter alert. Instead of 140 characters we need a 400 character limit. A mid-cap twitter company concept that incorporates pictures, sound, video clips and thats optimized for smart blackberries and iphones. That would be a huge success.

Right now there are a bunch of twitter add ons that require you to email your pictures (TwitPic) or workout your tiny url. These are a nuisance and annoying.

We even have TwitterSnooze, made by Andrew Parker in response to how annoying twits can become when your friend go overboard on the twitter concept.

People intuitively want to show how smart, quick or informed they are through their twitters. This is burdensome to a technology circle already super-saturated with information. I liken it to “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all”. But I would change out “nice” with “substantive”.

Maybe that defies the ‘anything goes’ mantra of twitter, but if it wants to grow or keep being an active participant in how we are using short text messages to interact than something has got to give.

Feel like I am not twittering enough. What a sad twit!

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 05:58:19 -0400

Feel like I am not twittering enough. What a sad twit!

I’m hitting snooze on @innonate. You can hit snooze too at http://twittersnooze.com/

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 23:38:35 -0400

I’m hitting snooze on @innonate. You can hit snooze too at http://twittersnooze.com/

OH “Who ordered the Spring Rolls - There are none left?” - “Oh dear!”

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 16:19:07 -0400

OH “Who ordered the Spring Rolls - There are none left?” - “Oh dear!”

This is Michele. She was my teacher/instructor tonight at the...

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 06:06:00 -0400

This is Michele. She was my teacher/instructor tonight at the lululemon shop in Corte Madera.

I really wasn’t sure what to expect.

I must confess, I have not really done any yoga. Thats exactly why I am trying it out. Of course when I showed up today the door was locked and everyone stared at this sweaty guy with a bike showing up late for class.

Michele was great at getting the class in order. She corrected my posture a number of times and despite my lack of flexibility, I really felt like I was getting the hang of things by the time everything was said and done. The names for the positions is a bit odd, like crouching child position, Schwarmna laying on your back thing ( I think thats a food) and some other terms which I have quickly forgotten.

It was an enjoyable experience and moving forward I’d like to attend some more classes and see what its all about.

Lululemon has a series of complimentary yoga classes taking place in their stores either before or after business hours. This is a pretty awesome concept.

Keeping the store “open” for an extra two hours and offering instructional services is a great deal for both parties. I see a win-win in building a loyal customer base, Ambassador’s have the opportunity to gain clients and people like me (not a customer or client yet) have a no-hassle, no pressure means to see whats so cool about yoga.

Time for bed. Have to go stretch my back.

Namaste.

Biking over to lululemon for an “Ansura-Inspired yoga class as we dance our way into Spring...

Sun, 27 Apr 2008 21:06:08 -0400

Biking over to lululemon for an “Ansura-Inspired yoga class as we dance our way into Spring and find the sparkle of our hearts”. No idea.

Damn that was a sweet ride. Kentfield to San Francisco and back. Lots of hills, speed and endurance....

Sat, 26 Apr 2008 21:08:42 -0400

Damn that was a sweet ride. Kentfield to San Francisco and back. Lots of hills, speed and endurance. The Pinarello made me proud.

Its been a quick week and now its the weekend. Here’s my...

Sat, 26 Apr 2008 19:53:57 -0400

Its been a quick week and now its the weekend. Here’s my newest delight, a 2008 Pinarello Suprise Pista. I had it in the shop this week getting Dura-Ace bottom bracket, Crankset and Chainring installed.

Last night I picked it up from the Bicycle Odyssey in Sausalito. I installed a fizik saddle, Cinelli Stem, a KSM chain and transferred over my pedals and wheelset.

Today I went for an amazing ride over Camino Alto (from Larkspur into Mill Valley) through Sausalito, over the Golden Gate Bridge and ended up in the Marina. The Chestnut Bakery shop had a nice selection of muffins. I had a blueberry muffin, an ice latte and a cup of water. Pretty good after a nice little ride.

Heading back across the Golden Gate Bridge is always a bitch. There are a bunch of touristy, day bike riders that have little to NO clue how to ride bikes. There is not very much space in the bike lane on the bridge, so travelling across with inept cyclists is always interesting.

I ended the ride with a reverse pass over Camino Alto and road down Magnolia Street back to Kentfield. I am so damn tired. Its kind of sucks doing this ride on track bike, but I have not had a single person pass me going up the hills. Every cyclist in Marin is too busy shifting gears and adjusting their spandex to actually put some solid effort into riding safetly and with utmost speed.

I was put off by the multitude of riders who did not stop at a single stop light or stop sign. They need to share the rode with SUV’s and they are not setting a very good example. Although stop signs mess up my flow during my ride, they make me a better rider because I am constantly working on my acceleration. The training I put myself through that involves my twitch muscles makes me a stronger athelete.

The Young and the Restless

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 19:22:12 -0400

Living in Marin in the sub-30 crowd is a lot like living in a retirement community.

Yes its warm, the food is good, but the crowds just do not seem to jive very well.

Don’t get me wrong. I love my parents and old(er) people, but there is something missing in Marin County for the young 20-something crew.

I have been searching for it far-and-wide in the last two weeks since my landing on the Left Coast. To my disappointment I have yet to discover the inner-zen of Marin.

It seems that there are plenty of outdoor activities for the day, but it is the night that I am most interested in exploring.

The activities for youth appear to be limited to cafes and movies. The bar scene is abysmal and relegated to the local drunks. I recall the first few times I revisited Marin back in college for winter/summer breaks. At the time it was “okay” to be seen at the local bars (Marin Brewing Company and Silver Peso Saloon). It was a right of passage to be seen at one of these two hot spots. Yes, I am 21 now - and how is life after high school?

Living in this area full-time does not afford you the luxury of attending these watering holes. I see the same people from high school at these spots. The same people who never really left home. Our aspirations in life are not equally aligned. I almost feel triumphant when I see these guys/girls still here, which I admit is obnoxious. I wonder if they are happy, if they realized whatever it is that they were striving for as teenagers.

I guess part of the growing up process is the realization that its okay for us to all want different things. I wanted to experience New York City - so I went there for seven years, got my college degree and worked the city for a couple of years. It was an experiment in self-determination. “If you can make it in New York, You can make it anywhere!”

Coming back to the Bay Area has been a choice that I made on my own merits. No one forced me back here. I did not need to be out here, but I consciously decided that it was time to experience Marin on my own terms, not those of my parents or my friends.

But what I am seeing out here kind of scares me. There is this divide between the young and the old. The young live with their parents. The old live with their young. I do not have any young kids and I am not old, which puts me out. I have to move out of Marin to save my sanity. Off to San Francisco it is. But I am confident that soon enough I will return to Marin again.

“If you love something set it free. If it comes back to you, it’s yours. If it doesn’t, it never was.”

I am not sure how Marin willingly allows its citizenry to leave and come back at will; but I think this quote gives good context to my relationship with Marin.

Death Wish II: Charles Bronson’s my idol.

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 22:29:07 -0400

Death Wish II: Charles Bronson’s my idol.

Cafe Trieste in Sausalito has awesome wireless and views of the Bay.

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 17:28:34 -0400

Cafe Trieste in Sausalito has awesome wireless and views of the Bay.

Sausalito: There's more to Marin than this

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 17:27:45 -0400

In my extensive travels I have come across many people who have been to “Marin”.

Most of the time they comment on Sausalito. It seems to me that the only place people go in Marin is Sausalito.

Thats why I propose a moratorium on visits to Sausalito by tourists. Unless you have lodging off Bridgeway, than there is no reason for you to get stuck in the cross hairs of this menacing village.

Reasons to avoid Sausalito (from a locals perspective):

1. The rich people live in Belvedere, Tiburon and Ross. If you want to see movie stars or humongous mansions head North.

2. No one really lives in Sausalito. I think Wikipedia proved that 99.5% of the population in Sausalito is tourist. The .5% of Sausalito natives sell ice cream and coffee.

3. Not everyone lives on a boat. If you visit Sausalito you might think everyone lives on a hill or a houseboat/yacht. Both these facts are false (see part 2). The boats are for show only. Most people here don’t actually know how to sail.

4.Caffe Trieste is awesome. Well this fact can be debated. But no one here speaks Italian, so I beg to differ as to whether it qualifies as an Italian cafe.

Did I make all this up? Certainly not. I just want people to explore Marin for its more unusual less touristy spots. More to follow.

Heading to Oakland to meetup with a possible investment. Long Raiders, Short car commutes.

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 16:06:38 -0400

Heading to Oakland to meetup with a possible investment. Long Raiders, Short car commutes.

Pinarello Suprise Pista

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 08:25:28 -0400

Saturday afternoon I laid my eyes upon a beautiful silver machine.

For the last seven months I have been searching for an awesome track bike. Something sculpted with strength, agility, power, speed and beauty in mind.

It looks like I found my new ride, a Pinarello Suprise Pista with a specially made XTrack carbon fork. The frame ways a mere 1450 grams - about 3.19 pounds (thanks to the aluminum).

Bikes cannot be measured purely on their weight alone. Thats why I am so concerned about the aesthetic. Sure, I could buy a SOMA or a Bare Knuckle frame (at $400-700), but I wanted something solid and unique. The Pinarello retails for $1400, but due to a sale price I was able to get it for $995 at Freewheel bikes in San Francisco.

The bike has a long way to go before its complete. The components will take a couple of weeks to get together.

A new wheelset would be awesome too, but that will have to wait until sufficient funds become available.

Right now I am busy focusing on Dura-Ace cranks, chainring and bottom bracket. Thinking about a Brooks saddle for a smooth ride.

Finally once this is said and done I want to get a Hed-3 wheelset.

Throw this altogether and I will have a truly kickass bike on my hands.

Woke up at 3:30 am. Thats too early. Time to start working.

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 07:50:14 -0400

Woke up at 3:30 am. Thats too early. Time to start working.