Last night I attended the opening concert of the Oregon Bach Festival (OBF) at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall in downtown Portland. The OBF is held in Eugene each year, though evidently in the past they have held concerts in Portland as part of the event - this was the first time they’d had a concert in Portland since 1981. And what a great concert to have!

J.S. Bach’s B Minor Mass is probably my favorite piece of music by the composer. I first heard it a couple of years ago when the local classical radio station, All Classical 89.9, played it uninterrupted as part of a weekly program. When I first tuned in (not knowing what I was listening to), I knew it must have been Bach from the style of the music, but I had no idea what the composition was - I just recall thinking that I loved every piece!

The concert at this year’s OBF opening, under the direction of Helmuth, was phenomenal. They performed the piece from start to finish without an intermission, just with a brief pause between the Gloria and Credo sections. Though the soloists and musicians were excellent, the true standout was the choir - the work is primarily a choral piece and the most beautiful moments came from the OBF choir.

My favorite recording of the B Minor Mass is Konrad Junghanel’s recording (cover pictured below). The key feature of this recording is that it applies the one-voice-per-part theory (OVPP), which effectively relies on the technical ability of the singers to sing parts that are otherwise traditionally performed by choir sections. I didn’t realize this until I was at last night’s concert and was confused by the choir singing parts I typically associate with individuals (primarily due to my familiarity with this recording). Regardless, I love the music either way!

Then, in the past couple weeks, the action had been getting increasingly worse, more metallic clicking sounds and a slight sticking sensation. I was getting fairly frustrated with the whole situation and thought to go in to a bike shop to get some advice on what to do: Can I resolve this by performing another bottom bracket overhaul? Is it even worth it to try?

I ended up going to Cascade Cycling to seek some expert knowledge. After describing the history and current behavior, their response was “Your bike is f#@*ked. And it’s pointless to attempt to fix it.” This was an answer I’d been fearing, though it didn’t come as a big surprise. I’d been thinking about replacing my everyday/commuting bike, as the Peugeot had obviously outlived its usefulness. Fortunately, they actually had a perfect bike solution for me right in the shop, an SE Lager. It’s basically an inexpensive single-speed, but with all brand-new, modern parts. It only costs $540, which is a remarkable deal considering the quality of components and the fact that any decent used bike in Portland usually runs $300. I’d thought of building up my own single-speed again, but at that cost, there’s no way I could make anything as good. So, now I am the extremely happy owner of the “Lager”, pictured below!

• Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Guitars (rhythm & lead)
• Epson LX-81 Dot Matrix Printer - Drums
• HP Scanjet 3c - Bass Guitar
• Hard Drive array - Act as a collection of bad speakers - Vocals & FX

Big Ideas (Don’t get any) from 1030 on Vimeo.

Well, it turns out his name is Mark Allyn and he’s got a website. Check out his custom clothing and accessories.

I also found this profile of him by Jonathan Maus of Bike Portland.

Below is a sampling of his amazing light clothing.

(Photo © J. Maus)

Listen: Red River Valley

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Now I just have to figure out exactly where and how I’m going to hang it…

Originally I hadn’t planned on doing the whole project myself, but while at the store one day I saw a sewing machine for under $70, so I figured, why not? The sewing machine came with a DVD with instructions on setting up the machine, what the different features were, and how to actually sew different hems. This DVD was invaluable, as I would sit directly at my computer with my sewing machine right there, then quickly go back and forth between pausing the video, following along, then rewinding to catch something I’d missed. In the end I had it all set up just the way I liked it.

I made the smart move of making a sample curtain using some other material before starting on the real project. This was essential as I made many stupid mistakes which I was able to correct for the actual curtains. I learned the importance of getting exact measurements, pinning everything down, ironing my edges, and carefully watching the material feeding through the machine. I’ve posted some pictures below of the intermediate process, as well as the final product. Who knows what further sewing awaits?

I guess I can’t get started on that fence quite yet - although I’m now hoping whoever is building the skinny house next door will also build a fence, thereby saving me the work!