Islamabad heat

Photo in Islamabad, Pakistan 2006 by Adil Ibrahim

My brother and I and me biking in Pakistan on a hot day (~100 °F).

My Review of Swiss Army Renegade Watch

REI

The Renegade Swiss Army watch features black on black styling and is made in Switzerland with precision Swiss quartz movement.

Swiss Army Renegade Watch

Great watch, not so great wristband

eatpomegranate Lansing, MI 4/20/2009

 

3 5

Gift: No

Pros: Quality Construction, Light, Comfortable

Cons: Strap broke, Scratches Easily

Best Uses: Daily Use, Travel

Describe Yourself: Athletic, Practical

Like another reviewer said; this watch is not designed for water sports. I took this on the lake and water got under the glass (SA fixed this).
I commute by bike in cold Michigan winters and the temperature fluctuation resulted in some fog under the glass (SA fixed this too).
Lastly, I bought a new cloth strap from SA and now I love it. I have had this watch for several years now.

()

Communal Fruit Bowl

A few weeks ago my friend shared a Planet Green article about starting a communal fruit bowl at work. It is incredible how much coffee we consume during a workday, so I thought a bowl of fruit may offer a much healthier distraction. There is nothing like a crisp apple.
I brought up this idea at work and one of my co-workers offered to let me use his wood shop for making a bowl.

The fruit bowl is a big hit and this is how I made it.



After a piece of walnut was cut in half and we put the two pieces through the planer.


Jon getting me comfortable with the table saw


All these pieces were cut at a 60 degree angle.


At the end of Day-1. Check out my face guard. ROCK!


All the pieces glued together


A view from the top before we put it on the lathe


After a half hour on the lathe, the bowl started taking shape


FRUIT BOWL!

Golden Harvest, Lansing MI

This is my favorite breakfast place in Lansing.

Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart

The is the best CAPTCHA I have ever seen.

Flickr CAPTCHA

footbaths for muslims

Mosques in Turkey - 2007

After lunch I often look for a quiet hall or empty classroom to make my afternoon prayer. Personal hygiene is a huge thing in Islam and before Muslims pray we perform an ablution. This includes watching your face, cleaning your nose, ears, teeth, your arms and feet. It is almost like a mini shower but usually a sink is used.
Unfortunately for Muslims in the Western world and especially in the corporate environment this ablution invites prolonged stares. I read this article in the NY times about installing foot baths in school where there are a lot of Muslims. With the growing number of Muslim in Mid-Michigan I think it is about time Michigan State University does the same.

Lansing Polar Bear Plunge

I got this roll of film on the streets of Nigeria and it was really grainy.

Chicken Chicken Chicken

Photo: Karachi, Pakistan Summer 2007
I am often busiest towards the end of the word day. As I was wrapping things up the director of our department walked over to my desk and handed me this paper (see pdf version). He said it was really important that I look it over immediately. Of course, I put my stuff aside and started reading it and I don't think I have laughed this hard in a very long time.

I also just found a presentation of this paper at a conference.

mood music

I often visit All Music when I come across a new artist. I just noticed that they have artists listed by mood!

Check it.

Alice's Restaurant

Alice's Restaurant
by Arlo Guthrie

This photo was a runner up

Best and Worst of 2008



YAY!

Welcoming the New Year's Sun

Photo: A cell phone shot of the New Sun.


For the last couple of years, I have celebrated the New Year with wonderful friends, staying up late and sleeping in the next day. I guess some things don't change because this year I was up late once again but the morning of the New Year was uniquely special. For a few years now, I have wanted to roll into the new year on a yoga mat but unfortunately I never followed through with the plan. Our local yoga studio in Rochester, MI was having a New Yea's day event. They was a scheduled new year's day class where they would do 108 sun salutations this year. Although, it would have been ideal to do something at midnight, I couldn't ask for much else. It was the great idea.
So, for my "alternative" New Year's Day celebration I woke up around 7am, prayed Fajr, took a quick shower and headed to the the studio. Around 8am, at the studio, we started doing sun salutations in sets of 18. The instructors would introduce new variations each set. I think we were in the studio for about 2 hours and I walked out of there feeling like a new person. I did this more than 24 hours ago and I am still feeling the yoga high. It was an amazing start to the new year and I hope it brings good things my way.

Flannelettes

Flannel is back!
Can you dig it?

winter wonderland

Photo: My bike was lonely at the bike racks last week. :(


I recently went to Golden Harvest with some wonderful friends. It is one of my favorite diners in the Lansing / East Lansing area. On the walls of the diner they have old Michigan license plates. In the late 50's and the early 60's on the bottom of the license plates it said "water - winter wonderland". This is the first time after living in Michigan for 12 years that I am really enjoying winter. I have finally learned how to dress properly. With the bone chilling winds off my mind I can't get over how beautiful it is outside. Michigan truly is a winter wonderland.

weather.com

Like most other bike commuters Weather.com is one of my most frequently visited sites. I often roll out of bed and automatically direct my browser to the a weather site. This is how I decide if I need to wear ski goggles and a mask for my commute. One of the developers working in my department wrote up some code so my work computer's wallpaper is a live animated image of Michigan weather. As I was leaving work, this is what the map was showing. . .



I wonder if Google is trying to make Michiganders feel better about what is ahead because instead of snow for my Gmail template I see a sunny day.