The Cycling Curmudgeon

Commute Friday 08/14/2009

2009-08-15T11:53:00.003-05:00

No cycle commute. Pretty hot in my unairconditioned home last night and I just didn't sleep so swell. So I used the extra hour in the morning I'd use to commute to sleep. Then I drove. The other reason to drive was I knew my pals at Hiwatha Cyclery had a part they procured for me. Its a tool to help separate the "Quick Link" on a chain. Most chains don't require you to open a link using a press tool, but have a link that in theory you can break apart with ordinary tools or even your fingers. Yet once they get a little dirty it just doesn't work that way. I have tried to spray cleaning them with WD-40 (it ain't a lubricant, but it cleans reasonably okay), but I can't break the link on my Bleriot. I think it really got worse when I rode in the rain last Friday. Nothing like a little surface rust to make things tighter. At any rate Jim at HC let me know there is a nifty tool from those fine local folks at Park Tool which makes opening that link much easier.

Commute Thursday 08/13/2009

2009-08-15T11:44:00.002-05:00

Pretty hot day. I didn't need any arm warmers or leg warmers in the morning. It ws nice and mildlly warm on the way in.

It was warm on the way home. But I was prepared and I've acclimated. I had plenty of water and didn't even really think about stopping at any of the three Dairy Queen's on my commute route.

I did get pretty angry at the plus sized woman in the Mercury SUV (like a Ford Escapee) parked the middle of the cross walk near the DQ by the intersection of Hwy 49 and Hwy 96. She was busy shoveling down a Blizzard and was clueless to her vehicle position. Then she topped it off by briefly letting off her brake and stomping on it again while I was passing. Nothing like a vehicle lurching toward you briefly to piss me off. So I let her verbally have it. I think it was "Jackass". When the light was green she came after me yelling four letter terms and showing her ability to count to one. Gratefully I didn't catch her at the next light to escalate nor see where she lived along the route.

I did imagine Yehuda style retribution using four ball bearings as I rode the uneventful rest of the ride home.

Commute Tuesday 08/11/2009

2009-08-15T11:35:00.002-05:00

Uneventful cycle commute. Time is still around 2:10 for the round trip. I think its going to take a lot of riding to get under the 2:05 or two hour for a round trip.

Okay, I lied it wasn't uneventful. I got up early (don't ask) and got on the bike by 4:30 AM. I made it to Al's Breakfast in Dinkytown at six bells to meet some friends for breakfast. One pal made it and it was a good thing too. I was so sleepy packing things up, I forgot my cash or my checkbook. So thanks to TM, I got a short stack of the venerable blueberry walnut whole wheat pancakes. Otherwise known as two WW Wally Blues. Or blue Wallies. I get confused at that hour.

Round trip time was close to 2:30 with the extra mileage. Still don't know what is wrong with the odometer. I've even adjusted the thing to the right setting using measured rollout with me on the saddle. (that was the tires sighing "Oy!")

The ride to work and the ride home was uneventful. Okay except for the redneck in the black Chevy pickup who decided that my taking a lane offended him. There was two lanes and little traffic so he was harrassing me for no reason other than his own angst toward white guys (okay he was white too), guys on bicycles, humans, or people having fun. Hope he survives that heart attack.

Commute Monday 08/10/2009

2009-08-15T11:34:00.003-05:00

No cycling today. I'm picking up a bicycle from a friend. I'll put a new saddle and rear rack for her. If I find I have the right battery for it, I'll fix her cycle computer for her too. So I drove the elephant to pick her bike up.

Commute Friday 08/07/2009

2009-08-07T11:13:00.005-05:00

Today's weather forecast, rain. Rain. And more rain.

We need it. We are in drought.

I did ride to work on a bicycle. Most of the trip it merely sprinkled. About Roseville it began to rain harder and when I came across a bus shelter I used it to get out the poncho and then rode the rest of the way that way. I could have used an overhang on a couple of buildings, but waited the less than a mile to use the free shelter without annoying people in a building to keep from getting wet.

Rain slows you down. So timing was slower, but not painfully so. Since it was darkish, I ran the hub generator light. That too slows me down a little. Ride in was one hour and 10 minutes. Cool beans as far as I'm concerned. Ride overall was 2:25, but the wind was worse on the way home although I sufferecd through no actual rain, just ridiculous levels of humidity.

I saw two very miserable cyclist in the hard rain going the opposite way. I was passed climbing a steep but short hill. He was on a light weight and non-fendered bicycle. No racks either. No lights. And I think he was a little younger. So I've got all kinds of excuses to be dropped in the dust. He also had no rain gear, but it was long before it began to rain hard.

I like riding in the rain. It's hard to get out and do it, but it is fun once you get out there. Its cool and quiet. No where near as awful as most think it must be. Besides it makes you feel like SuperMan. Yay me!

Commute Thursday 08/06/2009

2009-08-06T12:38:00.003-05:00

Already?

Seriously. Still have soreness in my back area, but otherwise I'm liking this.

When you ride a bike to work, you feel so dang smug. Okay I still believe my poop stinks, but still.

There is nothing like infinite gas mileage to improve your carbon footprint. Take that Prius owners.

Legs are feeling okay. Doesn't feel like I'm going to have a heart attack. I've still got my same old same old numbness in my hands and fingers, but it's no worse than it has ever been. I keep shaking them out, changing positions, and they quickly come back to life. Actually I don't wait for them to get very numb, I do something before that point.

And yeah, had the one close call already. Nitwit on a cell phone in a black SUV didn't quite look ahead before he made a left turn where I was. At least he slowed down and didn't hit me. Just pissed me off momentarily. The crazy flight or fight and baby I'd like to fight him for the drive with cell phone a going. I better get back to praying that oil runs out before he dies so he can suffer. He surely was much younger and I'm trying not to think that I'm saving the foolish planet oil for dorks like him to waste later. Bah, oil bug.

Update: Round trip time was just under 2:14 or two hours and fourteen minutes. This is improvement. I felt pretty good on the way home, not terribly tired or sore. It was a very nice ride and I just enjoyed it.

Commute Tuesday 08/04/2009

2009-08-06T12:34:00.004-05:00

So soon? Durn right.

Not recovering that well since the last one. Still a little sore, especially my back. Odd.

I was a wee bit faster though. I had some tail wind in the morning so I think I might have done it in 75 minutes or so. The wind was in the same direction all day.

So I paid dearly on the way home and was seriously beat by teh time I got home. Oh so tired of riding by the time I coasted up to the garage door. Only to hear Sparky bark with anxiety. "Let me out!!!". Sigh.

Just the same my afterage round trip is about 70 minutes. Improvement baby. That's where it's at. Now if I can just push myself away from the snack table I'd be a whale of better off. Pun seriously intended.

Commute Friday 07/31/2009

2009-08-06T12:29:00.004-05:00

For the first time in two years, I rode my bicycle to work. Instead of a car.

Why so little riding? Lots of things that don't really matter (here).

My odometer is all hosed up on my Bleriot so I averaged something like 25 MPH which is not correct by a long shot. Maybe dividing by two isn't even correct. I shudder to think.

Bottom line? Oy, am I out of shape.

It took me close to an hour and a half to get about 16 miles to work. I know its not terrible, but there was a time when day after day I did this same route in 49 minutes. Not 82 or whatever it was. But it won't get better if I sit on my butt and whine. I just need to do it more.

Odd thing, my back is sore after I got home.

Defending the Indefensible

2009-04-27T19:02:00.004-05:00

Cheney and Rove want to defend the indefensible. They feel that what was learned by torture was worthwhile.

This is false. The same information that was learned from tortured prisoners, was learned from sources without torture.

They defend the use of torture from the US Armed Forces lessons from the program where troops were subjected to torture to help them resist it in the field in event of capture. Troops were water boarded a few times, as I know at least two former soldiers that were treated to such. They weren't water boarded six times a day as one of the prisoners was. The key element that is missing is knowing when and how much. The second element is knowing who is doing the act.

One memo suggests that sleep deprivation of up to weeks leads to no harm and alleges support based on a quoted university researcher. That researcher has stepped forward to note his dismay at the misuse and abuse of his work. After even a few days of sleep deprivation in conjunction with the threat of repeated interrogation leads to only gibberish. Once the subject reaches the point of the inability to concentrate, the information becomes useless. This point will be reached earlier with the pressure or stress of interrogation.

When given the opportunity to participate, the FBI chose to opt out of the information by torture. They felt their methods of non-torture were superior through years of experience with suspects in all areas of crime. The CIA was specialists in espionage, the gathering of information without the subject's knowledge. The Bush administration chose to let the CIA lead, because they favored and supported the torture of prisoners.

Torture was used in the hope to find the crucial link between Hussein and Al-Quada. There was none, but they eventually got the prisoners to admit this. They could never find other support for the conjecture. Because it didn't exist. The two were were based on two waring factions of the Muslim religion. They didn't understand the culture enough to know that their cooperation was highly unlikely.

Their defense of torture has changed many times. When discovered while Bush, Cheney and Rove were in operation, it was blamed on a few bad apples at Abu Ghaib. They prosecuted a few to show they meant business.

Later Bush himself denied torture was being used. We now know from released records that it was based on the flawed (see above on sleep deprivation) legal documents that declared specific methods as "not torture." Specific details in those documents were exceeded (like water boarding an average of 6 times a day for 30 days) invalidating its application. It wasn't a few bad apples unless you specify the trio leading the country at that time.

Last now, Cheney wants the release of only two specific memorandum to show the extent of what we learned from these unethical methods. This is the "end justifies the means" argument. It only rarely works. At this time we still haven't isolated or captured Osama Bin Laden, so all the torture implemented failed. Much of what was learned was only valuable in a political sense to a man who's deathly afraid of virtually everything.

I'm speaking to you Dick Cheney. Undisclosed location. You are the most paranoid person to ever have been a heartbeat away from the Presidency. You are the one man in our great history that has no defense.

Compare and Contrast

2009-04-05T10:16:00.003-05:00

The New York Times has an article today about Harry Truman and his activities after he was no longer President. It provides the background for a book that is being released that follows the President and his wife Bess on a 19 day trip. A vacation if you will, by car, alone.

How alone? In those days a former President didn't receive a pension. They didn't get an office staff. They didn't even get Secret Service protection. Remember this was before JFK and the fated day in Dallas.

So the trip is Harry, Bess, and a car. And considering their income, it was a trip we'd all understand today. It was a trip of frugality. The stayed at the homes of friends. They accepted free dinners and lodging when offered. Yet they didn't go looking for publicity nor have anyone in advance preparing those free items.

It all comes down to this, the former President wanted to be a regular guy. A citizen. Not in the spotlight. Not attracting attention. Not offering commentary on the new commander in chief Eisenhower. He simply wanted to do what many of us enjoy doing during the nice days of the summer. They drove the east coast, they stayed in New York, and they enjoyed themselves.

Compare and contrast this to our former VP Cheney. Weeks out of office and he can't shut up. He can't help himself. He's got to plant the seed that should anything happen around the world, its the Obama Presidency's fault. Forgetting that he was in power when 9/11 happened and their administration was unable to prevent it.

Cheney needs protection for himself. From himself. In the article noted above, a gas station owner wanted Truman to needle one of the shop's mechanics that was a staunch Republican. Truman refused, even in jest, claiming it was too hot to give anyone "hell."

This is a side not well documented in history. Truman wasn't a spitfire every second of his life. Yes, he had his moments, God love him. Yet he also had true compassion. I sense no compassion in either Bush or Cheney. They can fake it, but they just don't seem to have humility in their souls. Bush couldn't even think of a mistake when quizzed in a press conference. When every human knows they are fallible, Bush couldn't think of one. He just couldn't admit to frailty that every human lives with and acknowledges.

I'm no expert, but a lack of humility is to me the definition of arrogance. That arrogance is the defining word for the Bush administration. That they simply thought they knew better than the rest of us. That torture was not only acceptable, but necessary and legal in the "war against terror." That loyalty was the only requirement needed to fill the position of attorney general. That he had no culpability with the Katrina disaster and the feeble attempts to help. That alienation of our allies wasn't a problem. That it was more important to have a "Gay Free" military than to have the needed interpreters while conducting a military action in a pair of countries riddled with unfathomable dialects and culture. That business permitted to operate unfettered by law will only serve itself, not its employees or even its stockholders. That the national budget did not need to include the most expensive single line item, the war against terror in the middle east.

I wish Harry was here to give Dick and George W. some hell, they could really use it. And I think he'd be just the man to give it to them. Rush Limbaugh sure isn't.

Being Contrary is a Good Thing

2009-03-29T12:13:00.003-05:00

To those of us that were happy with the election of Obama as our President should also be grateful for his choice of Vice-President. Biden has been vilified for his wordiness, tendency to make gaffs and concern with him going "off script". Yet a New York Times article today alleges (and backs up) the idea that Joe Biden plays an important role in the Obama administration: Contrarian. Read for yourself here.

I truly think this is another good sign of an outstanding leader. A good leader doesn't surround himself with "yes" men who only do his bidding and answer questions with responses he wants to hear. A good leader has to have one (at least one) individual who has the license to say what he thinks and articulate another position. Not just to be contrary, but to have the comfort to know they can speak their mind without retribution and thereby lead the discussion to cover all the facets of possibilities. To live by group think and thereby choose to remain trapped in a bubble is one of the principle failures of the Bush administration. They were incapable of listening. They felt omnipotent. History will show them to be as capable of error as any administration in history. I truly think group think is what lead them to be the worst administration in history.

No administration is perfect and Obama's already has had their share of missteps. Yet it contrasts so well with the previous administration in its willingness to hold and consider other opinions versus making a decision and sticking to it regardless of when data and reality show it to be foolhardy.

In the past eight years those in public and private who questioned the Bush administration decisions were considered unpatriotic by the GOP message machine. And now that same machine is inelegantly wishing for the Obama administration to fail regardless if it takes the same country they live in to a deep point in history economically, politically, or by foreign policy. I defend Rush's right to say he hopes Obama will fail, but I relish the opportunity in the future when I will haunt him with those words. Maybe it will be Bobby Jindahl ridiculing volcano research only to have a volcano erupt in Palin's backyard or other foolishness, saying you want your president to fail and professing to be patriotic and loving your country is damning. It says you only want success for your country when your team is in charge.

Please

2009-01-02T11:46:00.002-06:00

Only Fox news finds this important enough to report about. So a foul mouthed comedian called hecklers "dicks". Its not like she used a racial slur. Fox news, serving mildly titillating news to conservatives who don't want to know what dicks Cheney and the Shrub are.

Holy Crap! Slavery Exists!

2009-01-01T18:43:00.001-06:00

Here is an editorial from the New York Times.

Who knew? I didn't. Yeah, I knew there was a lively sex trade in Indonesia, but not at this level.

Yuck.

Gosh I Love It When Microshaft Stumbles

2009-01-01T13:49:00.002-06:00

An MP3 player with a Y29 hiccup? Say it isn't so, but it's true. Download that update suckers. Or buy and Apple branded item and suffer none of this shit.

Greasy Grimey Golden Gopher Guts

2009-01-01T13:39:00.005-06:00

Boo Hoo. The Greasy Grimey Golden Gopher Guts got beat twice in one day. By superior teams. The football team is so pathetic, and they gave their coach a contract extension for this? Sheesh, they have obviously not watched the movie The Music Man. They need a real coach, not one that just talks like one. They rate only one step below the idiots at Notre Dame on this score.

Now the basketball team has a fine coach in my opinion. So they got beat by Tom Izzo and his MSU rabble. Tom's also a great coach and has a crew of vets that took it to the GGGGGs. Yeah, they beat Louisville? So what. Let's see how they do in March. I do honestly wish them good luck.

That is as opposed to the Yankees of college hockey, also known as the GGGGGs. I wish them losses in every game they play.

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T13:36:00.002-06:00

And a huge thanks to Tom the Dancing Bug. I mean really. I could never think something like this up by myself. So cool.

...because he's a DICKHEAD

2008-12-29T15:48:00.003-06:00

The man should be colored "clueless." There should be a color crayon in the Crayola box that is as close as they can get to his "undisclosed location - seconds away from his next heart attack" pasty colored skin and label it "Cheney Clueless." I'd buy a box.

What set me off? This.

This is a despicable man, who has set back the executive branch 100 years. Who's been the most foul mouthed executive in recorded history. Who's hated the world around. There is not one thing he's known for that is the least bit positive. He should have been impeached and I wish someone had the guts to charge and get a conviction for war crimes against him. Rotting in a cell like Gitmo is only too good a finale as he deserves.

Clean Coal My Ass

2008-12-29T07:40:00.004-06:00

Okay, you might not know it, but I'm a Chemical Engineer by degree. So this is something I'm trained to understand.

There is no such thing as "Clean Coal." Its a myth. A plan. A hope. A dream is probably most accurate.

Need evidence other than the ramblings of a geek? Try this. If burning coal was reasonably clean to begin with, would Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) have millions of gallons of sludge left over after a coal burning plant was through burning the coal? Sludge that will contain trace amounts of lead, arsenic, magnesium and other items that can be leached into the water.

So, put clean coal right up there with "Clean" nuclear energy. Sure it's clean if you only look at a subset of the whole picture. And don't look at the entire scope where the residue left over is as bad or worse than other energy production methods.

And hey, won't it be nice to have a President that can pronounce "Nuclear" correctly? Yeah, I know that both pronunciations are now considered correct, but, I'm sorry, I'm old school. Saying it the Shrubbery way just makes you sound like an idiot.

How the rest of the country view US

2008-11-17T19:50:00.004-06:00

See that failure with a Captain Kangaroo mustache John Bolton hear what the rest of the world thinks of his administration and the US. From a program on the BBC.

Good grief, what kind of idiot

2008-10-03T11:23:00.004-05:00

In case you're still on the fence and actually considering voting for McCain, who loves to talk the talk of a maverick and then vote with the party in power, check this out.

Most Disgusting House, Ever

2008-09-29T21:21:00.003-05:00

In case you've not seen it already, may I present the photos from the most disgusting house ever.

It's in Texsucks of course. Its amazing that they didn't even have like 500 cats or anything. Should have bought stock in tobacco companies though. That and Whataburger.

Okay, lets get real. These people have some serious mental problems and I sincerely hope they get some help.

Considering they live in the state that first elected George "the Shrub" Bush, I'm guessing they won't. But them there oil companies are sure making one hell of a profit, now ain't they?

Call Yer Ma!

2008-05-11T13:05:00.000-05:00

Hey! I'd call mine, if she weren't underground.

No Respect

2008-05-04T18:01:00.002-05:00

In the city that never sleeps there is proof. Automobiles don't respect cyclists in America. NYC has been putting in bike lanes on specific thoroughfares and it is routine for taxis, delivery vehicles, and anyone else that thinks they are more important to use them as a personal parking zone.

Arrogant bastards. I hope fuel goes to $16 a gallon in the very near future. So many car owners suck it isn't funny. Its the one thing that keeps me from riding more. You crazy well insulated assholes scare the beejebers out of me.

Don't just believe me, its in the NYT. Sorry you'll have to register to read. Its the NYT, you should register and read it.

Or not. Be ignorant, I don't really care. Just don't hit me when I'm cycling on the road.

The Elephant Takes One For The Team

2008-05-03T11:33:00.004-05:00

The photo below is of a bolt. A three and 3/4 inch long bolt to be exact. It was sticking out of the passenger side rear tire of the elephant on Friday. I could hear it thumping when I left in the morning, but had an appointment I couldn't miss. I was a little early, so I picked a parking spot away from everyone. I checked the tires thoroughly and then pushed the Elephant a few inches forward and looked again. I found it easily because it was shiny from rubbing the pavement. It tried to move it and knew I had a leak when I moved it a little. It was raining, so I knew the tire was leaking as the water was bubbling around the edges of the bolt head. Rats. I considered going to see Thing 1 and getting it fixed right then, but went to work instead.

On the way home after work I put air in the tire as it was rather low. When I got home it was raining harder. I took the injured tire off and I put the little dinky spare on. Driving with the spare in the rain was no fun. Cornering was weird and uncomfortable. I had to drive it to take the tire to a tire repair shop. They didn't have time to fix it last night.

They tried to fix it this morning and the plug wouldn't hold. The bolt had gone in at a severe angle and had ruined the tire. It took them awhile to locate something used of the same size from another shop. Kiss that $50 goodbye.

A Different Kind of Monkey

2008-04-21T11:46:00.003-05:00

Yesterday in Japan, history was made in the sports world.

Danica Patrick won an Indy car race in Montegi, Japan.

What's the big deal? She is the first woman to ever win an Indy car race.

EVER.

In fact it was just 1977 (when I graduated from high school) that a woman was permitted to race an Indy car along side men. You know the drill. They aren't strong enough, they don't have the endurance, they don't have the body strength, they aren't emotionally stable, they can't endure the heat of the open cockpit vehicle. Well that monkey's off her back. Blah, blah, and blah.

And bullshit.

At just 26, Danica has set a mark that will go down as an achievement for all people. Given a fair opportunity, anyone, can be capable of anything.

In this case by better fuel management, Danica passed in the last few laps the race winning racer Helio Castroneves. Even he said after the finish, "She beat me fair and square. She managed her fuel better, and passed me. I simply didn't have the fuel to compete even though I wanted to."

So what's the big deal CC? Lets start with I have a daughter and I want her to get every opportunity she deserves. Next I've known brilliant and capable women since I was in high school that were better at something than me. To see a woman win at a sport dominated by "good old rednecks from the south" is just the type of "finger in your eye" type of situation I enjoy. Its not just the underdog winning, but its the person that the rest of the tribe of racers conspire against to prevent winning. Between Danica Patrick and Shirley Maldowney (the first woman licensed and went on to win in the male dominated sport of NHRA drag racing, shame on you for not knowing) will go down as the firsts of the sports. Someday some young woman will climb a podium or accept a trophy and point out that when she was a little girl she saw Danica win for the first time and realized she was capable of anything. ANYTHING. Now that's a legacy.

Boobs in the News

2008-04-20T22:38:00.003-05:00

See yah later Frank.

Frank Thomas was nicknamed the "Big Hurt" while at the Chicago White Sox. Indeed he had that ability and was feared among pitchers everywhere. Yet the biggest hurt he put, was on himself. He was never a team player, and was never well liked any where he went. When the dirty Sox won the series, FT wasn't on the bench due to an injury. I recall he was not awarded a full share of the series win due to his behavior. Winning teams are generous, but they will spite someone that has been a thorn their entire career and FT was a huge thorn. To everyone, trainers, managers, teammates, and owners alike.

Maybe you and Barry Bonds can start your own team of whiners and complainers? Think you'll win anything?

Nah, I didn't think so either.

Some nut

2008-04-13T11:40:00.004-05:00

At a recent breakfast at Al's in Dinkytown, the Knights of the Al's table were surprised by some knucklehead documenting the event with a camera. Damn Yoopers, you can take them out, but you can't stop them from embarrassing you.

Charelton Heston

2008-04-08T21:05:00.004-05:00

Good riddance. You were possibly the most wooden actor to ever win an Oscar. Soylent Green is people! Yawn. The only movie where he was worth a hoot is Touch of Evil. Its made by Orson Welles and Chucky plays a man put into a tough position like a good Hitchcock movie. Shot in 1958 (I think) its in glorious black and white which I think makes it better. Then again, I loved seeing Chuck getting spun around a few times by fate.

You know, I think there are lots of guns where Chuck went. Only I'm guessing they are all pointed at him so he gets to feel what the other end feels like.

Amperage Up! or How I spent 02/28/2008

2008-03-03T17:07:00.005-06:00

The VibroChamp I've been playing through was borrowed. Its an old amplifier and I probably can't do any damage to it, but it's still borrowed. So, I've been studying CraigsList and Harmony Central and the Music Electronics Forum to learn about cool versus not so cool amps. Once you get past the kids posting how "Crate Rulz" and "Peavey sucks!" and figure who you can learn from its pretty straightforward. Basically I fall into the tube amp crowd wanting that warm sound without a need for 8799 modulated colorations to my crummy strumming and picking. I did kind of want something a little bigger than the VibroChamp.

Why? I dunno. Ego? "My amps bigger than yours?" Needing to make up for other undervalued areas of my being? You pay for the therapy and I'll go.

So, I didn't want something gigantic. No Marshall stacks. No Bandmaster head and 4 by 12 bottom. Just a combo with a 10 or 12 inch seemed fine. I'd stop by GC and play a few. Fender Deluxe, a Fender Blues Jr. Reissue, a Fender Blues Deluxe Reissue, even a used Peavey Delta Blues, okay, maybe a old Champ or VibroChamp if it were vintage and not solid state like this.

What I did come across is an advert for a '90s vintage Blues Deluxe. Not a reissue. Several times there were folks claiming they were crap. After I'd become really interested I discovered there were non of the reissues in the country to try. There was one in the GC in Roseville, but it was sold. I really liked the tweed vintage look and it didn't have a lot of extras to fool around with. So I called the guy. He was busy at work, and didn't get to call back.

Eventually Thursday night he says tonights the night. That was the night of snow and crud all over the roads and freezing rain and junk. I live far north of town. He lives far south of town. Crap. I got cash out of the bank, went home and got Earl. It seemed like he was never going to call back and I started to think he wasn't going to.

We he finally did call back with directions I drove down to see it. It looked horrible. Dirty, filthy, grungy and well, a cyclist would refer to it as a healthy "patina." Including this stupid microphone stand bolted to the top. Yet it sounded good. He said the line one sometimes gets cranky, but line two always worked fine. As we were testing it out, the power went out. No joke. Now what? He found the circuit breaker and none were tripped. Um, what? Finally after looking next door and stuff it was obvious. The block was out of power. I should have played it more, but instead we stood at his kitchen table counting out cash by cell phone light.

The trip down was a calamity as well. I knew the windshield wiper blades on the elephant were failing, but I didn't bother to change them. I had already bought new ones and they sat on the credenza in the living room. Stupid move buttnick. By half way there I was down to a two inch section of blade still attached and the rest of the blade rubber flopping around like loose shoe laces. So every few miles I'd end up stopping and using the scraper to gain a decent amount of visibility. Good thing Thing 3 didn't come for that ride and realize what a procrastinating dingbat his father was. On the way back I kept thinking, "Yeah, crash on the ride home, roll the elephant, and demolish the fantastic deal you just go, mo-ron." I drove slower and carefully and made it home.

He then asked for something odd. A photo of me holding the bills. It seems he'd been given a counterfeit $20 once. Later in the week spent it at the bar while bowling and spent the night in jail. He made it sound like a very unpleasant experience. I didn't really understand what me in the photo would do, but then again, I wasn't passing counterfeit bills.

Since then I've got it home and it sounds great. Capable of volumes my home can't really handle. Certainly Sparky can't. When I start flipping switches on it an putting Earl's strap on, he runs. Not walks. Some times he comes and peaks in the office door, but he really dislikes the thing. Me? I'm loving it. I took it apart and found that the amplifier electronics are very clean and unmucked with. The tubes might be old and about to fail at any moment. The driver is original and an Eminence product which is supposed to be a good thing. I didn't get a foot switch and for what people want for a vintage one, well, I'll have to learn how to make my own. I was able to figure out the date code which is July 1995 which means its an honest to Leo Fender made in USA product. The original year 1993 models are supposed to have all kinds of circuit board and other issues, so that was a good sign too. I plan to get a cover to keep dust off and am researching how to clean it. So far the best advice is to go at the Tweed with a soft brush, warm water, and a little Dawn dish washing liquid. A small area at a time, and let it dry before moving on to the next so that the cabinet doesn't warp. Color me thrilled.

Good Things for February 18, 2008

2008-02-23T18:22:00.005-06:00

Thing 3 had Monday off so we spent a bit of it testing out stomp boxes or pedals for use with guitars and amps. I actually hauled Earl along with the amp I have borrowed to test it out. Got lots of great help from a guy at Guitar Center and bought this. It sounds as good as it did in the store. Having a blast playing Earl through it to the venerable Fender Champ. See the photo below for Sparky's feared look that I might just turn the dang thing on again. Every time I flip the power switch on the Champ, even at the low volume I play at (cause I suck , word), he skeedaddles for another room. At loud volumes he begins to howl in a call and response manner. Chord. Beagle bray. Chord. Beagle bray. Repeat.
Ever heard a beagle howl? I thought you have. Not exactly what you want for accompaniment. Oh well, he hasn't stopped me from playing. Yet.

Good Things for February 20, 2008

2008-02-23T11:04:00.003-06:00

Heard from a friend when I forwarded her a listing for a new book about cycling for women. She appreciated it and gave a little update on her life. I was grateful to hear from her and she seemed to be doing well. She was a very good listener when I was going through the worst of my drama last fall. I sincerely hope she continues to do well and that she and her family have a great spring and summer.

Good Things For February 22, 2008

2008-02-23T11:00:00.003-06:00

Calvin Sampson resigned from Indiana University (IU) as their basketball coach accepting a rumored 3/4 million dollar buyout. He cheated. He committed the same acts that got him in trouble at his former employer, Oklahoma University (OU). Bob Knight was an ass many times in his life, but his players graduated, and he never was close to an NCAA violation. Sampson brought cheating to IU and now the IU team will pay the price. He'll get another job. Hopefully Bob Knight will stay unemployed. I know there are many that would like him to return to IU, but his time has passed. Relax and watch some games Bob.

Good Things for February 15, 2008

2008-02-16T17:53:00.004-06:00

Spending the day working from home when Thing 3 is ill. And actually getting things done.

Having a meeting go well.

Spending an hour at Guitar Center trying out amplifiers. And successfully avoiding making a stupid impulse buy.

Only drag, the amp I most coveted had been bought and I didn't get to try it a lot. Tough. I need to save up more money anyhow. The amp I wanted to try was a Fender Blues Deluxe in tweed. There are a lot of things I'd like. This will have to wait.

Good Things for January 31, 2008

2008-02-16T17:51:00.001-06:00

Thing 3, the newly minted survives the hell that is the Minnesota DMV and passes his drivers written test. Cost $10.25.

Good Things so far for February 14, 2008

2008-02-14T07:17:00.003-06:00

The tooth fairy here at work left candy (a small package of Skittles and a heart shaped sucker) on everyone in my organization's desk. Bravo to her! She's really good to us. Happy VD!

Patrick James Reusse's column in the Stribe today regarding the Roger Clemens testimony in Congress yesterday. Read for yourself. Favorite quote which is from a writer in Boston, who no longer is a writer there or possibly anywhere?

"If Clemens had not once been able to consistently throw a baseball 95 miles per hour past men with bats in their hands, he would be wearing bib overalls and sitting on a milk crate at the open end of a trailer somewhere, brushing his tooth, while shooing away flies from his head," Barnacle wrote. "The man is a complete dope."

Breakfast with the boys at Al's Breakfast in Dinkytown. Short stack of whole wheat wally blues is good for what ails you!

Good Things for February 13, 2008

2008-02-13T21:43:00.003-06:00

Playing your new to you guitar until your fingers are sore. In a good way.

Getting VD greetings from a friend. Even if I think its the dumbest holiday ever.

Snow is again in the air and I lurve snow.

Breakfast tomorrow with a few of the boys at Al's Breakfast in Dinkytown. Six bells or all won't be well. Hope I get up in time!

Things and Good Things for February 8, 2008

2008-02-11T13:50:00.000-06:00

The cyclist who wrote in prolific amounts and was ultimately killed while riding by a drunken driver was Ken Kifer. I know someone already gave this in a comment on my Sheldon obit, but it bears repeating. Both Ken and Sheldon gave a lot of their time to the cycling community and their passion will be missed.

Visited the Electric Fetus for their Valentines Day annual twenty percent off sale. I didn't buy much for me, just a few items. Specifically the new Magnetic Fields and the latest from Sons and Daughters. Lurve them both.

Stopped by Guitar Center. Got some Everly Star Picks. I really like the hole in the center as it gives my weak hand a better grip. I bought too thin ones, they are the 0.050 inch or red ones. The orange (0.060 inch), yellow (0.073 inch) or green (0.088 inch) might be better. I'll buy some of the other thickness to give them a try.

What I'd really gone for is the eMedia Blues Guitar lesson cd. So far I'm working on Muddy Water's version of Hoochie Coochie Man. It has this illuminated fretboard just like Guitar Hero except its real and not some fricken play guitar. I suck, but I'm trying. I highly recommend the disc to those that want to try to learn blues guitar.

Otherwise I spent the weekend being unproductive. And beating myself to bits about it.

Good Things for February 1st, 2008

2008-02-04T21:45:00.000-06:00

Awhile back, I asked a pal to lend me a guitar (he owns several) so I might try to play again. I'd played through high school and college, but could never afford one. I'd just gravitate to someone's house that owned one or managed to always have one to borrow. I'd not actually owned one.

Then once I got married it was one of those hobbies I ditched. Too expensive, no time, blah, blah, and blah.

So this friend has a terrific piece he lends me. Its too nice for the newbee likes of me. Fact is I was scared to death to lug it to lessons or something for fear of scratching, denting, or who knows what. It was enough to give me the bug. See it was a guitar I'd always dreamed I'd own. A Fender Stratocaster. Yeah like Hendrix, Clapton, Robin Trower, Stevie Ray Vaughn and countless other guitar gods played. Yes I know its the player and not the axe that makes the music. No one will be spray painting "The Curmudgeon is God" anyplace. Yet it is fun to dream, right?

So after playing around a bit and enjoying myself far more than anticipated, I started to save and look. I discovered that yeah, if you wanted an original 1954-1974 you'd better be prepared to pay an arm or a leg. A '64 draws about $15,000. A '74 might draw $3,000. So I began learning while the money accrued in the bank.

The beauty of the Internet is you can learn if you truly want to. Oh, sure there are lots of bogus sites and if you believe every review of every piece of gear you'll find most stuff is polarizing; either its the greatest thing they ever owned or its a piece of shit that wasn't worth the postage used to mail it back. I learned about US made Strats, Made in Mexico (MIM) Strats, Made in Japan (MIJ) Strats which aren't even technically sold here. You can order them individually if you like from a website. Fender doesn't import them here. Then there are some called Crafted in Japan (CIJ) which are another flavor entirely. Fender offers a line of Stratocaster by Squire. Bargain models if you will.

I liken guitars to automotive tires. Sure Firestone is a good company. They make tires that are cheap, have the traction in inclement conditions equivalent to banana peels and wear like iron. Oh and they ride like iron too. Then they make middle grade tires which blend the best of all worlds; which means they suck at all the extremes. They give a reasonable life, have decent traction, and ride comfortably. Then there is the tires for racer wanna bees that wear out quick, give great traction, and fail at the first nail and cost more than most people want to spend. Last they make real honest to track racing tires that are used by their sponsored drivers and gear. So, you pick what you want and you can be happy or sad with your decision.

So, I was really jonzing to buy new. I dunno why. Maybe my nephew that said all the used guitar he bought always needed something fixed. He was tired of buzzing frets, no longer magnetic pick-ups, and saddles that were better off on horses. Then I started scouting out used stuff locally. Most shops have a few. Some have more. Then one day I started skimming Craigslist. Some days five new Strats would appear. Most were crap. Beat to hell, or of the Squire vintage or worse. Lots of people like to put the word "Strat" in the subject even if it resembles nothing even close to a Stratocaster. Sounds like, plays like, feels like, heavy as or whatever; you get the drift.

Then I stumbled on an advert where the guy said if he didn't sell by a date he'd store the bugger. He hadn't mucked with it. It was made in Japan (a good thing), and it was in great shape. His price was fair and included a solid hardshell case. I smell a wiener.

I figured the guy probably has sold it, put it in storage and just forgot to pull the advert because the advert is over a week old when I stumble by it. I sent a message anyway. I'd like to come and see for myself and I would really like to play it. This apparently endeared me to him as most people sent messages asking lots of stupid questions that grew annoying. There are lots of things on a guitar that are minor and if you don't like them, change them yourself. Our schedules didn't match too swell and so I finally got to see it Friday.

Its everything he said it was. He showed me the two minor dings from a slow life. Its spent more time in the case than in someone's hands. He had replaced the saddles from the stock stamped with nicer ones that say Fender. He also upgraded the tuners, but he'd said that in the advert. But that is it. It really plays nice and was very well set up. He put on a new set of Ernie Ball Super Silkies for me.

He had a really sweet Marshall amp to play with. All tube and didn't think to ask for vintage. His preferred model is a US made Stratocaster of forgotten vintage, but another re-issue. He's a machinist and had painstakingly replaced all the screws for the saddles of his. They aren't stainless, so he made stainless to fit. He'd also made his own replica knobs and pup covers from I think a high nickel stainless. He also makes customer pick guards out of a number of materials he machines himself. His favorite is aluminum which is dual anodized so you can have your name carved, engraved, loaded or two colored if you wish. He has my email so he said he'd send me a link when his website was ready. He had three Strats in progress of rebuilding. He has someone else do refretting and does rewiring. Mostly he works stuff others muck up and he returns to original. I didn't ask what his user name is on Harmony Central, but I'm guessing he knows his way around there. The only thing he mentioned was he never does eBay. Too many losers and scammers.

One of the funny stories he told about how to tell a MIJ (versus CIJ) or even a US is the area under the pick guard. He'd pulled off this one and was astounded at how clean it was. He'd never seen that. When he'd got the US one he said there was flux from soldering and they'd just applied the nitrocellulose right over all kinds of sawdust and other crud. Kinda like lifting a rug to see the owner had swept all the filth under it. He was just a really nice guy and I could have stayed a long time.

Last he directed me to a little guitar shop I'd always ignored (they are really big into Gibson, more "V" than I'd ever seen before new and used), but were really competitive on pricing. I got a strap, braided cord and thinger bobs to hold the strap on. Just a generic black and white strap. No HD or skull and crossbones. The guy I spent a lot of time with there looked like he could have stepped into any punk band you can name. More piercings in view than I have fingers and tats and black hole hair dye. So I quizzed him just for fun and he's more a classical guitar player than anything for fun. He named a Spanish classical composer who died in 1884 who he is currently playing. He just shreds for the dough. He likes giving lessons a lot but the pay sucks. Plus nine hours a day in a shop. Tons of Marshall gear. Not a single fender except beat to snot used stuff. Most half the size of the Champ. Or else a 4 by 12 or some monster.

All in all a pretty awesome day. And yeah like the previous owner it feels like an Earl so that it's name. Now its back to saving for an amplifier.

Weird Things for February 4, 2008

2008-02-04T21:36:00.000-06:00

Read this via the Velo News. Cannondale has been bought by the same company that ruined the reputation of Schwinn and GT. The same company that brings such fine reasonably priced (that is sarcasm folks) Schwinn and Pacific bikes to WalMarts, KMarts, and Target near you. And they are pretty worthless. When they fail, and they will fail, they are hard to repair and often cost more than the owner paid to begin with. Disposable bikes in a world that needs less disposable and more people riding bikes.

Sure they talk about splitting the company in two and that the Cannondale Sports division will focus on direct to bike shop sales. Whoopie. I can hardly wait. I've owned several beer can mobiles and I actually like them. I've come to respect and appreciate a steel ride more, but for what I got at the time, I liked. Cannondale for a time was the only big company marketing a bicycle for touring and it came with fenders included. At one time a real leather Brooks saddle too.

So it goes

RIP Sheldon Brown

2008-02-04T18:16:00.001-06:00

The crazed looking man was a bounty to cyclist everywhere and last night he passed away, probably due to a heart attack. His name is Sheldon Brown and I've know of him and communicated with him almost as long as I've know and been on the Internet and into bicycles. His websites included those of the shop he worked for Harris Cyclery are the stuff of legend among cyclist. Often in some cycling discussion either on the Internet or in person when someone asked a question it would be followed by a question; "Have you checked Sheldon's site?"

On his site you could not only buy the normal parts like wheels, tires, saddles, brakes, shifters, but many of the little bits that no one else might carry. Then to top it he had or had others write guides to many things. Want to know the vintage and origin of some Japanese bicycle you scored at a garage sale? Its there. Want to know how to take off and correctly clean and then lube and re-install your first chain, tire, handle bars or whatever? Its there. Want to know how to adjust your brakes for the maximum stopping power? It's there and he'd tell you the brand and type of shoes that would work in the rain too.

The man was not only a font of knowledge. He was funny. Every April 1st you could depend upon Sheldon propagating some crazy method, product, or something that was hilarious to cyclist. A saddle for real men was a rock he found in exactly a saddle shape. Want to clean your chain right? He offered a kit and method where you completely disassemble the chain link by link until you had a completely useless pile of bits although spectacularly clean.

He was irascible. With his knowledge he would discuss, argue, and educate those who wanted to know in the best manner. There are those that write in a way INTENDED to make you feel foolish for not knowing what they are about to teach you, but that was not Sheldon. He didn't need to denigrate you to help you understand. Now if you chose to go out of your way irritate him, he'd simply ignore you.

He was more than a cyclist. He sang old sailing songs with a group in his Boston area home. He took photographs and was willing to share anything he knew about a piece of photographic gear that worked well or poorly with anyone that asked. He had websites to shed light on the accomplishments of his spouse. He could be depended upon to have updates on what his two children were doing as they grew from youngsters to teenagers to young adults in college.

Recently Sheldon had to stop cycling in the normal two wheel way. He'd come down with MS and it didn't stop him. He bought a trike style of recumbent and kept on moving. He had to resort to a scooter to get around the bike bike events, but that didn't stop him. He wrote volumes about his impressions of the shows and included dozens of photographs. I know others that would have been embarrassed. Not Sheldon. Not being able to walk a show about pedaling bicycles didn't matter. What mattered was being there. Probably harassing his friends and needling his enemies alike.

Once there was a great cyclist who wrote a great deal and had created a huge website for his writings. Unexpectedly he was killed, while riding, by a drunk driver. Sheldon took on the task of providing a home to all those valuable writings. Did he publicly ask for funding to support the weight of all those servers? Not that I've ever known. I've no idea what the cost of the bandwidth he had to manage cost, but it was significant.

Sheldon Brown was a great man of the highest sort. He gave to his community. He gave to his family. He gave to his fellow cyclists around the world. He was a champion of a variety of products and was one of the first to show the greater good the Internet could do. In Sheldon's world no bicycle couldn't be saved. In Sheldon's world, no cyclist couldn't learn more. And he I'm sure was a huge benefit for the shop he worked for.

So, how do they replace a man like Sheldon? You don't. So it goes...

Disappointment Is

2008-01-31T16:12:00.000-06:00

Disappointment for your freshly 16 YO son is to arrive at the DMV for his written test, 4 minutes after they close.

Kinda cruel to close at 3:45 when most kids at that age are in school until about 3 PM. Even when your dad leaves work early and beats you home so you get there as fast as you can.

Lesson learned? No matter where you are, nice guys finish lunch.

Good Things for 01/30/2008

2008-01-31T10:35:00.000-06:00

I found a week old advert for a used guitar that I really like. It includes a hardshell quality case and looks to be in fine condition. I hope to try to play it and see it Friday.

Once again my mischievous Sparky annoyed me. I guess I didn't pay enough attention to him last night as I was trying work on work from home.

He pushed over my hamper of dirty clothes. Dug out a pair of worn underpants. And chewed on them. As in there is no longer any crotch. Just the section that goes around one's waist. Or in other words; they are rags. Pets? I get no respect. I count this is the sixth or so pair he has done this too. This was the first time he intentionally pushed over the hamper to get at them. I guess I'll have to close the bedroom door now.

Good Things for 01/28/2008 Again

2008-01-29T13:48:00.002-06:00

Happiness is washing dishes by hand with your 16 YO kid and listening to music you both might find interesting. I only say might because 16 YO don't always voice everything they think. And that is okay.

I think the pipes froze in the house next door. I'm not sure anyone lives there. It is owned by a long retired couple. He's been in a nursing home, and maybe she is too now. There was a company carrying out a lot of what looked like soggy stuff yesterday morning.

I stumbled upon Mavis Staples website. I'm always torn. Buy a cd or vinyl LP direct and hope it puts bucks into the artist's pocket? Maybe even a little more? Or support our local businesses and I go to the Electric Fetus. Let me tell yah, I heart the EF. So I notice old Mavis is on this like nine year tour. And she has four disc remaining already signed. For a buck more. Yeah, you know what I did. I ordered one. Ever heard the song "99 and One Half"? Find it and hear it. Okay maybe YOU don't like gospel. Yet, you should admit its a great song and well done if you get the chance. Well, that is on Mavis' latest disc. So go out and buy it. Just cause I want you to.

Good Things for 01/28/2008

2008-01-28T15:27:00.000-06:00

My reply to a friend that asked me to attend a work oriented, but yet social golf outing.

Can you tell I hate golf? It needs a goalie. And full contact. And hecklers. And cheerleaders. More guys shaped like Jon Daly. Bullhorns, lots of those. Maybe some marine air horns, like they blast at hockey games. Extremely over-served guys with paint where their shirts should be. And play in sub zero weather. I mean Fahrenheit. None of this wussy degrees “C” either. I want golf in wind chills in negative number. And no gloves or hats so they really suffer. Those are the only conditions that pathetic pastime should be played. Then I might watch on television. Bloody hell.

Good things for 01/27/2008

2008-01-27T19:09:00.000-06:00

Got a bunch of work-work done to catch up from being out those few days. Not caught up, but not feeling like I'm drowning.

Spent a bunch of time on Thing 3's iPod. Dang, I think I'm reasonably smart and I still can't get it to load more than 70 or so songs. For a 40 gig, it should swallow 100 entire cds, but no, it pukes after the 70 or so. I've tried wiping every file off of it. I've tried hard resets until my fingers hurt, I've achieved disc mode many times, I've tried Norton Disc Doctor and it even finished once. I managed even to get Norton Disc Wipe to run once and finish and it didn't make a difference. I still think if I can wipe the firmware off the disc, those pesky hidden files, it would restore just fine. Yet it crashes during every restore to date. Bugger.

Managed to properly record on DVD a little documentary called "Punk: Attitude". Includes interviews with either living member or members when they were alive of many of my favorite bands. The Dictators, MC5, Stooges, Dictators, New York Dolls, Ramones, Sex Pistols, Clash, Blondie, Chrissie Hyne, Buzzcocks, and more I just can't remember or spell including Jello Biafra himself and Henry Rollins. Man its way cool. Recorded it commercial free from IFC. Who needs regular television.

Took Sparky the WunderBeagle in for his three week checkup. The final results were he's probably just fine. They were very happy that I'm able to keep his weight down at 37-38 pounds. The vet was oh so very cute. And half my age. Sigh. They did feel he needed a booster shot and insisted on taking his temperature. As if he wasn't scared enough, there comes the rectal thermometer dude! Then that big poke for the shot. So far he's not having any reaction to his shot. No excessive lethargy or anything. They did suggest another food. The Beneful he was eating generates a lot of tartar on his teeth. I've been giving Iams and that isn't helping so they suggested a Science Diet to reduce tartar. He eats it just fine so I'm guessing it tastes okay. What am I worried about? Dogs don't care about taste!

Great things for 01/24/2008

2008-01-25T11:58:00.000-06:00

Dinner at the Vineyard with your newly minted 16 YO son, Thing 3.

We each ate massive prime rib, baked potato and their famous salad (which is very yummy by the way). The salad puts that crap at Olive Garden to shame. (My apologies to you vegan pals. so I'm a flip flopper when it comes to food. Sue me.)

I even talked him into dessert. After all, it was a celebration type day.

Man, am I lucky to have such a fine son.

Among the Living 01/24/2008

2008-01-24T11:18:00.000-06:00

January 18-22 were spent barking like a seal. Congested enough that I bought a vaporizer and brought my bedroom to near jungle like humidity. Added something called Vicks VapoSteam to the solution so when vaporized it smelled like menthol and camphor. Sort of like smoking Marlboro menthols without the smoky goodness.

At times the congestion was bad enough that my teeth hurt. Man I hate that. And oh my did the work pile up while I was out a few days.

It worked, so don't knock it if you haven't tried it. Really. I was less congested every morning I used it. I didn't use a lot of over the counter dubious drugs, just let the respiratory flu take its course. So much for this year's flu shot working to prevent it. I did drink lots of juice, water, 7 up, and other liquids. And plenty of naps.

I've now had the annual dose of bad daytime television. Actually not so bad, with satellite, you can always find some re-run of Diagnosing Amy, Judging Matilda, Law and Disorder - Middle School Principal Assistant Janitors (L&O-MSPAJ) or something. That is when I didn't find the energy to change the cd in the player. I listened to a fair amount of music and its the one time I thought; "Huh, a changer would be cool about now."

I wish I could listen to 89.3 "The Current" (I dislike the name, but its not my fault), but my tuner and it don't get along or something. I've tried a variety of antenna and no luck. When I can get it I tend to get a lot of weird annoying feedback as if someone is pulsing power to something within the circuit. Sometimes they are easily ignored, but at least once every half hour or so one "pops" loud enough to really annoy and for all I know distress the speakers. Two different amps, different pair of interconnects, two pair of speakers, two different homes, and the problem is the same. I'm guessing its the tuner. Its easily 20 years old, but little used for the most part and a quality Yamaha piece. I give up. Its a digital tuner, so I can't figure out what would be pulsing inside.

Good things; Thing 1 was out at the house working on a car and it was another nice visit. Sure am proud of that guy.

Thing 3 got to visit a couple of times with Thing 2. Glad she found some time for him.

Sparky has been fine. He really gets a case of the nerves when it comes to putting him into the kennel, but that's tough. The house is a lot cleaner and he gets into less trouble this way. The 10 minutes it takes to carry him to the kennel (I think it'd take a cattle prod and pain on his part to get him into it otherwise) and get him to drag himself (oh, I do mean drag, his legs move in slow motion, like I might change my mind in the meantime) into the kennel its hard not to laugh.

Good things this week 01/19/2008

2008-01-19T10:18:00.000-06:00

A very nice respiratory flu keeps me home from work yesterday.
A nose sore from blowing it constantly.
Temperatures which might make it above zero for the high to signal that mother nature still has us in winter.

Bummer for the time period:

We didn't get any of the snow predicted. Would have made things look much nicer.

Time for another nap.

Good Things for 01/16/2008

2008-01-17T08:50:00.000-06:00

I'm reminded of an old joke by Jack Benny. Jack's character was that he was cheap. Really very cheap. In reality it wasn't all that true, but its a character bit he stuck to a great deal of his comedic life. The joke goes, a robber comes up to Jack with a gun, knife, or whatever and says, "Your money or your life." Jack replies, "I'm thinking!" when the robber becomes impatient with his lack of a quick response.

Good things for this week? I'm thinking.

Oh, there were good things. Things in the mail here at the shack.

Two knew lamps from JCPenney that were on their clearance site at a great price
Two new mattress pads for Thing 3's bed to make him sleep more comfortably
Several new calendars for work and the house, here are the ones I remember
The official George W. Bush Out of Office Countdown calendar which gives a "Bushism" every day
Ansul Adams monthly calendar with beautiful photos by the great photographer
Futurama monthly calendar for the house
Simpsons monthly calendar for work
Richard Lederers wacky English page a day calendar for work (has a abuse of the written English language taken from adverts, publicity releases and the like)
That's Funny - a page a day calendar with a joke by a stand up comic each day (example Ballet is basketball for homosexuals - by I forgot who)
Art Calendar - a beautiful photo of a piece of art every day for Thing 3 who is very interested in art
A new copy on vinyl of the latest Heartless Bastards recordings
A new copy of the latest Amiee Mann disc (a Christmas recording) so my collection is still complete (I heart Aimee)

Gee, by the looks of the list I should just quit whining and look for those good things. Once I get started I have lots of them I just fail to recognize them sometimes.

My Monday (01/14/2008) and the rest of the week...

2008-01-17T08:40:00.000-06:00

It was a long day
Work from home in the morning. See Thing 3 off and Sparky kennelized
Shower and then drive to work
Work
Re-fuel elephant, get a cheeseburger at Holiday (yuck)
Drive to school and get Thing 3
Run into traffic snarl - tipped over truck closes 35W southbound entirely eventually. We luckily get by it before they close the whole southbound lane.
Get Thing 3 to therapist
Get call from Lard while talking to therapist about homework and recent events
Patiently wait outside while they talk
Drive home, release Sparky
Get Sparky some exercise
Put Sparky back into kennel
Drive Thing 3 to Drivers Training
Grocery shopping
Release Sparky
Store everything
Don't feel like dinner see re-fuel, eat two yogurt instead
Go and pick up Thing 3
Watch Futurama
Collapse in bed

Good Things for 01/13/2008

2008-01-14T12:05:00.000-06:00

The Cowboys LOST! Again! Jessica Simpson (shouldn't it be simpleton?) or not in the stadium. And wasn't Jerry Jones look on the sideline priceless. PRICELESS! Rich old face lifted geezers holding back the anger that the world still won't bend completely to their will. As Marv Albert would say, "YES!"

Bummed the Colts lost. I think they would give the Pats a better game. Especially if the two injuries really hurt the Chargers. Eh, its just a game. I'm sick of Fav-ray. Just sick of him already. Retire already. It would be nice to see him crushed by the Pats though. CRUSHED. Physically. Personally.

Went to a family holiday get together and ate and played Trivial Pursuit. The women won (again). Although it was competitive. Both sides have individuals that are sharp at different subjects. Sure there are questions everyone is ignorant of, but most of the time someone has a clue. Its fun. Even Thing 3 plays along.

Thing 1 has been working on a project car in the garage. Sunday night he came with his bride to finish it. He got it running and took a drive and didn't need a bail out. Meanwhile I was lazy and watched "Capote" with Thing 1's Spouse. We have the same taste in movies and so I lent them my copy so he could watch it later. I was really nice to have them visit.

Saturday night Thing 3 and I went on a big shopping expedition. Clothes for him. Yikes. He's easy to shop with. He has a plan to start with, we go in, he looks things over, he makes his choices, I pay and we leave. He's not one for expensive things or anything. His requests are realistic and he's past the "I gotta have" and maybe that's true of males and less so females. I give up.

Annoyance for 01/12/2008

2008-01-12T18:40:00.000-06:00

While working on bills and listening to "The Sound" a defunct band from the 80s, Sparky managed to get into mischief. He pulled down both loaves of banana bread from the counter. No, they weren't like teetering on the edge; this took work on his part. One was in the bag, one was on a cutting board. He dined on the first partly eaten loaf first and when I caught him he abandoned that one and had gotten about 25% of the other loaf eaten.

Pets, I tells yah, I get no respect.

Things for 01/12/2008

2008-01-12T13:17:00.000-06:00

Didn't feel like going to work yesterday. Like I have a reason. Sparky was rather lethargic, but really, I could have shoved him into the kennel like usual and gone. Its not like he pretends to enjoy it, but he doesn't seem worse for wear from it either.

So I tried out my new work from home connection. It does work reasonable well, some apps are slow to connect, save, or resolve issues. Yet it works and doesn't crash too often for mostly Micro$oft products. I did actually get work done. I left the TV off, the radio off, and didn't even play music. The only thing pestering me was sparky occasional desire to play tug of war with his new chew toy and dropping slobbered on tennis balls on my foot in hopes I'll throw it. I got lots done.

Later I showered and went to an appointment. Not one I was dreading and it went well.

Hit Target for some food and soda on the way home and found a toaster oven I liked. We make a lot of things like garlic bread and use the big oven to heat them. This will save energy costs hopefully.

Also hit Menards for some primer and sandpaper and masking materials.

I had set up the bread maker to make Hawaiian Sweet bread and it was ready when I got home. The house smelled great and even Thing 3 mentioned that. Nothing like fresh baked bread. It did sort of stick to the walls of the bread machine container. Dunno why. Tasted good enough that Thing 3 made a PBJ from it.

Today Sparky seems very chipper and has been pestering me to play. I worked another few hours this morning while Thing 3 slept. Got an important report done.

Now I can play a little. A nap sounds better!

Early End to Work Day 01/08/2008

2008-01-09T15:40:00.000-06:00

Thing 1 called to say he'd found an engine for a clunker he drug to the house, okay driveway, Monday night. He got it as far as the end of the block and blew the engine. Left most of the oil on the street along with who knows what else. We pushed it into the driveway.

Today he called to say he found an engine. Can he borrow the elephant and get that to the house? Sure, why not.

I figured the easiest way is to just drive his hot rod home. As in a Nissan 240 with v-6 and turbo. Hit 3K on the tach and she screams like a cat with its tail on fire. So I left work early and blasted home, my ears are still ringing.

Dumb move for the afternoon. Along with the elephant keys, I gave him my house keys. D'Oh! I was able to get in the garage, but luckily after about 20 minutes Thing 3 came home and could let me in. Sparky was his usual exuberant self once let from the kennel and the day is finally looking up.

Now I have to work on the work I promised to work on from home.

Good Things So Far 01/09/2008

2008-01-09T09:33:00.000-06:00

Breakfast with the boys at Al's in Dinkytown. Five orders of short stack whole wheat wally blues. Man we know how to live.

Thing 3 suggested The Libertines while we did dishes last night. Man he is one chip off the old ear.

Not so hot: I woke up at 3 AM and couldn't fall back to sleep. Sparky (who sleeps with me most nights) wasn't much help. He was as restless as I was. And apparently he had one hell of a nightmare as he was always pressing against me. Usually he gets too warm and moves away. Not last night. So I got too warm. Pets, I tells yah, I get no respect.

On the other hand this was good, I was up and at 'em and not late for breakfast at Al's. Be there at 6 bells or be square. I won't say who overslept and was late, right Curt?

Traffic still stunk at 5:30. Driving a vehicle sucks. I so wish for the ability to ride a bus and read a book.

Good Things for Today 01/08/2008

2008-01-08T21:16:00.000-06:00

Sparky is doing really well. Spent his time in the kennel while I was at work and Thing 3 was in school.

Thing 3 worked on homework tonight without hassle, he helped with the dishes, he helped take down the Xmas tree, and helped wire in the internet so we both can be on-line together.

We had some chicken enchiladas tonight for supper and they were yummy. Thing 3 even mentioned that he liked them and he is not an easy to please chap.

Sparky dug up an old bone from the snow and has been looking all night for somewhere to bury it in the house so it is more handy. Usually that would be under Thing 3's dirty clothes in the bathroom. Now that he has a hamper in the bath, Sparky has no place to "bury" the bone and is wondering the house whining. This bone is soft enough I could chew it. Pets are just as funny as children. And endearing as heck. Its all about character.

Miraculous Recovery

2008-01-07T15:54:00.000-06:00

Thing 3 called to say Sparky the WunderBeagle appears to be much better. Moving slowly, but moving again. He ate his supper (from yesterday), drank some water, and then wanted to go out and pee.

Heck, let the lovable guy bark himself horse for once. (He's gotten the previous tenant in trouble with John Law for barking too much.) Apparently some third shift neighbor called the coppers at the slightest "Arf!" Then again, beagles um, are supposed to bark in the less than humble author's opinion.

And I'll point out we were there first. The fuckers moved in long after we did. Just because their house costs (and looks) about triple what our shack is worth ain't got lick spittle to do with it, now does it. I like being the trailer trash equivalent in engineering suburban america.

Things for 01/07/2008

2008-01-07T12:46:00.001-06:00

Good things:

Bread machine worked great! I figured out that I could set the alarm to make it finish just as I was getting up. The buzzer of it finishing its sequence woke me moments before my alarm was to go off. And boy did the house smell good.

Was able to shake the loaf out of the chamber and it smelled and tasted great. Fresh hot bread, yum.

Not so good:

Sparky didn't appear to have moved all night. He hasn't eaten since breakfast yesterday. He won't eat from my hand. I got him to drink a little water from my hand, but after about three handfuls of water, he stopped. Gave me this look like, "Um, thanks dude, but that's all I have the energy for."

The banana bread came out a lot darker than last time. Last time I used metal pans. This time I used glass pans. I also added a tablespoon of vanilla instead of a teaspoon. D'Oh! Read! Nitwit! Tastes okay. Not great.

Maybe tonight I'll make a loaf of Hawaiian Sweet Bread in the bread machine.

Good Things For This Weekend 01/06/2008

2008-01-06T21:10:00.000-06:00

Made banana bread from the three overly ripe bananas. It smells great, but its not done yet.

Got to the grocery store and bought some sourdough bread mix. I dug out the Breadman Plus TR-600, searched on-line for a manual, and the bread should be done by morning. Hot bread with breakfast!

Took Sparky the WunderBeagle to the vet. Told them about the seizure. They gave him his shots and thought they saw something. They asked to keep him a few hours and took a blood sample and tested it. They are concerned and I have to bring him back in three weeks.

Thing 3 and I went to the condo and got the big oak desk and moved it to the house. It was a really heavy mother and man do my hands and back know it.

Listened to a lot of music this weekend. Really like the latest Fiery Furnaces latest disc. Also Interpol (sorry Carl, its pretty good) and Arctic Monkeys. There are more things I've acquired, but that's enough for now.

Took Sparky for a walk to get the paper this afternoon and since then he's laid on the couch and hasn't moved. Well, he got off one spot and moved to another and once got up and drank some water, but that is it. He didn't eat his supper either. He's really not himself. Really worried about him. Hope he perks up in the next two days.

Tonight I'm recording Boogie Nights from IFC. I watched up the part at the donut shop and had to turn it off. Wow, I'd forgotten how many really great people were in the movie. Burt Reynolds got all the publicity, but there are a lot of people considered quality actors in the movie considering its about the 70s porn industry.

Good Things Today 01/04/2008

2008-01-04T12:57:00.000-06:00

Its Friday.
Put Sparky the WunderBeagle in his kennel when I left today to minimize the messes he makes. He doesn't like it, I don't like putting him in there, but I'm tired of him ripping the boxes and peeing on the floor.

Happy Obama won for some reason. Even if he has the worst possible name for the office. President Obama just doesn't have that ring to it, but I hope it grows on America. Change is good. Politics is BS anyhow. They are all bought and paid for.

Both Romney and Huckabee scare the beejebus out of me. I think Huckabee will turn out to be a worse lunatic that Bush if elected. When the evangelicals come out blindly for him, you know he's wrong for the office.

Thing 3 doesn't have drivers training tonight. That means I don't spend an hour driving him there. Note for new readers: its my blog and I don't share my children's names. They are not things nor do I think of them as that. Its just an easy way for you and I to keep track. Thing 1 is the eldest and thing 3 is the least oldest. They are boy - girl - boy for scoring purposes.

There was almost no traffic this morning. I hate driving the elephant on a daily basis, but single parenting and cycling 30+ miles round trip to work don't work. I'd move closer, but first I've got to sell one of the two properties I already have.

The future is bright and it might be a nice weekend.

Sparky got his nails done last night (trimmed) and is still upset about it. Either tomorrow or next week shots! He'll really be annoyed with me.

God Bless Ya Keef!

2007-10-17T20:26:00.000-05:00

With apologies to Mr. Knight, but honest when I read this, I just couldn't help myself. Opportunities like this only come rarely and I'm so glad one motorist got the message.

100 Pointless Things About Me

2007-10-13T11:37:00.001-05:00

1. Do you sleep with your closet doors open or closed?
Either, it doesn't matter, I don't believe in monsters

2. Do you take the shampoos and conditioner bottles from hotel?
Not anymore, they aren't useful to a bald guy

3. Have you ever 'done it' in a hotel room?
Yes, so, it was my honeymoon

4. Have you ever stolen a street sign before?
Yeah, stole a stop sign once, I was stupid in my youth

5. Do you like to use post-it notes?
Yes, they are cool to nerds like me

6. Do you cut out coupons but then never use them?
Sure, I misplace them

7. Would you rather be attacked by a big bear or a swarm of bees?
one bear please

8. Somehow either the creator or someone that did this survey before me couldn't count and 8 seems to be missing. Once again, I'm going to create my own and answer it. Do you prefer dogs or cats?
Dogs, they are always happy to see you, they give unconditional love, some cats seem to care less if you are around or not, unless they are pissed off at you. Dogs don't behave that way. I don't need a sarcastic depressed pet.

9. Do you always smile for pictures?
generally, only my 15 YO son doesn't to the best of my knowledge

10. What is your biggest pet peeve?
Liars

11. Do you sleep with your sheets tucked in or out?
either, its the sleep that matters not the arrangement of the bed

12. Do you ever count your steps when you walk?
No, I don't see why you would

13. Have you ever pee'd in the woods?
yes, I'm a male its easy for me to do that

14. Do you ever dance even if there's no music playing?
No, I don't dance when there is music playing, fool

15. Do you chew your pens and pencils?
No, I stick them behind my ear, I can afford gum

16. How many people have you slept with this week?
Zero

17. Someone must have deleted 17 as it offended them or they couldn't handle an answer. Therefore I get to create my own and answer it too. Do you like the NFL?
Not in the least. I think its the sport that people who need another excuse to get over served need to drink heavily. They also seem to be fat from eating too much shitty snack food.

18. What is your "Song of the week"?
I don't have one, I listen to a lot of music

19. Is it okay for guys to wear pink?
sure, I'm not into generalizations

20. Do you still watch cartoons?
sure, cartoons can be fun for adults and children, you got a problem with that?

21. Whats your least favorite movie?
Anything stupid like many Adam Sandler movies or Will Ferrell movies

22. Where would you bury hidden treasure if you had some?
A bank you moron, what is this 1928?

23. What do you drink with dinner?
water, soda, coffee, tea, juice

24. What do you dip a chicken nugget in?
Eeeyew, parts is parts, I don't buy them, I don't eat them

25. What is your favorite food/cuisine?
Indian

26. What movies could you watch over and over and still love?
Cinema Paradiso

27. Last person you kissed/kissed you?
I can't remember, its been a very long time and I'm trying not to think about it you bastard

28. Were you ever a boy/girl scout?
I was a boy scout leader as an adult

29. Would you ever strip or pose nude in a magazine?
No one wants to see me naked, least of all me

30. When was the last time you wrote a letter to someone on paper?
My ex-wife this summer

31. Can you change the oil on a car?
I do, always have

32. Ever gotten a speeding ticket?
I just walked away without one when I deserved it, I admitted to speeding and still didn't get a ticket, go figure, being polite to officers of the law can be beneficial

33. Ran out of gas?
not in a long time, it pissed my ex-wife off a great deal, it turns out she told everyone about it

34. Favorite kind of sandwich?:
varies, its a problem, there aren't many foods I can't enjoy

35. Best thing to eat for breakfast?
some twigs and leaves with gravel for roughage

36. What is your usual bedtime?
between 9 and 10

37. Are you lazy?
yes, sadly, because I'm depressed

38. When you were a kid, what did you dress up as for halloween?
stupid things, I was poor and didn't have much to work with

39. There was no 39 so I get to make one up. Do you enjoy riding bicycles more than driving in cars?
Absolutely, cars are for lazy people.

40. How many languages can you speak?
English and a few words in many languages

41. Do you have any magazine subscriptions?
yes, music and cycling magazines you've never heard of

42..Which are better legos or lincoln logs?
its all good

43. Are you stubborn?
I can be

44. Who is better...Leno or Letterman?
Letterman is an asshole to the planet

45. Ever watch soap operas?
I do not, except when it made my ailing mother-in-law happy

46. Afraid of heights?
I am as an adult, wasn't as a kid

47. Sing in the car?
regularly

48. Dance in the shower?
No, I'm usually holding a blade, it isn't wise. Have you forgotten 14 already?

49. Dance in the car?
Never. See 48 and 14 idiot.

50. Ever used a gun?
I've fired them and killed something with one, its not a thing I enjoyed, its more a been there done that

51. Last time you got a portrait taken by a photographer?
My family years ago

52. Do you think musicals are cheesy?
Others enjoy them, why knock that?

53. Is Christmas stressful?
I've begun to dislike the holiday yes

54. What do you want to be when you grow up?
I've been an engineer for more than 20 years and grateful to be what I want to be

55. Favorite type of fruit pie?
Blueberry

56. Occupations as a kid?
Kids have occupations where you live? How stupid.

57. Do you believe in ghosts?
No

58. Ever have a Deja-vu feeling?
sure

59. Take a vitamin daily?
I do

60. Wear slippers?
not now

61. Wear a bath robe?
no

62. What do you wear to bed?
undershorts and a tee shirt

63. First concert?
Bob Seger and Bachman Turner Overdrive. Seger blew BTO off the stage even if he was just the warm up. BTO was a bunch of fat guys that played bar chords. Even at 13 I knew they blew chunks. It was the only concert that came through Marquette Michigan at the time that I had any interest in. Seeing REO TwatSpit never interested me.

64. Wal-Mart, Target or K-Mart?
Target, the other two are for welfare rejects

65. Nike or Adidas?
either they're just shoes

66.Cheetos Or Fritos?
yes

67. Peanuts or Sunflower seeds?
peanuts

68. Ever hear of, "gorp"?
Yup, I've made it and ate it

69. Ever take dance lessons?
I once had to do square dancing in junior high, it sucked, I'd rather play basketball in PE

70. Is there a profession you picture your spouse doing?
No preconceived notions

71. Can you curl your tongue?
sure

72. Ever won a spelling bee?
I'm a failure at spelling

73. Have you ever cried because you were so happy?
no

74. Own any record albums?
hundreds

75. Own a record player?
its called a turntable you moron

76. Regularly burn incense?
no, I burn scented candles after I leave a big dump or make some strongly seasoned chili. Funny how those two incidents seem to follow one another.

77. Ever been in love?
sadly I was, am, probably always will be, and it will never be reciprocated again

78. Who would you like to see in concert?
Jimi Hendrix, but he's dead

79. What was the last concert you saw?
Richard Thompson

80.Hot tea or cold tea?
both are good

81.Tea or coffee?
Coffee, but i like tea too

82.Favorite kind of cookie?
I've never met a dessert I didn't like

83.Can you swim well?
I won't die usually

84.Can you hold your breath w/o manually holding your nose?
yes, even infants can do that. Just try dunking one under water once, its an innate ability. Humans don't seem to want to drown by some reason. Hard for you to grasp huh?

85. Are you patient?
not always, who is?

86. DJ or band, at a wedding?
Not

87.Ever won a contest?
yes

88. Ever have plastic surgery?
I'm bald, what's the point?

89. Which are better black or green olives?
black

90.Can you knit or crochet?
no interest in either, its just fine for lots of other folks though

91. Best room for a fireplace?
in your house, not mine

92. Do you want to get married?
Good grief, maybe I should date someone first, huh?

93. If married, how long have you been married?
not

94. Who was your HS crush?
I didn't have crushes, I went on dates. If I liked them I asked them out. It was that simple. I wasn't a chicken shit. Ever. He who snoozes loses.

95. Do you cry and throw a fit until you get your own way?
Hopefully not since I was two

96. Do you have kids?
yes

97. Do you want kids?
not anymore

98. Whats your favorite color?
green

99. Do you miss anyone right now?
it doesn't matter, they could give a fuck

100. current relationship?
single and not looking seriously

Stupid Survey I did on Myspace

2007-10-13T11:33:00.000-05:00

Corona, Smirnoff or Bud light?
Ugh, Mountain Dew yah drunkard

Flowers, Candy, or Cards?
You know this sucker was written by a chick

Beer, Wine, or Mixed drinks:
Two of the first three questions are about alcohol, sure can tell where your mind was at dear alcoholic author

Football, soccer or baseball:
baseball, the other two suck

Kiss, Hand Holding, or Hug?
hand holding is for children.

Buy, Borrow, or Lease:
Save until you can buy

Ford, Chevy, or Dodge.
Haven't owned one of those in years, they all suck at reliability

Email, Telephone, or Letter?
Letters or email, but then I'm literate

California, New York, or Florida?
All of those locations are for people that need to be "seen", none of the above

Kisses on the Neck, Stomach, or Ears?
Did I TELL you to stop yet?

Morning, Afternoon, or Night?
whatever

Christmas, Thanksgiving, or Halloween?
Halloween, scaring the shit out of the little bastards is loads of fun and all my pranks get blamed on teenagers

Dogs, Cats, or Hamsters:
Dogs

Beach, Mountains, or Desert.
mountains are cool, water and deserts are boring

Cookies, Cake, or Brownies?
never met a dessert I didn't like

March, July, or October:
none

Breakfast, Lunch, or Dinner:
breakfast

Giver, Sharer, or Keeper:
giver

Eyes, Nose, or Mouth:
stupid question, ear hair of course

Friends that lie, Enemies that pretend to be your friend, or Alone:
yet another stupid question

WHAT WAS YOUR...

1. last beverage:
mountain dew

2. last in-coming call:
my brother

3. last cd played:
Rolling Stones - Sticky Fingers

4. last time you cried:
last Friday

5. last text message:
to my youngest son

THIS MONTH HAVE YOU...

1. Made a new friend?
tried

2. Laughed until you cried?
Nope, it has to be really funny for that

3. Met someone who changed your life?
no

4. Found out who are your true friends?
sadly yes

RANDOM...

1. How many kids do you want to have?
have three, lets stop while we're ahead, shall we?

2. Do you have any pets?
Yes and no, and that's all I'm going to say about that

3. Do you wanna change your name?
not really

4. What did you do yesterday?
went to work, got lots done

5. Do you get butterflies when you talk to that "special" someone?
more like wasps buzzing inside my noggin talking to that "unspecial" someone

6. What were you doing last night at 10:30pm?
trying to fall asleep

7. Last time you saw your father?
Years ago the week before he died

8. What is one thing you wish you could change about your life?
divorce or marriage take your pick

9. What are you listening to right now?
Fresh Air on KNOW

10. Mariah, Madonna, Christina or Britney?
Not one of them can write a song by themselves worth a shit. I'm not sure any of the group could play an instrument without Special High Intensity Training (SHIT) before hand. I prefer music by the people that really create it in their heads and see the vision through to reality. Like Dylan, Hendrix, and so many more worthwhile artists. In 25 years, no one will remember Britney unless she's trashing some trailer park somewhere.

Yooper Off Road Riding

2007-10-08T17:25:00.001-05:00

This past weekend I went to the Upper Peninsula and rode bikes. I forgot my camera so I didn't have any photos, but this morning my pal Kelly graced my in box with three photos. Two are really good and one not so hot since it had grown dark and was raining.

During the weekend, I managed to bust my Rock Shock on my Jamis Dakar. It slides, but has no damping ability whatsoever. I rode it anyway. Made descents terrible. I was leaning over on the handlebars more than usual and my hands took a beating. Some downhills were too rocky and steep and I had to walk down. With the leaves and the rain, skidding and slipping was a constant companion.

I'd also hauled along my Quickbeam and Kelly and I did a fixed gear road ride too. Great fun as we climbed Mount Marquette via the roadway. Its the site of a ski hill, so you can imagine what it was to climb. I've no idea how long it is, but it was a hoot even though by mid way up you begin to rethink your priorities. I had to use the brakes on the way down, I just didn't have the leg to maintain any control at the cadence required. Fixed is fun!

In the photo above, that is Luther on the left, Kelly in the middle and some big oaf that slowed them down all day long. Thankfully some fellow happened by to help by taking the photo. The second photo was taken by Kelly at the top of the first climb before it began to rain. You of course can tell the conditioning of the big dummy as I promptly got prone the moment I found them waiting for me. Hell of a warm up to climb that hill right from the get go. I should have asked Kelly to take a photo of the vista to give an idea of how high the climb was. Otherwise, I'm a lousy estimator and don't know how high we'd just climbed. For me it went downhill from there. Still had fun though. A bad day of cycling even in less than idea weather, is better than a great day at work.

Harleys in Peru

2007-10-08T17:21:00.001-05:00

Do these photos make anyone else think of the Flintstones?

G'day Ms. Hooker

2007-09-30T17:55:00.000-05:00

Okay, so you've never have heard of her by that name. Heck, I'm sure you didn't know her by her real name.

If you grew up as a male in the 60s through early 80s you do know what this character's name is; Miss Moneypenny. Yes, the double-entendre spewing administrative assistant of the big boss in James Bond movies. God bless her soul she passed away quietly due to cancer in Australia, her final homeland.

I grew up reading Bond books, that is books by Ian Fleming. I didn't see the movies because well, TV sucked in the 60s and 70s in the UP so I didn't see a Bond movie until, well, I no longer cared. By then I'd moved on to John le Carre' instead. Less sex, but far more intrigue. Yet, I always remembered the character of Moneypenny as she was referred. And always impressed with the early films with Connery, Lazenby, and Moore that had the exact same Moneypenny. I liked that loyalty. Loyalty is a big deal in my life. I don't know why or how, but it means something to me.

She was born some 80 years ago in Kitchener, Ontario as Lois Hooker. During WWII she fled home at 15, lied about her age, and joined the Royal Canadian Army to get away from her rural home life. She was a part of the Canadian Academy Entertainment Corp in England until her age was discovered. From there she managed to gain entrance to the Royal Academy of Arts in England where she made friends with Roger Moore whom she'd eventually share the screen with in seven Bond pictures. They remained lifelong friends to the end. She began her movie career in A Matter of Life and Death and soon won a Golden Globe for her acting in That Hagen Girl in 1947 and retired from films in 1989 when the Bond movies no longer came calling.

Lois Maxwell as her stage name, she was in many films in Hollywood including Stanley Kubrick's Lolita in 1962 which was followed by her fourteen picture stint as Miss Moneypenny starting with Dr. No in 1962. She was the perfect foil for the Bond character. Always exact, a little matronly, but yet with just the right touch of smitten for that dashing agent. The most recent Bond film with its new star Daniel Craig was the first Bond picture without a Moneypenny character. The succession of actors that tried to fill the character during the Dalton years, didn't warm anyone's hearts like Lois did.

Some of us are great by birth, some of us have greatness thrust upon us. Others don't achieve anything truly lasting. Lois was content to accept a character that I think is lasting and although small will be a legacy anyone should be proud of. Its sad that at least one Bond character never took her out for one long night on the town or more. She'd deserved that much. Rest well, Lois, you've earned it.

Sometimes

2007-09-24T20:11:00.000-05:00

Sometimes, I need help connecting the dots. Time passes and a guy forgets things. Like in this case what scum Alan Greenspan was. And all I thought was he wanted to sell books. Thanks for the screw job pal.

Apologies to Tom Tomorrow. Thanks for keeping me in the know, dude. Keep those cards and letters comming.

When You Fire Them, Make Them Leave Now!

2007-09-05T17:37:00.001-05:00

Hilly, I Barely Knew Ye

2007-08-30T05:00:00.000-05:00

Rest in peace Hilly. That is Hilly Kristal (photo above) to those of you that don't know. He past away this weekend of complications due to lung cancer according to his son Dana. He created an establishment he called CBGB & OMFUG. This was to mean Country, BlueGrass, Blues and Other Music For Uplifting Gormandizers. Truthfully a Gormandizer is a voracious eater of food, but to Hilly it meant a voracious devourer of music. To be honest Hilly was personally a country music fan. He only began letting almost unknown bands play at his bar when country bands wouldn't come there for he was located in the Bowery and the bands pestered him until he gave in.

The names that he permitted to play are the stuff of legends. And his requirements go hand in hand. They had to play their own compositions. You could get one cover a night, do two and he'd pull your plug and you might not get another gig there for a long time. He fostered the new sounds from the newest bands. The Ramones, Television, Blondie, Talking Heads, Sonic Youth and Patti Smith. Patti was the last artist to play there last fall when CBGB closed permanently. It closed because he was a victim of the old adage, "location, location, and location." The Bowery went from being the last place you wanted to visit, to a hub of artists and upscale renters. He simply couldn't afford the rent because the rents around him went up. Consider that the crafty or lucky Hilly actually made on the order of 2 million dollars just on his tee shirt concession with the simple statement CBGB.

Ah, he could be a pain in the ass. He liked country and here he was listening to guys that could barely play, much less competently. The Ramones are legend among his gripes. They argued, they walked off stage, they played very loud, the members played different songs at the same time, they simply didn't know how to play at first. But he let them come back. Why? Who knows. Hilly was known to say once they became a legend of their own, "Shit, they got better." And maybe that was all Hilly needed. I think he lived for the crazy people that showed up like Wayne Country. His joint became an icon before we of that era knew what icon meant.

I never made it to CBGB. In 1978-1980 I wanted to. I had begun hearing the Ramones, the Clash, Elvis Costello, Patti Smith, and more and they all ventured through those doors. By then the bar was a magnet for more than just bands and their victims, er fans. A close friend got the chance to go while on a NYC trip. He met a mutual friend we knew that lived in NYC and they took the subway and walked down to CBGB. He was really excited. He was close enough to hear it and see the line of people out front.

When out of a dark alley stepped 5-7 Puerto Rican youths. The one closest had the always dangerous "Saturday Night Special." A cheap black .22 revolver not known for accuracy, but its ability to go off at the wrong moment. His graduation watch, his cash, his entire wallet in fact. The pal had used the old trick of holding back a $20 and a few subway tokens in a shoe. It was all they had. They caught a cab/subway home. No tee shirt even.

I've always kept that story as the epitome of Midwesterners visiting CBGBs. Just as likely to see a cool band, you could see some dud that you'd not remember two weeks later. And you could as likely be mugged. Few mention the seamy side of the Bowery. That is how that neighborhood really was. People got beat up in the street. Read any of the books by the people that lived in the era. Drugs were easy to find and so was the trouble.

Just the same, without CBGB a lot of bands wouldn't exist. The goofy guy with the goofy name with the most notorious bathrooms in history made it happen. No one can say what might have not happened without him. Its impossible to separate the music era and its history without Hilly. I'm sorry I missed out. Damn youth is wasted on the young.

With Apologies to Tom Tomorrow

2007-08-27T17:07:00.000-05:00

Holy shit if that isn't the funniest in a while.

The Bunnies and Peter Himmelman

2007-08-24T19:04:00.000-05:00

That Crucial Last 15 Minutes

2007-08-21T02:42:00.001-05:00

In The Know: Candidates Compete For Vital Idgit Vote

Oh, Oh, This Ain't Right

2007-08-19T16:54:00.000-05:00

Oh man, lets get out of here...

2007-08-18T15:54:00.001-05:00

Probably Not

2007-08-18T15:50:00.000-05:00

What the hell was that?

2007-08-15T20:17:00.000-05:00

Okay
boys
and
girls.
First
study
the
photo
above.
Try
to
figure
out,
what
the
hell
made
what
he's
pointing
at
on
this
poor
boy.

Think
very
hard
before
you
look
at
the
second
photo
below.

Notice
the
shirt?

I Didn't Do It

2007-08-01T20:24:00.000-05:00

This is the saddest tragedy in my lifetime that was actually close enough that I'm sure to know someone that is effected. Here is to hoping all of my friends and their loved ones are as safe and sound (well as sound as I'll ever be) as I am.

So, You Think It Will Sell On eBay?

2007-08-01T11:35:00.001-05:00

Kevin McHale Sucks

2007-07-30T19:53:00.000-05:00

McHales' WoodMutts. That is what this team shall be called forthwith. Not the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Its being rumored strongly that McHales' WoodMutts will be trading off their finest player. That would be Kevin Garnett. For KG I am grateful. He's going somewhere that he might actually win a few games and work with people that want to win. For us, dog shit. Trouble is, I never ever ever want to see the Celtics win or contend for a championship. Sorry KG. Hating those pricks in Boston comes first. You should have gone to LA or Phoenix.

The trade is being made by old pals Kevin McHale and that feared and dreaded former Celtic partner, Danny Ainge. First of all, let it be said, the Celtics are the Yankees of professional basketball. Have been, and always will be. Since Red Auerbach (bet them ci-gars are easy to light in hell, right Red?) swindled, cheated, and berated every other team into bowing at his stinkin' cheap cigars. I smell a swindle here. KM couldn't pull off a smart trade with a blind, deaf, and dumb person unacquainted with the sport basketball. Ainge, ever the cagey one was a man known throughout his career for getting under the skin of others, regardless if it was legal or not. He's a grade A jerk and a successful one. KM? No so much. He got hit with too many pucks back in Hibbing. Shoulda wore a face mask dude.

Under his fine care the team has gone no where but down hill. From decent to lousy to worse coaches. From a increasingly older and less talented group of players around KG. Can anyone name one successful thing the man did? I can't. I don't know anyone that can. The Wild (gosh I hate that team name) have been wildly successful because they have no competition. Yeah, the pun was intended. And won't for some time.

Good luck KG, you were a good guy for the team and the area. You were never a jerk, you were never in trouble, and you put you heart out on the court. Now get outta here before they change their minds.

McHale, why didn't you stick with playing hockey for cryin' out loud? Sixth man? Shit man.

Stolen!

2007-07-28T19:47:00.000-05:00

Yeah, I stole this video from How to Avoid the Bummer Life. So what. Its too good not to share. Everybody needs a hero some days.

Too Funny Not To Pass Along

2007-07-25T13:09:00.000-05:00

What some fans in France will do to get their photos printed. Their best side too.

It Ain't Over Until the Drug Tests Come In

2007-07-25T05:20:00.000-05:00

If you haven't been under a rock or reading HP7 full time and follow the Le Tour at all you know what I'm talking about. Once considered a top contender for the GC leadership, Alexander Vinokouov of Kazakhstan, rider for the Astana team, won a time trial stage this past weekend. Now a few days later the blood test on his sample from that stage was determined to have blood cells that were not his own. This test will be performed on his second sample (called sample B), but the damage is done. His team fired him. His team dropped out of the tour. His team has said he is guilty until proven by Sample B to be questionable. Vino of course contends it must have been something that resulted from the treatment of his injuries.

Vino? Just how stupid are you? Vino has not had his most successful of rides this year. He crashed in the first week, losing minutes in the flat stages. Time that is often hard to make up then. He crashed again in a moderate climbing stage, losing enough time (almost 30 minutes) that he was thought to be out of contention this year. He then went and won the time trial regardless of his wounds (he required stitches on his knees, considered rather painful for a cyclist. It was the sample from that stage that Vino was tested for and found to have failed.

He'd later won a serious mountain stage, demonstrating he was capable in two areas of cycle racing. His win was overshadowed by a test of wills between two riders, one a rider of Discovery, Contador the new leader of that team and the current maliot jaune wearer Rasmussen. The Discovery rider could not drop the Dane, although there was some signs that he began his attacks too late and near the summit were the telltale signs of the Dane cracking. The idea was to get the Dane to crack, then make a jump to the next group where George Hincapie was riding as your lead out to open a real gap.

This is the third blow to the biggest event in bicycle racing. The first came when a German racer of little note was identified as failing a drug test while he rode for the T-Mobile squad. Following through on a commitment, some German television stations stopped broadcasting the tour. Germans were not always greatly interested in cycle racing until Jan Ullrich won the tour in the 90s. This surely isn't good for their interest. T-Mobile has announced they are reviewing their sponsorship of cycle racing. This generally has meant they intend to drop sponsoring teams as soon as possible to distance themselves. They aren't the first. The team Landis was on last year is no more. Others have dropped out. Even the one American team is again looking for a sponsor after first Motorola, then the USPS, and now the Discover Channel have announced the end of their sponsorship.

Soon after the first positive drug test was announced, it was leaked that the Danish national federation had dropped the current general classification (GC) leader, wearer of the yellow jersey, Michael Rasmussen from their team. The reason was that Rasmussen had not taken the required drug tests, nor advised officials of his wear abouts during the past year. This isn't a large infraction, but large enough that had the Tour officials known, he wouldn't have been riding in it. Some have been quoted as saying if he wins, it will be bad for the tour.

The French police are again raiding team vehicles. Three raids were conducted on Monday before the start of the stage. Riders conducted a protest on Monday suggesting the treatment is insulting.

Harry Potter Spoiler Alert!

2007-07-18T20:13:00.000-05:00

Okay, campers, I'm not really talking spoiler here as I have no premature information and I'm not going to any of the "spoiler" sites on book 7. No, these are my predictions. Beware if you've not read book 6 by now. Shame on you, and get reading and I'm not talking about my blog either.

I do not believe that Snape is the evil being he's made out to be, I believe there is a hero inside of him. I think he mistreated Harry in part because of hatred of his father and the treatment he received by him and that it played so well into the need for that borderline traitor that is needed by Tom Riddle, AKA Voldemort, AKA the Dark Lord. He played a part very well and I think he was meant to.

There has never been discussion of how previous Headmaster's died. Nor of great wizards. Is it possible that if when Tom Riddle tried to kill Harry, he passed on his power at some level to Harry that maybe when Dumbledore permitted himself to be killed by Snape, that something likewise can happen. Sort of like Obie Wan in Star Wars. In death he achieved something not even Tom Riddle can match. He is the one Tom always feared.

I think Harry and Tom Riddle will die as a consequence of that last fight. They are the two characters that must die, otherwise there is a reason to continue for the author. I have a high appreciation for the author, but if she's the least bit smart its what she must do. I believe the key to their death is not Snape, who will have proved his mettle before that final confrontation. I believe that none other than Neville will be the one to rise to the occasion. Regardless of the prophecy. Since when did Sybil ever get anything right. Okay, she did predict the return of the Dark Lord. Yeah, like I didn't see that coming too. Pfft.

And what of the rest? Happily ever after? I haven't a clue. It doesn't matter. Hermoine for headmaster? Ron for chief auror? I don't know. Life goes on. Just without any new Harry Potter stories that's all. Hey, all great things must come to an end.

One thing I've really liked is they are distinctly British tales. People don't steal things, they nick them. People who annoy you are buggers or gits, not dolts or buttheads. Youth in authority positions are "pre-ficts" not officers. She didn't make them more American just to gain more readers in America. Bravo to Ms. Rowling both for the way she wrote as well as what she wrote as well as keeping her family out of the limelight. She could teach Kathy Lee Gifford a hell of a lot. Really glad that whore for publicity's career tanked after she bolted her daytime program with what's his name. And she was replaced quicker than undershorts with a skid mark.

Poof and she was gone.

Make no mistake, I'm a big fan of the books and the author. I've enjoyed them. My kids enjoy them and have read them all several times. I don't mind the least bit that she's ending on chapter in her life that brought her bajillions. I don't begrudge her the money a single bit. She's one person I'm glad is rich. She came from pretty humble beginnings and is now earned her dough by creating something I expect to have as long a lifetime as the Hobbit books. I just hope that unlike so many sports stars that can't hang the jock up when they should, I hope she writes something else. Whatever it is, I'll be in line to buy it, regardless of the reviews. She's earned my trust and me as a fan.

Does This Deserve A New Word?

2007-07-15T17:32:00.000-05:00

A saw a new book has come out about the Shrubbery's Presidency with the title, A Tragic Legacy. For some reason this got me to thinking about some of the mangling of the English language by the Shrub. Words "the Decider" and "strategerdy" and so forth. Maybe we need a new word that encapsulates the Shrub and Mr. Grimace's legacy? I was thinking along the lines of a "Traggacy" or "Tragercy". Or maybe it should be "Legagic." The upchuck sort of sound at the end of that one has a nice ring, don't you think?

I suspect that there will be great debate over the years what to call the time of the Shrub and Mr. Grimace and their folly of leadership. Leadership heck, you can't even apply that. There should be a new word to describe the lying, revenge getting, war starting, talking point sticking, fear mongering, power abusing, emergency incompetence, junk science spreading, self righteous bible thumpin', anti-environment, pro-capitalism at any cost, tax cut makin' these "leaders" of the free world have perpetrated on the planet. I haven't come up with one yet, but I'm thinking on it. First one with the word gets to write the book defining it. But you'll owe me 10% of the gross profits for giving you the idea. And don't try to flatter me by giving me some stinkin' byline on the cover. I want the cash man, before the crummy publisher takes their cut.

On the other hand, doesn't impeach have a great ring to it?

Gosh, how ballistic are you going to go when the GOP starts trying to name some airport in Technicolor Yawn, Kentucky; Bush International Airport? Good grief, this will never be over. Nixon at least resigned in disgrace, this pair of arrogant twits getting out office scott free is a travesty of ginormous proportions.

Jesus. Would you want to send *your* child to George W. Bush Middle School? I'd homeschool the little carpet climber first myself.

The Boat Anchor or How I Came to Love Fatigue and Friends

2007-07-03T20:38:00.000-05:00

Good grief is that a face only a mother can love? I don't know as my mother's been gone a long time so I can't ask. I personally know it to be the face of someone that foolishly rode much further in less time than in any other time in his life.

Rewind. Friday night I went on the HC night ride. Oh it was fun. Twenty two miles of great cool entertainment. So far so good.

After three hours of sleep, I got up, got on the Bleriot and rode to HC and rode with the same bunch and more. Only its 21 miles there from my house. We rode to breakfast in St. Paul. We rode back, and I bailed out early and headed toward home. I arrived home with 56 miles. This adds up to 78 miles. Nice training regime. Dodo. The day before riding 200K.

So I got lots of sleep and met these two at Bill's house at 6:30 AM.Here Jim (in red) and Bill (in green) stare at me in wonder why I'd photograph them. Realistically? They should be named; Kind and Kinder. Why, that will come, be patient.

The train loading process was confusing. We were hanging around the baggage loading area when an Amtrak gal saved us with the ominous question, "What are you doing here?" Timidly we mentioned boxing bikes and tickets and junk. Ultimately, she was a huge help, she got us the boxes, she got us the paperwork, she got us tape to close the boxes, she lent us a pen to write our names on the boxes, she loaded the boxes on the cart upright. Although gruff on the exterior, she was a very pleasant person to deal with.

Soon it was obvious the train was late and there were no spare seats in the waiting lounge. We'd pulled our Carradice bags off the bikes with our helmets and sat around yakking. It was an interesting segment of society at the train depot. While I stood in line for my ticket, I ended up speaking with a fellow out of a long stay in rehab. Four years. Meth. He was as nervous as a cat as it was the first return home since entering rehab. He made a succession of cell phone calls from the train on his way to Milwaukee. I wanted to wish him luck, but I chickened out.

The prime reason I neglected to do my boy scout best was I went to pick up my Camelback from the overhead bin only to discover it was empty. Did I not screw the top on tight enough? Gravity feed? Maybe the weight of the saddlebag was on the mouthpiece? I don't know, and I didn't know where the liquid was so what could I tell some attendant? Um, see, this here sugary blue liquid is going somewhere, maybe you'll have a clue? I hope it didn't get sucked into some poor person's baggage. It was also obvious there were not many getting off and they were in a hurry got get us off and try to make up time.Here you have the "seen better days" of the Winona depot.

And here you can see one of the finer Amtrak baggage handlers about to drop the first bike out of the train baggage car.

I do mean drop as the recipient didn't prepare and the dropper didn't care. They then proceeded to pile them onto the top of the baggage cart which was convex so that they looked rather precarious. Instead of trying to snap a photo of the impending disaster, Jim ran up and politely requested if we could take them right there and save them the trouble? Good lord, what a smart idea.

While he did that, I amused myself thus. And then I took this.

While Jim filled his water bottles and Bill made sure things were ready and soon we were off. Me on a Bleriot, Jim on a Romulus, and Bill on his Redwood.

We discussed what route to start with, and we soon went the scenic route over the bridge in Winona over to Highway 35 in Wisconsin. When we turned North it was obvious the tail wind was favorable. Bill quickly set a quick pace and I tried to hang on close enough to his slip stream. I knew I wasn't in shape to lead this trio. It took hours, but a noon start, and by the heat of the day at 5 PM we were trying to climb the hill outside of Bay City. A nice two mile ride up and a great two plus ride down. Only I sucked. I just no longer had it. I was the boat anchor. Kind and Kinder? They waited for me. I had no business riding with them, but they put up with me admirably.

Soon every peak was an excuse to wait for me.

I can explain how demoralizing it feels to be waited for at every stop. That is the way it is. I kept resolving not to blow up, not to expend needless energy on any chase or efforts to win back my ability to rise to a challenge. I kept remembering the words the commentators would make when a rider in the Tour de France would go off the front in an effort to win a stage or gain a climber points. Then later, they blow up, completely. And the commentator would always say, okay, forget it, stick to your own pace. Recover and ignore it all, the people passing, the lack of cheering, the impending red lantern and the broom behind you. No, I'm not comparing myself to anyone capable of the tour, but the method of sticking to pedaling in circles, to conservation and pushing the pain and the fatigue and the heat out of your mind and just climb at a rate you can handle. Regardless if its an overweight 50 YO climbing at 4 MPH or a racer flying up a mountain at 19 MPH while his competitors fly by at 22 or 25 MPH its all the same. Give up? Go home? Keep going to live another day?

The worst thing about Highway 35 was the fucking motorcycles. On a bicycle alone you can hear a lot. Birds, wind, crickets, cars, trucks, and the stupid harley loud pipes that in their mind save lives. I can tell you from experience its bullshit in the best redneck form. You hardly hear the stupid pipes from their approach. Their pointed backwards, how can you? Oh, Lord, when they go by? Of course you can hear them for miles. Does a horn section face the curtain when on stage? Do they point the loudspeakers at the ball park toward the parking lot? Of course not. But harley riders want you to think they work regardless of the law of physics. I could hear the radio playing and tell the music style on the quiet Honda Goldwings. Sometimes they were so constant it was enough to give them a headache. The police let those assholes get away with that shit, because the cops are surely in someone's pocket. The classic case of the money and bullshit are doing the talking and it surely isn't logic that applies. I will NEVER look upon a loud harley rider as anything but an arrogant idiot. They have NO HONOR and NO CLASS, only self centered arrogance from completly intelligence people who want to desperately be back in a group just like high school. Where everyone dresses alike, where how your bike looks more that what kind of human is and where how loud your pipes are is more important than the rest of your community. This is the very definition of the me generation and the definition of what is wrong with America.
Then there was the two vehicles that went by with the horn blarring, and the middle finger extended. They followed this by swerving off the road intentionally to throw up rocks and dust never realizing their timing was awful. The only thing they taught me was that Wisconsin drivers are bigger idiots than those in Minnesota. That was a first having riding in five or six states even in the south, I'd never seen that behavior before.

You'll note, I have no more photos except the one at the top which came from my house when I was finished for the day. Okay there is one, where the guys stopped for a break to eat stuff and rest a little.

This is a photo of Bill attempting to wash the gnats out of his eyes. Since I always wear goggles or glasses or sunglasses to protect my eyes and contacts from such thing, I didn't have any trouble. Okay, I'm sure I swallow a few and surely inhaled a few. Gnats I'll take anytime over harleys.

I was so fatigued at this point I'm not sure what town it was. Red Wing? Hastings? Gabuti?

I remember eating something. We ended up in a Perkins at 9 PM. Which meant it was really slow, as there was only a minimal crew. As in one waitstaff. One host and one cook. I had French Toast and I'm not a slow eater normally. Its probably why I tend to get food on myself, I'm in a hurry. I didn't have the energy to shovel hot sugary food in. I wasn't looking for a hotel anymore, though. I really knew I could to it, with the help of my friends.

There is no doubt I would not have made the distance without encouragement and hearing, "Hey! We're in no hurry." for the hundredth time and still gullibly believing them. Honest Bill and Jim would have been back at 10 PM or at least midnight without me. Did I make it more fun for them? God I hope so. I hope something came from the debt I owe them both. So the last photo is the Bleriot, after getting hauled out of the elephant. The saddlebag emptied into a carry bag because I couldn't make decisions on what should stay in the garage and what should go in to the house. Can you tell its dang glad it got that 200 pound engine off the saddle finally?

I'm not usually much on mileage until someone pointed out what I'd done. Take the 22 and the 56 and add the 147. Its about 225 miles. Or about 365 kilometers. Okay, I did it over four days, Friday night at 10 through Monday morning at 2:30 AM. I'm ignorant of what needs to be done in a brevet to qualify, but now I know I can do the mileage and with realistic training (not 80 miles the day before) I could manage to do one in better shape. And have more fun, and be more fun to be with. And be much better at ignoring the stupid motorcycles. I am deeply grateful to Kind and Kinder. Thanks for waitin'.

What the hell was I thinking?

2007-06-30T21:14:00.000-05:00

It was here at breakfast this morning midway on the morning HC ride that Monty predicted he'd drop us all and hang on to a bunch of skinny tired weight wienie racer boys. Monty, I think its time to shave those legs again and order that custom Rivendell track bike.

Let us go back in time to 10 PM on June 29th. I, in the elephant arrived late for the night time HC ride. Thankfully the rest of the bunch waited for at the light (which I seemed to fail to recognize was red). I was late because I'd forgotten 35W Southbound was closed and had to map a new route. No paper map, no GPS, no TomTom on my dash baby, all brains. Which is why I was late. We looped around the city for a outstanding 22 miles. What a night to ride and many awesome scenes were observed. The hill by the Guthrie and riding the bike lane down the middle of Hennepin were two of mine. Low light, not finding any food at the end of the ride beyond, gulp, White Castle. I can attest that everyone resisted that strange urge. Gosh we're all old.

I got home and into the sack at 2.

Three hours later the alarm went off. I wasn't driving in that mess again. I got up showered, scraped my noggin, dressed up, ate a bowl of Cracklin' Oat Bran (Ray is their signature rider and personal spokesperson), and launched. Seeing the clock on the cyclometer, I thought I was late. No, I was sleep deprived. I went to the big ring and pushed a pace that was unwise. To arrive half an hour early. After getting rather bored, I was about to lie down on the bus bench across the street after taking this shot as testimony I was there in case I fell asleep and they left me. Thank God, Velocopete showed up to keep me awake.I had clocked 21 miles already by that point. Plus the breakfast ride, plus the return trip added to 56 miles.

And tomorrow someone arm twisted (they asked, "want to?" and I said "Sure") into joining them to ride the Empire builder to Winona. And then yes, Ladies and Gentlemen ride our bikes back.

My legs still feel weak. I will be toast tomorrow. And somehow regret one of these foolish maneuvers, for at least a moment or two. Wish me luck and cool weather.

Correction

2007-06-24T20:20:00.000-05:00

The danger with writing is the possibility someone will read it. :-D

I mentioned an altercation. The altercation occurred after the ride was complete and in fact I'd spent a few sheckles in the HC headquarters. I had ridden to the ride with someone else who helped me a great deal with navigation in the south end of town. They were kind enough to accompany me back the same way. It was at the corner of 54th or just down the street and Highway 55. We only became involved when a very annoyed cager shoved a lone cyclist on the east end of the street light. We were waiting at the west end of the light and began to yell. The cager jumped in his cage and went away, the cyclist shouted his thanks to us and we rode away. I think he is okay. I don't think I knew him.

It was a situation I've put myself into many times. I yell at a cager that does me what I think a wrong. From what I could tell, the black car buzzed the cyclist. And didn't care. And was more than willing to beat the shit out of the cyclist too. We pointed out we had his license plate and a cell phone and unless he knocked it off, we'd have the police and a lot of witnesses.

As we rode away, we agreed that we've been there and done what the rider did. Attempt to educate a stupid cager by yelling. It ain't going to work. In this case it initiated more trouble that it was worth. Even polite discussion is rarely a solution. A cager finds a cyclist the last person they will take roadway behavior advice from. We don't drive a motor vehicle (at that moment) what can we know?

It upset me over the day. It could have been me. None of the other cages cared a wit. We two cyclist were the only ones involved. Yeah, we helped a little. I didn't bother (didn't have a pen) to get his license. I didn't call 911. I'm not sure it matters. The instantaneous violence shocked me.

The cyclist didn't appear to be gravely injured. He could have been.

Bleriot Redux

2007-06-24T06:41:00.000-05:00

Here is a photo or two of my Bleriot. Kit includes a Sugino crank, MSK pedals, Soma clips, Phil rear free wheel hub, IRD freewheel, Schmidt front hub, Berthoud fenders, Brooks Saddle, Carradice saddle bag. Berthoud fenders, ToPeak frame pmp, Nitto stem and handlebars, Modolo brake levers, Dia Compe brakes with Mathhouser pads and a Brooks saddle, Silver shift pods and Shimano 600 down tube shifters, Shimano XT front derailer and Suntour rear derailer, and Nitto bottle cages.

New Bike

2007-06-23T19:42:00.000-05:00

Today was the long awaited (by some) maiden voyage of the Bleriot. An example is above, but its not mine. I'll post photos later. I just finished assembly last night and haven't even shellacked the bar tape yet. I rode it down to work, meeting pal Bill along the way. We rode together for the Hiawatha Cyclery ride. There I'm guessing we put on about 14 miles or so. Add to that the 18 miles to the shop from home and back, I'm guessing I put on 50 miles. Maybe more, but 50 will be close enough. I didn't have the cyclometer installed yet. I need to change out the shifters got get better rear and front shifting. Tally for the day:

50 miles
1 flat tire, which made no sense (the hole was on the inside (rim side) of the tube)
Two lost bolts - I had not tightened the clips to the pedals and two fell off before I realized. I got two replacement from Jim at HC
One scratch obtained while leaning it against a light post near Al's Breakfast in Dinkytown
One fall over, where I didn't pay attention and Mark Stonich made a right and I hadn't slowed enough and panic braked without pulling my feet out of the clips and fell over.
Annoyed everyone in hearing distance from my braking, I didn't toe in the Dia Compe center pulls and they squeal outrageously
One altercation observed - maybe I'll right about this later, its begun to really bug me (my behavior or specifically lack there of)
Wonderful conversation with Bill - just one of those great riding partners

Incentive

2007-06-20T05:57:00.000-05:00

Last night the Twins played the Mets in New York. The pitcher for the Twins was Santana. At some point in the pre-game warm up and visit by the broadcasting staff, a conversation occurred between Santana and Bert Blyleven, former Twins pitcher and now broadcaster for the Twins. Here is the gist as reported in this morning's New York Times:

Santana may be involved in a more entertaining event today. Bert Blyleven, a former Twins pitcher who is now a broadcaster, told Santana before the game that if he pitched a complete-game shutout, Blyleven would allow his head to be shaved.

“Believe me, it’s going to happen,” Santana said of Blyleven’s haircut. “I will definitely look for him. Hopefully, by game time, he’ll be bald."

Me, I'll be looking for that new hair style on Bert and it will be interesting if he can find a way to motivate the next pitcher to throw a full game shut-out.

Never Sleep on Airplanes

2007-06-19T05:25:00.000-05:00

Happy Father's Day To All You Dad's

2007-06-17T17:14:00.000-05:00

I heard a neat idea on Weekend Edition this morning on public radio. At the end of the program they always mention the people you don't hear and give their positions in thanks for their efforts. Somewhat like the credits at the end of the movie. This morning they listed them as Eliza Grace our sound engineer, daughter of Albert Grace. Or out sound engineer was the the daughter of Albert Grace, Eliza Grace. I'm sure its been done before and some would think it trite, but I thought it was a nice way of recognizing we all have fathers we should be thankful for. Even if they were horrible parents, left you penniless, showed no support, or whatever you wouldn't exist without them and unless you'd rather be dead, you ought to be grateful, at least a little. On the other hand, I think it is another useless made up holiday, so the greeting card industry won't go out of business.

Here's a joke for this father's day, which I'd bet is apocryphal. In theory this is supposed to have been a chart entry made by a doctor while seeing a patient.

"The patient admitted to having four children, but appears to have no other abnormalities."

Only a dad will admit to having children is an abnormality.

Database

2007-06-17T13:14:00.000-05:00

So someone wrote and asked, database? You mention a database? What chu talking 'bout Willis?

Years ago, while injured I was playing around with databases on my computer and decided to organize my music collection onto a database on my computer. Later I started to put the things into the database as owned or want so I could print out a small "desired" list.

Then years ago, I bought my first PDA and discovered I could put a database onto it. What a concept! I'd got it so I could have my mobile schedule as I wandered work and it would remind me, be here there or whatever. This was a bonus. I could have a listing of recordings I wanted, and those I owned whenever I carried it. It took a lot of learning to translate the database I'd created in one program to convert to the Palm, but it worked.

Eventually it died. It got carried everywhere. And like my issues with getting food into my mouth instead of on my clothing, it got dropped. Not damaged, but it began to behave peculiarly. So I found someone with a used one that was color! Oh, man, and the software available was even better. But the database I'd been using wasn't available for this language. Grrr, stupid Microshaft.
So once again I set about converting. This was a little trickier as I had to translate to a third mutual language, and then back to something this little bugger could read. I used this one so much I wore out rechargeable batteries. I created a vast shopping list system, so I could create a list based on what I liked to buy in groceries, by aisle, in order of their location, so it was an easy way to shop and you didn't look for things. Having a list is good, being able to skip aisles you shouldn't be on (like cookies) is even better. I found I stuck to budget. Finally the display on this one began to go wacky. I'd just used the sucker to death. Got my money's worth you might say. Yay me. So I began to look for another. I found one that I liked, would take my database language, no conversion, and eliminated my cell phone. One thing instead of two. Yippee! Its smaller in some ways (width) and has its own keyboard so I didn't have to write using a stylus although I can if I want. Its thicker, but it fits into a shirt pocket. Now, I was really relying on the bugger. How to prevent dropping it? A lanyard around my neck? Surgically implant a hoop for my hip and connect it to that? Piercings? Nope, my solution was to buy an aluminum padded case to take the abuse.

So far so good. I've had my accidents in the six months I've owned it and it seems to have taken the punishment.
Back to this geekness database. So I have a listing of my recordings in it. As long as I update the thing every time I buy something, all is well. Sometimes I procrastinate (always!) and forget to put it in the day I discover something at a garage sale. Or a sale at the Minneapolis Library, which sometimes has great sales of eclectic music and books. So I bought a copy of "Blue" by
The Jayhawks and didn't put it in. By the looks of the box and disc, it was a garage sale as the disc appears completely unused. Now I bought a second copy, but a later version that has extra songs and came in the easily damaged cardboard box thing. I'll keep that although he cardboard is more beaten, but the extra songs are the big plus. The database is easily searchable, buy artist, title, year released, producer, label, if its on my Sony cheap imitation iPod, if I own it, or if I was at least at one time interested in owning it. I have written screens so that it will show me only those I want, and only those I own.

Like everything else, garbage in, garbage out. If I don't put it in, I won't know I own it. Yeah, technology saves you only when you use it consistently. You moron. And yes, Sony no longer produces my little device and in fact there hasn't been a software update since the year made. Can you say, "ass kicked by Apple, iTunes, and the iPod?" I knew you could. Even big companies don't always figure it out. Note, this is the fifth generation of a device to compete with the iPod. So its not like they failed once; they failed five times with a target to shoot at. And trust me, I'm not laying the blame on the engineers and designers. This is all about timing and management.

So I've got a copy of "Blue" to drop off at either Cheapo or Electric Fetus for sale as used. I'm a little broke now, so it will wait. I'm not quite capable of going in with less money than I come out with.

So, Sew What?

2007-06-17T07:18:00.000-05:00

The Friday before the Richard Thompson Band show, I went to the Electric Fetus and picked up a few recordings. Like the new Richard Thompson disc and few others. Total purchase was this:

Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy by Brain Eno
untitled by Grinderman (Nick Cave)
Blue Earth by the Jayhawks
twelve by Patti Smith
two more by Patti Smith (vinyl only!)
Sweet Warrior by Richard Thompson
Saltbreakers by Laura Veirs
Carbon Glacier by Laura Veirs
Release the Stars by Rufus Wainwright

The Eno is 20+ years old and I have it on vinyl. I've been slowly getting the disc version of Eno's best. Just have had a hankering for the last year. The Grinderman is the lastest incarnation of a Nick Cave band. Oh is it delicious on the first listens. Its raw and loud and features a guitar sound that is just like the band name, like grinding or other loud metal work in a foundry. What I wouldn't do to see him live on this tour. The Jayhawks was a fuck up. I had a copy, but neglected to put it in my database. D'Oh! I hate when that happens. Anyway it was a used copy, in better shape then the one I have, so I'll bring my first copy in for sale. The Patti Smith I like, but not as much as I hoped. I'm hoping it will grow on me. The RT is very solid. Some great songs to start itoff and more memorable after seeing them done in concert. The two Laura Veirs are solid. She is on quite the roll. She's quirky good pop fun. Rufus is a secret guilty pleasure. I love his voice and like to sing along. I'm sure my neighbors hate Rufus already. He's so funny at times too. Mojo makes it sound like he might be developing a gigantic ego besides. Lets hope not.

Richard Thompson at the Fitzgerald

2007-06-11T23:26:00.000-05:00

I've seen Richard Thompson many times, so I'm both a little biased, but I'm also a little jaded. Every other time I saw him, he was alone. He has toured with others like Bonnie Raitt and her band, but he performed alone. Except when he joined Bonnie and her group on stage. He's a complete showman. He can make a guitar seem like more than one instrument at at time. Yet, it does lack a little. This show was in support of his recent recording Sweet Warrior. Its a good recording, better than some, not his best. It has some great stuff on it as usual.

The show at the Fitz tonight included three other band members. First was the multi-instrument playing Pete Zorn (I think) . He was awesome, playing bass flute which Richard referred to as "wicked piece of plumbing" because it is goofy looking, as well as mandolin, guitar, alto and tenor sax, and backing vocals. Then there was Danny Thompson (no relation) playing an amplified upright bass both with his fingers or a bow. Last was the percussionist a tall lanky fellow by the name of Michael Jerome. His normal playing style was a mere flick of the wrist, but was loud enough. At times he really stretched out his enormous arms (I'm guessing he's a six foot tall kind of guy) and effortlessly got gigantic sound volume. Oh, man and tight. Every song seemed to have tempo changes and prearranged frilly ends to songs. All four guys were just note for note solid. Seeing a bunch of experienced artists work so hard and make it look effortless yet be so on top of their game was just stupendous.

I'm not good at knowing song titles and such, but he played an excellent spectrum of his stuff from Fairport Convention songs, to something from his days with Linda his then wife ("Wall of Death"), to other recordings from the eighties and nineties. Some of the loudest calls of appreciation came for one of my favorites; "1952 Vincent Black Lightning" from Rumor and Sigh. He also played "A Man in Need", "Al Bowly's In Heaven", "Tear Stained Letter", and a lot of songs from the new disc. The ones I recall are:

Needle and Thread
I'll Never Give Up
Stupid Man
Dad's Gonna Kill Me ("a pro anti-war song" where "Dad" is short for Bagdad, like "Nam" was short for Vietnam)
Too Late to Come Fishing
Sunset Song

If there was more, its because I've not listened to the new disc enough. I'm there to enjoy myself not be a scribe for the folks that like set lists. Its not my thing.

There was one song I didn't recognize. One companion noted how "He's on fire" and the other noted "he shredded that sucker." It was the longest solo I've ever seen Richard do. Plus there were solo's for Danny on bass and Pete on one instrument. Michael didn't need solos, you couldn't miss his solid beat. It was always there. The song just left me in awe.

Richard I think was at his best with a band. He didn't have to carry the whole show. He can and make it look effortless without them. But this way he seemed energized, playful (see solos), and even more witty with the audience. Every time I've ever seen RT, the locals yell out their favorites (note I did not yell out "Black Vincent" or "Red Molly" as some might call it) for him to play. In one show they kept yelling out stuff from his early years or the stuff he and Linda had done. I don't think at the time that was in his fondest memory. At one point he got serious stopped tuning and diddling with the strings and inquired, "have you bought any recordings from the recent decade?" This time he was kinder. Telling them, yes, thank you, we aren't going to play them, but if you must go ahead shout titles out. He muttered at one point, I might be the only one on stage that knows that one. He had a set list, and they were sticking to it. This wasn't bad. In fact it was great. A two hour plus show, they started on time, there was no warm up, just the headliner coming out without a dramatic delay. And they got right to it. And it was one hell of a ride and I'm guessing there were few that didn't appreciate it. I know I and my companions really enjoyed RT and his band tonight. I'll see him every time he comes with a band. It was that good.

Impressive

2007-06-11T00:36:00.000-05:00

Trust me, this kind of thing only happens when Dads are doing the changing. You now know there is a phenomenon called, projectile pooping.

HC Ride and Riders

2007-06-11T00:19:00.000-05:00

Did the HC off road ride. There are no mountains in Minnesota so we can't call it that. I took my ridiculous overkill double boinger Jamis Dakar. I ride it so little it needed a chance to show off that I own more than the orange QB I usually ride. So, I put air into the tires and arrived on time. See the drag with the Dakar is it was a bargain, but its Al-U-min-eum, so its not taken to well by the HC crowd. Plus its got an ass hatchet for a saddle. Its from the days where I too was a weight wienie. I sought to shave grams instead of examining my form in a mirror and knowing where the real kilos were in plain view. I gotta save up for another of HCs B17, maybe I'll make the Dakar feel better by buying one of the titanium railed jobs in black ors something. For a bike I hardly ride. Duh.

While I was browsing afterward, Jim exclaimed how he found a tick. As in woodtick. There were some comments about post ride stripping and mutual tick check. No one went first so I left. Good thing there were not women riders or I'm afraid Ray would have disrobed in seconds. Maybe less. Just for the shock factor you see.

Today I did my semi annual carpet cleaning. I bought a house with new carpet. Good quality carpet. Horsebleeping white carpet. Sigh. I'm a pig. Lets face it, laundry is harder for me, because I'm always puzzling over how to remove this or that stain from my shirts or pants. Can you imagine what my house is like? Oh, lord I do try. Its a good thing I don't date anyone, or more correctly why I don't date anyone as they come and see my hovel and well, that's the end of that.

So I shoved furniture around yesterday and vacuumed like a banshee. Everything everywhere. This morning I rented a extractor from Homer's Depot. Used their machines before and they work well. Pulled every fan I have out of my storage and got to work and cleaned all the carpeting. Shoved furniture around until it was done. Took seven hours with a stop for lunch. Nice warm day, all the windows open and the carpet dried quickly. Looks much better. Except for the enormous disarray of hte funiture in irrational locations. Maybe they'll get back into place this week.

After returning the machine and paying the big $28 (including a nice pair of ear plugs, the thing is really noisy for 6+ hours) I was a sight. Needed a shower a great deal. I shaved as usual when I shower and cleaned up. No big deal. As I was washing I discovered something unusual. In a very unusual place. Lets put it this way, if I was dating someone, and she got past my inability to keep a clean and neat home, and she ah, saw fit to sleep with me for more than rest, she'd might have found the tick first and in this case: Two strikes and you're out. Or she'd be out of there.

So, not only did I ride. I had a rider.

Best line on housekeeping ever. Zsa Zsa Gabor once said, "I'm a great housekeeper. Every time I get divorced, I keep the house." Ta dumb bump.

Sound

2007-06-05T06:03:00.000-05:00

That is one sound sleeper. I can't balance empty cans that high on a level non-human surface. The pile on the back of the head just boggles my mind.

If You Need Instructions

2007-06-05T05:59:00.000-05:00

If you need instructions on how to wear a garment in public, maybe you shouldn't be wearing them?

Happy Birthday - Now Get Back Into The Grave

2007-06-04T21:24:00.000-05:00

For two months I've been reading (Mojo) and hearing how its the anniversary of the summer of love and most importantly that behemoth recording by the Beatles, Sergeant Peppers Lonely Hearts Club band. And man its only begun, three more months to suffer through.

Lets get it over with. I've not enjoyed that album for 20 years. The last time a Beatles re-issue (and face it, that is all there ever will be - re-issues, they're as dead as Led Zeppelin and so many other has beens) for that recording. I heard on and on how marvelous George Martin had made the CD sound. So I bought it. Sucker! Oh sure, I pretended at first, but I soon came to the conclusion: I no longer liked it. Its dated. Its dull. Its well packaged to the point of having no soul. Its calculated to reach the easily led. Its the Wal Mart of recordings.

Sure they sing about a girl leaving home, but Tom Waits would have had a lot better story about the namby pamby chickenshit girl leaving home. Big deal. And if that was '67 where was the brewing angst? Oh yeah. Explosions. And holes in Albert Hall. Huh? They had nothing to compare to the stuff the Stones were doing or going to do. And face it after Sgt. Peppers, the Beatles began that slide down hill to bickering. Arguing over money (of which there was plenty) and whose girlfriend was a bigger pain in the ass (Yoko or tuneless Linda - shit, you pick for me cause that is one appalling choice - vegan TV dinners or the horseface screecher?) There was poor Ringo stuck in the middle just enjoying the ride and trying to make it last.

What the hell did they have to be stressed out about? It was Brian "Surfer" Wilson driving himself mad in California because he couldn't compete. It was Brian Jones, giving his life to what? Because of depression over the loss of his band? Because he was stupid? Who exactly knows? Then Mick Taylor did his time in the Stones and found it to be great, but enough was enough. And left happily And then Bill Wyman, where the bloody hell was his brain anyhow? Did he think he was more than a bit player or what? Talk about deluded. Even his loopy book of his "happy" days in the Stones was incredibly boring. Take a song like "Sympathy For The Devil" and add a murder during a free concert performance of it.

Do the Beatles have anything like that? Like heck. They only drama they ever had they created so they'd have tension to work against. They had slap fighting between Lennon and McCartney over whose name went first on the credits like two sixth grade girl scouts arguing over who was the better cookie Mom. Shit kill me now Lord. And people worship the non-existent recordings they don't make.

The reason that the Beatles stand out? Why people remember them? They can remember their boring lyrics without working at. They can easily remember the song they heard after getting laid the first time or some sad tale. "She loves you yee-ah". Oh, boy. Try deciphering Tumbling Dice by the Stones sometime. Oh hell, try deciphering anything on "Exile On Main Street". Music is supposed to be cerebral, not for simpletons to easily memorize. Give me "Beggars Banquet", "Exile..", "Let It Bleed", "Sticky Fingers" and "Some Girls" over everything in not only the Beatles catalog, but everything in that stupid Apple records company catalog. Oh boy, that amounted to a lot.

Strand me on a deserted island with a single Beatles recording and I'd kill myself long before rescue is possible. Give me the Stones and I'll be happier to think of a way to signal, survive, and escape from that sandy hot hell. They just have so much more soul. Everything is so well calculated with the Beatles that its hard to imagine anything but a perfect world that is impossible. Memorable lyrics? Yeah they are easy to remember but are they worthy?

Where was their angst against the US? Weren't they sick of us already and our war in Vietnam? Forty years later our own Rufus Wainwright is, thank God, showing us what schmucks we've become collectively. And twenty years ago it was the Clash. Here's lyrics for you.

"Back in my garage
with my bullshit detector
Carbon monoxide
making sure its effective"
"Garageland" The Clash from the first recording "The Clash."

And how about this?

Never mind the stars and stripes
Lets print the Watergate Tapes
I'll salute the New Wave
Lets hope nobody escapes
I'm so bored with the U...S..A..
"I'm So Bored With The USA" The Clash from their first recording "The Clash".

And this for Paris "Jailbird" Hilton, enjoying her stay in big house:

I don't wanna hear about what the rich are doing
I don't wanna go to where the rich are going
They think they're so clever, they think they're so right
But the truth is only known by guttersnipes
"Garageland" The Clash from the first recording "The Clash."

So instead of making a cake and planting candles I'll dig a hole, shove my Sgt. Peppers recordings in it, piss on it from on high, and shovel manure on top so it won't rise again in 20 years and no one will notice the stink. So happy fucking birthday Sgt. Peppers, now stay dead.