local shop support

I can't stress supporting your local shop enough.
For me this last week has revieled my total
lack of maintaince with my bike.

With my 'pinging' and loose spoke Spinergys
I stopped in for a true, I did all I could do,
and I ordered a set of Hudz - Paris Pink.
I stopped in a couple of days later
and $30 less, for two wheels trued
and a set of Hudz?
Now Hudz go for $40 -
so that was a deal. Thanks again!

Since I saved ALOT,
I decided to punish myself by getting some new pads.
The Kool Stops grip like nothing else,
but are a total pain to squeeze in,
meaning there's redoing the springs.
And I still can't toe them in correctly.


Now on the last ride out into the country,
I noticed a weird 'give' in what seemed to be
either the crank arms or bottom bracket,
but everything checked out ok.
I couldn't figure it out.
Then I thought,
maybe it's the hub

but, no!
a completely shot and semi blown apart chain!
there was no stretch indicated by the link gap.
You could bend that chain into a circle.
$21 for a Sram chain, instead of the Campy,
15 minutes for an instant install,
and I'm on my way to work, only 15 min. late.

Just ANOTHER reason to support your local shop!
The bike is now semi-running,
at least the shifts are crisp and quick,
funny how you forget about those things.
So it's just reinforcement that since I can't maintain
one bike properly, I probably shouldn't own several.

Now we're off to DC for the 4th of July,
a little biking and the usual touristy things.
I'll be out of internet through then,
but you can be sure of alot of randomness,
pictures, misadventures, and more randomness.

As I updated this, I just flatted past the White House,
down 16th. A couple wrong turns and I ended up on
The 4th of July Parade Route..... suck.

belive in

actually it should be called,
'back that shit up'.
I have some hankey shit,
I'm half-assed, never maintain anything.
brush it off, duct tape it and keep going.

So when my helmet retention broke,
I was bummed but didn't think anything else of it.
Yep! I taped it and kept going, whatever.
Yeah, I spent a decent amount on it,
and I wasn't gonna spend that again,
at least for a while.

So when Bert the recumbenter mentioned
my ill fitting helmet, it was a LITTLE embarrassing.
I mean, I worked at a shop for six years,
I should be able to fit a helmet,
but it's my helmet soooo.....
then I realised my crapped out straps.


So with five minutes, I googled Giro.
Called the Chicago office, hit warranty,
prepared some big imaginary story about
how much this helmet cost, AND
how pissed I was about it breaking, AND
how I'll never buy anything from them again.
CRAP! They just asked for the # in the helmet,
and my address, and it'ld be mailed ot tomorrow,
at no charge! SWEET!


SO long/short story:
GIRO rocks!
Did me proud.

just look away

I have more lists than motivation.
that sums up my life.

I have great intentions and aspirations,
but I usually fall short.
So here we go again.

It's the grocery-store-checkout-snob.
Maybe there's a blog that she writes...

anyways, the prelude is:
I rarely eat meat, especially red meat.
ususally it's chicken, seafood and GRILLERS!
Love those grillers! And I won't force my kids to
be vegetarians - they can make their own life decisions.
That said, when I'm at the grocery store,
there's some junky shit in my cart at times.

And yes, I should be a better person and show up with
my nifty canvas tote with earth saving slogans on it.
But that's assuming too much on my planning ability.
So to gety the nasty eye from someone
checking out in front of me?
And then to whip out the tote while giving the
stink eye and 'No! I have my own bag!'
like some passive-aggresive scolding?
oh, you kill me lady,

so how's your recycling?
(not our cans - it's from work- so they would've been tossed)


or your yard?
do you really need a gas mower?
or landscapped with recycled/reclaimed cement?


but first,
how did you get here?
or to there?


let's play the 'who's vehicle is healthier game'.
most of all, if you were that concious of your actions,
why weren't you at the Co-op, buying local produce?

grocerysnobs.blogspot.com
probably going to take me out with the Subaru.

she's on two wheels now

I didn't get to do the running behind
and holding onto the seat.
I came home the other night,
and she was on the neighbor's little 12"
just ripping across lawns and driveways,
a little out of control,
but a little confident.

now she get's the classic 80's Barbie bike,
all ready to go,
and yes, she picked out some streamers for the bars.

country roads again

another adventure out into the country.
my only hill to build some speed,
and what do I get?
a single lane traffic light?
I need to stop thinking about
'going for a ride in the county'
it just never works out!



now, riding in DC?
it may as well me a flat and humid Seattle....
Rain, rain, rain.....
watching my shoes SLOWLY dry out....

DON'T build it and they will come?

Ahhh..
The passion.
Almost fanatical.
It's no wonder why some (most) laugh at the serious cyclist.

Last nights bike coalition meeting.
We quickly worked through the core business,
leaving the Bicycle Master Plan until the end.
At that point I should have just up and left.



Some feel that there should be full bike lanes,
EVERYWHERE.
I used to think that would be nice,
but would never happen in this city.
It's way to much for so few cyclists.
I also agree with the notion that
if you relegate cyclists to lanes:
1. drivers & cyclists will not know how to interact.
2. it will reinforce the idea cyclists DO NOT BELONG on roadways.
address ALL issues with driver education (DMV) and
cyclist education, starting in elementary school (gym teachers),
and reinforce those principles with roadway markings (not signs).
Simple as that, for the most part.



Also throw in some protection for non motorized roadway users.
Stiffer penalties against aggressive drivers, and drivers found
at fault for serious 'accidents', which really are cases of
negligence.

Last nights meeting wrapped up with severe disagreements of:

'we just need more cyclists on the road, then things will change'

well, I went with the other opinion that is:

'right now all the 'serious' cyclists are out there battling
traffic, other people are coming out due to economic or
environmental reasons. But the general public will not ride
on the street because they don't feel safe, or protected.
And they're half right. So you can't 'just get them out there'.

It's education, and reinforcement of rights.
Not lanes all over the place.
Even serious recreational/racers do not commute regularly.
They only feel safe in large group rides.

So it boiled down to somehow people will just
magically show up on their bikes,
and things will start changing.
It was also dicouraging when the Master Plan
was labeled: The 20 Year Plan.
Twenty years, so when are you going to start on this?
What is ACTUALLY going to happen NEXT YEAR?
What's that?
You don't actually know when it's going to be implemented?
GREAT.



With storms rolling in (again).
I packed up and headed out,
at least the local police Pipe & Drum band were out practicing.
So the bagpipes cried as the dark clouds rolled in.
I don't know what was really accomplished.

the accidental artist

It's been said,
one cannot call themself a photographer,
unless they earn their income by being one.
So I guess I'm not ACTUALLY a photographer,
I just enjoy taking pictures,
and the less post production, the better.

Apply the same to definning an artist,
and I'm probably not an artist either.
Although I did go to the University for art,
I was an accidental artist.
I just fell into it.
I 'fall' into ALOT of things.

I had no plan for school or life.
I just didn't want to wear a suit and work in a cubicle.
After a year of college I needed to 'decide'.
So with my list of classes taken, I went to the counselor's office.
The stipulation, 'no math classes, and very little science, please'.
HEY! BFA!
So I cleaned house in the production art classes.
Desktop publishing, offset press, design & layout, screen printing.
Got my associates in a year and headed off to the University,
ready to be an 'artist'.

But my portfolio wouldn't waive the foundation level classes,
so I was starting over, no problem.
Ceramics, art history, the obvious favorite
print making, acid etch, stone, any form.
But the installation class ruined any concieved idea of art.

To stand out on the sidewalk,
looking at a stack of bricks wrapped with barbwire,
trying to decipher the meaning, oh, sorry..
'interpret what the artist is trying to convey'
with a bunch of bitter divorced women....
Well, there's no asthetic point to it.
The debates with that teacher led me to many conclusions:

In the grandest form, art is just a joke on the observer.

or,
If YOU like it, that's all that matters.

The crappy, mass produced painting on a motel wall,
yeah, it's ART.

In my sculture class, we used five gallon buckets for molds.
Everyone carefully removed their molds,
chipped away at it,
and spent countless evening hours sanding away,
to create that perfect work.
Mine?
cracked while removing the bucket.
So I kicked it's ass with a hammer and called it a day.
There was skating to be done.
When the class critiques came around the next day,
well, it'ld make you puke.
I still can't stand being next to people 'critiquing' 'art'.
But I more than passed.
Much to the disappointment of those who knew
how little work I did.

I'm an idiot, but I didn't think I had some 'midas touch'.
It just reinforced the joke of art.

There's no reasoning.
When I get that photo I love, it comes out perfect,
it doesn't sell.
The random half assed photo with no importance to me,
but I still submit it,
sells on opening night.

So maybe I can call myself an artist,
since it is a joke in itself.

With that said,
the gallery show this month is 'Off the Wall',
a sculpture themed show.
Well, MY goal this year was to submit to every show,
and get in.
BUT I SUBMIT PHOTOS.

So with an idea completely stolen from my tattoo artist,
wood, chicken wire, and Great Stuff,
I submitted my 'sculpture'.

Remember I'm an idiot?
Yeah, Great Stuff is great at glueing your hands together,
which is what I did. And it's also great at NOT COMING OFF.
For two days it looked like an elephant sneezed in my hands.
AWESOME!


I don't know what to say.


Except that this was ACCEPTED into this month's
'Off the Wall' show, opening July 3rd.
I don't know who the joke's on.....but it's not me this time.
Except for the Great Stuff that's still stuckto my fingernails.