Thursday, November 23, 2006

thanks to all


Today is more about thanking those in your life past and present than it is about 12 oz curls and the food coma. So to all those friends and family past, present and to yet be determined I say thanks. To the onespeed family thanks, we are al brothers and sisters to the core. Cyclist lets be a family road, mountain, gears or not we are the chosen few who have seen the answer, bikes really are the answer to most of the worlds problems, ok I am over generalizing it a bit, but seriously they are the answer. Mom, rock on, fight the good fight, this is a heart felt thank you for being in my life here and now. Dad, thanks for putting up with my outburst and becoming a better father and friend because of it. There are too many people to bore you with thanking everyone. Kent Peterson and Dave Nice thanks for the inspiration, we will all have to get together for a ride sometime. Keith L, Pete and Smiley, seattle just wouldn't be the same without you, thanks for the chance encounter on your pub ride to celebrate Pete's thirty first. You have made a difference in my world. Keith Wegner if you are reading this thank you for getting back in touch with me, if you read this will you drop me an email with your contact info again, my computer died and with my connection to you. Same goes for my great friend Sara Lorden hope I spelled it right, if you read this the same goes for you. A big thank you to the internet, which has helped me to connect with my community at large. Thanks to the trails for all the joy they bring me. Ok Ill stop now, as I am getting a little choked up over this all. Seriously thake the itme to thank those close to you today, in this crazy world we all to often forget to take the time to apprecitate those around us and those things that we are greatful for. so here is to us, them and you. as always keep pedaling. over and out

Wednesday, November 22, 2006

did I die?

Some of you may be asking just that question. It seems that every time I get in to the rythum of posting more often than not life takes the chance to throw a curve ball at me to take me out of that oh so familiar pattern. It started over a week ago, I thought I'd have the weekend to recoup not race, my body was in need of a change of pace. One can race and ride only so much in the cold rain before it becomes a little tough on the body and mind. I already have problems at the change in the seasons, it always seems to take me a bit to get used to it being so dark all the time. I am in hibernation mode, curled up on the couch watching movies, a little bad tv, I dont let myself indulge in the evils of tv too much as it is no good for the mind, body or spirt, or reading books. I just finish GarbageLand, the tale of one woman from NYC following all her and her families waste to it finaly resting place. What an eye opener. It made me mad, sad and glad all at the same time, I dont mean to get on my soap box, but it may seem like that, we as a race and society really need to start taking all things, natural resources, waste and what we are doing to this here place we claim to love so that it will continue to be around. At the end of the day we all need to think about our consumption habits and scale them back. I know that doesnt sound glamerous, and a bit bland, but at the end of the day it is the answer to a lot of our problems, that and not to drive so damn much which is the real killer of the planet. So cyclist ride your bikes more for those short trips around the city, or country. It does make a difference and the more of us that ride the more power we cyclist have, and that is the real answer. Alright Ill stop for now.
back to the title, I didn't die, but I sure as hell did feel like I was going to. I slept and went to work and that was about it, my body ached and my lungs shot goo for days, I could barely breath, which made the daily trip to and from work fun, there I was coughing and huffing and puffing my 5 or 6 miles to and from work in the rain. I am sure that did great things for the cold. Enough of my bitching. I have to get going, but wanted to keep those of you who care informed. Sorry that this blog has become less about cycling lately and more ego centric, but it will get back to the cycling, of which I am doing a bit of, mostly commuting for the moment. as always keep pedaling and enjoying it.

Saturday, November 04, 2006

Class, nothing but class






AS the saying goes Holloween is a time for woman to dress sluty and for men to dress as woman and no one thinks anything is out of the ordinary. Wonder what people would think if I wore a dress every thursday, they would probably just get used to it, or I could just keep saying "its not holloween, opps, I thought is was!!!!" So above are some of the photos that my girlfriend snapped of me in my evening wear. The "rocker" in the picture is my co worker Jesse, he can really pull off the 80s rocker thing, dont ya think. There is a shot somewhere of us in a more revealing embrace, but that is not going to show up here, yet. You'll have to wait for that one. The only thing missing from the outfit is a cigarette holder. Class, nothing but class here all the time, every day. Not much else to report at this time, just wanted to show off my best evening gown, it sparkles. I also had the good fortune to wear stockings and let me tell you, I dont envy you woman, those things just wouldn't stay in place. as alway keep pealing.
my friends down in Reno have a new blog, lots of fun stuff. Check it out at www.thebaconstrip.blogspot.com. Mark, shawn, wolfy, etc. its great.

Friday, November 03, 2006

"the immortal class"

Here is a paragraph taken from Travis Culley's book The Immortal Class which I read a few years ago and this morning decided to revisit. I remember liking it the first time around, I don't think I was blogging at the time, and I am not a messenger myself, but the way he mixes words to create great imagery speaks to me. I will get to the paragraph here, it speaks to me because it puts to words better than I can at this time my feelings about the bike, about what the bike represents in our society here and now. A little background, he is speaking about drivers, and the rest of the masses and how the bike is scene and then he gets to this paragraph. So without further ado:

"What these people don't know is that the bicycle is more than a sport and more than a job. The bicycle is a revolution, an assault on civilian territory, intent upon taking, from the ground up, responsibility for the shape of our cities. It is a mutiny, challenging the ever-one-way street. The bicycle is a philosophy, a way of life, and I an using it like a hammerto change the world and to redeem our war-torn cities."

Is that not great. Thank you travis for putting it so well. Like I said I am not a messenger, but I don't own a car at this point in time, so my bike is my transport, and I get to experience some of what it must be like in the urban jungle of Seattle. Seattle is touted as a green city as bike friendly, and it is alright, but it lacks vision and a plan to make it better, to get some flow in it, right now it is a bit disjointed. Thanks to people like Kent Peterson and others at the bike alliance, the Cascade Bike Club things are getting done, but we Americans are so tied to the belief that we need a car, we are entitled to have bigger, more. A car is a symbol of your status, it really says who you are. Right. If you are riding a bike it is either cause you are poor, or you lost your license, not because you are choosing to, it must be for something out of your control. That I think is the common belief among most people, no in ten years when gas is really, really expensive, bikes will be the answer. They already are the answer in my opinion we are a fat, lazy society bent on doing things faster and faster. What would/could change all that..........You guessed it the bike. The bike a simple invention. Most trips are a couple miles, bike. Want to lose weight, bike. Want to feel intimately connected to your environment and meet some people, bike. It is that simple, think of all the extra space we would have if more of us biked. Want to save money, ride a bike. So lets change the world one revolution at a time. Bike.

As always keep pedaling. Nat