Post Thanksgiving Thoughts

Well, another Turkey Day come and gone. The weather was mostly unsettled here. Rain, wind, snow and even a mostly dry day on Friday. I rode 65 miles on Friday. Ran into pal Steve Hampsten on the B-G on the way out of town. I usually ride alone so this was an unexpected pleasure. Steve joined me for a flat, yet briskly paced spin out to Redhook and back. He was riding his beautiful blue Tournesol. 650B wheels, hammertone Honjos, Berthoud Handlebar bag. Yep, beautiful. This bike just oozes hand-built sexiness. The Ram is not an ugly bike by any stretch of the imagination. The Tournesols just turn it up a notch.
Hit this link for more info:
http://www.hampsten.com/Tournesol/words.html

Karla and I had dinner at my Mom's place on Thanksgiving. My brother Steve, his son Alex and our youngest sister, Jennifer, were there too. We had a lovely time together, no fighting, plenty of Stella Artois to drink, lots of food. Mom is turning 70 next month. She tries hard but, her cooking is slipping a bit. Next year we may have to step up. Jennifer really wants to unseat me as family Trivial Pursuit Champion. She failed again this year. I never lose at stuff like that.

I wish there was a way to turn my head full of trivia into a living. I get phone calls, emails and, face to face questions about arcane bits of info all of the time. It's like I'm a flesh and blood Google. Music, bikes, history, geography, spelling. They're all here. Other bits of minutiae as well. It's Clavin-esque.

It snowed here yesterday. Very pretty. Not so bad in Seattle, really bad up north. I was 10 minutes late for work, although that may have more to do with butt-dragging than meteorilogical conditions. Karla reports the Element is more than capable in light snow. Good.

I've repaired the link to my Presidential Campaign. I don't know how it became disabled. I haven't added anything new to it lately. The time is coming when I will. Feel free to send suggestions.

The news of the weekend was full of shopper-mania stories. I guess one thing I'm thankful for is the internet. I really hate shopping malls any time of the year but, this time of year they become even more odious. Ebay and Amazon, that's where I shop. But, always go to your local bike shop for your cycling needs.

Business is pretty slow here at the shop. Crappy weather has something to do with it. This is our slow season anyway. We've ordered in more of that gifty, knick-knack sort of stuff this year. Every Christmas season we get lost looking people in here looking for presents for the cyclist in their lives. They almost never have any details about the sort of cyclist they are shopping for. So this year we have a few more books than usual. Lots of multi-tools and stuff like that, too. Good thing the slow season is short here. It's hard to make a living selling little stuff. In fact, come buy a bike from us today!

Have a nice Solstice. That's the real holiday if you ask me. Up here in the north, sundown at 4:20 makes longer days something to really look forward to.

A Light Mount

This is the light mount a friend and I have been working on. As you can see, it takes the place of the nut on your skewer. I've been using it for the last 3 weeks or so, and can say it works very well. It's made of 6061 aluminum and weighs 25 grams. I've stuck a Velox handlebar plug into the end which adds another 13 grams. I've been getting a lot of inquiries about the Nitto Light Mount I showed here a while back. That mount is no longer being produced. My mount is a response to that. If you're interested please let me know. I know there is a market for this thing. I'm currently looking for a machine shop to do a small batch of them. Then I'll know how much they cost. Right now I have no idea.

The Week That Was

Are you an extremely happy Democrat? I sure am. I haven't been this light-hearted in a long, long time. So long, Santorum. So long, Pombo. So long, DeLay. So long, Hastert. So long, Duke. Good bye, criminal Republicans! Good bye and good riddance! I know it won't be perfect but, it probably won't get worse now. Single party rule isn't good no matter what side of the aisle you prefer. Now we'll get compromise that will work for America. Checks and balances, just the way it's supposed to be.

And now, for the local news. You may have noticed we've had some rain up here in the PNW. It's pretty unrelenting. We're already ahead of the monthly norm with more on the way. November is typically the rainiest month of the year here. A whole lot of people have been washed out of their homes and jobs. I feel kind of selfish complaining that it's been raining too much to ride. So I won't.

Long Time, No See

Well hey there! It's been almost exactly 5 months since I last bothered with this. I had a bitchin' summer. I hope you did too. I rode my bike a lot, no surprise there. Drank beer, grilled a lot of meat, and generally enjoyed another nice Seattle summer. We didn't go to any Mariners games this year. Between the cost and the lousy team it just wasn't worth it. We didn't go anywhere until the last week of summer.

But, we saved the best for last and went to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. In a word, it was AWESOME! I've been wanting to go there for as long as I can remember. I only wish I'd gone sooner. I finally saw bears in the wild. Bison, elk, coyote, moose, owl, pelicans, and eagles too. No wolves, next time. The geysers were amazing, Old Faithful went off, the Grand Tetons were truly grand, Jackson Hole was the coolest tourist trap I've ever been to. Just a really great trip. The only downside was the torn calf muscle Karla had to deal with. No hiking or biking for her. The only upside to that was we saw a lot more of the parks than we may have otherwise. I got to do a ride that crossed 8800 foot Dunraven Pass. This sea level dweller was glad it was mostly a downhill ride. It was our first vacation in 3 years. We took 9 days. Another week would have been good. We'll be headed back within the next year or 2.

To properly enjoy the journey, we did something we resisted as long as we could. We bought a new car. I know, I know. I've railed loudly against car and consumer culture here, there, and everywhere. The combined mileage of our 2 cars was 380,000 miles. The point of diminishing returns was well behind us. We sold our 1991Toyota Previa minivan with 240,000 miles on it to an appreciative Laotian fellow for a pretty good deal and bought a 2005 Honda Element. I've gotta say, it's a really nice car. We've been staying pretty close to town for the last couple of years due to a lack of faith in the cars we had. It was nice to have a care free trip and it's nice for Karla to not worry about the car breaking down on the commute, or anywhere else for that matter. We still have the 1990 Civic wagon. It's running well. I've used it a couple of times to go mountain biking. Mostly it stays parked in the driveway. Much cheaper that way.















Goat Wall Lookout, 5000 feet, Methow Valley,
North Cascades. October 7th 2006


The Element has not been treated like most people treat new cars. The day after we bought it we drove over Colockum Pass in the central Cascades. The road is horrible. It's not paved. It has long rocky sections, deep ruts, and is quite remote. It was a hot summer Saturday and we saw 2 other cars in 25 miles. It is far more suitable for a Hummer than a little faker like our car. However, our little faker acquitted itself nicely. We decided the plastic body panels were a good thing. We visited my Dad and step-mom in East Wenatchee after the pass. My step-mom, Jackie, was amazed we would treat our new car that way. We thought we did exactly what we got it for. We have also driven it on mountain dirt roads in Yellowstone and in the Methow Valley in north central Wa. We think it's a great car.

The Joke Explained

So, a guy named Craig at an undisclosed location was the only one to give it a try. You had it half right Craig. He correctly identified Dave Stoller as the bike smitten kid in the 1979 movie "Breaking Away". A true classic. If you haven't seen it I highly recommend it. This movie is set in Bloomington, Indiana. Our hero Dave wins a Masi racing bike and decides he too will be a racer. He adopts an Italian persona that drives his friends and family crazy. Mostly his Dad. So Dave is an imaginary Italian. The box I wrote on came from Performance Bicycle Shop. Scattante is their imaginary Italian house brand frame. It's actually made in Taiwan. Thus, an imaginary Italian is endorsing an imaginary Italian frame. Maybe I'm too clever but I crack myself up all of the time anyway.

Reader Feedback Day

Man, I post a few gripes and I get a slew of emails telling me to knock it off. Remember, the name of this blog is "Riding AND Ranting". And, I take that seriously. Hardly anyone comments when I post happy rainbows and unicorns type stuff. Let's address this. There really are Fixie Dicks. There are plenty of cool people that are just out there riding but, there are also plenty of people that seem to consider this a punk fashion kind of thing. And bring that attitude with them. I don't like it. And I don't like being viewed as a less than serious rider because I don't "Keep it real" like the Fixie Dick seems to. I do everything I possibly can by bike. Commute, do errands, play. And have done so for years. So I don't have a lot of patience or appreciation for the assumptions of Johnny-Come-Lately hipsters. Fixie dick ranting is now concluded.

Regarding the guy in the full racer kit, what can I say? He looked like an escapee from clown prison. It's like Little Leaguers wearing their uniforms to an MLB game. Only, the Little Leaguers are cute. Adult fanboys are always a little disturbing. Like face painters at a football or hockey game. Certainly, the cyclist isn't as loudly fanatic, unless you're on the slopes of L'Alpe d'Huez sometime in July. It has been mentioned that this may have been a gift. That is indeed a tricky situation and I'm glad I'm not in it. And I considered that very point when I first saw this guy. Still, it was funny. It can't be undone. Don't you do it either, dear reader.

Here is a new rant. Bike shops are often put in the position of meeting place for a ride. That's great, we do a lot of business as a result. Just don't take up a prime parking spot in our limited parking area for four hours. It's like they don't want us to do well. Please keep this in mind when planning your next rendezvous.

Well, buckaroos and buckarettes, that does it for today's spleen venting. I'm glad to have received your comments. Touching a nerve is harder than you think.

Happy Trails!

A Joke

Who can tell me what the joke is here?
I'm very proud to have thought this one up myself. Get your answers to me. I'll post the winner as soon as there is one. There is no prize. Only your name posted here for all time.

Funny Looking Rider

Just so you don't think I'm picking on the fixie riding youth of our area, I offer this little bit of hilarity. Yesterday on the Myrtle Edwards Trail, I passed a guy, about my age, wearing full PHONAK Pro kit while riding a hybrid loaded with panniers. I laughed out loud at this sight. I'm not a vision of sartorial splendor on my bike by any stretch of the imagination but, I know better than to wear full pro kit in any circumstances other than being on that team. This guy had shorts, jersey, vest, socks and a cap. It doesn't help that the green and yellow of PHONAK is about the ugliest kit out there. Oh yeah, he was wearing Nike court shoes too. I wish I'd had my camera with me. I'm going to look for him next Friday. Maybe I'll get him to pose.

A New Kind of Cyclist

Over the past few years, I've noticed the increasing numbers of fixie riding hipsters all over town. This sub-group is mostly an outgrowth of messengers riding fixies on the job. Now, we all know that messengers are the epitome of urban cool. Or think they are anyway.

I know a lot of people that ride and appreciate the simplicity and the soulfulness of riding fixed (KP). I'm not one of them. I have a single speed I get those things from. My knees like to coast once in a while.

That's not what I'm writing about today, however. Today's rant is about the hipsters. They all strive to be so unique. They do this by wearing black cycling caps, Cinelli seems to be highly prized. Or black Army looking flat top caps. They also like to wear jeans (?!) rolled up on the drive side. Trucker wallets, Chrome messenger bags, aviator glasses. Yes, very different from each other.

These things don't bug me too much. What's been bugging me is the very poor etiquette they show on the road. I was riding on a narrow sidewalk yesterday, which is legal here. And was passed by a fixie rider without a word of warning of any sort. You sometimes can do this on the bike path but, on the sidewalk that's just selfish arrogance. I've seen other examples of this lack of manners. No lights at night, passing in the rain with no fenders, that sort of thing. It's funny they don't bother with things like lights and fenders.

I know they don't want to clutter up the clean lines of their bikes with a bunch of old man looking stuff. I think it's funny that they are sacrificing function for fashion. I also think it allows me to call them stupid. After being passed yesterday on the sidewalk I thought "What a dick." I then thought of a new descriptive phrase for this category of rider. FIXIE DICK. Now, they aren't all like this. But there are enough of them around here to fully populate their new domain. When you're out riding today, keep an eye out for them. I'll bet there's a fixie dick somewhere in your neighborhood.

Gas Prices

After months of no first hand shock, I've pumped gas 3 times in the last eight days. How do people that drive more do it? It's insane. My wife drives about 40 miles round trip to work. Our 1991 Toyota Previa gets about 20 miles to the gallon. She's tried the bus but, it takes her 2 hours each way. That's no good. It looks like we're stuck for a while.

I'm sure fortunate I get to ride to work. In more ways than one. Economic, physical and spiritual benefits come from riding my bike. That means I'd be broke, fat and crazy if I had to drive a car every day.The below links show that there is a little momentum gathering in business and government for including cycling as a viable mode of personal transportation. This has been a long time coming.
http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/05/05/business/wbbike.php
http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=1902061&page=1

There doesn't seem to be an end in sight for gas prices. As employers see the toll on their employees, perhaps telecommuting will become more attractive. I don't think this is an option for most people, myself included. My wife might be able to.

I've had more encounters than usual with angry drivers lately. I have no idea if it's because of frustration about gas prices , or me, or what. If it's gas prices, too bad! Suck it up! It damned sure isn't my fault. If it's me, well, I keep inviting them to get out of their cars so we can talk. So far, no takers. I'm just a skinny guy on a bike. What's their problem?

Yesterday (Friday) I went on a nice ride. The weather was perfect. I had lunch at one of my favorite places. I rode about 55 miles. We had dinner at another favorite place. We split the Burrito Grande at Gordito's for Cinco de Mayo. A really nice day.

Today I got up early, loitering around the house for most of the morning. Around noon I noticed one of our neighbors had a flat tire. I went out a little later to look at it. The car was gone by then. I turned around to go back inside and looked at the Previa. It had a flat too. I then went over to our Civic and it had a flat too! Great! Some sub-human knifed our tires. Our cars are not flashy or new. They're really kind of worn out and crappy looking. Our house doesn't look like some sort of yuppie trophy palace. We park one car in the street. No choice there. It's a one car driveway. The Civic doesn't even run. Now we have to worry about it happening again. Just a pointless act that leaves us feeling vulnerable. Freakin' animals.

Today's posting just underscores how much I hate cars. I hope it hits $5.00 a gallon. Soon.

Good Blog

I have no idea who this is. I just like it a lot.
http://scrapola.blogspot.com/

Ahh... Fickle is the Weather

What a difference a day makes! Yesterday it was 73 and sunny, not much wind. Today, 44 and raining, light wind. It's truly amazing how quickly you can switch seasons around here.

Friday was just beautiful, really a perfect Seattle day. I'd spent most of the morning and part of Thursday evening cleaning and checking my bike. Shamefully, it's the first such inspection in a couple of months. It's been squeaking and creaking for the last couple of weeks. Cleaning, lubing and, tightening everything I could reach seemed to bring the noise down to a tolerable level.

My rear brake pads were pretty toasted , so I installed some new Swissstop brake pads in the rear. www.helvetiasports.com for info. We may carry them at the shop. I'll report about them soon. It looks like I'll need a new chain pretty quick. I've got an NOS Sachs SCM55 I'll use. I love finding stuff I've forgotten about. Being a packrat pays off sometimes.

It was the first ride this year that I'd ridden in summer kit. But, being a properly cautious rider, I packed along a vest, arm and knee warmers. No hat though. Talk about devil-may-care behaviour. I headed west around 1:30 and rode my big in-town loop. Shilshole, Ballard Locks, Discovery Park, Magnolia, Myrtle Edwards, under the Viaduct (yes, wrong way), Up Main St., to the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park and Museum. I stopped in and bought my 2006 National Parks Passport Stamps.

There are three or four things that mark the arrival of dependable,nicer weather to me:
1. I clean up my garage after a winter of carefully throwing stuff into it. I did that last week.
2. I give my main ride a thorough cleaning, put on the lighter wheels and, take off the serious lights. That was yesterday.
3. The wearing of summer kit. Also yesterday.
4. National parks Passport Stamps. Again, yesterday. Hit the link below: http://www.eparks.com/eparks/dept.asp?park=915&category=w
5. The announcement of the various summer concert series we have here. This year, the Summer Nights Concerts were cancelled due to poor planning by the City of Seattle. I covered that story on this very blog some months ago. However, the Zoo Tunes schedule will be announced on May 1st. It's already been made public that Doc Watson will be playing the Zoo sometime in July. I can't recall of ever hearing about him playing here before. We will be there for sure. I hope there are a bunch of good ones this year. We live a 10 minute ride from the Zoo. Love that in-town living.

So, it's all happening in a stretch of 10 days or so. I even welcome the first couple of bug inhalations of the year.

After I left Klondike (the smallest unit of the NPS), I headed over to Bikestation to see if Kent Peterson was there. I missed him the last couple of times I stopped in. Not today, lucky me! Kent welcomed me with a "Hello, Mr. President!" I waved to everyone that looked up. In a presidential manner, I hope. We chatted about lots of things: riding, politics, Pioneer Square, work. Common talk around here.

After about a half hour of talking to me, Kent's work day ended and we took off together. I was headed to Seward Park and he was headed home to Issaquah. We rode through the chaos of the International District and the heavy traffic headed towards the freeway on Dearborn. Once we passed under I-5, the traffic thinned a little. We were bracing for the sprint at Rainier Ave., when I looked across the street and saw the craziest thing. It was an electric vehicle that looked like a 1/3 scale version of a Hummer. At first I thought "How stupid." Then I thought about it a second longer and decided it was brilliant! A truly useful little truck. It cost around $20K. Here is yet another link: www.mcev.biz
These vehicles are the future. I just wish it would hurry up.

To the right we get a nice shot of Kent, the vehicle, my bike, and beautiful South Dearborn St.

The guy running the place is Steve Mayeda. He was very welcoming and quite enthused about what he was doing.
They're at 1200 S. Dearborn 206/328-1750.

Back into traffic after a few minutes, just in time to get the full length signal at Dearborn and Rainier. We mused on how often we don't catch this light. It's one of the worst lights in town. And we're right in the middle of it. Sucking up all that lovely exhaust, cars speeding by at 40 MPH. The funny thing is, as soon as you cross Rainier, you're in a very light traffic area. It's like going from rapids into an eddy. We rode up and over the hill towards MLK Way and the tunnel under Mt. Baker. On the other side we talked for another 10 minutes and said our goodbyes. I hadn't ridden with Kent in some time and this time was far too short.

Kent went to cross I-90 and I headed south. It was a lovely spin down to Seward Park, aided by a light tailwind. I rode around the peninsula the Park occupies and headed back the way I came. On longer days I'll usually continue south around the south end of Lake Washington. But, it was already late. So, north I went.

A little headwind now. It can't all be wine and roses, I guess. Still very agreeable riding.

I headed for the shop. My saddle or seatpost had begun to creak and it was making me nuts. Disturbing my revelry. raining on my parade, crying in my cereal. It was creaking really loudly! I got to the shop. It was kinda busy. I went the back bench and pulled my seatpost. Drizabone, as the Aussies would say. A bit of grease and problem solved. Out the door I went.

I took the long way home from the shop. This is about a 15 mile meander around North Capitol Hill, South Lake Union, Fremont and all of the way back to Shilshole and up Sunset Hill. I got home around 8. As I was coming in the back door, Karla was coming in the front. Normally, Friday night is date night for us ands we hit happy hour and have dinner somewhere. Too late tonight. We were both pooped anyway. Besides, we usually do something fun on Saturday.....

Like sleep late. Which I did. Karla got up and had breakfast with friends at 6:30. Madness. So when she got back at 8, she got back in bed. We both got up at 9:30. And no plans at all. It looked like rain. It was cold. by noon it had begun to rain. Hard. It was 45-50 degrees at most. Couldn't be more different from yesterday.

We spent most of the morning looking at cars online. Mostly Subarus and Hondas. The time is near. I welcome and dread a new car. It's nice not having car payments. But, it would also be nice having dependable, capable transportation. I marvel that Kent and his family have been carless for a long time. We've settled on a couple of different cars. Honda Element, Subaru Forester and, if money were no object, Toyota Highlander Hybrid. Now we just have to see how much we can afford. And try not to get totally screwed in the process.

After an exhausting morning of Googling cars, we went out for lunch. We went to the Brooklyn Grinder on University Way. This place has awesome sandwiches. The hot turkey and gravy sandwich on a cold and rainy day is perfect. Go soon.

We decided to head home in a roundabout sort of way. Out to Sand Point and up through View Ridge, Ravenna and Maple Leaf. When we turned for home I aimed for a gas station. Arco on 145th and Greenwood had regular for $2.97. Wow! I haven't pumped gas for a few months. You hear talk but if you don't do it yourself, I don't think you get the full impact. It was the shittiest use of $40.00 I could think of.

We got home around 3:30 and have been loitering around the house ever since. If you've read this whole thing, thank you. For whatever reason, I felt I needed to get this down. It sounds a lot duller than it was. It's really my typical weekend. I had a good time.

Nitto Light Mount

This is the Nitto Light Mount. It replaces the nut on the non-lever side of your quick release. I can't believe no one thought of this before now. Leave it to Nitto to solve a problem so simply. I had my light set up in about 5 minutes. It's far cleaner than any other mount I've seen aside from rack mounting. This mount puts the light a lot closer to the road than any rack mount I'm aware of. The Nitto is super clean looking and I couldn't be happier. The Minoura mount it replaced is for sale. It worked great. I just didn't like the looks. Search for Minoura Besso at www.nashbar.com Come by the shop with 5 bucks cash and you can have it.


The light on the left side of the bike is the Reelight. Made by a Danish company.
www.reelight.com The light is provided by LED's that are powered by magnets attached to the spokes. They are very effective markers that are always there. I met the woman that runs the company, Marianne Sodlund. She just showed up at the shop one day last week.Turns out her son goes to UW. He knew the shop and gave us the thumbs up after I'd contacted his mother. Small world. Come by the shop if you're interested. We have two sets for sale.

Saturday Find

Today was the annual Greenwood Garage Sale. This is an event put on by the Phinney Neighborhood Association. A hundred or so households participate. I hit about 35. You can usually find some cool stuff. I typically look for books and cd's. I put the Ortliebs onto my old MB-2 and rode off.

It isn't often I make a bicycle related find. But today it happened. I was riding down the street I was going to turn towards home from. I rolled up to a yard sale and there it was. A Silca Pista pump! I got off of my bike real fast. Two quick strides and it was in my hands. A few pump strokes and a thorough inspection confirmed good condition. I looked up and found the guy to pay. "How much?" I asked. "Two bucks" came the reply. I pulled the money out of my pocket so fast I felt heat. I practically skipped back to my bike.

On the way home, I couldn't get over what a great deal I had scored. I was so charged up I cleaned the garage, got rid of a pile of yard waste and picked up trash off of the median in the street in front of my house. Earth Day, y'know.

It was sunny, windy and, kinda chilly. And I only rode 7.5 miles. But, sometimes good things happen on rides close to home.

Addendum: Thanks to all who pointed out that my pump is a Super Pista. That makes the find even sweeter.

Oh yeah

It's also the 80th birthday of the Queen of England, Elizabeth the Second.

God Save the Queen!

Happy Birthday!

Today is the birthday of the leader of the really free world, Iggy Pop. He made it to 59. I saw the Stooges last year at Bumbershoot here in Seattle. They were amazing. Iggy really loves his audience. My son got close enough to shake his hand. And came back a sweaty, worn out mess. It was great seeing a punk legend with my son. It may be one of the last times I get to look cool to him.

I had all of the Stooges albums back in the late 70's. They were already hard to find, even in southern California. But I did. They were all imports and had nice, thick vinyl. Good thing too, I played the hell out of them. My friends didn't quite get it. My crowd listened to a lot of Fleetwood Mac, Eagles, Linda Ronstadt and Jackson Browne. I usually listened to rougher stuff. Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, Ted Nugent, not a lot of hippie mellow. Punk came along and I liked it a lot. Iggy was the one that really got my attention. He sounded like an animal, the band sounded like the apocalypse. It was so primal. I didn't see how anyone could resist. A couple of years later my friends started turning on to punk. By then I'd moved to Seattle, gone nuts from the rain, and joined the Army a few months after that.

I never was part of the punk scene. I just liked the music. My kid is into the scene. He plays drums in a band and really enjoys making music. I guess it's true, you encourage your children to do the things you wanted to do but didn't.

Bad News

A friend of mine, Brad Lewis, died racing his bike today. He was a good guy.

http://www.bikecafe.net/newsmgt/bn/?a=696&z=7

A New Blog For the Party

I am just amazed by the number of people interested in this little project. I've set up a new blog to deal with my campaign. I'll put a link on this page for it soon. But, here is a direct link for now:

www.gslparty.blogspot.com

Please come visit. Not much content at the moment but, it's coming.

Are you all as excited as I am about all of the news regarding leaks? Scooter sounds like he wants to take a few down with him. Why go it alone?
And Tom DeLay's big news? It's nice he wants to spend more time at home. With the family. And his co-defendants. Just a nice man.

It's time for bed. I'm still a working man.

The Early Response

President and Mrs. Parker - Oct 2003

Wow! I can't believe the response I've had. Overwhelmingly positive. Far less joking than I'd anticipated. I think people are ready for a seriously satirical candidate. Why not me? It is said at the the heart of every joke there is a serious meaning. I am serious when I say I'm fed up with the way our country has been taken over by the religious right and corporate shills disguised as leaders. This small effort I'm making is my way of drawing attention to this criminal administration and its sociopathic policies. Unfortunately, the leading opposition doesn't seem to have a clue either. I may be shown that I'm wrong in November, and I hope I am, but, I can't sit still any longer. If you're really into this, stay tuned. Me and my very small staff will be cooking up a campaign designed to mock and ridicule both of the dominant parties while asking real questions about real issues. I'll write about the things that matter to me and, will listen to all ideas no matter how preposterous. You should hear some of the stuff that has already been suggested. Eventually a legitimate policy statement will emerge and we'll have something really worth talking about. It could happen.

In the next couple of days I'll be setting up a new blog that will deal strictly with my quest for the Presidency and give a home page to the Green Socialist Libertarian Party. Forgive me if I just start calling it the GSL. I will issue more statements regarding policy and name my key staffers. I look forward to serving our great nation. Good night and thank you.

Me for President

So, I've decided to run for President of the United States in 2008.
"Why would you do that, you crazy bastard?", some may ask. Well, I'm just about fed up with the way things are going. Here is my platform (early stage):

1. Re-instate the draft. No exceptions. Age 18. Men and women. After high school, before college. 2 years active, 3 inactive. Include the Peace Corps and Earth Corps as an alternative for pacifists. Young people today need to know what it means to serve. This will keep the Congressional chickenhawks in line. And keep our military strong and representative of our population.

2. No more gasoline powered engines. I can't think of a quicker way to halt global warming. And stop the destruction of the increasingly fragile environment. And stop imperialist aggression against the oil producing countries. Let's get bio-diesel up and running. Grow our own. American grown, American made, fuel for America!

3. A bottle and can deposit nationwide. I'm really tired of seeing cans and bottles littering our great nation. Aluminum, glass, and plastic. In addition to the beautifiying aspect of this plan, it will put money into the pockets of the people that will redeem discarded containers, cut production costs of the containers, reduce the demand for raw material, and eliminate the need for new landfills.
Let's keep America beautiful!

4. Legalize marijuana now! The continuing, futile persecution of marijuana users has got to end. I'm talking medical and recreational. The potential tax revenue stream and savings from not not clogging up the courts and penal system is mind boggling. The tax income and enforcement savings can be used to fund our law enforcement agencies to fight the far greater threat of methamphetamine use and manufacture. And for treatment centers for those who need the help. It would also allow American farmers to grow a valuable cash crop. Industrial hemp is far too rich a resource to waste like we are now doing. I know I'm not the only person or even candidate that sees this.

This is only what I've come up with in the last hour or two. More will follow as I confer with my constituents, staff, and advisors. Please donate what you can to my campaign. Use the Amazon link on this page to do so.

You might ask "What is your party affiliation, Brian?" Well, as near as I can tell, I'm A Green Socialist Libertarian. Earth first, public good second, then you can look after yourself.

Let's get America back where it belongs!

Thank you for your support,
Brian K. Parker

The AAAA

I wish there was such a thing as the AAAA. I guess there is in a grass roots sort of way. We have two cars. Both high mileage, worn out and ready to expire at an inconvienient time. I resent like hell the fact we'll need to get another one soon. We do like to travel, however. There really isn't any other way to cover the distances as quickly. Hybrids seem like a good idea. The only ones big enough are damned expensive. $40K easily. The new stuff is far more fuel efficient and give off fewer noxious emissions. What if all new cars being built were powered by bio-diesel/electric hybrids? No more gas engines. Would that help slow global warming? Ease our guilt?

I drive rarely. My skills are diminished. It's kind of funny. I used to be quite proud of how well I thought I drove. I suck at backing up now. I'm okay at going forward.

Riding home tonight there were some really awful looking clouds in the sky. The kind you expect to see funnels dropping out of, or maybe baseball sized hail. I was riding my single speed, no fenders. I spun it up and motored for home. I beat the rain by about 5 minutes. If I'd been in a car, I would have been concerned in a more detached way. Riding in bad weather makes it more personal. Your relationship with the natural world, that is.

And tomorrow is another day. Live life. It's what you're here for.

Seattle loves bikes

This morning started off like many. Cars acting like bikes didn't belong or were non-existent. Even with gas prices creeping back up, they drive like there's no tomorrow. Last week was kind of nice. UW was on spring break. I guess the public schools were too. One morning I rode to work in what was almost a ghost town. And this was on a weekday! It was pretty strange.

So, anyway, today was the usual dicing with cars. Careless or malicious, who knows? As I roll up to the shop, I notice road work going on where the Burke-Gilman Trail crosses Blakeley. They were installing trail crossing signs and painting the curbs around the island in the street a nice fluorescent yellow.
Wow! Non-car oriented transportation dollars being spent! It was like a beautiful dream. I've been calling the appropriate city agencies about all the near misses and bad behavior I've witnessed over the past year and a half. And now, something is done about it. Government in action, I guess it really happens. I would like to give a big Riding and Ranting thank you to Carol Wittig of Seattle DOT for coming out and listening to my concerns. She was very helpful and seemed to really care about what I was talking about. It remains to be seen if any of these changes help with the problems but it's a start.

1000 Miles

I hit 1000 miles for the year on my ride today. I just kind of meandered around town. Nothing interesting happened until I got down to the waterfront. The crowds and cars were thick under the Viaduct (HWY 99). I figured it must by a game or something as there were a lot of kids in the cars. Then I started noticing a lot of punk rockers and skinhead looking people around. Curious. I turned up Main into Pioneer Square. First I noticed the construction at Occidental Square, then I noticed the battalion of cops and the large groups of punk rockers and skinhead looking people. I rode over to some bike cops intent on getting some info. They had a kid cuffed. He was asking if his was a felony arrest. The answer was "Yes". I didn't hear what he was arrested for.

I asked the nearest cop what was going on. He said it was a combined crowd of St. Patrick's Day Parade attendees and war protesters. Oh yeah, today is the 3 year anniversary of President Smirking Monkey's invasion. I wish I'd been paying attention. I would have participated. I rode off as things seemed a bit tense. Cyclists in lycra are not ready for protest action. The rest of the ride was routine but, I had a nice ride. Routine or not.

It felt like Spring out. I'm more than ready for some warmer weather. Even with the incredibly lousy weather we had in February, I'm 70 miles ahead of the same day last year. WooHoo! Karla was not as excited by that news as I was. She mentioned how I said I wouldn't be riding as many miles this year as I did last year. Damn! That'll learn me to keep my mouth shut!

New Blog

This link will take you to my bike parts for sale blog.
http://bike-parts4sale.blogspot.com/
Buy early, buy often.

South Wind, Black Sky

South Wind, Clear Sky (Red Fuji) by Katsushika Hokusai

I had two rides in one today. I rolled out around 12:30 or so. A pretty morning and early afternoon. The sun was shining, a few clouds, it felt like Spring. I took a meandering route to the shop. On Interlaken , I met a guy named John riding a nice looking Rivendell Atlantis. We talked for 10 minutes or so and I was off again. I'm always surprised when I meet another Rivendell rider I don't know or have never heard of. I just assume they all know about the online Rivendell community. He does now.

Behind Husky Stadium I encountered a guy carrying a turtle. He said it was crawling across the dirt parking lot we were on the edge of. He carried it to the edge of the water and set it down. Another wild animal saved from being road kill. Hooray!

I arrived at the shop around 1:30, where I found my check waiting. A pleasant surprise. They're usually later than that. I headed north on the trail, aiming for the Washington Mutual at Lake Forest Park Center, about 8 miles from the shop. Still sunny, people smiling when you passed. Nice. I got to the bank and deposited my king's ransom of a paycheck and turned around to head home.
Surprise! The sky to the south was black with swirling clouds. The kind that have more than rain in them. The temperature dropped and I got snowed and hailed on. No big deal. I was dressed right and it was a novelty I don't get to ride in very often. There wasn't enough to change the surface conditions so it was just kind of fun. I totaled 40 miles for the day and had a good time.

The Weather

Man, the weather this week has been craptastic. Driving wind and rain, unseasonably cold, just crappy. Mixed snow and rain possible tomorrow. I know it's still winter. Around here winter is usually over by February 20th. And the last couple have been really mild. You get spoiled after a while. I'm off tomorrow and Saturday. Know what I'm gonna do? Yep, ride my bike.

Pictured above: Some guy riding in the snow.

The Monkey is Abroad

Isn't this a great image? It's the project of some people at this website:

http://www.spectropolis.info/projects.php

They have rigged a computer control to spray paint cans. Any message can be programmed in and sprayed as you roll. Amazing! I haven't seen this here in Seattle. Yet.

So, President Smirking Monkey is in Pakistan right now. Awfully brave of him, I have to admit. I wonder where Osama is. Wouldn't that be something if Osama was in Peshawar too? They could get together and talk about oil. Or maybe they could just duke it out. Dubya would kick his ass, I'm sure. All that clean livin', ya know. Plus, God is on his side. Osama looks wiry, though. I imagine living on the run toughens a guy up. And living in caves would piss anyone off.

Now, on to more pleasant things.

The weather around here has cleared up nicely. Yesterday the mountains looked like they were laser etched against the sky. Just beautiful. On yesterday's ride I must have seen 10 friends of mine all out on rides of their own. I think stopping and talking got me home an hour later than I'd figured on. No matter, it's always good running into friends. What's funny is that I almost always ride by myself. Solitary Man, that's what I am.

We've gotten to that part of the year where it's hard to dress properly for a ride. I usually end up overdressing. Layer, always layer. Today I'll go a little lighter weight. Hopefully I won't cook myself.

The Ti bike project is stalled currently. We are re-financing the house and don't want to embark on anything spendy until we see how it all plays out.

Here is my new tagline:
Lots of happy thoughts here
Ride bikes, drink beer.

See you out there.

Back from Nowhere

Where have I been? Here. I just haven't taken a few minutes to write. Nothing especially exciting has been going on. The Seattle Bike Expo was last weekend. Nothing much new there. It was good to see so many of my friends. In the last few years that seems to be my biggest motivation for going, aside from work requirements. I skipped the Swap entirely. First time in 10 years I've missed it. From what I heard, I didn't miss a whole lot. I'm sure there were some deals to be had and discoveries made. I guess I've gotten to the enviable point where I don't really need much stuff. Just the things that need replacing once in a while. I truly feel Ebay has wrecked the Swap. Just like it wrecked Recycled Cycles. So that's where I usually look for rare stuff anymore. Things I'm interested in show up pretty regularly. Ahh, the Global Marketplace! I still get out-bid most of the time. So, back to the show.... We at TiCycles try hard to have products you don't see in every bike shop in town. For example, we had the Independent Fabrication XS on display in our booth. Retail value approximately $10,000. The bike belongs to the CFO of IF. Really nice of him to loan it to us. We also had some interesting parts. There is a company called PowerCordz out of the Salt Lake City area. They make shift and brake cables that are amazingly light. One steel brake cable weighs as much as all four cables from PowerCordz. I know this smacks of weight weenieism but, it's the cumulative effect that we're shooting for here. Cost is around $160.00, yowza! We also had a set of Lightweight wheels. Yes, the name is Lightweight. Incredibly light, the rear was 900 grams! Incredibly expensive as well, at $5500.00 per set. There doesn't seem to be an end in sight when it comes to performance applications for carbon fiber. A pretty high wow factor for sure. So, consumerism seems to be alive and well here in Seattle Bicycle Land. You can see it at the shop. People coming in looking for their new bike or getting their old one tuned up. Today was quite busy. I'm glad we had 3 guys on. I'm also glad Spring is almost here. Winter is getting to be a real drag. Our recent cold and damp weather makes my back hurt. An Arizona vacation sounds nice to me. Maybe next year.

A Nice Bike Ride

It was a beautiful day here in Seattle. Sunny, 60 degrees. I was off. It couldn't be better. I rode about 45 miles in one of my favorite loops. Saw a few friends along the way, stopped in and visited Kent Peterson at his new gig, generally had a nice ride. Seattle on a nice day is really hard to beat. Even in February. I got home around 4:30 and my wife suggested we try to hit Happy Hour at one of our favorite pubs. By the time we got there the place was packed. So we tried another place. Also packed. By this time I was bonking, having skipped lunch. We finally found a place to go and had a nice dinner. But, I'll tell ya, driving around here at 6PM on a Friday night is an exercise in futility. Places I can ride to in minutes suddenly become unreachable. I hate driving in town. The cartoon above very effectively expresses my feelings on this subject. It's by an artist named Andy Singer. He does a lot of great cartoons , mostly of the social commentary variety. Here is a link if you want to know more:

www.andysinger.com

Check it out.

Seattle is considered one of the places where cyclists and pedestrians are accorded some degree of respect. Maybe I just wasn't seeing it tonight.

Super Blow

Well, the Rolling Stones were good. I think the Seahawks were taken down by a couple of bad calls. Spring Training starts in a couple of weeks.
Woo Hoo! Go Mariners!

Windy Day

Boy, it was incredibly windy here today. Wind gusts of up to 60 miles an hour! We walked around in our neighborhood and generally enjoyed the wind. Got coffee, browsed in book and antique stores, lunch and a beer at a local pub. I also won $24.00 at Lotto. Pretty cool. Then on the way home, Karla finds $5.00! Talk about luck! After we were done with our neighborhood walk, we went down to Golden Gardens and walked on the beach.
The wind was ever fiercer at the beach. You could lean way into it. A little more velocity and I could've gotten some air, I know it! With the high wind there was no recreational activity on the water. I've never seen that before. The only marine traffic we saw was the Edmonds ferry and a tug boat probably headed to a job. It was almost like the lack of air traffic after 9/11. Kinda strange. The spray in the air gave the opposite shores a really distant look. I tried to get pictues but, I don't think our camera is up to the job. Maybe with a telephoto lens. The picture above is one of the nicer ones I did get. The sun and clouds were quite spectacular. Next time we get winds like this I'm going to spend more time at the beach. With any luck, I'll have developed a little more technique with the camera.
We didn't see one cyclist all day long. I think that's another first. The street in front of my house has a bike lane. If there were riders I would have seen them.
Well, I'm riding to work tomorrow. The winds are supposed to calm by morning. We'll be closing the shop at 3 tomorrow. I should get home in time to see the Stones at halftime. According to an ESPN poll, only the States of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Alaska are picking the Seahawks to win. Talk about no national identity. I predict a 'Hawks win. Today's wind felt like it had good news on it. All in all, a really fun day with my wife.

Bike Content

I've noticed a lack of bicycle content the last few weeks. Here is a quickie.

Another Slap at Big Cults

So, I've been seeing this around lately. I'm not big on religion. Mostly, I think the Big 3 are just causing a lot of trouble for the rest of us. The recent Muslim outrage over Danish editorial cartoons is an excellent example. Freedom of speech is a human right. We are here, we exist. God, on the other hand, is unproven. There is not one piece of empirical, incontrovertible evidence, that any deity exists. NONE. And yet, untold millions have fought and died, to this very day, for an invisible being in the sky. In Islam you are not allowed to portray God in any form. This is blasphemy in their eyes. So the Danish cartoons have sparked riots and threats by outraged Muslims. My take on this? Hey Muslim extremists, get over yourselves! You are not in charge here! A lot of people don't believe in any sort of God, let alone your version. Lest you think I am anti-Islam, I feel the same way regarding Christianity, Judaism, and any other cult that espouses their right to rule over others by divine right. I do think of all religions, big and little, as cults. We will never have peace as long as there are conflicting religions. In the film "Kundun" there was a scene in which the Dalai Lama and Mao Zedong were meeting. During their conversation, Mao leans into the Dalai Lama's ear and hisses "Religion is poison." I couldn't agree more. You can call me an agnostic treehugger. Just don't call me late for dinner.

GW Bush is a Christian puppet moron.

GO SEAHAWKS!

Commercial Content

So, if you scroll down and look to the right you'll see a thing from Amazon "What is it?" you may ask. It's a place for you to give me money. Just click it and give until it hurts. You can get one for your blog too. Since hardly anyone visits this blog, I don't expect this to allow my early retirement. I think it's kind of funny, actually. The commercialization of everything is so relentless. You probably heard about the British student that sold individual pixels on his website and raised over $1,000,000.00 for his tuition. I'm amazed by stuff like that. Selling pixels. Amazing. Anyway, I hope you get a laugh out of it.

I missed the State of the Union Address. I completely forgot about it. I really hate President Smirking Monkey but, I really hate missing this particular speech. I'm sure it was inspirational yet, cautionary. Optimistic yet, grave. Mostly, I'm sure it was pie-in-the-sky earwash. I'll read all about it in the morning.

In yesterday's posting I railed against Texas A&M regarding the 12TH Man thing. I mentioned "stupid cowboys". Oddly enough, I raved about a cowboy in the post previous to that. Let me just say, Yodeling Cowboys Good, Texas A&M Cowboys Bad! I apologize if I worried any of you into thinking I could be schizo.

The rain here has been relentless. I'm pretty damned tired of riding in the rain. But, nothing I can do about it. I'll just wait it out like everyone else.

GO SEAHAWKS!!

GW Bush is a Moron!!

Texas A&M, Kiss the Seattle 12TH Man's Ass!

Well, I guess everyone in Seattle has heard about the restraining order handed down by a Texas judge prohibiting the Seahawks from using the 12th Man thing commercially. So Texas A&M owns this and they don't want the Seahawks profiting from it. How incredibly fucking petulant! They've known about this for years but choose the week before the Superbowl to pull this shit! I think it's payback for being a liberal majority state! Stupid cowboy assholes! With any luck, a 9th Circuit Court judge will kill this off tomorrow. Stupid Texans!

Smoke Free Bars

Last Saturday night, January 21st, Me and Karla went to the Tractor to see Wylie and the Wild West. If you don't know who he is, hit the link below:

www.wylieww.com

He's a yodeling cowboy, the real thing. Has a horse ranch in southeastern Washington. He did the Yahoo! yodel. We've seen him 3 or 4 times. It's always a lot of fun. But, the best part was the lack of smoke. This was our first time out since the statewide indoor smoking ban took effect. It was so great! No noxious clouds of secondhand smoke, no need to shower after we got home, no stinking pile of clothes, no headache, no sore throat. We had cut way back on our live music at the clubs because it was so bad. No more! I just hope some of the bands we've missed will be coming around soon. Yahoo Hoooo!

GO SEAHAWKS!

Time to kick some Steeler Ass!

The Bridgestone Posters

Here they are, in all of their crappily photographed glory. Photos by me.

Unbelieveable

If you scroll down a bit you'll see me standing in front of the Bridgestone posters from the mid-90's. A couple of days ago, someone sold the "Horses" poster, that is obscured by my head, for $2025.00 on eBay. Incredible! I own valuable art! I never thought I'd see the day. I'll get pix of these posters on here soon.

Does the City of Seattle hate bicycles?

The question above is a legitimate one. Things keep happening that cause it to be asked. First, there is the re-routing of the Burke-Gilman Trail to accommodate construction going on around the Fremont Bridge. I understand the need to keep people out of the construction area. I sure don't want bricks or whatever falling on me. My problem is the detour we have been given. N 34th St is an extremely busy arterial, as any road leading to a bridge would be. The cars are jockeying for position, making turns, looking for parking, and generally people are careful and aware of the cyclists presence . Part of the problem is the road surface itself. The bike lane has many seams, potholes, and cracks in it. Lots of times you will see the riders swerve to avoid these obstacles. Sometimes the swerve will put the rider out into the street. Not good. The stretch from Stone Way to Phinney Ave is pretty well pock-marked by hazards for cyclists. These are almost all problems that wouldn't even cause a motorist to notice. Plenty of problems for people on bikes, though. Second, the City has decided, unilaterally, to have the Summer Nights concert series at Gasworks Park this year. I guess it wasn't unilaterally. A meeting was held, with 2 days notice, on Friday December 23rd. Sneaky, huh? What the hell are they smoking? There isn't much parking down there, access is not good even under normal conditions, any summer evening is crowded with cyclists, walkers, joggers, and skaters. Off the trail, on Northlake Ave., there are the boaters that moor their boats at the marinas that dot the waters edge. Now add to this 3500 people (and their cars) that aren't familiar with the Trail or it's users and you have a recipe for trouble. What makes the City think 20 or so concerts will have little to no impact here? I predict cyclist/concert-goer collisions at each show. The concerns I give here are based only on my admittedly narrow focus as a cyclist that rides this stretch of trail on an almost daily basis. Other groups, like the neighborhood associations in the area, are already in an uproar about this and are making their concerns known. This is a bad idea that will be proven out if it goes ahead. Third, the City will be selling a piece of Metro property to developers along this now crazy stretch of of the BGT. I speak of the Metro Yard located at the corner of Northlake Place and Densmore Ave North. Neighborhood groups have expressed desire to use this space as a community center. But no, the Mayor has stated more than once this land is too valuable to remain in public hands. So... on the block it goes. Now, we will have additional construction going on here. Any guesses where the construction people will want to park their equipment? How about where the concert goers want to park. They will likely also want to close that part of the Trail to create a buffer zone. The cyclists will once again be detoured. Northlake Way is a real mess at this particular spot. Choppy pavement, railroad tracks, dirt, glass, and all of the other usual debris. I'm sure this will be the designated detour for trail users. Great. I know this all seems very pessimistic. It's just that every time these projects begin, the first ones to feel the impact are cyclists. How many times have the bikes lanes around town become parking for construction? Every time it's handy, that's how many. I don't get this. The City creates these trails and bike lanes to keep cyclists out of the way and then, closes the most popular and prettiest stretches for years at a time. Is it any wonder so many riders disregard traffic law? But all is not lost. We cyclists do have a voice in city government. His name is Pauh Wang. He's the Seattle Dept. of Transportation Liaison to Seattle Bicycle Advisory Board. Follow this link to see the kind of work he does on our behalf. http://www.ci.seattle.wa.us/sbab/about.asp I've known Pauh for about 5 years. He's a real cyclist, not some chairborne policy maker. Late last year I rode a stretch of the BGT pointing out some problems and potential problems. Pauh was very interested in what he was seeing and, in some cases, took on the spot action. Really impressive. Don't hesitate to get in touch with him with your concerns. www.pauh.wang.seattle.gov Hopefully this all won't turn out to be as bleak as it looks here. I guess we'll see.

A Touring Bike is not a Cyclocross Bike is not a Touring Bike

Cyclocross racing is quite popular here in the PNW. Lots of people see it as an ideal way to finish their racing season. After 'cross is over they use their race bike to commute on. 'Cross bikes are great short hop commuters. Fat tires, quick handling, burly frames, it makes sense. What doesn't make sense is to try and turn a 'cross bike into a serious touring rig. 'Cross races are, at most, an hour plus one lap. Not a whole lot of consideration goes into long distance comfort or stability with a load on these bikes. A touring bike has a lower bottom bracket (for stability), longer chainstays for greater heel clearance, a slew of frame fittings, and a more upright posture for the rider. Tourers are usually a bit heavier as well. Obviously, you can ride whatever you want. Just know that 'cross and touring are not the same thing.

Republican Criminals and their Christian Right Allies

The Hammer gets nailed! Tom Delay quits! More exclamation points!!!!! I hope this is the beginning of a Great Awakening. It appears the Reds are in full damage control mode. I just hope our boys and girls have the talent and courage to press the advantage. I mean, really go for the throats of the bullies and criminals that have taken over America. If things go the way I hope they will, the next President wil have to pardon Bush. I know, I know. But that's the way it is. My most fervent hope is that all of this will be remembered in November. Unfortunately, the Republicans run the media and I'm sure they'll find some other really important issue to divert the soft-headed members of the voting public. Why are there so many of these people, anyway? And who are they? Oh yeah, "Christians". Go forth and be fruitful. Can't these people see what's happening? Do they even care? Oh yeah, "The Afterlife". Intelligent design, my ass! It's okay to destroy the earth and every living thing on it because all of the "saved" people are going to heaven. I know that there are genuinely good people doing "God's work" I'm glad they're out there. It's the ones that twist the Bible to suit themselves that really piss me off. Pat Robertson, you are a sick, sick man. Please take yourself out. The sooner, the better. This is making my stomach hurt. Good night.March 3 2021. I am no longer an anti-Christian zealot. They were right all along and the Left is turning America into a Communist cesspool.

Behind me are the rare and beautiful Bridgestone posters from the mid-90's. They have spurred my interest in Japanese woodblock art. You should see the Hokusai calendar on the side of our 'fridge!