All week I’ve been feeling down. No energy, just blah. Then it dawned on me, the reason for this was, I hadn’t ridden my bike since I rode home from work Monday morning. (I work 3rd shift and my schedule is such that from 9PM Friday til 9AM Monday, I get 40 hours in).
Tuesday it was quite warm (60-ish) but the wind was also gusting to 55mph, not a good day for a ride. Been there, done that, it’s really no fun. Riding with a 50mph wind is a blast, but riding across it or into it really, really bites.
Fast forward to 1:30 Friday morning. It’s 45(F) and damp… fog bordering on misty drizzle (which I really enjoy riding in… makes the lungs happy). I layer on the appropriate garments, put the headlight on the fixed gear (my 2004 Bianchi Pista…. oh how I love that bike) and off we go. Riding a fixed gear in the dead of night with just enough fog to add mystery to the landscape is like magic. There’s nothing but you, the bike, and the road and the three of you are inextricably linked. Magic, pure and simple.
While I was out I saw two animals. The first was either a black and white kitty, or a skunk, I didn’t slow down for a better look. The second was a bunny who enjoyed pacing me at about 20mph for around 50 yards (as they so often seem to).
45 minutes later I was home feeling better than I have all week, and wondering why I didn’t do it sooner.
I can’t believe that I survived 38+ years deprived of this magical ambrosia! Seriously, it’s good stuff! On fruit, on toast, right out of the jar with a spoon, Nutella rules! It calls itself “Hazelnut Spread with Skim Milk & Cocoa”, but I find it to be more chocolaty than hazelnutty. Look for it at your grocer’s, near the peanut butter, jams and jellies. Be sure to save the gold seal from the jar after you open it, you can trade these in for valuable prizes at the Nutella website.
Now if only I could find a way to combine my new-found fixation with Nutella with my long-standing adoration of cooking Goddess Nigella Lawson, then I might be on to something.
When I get out of bed for the day I’ve noticed that I’ve developed this odd habit (as if I didn’t have enough of those already). When I actually sit up (this could be after lying awake for some time working up to it) I blurt out the first thing that comes to me, off the top of my head. Sometimes it’s just something I thought of while sleeping that I think is funny “monkey biscuits!”. Sometimes it’s something important I’ve been thinking about while sleeping “Go to the bike shop!“, “buy bread!”, “water the oregano!” it’s really quite helpful when I come up with something I needed to be reminded of. Then there are mornings like today. I sat up and loudly exclaimed “Sidney Poitier!”, and I don’t have any idea why. Should I go rent “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner”? Is someone coming to dinner? What does it all mean??
Years ago, I read a quote from Steve Earle that stuck with me for some reason. Recently I got to thinking about it and searched it out again. Here it is:
“The first song I ever learned to play on guitar was “Mother’s Little Helper”. That’s one reason I’m so fucked up. Never learn your first song in a minor key.”
–I Feel Alright– a short film, 1996
The first song I learned to play on the mandolin was “Wayfaring Stranger”… in A minor. In my case I’m not sure which is the cause and which is the effect, but it’s definately something to think about.
There’s a new commercial for Helzberg Jewelers (I’m not sure if this is a national chain, or a more regional operation) which has as its theme “Mojo Box” by Southern Culture on the Skids. I find it more than just a little sad that the first SCOTS song to break free of the “novelty” label was immediately co-opted by corporate America and is being ruined via sheer repetition. I guess that it’s a good thing for the band, but still…
I also seriously doubt that Iggy Pop was even remotely thinking of Carnival Cruise Lines when he and David Bowie penned the immortal words:
Here comes Johnny Yen again
With the liquor and drugs
And the flesh machine
He’s gonna do another strip tease.
Hey man, where’d ya get that lotion?
I’ve been hurting since I’ve bought the gimmick
About something called love
Yeah, something called love.
Well, that’s like hypnotizing chickens.
But… it is kinda fun to sing along to the commercial… and I suppose that the whole thing is, in some way, “like hypnotizing chickens” if you really think about it.
I suppose it’s a sure sign you’re getting old when your favorite songs start turning up in TV commercials.
Led Zeppelin hawking Cadillacs,
Devo pushing Mitsubishis (see my earlier Devo Trilogy for more on this), Iggy Pop urging me to take a cruise,
Southern Culture on the Skids telling me to buy diamond jewelry for my sweetie (this is the same band, after all, who said: “You cannot buy true love, but you can shoot its ass”). They should be selling shotguns, or “Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pies”.
None of this approaches the level of sacrilege of the Beatle’s “Revolution” being used to sell Nikes, but it’s all very disheartening, nonetheless.
Well… Duh! Everyone should give Steve Earle’s “Conspiracy Theory” from the Jerusalem CD a listen. I may not agree with all of Mr. Earle’s politics, but I think he’s spot-on with his “paranoia” about government intrusiveness.
What if I told you it was done with mirrors
What if I showed you it was all a lie
Better be careful, someone might hear ya
The walls have ears and the sky has eyes
What if I said you were only dreamin’
What you want to bet that all you got to do
Is open up your eyes and you’ll wake up screamin’
When you realize that it’s all come true
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The American Civil Liberties Union on Thursday accused the FBI and local police of spying on political and faith-based groups and formally
asked the government for information about such FBI surveillance.
In Freedom of Information Act requests filed in 10 states and Washington, D.C., the ACLU sought information about the FBI’s use of Joint Terrorism Task Forces and local police for what it called political surveillance. It pointed to some documented examples of task forces’ involvement in the investigation of environmental activists and anti-war protesters. “The FBI is wasting its time and our tax dollars spying on groups that criticize the government, like the Quakers in Colorado or Catholic Peace Ministries in Iowa,” said ACLU associate legal director Ann Beeson.
“Do Americans really want to return to the days when peaceful critics become the subject of government investigations?” she said. The ACLU is America’s most prominent independent advocacy group for civil liberties.
The FOIA requests seek FBI files on groups and individuals targeted for speaking out or practicing their faith.
The FBI denied using the task forces — a key element of the government’s efforts to prevent another terror attack like those on Sept. 11, 2001 — to spy on innocent individuals.
Asked about the ACLU action, an FBI spokesman said, “The FBI does not investigate individuals or groups that are engaged in exercising their constitutional rights of freedom of expression.
He added, “Only if they are engaged in criminal activity in support of a cause would we be interested in them.”
In its FOIA request, the ACLU asked for information on procedures used by the task forces for monitoring people based on their race, religious affiliation, organizational membership or participation in protest activities.
Cycling has many perks. It’s good for my body and soul. It keeps me calmer, more centered, less stressed, and definitely fitter. It saves me no small amount of cash on gas. I’ve even been told I look good in lycra.
I feel as though I’m doing my small part to save the world, while simultaneously feeling more a part of the world. The sights, the sounds, (most of) the smells… calling various animals by name to alert them of my presence lest we startle or injure one another; “Hey now, Mr. Crow Bird”… “Watch it, squirrell!”… “Careful there Mr. Chipmunk”… “Hold your line there, Mr. Bunny Rabbit”… “What the Hell do you vultures think you’re looking at?!”
There are other perks that aren’t quite so obvious. The found objects for one. Lately it’s been a cavalcade of small wrenches and sockets, mini MagLites, DVD’s and video tapes!
I love my bikes and all of the possibilities that they present!
I’ve had this link for some time and I must share.
If you enjoy crazy traffic-cycling hijinks and have a high-speed connection, (or a lot of patience) check it out! (it’s 50MB, so be prepared)
drag race NYC
It’s crazy!
Alternatively, here’s a link to the page with the videos, rather than to the video itself.
He’s picking some nits
And checking them twice
Gonna find out
Who’s got the head-lice
Cootie Claus is coming to town!