if you like the momentum of the city then lets keep the momentum of the city
the facilities in this city have not been this good in all the times I have lived here and things are getting better everyday families used to migrate from the city the streets were not safe the schools were crap
the people are staying DC is a wonderful place to raise a family well... it you can stand the humidity and the mosquitoes but really... no place is perfect DC is further from perfect than a lot of places but DC is getting better lots of positive changes since the FENTY TEAM took office
some is the momentum of the times but a good deal of it is the momentum of this mayor
the schools are improving inside and out Michelle Rhee? I would not want to hear that a good teacher is losing their job but... I do not want a bad teacher keeping their job there comes a time for spring cleaning there is no time to be wasted
it is not about old teachers versus young teachers it is not about a new teacher versus an teacher who has been teaching for years it is about getting ride of old teachers keeping good teachers hiring good teachers and making our schools better
I WANT A SANDWICH! a pregnant demon travels through the Tea Bagger's camp looking for a sandwich www.brightestyoungthings.com comedy is not pretty and neither are the Tea Baggers
definitely worth a look if nothing else... it is a great cross section of America and that is not pretty either and of course... I was stoked to see the demon on a bike
CYCLOCROSS CLINIC AT FORT RENO PARK THIS WEDNESDAY
DCMTB is hosting a Cyclocross Clinic at Fort Reno Park this Wednesday Evening
Sept. 1st- CX "Crash course" - all the basics of cyclocross. Everything you'll need to know for your first race. Lead instructor: Mike Birner/Mid-Maryland Coaching
this morning I took a short spin before heading into work
yes... work... no I did not find a job taking some hours at my old job I have been taking intermittent hours at my old job while still trying to find a JOB
it is thankless... less money... no benefits... no 401K but in these times... we do what we do this may be a new economy this may be part of "the new way"
so... I am on my bike not feeling particularly spry perhaps I started off too hard maybe I was spacing out
either way... I was on the Capital Crescent Trail after looping off from heading north on Beach Drive when it happened a bug into the helmet...
the bug in the helmet is not entirely uncommon usually a bee... sometimes a beetle... always worth investigating
rather than pulling over I took the hands off the bar and rolled forward no hands in the upright position I removed the helmet from my head and glanced down into the empty helmet there it was... the black and yellow stripes of a hornet
rather than fly away and roam free that hornet decided to sting me
through the full finger glove I felt it then I stopped and removed the glove a passing walker inquired to whether or not I was okay his sincere concern made me feel better about the state of the world
the Hornet unlike the bee can sting multiple times the bee leaves its stinger and sometimes its intestines... usually dying the hornet flies away to sting another day this hornet stung one... successfully through the glove I could already feel the venom doing its deed
with no stinger in my hand I tried to see if I could suck out any venom I rode no handed and did what may have been an empty effort I sucked and I spat... ew... not like that there was slight swelling... but the pain has since subsided
in my youth... I loved the Mickey's Big Mouth with its unusual cap that unusual cap that almost often caused spillage that volatile malt liquor that was an acquired taste that gave more buzz for the buck and usually gave a hang over www.mickeys.com
not having a cell phone can be inconvenient... having a cell phone or a smart phone brings out a compulsion in many of us that can be very annoying
I have intentionally been without a cell phone for a good number of months it may be time for me to get re-connected but... there is a lesson... I have learned this lesson I plan to live this lesson
we do not need to check our emails incessantly we do not need to be glancing at our devices each and every time we have what appears to be a free second
playing with our kids should be playing with out kids... take the phone off your hip and get in the game
dinner with friends should be with the friends you are with... not the people who are not there
get real... live in real time
there was a time when people awkwardly looked at the numbers above the elevator doors in an effort to ignore the other passengers in the box now everyone stares at their smart phones as if that email can not wait until they get into their office people still stare at their smart phones... even if the lose service inside the elevator anything is better than interacting with those around us
this of course extends to driving... okay drivers! get a clue check your emails before you leave the house then... when you get to work... get back to things if it is really so vital... pull over and "read and respond" or make that call there would be less traffic if people were focusing on the task at hand
and parents... teach your children guide your children this is the next generation of drivers the best rule... PUT THE CELL PHONE OR SMART PHONE in your pack or bag and have that bag out of reach... there is this technology called VOICE MAIL! it is not that important that you need to take your focus off the task at hand
if it rings... let it ring view an incoming call as a suggestion not a command do not be a slave to the device
people would drive more efficiently if they focused on the task at hand people would drive more safely if they focused on the task at hand and as far as them trying to multi-task well... the email or the phone call is only getting partial attention anyway and we know that the variable around the driver are getting less than partial attention
if you drive... the hotel or the inlaws will not let you bring the bike into the building if you fly... the cost of traveling with a bike is as great as the hassle of boxing the bike itself and then some
so... what does someone do?
well... OUTERBIKE is a great solution well... maybe not a "solution" but an excellent riding away from home option http://outerbike.com/
are you going to vote in the DC primaries? the FENTY-GRAY race is getting intense there are some articles in today's Washington Post that I need to read
I like the momentum of the city I like the changes that are happening in the schools I like Mayor Fenty I want to continue with this momentum!
I AM PRO FENTY!
I do not know anything about Gray... but I do know that I like the changes I am seeing in the city... school renovations... rebuilding the city parks... bike lanes what else? urban renewal... growth... prosperity ...
so... if you are PRO-FENTY get out and vote and tell your friends who are unsure... that they should vote for FENTY these primaries are the deciding factor!
Summit County Summit County Colorado SUMMIT COUNTY COLORADO AND SUMMIT COUNTY COMPLEX... something I experienced in the early '90s
the world has changed... there are interesting trends to culture one thing I have noticed... jobs in resort-vacation communities are no longer being filled by college age and post college age people from the states in my limited travels I have seen more and more Eastern European men and women in their 20's working these jobs
at the beach... in the mountain towns... all over the country I have seen it... it appears to be pretty consistent is it documented... is this phenomena real... or is it just my perception
in my post college years I did a little bit of traveling not an extensive walk about just a bunch of little trips trips that often involved working along the way planting trees in Georgia for 4.25 cents a tree even my bicycle tour in Europe involved my working at a Youth Hostel Camping area doing minor clean up so that I could camp and eat for free my savings account has never been impressive the messenger gig in Washington DC usually did little more than pay the rent with some money left over for beers... there was hardly any money left over for bikes this dynamic always forced my travels to be on "a shoe string" budget
a cross country motorcycle trip took me through the state of Colorado I had never been on a chair lift before... I had never skied... my only snowboarding had been on local sledding hills and golf courses as I rode my motorcycle on those twisty mountain roads I felt a connection after a few months of living and working in Marin County California I decided I would leave Mount Tam and its scene for the bigger hills of Colorado
it was not that well thought out... I had no idea what I was getting myself into
I sold the Kawasaki KZ750 that caught fire in Wyoming for 800 bucks... which was pretty alright... since I had bought it for 4oo dollars back east it seemed like a fair price since I had just replaced the chain and the sprockets to accompany its taxi cab yellow paint job I had given it... not to mention it was running pretty nice
with that money I bought a plane ticket back to Washington DC where I loaded up my car and headed back out west with a Burton Woody on the roof I left off for Colorado with no concept of what I was doing once I arrived I was told about "the metal edge" or in my case... the absence of the metal edge I was as dumb about the metal edge as snowboard innovators Burton and Sims
this rant is supposed to be about Summit County Complex... not snowboarding so I will try to avoid any long winded rants about heading to "the pass" to do some early season snowboarding in the trees riding this diminutive snowboard with no metal edge through double black diamonds shoots in the trees it was madness... it was insane... it was near suicide maybe it was the thin air... looking back it would be like trying to race downhill on a Mary Poppin's bike I was lucky not to break my neck
my ignorance about the gear was matched by my inability to afford real gear I had to try and figure things out on the cheap no actual snowboard boots... it was Sorels... and not even with Ski Boot Liners kissing up to all the "ski reps" who claimed to have a "hook up" or "a pro deal" for me at the parties and bars these cheese balls always made empty promises that they never filled
a snowboard without a metal edge is pretty bad then to ride a regular snowboard without snowboard boots? well... that would be like riding your mountain bike with toe clips and sneakers rather than SPDs
again... off point
recently I heard this song... Colorado Girls Colorado Girls on YOUTUBE www.youtube.com
it is a spoof of the Katy Perry California Gurls song California Gurls on YOUTUBE www.youtube.com
okay... let me spit this out... Summit County Complex... not to be confused with the Summit County Split The Summit County Split is a massive crack in a person's lip caused by an excess of chapped lips and no moisturizer... but these are different times... I bet people use sun screen more now than when I was on the mountain
okay... back to things in "thumb it county" the once hitch hiking capital of Colorado
Summit County Complex was in short a term used to describe the attitude that women would get because of the BOY TO GIRL RATIO in the mountain towns I am not sure of the actual numbers... but in the bars it was like 33 TO 1 a ratio that favored the girls... 33 boys to each girl
this ratio threw things a little out of whack
Summit County Complex was an attitude that women got... where they thought they were more attractive than they actually where... or at least they behaved like they were more attractive than they were because... with no other women to compete with... they were it... they were the deal there were boys lined up to talk to any women.... any women
if a boy were to piss of their girlfriend... she could just turn around and there was another boy right there
people would say that in Summit County boys do not have girlfriends... they just get their turn
well... there were a good number of women who were maybe "7s" in their hometown then here in ski towns of Colorado... they bundled up... they wore a big sweater... and they preyed upon the desperation created by the boy to girl ratio
in short without being too mean... that is Summit County Complex
not sure if they still consider that because the dynamic of things may have changed not sure who is living in these towns and who is working the various "Mc Jobs" but when I was out there... there was a limited amount of housing... a limited amount of jobs... and a limited amount of women
sure... the snow was great and that is why we were there and once housing and job was found... things were pretty okay but we still complained about the women situation which of course is a different situation than here in DC here in DC... well... there is a whole different attitude... and it is attitude but being old and married I am not so concerned what was once called in a City Paper article "the bitch hunt"
lots of people out on their bikes more and more people on the streets of Washington DC on their bikes some of us have been doing the bike thing for some time some of us are new to the bike game
it was later than I am usually downtown it was nice to see the city under the glow of the setting summer sun made me realize I should step out with the camera and snap some shots on these cooler days with the clearer air during the good light moments of the day in the shadows with low light the camera has a hard time adjusting to the low light while moving manged to get a few shots just the same
another shot while on the move... at a closer look I saw that she was on a Surly
at first I just figured it was an old beater converted into a single speed with some unusual handlebars then I saw the badge on the head tube it looked just the the "S" that fell off the head tube of my Surly http://www.surlybikes.com/