KINGFACE
WFMU's Beware of the BLOG
dischord records
worth a look
and
this clip is worth a listen
as Kingface does Van Halen

taking the day off
as chance would have it on my selected day off the world has chosen to rain over Washington DC
perhaps it is for the best
sure I had plans to hike the Billy Goat Trail in the morning
then an afternoon dirt ride... maybe Schaffer, Cabin John, maybe something more local to me
but
my friends have all backed down from each independent invite
well...
the ride was still an option
road in the rain
but
I had to take the high road of chosing not to ride and muck things up on dirt
while not being drawn to getting soaked on the streets

should be a good weekend for Cyclocross
too bad I am not racing
PSYCH!
soft earth on a cross bike is painful for the CLYDESDALE
mud has its moments
yet I will request fast and dry hard packed first and foremost anyday

so....
after being stood up on two counts
now I have my massive "things to do" list to attack
right now I am working on getting two bike frames painted
an old OUTBACK mountainbike for Lisa
and
that old Colnago road bike for myself
the rain may keep me from spraying them down
but
that forces me to spend a few more minutes for prepping
while actually I would be more than satisfied to do a ghetto paint job not even removing the wheels
yet.... these are frames with no parts.... there are no wheels or tires to dirty with my sloppy spray painting

I can not recall the last time it rained
we need the rain
as much as I could have used a long hike with the dogs sans kids
as much as I could have used a social ride on the bike on dirt that is not a race
there are these "things to do"
best I step away from the BLOG and move forward with these tasks.....

last night Tom hooked me up with a CAMPY crank set
need to decide what bike gets what crank set
my Jamis Nova needs some TLC
the chain skipps under any tork situation
the whole drive train needs to be replaced
and well
as I plan on getting a new cyclocross bike
I do not want to spend too much money putting life back into a bike that will be downgraded to commuter/beater
that said.... this bike still has gear potential
mustache bars?
fenders?
who knows...
but
before I redesign the identity of the Jamis Nova I need to reanimate the Outback and Colnago frames into the status of ridable bikes

bikesbelong.org
(more for the retailer than the common cyclist)



also more for the retailer
Bicycle Retailer
Quote of the Day from the Bicycle Retailer site-
“If bicycle saddles contribute to erectile dysfunction, then The Netherlands would be empty.”
-Thorsten Schaette of KHS Bicycle Parts. Thorsten added that his company has no saddles for sale.
in response to this article
also an interesting article on Timbuk2

while I am telling tales of my misspent youth...

when I was 21.... roughly a year after graduating from college I went cross country on my motorcycle
on this cross country motorcycle trip I zig and I zagged across the country
visiting friends and family in different states
dictating a route that appeared random to those not knowing about the places I stayed and the people I visited
the warm beds and the stocked fridges

while going cross country I passed through Yellowstone National Park
in this park I saw Old Faithful and lots of RVs
at one point I got off my motorcycle and hiked into the woods
once deeper into the woods I found a few lone Buffalo
I tried to follow them... but they moved quickly away

as I tried to follow them I got further into the woods but had no luck
they moved quickly away and out of view
I stalked blindly through the woods with my camera in hand
like a hunter I tried to move silently to get a good shot at the unsuspecting Buffalo
further into the woods way off trail I had no concern about being lost or the safety of my motorcycle or my gear
my focus was on the Buffalo

some time passed when I saw a man meditating on a rock ahead
before I could turn the other way to respect his solitude my foot cracked a twig at my feet
gently the man in front of me opened his eyes
with a nod he greeted me and welcomed me forward
we spoke and I told him where I was from, my ride cross country, and my immediate efforts to find the Buffalo
it was a pleasant exchange
as it turns out this man was a Native American Indian
a descendent of trackers
a tracker himself

he offered to help me find the buffalo and then lead me back to my motorcycle

this sounded wonderful
we walked a little further
the out of the woods and into a clearing
my tracker guide walked a few feet in front of me
he motioned for me to stop
then he silently crouched down to the ground
he then put his head to the ground and uttered these words... "oh.... Buffalo come."
with surprise I asked, "how do you know? can you hear their steps like an approaching train can be heard on the tracks?"
to that the indian tracker guide replied... "no... because ear stuck to ground."

tattoos
roughtly a decade and a half ago I rode my motorcycle cross country

while staying in the bay area I took a ride one Sunday morning from Mill Valley (the base of Mount Tam) to the Blue Buddha in Oakland
it was a trip more like a day at the dentist office than a tattoo parlor i
t took place on a Sunday morning not a Friday night
I was stone cold sober and had a clear head
my design came with me and not off a wall
not quite the story of a sailor on leave
but I have a number of stories that are told with that flavor.. so it is fine if this tale is told differently

there was pain... but not from a drill
got the back side of the Buffalo Nickel tattoed on the shoulder of my right arm
my little piece of America
my red, white, and blue
my American Flag
a statement of my love and distain for this beautiful yet ugly country
a country of freedom
a country of oppression
the Buffalo represents the great west and wonderful freedom
yet we nearly drove this animal to extinction
through hunting and isolation
this once wild animal that lived a nomadic life is now forced to live out its life in a more confined state

that said... around that same time I had considered getting a stamp with a postmark with the year and location on the postmark
this was not the stamp in my head at that time
yet this stamp gets the idea across just the same

not sure why I am telling this tale
guess the Jefferson Nickel has me jumping from tangent to tangent

New Nickel:
It is not Jefferson's facing forward... it is the hair!
the US Mint has just announced that it is going to release the first coin with the presidential image facing forward
I have no objection to eye contact with my coins....
but
what is up with Jefferson's hair?

he looks like Owen Wilson in ZOOLANDER!
Did Jefferson's hair ever look like that?
if so fine....
if not... WHAT THE F---!

more coin info

and to complete the geek collector idea while bringing it back to the bike... Bicycle Stamps

classic image with a twist
from the brains of Cal-tech Commuters

THE JOKER
he looks more like a King to me
but
since he is on a bicycle his status gets re-evaluated
I know how he feels

buses, cars, bigger cars, and even motorcycles pass bicycles like they are obstacles in the road
like those on bicycles are second class citizens blocking progress
never is my right to life taken into account
never is my tax contribution that goes to these roads taken into account
for some reason I am downgraded from husband and father to something on the level of an orange safety cone

perhaps the folks at Bicycle Playing cards can redesign their cards
putting the Joker in a Hummer H2 rather than on the bicycle
clearly the SUV stuck in bumper to bumper traffic is more of a JOKER than the cyclist zipping cross town with the wind in their hair... burning calories, taking in the day all while shaking the stress of the work day
moving forward rather than standing still
realeasing stress rather than building stress
(most of the time)

the Joke is on them...

Joker T-Shirts
Bicycle Playing Cards

Quisp

Recovery....

here are some articles about post work out recovery foods
something I have been neglecting
my sore calves may have something to do with this

recovery foods
same article.... top ten recovery foods

this weeked past I was scheduled to work which had me miss two races
each that sounded very attractive to me.... the Lodi Farms mountainbike event and the Ed Sanders cyclocross event

Future Cyclocross Events
I better tune my bike and get ready for future cross races

Bicycle Sales on the RISE!

some words on BICYCLE COMMUTING by Grant Peterson