fatherhood in the modern world

in this modern world
in this modern developed world
it has been many centuries since the life of a child was like the life of their father's childhood
what is done?
what has been handed down?
and
what is new?

velcro, scs/dvd/,digital cameras, electric tooth brushes, lights on your shoes, and computers
and every tangent from there
my grandfather may have had in his youth a flushing toilet, a car, a movie theater, and the technology of radio/telephone/electricity and products of mass production
all of which his father did not have in his childhood

my great grandfather's child was perhaps without a bicycle
I am not sure
but... by chance of economics my grandfather's childhood could have lacked a bicycle
the truth I a not sure
but I am certain that my father did have bicycles and so do I
my sons also have bicycle
the bicycle's evolution has slowed
evolution took its biggest leap from nothing to something
then slowly improved itself from there
the bicycle is still improving
yet the bicycle is still a bicycle

the evolution of riding may have gone through more dramatic changes in the last many decades than the evolution of design or technology
my sons will certainly do things on bikes I could have never done
as some things were not known to be possible

Ride Like a Girl

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Ride Like a Girl

MORE affiliated
MORE approved

south of dupont

afternoon nap

images

marriage and marathons

marriage is an endurance race
perhaps the most difficult endurance race I have ever experienced

so often I will encounter someone in a relationship
they live with their significant other and well...
when I say I am married
they say they are not married, but that they live with their significant other and that it pretty much the same thing

a marathon is a race
26.2 miles is a distance
by running 26.2 miles you have not run a marathon
you have run a distance
it just is not the same thing
similar
but different
why is it different?
I do not know
it just is

wounded warrior project

tonight I went by city bikes for a little TLC on the bikes
had some work done... felt that there was room for a touch up
took the boys with me
lisa had a work dinner
which put me in the roll of mr mom

while at the shop my boys each raced around on the kids bikes
pissing off the shop workers
knocking over merchandise
knocking into customers

we were in the shop for a while when I saw a customer come through the front door with his road bike
at a glance I saw that he had a very high tech apparatus at the base of his left leg
there was carbon fiber, light weight medals, and a heavy duty joint

without much of a buffer I walked straight to him and just got straight to the point
that is a pretty high tech piece of machinary there
I said... trying not to be too offensive
the man with the road bike and the prostetic lower leg was welcoming to my conversation
our exchanged flowed without awkwardness
he was free with his answers
yet not trying to tell his life story
he was clear with his points
I am sure he has answered all these questions many times before

in no time at all I was asking if he were military, then asking how it happened
with no great detail or drama the information came
it was a collection of words like so many collections of words we read in the paper or hear on the news
something about some sort of explosive device under some sort of military vehicle
words I understand incontext but many not be able to define on my own
it was clear that there was an explosion an injury... a serious injury...
the injuries this man suffered are serious... but not as serious as death

the man was positive
he was healthy and strong
no chip on his shoulder
no visible bitterness

I was humbled
we spoke... told him bluntly that I wished I had my camera with me
as I see him as being such an inspiration
his positive attitude and his ability to stay active
towards the end of our conversation we spoke about his riding
we talked about the Wounded Warrior Project
turns out he is riding cross country with the Wounded Warrior Project
the exchange was pleasant
it was pleasure meeting a man with such dignity and strength

lack of regret
lack of bitterness
lack of anger
maybe those stages are behind them
maybe those stages are repressed within him
in our talk he said he would do it all again
not wanting the outcome to be the same
but believing that his efforts lead to some good
believing that the actions over there are not all for not
on this I take his word
as he has seen this first hand
all I know is what I have seen in the news

not only was he engaging to me and my questions
he was also very welcoming to my two young boys and their curiosity

this Wounded Warrior Project is a good thing
(turns out SOLDIER'S RIDE is a more specific link for the cross country bicycle event)

I look forward to hearing more about this ride as it happens

give and take... talk or listen...

it is so funny
we are all so self absorbed
I certainly spend more time writing blogs than reading blogs
on MYSPACE people are always posting bulletins but no one is reading bulletins
everyone seems to prefer to talk rather than listen

these issues are things I contend with
I try to fight my nature
as hard as it may be for me
I try to listen as well as talk
I try to get information as well as give information
I try
it is not easy
but I try

recently my wife came back from a seminar at work
one of the valuable tools she walked away from on this day was a simple catch phrase/idea...

we have one mouth and two ears
that should be the ratio of talking to listening
we should listen twice as much as we talk

it makes sense
I try
it is not easy
but I try... I may not reach that ratio.... but it improves the level of communication

even with the Internet news can still take days

on tuesday of this week there was mention of gwadzilla on wonkette
but it took mention in an email from jonathan maus of bikeportland.org
for this information to reach me

one more of Cargo Mike

today at lunch it was a nice day so I took a walk at lunch
grabbed a few slices of pizza from albertos
walked while I ate
took a few shots between bites
the same story
a different day

seek and you shall find
heard that somewhere
had not taken a shot of cargo mike and his cargo bike in some time
kept my eyes open for him and his rig
sure enough
there it was... can not miss it

we rapped for a little
actually I talked his ear off
turns out he is racing greenbriar this weekend in the single speed class
which should be cool
while I will be sweating it out with the big boys in the clydesdale class... on my geared bike

it was good to see him
I was a little jacked on caffiene at the time
had my coffee a little late in the day
as my younger son grant had dropped a few blueberries into my tall cup off coffee
before sip one
I tried to drink it
but there is a reason why blueberry coffee is not on the market

time to slide down the dinosaur

later

cargo mike and his cargo bike (again)

Cargo Mike

sleeper

another post for squirrel

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for the baby squirrel on the way
baby's first tattoo

trouble

this is more MYSPACETROUBLE than I care to get into
this for squirrel
and
discord not dischord
(there is an "H" in it)

and
when I am not looking to see who is on the SUICIDE GIRLS friend's list
I am reading stuff like this

Metal Cowboy takes his kids for a bike ride

Joe Kurmaskie, aka The Metal Cowboy, has an article in The Men's Journal
but that is what is not so impressive
sure the article is interesting and well written
but...
it is the story and the action that took place that is really amazing

Joe took his kids for a bike ride
Joe took his kids for a 2 month long cross country bike ride
AMAZING!
take a look a the article
the kids most certainly saw sunrises and sunsets that most of us have only seen in National Geographic Magazine
there may have been moments of boredom for his 5 and 7 year old on their long days on the bike
but... I would have to say
the positive moments of their experience would clearly outweigh the negative
good work joe
it is an amazing feat

that article is being expanded into a book that should be out this fall
I will certainly keep my eye out for it!

so... there are options other than the basic 9-5
and
I think the invite to Sharyl and Lance may need to be sent to different addresses

metal cowboy

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THE METAL COWBOY

almost as bad as cell phones

iLove my iPod
i will admit that I neglect to add new music to it as frequently as i should
but iDo love my iPod

the primary use of the iPod is as an auxilary device
it works on various stereos in my house as well as in my car
as tempting as it may be to use the iPod on the bike
seems that tuning out that one sense would leave me one sense short of being safe

not to mention when i ride there are an assortment of things to listen to
in addition to the sound of the birds in the trees and the squirrels in the brush
there are the sounds of oncoming hikers, joggers, bikers, and that chance encounter with a deer or a bear
so much to hear... much of which should not be missed
there is the sound of the bike as well as the sound of the world around me

there are so many sounds worth hearing
the sound of a stick clicking in the spokes
there is the sound of a slow leak
the sound of mal adjusted limit screws failing to stop a deraileur from going into the rear wheel
just to name a few

as far as people around town
the cell phone is the worse
people become blind when they talk on the phone
they walk into the street without looking
they walk into other people
they are inefficient when shopping.... I will snake anyone on their cell phone as they meander their way to the register

leave the iPod at home
and well
exist more safely as well as more considerate in public
when walking in the park.... let the park entertain you
you can finish that pod cast when you get home

The Monkey has Landed!

the monkey has landed
long live the monkey
the monkey rules the wasteland

a few weeks ago I noticed a crack in my Surly Karate Monkey Single Speed's frame
it was a tad frustrating yet I was not worried
I rode the bicycle home and then made contact with the folks at City Bikes
sure enough... the scrutiny of the professional eye made note of the crack and took the bike in to be shipped to Surly
Surly looked at the bike and okayed a warranty replacement
music to my ears!

warrantly replacement!
like getting a new bike

a few weeks later brings us to the present time
the monkey has landed and is in the last stages of assembly and tune up
just in time to be ridden and raced
the old monkey was military green
the new monkey is skid mark brown
actually... I see it as a nice brown with a hint of bronze
quite pretty to my eye
I am psyched
I love my monkey yes, I love my monkey even if it is a tad heavy

thanks City Bikes for taking care of this
thanks Surly for doing me right on the warranty
that is awesome
standing behind your product is vital
keeping me one happy Surly customer with two Surly bikes and no hesitation to ever buy another
well... hesitation yes... clearance from my wife would be needed before making any such purchase

SURLY ROCKS
SURLY BLOG
(careful those that do not care for smut... the recent image on the Surly Blog is too revealing for some eyes)

26ers vs. 29ers

26ers be nimble
26ers be quick
on my 26er I can nearly bunny hop a candle stick

today for my morning commute I rode my almost ancient Rocky Mountain Blizzard
last night as I put some pedals on this old steel beast I was disgusted by the amount of play in the bottom bracket
it is the orignial bottom bracket so I am not shocked
as I rode to work I found myself going the wrong way in the far right lane of traffic
as a car came speeding head on towards me the man driving flashed his brights
my initial reaction was that the driver was trying warn me to move out of his way
but as he passed he yelled out the window in a heavy Indian accent, "your bottom bracket is loose"
he was right...
so I did not give him the finger
although I was amused that he had to decelerate for the red light
absurd that he would be going 75mph in a 25 zone in the right hand lane playing chicken with a cyclist with a loose bottom bracket

on my way into work I tried to get a taste of some technical
up and over curbs
then off curbs
onto short patches of grass
on well warn dirt track paths created by walkers and runners that opt to walk along the path rather than on the path
whatever presented itself I approached

while taking this short urban excursion into work I was loving the feel of the bike benieth me
the bike felt so nimble and quick
the fit was wrong
no extension
I dwarf the bike with its 21 inch frame and its 26 inch wheels
yet the feel was good just the same

this had me playing multiple ideas through my head
that question.... is the 29er always the best bike for the job?

in my head I day dreamed about the four races at Wakefield Park this summer
the thought of racing a different bike on each night
comparing lap times and final finishes
comparing feel of each bike and preferences
would the 26er be better suited for tight winding singletrack then the 29er?
I have compared the geared 29er to the single speed 29er for me on this course/at this race....
but what about the 26er?
other than a bar bike or a beater.... does the 26er still have a place in my world?

then I thought some more
maybe it is not the 29er as a whole
maybe if I were on a 29er that is more light weight then the Surly Karate Monkey?
is that where my error lies?

I love my monkey
"touch my monkey"
but... the Karate Monkey is a lead sled
a great bike.... but definitely one of the heaviest bikes in its class

where does this leave me?
only to consider some product testing on my own?
unlikely
I will just blog about it and never find out the answer
this riddle will be filed along side of the "how many licks..." question
the world will never know

some shots around the city

various shots from the City Bikes Demo Day at Schaffer Farms
I did not take that many photographs as I was either too busy riding, eating, or chatting

the rain kept back the crowds
but the rain did not keep us from having fun
well.... the ladies of Hub Racing opted to ride the wind trainers rather than muck up their bikes on the rain soaked pavement
the "riding" under the tent was fun for them
while the mountainbikers tended to choose to ride the demo bikes rather than dirty their own machines
a good time was had by all
was happy to hear that Jamis will be coming out with some 29ers in 2007!

thanks to everyone who showed up
especially Cannondale and Jamis
as it is not a demo day without cool bikes to demolish
I opted to demolish my own machine

while I am being creepy

this creation and others like it can be found here
at Satan's Side Show
this stuff is designed and created by dc local t-shirt andy
aka andy d. gore
back in the day he was known as t-shirt andy
maybe mohawk andy
or was there just mohawk adam
either way he was known as t-shirt andy by the t-shirts he screened

andy is an original
if you are looking for the gift for someone who has everything
well... andy has something that this person definitely does not already have
check out andy's stuff

this most definitely is not archie mcphees

more smut... and some links

ya gotta love the Stingray!
can't say no to the Stingray and the banana seat

found this trolling my friend's friends list at myspace
taken by an LA photographer
his myspace friends list is comprised of his betty page style models...

squirrel has some cycling tattoo photos on his flickr page

MYSPACE is creepy
myspace makes me creepy
I should not bother with myspace
I should definitely not go to myspace at work
it is far too close to soft core porn

why am I posting this?
because...
because it is nice to look at
it is sort of hypnotic
go ahead... stare at her... now try to look away

woot.com

Woot.com has amazing deals
things you don't want or need for next to nothing

I am bummed that these chairs are sold out
as I do not want them
nor do I need them
but at two for 29.95
I have got to have them
everyday they have a deal of the day....
no this is not advertising... this is me trying to tell you about the madden Football game I just got for 99 cents in the mail today!

free water bottle... DID SOMEONE SAY FREE?

free water bottles at
scbikelaw.com
sign up and they send it out

check it out!
it is good to have lawyers on our side
someone needs to know our rights

john falls photo

John Falls Photographer
take a look at his stuff
reminds me that
I own a camera
I take pictures
but
I am not a photographer

my space seems like happy hour at the beach in SoCal 24-7

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retisonic at myspace


cool to sit back and let the track play
I am wondering how jason is hanging low tech with all this tech stuff
he has always liked it old and broken
the character of old
rather than the cookie cutter new

fort knox five at myspace

also has live music pumping through if you let the main page load
good stuff
although I am familiar with it as I have some of this material on cd already
while the Jason Farrell stuff is far from what I am used to listening to these days

been a long time since I snuck around myspace
it is kind of weird in there
although I like to open the in the background and listen to the music
and well
I like to people watch
if this had existed when I was younger.... I would have been stoked on it
it is like Chat Room 6.0!

myspaceatmyspace
although
it is not really my thing
just the same... it is interesting to see
a whole lot of networking going on in there
as I have nothing to sell
I am not sure I have any reason to be there

women specific

my wife is in the market for a new bike
we all know that new bikes are great
she could use a new bike
her Fisher Hoo Koo E Koo was not much in its day
time to move forward

we can find a good home for the old bike

a low end shock of today is far superior to so many high end shocks of the humble beginnings of shock technology
so.... is there anything behind this women specific technology?

every person has a story

every person has a story
every picture tells a story

this collection of images shows a man who may not be wearing a wig for fashion or function
he may be wearing the wig because he is a bit of a freak
from the looks of the hospital braclets he just got released
from the look in his eye he got released too early

hopefully he is not a harm to himself
hope he is not a harm to anyone else

saw him again today
he was wearing a pretty nice clean long coat
not an overcoat, but a long coat of that style and cut but not for rain
oh, and he was wearing the same wig
I bet the hospital bands are gone

wonder what his story is...

sean bega/hub racing

sean bega
wrench/service manager for city bikes
and
charlie of charlie's angels
I mean, sean of hub racing

sean got out in the mud on earth day

life with children... life before children

life with children and life before children
those are two clearly different times
the measure of time
the concept of free time

I had no idea how much free time I once had
now that I have children... there is almost no free time
games like croquet... well... unlikely
if you want the kids running around pulling out the wickets and trying to hit the balls into outer space.... sure
but... if you want a real match, forgetaboutit
not an option

incongreuent tangents

the other night I was trying to get this image to load
tried once
tried twice
who knows how many times I tried?

so I went down a different path
the calendar took me down a different path

as I encountered this woman there was an exchange
as a matter of introduction and small talk
I snapped pictures as I asked her where her helmet was

she had her reasons
within my friendly ribbing I got more information
the bicycle is not just a bicycle for her
she has MS and uses the bike to aid her as a walker as well
the bike instead of walking
the bike instread of a walker

seems to work for her
great to see on the bike getting around on such a great spring day

I must admit
I did enjoy the tangent posted prior

spring is such a wonderful time of year

mom yet?

I wonder if Marla Streb has had that baby yet?

like they say... it sells

more cycling smut

I am really rolling my tires through the gutter
oh well....
guess spring fever has me acting extra male
I am what I am

some sort of helmets

that pose is either really hot
or
a tad crude as it looks like she is trying to restrain some violent bowel movement

ladies night

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Ladies Night Featuring Sue Haywood!
presented by The Bike Lane April 27th