For about a month now I have completely abandoned my loyal Klein single speed and have been exclusively riding a fixed gear bicycle. First it was the Takara that I built up as a cheap trial run beater bike---since the culture surrounding these machines (though it is becoming absolutely huge) has no real affect on me, the bike would have to convince me through it own merits, and I had no idea whether or not it would be enjoyable to ride something that you can't stop pedaling. Well. It WAS fun (I had already figured I would be hooked right off), so I went ahead with my plans for a lighter, nicer, more serious rig. It took a little while, but my is she pretty. The Trek has been finished for two days, and I can't get off it. Riding a fixed gear bike is a completely new and wonderful thing. Cycling is more than enjoyable on this thing---it a compulsion. It has brought back all the joys of learning to ride when I was five, with a dose of the BMX tricks that filled my spare time in high school; it has beautifully smooth, silent operation and the effortless speed only a very lightweight bike can achieve. This bike truly is a joy to ride, and I encourage you all: forget about the dumbass hipsters with their tight jeans and messenger bags who ride them, it's got nothing to do with that; look at them as simply the rawest and purest form of bicycle. Go ride a fixie and see for yourself.

Bicycle shop owners and employees (for the most part) have got to be the worst snobs of any industry I have had regular dealings with. They are so much worse than the auto parts world, and that's pretty bad. I can't even count the number of times at this point that I have been looking for a part or asking advice at some shop somewhere and been told that nothing I am talking about makes sense, I'm stupid for not spending hundreds of dollars on factory parts, and my idea definitely WON'T work. Normally after going home and tweaking with things a little those same things work just fine. The bike I ride constantly (and have been for over a year) supposedly was going to fall apart and kill me by the 2nd or 3rd time out, and the reasons they cited for this was that it was 'unconventional' and built with used parts. I guess used parts are automatically weak, dangerous and dysfunctional. Hmmm. Does you ego require you to feel smarter, cooler and safer than me, or are you just really dying to sell me stuff? The most recent experience I had of the sort I am ranting about was when I called a bike shop about a half-link for a chain, a somewhat rare part admittedly, but not unheard-of. I knew I could order it, but I didn't want to pay shipping and then wait a week for a $3 part, so I was trying all the local shops. Yesterday was the second shop in a row where the owner adamantly insisted that no such thing existed---all the while I was looking at it online from a reputable source I have purchased from before---and when I gently tried to tell him that I was LOOKING RIGHT AT IT, he started huffing and puffing that no one would ever even want such a thing anyway and that is why they have never made them and never will, blah, blah, blah...

Now remember that I love bikes and work on them myself, so in all fairness I have to call myself a cyclist; and I also have my preferences (and prejudices) when it comes to assembly and parts and styles---and it is because of this a feel free to complain; however, I would rather see someone riding a stupid-looking bike than a cool one if that is what they like, and if some hip cat can put together his own bike for cheap I say MORE POWER TO HIM! What is wrong with the folks that think unless they are riding in spandex and a pro (who is actually your local high-school stoner) at a 'real' shop adjusted their shifter by turning the barrel adjuster with two fingers, they aren't doing something right? And where are the shop owners who really care about biking and not about selling expensive new bikes to timid middle-aged folks who just want to ride to church on Sunday? I just wish those who do know more than me and the droves of other amateur cyclists out there could just be a little kinder and more helpful, that's all.

Okay. I'm done.

Yesterday as we were hauling a load of excess ex-possessions to the thrift store, I got to thinking, as I often do, about how much AC and I love our old car. Both of us would prefer to deal with any problems that may and do come up (as they will with ANY car, old or new, I must point out), as well as the extra noise, inconvenience and discomfort that is part of owning a nearly 40 year old vehicle. The appeal of driving something like this has a little to do with a lot of things, but just because we feel this way does not mean that other people do as well, nor that they can even comprehend the motivation. Of course there are the occasional few that voice a tidbit of praise or nod in friendly approval, but much more often we have been recipients of snide remarks and full-on insult regarding our choice of automobile. I assure you that I rarely take real offense at all this---to each his own and all that sort of thing...I did however, in the course of these musings, come up with a bumper sticker that may offer an explanation that these critics could readily understand:









I really am thinking seriously of printing these, so give me some feedback in the comments if you would like some.

5-something pm on a Friday not that long ago, standing in BlockBuster with the annoying dilemma of what to watch? After a seeming endless stream of suggestions and musings we decided on Pulp Fiction. I had only seen it once before and remember being a little stunned (I was high school after all), so I wasn't sure what I would think of it this time around. But you know, it was good. I liked it. And I noticed something about it I didn't pick up on the first time: there is a theme that runs through the whole movie of the desire--albeit an awkward and misguided one---for morality and redemption, which I guess is fairly obvious considering the last scene and how Samuel L. Jackson handles the hold-up; but more than that, the characters who really look hard at making a change in their lives seem to come out okay---they are at least trying to face the right direction---and they walk away in the end, on to (hopefully) better things. The characters who are dismissive and content in their ways however all end up dead or in a really bad way by the end of the film. I might not be right, but I think there is a subtle thread through of faith in merits of living a good life...

But it still is a bloody gross flick.

Lately I have been reading Bike Snob NYC, a blogger who primarily comments about cycling, but who is also just a jolly, cynical complainer. Awesome. The following is an excerpt from today's rant:

...'Because when Mini drivers order up their rally-inspired sticker kits and
strap themselves into their little fun boxes, they feel good about themselves,
and they think the rest of the world should feel good about them too.

But that's not how it works. You should respect everything, but you don't have
to like anything. When someone sees me out there in my moisture-wicking chicken
suit pedaling the ironic Orange Julius bike down to the Jamba Juice store in
order to throw rocks through the front window, they don't have to like me, they
just have to respect me as a road user. (And trust me, nothing commands respect
like a chicken suit.) Nobody's as cool as they think they are, and no matter
what, you look ridiculous to somebody.'

And that comment about Mini drivers (Minnie Driver?) was in response to angry emails about this previous post:

'...The Mini Cooper is the Felt Curbside of automobiles in that it's a neutered
version of something that was once authentic, it evokes racing for people who
will never race, and it's "cute" in a completely derivative and studied way.
As a cyclist, I find Minis particularly annoying, because the trendier
neighborhoods of Brooklyn are filled with them, and they're generally driven
by the sorts of people who text their friends to ask them what kind of wine
they should pick up for the party as they roll through stopsigns into busy
intersections. It's only fitting then that these rolling graduation presents
would be sold as a way to " go green." The people "going green" these days
are the same people who did graffiti or experimented with homosexuality at
their liberal arts college--they enjoy flirting with a lifestyle they don't
understand in an environment where it's looked upon favorably, but as soon
as it becomes difficult, unsafe or embarrassing they conveniently abandon it.
Fortunately for them, you don't have to give up your car to "go green." Instead,
you just need to buy a new one with marginally better gas mileage. And
fortunately, "going green" also allows you to measure just how pretentious
you are by calculating your "carbon footprint." Or, in the case of the Mini,
your "carfun footprint." Hey, if people want to "go green" by buying a car,
or they want to go vegan by ordering a hamburger instead of a cheeseburger,
who am I to complain? But I still think a much better ad would have been:
"Mini: It's Fun-tarded.'

This is great!

http://equivocalcatharsis.com/post/2099

As ought to be expected, Monday morning has proven to be, well; a true Monday morning. And getting out of bed is never easy, but during this last week or so leading up to today (today being the worst), throwing back those covers and turning on the light has presented more difficulty than normal. Bedtimes have been reasonable, so I suspect all this exhaustion is due to left-over fatigue and stress, finally catching up with me from these last few months of busy-ness. Despite these complaints though, life has been full of interest and opportunity, and a lot of change---good change. Everything is beginning to come together concerning our many projects, dreams, and various duties---I have been trying to mop up as much as I am able before baby arrives so that I have the option of relaxing during that time...

Summer is alway full of action and change. This one (so far) feels like one extremely long work week, with a busy weekend tacked on the end. Still got a month to go too, but there are still a few things left to accomplish before the school year kicks in. Then the frenzy will abate a bit. Autumn is the time for breathing easier, quieting down, reading. California has very little pronouncement when it comes to heralding the Fall, but you can sense it's subtle hints if you really look. Red and yellow leaves will be sparse down here, and the air won't really have that crisp edge you wait for if you are from anywhere much north of here; but I am still looking forward to it. Some long walks when the air gets cooler, long reads when the evenings are prematurely dark...