it's quite all right with me

destination unknown

got something quick and small on the fairwhether myspace blog or something. stinkin' chairs.

on the next industrial revolution

it was a beautiful afternoon. yesterday i broke out of the shackles of work and went for a short ride.

back story, i got a gift card to a local running shop as part of a bonus from work. i had gone a couple times and spent some money on the card, not much though as there wasn't much in the store that caters to my taste. no big deal. one of the owners of the bike shop i used to work at was getting back into running with his kids and such, so i offered the card in trade for some goods from the bike shop. ended up with a nice set of specialized burrough armadillo elite tires and a campy headset on order for the fuji. got a call yesterday afternoon saying the campy headset was out of stock and that i needed to go to the shop and pick a different one.

so after this phone call i could not help but be compelled to immediately deliver on my need to get this headset business squared away. so i bolted from work and headed for the shop.

once there we were chattering about bike related nonsense and bike rides. one of the owners there is extremely roadie and was egging me on about coming on some rides with him and i told him that i just didn't have the equipment. these guys are doing something like 70 miles at an average of about 29mph. no way in hell i can pull that on my track bike for that long, same for the jamis. it is a tourer, a two wheeled cadillac. (am i just making excuses?) so upon further discussion and more heckling we move to the computer to look at what specialized has to offer on their blem site. basically the blem site has all of their bikes that are demos, or the paint is goofy, or they are missing some pieces and parts, etc. the notes on the site tell you exactly what is wrong with each one. and they offer these steeds at a greatly reduced price for their dealers to benefit from.

after further investigation i was sold. i should be the proud owner of a carbon tarmac expert shortly. we'll see.

when i got home in the evening i started to think about this purchase as i was switching tires on my track bike. i looked around the room and i see my khs solo-one, a converted single speed jamis explorer, and my track bike in the stand. i walk into the other room and there sits shea's jamis aurora right next to my jamis aurora. i go out to the shed and upside down with no tires lies a neglected single speed convert of a specialized rock hopper and a crappy piece of a wal-mart bike right behind it.

then i start to think how wasteful i am. about how wasteful some of the decisions i make are. do i really need another bike? do i really need this many bikes? the answer to both of those questions is probably "no." but alas, i have made my decision and i will try to use it to my benefit. i will try to learn from it. maybe i will donate the rockhopper to some kid who is just getting in to trail riding? anyone know that kid? maybe i will donate the explorer to someone who just needs something to ride around on? and so on and so forth.

the potential is endless really. but the thing about potential is that it is only good if you use it.

i think i'm getting a blister

a stack of things to be mailed today, including a couple with this address on them. some of the things being sent include love is salt and team cheeserice.

also there is the image of one of the many stickers that the supremely supreme folks over at www.1lesscar.com sent to me. thanks!! i should be getting more things together for the mail tomorrow too. should have some images too. until then...

drift on through to the other side

on friday i put these sweet new pedals on the fuji. they are so nice, yet different from the egg beaters i was riding on there. i think if i take another real long ride (over 20-30 miles) i will put the egg beaters back on. but the mks sylvans are great for commuting back and forth to work and doing general in town riding and errand running and whatnot.

this was my first true weekend with nothing to do in about two years. last saturday was my last day working at the bike shop. so on saturday, with the dog in tow, i went out to munson to ride some fire roads and then go dip my feet in blackwater creek. so nice. i came back and then got up with todd and went on two rides, both into downtown. we had a half-time stop back at my house where shea had made some killer udon noodles in some peanut sauce. you put toasted coconut on top and wrap it in butter lettuce like a taco or burrito. it was so good. sunday we got up with todd for breakfast as it was his last day in town. he is officially moving up to north carolina today. everyone wish him luck. after breakfast we hung out at the house and did a little bit of yard work and hung out. it was so nice and laid back. it even felt like a long weekend, which, in a way, i guess it was.

you had to encourage them to take thirds, didn't you?

this weekend in pictures

i haven't got a quarter

newest news

i finally set up an email account for "the effort" with a link on my profile. now i can start adding the blogger address to envelopes and such so people can check it out, and then email me to tell me stop mailing things to places. or whatever.

i'm stoked on it.

yee haw.

harold, of course, was immediately devoured

last night i was thinking about all of the times i have read about how riding a fixed gear bike for the first time is like being a kid again. like a refreshing new experience. that's what most people say, right? and it's true.

however, the feeling works both ways. i have been riding my track bike for a while now. doing some commuting and some recreational riding as well. in october i rode my first century on that track bike. the thing is awesome, i wouldn't trade it for the world. about the middle of last week i started frequenting my jamis aurora. it's big, it's heavy, it has plenty of gears, it coasts, it is a totally different bike. and it is so much fun to ride. i love this thing. it goes anywhere and everywhere. i can't think of enough good things to say about this bike really. it's like being a kid again.

i guess the point is to have more than one option. over time you will become better and better at utilizing each bike, but you will have a choice and it should never get old. switch it up a bit. if you have been riding fixed for a while, try geared. if you have been riding a free-wheeling single speed, try fixed. if you have been riding geared, try a beach cruiser with a coaster brake.

it's like a swingers party for bikes, have a go at them all just for the fun of it.

..he'll keep the chicken right there until you say okay...

i think it is official. i think i will officially give up drink. possibly maybe even go the way of confused high schoolers everywhere and convert to straight edge-ism. i'm not too sure about that last part, but maybe.

i might have one last farewell fling with a quart of olde english, possibly buy two. one to drink, and one to pour on the ground to commemorate change and the passing of time.

wow, that sounded way too sentimental.

down at the docks

so, while i was supposed to be working i was searching around the internet trying to look up some websites i haven't been to in a while. i meandered on over to www.zeropergallon.com and checked out the blog to see what's happening in other parts of the world. i found he had posted some stuff i sent a while back. it is such an odd feeling to look around and see some of your own stuff online.

well, no hurry-we'll take the big horse