is this real?
a great set of photos
makes me want to know the whole story
makes me want to see next chapter
looks like a cat fight
meow.


stole that link with the urban hello from blue colar bikes

cbs has a new show
looks like a car commercial
or maybe rock video
a sequel to mission impossible
some magical deoderant campaign selling that this scent will make me cool and get me laid
the courier
I only saw the trailer
maybe the actual series is shot and edited differently
but, I doubt it as the trailer was pretty cool
was too busy stuffing my face to be bothered to get away from monster garage on discovery
well... this episode is falling flat and the computer is occupying my mind

like cotton candy for your brain

the 24 hours of sunlight is not the only party february 11th
here in dc there is the waba silent auction/waba gala
will post the graphic with info later

the 24hours of sunlight does look like a party and I like their graphics

this looks cool
granny gear has their hand in this thing
24 hours of sunlight
everything sounds awesome except for the "just for fun" anti-race concept

let it be a race
let the racing and the competition be part of the fun
and there will be people out just to finish
while there will be others stoked about their own personal best
there is no need to have a class that qualifies that
it is already part of life

anyway
this is the first year
bet it has the potential to be pretty awesome
then again
I am always trying to get a spin on that great 24 hour thing
after all... we already have the lights
thus far...
no takers on my 24 Hours of Croquet

riding the trainer in the winter
honestly, I find it hard to ride the trainer
right now I am not sure where my trainer is...
was going to dig it out today and ride it tonight
but, the weather was epice so I went for a ride in the outside world

it had been a full day of stuck in the mud and pushing kids around as they sat on skateboards
while grant napped I asked the wife if I could go for a ride

it always happens that way
a half hour ride takes me an hour.... sometimes it takes an hour fifteen
then the two hour plus ride gets finished in an hour forty five
got home to the hot seat
grant woke up early
dean and grant alternated between screaming and crying
one cried while the other screamed
they switched, they repeated
this continued for a while
luckily the dogs had to be walked
so I put on the Petzel and walked the dogs in the woods for 20 minutes or so

not a bad day
an amazing january day

morally bankrupt
these are troubled times
seems no one is honest
seems no one is good

people fail to understand the laws of society
people fail to see the meaning of laws and the reason for penalties

fire hydrants
people don't understand what these devices are for
they fail to see why they are not supposed to park in front of them
too often people park in front of them rationalizing... well, this is not a heavily policed area... I will not get a ticket
well, it is not about a ticket... it is about having the hydrant accessible to the fireman in case of fire

fender benders
this is the age of hit and run
if no one is there to see it... it did not happen
no one ever leaves a note anymore
people crunch and ding each others cars and keep on going
no cop no stop

red light cameras
seems that people fail to see the advantage of these cameras
so many people have plastic coatings or aresol sprays on their rear plates
I can understand not wanting the ticket
but how about changing behavior
rather than going through the effort of getting this best anti-camera device
why not stop at red lights?

speed limits
there is an understood standard deviation of exceeding the speed limit
but... seems that people have lost site of the actual limit
when passing a pedestrian crossing the street or a cyclist riding on the road
people should decellerate to a safe speed, preferably below the speed limit
sadly.... people do not slow at all

help me out here
this rant is losing speed
help me finish this thought...

spell with FLICKR
very cool
if you refresh the page it spells the name/word again with different images
or
you can click on the individual letter to have it select an new one

sent to me from rocco

once again...
thoughts minus action equals nothing
just as
talk minus action equals nothing

some time ago I had these craftly little chinese folk drawings made for my sons
they elderly asian gentleman artistically crafted my son's names with each character done in water color forming the character with various animals and plants

while I watched and waited for this many to complete the process of a heavily haggled deal there were some men selling an modern day rap version of School House Rock
I found it hard to listen to
having an aggressive rapper yell the solution of 2 plus 2 is not how I see my son's learning math

but
seeing this man who speaks very little english make this great little handy craft made me think of a similar project that the urban american could create
take photographs of graffitti art
have them find attractive forms for each letter in the alphabet
then
have a laptop and a printer with batteries charged
and bam
you could have people have a custom photo of their children's name...
well
looks like FLICKr has already done pretty much that!

pretty cool!
wish I thought of it
or should I say....
wish I had done more than just think about it.

redskins hat...
win or lose
the true fans love their team

me...
the weekend is too short for me to watch other people play sports
I am either playing sports myself
or playing with my kids (or my dogs)

toying with the camera
using the rapid shutter of the FZ30
this would be nice
should get some images of some more technical moves
like a messenger clearing a curb
a feat I have seen done on a track bike by many of the seasoned veterans of the street

my blog
my blog is what it is
while I am who I am
my blog is all over the place
while I am all over the place
my blog has long endless rants that meander and sometimes never finish their point
while I tend to forget what I was talking about

on my blog I like to share things
things that I think are interesting
things that I think are worth sharing
things that are often shared with me
things that if I had not read, heard, or seen.... I would like to read, hear or see

that is what my blog is about
that is what I am about
just trying to share ideas
just trying to share thoughts

glad you are listening
glad I could share

oh
I also I think I have a procrastination disorder
blogging is a grand distraction
chances are the more I am blogging
the more other stuff I should be doing

C.I.C.L.E.org
very cool
very very cool
wonder if stevie from mobile city is producing anything these days

read this

malcom bmx
you will thank me
and

I thank tino of bike lane diary for turning me onto it

i hate bikes

and unrelated

KRAFTWERK

VICTORY!

check out the clip!

East Coaster Goes West
some people are big fans of "the dead" at hampton
while others are fans of rob hampton
blogging from AZ
another cycling blogger

and this
GROUNDHOG ADVENTURE
got an email about it
liked the logo
so I am putting it up here
they said they liked my blog....
they did not read my blog
but I still like their logo

DC Alley Cats
although I am not a messenger
as a cyclist I feel a bond with any and all cycling subcultures
the DC Alley Cat races tend to intrigue me
although I have never done one... the temptation is always there
on a few occassions I met up at the starting point
but my type A personality and family schedule was not working with the several hour delayed starts

I have thought it would be fun to host an alley cat
two alley cat ideas come to mind...

one would be an Urban Mountaibike ride
with an alley-cat-ness to it
it is my understanding that you can take any route you care to
but you must hit certain check points
in the Urban Mountainbike Alley Cat Ride
the check points would all be small technical sections
usually a set of stairs or a similiar such urban obstacle
the trip could take the riders through Malcom X Park for a very long bumpy stair descent
other short cuts through parks would offer more of a cyclocross single track path
loops around monuments
etc.
etc.
etc.

another DC Alley Cat idea that I have floating around my brain is an Alley Cat where the check points go through different DC Traffic Camera paths
this Alley Cat could be documented
it the checkpoints are ordered
then it could be clear not only through the lists at check points
but also through the rapidly refreshing still images of the DC Traffic Cameras
someone would have to have access to several computers
all these computers would have to be on the internet displaying the various traffic cameras
then there would have to be a way to capture the images in video
sounds like a bit of work
but
in the end it could all be spliced together to give an interesting perspective of an Alley Cat Race

just another idea that will never develop into an action

DC Traffic Cameras: there are more maps then just this page
TRAFFIC LAND: have not gotten a chance to scope this out yet
EarthCam: not useful for this idea, but interesting
Windows Local Live: also fun, this could be fun for giving an added idea of each intersection and the path of the race

soldier ride

wounded warrior

Know anyone that would be interested in this?

From a friend that works for Disabled Sports USA:

There is an opportunity that has come up which I wondered if you knew of anyone that might be interested. The Wounded Warrior Project conduct a program called “Soldier Ride” which involves members of the military cycling across the US between the end of April through mid July. They need a technician to ride with the group (on bike or in the support vehicle). This is a paid position (do not know amount yet) and expenses are covered. It is an awesome ride and would be a wonderful experience for a student or someone who had the time. Do you know of anyone with the necessary skills to support these guys? There will be hand cycles as well as regular bikes.

Contact Julia Ray - events@dsusa.org

this was shared with me from aaron, brother to ezra
artists commuter pics
by laura domela

Whale Story
the sad ending of this story sort of puts a damper on my joke
but
I will present my joke just the same

my wife often likes to share with me pieces of news that she knows that I would find interesting
this is something that I always appreciate
after our morning goodbyes I may sip my coffee and read the paper
somtimes the paper sits out in clear view with a note directing me to various stories

the other day lisa shared with me this story of the Whale headed up the Thames river...
I read the article and turned to lisa and said,

"well, I can understand the whale's goal
as I have heard that the Fish and Chips in London are the best in the world."

to that my wife replied...

"is that a joke?"

ah....
if one person finds me funny
or at least gets my jokes
I would think it would be my wife
okay
she gets most of my jokes
most of my jokes are not all that funny

rock creek trash
rock creek treasure
this morning as I walked the dogs I surveyed some log steps that I have been gradually working on over the past few years
yes, this is rogue trail work
yes, this is not sanctioned by the national park service
but some of these heavily used paths are not maintained by the park service
fallen trees are not removed
trash is not picked up
trail repair is most definitely not done on these unmarked yet very popular trails
so I often try to pick up the slack

as I looked to see if the latest log additions were starting to take hold
I looked at the area around me
the dogs were panting heavily showing their hot breath in the cold air
the large natural log bridge over the ravine had a slick icy sheen
over to my side was the glistening of a glass bottle
a combination of erosion from the recent rains and perhaps the contraction of the winter earth revealed this bottle to me

so I stepped off the trail and approached the fence that borders the Rockefeller property
to my pleasure the bottle was intact
filled with dirt somewhat indiscernible
I picked up the bottle then continued a short walk with the dogs
as I walked I inspected my fresh find
the bottle was unique in its shape very thick glass
far more aesthetically pleasing then the bottling of today's soda products
at a glance it appeared to read, "TRY ME SODA COMPANY"
on the bottom of the bottle was a patent date of the 1920's
the final character unable to be read

I walked I day dreamed about all the project I plot
then I cursed myself for all the projects I never do
ending in a personal promise to at least start some projects
which is better than thinking of them then forgetting them

finished the wooded walk
leashed the dogs and walked the final sidewalk blocks home

a bottle collector's page Chosi's Deco Bottle Page
wow... these folks at the Potomac Bottle Collectors are geekier than me
I wonder what the date of this bottle may actually be
I wonder who tossed it there this does link up to the Roosevelt Trail
wonder if Teddy tossed aside as he was shooting squirrels with his buddies

gone fish'n
this whole experience with the camera is like an afternoon fishing
I put out the line and sometimes I get a bite (bike)
sometimes I go home with nothing
occassionally I get home and I look at the images and find a welcome surprise
other times it is not until I start cooking up the images that I see that I have something
so much has to do with time, timing, and my mood

some people do not want their picture taken
sometimes the cyclists just are not around
most of the time I lack more then the time to walk around the block
so this is what I end up with

what inspires many of these shots are the shots I see from other bicycling bloggers with cameras
there are those in the mountainous states of colorado and even alaska who put up their posts with the glorious vistas
vistas that are an everyday site for them
then I realized
my everyday sites may be interesting to them as well
sites from canadian and european bloggers showed me the similarities of our cities
these blogs also act to inspire

hope you enjoy the images
even if the images are often of nothing

sly makes a second visit to the electronic pages of gwadzilla.blogspot.com

http://www.levelcomponents.com/

testing
testing
testing

every week should start like today
even better... every day should start like today
this morning I hugged the pillow until nearly 7:30am
woke up slowly as I moved from the bed to the couch
dress my younger son
issued orders to my older son to dress himself
drank my coffee
passed off younger son to babysitter
drove older son to school
drank more coffee as I drove across town
handled a few school related things
spent a few minutes with the kids as my son settled in

drove home
took the dogs for a moist and misty hike in the park
drank more coffee as I hiked
short, but a tad longer than the standard pre-work walk
working the late shift rather than the standard 9-5 freed me up so that I could move about a little more slack

returned the dogs to home
changed into some cycling gear and packed my bag for work
went out on the old, tired, and too small for me Jamis Nova cyclocross bike
did roughly an hour on the bike
the Jamis Nova could use some coffee
got to work
glanced at the clock as I walked in the door
was significantly later than had planned

rushed upstairs
took a hot shower with magnificent water pressure
got my body core temperature back to normal after a brisk ride on the bike
was able to clear the mucus from my nose and from my brain
a hot shower after a ride is much like a cup of coffee
settled into my office by 11am
maybe 30 minutes later than planned
swapping pedals, air in the tires, cleaning and lubbing the chain, putting on a rear fender
these things along with a slew of other morning activities took longer than expected

the morning was not perfect
but
if I could streamline my efforts
I could have all the good and strip away the bad

last week was started in the same way
only this happened on Tuesday rather than Monday as Monday was a holiday
making last week a more desireable model for weeks to come
now how do I get the government to alter the schedule that every monday is a federal holiday?

anxiety on the road home
tonight I stayed a few minutes late at work
not terriblely late yet late just the same

each late minute late cuts into my potential personal time before I expect everyone to be home for dinner
not prepared dinner
gathering for dinner
selecting, deciding, preparing a dinner that I may be a part of
although it is a beautiful night I lack the urge to ride
it is a beautiful night on an unseasonably warm winter day yet somehow my spirit was not drawn towards riding
but... as a bicycle commuter the option "not to ride" is not an option
the bike was with me and I needed to go home
the option of route and duration still held potential for variation

against my rideless desire I pointed away from home
started down M Street into georgetown
just a few blocks in almost to Wisconsin Avenue a whim redirected me
not feeling like doing the loop over the bridge into Virginia onto the Mount Vernon Trail I did a u-turn on M Street and pointed towards the path on Rock Creek Park
this path is also the path leading me home
a path not as direct as the city streets but potentially direct just the same
once pedaling for more than 15 minutes my urge for home lessened the acceptance that a 45-60 minute bike ride was a good option weaved the paved bicycle path maneuvering past lightless runners avoiding fast head ons with oncoming cyclists
most with lights some with HID systems too bright blinding me on the approach
ontop of all that... always feeling anxious about the cars speeding at fifty-five miles an hour four lanes thick just to my right

the cross bike was feeling good
the level of intensity was moderate as the path does not permit much more
passed the asian man living under the bridge
passed the old cemetery on the hill
passed the section of woods where I dislocated my shoulder
passed a healthy young "co-ed" at the street crossing an dipped down towards the tunnel along side of the rear entrance of the zoo
opted not to look too closely as the light follows where I point my head
making a look or a glance appear like a stalker with night vision glasses

with a wall of tile just inches from my shoulder and elbow as I made my way through the tunnel
I could see a couple walking into the tunnel coming towards me
the detour path through the zoo was closed and locked
the pollution filled tunnel was their only option
as I got closer I plotted my move
with darkness hinting at the absence of on coming traffic I popped off the curb and fit into the line of cars moving the same direction as myself
the girl gave a little hoot and a holler with approval
take energy where you can get it
I took that energy and took it up a notch

ignoring the Zoo exit which would be my fastest and most direct route home I continued on the road down Beach Drive
ignoring the notion of getting back on the bike path that meanders along side of the road
the rush hour traffic was thick
cars passed aggressively
with no computer it is hard to guess-ta-mate my speed
though odds are I was closer to being within the legal limits of the 25 MPH than the passing cars
the cars passed and moved in front of me
some cars moving obnoxiously close in front of me.... perhaps too soon

in the distance I could see that there was a line of stopped traffic ahead
the cars that passed me had closed in so close to the right that I could not keep up my pace
passed a few cars while measuring the side view mirror at my shoulder and the gutter of obstacles at my front wheel with an opening I cut to the center line watching for cars ahead looking to see who each driver was in each cockpit as I passed
wondering if they intentionally blocked my path or if they just drive without thinking

as I reached the front of the line the timing was good the light was about to turn green
I slowed in anticipation always ready for that last set of cars to run the red light
always ready for that car looking to jump the gun making an aggressive left turn ignoring the no left turn sign

moving steadily forward having now officially passed my house I notice that my headlamp has died
still blinking on the front and the back
but no headlamp
the car behind me lights my path

through this light and the cyclist enters a part of Rock Creek that is less unusual to have cyclist riding upon it
a few blocks forward the road splits
the three splits in the road free up some of the cars behind me
the car immediately behind me is timid about passing
the car immediately behind them is honking
or
so my spidey senses tell me by the distance and intensity of the repeated honks

the car is not following too closely
they are pacing behind me
it is a paradox
as much as I appreciate their caution and concern
there were several places to pass
which would have eased the pressure from the following line of cars

this stretch of road is a wonderful winding path
a canopy of trees overhead
the creek with all of its rocks that give it its name
yet without a headlamp there is not enough comfort to enjoy the ride

only as long as I am being followed do I have light
as the cars pass I lose their white beams and can only borrow their tail lights
if a another car follows
things are fine
if there are no cars behind me
complete darkness

in no time at all a handful of cars pass
the car with the horn
the cars behind the car with the horn
there I am
lightless
panic strikes as I see nothing but black
my eyes can not make the adjustment fast enough
a car in makes the turn headed my way in the distance
I am fine
still in my lane
still holding the right path

having injured myself several months past has raised the anxiety about crashing
at this moment there is no "Lost Boy" rock and roll vampire emotion as I dip in and out of the darkness
nothing but stiff parental fear

this patern of lights to lightlessness continues
as it gets later it gets darker
deeper into the path at the stop sign at the top of the hill I turn back
would have loved to have pushed it to the Mormon Temple
but the lightlessness of it all was too much anxiety for me
so at the stop sign I made a U-turn thinking I could reel in a well lit bicycle commuter who I had seen going the other way

not so
the transition from back lit to lightless was too sketch
it was sketch enough unable to read the pavement
never knowing how deep a crack would be or how may sticks and branches lie in my path
there was no way I would catch this guy with enough time to ride his lights home
sure enough
he always remained a turn ahead until the final turn home
we exchanged hellos
shared my dead battery tale of woe
mentioned the traffic
mentioned my efforts to catch him
then raced into a black wall of darkness of the final hill home

arrived home
no boys, no dogs, no wife
the leashes were gone
could see our cars out front

only when it was too late did I smell the pizza in the oven
the boys still ate it
even if it was "well done"

lisa went out to grab some carry out for us
after the boys finished we worked on building a two loop Thomas the Train set up
with the large maple blocks we build a series of tunnels
both four year old dean and two year old grant made significant additions
although I did nudge grant;'s blocks after each placement

that is enough now
there were books, books, and more books
then arguements about going to bed
I am tired

best I go and charge my lights
next time I know that I should not try to get two commutes home on one charge

level components
this afternoon I took a walk at lunch
had the camera
tried to find some cycling subjects to shoot
met a cycling guy named Reed
Reed just not involved in messenger work but hs is also involved in component design
he works with LevelComponents

pictures of reed and his trackbike to come
he did a few nice skids for me
but honestly.... I fumbled with the settings to do the multiple shots
did not manage to work the technology
did not get the sequence I was looking for

cool product
cool concept
if more people thought like this
the world would have a greater chance of having a cool future
xtracycle blog
extracycle product

book of lists
list of books
as I have not read that many books it should be easy to make a top five list

Ken Kesey One Flew Over the Cookoos Nest
Hunter S. Thompson Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
Nabokov Lolita
Kerouac On the Road

hold on... that is not my top five favorite books of all time that is my top five favorite books when I was 20 years old

throw in
Katherine Dunn's Geek Love
Salinger's Nine Stories
something byHemingway... a collection of short stories will do

top five favorite adventure books
Into the Wild/Into Thin Air
Endurance
The Perfect Storm
Goran Kopp's My Everest Adventure

a friend of a friend of a friend has this project
not sure that we need dumbfind if we have google
but it is interesting just the same

johan is a bicycle blogger in sweden
not sure about this image
but to me it looks like there is a song in his head
a song that possesses him so that he must dismount his bike and dance

maybe a dance
or
maybe he has toured so many miles that he no long desires the revolutions of the cranks
so he hammers out a bit with the legs extended
that is an experience I have put myself through each and every time I have toured

guess I tour thinking that I am in a race
while I race like I think I am in a tour

not one toaster, but two
not positive, but pretty sure
looks like I no longer have the only toaster on the block
it was only a matter of time
it was certainly bound to happen
the time has come
the time is now
now there are two honda toasters parked on my street

cyclist circles back for the pedestrian

Martino of BIKE LANE DIARY
not only does he work in still photograph
but here are some of his films

RICK GOES TO MASS
(if you only view one... this may be the one to view)

lists? This American Life
list your top five episodes of This American Life
not sure if I can list five off the top of my head
but. if someone were to talk about an episode
I most certainly would recall it and know how it effected me

this guy is headed to seattle to tell people why he hates seattle
so.... he is having an essay contest to see who will take over his blog

and unrelated
Martino of BIKELANEDIARY in Canada sent me this link to DC Lollipops/metropops

the bike
been doing some riding
trying to get back on the bike
doing some post work rides
some rides longer than others
usually not much more than an hour
as an hour is all I can afford

worked the late shift the other day
allowed me to drop my older son off at school
walk the dogs for longer than usual in the morning
then did around an hour and a half in the cold wind
it was good to get out for more than an hour
good to see how tired and slow I actually am

some other bike stuff brewing
still need some parts to finish my fixed gear project

drybike
had some recent communication with the creator of a new product
drybike
got it a week or so ago
the weather was warm and balmy
hardly becking full finger gloves
the temperature has dropped
currently I am riding my cyclocross bike with dropbars
need to try these things out
will let you know how they work out

harold and maude
heathers
MAN BITES DOG.
the hunger
just to name a few from my Top Five "dark" films


a clockwork orange
mad max/road warrior (can I count that as one)

there were movies that as teens we watched over and over and over
that would be a different list
even if some of the films would be repeated

top five war films
the deer hunter
apocalypse now
platoon
dr strangelove
hold on..... Star Wars?
and Spaghetti Westerns?
would have to have a top five westerns list

okay
top five westerns...
yes I know I have not finished one single list yet

lists
I love lists
list shows
list conversation
personal lists
fatmarc and soiled chamois started me thinking on lists
fatmarc had made mention of his top five movie list
then jason of soiled chamois mentioned The Smiths in his Top Five Song Lists
which had me thinking
but nothing had me thinking so much about lists until my iPOD put out THE SMITHS Rubber Ring
what a great trip back
this classic tune had me trying to create a list which then became two lists
then morphed into a labrynth of great music related experience
when the song ended I wanted more
but the iPod was on shuffle and my glass of wine was upstairs

upstairs also my crisper cleaner digital cable along with a few remaining pieces of holiday chocolate
red wine and chocolate goes on a list of decadent pleasures that occur too often

now back to my tangent... The Smiths in 1985 at Warner Theater must rank in my top five concert/shows in my limited experience concert/show experience
which tangent hops to Bryan Ferry... not a top five concert... although amazing with Johnny Marr at Constitution Hall.... but not top five
although Bryan Ferry's Boys and Girls has to be top five make out albums of all time

thne a Lolapaloosa would rank up in a concert/show experience but maybe more about the good time or the time of the life than the music on stage itself

let me google myself
I most certainly can jog my own memory with a little search for gwadzilla lists
but before that.... I still can not believe that Fatmarc's movie list did not JESCO: THE DANCING OUTLAW
okay, if I am going top five and I may only want to include one documentary
I find that I gave a list of my thoughts on MUST SEE DOCUMENTARIES
so if I have only one documentary maybe Jesco gets the boot from BARAKA
hold on...
Ken Burn's the Civil War


this list idea needs more time

a stroll through farragutt park introduces me to bernard and george
each of them relaxing as the clients take lunch

STOP SIGNS and STOP LINES
a simple request....
make a complete stop with your car at stop signs
and
stop your car at the stop line
you may get rear ended by the car behind you
but
you may also make the road safer for the women with a stroller trying to cross the street

as for bikes...
view it as a yield sign
always giving others their right of way and the same respect that you would ask of another
in my world....
it is more about common courtesy and common sense than the law
the law and law enforcement exist because people lack common sense and common courtesy
(try ignoring the law.... live by the notion of common sense and common courtesy... chances are you will exist more within the law than before)

we never grow up
young old.... it is all the same
petty high school relationships are no different than many adult relationships
people still lie, cheat, and steal
there are adult in groups and adult out groups
people will go to their graves trying to bge cool

the other night a good friend of mine stopped by out of the blue
as it turns out he was doing some pre-spring spring cleaning
he had a few bins of toys
there were blocks, blocks, and more blocks
then some play mobil indians and tee-pees
some very cool stuff

the boys were totally excited
they showed their appreciation by ignoring the adults and escaping in the imaginary world of desert
as presented in miniture by play mobil cacti, rattle snakes, horses, and indians.... indians complete with head dresses

after dinner the indians were put away and it was onto the large maple blocks
funny to see the boys
each child knows the pleasure of building a structure
each child knows the pain of having another destroy that structure
yet
neither child can empathize for the other enough to deny themselves the pleasure of breaking someone else's structure

adults are no different....
no one wants to be buzzed on the crosswalk or on the bicycle by a speeding car
yet... so many of us do it
no one wants cars to be speeding excessively in front of our house or our home
yet... so many of us speed by other people's houses and homes

it can all be so frustrating...
how do we educate the children to empathize?
how do we educate the adult children to empathize?

blogging
so many times I mention that blogging is more than writing
blogging is reading other blogs
blogging is searching randomly about blogs
blogging is being turned onto other blogs
blogging is being turned onto different ideas

george reminded me that canada is cooler than the usa by sharing this
most people view MTV CRIBS as their personal UTOPIA here in the states

while my old friend gibby took me down memory lane as these images reminded him and me 3,200 miles away from each other about the C&O Canal

from the gwadzilla archive some rants about my efforts to ride the c&o canal in a day
(sorry if you have to wade a few short posts before that story)

saw Kevin Dillard (a contributer to messenger-esque demon cats) walking home from the fitness expo
did not see his camera
nor did I see his bike
but it did look like he scored some swag
not entirely sure of the photo credits
then again I am not entirely sure that Kevin was coming back from the Fitness Expo
he could have been doing most anything that a person does on a sunday morning in the winter

ah
blogging, a whiskey and coke, and the distraction of cable television
perhaps a little reread of this last post may aid in allowing this to make sense

Bike Rodeo at the Fitness Expo
this weekend a portion of my saturday was spent working the bike rodeo at the nbc four health and fitness expo at the dc convention center
it was a wild little scene
not just the bike rodeo but the fitness expo as a whole
this convention center experience is a part of city culture that would not occur for me to investigate had I not volunteered to help out with the waba/city bikes booth

first trip to the new convention center
first trip to a health and fitness expo
the whole thing is quite a scene
booth after booth after booth giving out a key chain that will never get to meet a set of keys
all sorts of free pamphlets that may never get read
wrist bands to causes that people don't even know

that said
there were free flu shots, cpr classes, cooking classes, fitness, safety booths
there were consultations for quiting smoking
there were free massages
heart and blood pressure tests
there were climbing walls and emergency vehciles
Home Depot aprons and a wooden craft project for holding a potted plant
still not sure what home depot that has little to do with health or fitness
but they had a great little craft set up with the highlight of that free mini orange apron for the kids

it was vast
a labrynth of health and fitness
guide dogs and face painting
raffles, roulette wheels, virtual longest drive, and other fair-esque fun
there was food
there was safety
there was education
some food for free
some food for sale
there was performance
there was competition
there were games and play areas
there were corners of the convention center room that I did not touch upon

the whole fitness expo was a two day affair
two full days of free fitness fun

saturday was my day to do my part with the folks of WABA
that is... the washington area bicycle association
it was a little bit of local whose who in bicycle advocacy
i was one of many small people in the presence of some pretty active individuals
phil koopman co-owner of city bikes was sharing the word of commuting
scott scudmore of more was working a position I was going to fill in the rodeo so he could go back to the booth of a cycling not for profit that slips me (but it will come back to me, was it bikes to the world? no?)
then of course there were some waba heavy hitters, dorcas and maggie to name a few

quickly I tried to fit in
some handshakes
some hellos
some explanation of the rodeo course and the rodeo routine
in minutes I was on my way

with pride I was wearing my city bikes wool jersey as I worked with other rodeo volunteers to try and get a rhythm
there were people handling waivers
there were people handling helmets
there were people organizing lines
there were people handling people
there were a few of us maning various points of the rodeo course
somehow in the evolution of the morning I moved from post to post
finally finding that I worked most efficiently working moving along side of the kids for several of the rodeo stops
with the kids who could ride I ran along side of them and barked orders and encouragement like it was an agility training event
when there was time offering a second loop with less guidance and only encouragement
there were kids who could not ride without training wheels yet were on bikes without training wheels
there were others that had to be caught before crashing
handbrakes were new to many
at least one child rode without training wheels for the first time

each kid was a quick little puzzle
first get a read of their personality
then get a read of their ability
inform them about the bike
inform them about braking
verify their understanding of hand brake only
then reexplain the course
on the first pedal stroke... re-evaluate their ability to ride a bike
adjust accordingly

eye contact was good and safety was stressed
no one went to the ER while I was on duty
not even me

the kids seemed to have a good time
I definitely had a good time

after my efforts at the rodeo ended I lent a little time to Phil's commuter section of the booth
tried to preach the word of the bicycle to those that would listen

it was a windy ride cross town to get there and back
not enough distance to really call a ride
but it was most definitely windy
it was most definitely cold

sunday was a little different
this time I was not there as volunteer
this time I went to the convention center with my two boys dean and grant
we went early after a breakfast outing
while lisa went to yoga then got to walk the dogs
after a warm breakfast at the adams morgan diner we went to the convention center
it was there that we learned that we were not the only early birds
it was difficult finding a space
but not absurd
difficult just the same

the morning into the afternoon was killed wandering around from booth to booth
running from tall fish with feet
running to the clowns making animals with balloons

coaching the boys to be polite and not grab
teaching the boys to be thankful when they were given the swag from each booth
allowing the boys space where they found interest
luring them away when I felt it was time to migrate to the next booth or activity

a good way to spend a cold windy winter day
lisa got a kick out of the polaroids from the got milk booth
lisa got to go to yoga and hike the dogs for a bit in the woods
the orange home depot aprons were worn well into the late afternoon
vanity mirrors, pencils, magnifying glasses, stickers, tattoos, condoms
free samples of things I am not familiar with all got poured onto the floor
as the boys searched their baskets for forgotten treasures
a few pieces of candy
a blow up beach ball from the circus booth
each piece junk reminded me of part of the day
and maybe will act to remind some people of health or fitness
the fireman's helmets came out after dinner

WABA
MORE
City Bikes DC

ah...
the internet
the blog
the eWorld

a great discussion on DRINK THE KOOL AID
has me chasing down the Marzocchi Girls
found them at PEBIKING
not sure what they are selling
but I am buying

chased this conversation from CYCLEICIOUS
to DRINK THE KOOL AID
then to the sites with the women

all this while trying to find some FOLKLORE truth about the Ian Svenonious
ened up finding this NPR story about DISCHORD instead
one more look to for the story about Mr. Sassy.... the sassiest man in america
here is something on Marketplace

journalist david rosenbaum killed in robbery
a sad story
knowing that they have a suspect in custody does not give me closure

hard to believe that something like this can happen
these are brutual times
or perhaps
the world population has grow and there are the same percentage of brutal crimes to the world population times past
in addition to the increased world population
the world communication has taken small town tradgedy to world news level
as in the case of the death to the coal miners

wonder if there is any truth to this theory on the death of rosenbaum
also heard that there was some slow diagnosis of the injury
no notice to the head trama

sad no matter what the truth is
crimes like this should not happen
not in the hood
not in the more affluent areas of this country

a mouse in my house
there is a mouse in my house
there may be many mice in my house
but that does not rhythm, so I say house rather than hice
and mouse rather than mice

how do I rid my house of this mouse?

with children and dogs I had to think what I could do?
snap traps, live traps, poison, or repellant
pet snake or pet owl as the dogs are clearly useless on this one
oddly I opted for poison rather than traps
banning children and dogs from the basement
the boys are quite clear that there is poison in the basement
even if it is hidden and tucked in little holes
the boys are banned from the basement

the mouse activity had decreased
several oif the mice are now deceased
found one dead... tossed it in the trash
seems like I can smell one dead... can not locate it as of yet
and
last night I managed to catch a little mouse with a dust pan and a broom
as I moved out the back door to the alley I weighed what to do
lisa and the mouse squeeked in harmony
the boys chimmed in with interest and delight
I ran up the dark wet stairs on the back deck
with the dust pan in one hand
a small hand broom in the other... pinning the little mouse to the pan
in an effort not to crush the little mouse as I aimed to let it be a mouse relocation plan to my trash can
I dropped the little guy in the back yard headed to the alley
hope he does not find his way back into my house

that said....
what is the ethic?
no matter how it is done
I want that mouse out of my house
not that I want the mouse dead
but
I do not want the mouse in my house
if the mouse were to be killed, I would want no blood on my hands
I did not want to crush it with my bare hands or the even the broom
but
had a toilet been closer I would have flushed it
for some reason the swirling water seems like a painless way for them to go
less audible squealing I guess

well...
now it is time to clean the basement and patch the mouse holes
hopefully I have cleared my house of the mouse problem
at least for this winter

seems to me that those "kids" were not "helping Barry with his groceries"
those "kids" were delivering the "groceries"
and well
the dispute seems to be about incorrect change
perhaps he has a receipt
post article on barry