SO WHAT ARE YOU GONNA DO ABOUT IT?????

“Who is the happier man, he who has braved the storm of life and lived or he who has stayed securely on shore and merely existed?” Think about that one for a minute…………………………..

I recently came across this quote about a month ago. It jolted my insides. It really did. My mind wanders pretty much on a constant basis. More so in the past year or so. Most of it relates to what I wanna do with my time on this planet. This 80 year  journey of life. Am I just gonna sit back and do things in a safe manner? Or am I going to get out there and take risks? This quote may not apply to everyone. Some people are just fine and dandy with being “on shore”, but I want to accomplish something big. I want to be remembered that I made a difference during my life. We only get one shot at this life thing right? So why not make the most of it.

My first love, and will always be my first love is bicycles. When my career is all said and done, I’m sure I will have been in the bicycle industry throughout my years. I love the sense of freedom you get when you are riding a bike. Never had that before on one? Next time you go out on a bike ride, don’t bring you’re Ipod, don’t bring with you the daily issues, the stress, personal problems. Get out there with a clear mind and listen. Listen to the wind in you’re ears. Listen to the leaves bustling in the air. Birds chirping, or the Ocean if you can. I heard a quote on a show last night about the Ocean. “Listen, beautiful isn’t it? The worlds oldest song.” Riding down the trail and seeing wild turkey’s running around, and deer grazing. You can’t experience these things driving around in you’re car. Thats what I love so much about this industry. We promote good health, and well being. In a time of Global Warming, “unfortunate consequenses”, and to some impending DOOM, we can shed some light on the topic. Getting out and riding a bike every day does no harm to the environment and its surroundings. I wouldn’t pick any other industry for my career path.

What about doing this writing thing I’ve been talking about for so long? Yes. I still would like to pursue that as a side project.  I want to learn more of the English language and find unique ways to use it. I want to write about certain topics in a unexpected, unusual, and weird way. I think the main thing I would want to write about on a daily basis are current events. I can’t get enough of it. I’m constantly perusing through every website I can think of. ABC News, CNN, Fark, Drudgereport, WCCO, ESPN, and many others. Almost like I am reporting the news only in a odd, twisted manner. No, not reporting, but putting my insight on the topic. Using my opinions. There would have to be some humor added in for sure.  Would people read this? Who knows. I must try right? Brave that storm of life. Perhaps there is a form of this writing already out there. The quote that is above was written by Hunter S. Thompson.

Of course when people think of H.S. Thompson they think of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Indeed this was a very well written book, but I believe most people out there think all this man was good at was getting stoned, ripped, twisted, and then would write about those experiences. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is his version of a failed Gonzo experience. I hate people that are fans of him for that reason, and that reason only. He was much more of that. He almost became sheriff of Pitkin County, near his hometown in Colorado. He was very much involved in politics, and throughout the 60’s and 70’s did many different reports and articles on political events, and figures. That’s the real Hunter Thompson. Its his letters in “Fear and Loathing in America” that really show his true writing style. He is the number 1 reason why I would want to become a writer. Not because he would get ripped all the time. It was because of his style of writing. I like to think of it as a go all out style. He didn’t hold back. If someone pissed him off, he let them know about it. He spoke his mind. I like that.

So what am I going to do about it? Go big or go home. I’ve got ideas, lots of them. I just need to turn them into reality.

“Ticking a way the moments that make up the dull days”

Someone once told me “ya know Andy, people change.” That was just 4 years ago, and at the time I really was too young and naive to comprehend what that really meant. At the time, I thought my life was pretty well set. Even though I wasn’t in college, was working retail, and was renting. I thought I would be married by the age I am now. I figured, things would work themselves out over time. Change? No. I’m 21 years old, I’ve already become the person I would be for the rest of my life.
Boy was I gravely wrong. I have changed more in the past 4 years, then I did the 21 years leading up to it. I’m not married, in fact I’m single. And I’m fine with that. Its almost as if my mind really started to turn itself on. Wake up moron. Get you’re act together. Indeed something inside of me did click. I think dealing with losing a very special person in my life had something to do with that. I had a lot of time to sit back and ponder. At the time, I thought I would never get out of my rut. I never thought I would want to, or even need to go to college. Part of that had to do with the success my dad accomplished in his lifetime. The other part of me had no idea what I wanted to do. As I began to “wake up” I started thinking very hard what I would, if I decided to to so, go to school for. My first thoughts lead me to Business. I could start my own Business. That is sort of what I ended up going to Anoka Ramsey for in the first place. Intro to Business with Jonathan Gallop. A local Attorney who was teaching this course. A hilarious, crazy bastard, who really let us know just how hard starting up a business is. After his class, I realized its not what I want to be, and quit school alltogether. Working at the bike shop became my priority.
I started thinking about writing. What about journalism? I always had good grades back in the day for English, Language Arts, and classes of that nature. Math, Science, Geography? Fuggetaboutit. Writing was the only thing in High School I enjoyed. I started to indulge myself in the writing of Hunter S. Thompson. Most people relate to him and his drug crazed “failed” experiement of Gonzo Journalism known as Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. This new form of journalism he started to try out really got me thinking. Journalism with a twist? Sort of. He has also been linked to being one of the first persons to use New Journalism, which is much more popular in today’s world. I could do that. I love writing. Thats why I started a blog. Get my thoughts out there. So there it is. Hopefully within the next year or so, I am going back to school for Journalism, and English. I never in a million years thought of doing this 4 years ago.
Books? Talk Radio? These two terms didn’t exist in my mind or vocabulary 4 years ago. Honestly, I loathed books. Couldn’t stand the things. Nowadays, I can’t get enought of them. I think the mind takes in more information when that person reads it, not watching it. I love sitting out on my front porch, with a glass of SoCo, a nice chair, and tons of daylight. Talk radio is the same. I hated it whan I had to listen to that stuff at work. I brought in a separate radio on my bench so I could faze out that non-stop banter. Yet, here I am, right now as I write this, listening to Garage Logic, taking in all the info, and banter I can get.
I would be nice to have known back then what I know now, but then again, thats what makes life so unpredicable, surprising, and exciting. Not only do people change, I think people change througout our lifetimes. So yes, “people do change”, and ya know what? Change is good.

We do snowboards too!!!

Before I start, I would like to point out that this is my first entry on the new host site. I would like to thank Ms. Kocha for introducing me to this wonderful website(you can find her blog on my blogroll). I’ve been wanting to switch my blog page for a long time now, and this one caught my eye. So far I have no complaints.

Do any of you ride a snowboard? If so, you should be aware, that we at Erik’s Bike Shop DO snowboard service. I think a lot of shredders out there don’t realize that we do snowboard service. I’ve got to be honest. I come from a nordic ski background and when I first started at Erik’s the snowboard service was mediocre at best. Granted, nordic skiers are more anal about wax, and care of their product then snowboarders will ever be, but I’ve tried to raise the bar. We as a company have as well. When I first started all that we offered was a hot wax, edge sharpen, and some p-tex service, and Grindrite.  We since gone through some changes within the company and have a much better department to service snowboards. Two seasons ago all the service managers were professionally trained out at Afton Alps for a ski/snowboard service clinic. We’ve added more wax options. Before it was just an all purpose, all temp wax. I pushed this that we need options for wax. Different temperature’s and different types of snow require different types of wax. More edge tuning tools are now available. We can do any type of bevel adjustment the customer wants. We now offer Diamond Stone Edge polishing. A final smooth, and professional finish to and edge sharpen. All shops have capabilities of doing base patches, de-lam fixes, and now base welds for those deep gashes down to the core. Two Tune-Up options for you’re board as well.  The bottom line is, we’re going to take care of you’re board just as well, if not better then the more well known snowboard service shops in the Twin Cities.

I learned a lot from my 4 years on a nordic ski team in high school. I also helped coach for 3 years after that. Nordic skiers take care of their ski’s in an almost cult like fashion. Did you know that some waxes need to be applied wearing a mask? Just breathing in the dust can be toxic. I try to take some of that knowledge, and commitment from one aspect and use it on another. I’ve tried to tell the kids that buy these boards the importance of keeping it in good shape. The idea in snowboarding is to shred the gnar with no regard, and replace the board in a couple years. And lets face facts. We here in Minnesnowta usually ride on shitty snow. Its man-made, usually icy, and very corny. By corny I mean is not very solid. Its broken up and rough on equipment. Thats why I try to emphasize servicing boards even more. Why not ride that board for a few years more? As long as the board still suits you’re size, and riding style, keep it maintained, whats the point? You just might enjoy it a bit more. Start to develop that connection with you’re equipment. Speaking of finding that connection with equipment, I think its time to pull the ski’s from the basement. Ciao.
P.S. Don’t believe the sticker on the board that says “pre-waxed”. FALSE. That shit is more designed for shipping purposes. You must get you’re board professionally waxed before riding.

Go green baby!!!

I have long been a supporter of helping the enviornment and doing my part to “go green.” I do my best not to waste resources and only use what I really need. I ride my bike religiously during the summer, trying to use my car less. My car does indeed get quality gas mileage and isn’t one of those big ass, gas guzzling, monstrosities, with wheels taller then me, and serve no purpose in society. Hummer H2? C’mon, those things are pointless. I have NEVER seen one of those things with a spec of dirt on them. Can’t get all that chrome dirty now can they? I work in an industry and supports the whole “go green” aspect. Each day however, I find it harder and harder to continue my ways. I feel that people in this country just don’t give a shit. Sure there are strong advocets of this movement. Has anyone heard of Al Gore? However, I feel that the general population could care less. It still boggles my mind that these people critizize the effects that we really play on global warming. The answer seems so simple. Wether or not we are contributing to global warming, the Earth is indeed changing regardless of Global Warming, and we need to take action. Consuming resources at a pace the planet cannot keep up with, polluting the atmosphere on a daily basis, destroying other culture’s way of life. The U.S. has got to be the top contributor to all three of these problems.
We consume more then any other country. Everything is in excess. Too many food joints, stores for miles. Think of all the products that are in retail stores JUST in the Twin Cities. Food, clothing, cars, bicycles, everyday household items. You could get anything you want delivered to you the next day if you wanted. Think of the constant stream of delivery trucks that roam our freeways with goods. Non-stop I’m sure, delivering goods on a daily basis. Just too much.
What about pollution? While I think China is the biggest contributor to that, we are right behind them. Why don’t we have laws to limit the amount of CO2 companies and send into the atmosphere? Because it will hurt the economy? Bullshit. A sad excuse for CEO’s to avoid the problem. What if the government were to help those companies with the cost to transform their current process to a cleaner solution? Get the hell outta Iraq and use the money for a better purpose. I stated this a couple posts ago, but I’m going to repeat myself. The Iraq war is a war were were told was to stop terrorism. We were told what we wanted to hear. False, its about OIL, and taking control of the biggest cash crop in human history.
Corporate America is constantly taking advantage of other nation’s resources. Why? So they can make millions, the American public gets what it demands, and everyone is happy right? Wrong. Think of all those places, and people around the world that have suffered severely so we can be happy. The books that John Perkins have written really open the worlds eyes to the American Empire. His books “Confessions of an Economic Hit Man”, and “The Secret History of the American Empire:Economic Hit men, Jackals, and the Truth about Global Corruption” emphasize how Corporate America makes all its moeny. I must say, its sickening. Its no wonder people in the Middle East, Asia, and South America loathe Americans.
The sad reality is, we have become accustomed to our way of life. Spoiled? In some aspects yes. Will the leaders of our country realize these effects we play and change the way we go about our lives? I have doubts about that. Doubts about not seeing changes in our lifetime, and that by the time those changes are made its going to be too late. All this talk of things that will be the end of the human race. All the natural disasters, the end of the Mayan Calendar, asteriods, magnetic shifts of the poles, radiation from the Sun, Ozone layer, etc. . I think the downfall of the human race with be the human race. Too many of us take life for granted. So who’s going to step up to the plate?

daily quote - “The issue of climate change is one that we ignore at our own peril. There may still be disputes about exactly how much we’re contributing to the warming of the earth’s atmosphere and how much is naturally occurring, but what we can be scientifically certain of is that our continued use of fossil fuels is pushing us to a point of no return. And unless we free ourselves from a dependence on these fossil fuels and chart a new course on energy in this country, we are condemning future generations to global catastrophe.” -Barack Obama

Lust…..

Feast you’re eyes on the 2008 Rock Shox SID. 2008 marks the 10th anniversary for the SID design. SID stands for Superlight Integrated Design. Totally revamped design for ‘08. It was very much needed. Some upgrades from the older SID(sometimes known as Squid) are as follows.
1: 32mm stanchions(improved from the older 28mm upper tubes). This will increase the rigidity a ton.
2: The lower legs are equipped with what are called “power bulges” to increase stiffness even more
3: Scaled down guts. The damper assembly and dual air assembly are you could say shrunk from the old style. The lower legs are now hollow allowing the fork to save weight(think Marzocchi forks)
4. No more carbon crown/steerer. Back to good old aluminum. Its a forged crown.
5. Its still using the always dependable Dual Air spring assembly which has been its motto over the years.
6. Black Box motion control damper. It comes with a titanium spring and a few carbon control knobs.
7. Claims to be lighter yet stiffer then is counterpart the Rock Shox Reba.
8. The baby blue is BACK!!!
I have been running SID forks for over 6 years now. I was planning on getting a new fork next spring. Initially I wanted to get a Reba. I like the SID but my biggest gripe with it was how flexy it really was. As my riding style has progressed over the years I’ve noticed it more and more. I wanted a new fork that still will be much stiffer, yet lightweight being that most of my mt. biking on the new hardtail is cross-country oriented. The minute I saw a picture of this fork I knew I wanted one. Availability is sometime in Feb. of ‘08. I’m hoping QBP will have them in stock in time for Frostbike. Super stoked and from what I can tell, Rock Shox did a good job on this one. I can’t wait until we go back out to SRAM in January for their STU(Sram Technical University) program. I hope to get to service this new gem up front and personal. Cheers to Sram.
As you probably know I had to drop out of this years 24 Hours of Afton due to a pain in my right kneecap that wouldn’t allow me to pedal a bike. It became so bad I could barely walk. I took almost exactly two months off the bike after that race. I went out on a ride last week and the pain was still there. Something is wrong. After doing some research and talking to some people I may have figured out what might be wrong with my knee. Chondromalacia: which in short is defined as a “irritation of cartilage behind the patella. Basically just too much for my knee to handle. I still think part of it was using brand new shoes that I just threw on. After referring to my Aunt(who is a physical therapist for runners) it sounds like this may be my problem. I plan on visiting the doctor in a few weeks. Thankfully the fix for this is just physical therapy. It may take up to 6-8 weeks to heal. I’m just thankful this didn’t happen in early June. But, I am bummed because I can’t do any more riding for awhile. I love riding my bike in the fall and this is a big bummer. I’m gonna have to find some other form of activity to keep my in shape for awhile. Haven’t quite figured it out yet. I can’t ride a bike, I HATE running, and I don’t have rollerskis. I’ve got plenty of time to figure that out though. Thats all for now, I’ve got to write up my resume. Yikes, gonna have to do some homework on that. Cheers

daily quote- “Perhaps Al Quaida is planning to infiltrate a cable news channel and staff it with morons” -Jon Stewart commenting on Fox News’ bogus reporting.

We’re pretty damn lucky eh?

Minnesota comes from the Dakota language name for Minnesota River(mnisota). The root(mini) means water. It can be translated entirely as “cloudy water”. I think we Minnesotans live in a pretty unique place. We live just outside of the great outdoors. We get to enjoy all 4 seasons at their fullest. Rain drops and flower buds in the spring. Long hot summer days spent out at the lake. All the lovely colors that fall brings. And those cold frigid winters and all the snow. We’ve got lots of trails for mountain biking, road biking, hiking, running, etc. Lots of places to spend some time nordic skiing. Up north and now in the cites. Downhill skiing and snowboarding hills all over the state. A yearly plunge into a frigid lake in January? Got it. Skiing in spandex? Oh yea. Fishing on ice? Most definitely. Riding a bicycle when its 10 below zero? It happens more then you think. From fishing and hunting up north, to downtown night life, we’ve got it all. Of course you can’t think Minnesooootan withooout that accent.
I would like to thank Coen brothers for their wonderful work in the movie Fargo. Granted, it exaggerates our accent, but its still hilarious. So yA, we went up nort last weekend up to da lake to do some fishing. From “you betchya’s”, to “oh yea’s”, even the adopted “eh” from the Canadians is heard around here. Its still a unique accent. Its only heard in its fullest in the heart of Minnesota, Wisc, and parts of the Dakota’s. I know some people from Iowa and they don’t have a lick of it. They’ve got more of a southern accent to me. Welcome to Minnesota. Home of long pronounced “O’s” and “A’s”, and conversations to some that just wouldn’t make sense. You can’t think our accent without incorporating hockey. We are the State of Hockey.
Did you know the great Howard Cosell used to cover the High School boys state hockey championships? He used to come up and cover it on TV. Sold out games at the Civic Center. It was a playoff atmosphere. Its tough to beat that tournament. Even to this day. What the hell was Norm Green thinking when he moved the North Stars to Dallas? Crazy. Our hearts were ripped apart when he took the North Stars away. Then finally, we got the Wild. I’ll never forget that first home game against the Flyers and all those “Norm Green still sucks” signs on TV. It was only fitting that a hometown player by the name of Darby Hendrickson scored the first wild goal at home. Every Wild game to this day has been a sellout. I have never been to a more exciting, electric sporting event then a Wild game. Every Minnesotan or even a hockey fan should see a game at the “X”.
We’re home to some famous and interesting people. We’ve got Prince, who made 1st Ave famous. I think he put on one of the best Super Bowl halftime shows we’ll ever see. Bob Dylan was born in Duluth and raised in Hibbing. Al Franken is from here as well and is running for U.S. Senate. Hubert Humphrey was close to being the President of the U.S. Kirby Puckett was a hero to many, including me. R.I.P. John Madden, the famous football coach and sportscaster was born in Austin Mn. Jesse the “body” or “mind” Ventura. We elected a former wrestler to be our Governor. I think its those cold winters that may have had something to do with that. Yes, we did indeed “shock the world”.
People always ask me, “why don’t you move out west like you’ve been saying for years?” As much as I would like doing that, I love this state. I know I would like living out west, but I would not be as happy as I am here. Thats a fact.
Yes, Minnesota has a lot to offer. The number one thing I love about this state is the people. We respect each other, and we respect the outdoors. In this fast paced world we live in, we still find time to get out and enjoy what we’re really all about. Being one with the great outdoors is something you can’t really explain. You need to experience it, and I think we, as Minnesotans can relate to that.

daily quote - “
All hockey players are bilingual. They know English and profanity.” ~Gordie Howe

We have the tools to fix this

Fear. I’ve written about this before. I talked about the current issues that we as a civilization are encountering. There’s Global Warming, the War on Terror, the overuse of natural resources. I saw a commercial with a man speaking about this. He went on to say something along the lines of “all we hear are people talking, but nobody acting”. I think a lot of people take the easy way out and point fingers instead of taking action. There’s too much bickering in this world. We need to set aside our differences on a lot of subjects otherwise I believe we’re headed down a road nobody wants to see the end of.
I am a firm believer of Global Warming. I watched “An Inconvenient Truth” and was totally convinced. I’ve recently read that some people state that the facts or “facts” Al Gore speaks of are incorrect. I think a lot of people don’t realize that Mr. Gore has been an advocate of Global Warming since the mid-80’s. I’d like to think he has done his homework on this matter. The skeptics will say “the earth goes through natural cycles like these all the time”. While this is true, from all the data that has been accumulated throughout Earth’s storied history we have never seen spikes like the ones we are encountering. And all that data predicts things will get much worse. The Ice Caps are melting at a staggering rate. It seems as if we see a new article every month about how scientists are flabbergasted once again at the increased rate of melting they see. Cities are seeing high temps in places never thought of. Weather patterns unheard of. While we may not be able to stop this process we can do things that can help slow it down. In the U.S. all the skeptics I hear talk always link our Economy into the mix. They fear if we do cut back on emissions certain companies will falter and collapse. I think that is total bullshit and just shows how the Corporatocracy and the Government work with each other. Too many people thinking of themselves and their own well being.
The biggest natural resource we as a race have discovered is OIL. Hands down, the #1 cash crop for every country. Its something that we as a race depend on. Our daily lives depend on this black goop. The only reason President Bush invaded Iraq was to secure oil. They used Terrorism as a reason to invade Iraq. Next to Venezuela the Middle East is our primary source for oil. All the people that have sacrificed their lives in Iraq was, sadly, for oil. The War on Terror is just a cover up title. While I do believe there is a war on terror, it wasn’t in Iraq. Did we ever find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq? No. Saddam Hussein was a terrible dictator who ruined people’s lives, but we entered Iraq under false pretenses. We suffered tragic losses, as did all the civilians in Iraq.
I think the last time I had written about this topic I had read somewhere that at the rate we as a human race consume natural resources we would need two planets worth by the year 2050. Those thoughts still race through me head. We in the U.S. seem to use up the most. All these commercials for so many different products. Do we really need 50 different types of shampoo to choose from at the store? Does every fast food joint in this country need to stay open 24 hours? Biggie Size? Everything seems to be in excess. I try to live my life in moderation. More so nowadays then in past years. Part of that is growing older and wiser, part of it is the crisis I think we will be facing here soon. Atlanta, a city of 5.4 million people may be out of fresh water in just 3 months. A severe drought is running the city dry. The shortage of seafood. Overfishing is becoming a big problem. Its not right to hear predictions of a total loss of seafood if we don’t slow down.
What kind of world our we going to be leaving future generations? At this rate, there won’t be much of one left. If I am to ever have kids, and they to have kids themselves, I would hope that this world is a better place for them. We live in a critical time. Our generation has many issues to tackle. Some of the biggest ones we have yet to face. Many of which are on a Global Scale. These decisions we face not only effect those close to you and I, but to people all over this planet. I fear if we don’t act soon, there may not be much of a world our future generations will get to enjoy.

A farewell to The Beige Bandit……

Time does a lot of things to different objects. Wort slowly ferments over time and becomes beer. We as humans become older yet wiser. Trees grow into massive spectacular objects. Time also takes its toll on automobiles. It has to the “Beige Bandit”. This past year was rough for her and I knew I was going to need a new car sooner or later. That day came yesterday. Sunday was my

last full day driving around in the vehicle I’ve been rolling around in now for 5 years. I purchased a 2004 Mazda 3i. I really wanted another Honda but there was nothing available in the price range I was in. I found this one at Morries Hyundai and I knew the moment I sat down in it I was going to buy this car. 48,000 miles, not a scratch on her. The interior and exterior would make you think it was a brand spanking new car. So as I turn over a new leaf I’d like to reflect on some of the memories I had in the old car. Some of you may remember these times we’ve had.
There was the epic road trip I took with my pops out to Ridgeway Colorado for some mountain biking. Two guys, two bikes, a shit ton of luggage. We barely made it over those mountain passes. Pedal to the metal not even hitting 40mph going up. Then coming down, the clutch went out. We had to keep stopping to pump the pedal. Turns out she needed new master and slave cylinders. It was worth it. We got to ride one of the most famous mountain bike trails around. SLICKROCK!!!!
There was that one of many drunken nights down at the U with the Peej. We just had to make a pit stop in one of the Hall’s for some shenanigans and bush jummping. We got back to the lot I parked you in and thought I’d lost you. Stolen? Towed? You were towed. I preceded to call the towing company and chew them out still half drunk about how they towed you before 2am. It really was about 1:50am and my car was already gone. But the next day, $250 some odd dollars I was back in the drivers seat.
There was that week preceding one of many trips up to Duluth. You kept stalling at stop signs and lights. I thought nothing of it and drove up to Duluth. Once I hit Duluth, you stalled 5 times before I hit my destination. Then when when we wanna go home you won’t start at all. After a tow, a day of work missed, and $150 for some coil-over part, you were back at it.
There was the one weekend out to Stout. Coming home, driving fast as hell on a Sunday morning because I had to work. We were all very hungover, underage, and a shit load of booze in the back seat. A Wisc. state trooper flips on his cherries. Comes right up behind me and pulls over the guy in front of me(we were going the same speed). OOFTA, that was a close one.
A couple summers ago you decided you didn’t want you’re muffler anymore. OK, so I tore it off. Piece by piece it fell of more and more. You were quite loud. I always joked how I got my noise maker for free. It became a new “tone” this year, and finally I started to grow tired of that muffler.
All those short 5min. trips I needed to take here or there. Only that when it was hot outside you wouldn’t start up right away after that. After switching out some things here and there, you still did it. I gave up, and planned my days from there on out not to drive short distances.
All of those biking trips we’ve had. I was amazed at you’re ability to hold so much bike gear. Especially for the 24 Hours of Afton. You were packed full each year. Yet got me to and from the hill every time. Lebanon, Theo, Murphy, Buck, Afton, Red Wing, Winona, Duluth, and many others. You were my shop away from home for bike repairs.
The crooked “I’d rather be Homebrewing sticker” on the back bumper. Why don’t I just ask to get pulled over.
Driving fast on freeways around corners has been risky this past year. No shocks or struts to absorb all those potholes. It was like driving a wicked shimmy sometimes.
Ahhh, the oil leakS. So many to pick from. It got to the point where you were burning through 4 quarts of oil in just 1,000 miles. After it was determined it wasn’t the valve cover gasket or the oil pan gasket I knew you needed to be replaced. I feared you’re head gasket was starting to crap out on ya.
All of this only because of the fact my old car, the “White Rabbit” was stolen right out of my driveway and totaled.
So little Beige Bandit I bid you adieu. I’m gonna miss you. We had some good times in together. I laughed, cried, yelled, and everything else with ya. I hope whoever ends up buying you gets a few more miles before you officially retire. Like Paul Simon sings in the song I’m listening to right now “Still crazy after all these years.” Ciao

“The world needs more compassion”

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad recently was asked to speak at Columbia University. I thought it was an interesting approach. Have the leader of a nation our Government accuses daily of trying to produce nuclear weapons and supplying terrorists with weapons to come to the U.S. I thought it would be interesting to question him in an open discussion. I was not however, impressed with how Columbia University’s President introduced him. President Lee Bollinger called Ahmadinejad a “petty and cruel dictator.” He continued on with comments made by Ahmadinejad about the Holocaust. Calling him “either brazenly provocative or astonishingly uneducated.” I started thinking. You asked this man to come to your University to speak. Sure go ahead and ask him tough questions. But why would you, even before he steps up to the podium, rip into this man and make him feel unwelcome. How does that reflect on the American population. I’m sure it effected his view on the U.S. I think the whole experience was ruined from that introduction. I don’t agree with the way Ahmadinejad operates his country or his comments made towards the Holocaust, and the U.S., but I thought it was bad form on Mr. Bollinger to lay into him like he did.
I recently started reading a new book. Its called “The Secret History of the American Empire: Economic Hit Men, Jackals, and the truth about Global Corruption”. Its written by John Perkins. Its a book about how big corporations make their millions of dollars at the expense of people working in sweatshops. I’m only in the early stages of the book, but from what this guy explains is shocking. His old job, as and Economic Hit Man, is a ruthless and relentless job of making Corporations rich. He comes to grips with what he is involved with, quits doing what he does, and as years pass by decides to tell his story to the world. He has another book that precedes this one called “Confessions of an Economic Hit Man.” I suggest that anyone that has ever bought a pair of shoes made by Nike, jeans by Gap, and other big company’s with products made in Indonesia read what this man has to say. It will blow you’re mind away.
A new month means new beginning’s. I will attempt for the umpteenth time to quit smoking heaters. I went 3 months during the summer, but after my last race that went to hell. I also plan on getting a new car within the month. I really want a new Civic, and will officially start my hunt tomorrow. I heard Breckenridge has been getting snow already and can’t wait to get back out to Summit County. Well, time to get back to that book. TTFN

daily quote - “Don’t become a Buddhist. The world doesn’t need more Buddhists. Do practice compassion. The world needs more compassion.” The Dalai Lama

:With cycling season winding down the daily bike term will take a little hibernation until next spring:

“You fritter and waste the hours in an off hand way”

I find that Pink Floyd’s second line from the song “Time” describes this post best. Did you know the average American wastes two weeks of our life each year sitting in traffic? It took me 45 minutes to get home from work yesterday. It usually takes 15-20 tops. I thought it was ironic that this little tid-bit of information popped on the radio while I was sitting in a entrance ramp on 394. Lets figure you start actually driving in traffic at age 18. If you live to be 80(which is the expected rate in the U.S. at this time) thats 62 years of driving. So 2 weeks a year for 62 years is 124 weeks or just over 10 months. Almost a year of our life is wasted sitting in fucking traffic. We are not here to be sitting in traffic wasting away time. Literally. By the time I turn 80 I hope I can last at least one more year to get back that year I lost sitting in my car, watching the tail lights in front of me flicker on and off. Add that and the fact that barrels of crude oil hit an all time high a couple of days ago, the reasons to continue driving a car are becoming slim. I am not here to waste my time in traffic or break the bank on a tank of gas. If I could I’d get rid of my car. I just hope that sometime in the near future I will be working closer to home so I can ride my bike to work. It makes me wish we had the kind of public transit the Europeans have. My brothers host family in Germany didn’t even own a car. You can’t get you’re license over their until you are 18, its hella expensive too. But public transit is far beyond what we have. If you want to use a car, its cheap to rent one over there. Flights over there are cheap too.
Speaking of cars. The hunt for a new one continues. I am looking for 3 things. 1. Reliability. I want a car that is known to last long and not have problems. So basically anything NOT made in the U.S. 2. Affordable. I would like to buy a new car or a car a few years old. I was able to pick my uncles brain this weekend(he’s been selling cars for years) and it sounds like with where I am financially it can be done. 3. Longevity. I want a car that has a ton of gas mileage. I’m talking in the 35-40mpg, maybe I could to hybrid and get 45-50mpg. We’ll see. I’ve found a couple of good deals on some 07′ Civics, but I am also considering a Hyundai, Nissan, or Toyota. This week is pretty hectic, but I plan on getting out to dealers next week.
Well, I’ve got a long day of errands, laundry, car fixing, and one-dogs to enjoy. Oh, and for all you coffee drinkers out there the Cameron’s Breakfast Blend is one of the best bag of beans I’ve had in months. I’m out.

daily quote - “I think his assessment is off the mark” Vice President Dick Cheney in a Wall Street Journal article criticizing Alan Greenspan’s memoir which blasted the Bush administrations handling of the economy

today’s bike term - monkey-motion adj. magazine writer speak for a full suspension bike