It's a Friday Tunes repost.
Wugazi • 13 Chambers
I listened to this all day at work to day.
March 22, 2013
March 19, 2013
Van Halen = RothnotHagar
This first one is VH in all it's splendid/horrible glory. High-octane, Over-the-top pure fun. The music's great the outfits are embarrassing. DLR has a few cringe worthy attempts at banter. Actually if this doesn't add up for you, just skip to this one which is Van Halen at it's studio best.
March 14, 2013
Adventure Journals
I love the photo journals I found at Polar. Polar makes and sells outdoor gear so these are technically commercials but I don't mind. They are beautiful and as I look at these photos I really want to be there. The product placements aren't obtrusive. Plus the camp vehicles they have are awesome. Each one makes me rethink the my priorities due to the fact that I haven't smelled of woodsmoke in too long.
March 12, 2013
Done with winter/Sign of Spring
Well this weekend's warm weather officially gave me spring fever. Don't get me wrong I love winter. I don't typically get cabin fever or curse the cold and snow. I love skiing and outdoor winter activities. But the lack of snow (again) has had me ho-humming and with the warm temps this weekend I said, Screw it, Spring here I come.
The bike ride I took on Sunday only helped cement the spring fever in my psyche. Now I have ridden a few times this winter. The longer rides were mostly on the fat tire cycle over snow and ice. There were a few skinny tire errand running trips round town. There was one aspect of this trip that truly got me into riding season...I got called an asshole.
Yep a true sign of spring. I was on Manhattan Drive and at the point, near Champlain Street where the West bound traffic goes from one lane to two took the lane. I'll be damned if I'm gonna get stuck on the right shoulder while cars swerve around me on the left only to realize they then need to cut right to get on to the 127 belt-line where 95% of the traffic on this street goes. Truth be told it's probably only 200 yards from where I turn onto Manhattan to where the lanes diverge and when I turned on there was no other traffic moving west. So I'm not sure how long I was inconveniencing this particular fellow but it couldn't have been more than 5 to 10 seconds. When the lanes split I moved into the left hand lane, which is designated for going straight. Directly ahead was a red light. The red truck behind me felt the need to rev the old engine and tear around me to enter the right hand turning lane and get 50 feet ahead of me to stop at said red light.
Now as he passed I could feel his glare and see him taking extra care to get a good look at me. While he waited at the light I could sense his gaze was still on me and as I got closer I could see him checking me out in his side view mirror and over his shoulder out the open window. There was still silence between us a this point but an obvious tension was present.
So I did what most people would do in this situation. I waved.
Not a little two finger salute, or a swipe of the hand but a big, "Hi, howya doin'" with eye contact and a big grin (I was out on my bike). Maybe my wave was a little too big, cause this was the real offender. The straw that broke the camel's back, if you will. Before he was glaring at me with mild distaste and a little incredulity. Now he was openly disgusted. This is when he started shaking his head and with a look on his face like he just smelled something awful he said it, "Asshole." He didn't yell it but since his window was down I heard him. and that's why it is a sure sign of spring. That comment which in the dead of winter would have gone unnoticed, but since it was very spring like on Sunday and my friend in the red pickup had his windows down, I heard him.
I can be thankful that in Burlington this type of thing doesn't happen very often. Although since it doesn't, I haven't really built up a tolerance to this type of verbal abuse from strangers as many other cyclists have. So I carried the exchange with me. It weighed heavy and I thought of it often through the early part of the week but I know I did nothing wrong. I'll just keep riding and enjoy spring.
The bike ride I took on Sunday only helped cement the spring fever in my psyche. Now I have ridden a few times this winter. The longer rides were mostly on the fat tire cycle over snow and ice. There were a few skinny tire errand running trips round town. There was one aspect of this trip that truly got me into riding season...I got called an asshole.
Yep a true sign of spring. I was on Manhattan Drive and at the point, near Champlain Street where the West bound traffic goes from one lane to two took the lane. I'll be damned if I'm gonna get stuck on the right shoulder while cars swerve around me on the left only to realize they then need to cut right to get on to the 127 belt-line where 95% of the traffic on this street goes. Truth be told it's probably only 200 yards from where I turn onto Manhattan to where the lanes diverge and when I turned on there was no other traffic moving west. So I'm not sure how long I was inconveniencing this particular fellow but it couldn't have been more than 5 to 10 seconds. When the lanes split I moved into the left hand lane, which is designated for going straight. Directly ahead was a red light. The red truck behind me felt the need to rev the old engine and tear around me to enter the right hand turning lane and get 50 feet ahead of me to stop at said red light.
Now as he passed I could feel his glare and see him taking extra care to get a good look at me. While he waited at the light I could sense his gaze was still on me and as I got closer I could see him checking me out in his side view mirror and over his shoulder out the open window. There was still silence between us a this point but an obvious tension was present.
So I did what most people would do in this situation. I waved.
Not a little two finger salute, or a swipe of the hand but a big, "Hi, howya doin'" with eye contact and a big grin (I was out on my bike). Maybe my wave was a little too big, cause this was the real offender. The straw that broke the camel's back, if you will. Before he was glaring at me with mild distaste and a little incredulity. Now he was openly disgusted. This is when he started shaking his head and with a look on his face like he just smelled something awful he said it, "Asshole." He didn't yell it but since his window was down I heard him. and that's why it is a sure sign of spring. That comment which in the dead of winter would have gone unnoticed, but since it was very spring like on Sunday and my friend in the red pickup had his windows down, I heard him.
I can be thankful that in Burlington this type of thing doesn't happen very often. Although since it doesn't, I haven't really built up a tolerance to this type of verbal abuse from strangers as many other cyclists have. So I carried the exchange with me. It weighed heavy and I thought of it often through the early part of the week but I know I did nothing wrong. I'll just keep riding and enjoy spring.
March 8, 2013
Friday Tunes: Let's mix it up edition.
My buddy Joe made this Mix an I thought I'd just leave it right here.
And this one too.
March 7, 2013
Family Bike Shop- Crofton, MD Video- Courtesy of Gavin Stewart
Heck Yeah! Springs just around the corner and I'm breaking out the old tag-a-long.
Great Weird Video
via The Great Humongous. This video wormed its way into my brain and spend about two days infesting my thoughts.
Darwin Deez "You Can't Be My Girl" from Keith Schofield on Vimeo.
Darwin Deez "You Can't Be My Girl" from Keith Schofield on Vimeo.
February 26, 2013
February 22, 2013
Friday Music
Last week my cousin was in town with his Father-in-Law and we all went out to American Flatbread to eat and drink some good beer. Sean and Bill were then going to see Josh Ritter and invited me to tag along. Bill instigated the evening and I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed the show. Thanks Bill.
February 20, 2013
Unschooling?
“There were no sex classes. No friendship classes. No classes on how to
navigate a bureaucracy, build an organization, raise money, create a
database, buy a house, love a child, spot a scam, talk someone out of
suicide, or figure out what was important to me. Not knowing how to do
these things is what messes people up in life, not whether they know
algebra or can analyze literature.”
- William Upski Wimsatt, author of Bomb the Suburbs
found at Fuck Everything and Become a Pirate.
I am surrounded by Educators, wife, friends, etc, and this weekend I had about three conversations on the state of the Educational system, it's origins, and where it's headed. The short version is that the system is outdated, set up for an industrial nation to train it's industrial workforce, and not aligned with a world where facts and information are at your fingertips. It lacks the guidance to navigate and evaluate. This quote struck me as offering a similar critique.
- William Upski Wimsatt, author of Bomb the Suburbs
found at Fuck Everything and Become a Pirate.
I am surrounded by Educators, wife, friends, etc, and this weekend I had about three conversations on the state of the Educational system, it's origins, and where it's headed. The short version is that the system is outdated, set up for an industrial nation to train it's industrial workforce, and not aligned with a world where facts and information are at your fingertips. It lacks the guidance to navigate and evaluate. This quote struck me as offering a similar critique.
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