Mar 15, 2010
Mar 3, 2010
And had me for dessert
It never fails. Every year it takes me about a month’s worth of racing before I can actually get up to race speed. And this year it’s even worse because I was fighting tendonitis in my left knee until a few weeks ago. Plus, normally by this time of the year I have at least one or two road races in the books. Not so in twenty-ten. The only things I have in the books so far this year are two embarrassing XC results. Let me give you the painful details.
Training race number one took place on February 20 at Fontana’s infamous Southridge race course. It had rained the week leading up to this race so I thought, “What the heck? I’ll go test the waters and see what kind of fitness I have.” WTF was more like it. If that race were the SAT, I’d be headed to community college because I did horrible. I only had enough fitness and will to ride hard for about 30 minutes. After that my pencil was put down and my test was collected. To add insult to injury, as I was riding around after the failed attempt at racing, I was chased by a rabid pit bull [only in Fontana]. Since I was such a pansy in the race and didn’t push myself half as hard as I could have, I still had plenty of energy left to outrun the savage beast. Part of me wishes I hadn’t.
A week and one day later I found myself at round 1 of the Kenda Cup West Series, Sage Brush Safari. The only dog around was Dean Swank’s doxin, and in the past I’ve had somewhat successful results at this race so things were already looking up. But then I got to the starting line and what I saw made me realize that the past just doesn’t matter anymore. It’s the present that really matters and presently Sid Taberlay was lined up in front of me to my right and Jeremiah Bishop was lined up in front of me to my left. It’s not like I was going into Sage Brush expecting anything other than a top ten - I just wasn’t expecting the first climb to be at mach 5.
As it turns out, the first climb wasn’t at mach 5. It was more like mach 4, which makes it that much more sad that I came off the lead group before reaching the summit of the opening climb. I completely exploded within sight of the top and spent the two-track rollers afterward trying to recover while I should have been drilling it. The truth is, I never really did recover. I spent the entire first of two laps red-lined and hating life. I thought about how I may be getting too old to try and race with the big boys. I thought about how much easier road racing can be (I said can be). I thought a lot about quitting, but thought I needed the extra time on the bike so the third race wouldn’t be such a disaster. I thought a lot about that pit bull from Fontana and how I wished it would have caught me and had my bike for lunch.
Behind my bike, I'm dragging an anchor.
Training race number one took place on February 20 at Fontana’s infamous Southridge race course. It had rained the week leading up to this race so I thought, “What the heck? I’ll go test the waters and see what kind of fitness I have.” WTF was more like it. If that race were the SAT, I’d be headed to community college because I did horrible. I only had enough fitness and will to ride hard for about 30 minutes. After that my pencil was put down and my test was collected. To add insult to injury, as I was riding around after the failed attempt at racing, I was chased by a rabid pit bull [only in Fontana]. Since I was such a pansy in the race and didn’t push myself half as hard as I could have, I still had plenty of energy left to outrun the savage beast. Part of me wishes I hadn’t.
A week and one day later I found myself at round 1 of the Kenda Cup West Series, Sage Brush Safari. The only dog around was Dean Swank’s doxin, and in the past I’ve had somewhat successful results at this race so things were already looking up. But then I got to the starting line and what I saw made me realize that the past just doesn’t matter anymore. It’s the present that really matters and presently Sid Taberlay was lined up in front of me to my right and Jeremiah Bishop was lined up in front of me to my left. It’s not like I was going into Sage Brush expecting anything other than a top ten - I just wasn’t expecting the first climb to be at mach 5.
As it turns out, the first climb wasn’t at mach 5. It was more like mach 4, which makes it that much more sad that I came off the lead group before reaching the summit of the opening climb. I completely exploded within sight of the top and spent the two-track rollers afterward trying to recover while I should have been drilling it. The truth is, I never really did recover. I spent the entire first of two laps red-lined and hating life. I thought about how I may be getting too old to try and race with the big boys. I thought about how much easier road racing can be (I said can be). I thought a lot about quitting, but thought I needed the extra time on the bike so the third race wouldn’t be such a disaster. I thought a lot about that pit bull from Fontana and how I wished it would have caught me and had my bike for lunch.
Behind my bike, I'm dragging an anchor.Feb 22, 2010
Sarcasm is no longer the lowest form of wit
Yes, it seems I’ve found something that actually annoys me even more than soap operas, crowds, riding behind bow-legged people, the state of Florida, and the nation of Germany. It’s called Vague-booking, and I’m not the only one it annoys. Those vague cries for help and attention on Facebook and Twitter are so widely hated that they’ve been given a name and are listed in Urban Dictionary now. You know the half-wits I’m talking about:
So-in-so is over it.
So-in-so is having a life changing experience.
So-in-so can’t take it anymore.
So-in-so can’t believe some people.
I can’t decide if So-in-so thinks they’re being clever, is trying to coax “friends” or followers into commenting, or is actually so ignorant and uncreative that they can’t type a clear and concise thought or statement. I’m sure at one point, we’ve all been guilty of posting, tweeting, or blogging something ambiguous, but there are some people out there who have made it a hobby. And when I say some people, I think you know the So-in-so types I’m (cryptically) talking about.
Join me next time when I talk about the phonies on Facebook who have like a 1,000 “friends.”
Feb 17, 2010
What To Do When You Receive an ebay Question from Dumbass (or, How to Receive Negative ebay Feedback).
Like Steve Berg, I too am getting cyber-bullied on ebay for not answering buyer questions in a prompt manner. Maybe it has something to do with the demanding and ridiculous nature of some of the questions. For example, “The Gary Fisher website says the effective top tube is 527mm. Does that sound right?” and “You didn’t post the weight of the bike. Please weigh the bike,” and my favorite, “I asked you to weigh the bike and you haven’t gotten back to me yet. Weigh the bike and get back to me ASAP.”
These type of questions are a lose-lose situation for me. If I don’t answer the questions, I risk losing a potential buyer. If I do answer the questions, I still risk losing a potential buyer because I’m likely to answer them like this:
“I checked with Gary Fisher himself and he has no idea whether 527 mm is the correct effective top tube length either. Both Gary and I agree that more than likely, his website is correct, but who knows for sure. I could go out to the garage and measure it myself, but I’m not completely comfortable with my measuring abilities, so who knows for sure if I’d get the measurement right. I suggest that you be the highest bidder and once you’ve paid and I’ve shipped you the bike, you can find out firsthand whether or not it does indeed have a 527mm effective top tube and if Gary's website is right or if he's just pulling your leg.”
And we mustn’t forget the weight weenie, whose question, if I did answer, I would probably answer like this:
“When I received your first message I put ‘weigh the bike’ on my list of things to do today right above 'pay bills' and right underneath ‘measure the effective top tube.’ Then I received your second message demanding that I weigh the bike 'ASAP,' as you put it. At that point I decided that if you’re that concerned with the weight of the Dura Ace, Ultegra, and RaceXLite high-end component-equipped bike, you’re probably not tough enough to race cyclocross in the first place, thus you don’t deserve, or need this bike. Plus, your ebay username contains clues suggesting you’re from Florida, and of all the Confederate States, Florida is by far my least favorite. Doing ebay business with someone in Florida is kind of like doing ebay business with someone outside of the U.S. – it’s most likely a scam. And besides, the cross racing in Florida is probably pretty lame, so consider it a favor that I did not cave to your demands. I saved you a lot of money and a lot of suffering, and myself a trip out to the garage. Furthermore, your Confederate money is no good.”
Contrary to what you may think about this blog, it actually has morals and the moral of this story is that if you send me dumb ebay questions, you’re more than likely to get back a dumber answer.
These aren’t morals, but instead, good-to-know information:
Per my Garmin Edge 500, Raincross is harder than Como. Turner’s Garmin can back me up on that. Garmins don’t lie.
The first two-thirds of the Palm Springs Century (or whatever they call it) are pretty cool. The last third is spent riding from red light to red light to red light, which is not cool at all.
Don’t eat fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, and corn on the cob an hour before riding the Silver Bullet at Knott’s Berry Farm unless you want to feel like hell for the better part of two hours.
The Ghost Rider rollercoaster at Knott’s Berry Farm is wicked fast.
I wonder what Ryder is doing right now?
These type of questions are a lose-lose situation for me. If I don’t answer the questions, I risk losing a potential buyer. If I do answer the questions, I still risk losing a potential buyer because I’m likely to answer them like this:
“I checked with Gary Fisher himself and he has no idea whether 527 mm is the correct effective top tube length either. Both Gary and I agree that more than likely, his website is correct, but who knows for sure. I could go out to the garage and measure it myself, but I’m not completely comfortable with my measuring abilities, so who knows for sure if I’d get the measurement right. I suggest that you be the highest bidder and once you’ve paid and I’ve shipped you the bike, you can find out firsthand whether or not it does indeed have a 527mm effective top tube and if Gary's website is right or if he's just pulling your leg.”
And we mustn’t forget the weight weenie, whose question, if I did answer, I would probably answer like this:
“When I received your first message I put ‘weigh the bike’ on my list of things to do today right above 'pay bills' and right underneath ‘measure the effective top tube.’ Then I received your second message demanding that I weigh the bike 'ASAP,' as you put it. At that point I decided that if you’re that concerned with the weight of the Dura Ace, Ultegra, and RaceXLite high-end component-equipped bike, you’re probably not tough enough to race cyclocross in the first place, thus you don’t deserve, or need this bike. Plus, your ebay username contains clues suggesting you’re from Florida, and of all the Confederate States, Florida is by far my least favorite. Doing ebay business with someone in Florida is kind of like doing ebay business with someone outside of the U.S. – it’s most likely a scam. And besides, the cross racing in Florida is probably pretty lame, so consider it a favor that I did not cave to your demands. I saved you a lot of money and a lot of suffering, and myself a trip out to the garage. Furthermore, your Confederate money is no good.”
Contrary to what you may think about this blog, it actually has morals and the moral of this story is that if you send me dumb ebay questions, you’re more than likely to get back a dumber answer.
These aren’t morals, but instead, good-to-know information:
Per my Garmin Edge 500, Raincross is harder than Como. Turner’s Garmin can back me up on that. Garmins don’t lie.
The first two-thirds of the Palm Springs Century (or whatever they call it) are pretty cool. The last third is spent riding from red light to red light to red light, which is not cool at all.
Don’t eat fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, and corn on the cob an hour before riding the Silver Bullet at Knott’s Berry Farm unless you want to feel like hell for the better part of two hours.
The Ghost Rider rollercoaster at Knott’s Berry Farm is wicked fast.
I wonder what Ryder is doing right now?
Feb 10, 2010
Feb 7, 2010
Because Cyclocross is too Hard
For Sale:Gary Fisher Presidio CX Bike size 52
Sucking at CX forces sale.
This bike (and its rider) made an appearance (off-the-back) at the 2010 CrossVegas. Only a hand full of bikes can say that in the entire world!
Sucking at CX forces sale.
This bike (and its rider) made an appearance (off-the-back) at the 2010 CrossVegas. Only a hand full of bikes can say that in the entire world!The frame was purchased new in September 2009. I crashed it a couple times but it was no big deal to the buyer (you) because my body took the brunt of the crashes. Iraced this bike half a southern California CX season so the bike never saw any bad weather. It was only raced half a season because I got tired of getting my ass kicked so I quit. I'm over it (it, being CX).
Email me at mattfreemanrace@yahoo.com if you're interested.
Here's the down-low...
Frame: medium True Temper OX Platinum Steel
Fork: Bontrager Satellite Carbon
Headset: Cane Creek S-3
Shifters: Shimano Dura Ace 7800 10-speed (right scuffed from crash)
Front derailleur: Shimano Dura Ace 7800
Rear derailleur: Ultegra
Crank set: Bontrager RaceXLite 50/34
Cassette: SRAM Rival 11/26
Chain: Dura Ace
Wheels: Bontrager RaceXLite Tubular (not carbon)
Tires: Tufo Primus 32c, used for a couple races (perfectly glued)
Handlebar: Bontrager RaceXLite carbon
Stem: Bontrager RaceLite 100mm 7-degree
Seatpost: Bontrager RaceXLite AC (carbon/aluminum mix)
Saddle: Bontrager RaceXLite
Brakes: TRP
So there you have it.
Feb 3, 2010
Did I mention it was in freezing temperatures?
1 million reasons why your community should get behind a national caliber cycling event: http://kohd.com/news/local/161017
And when I say fun, what I actually mean is summer.
I don’t like rodents, especially when they emerge from a tree stump and see their ugly rodent shadows, signaling six more weeks of me freezing my ass off. If I were in Gobbler’s Knob, PA today, I would have placed a sizzling Weber BBQ over the ceremonial tree stump preventing Punxsutawney Phil from baring his grimy head. That’s what I would have done, and that’s how I would have declared that spring is indeed just around the corner and happy days are here again.
I find it amusing that the time-honored Groundhog Day tradition came to America by way of the early German settlers. It just proves my point – Germans hate fun. They’re where fun goes to die. The exception is the Schmidt family. Not only are they fun, they feed me every tuesday night. Last night we had salmon. Anyway, I digress - winter isn't fun.
Jan 27, 2010
Correction:
Okay, I lied. I can kinda use the extra money, but in today's wintry economic climate, who couldn't use a little extra money?
Jan 24, 2010
Everything Must Go!
First let me start off by saying I'm selling a bunch of stuff. Here's the list. If you're interested let me know. It all goes on eBay within the next week or so.
- 2009 Rock Shox SID World Cup fork (blue), used for one season
- 2009 Rock Shox Reba Team for (black), used for one season
- 2009 Gary Fisher Presidio Cyclocross bike with a Dura Ace/Ultegra Mix, RaceXLite tubular wheels, TRP brakes, Bontrager crankset, email me for the rest of the details. Used for one season.
- 2009 Gary Fisher Big Sur MTB frame size medium, one season used.
- 2007 Bontrager RaceXLite 26" MTB wheels, used for two seasons.
I think that's it, but I'm willing to sell just about anything I own right now, with the exception of my first born son. I'm willing to let a lot of this stuff go for cheap. It's not that I need the money, it's that I have too much stuff and I hate having too much stuff. Having too much stuff will make a man go mad, or weight him down. Travel light, I say.
A guy told me one time, "Don't let yourself get attached to anything you are not willing to walk out on in 30 seconds flat if you feel the heat around the corner."
Okay, well a guy never told me that, but Robert De Niro's character said that in Heat, and those, in my opinion, are words to live by. People own and save too much stuff that they don't need or never use. Guess what? We just had consecutive rainy days and I bet you didn't use any of the stuff that you are saving for a rainy day. Sell it all, or give it away.
On another note, http://www.cyclingdirt.org/ is using my image (below) for a story about the 2010 American Mountain Bike Challenge. The photo is from last year's Santa Ynez Kenda Cup and wouldn't you know it, but there's a couple of Bear Valley Bikes guys sucking my wheel. That about sums up my season. Anyway, it's a cool photo. And, coincidentally, I no longer own the bike in that photo. It was part of a pile of stuff that I already sold.
- 2009 Rock Shox SID World Cup fork (blue), used for one season
- 2009 Rock Shox Reba Team for (black), used for one season
- 2009 Gary Fisher Presidio Cyclocross bike with a Dura Ace/Ultegra Mix, RaceXLite tubular wheels, TRP brakes, Bontrager crankset, email me for the rest of the details. Used for one season.
- 2009 Gary Fisher Big Sur MTB frame size medium, one season used.
- 2007 Bontrager RaceXLite 26" MTB wheels, used for two seasons.
I think that's it, but I'm willing to sell just about anything I own right now, with the exception of my first born son. I'm willing to let a lot of this stuff go for cheap. It's not that I need the money, it's that I have too much stuff and I hate having too much stuff. Having too much stuff will make a man go mad, or weight him down. Travel light, I say.
A guy told me one time, "Don't let yourself get attached to anything you are not willing to walk out on in 30 seconds flat if you feel the heat around the corner."
Okay, well a guy never told me that, but Robert De Niro's character said that in Heat, and those, in my opinion, are words to live by. People own and save too much stuff that they don't need or never use. Guess what? We just had consecutive rainy days and I bet you didn't use any of the stuff that you are saving for a rainy day. Sell it all, or give it away.
On another note, http://www.cyclingdirt.org/ is using my image (below) for a story about the 2010 American Mountain Bike Challenge. The photo is from last year's Santa Ynez Kenda Cup and wouldn't you know it, but there's a couple of Bear Valley Bikes guys sucking my wheel. That about sums up my season. Anyway, it's a cool photo. And, coincidentally, I no longer own the bike in that photo. It was part of a pile of stuff that I already sold.
P.S. - If you're fighting tendonitis this winter, like I am, go see Leo at http://www.passpt.com/. He'll fix you up.
P.S.S. - Remember, don't let yourself get attached to anything [stuff] you are not willing to walk out on in 30 seconds flat if you feel the heat around the corner.
Jan 12, 2010
About every 3 years I get the itch to become a good swimmer. Right now I’m just a below average swimmer. I haven’t had any lessons or coaching aside from when I was a little kid, and I’ve always just gotten by on general fitness and sheer will not to drown. Plus, it’s always bothered me that I’m such a mediocre swimmer. Some things I don’t mind being mediocre at, like video games or baseball. Video games are for fat kids and baseball is for fat adults, but swimming is just plain badass. When’s the last time anyone had to play a video game or hit a home run to save their own life? Swimming, more specifically, swimming well can save your life and maybe even the life of someone else.
A little over a week ago I started having horrible knee pain while riding. It still hasn’t been professionally diagnosed, but I suspect it’s tendonitis or what’s commonly called runner’s knee. How I got runners knee from not running, I can’t figure out, but my knee hurts like hell. I can’t ride, I certainly can’t run, and even walking is uncomfortable. For a week now I’ve been resting it, icing it, compressing it, and elevating it, but it’s not getting any better. And that’s how I ended up on this swimming kick again. Since I haven’t been able to get any real exercise lately, I opted for swimming at the gym yesterday. I was only slightly successful at it. I definitely got some exercise, but because of my poor form, I can’t swim for long before I’m exhausted, and I’m sure I look like a complete ass doing it.
I’m considering a swim coach, or at the very least someone who can help me not look like an ass when I decide to swim laps. Foist is reported to be a great swimmer, but his attention span is about as solid as backstroke so I don’t think he’d make much of a mentor. Plus, I’m not sure I’m comfortable with him reaching over me to guide my arms and hands into the proper freestyle stroke position. I’m thinking a coach more on the lines of Dara Torres or Amanda Beard.
And if I can get better at swimming, and if I can ever get my knee into working order, maybe I’ll dabble in Xterra or the occasional tri. I hear those are a lot of suffering.
Dec 29, 2009
In no particular order
Here’s a list of things that I wanted for Christmas, but I didn’t get.
Garmin Edge 500: Every day I’m reminded at work about the importance of data integration in order to make life simpler. With the Garmin Edge 500, I can have that. And I want that. Apparently I’ve officially drunk the ESRI Kool Aid if the reason behind me wanting a Garmin Edge 500 is data integration. Never mind that I don’t care anymore that Big Brother can track my every move when I’m equipped with my new Garmin Edge 500. I gave up on trying to dodge the Man years ago, when I started carrying a cell phone. Next Christmas I’ll probably be asking for a barcode tattoo so the Feds can label me with a number, and the Christmas after that, I’ll be asking for a computer ID chip to be placed inside my body so they can even keep track of me when I’m in the shower.
Compression Socks: Every day I surf the web I’m reminded of how slow I am compared to the likes of Julien Absalon, JHK, the Dart, and especially Jens Voigt. As a 36-year-old working-class bike racing hack, I need all the help I can get. If a pair of compression socks can even make me think that I could be getting faster, then I’ll take a pair and I’ll wear them all over town. I’ll take a black pair in size 9.
Steve Berg as my butler: Well, not only my butler, but also as my bike mechanic, welder, barista, and barber. And that’s not all he’s good for. I heard he knows martial arts, can play the drums, and since he’s straight edge, he’d make the ultimate Alcoholics Anonymous sponsor. I used to think Trevor and Aaron were the Jack-Of-All-Trades, but I think Steve has surpassed them in that classification. When’s the last time Trevor or Aaron made me a pumpkin pie latte, gave me a straight razor shave, rebuilt my Rock Shox SID, and welded the crack in my car muffler all in the same day? Never. I think I’ll classify Trevor and Aaron under Master of None. Come to think of it, Steve hasn’t done any of those things for me either, but if he’s going to be my butler, you can be damn sure he’ll be doing that and then some. I’m confident his wife, Naomi, won’t even notice he’s gone.
A Frank Lloyd Wright house: If I’m going to have I butler, I guess I’m going to need a house. And what can I say about Frank Lloyd Wright and his houses that haven’t already been said on Wikipedia? The man’s house designs are right up my alley; simple with straight lines, yet elegant as hell. One summer when I was working the Honda Wing Ding in Madison, WI, I passed up the chance to tour a few of the houses Wright had built in the Madison area. Instead, I went drinking with the guys from Dunlop, which led to a no holds barred bread eating contest at Carrabba’s. Pound for pound, I won, but today I feel like a loser for not going on the Wright tour. Anyway, it sure would be nice to have a low-slung Wright roof over my head to keep my Garmin Edge 500, compression socks, and butler warm and dry during this freezing California winter ahead.
Hopefully you got everything that was on your Christmas list; even if it’s over-priced, fattening, frivolous, made in a sweatshop, can shoot you’re eye out, is bad for the environment, and can be used by the Man so he too can see you when you’re sleeping.
Garmin Edge 500: Every day I’m reminded at work about the importance of data integration in order to make life simpler. With the Garmin Edge 500, I can have that. And I want that. Apparently I’ve officially drunk the ESRI Kool Aid if the reason behind me wanting a Garmin Edge 500 is data integration. Never mind that I don’t care anymore that Big Brother can track my every move when I’m equipped with my new Garmin Edge 500. I gave up on trying to dodge the Man years ago, when I started carrying a cell phone. Next Christmas I’ll probably be asking for a barcode tattoo so the Feds can label me with a number, and the Christmas after that, I’ll be asking for a computer ID chip to be placed inside my body so they can even keep track of me when I’m in the shower.
Compression Socks: Every day I surf the web I’m reminded of how slow I am compared to the likes of Julien Absalon, JHK, the Dart, and especially Jens Voigt. As a 36-year-old working-class bike racing hack, I need all the help I can get. If a pair of compression socks can even make me think that I could be getting faster, then I’ll take a pair and I’ll wear them all over town. I’ll take a black pair in size 9.
Steve Berg as my butler: Well, not only my butler, but also as my bike mechanic, welder, barista, and barber. And that’s not all he’s good for. I heard he knows martial arts, can play the drums, and since he’s straight edge, he’d make the ultimate Alcoholics Anonymous sponsor. I used to think Trevor and Aaron were the Jack-Of-All-Trades, but I think Steve has surpassed them in that classification. When’s the last time Trevor or Aaron made me a pumpkin pie latte, gave me a straight razor shave, rebuilt my Rock Shox SID, and welded the crack in my car muffler all in the same day? Never. I think I’ll classify Trevor and Aaron under Master of None. Come to think of it, Steve hasn’t done any of those things for me either, but if he’s going to be my butler, you can be damn sure he’ll be doing that and then some. I’m confident his wife, Naomi, won’t even notice he’s gone.
A Frank Lloyd Wright house: If I’m going to have I butler, I guess I’m going to need a house. And what can I say about Frank Lloyd Wright and his houses that haven’t already been said on Wikipedia? The man’s house designs are right up my alley; simple with straight lines, yet elegant as hell. One summer when I was working the Honda Wing Ding in Madison, WI, I passed up the chance to tour a few of the houses Wright had built in the Madison area. Instead, I went drinking with the guys from Dunlop, which led to a no holds barred bread eating contest at Carrabba’s. Pound for pound, I won, but today I feel like a loser for not going on the Wright tour. Anyway, it sure would be nice to have a low-slung Wright roof over my head to keep my Garmin Edge 500, compression socks, and butler warm and dry during this freezing California winter ahead.
Hopefully you got everything that was on your Christmas list; even if it’s over-priced, fattening, frivolous, made in a sweatshop, can shoot you’re eye out, is bad for the environment, and can be used by the Man so he too can see you when you’re sleeping.
Dec 16, 2009
I stand before you today not the same man I was in Y2K
You needn’t be Ken Jennings to figure out that ‘tis the season for the media and nearly everyone with a blog to reflect on the past twelve months. And because we’re also nearing the end of a decade, many are reflecting on the passing of the last 120 months.
Case in point, Rolling Stone Magazine recently listed their top 100 albums and songs of the decade. I’m satisfied to see the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ song “Maps” made it into the top 10. The same song made another magazine’s top 10 love songs of all time. I agree. The angst ridden song could be #1 for tunes that “stir your emotions and then stab you in the heart” if there was such a list.
Other notables, in my opinion, from the Rolling Stone list of songs of the decade are The White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army” in #6, my Amy’s “Rehab” in #8, and the Man in Black’s version of “Hurt” in #15. If you must read the entire list, you can find it here.
As far as their list of the decade’s best albums go, I’m content with the fact that Radiohead’s Kid A is numeral uno, and that Jack and Meg made it to #5 with Elephant, and even pleasantly surprised that Arcade Fire’s Funeral is listed as #6, but how in the hell did Amy’s Back to Black get pushed back all the way to #20, why is Death Cab’s Transatlanticism way back in #57, and why Lord, why is Plans absent from the entire 100? I’m suspect of lists like these, yet at the same time, I’m also a sucker for them. Here’s the entire list.
Moving forward, the purpose of this is not to dwell on someone else’s list, but to create my own. What can I say about the 2,000s? It was the best of times, it was the worst of times; it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness; it was… maybe, possibly, probably the greatest decade so far in my 36 years. The strange thing is that the first few years of the decade seem like a different lifetime to me now. In the years between 2000 and 2009 lies, to paraphrase Dickens a second time, a tale of two lives.
The motorcycles and all the fruits they once bear have ridden off into the sunset. That life and career has set sail, along with the house and the spouse. They’ve all been replaced by bicycles, geodatabases, and most importantly, a boy. If you go back through the archives of this blog starting in 2002, you’ll find the only constants are words and music. Oh, and the suffering. We mustn’t forget the suffering.
So actually, I don’t need to make a list of the decade’s best times. Here, in the lines and images of this blog, they already exist. The worst times? Just read between the lines…
Case in point, Rolling Stone Magazine recently listed their top 100 albums and songs of the decade. I’m satisfied to see the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ song “Maps” made it into the top 10. The same song made another magazine’s top 10 love songs of all time. I agree. The angst ridden song could be #1 for tunes that “stir your emotions and then stab you in the heart” if there was such a list.
Other notables, in my opinion, from the Rolling Stone list of songs of the decade are The White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army” in #6, my Amy’s “Rehab” in #8, and the Man in Black’s version of “Hurt” in #15. If you must read the entire list, you can find it here.
As far as their list of the decade’s best albums go, I’m content with the fact that Radiohead’s Kid A is numeral uno, and that Jack and Meg made it to #5 with Elephant, and even pleasantly surprised that Arcade Fire’s Funeral is listed as #6, but how in the hell did Amy’s Back to Black get pushed back all the way to #20, why is Death Cab’s Transatlanticism way back in #57, and why Lord, why is Plans absent from the entire 100? I’m suspect of lists like these, yet at the same time, I’m also a sucker for them. Here’s the entire list.
Moving forward, the purpose of this is not to dwell on someone else’s list, but to create my own. What can I say about the 2,000s? It was the best of times, it was the worst of times; it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness; it was… maybe, possibly, probably the greatest decade so far in my 36 years. The strange thing is that the first few years of the decade seem like a different lifetime to me now. In the years between 2000 and 2009 lies, to paraphrase Dickens a second time, a tale of two lives.
The motorcycles and all the fruits they once bear have ridden off into the sunset. That life and career has set sail, along with the house and the spouse. They’ve all been replaced by bicycles, geodatabases, and most importantly, a boy. If you go back through the archives of this blog starting in 2002, you’ll find the only constants are words and music. Oh, and the suffering. We mustn’t forget the suffering.
So actually, I don’t need to make a list of the decade’s best times. Here, in the lines and images of this blog, they already exist. The worst times? Just read between the lines…
Dec 9, 2009
The Bastardization of English Punctuation & Grammar
We’ve got a problem. All over this country, and the world too, kids are learning to read and write English with more bad and inaccurate influences than ever before. Due to the internet (blogs mostly), kids are now exposed to not only violent and sexual content, but poorly written content too. Until recently the most poorly written thing that a kid could get his hands on was a comic book, or maybe some P.E. Class Rules written by the basketball coach. The scary part is that a lot of the people writing on the web are of the age that they should have learned proper punctuation and grammar with few outside influences, yet they still can’t seem to get it right. Imagine how poorly the upcoming generations are going to write if they continue to read this crap. Have some self respect people.
Some want to save the whales. Some want to save the ta-tas. That’s all fine and dandy, but in the future, how will people make a statement about saving the whales and the rain forests if they don’t even possess the writing skills to produce a bumper sticker? That’s why I want to “Save the Written Word.” Let’s get started.
Quotation Marks
Place quotation marks before and after the exact words of a speaker or writer.
An exclamation point is used at the end of a sentence or after an interjection to show strong emotion or emphasis.
Some want to save the whales. Some want to save the ta-tas. That’s all fine and dandy, but in the future, how will people make a statement about saving the whales and the rain forests if they don’t even possess the writing skills to produce a bumper sticker? That’s why I want to “Save the Written Word.” Let’s get started.
Quotation Marks
Place quotation marks before and after the exact words of a speaker or writer.
- Greg said, "I drank with Edward today."
- "No," replied Steve, "I’m cutting hair tomorrow."
- "There’s a sale at Penny’s," he said.
- Everyone should read "The Communist Manifesto" by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels.
- Sarah Palin’s "Going Rogue" makes great kindling for a fire.
- David Hasselhoff was drunk on last night’s "America’s Got Talent."
- He’s a "professional" mountain bike racer.
- The Saturday "World Championships" finishes on Victoria Avenue, west of Washington Street in Riverside.
An exclamation point is used at the end of a sentence or after an interjection to show strong emotion or emphasis.
- Exclamatory sentence: Mark crashed again!
- Strong command: Cover that break or else!
- Interjection: F-word!
Beware of overusing exclamation points. Using them too frequently makes them less meaningful. Don't use an exclamation mark unless you're certain it's necessary and never use two or three of them in a row:
- The singletrack was awesome!!!
- Don’t be ignorant!!!
Capital Letters
Capital letters should be used according to these rules.
Use a capital letter for the personal pronoun 'I':
- Why can’t I drink beer inside Barnes & Noble
Use a capital letter to begin a sentence or to begin speech:
- The man did two cyclocross races in one day. Then he threw up.
Use capital letters for many abbreviations and acronyms:
- P.Y.T. or PYT (Pretty Young Thing)
- T.S.O.L. or TSOL (True Sounds of Liberty)
Use a capital letter for days of the week, months of the year and holidays:
- Monday, Tuesday
- January, February
- Christmas, Beverage Day
Use a capital letter for countries, languages, nationalities and religions:
- China, France
- Japanese, Spanglish
- Christianity, Buddhism
Use a capital letter for people's names and titles:
- William Shakespeare, Chad Ochocinco
- Captain Kirk, Dr Kevorkian
Use a capital letter for trade-marks and names of companies and other organizations:
- Stone Brewery Co.
- BevMo!
- Alcoholics Anonymous
Use a capital letter for places and monuments:
- London, Paris, Colton
- the White House, the Eiffel Tower, the Jerky Hut
- St Paul's Cathedral, Buckingham Palace, Loch Leven
- Oxford Street, Pennsylvania Avenue, Mentone Boulevard
- Asia, the Middle East, the Inland Empire
Use a capital letter for names of vehicles like ships, trains, bicycles and spacecraft:
- the Titanic, the Starship Enterprise, the A-Team Van
- Challenger 2, Sputnik, Madone, Mercedes, Yugo
Use capitals letters (sometimes!) for headings, titles of articles, books and newspaper headlines:
- HOW TO WIN A FIGHT AGAINST 20 CHILDREN
- Chapter 6: THE BONNIE SITUATION
- ROSSI REPEATS!
Bold Words
Bold words should be use to signify proper nouns, key points and significant messages. Do not over-use bold words unless the word is absolutely relevant.
- When it comes to making out, whenever possible, put on side one of Led Zeppelin IV.
- Never a poster boy for sobriety, Shane MacGowan was kicked out of the Pogues several years ago for his erratic behavior.
- The next installment of Save the Written Word will concentrate on sentence structure and parts of speech.
THE END
Dec 8, 2009
GIS for Everyone
I exported the Sunday ride out of Garmin Connect into a KML file and then imported it into ArcGIS Explorer. Here's the result.There, I just posted a blog.
Nov 13, 2009
Did I tell you about this already?
That would be one Shane MacGowan sitting on a rolling equipment case at the Pogues show last month. After falling on his arse three times, they finally rolled out the case so Shane could sit and finish the show. He couldn't however make it to the final encore. His legs are old and weak my friends. Plus he had a few to drink too, I'm sure.Nov 12, 2009
I’m due for a rant like this
Monday night I watched this documentary on the Fuse channel called "Punk's Not Dead." It started out well but about an hour in to the 2-hour program, it took a fatal dive at the mention of Green Day, Nirvana & the Offspring. From there it only got worse.
Here's the thing, those that know don't feel like punk rock really has much to do with the style of music you play. It has more to do with your general overall package - the way you live your life, the decisions you make, what you feel & believe, in addition to the style of music you do or do not play. It doesn't have to be about just the way you dress, or just the way you think & believe. It's a package deal.
I can spend way more time on this subject (and I have in the past) than I should. The bottom line is that as a performer when you start negotiating with corporate America (MTV, Target, etc.) you automatically give up your punk rock card. Period.
The only exception is when you've hit middle age. If you've made it all the way to middle age purely by just kicking out the jams and touring for all those years, it doesn't get much more punk rock than that. You deserve to treat yourself a little for your dedication.
All these other post pubescent prima donnas prancing around for MTV should be happy with the fact that they're millionaires and quit trying to label themselves something they are not, never have been, or never will be.
As for the N-word (Nirvana), if Kurt Cobain wouldn't have cowardly blown his head off, he could probably tell MTV in person all about how his over-rated band ripped off the well cemented sound of another band called Mudhoney. Nevermind. Nirvana isn't worth my time. As a "punk" band neither are pop sensations Green Day and the Offspring.
I guess I'll just sit back for the rest of my life, smile, and snicker (that was not meant as a candy bar product placement), all along knowing that I'm aware of something that THEY (sorry, but that means 99% of those reading this) will never know of. The whole world could be deaf and mute and there would still be punk rocker. It's not a sound, or an outfit, but a state of mind. I never want to live in any other state.
*This blog was typed on my BlackBerry. How un-punk rock is that?
Nov 10, 2009
Maybe instead of cross practice, I should practice caring.
This Wednesday morning cyclocross practice thing isn't going so well. Last week it was just me and Haglund. Steve was in Kansas for a bar mitzvah or a quinceañera or something. Neither one of us felt like riding hard so we skipped the practice part of things and just went for a lazy spin.
The Wednesday before that, I woke up to a cold windy morning so I laid on the couch in the fetal position, taking sips of coffee, and watching the morning news as Steve was busy trying to track down the rat(s) who broke into his garage and jacked his MTB and PowerTap wheel. Meanwhile, the guy who is not currently racing, but is the only one to have religiously shown up to "cross practice" week after week, rode alone. That would be Haglund. He wins by default.
Tomorrow morning I'm going to turn over a new leaf and actually practice my dismounts, remounts, accelerating out of corners, etc., etc.
I'm thinking one of the reasons why I can't buy a top-ten finish at a cross race may have something to do with my lack of practice. That and the fact that 15 minutes in, I stop caring. The race in Bakersfield this weekend was no different. It had all the potential to be a good race for me – with its mountain bike-like descents, loose sandy corners, and general hilly lay-out. But I failed to get clipped in at the start and played catch up for the first couple of laps before I just stopped caring. At that point I rode around for 45 minutes trying to look pretty and not get lapped. Mission accomplished.
Nov 9, 2009
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