It’s been called to my attention that I haven’t written a blog lately. Duh! Like, tell me something I don’t know. Most of my thoughts lately go into 140 character text messages sent to
Twitter or, worse yet, into work-related projects. I suppose in order to at least update this hack blog, I should post something, so here it goes. Random thoughts:
I love motors, specifically those found in motorcycles. I even like a little auto racing now & then like Formula 1 or rally racing. But what I don’t love (in fact, I loathe them) are the people driving around on city streets as if they were
A.J. Foyt. I see it every day & I’m scared to death to put
Ryder out on his bike streetside. I grew up on a somewhat peaceful street with very little traffic. I do recall every now and then someone hauling ass down Oakdale Street, but it didn’t happen often. Today, I can’t step foot outside the house without seeing
Michael Schumacher or
Danica Patrick out on a qualifying lap. It’s like the City of Redlands International Speedway out there (only the road surface is closer to the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix than it is the tarmac of Daytona).
And while we’re on the topic, how about people who speed in parking lots? I’m going to start carrying supplies with me & when I catch you on my built-in human speed radar drag racing from Target to Barnes & Noble as if it were the Winter Nationals, you get a speeding ticket in the form of a raw egg. I don’t claim to be a perfect driver, but at least I’m conscious of my surroundings & a parking lot & residential streets aren’t my Brickyard 400. Think I’m exaggerating or over reacting? Another cyclist got killed yesterday up in Beaumont because of some dude with a lead foot & no sense of his surroundings. Think about that next time you lazily sit around on the couch for too long & then have to throttle it in your car to get to your destination because you’re running late. Share the road. Children & bikes have been around longer than your fruity little coupe.
On a much lighter note, there’s a new radio station in Southern California called
Funny 1440 AM. It plays short excerpts of standup comedy routines 24-7. The only downside is that ever since
Aaron Gerth [giving credit where credit is due, or else I’m sure I’ll get a rambling voicemail message about it later] told me about the new station, I’ve found myself getting stupider because I’m not listening to NPR as much. Instead of
Steve Inskeep and
Renee Montagne telling me about how fraudulent Bank of America business practices are, I’ve been listening to the likes of
Jim Gaffigan joke about Hot Pockets &
Steven Wright say stuff like,
“I used to work in a fire hydrant factory. You couldn’t park anywhere near the place.”I got an inside tip from a guy I know that
the Tossers are actually going to venture outside of the greater Chicago area in June 2011 to play some shows (or a show) in the Los Angeles area. I know, it’s hard to believe, but this news comes from a reliable source. The only downside (I always have to point out a downside because that’s what I do) is I’m going to have to travel to the armpit that is L.A., but if
T. Duggins & the gang are going to come all the way from the Midwest, the least I can do is hop on the 10 freeway for a few hours.
And finally,
Trish & I went to see
Race Across the Sky 2010 last night, this year’s documentary about the Leadville 100 mountain bike race. We had a fine time dining before the flick with the
Baumas &
Fulfords, although the movie itself lacked the drama of last year’s version. Still a great story though. Would have been cool to see a mountain biker win it this year instead of an alleged doper. I wish I had time to train for it, but 5, 6, & 7 hour training days on the bike are a thing of the past. Come to think of it, if I did have that kind of time still, I think I’d rather go twist the throttle at the
ISDE… or maybe just the
Mt. Sac Fat Tire Classic.
