Mobile City

I wasn't able to find the site for the longest time, but today I got it to load. Kind of a forgotten site, I've never seen it really mentioned anywhere... This here is one of my favorites from Mobile City:

MOBILE CITY
Machine Wilkins


You can ride your hangover out.
You can ride your problems into numb little stubs of
The problems they were and you can sleep
Later, if you want to
Because you are tired.
You can ride down flag-lined avenues where rays of light
Reflect off the high windows of buildings
Illuminating other worlds that we can see sometimes
If only for seconds
And you can ride through piss-smelling alleys
Whose ground is littered with the broken
Jewels of the past.
Sometimes, since this is a job,
It can feel like you are riding through the teeth
Of a rich man's dream.
The teeth of a rich man who sits in his helicopter
Making calls on his cell phone.
A rich man wearing sad elation's coat to the dinner
Which you delivered.
Yesterday can shake her hair and pace her one room
With a sky of clouds or rain
Wondering forever what is at stake?
This job though, this ride
Is less about delivering packages than about searching
For the Truth of the Moment.
And there it is, somewhere out there in the metropolis,
Waiting to be polluted and lied to,
Abused and sent home.
And what do you know, the Truth and the Moment
Keep changing, how do you like that?
They've created a mobile city
But we are here to keep it's promise.

Vintage Eddy!

Oh, That Kind Of Urban Backyard

When I saw the title for this story was "Creating an Urban Backyard" I guess I got confused. When I hear creating an urban backyard, I'm thinking: "Smash some 40s, hide a body, burn a pile of old tires. Maybe some really heavy cholo lettered graffiti" but yeah, some vases and shit would be cool too.

Hard Target Search

It really shouldn't be that hard to buy a tortilla press. It is a pretty simple device, and certainly I've made it this far in my life without one. However, the Powell's have been doing a lot more cooking from scratch lately, and we decided to buy one. We must've gone to, hmmm, 6 stores before finally finding one about 3 miles from our house...dammit. The entire day we spent trying to get one of those f*ckers. We did find a most excellent mexican market where we bought literally pounds of food stuffs for $19, I got to visit Ikea for the first time, and I ran into my old buddy OG at the New Seasons Market.
Last night we rolled into the NW to see Greensky Bluegrass and Blitzen Trapper at the Crystal Ballroom. We danced. The floor bouced. There was rock.

A good time was had by all.

So True

More good stuff from Proletariat.

If You Are Looking

For issue #1 of Embrocation Cycling Journal, and frankly who isn't, I got a tip for you. They are sold out on the site, but I found a stack at Cascade Cycling yesterday while Olson and I were making the rounds. Yeah, all about cross kids.

Today Is A Glorious Day

So beautiful. Bet you didn't know that song was a spiritual. It is now, my friends. Also I am bouyed by the support that PDW has gotten over the last 24 hours. Incredible.

Recomendo

Saw this film on Saturday night. Awesome.
Also, if you are clicking around today, head over to www.ridepdw.com and see what them boys is up to.

One More Thing

The Ace Of Spades socks from Rebel 8? Yes, they are pretty much the most bad ass socks I've ever laid my eyes upon.

Want

I Quit

the paper route.

fuck it.

Sharing Is Caring

This is not a cry for help, I swear.
Stevil clued me in to the site where you can cut yourself. Had to share it.

A Warning

This carrier bag is to be used only while walking. Do not wear this bag while riding a bicycle, motorcycle or any other vehicle with exposed moving parts.

bummer.

Saw It

Mt Hood, from the parking lot at work today...first time since I've been here. It was pretty cool. Covered in snow. Downright alpine.

From Lane's Blog

Clever Cycles liked it so much, they bought it!

A Continuing Devotion To Pastries

After the route on Sunday morn, Jen and I rolled into downtown to finally eat some Voodoo Donuts. Regular readers of Da' Snot Rocket, know of my love for beer and donuts. Let us just say this about Voodoo...they have a donut with bacon on it.
No I didn't eat one. Yes the ones we had were mind blowing.

Motivation

As I mentioned, Olson and I met Ira Ryan yesterday. Today Jen and I met Lane Kagay from CETMA. He brought the cargo bike up from Eugene for a test ride at Clever Cycles. We both rode it, then we both took a turn riding around with the other person sitting on the cargo deck. Little bit of a learning curve when you realize your muscle memory fails you out of the saddle, but:
Holy Shit! I gotta find a way to pay for one....seriously.
But back to my point: it is really nice to be meeting these folks that have been motivating da snot rocket for the last couple of years!
I feel pretty lucky.

Oh yeah, yesterday we did the route in 1 hour, 5 minutes. Perfect storm.

The Commute

I know I've said it before, but epic isn't a word I use very often. The ride in to the office today however, was epic. It started with the route at 3 am, a little nap, then Jen drove me up to Olsons at around 7. From there he and I headed north by bike to St. Johns to have coffee with Ira Ryan. It was great to finally meet that guy. We rapped for an hour, and since it was supposed to be nice today, he was itching to get a ride in, so we wrapped it up, and started to head to the office. This was about 9 am. As we were leaving the coffee shop, I could see the St. John's bridge (pictured above) peeking between some of the buildings. I have a thing for suspension bridges, probably due to all of the drives across Michigan's Mackinaw bridge.
We rolled over to the base of it, and checked it out. Then Olson suggested we ride across, enter Forest Park, ride that south to down town Portland then cross back over on the Burnside Bridge. I was into it.
Forest Park is the largest old-growth urban forest in the United States. There are trails running all over it, and you can ride the Leif Ericcson trail from one end to another. I was on the Travellers Check, and it currently has knobby tires so I was confident the ride would go well...right across the bridge, we hit a crazy climb. I'm on flat pedals in jeans and carrying a huge backpack, with no water...It was brutal.
Once we got to the park though, I was feeling pretty good. The trail is perfect for a cross bike. Some climbing, some roots/rocks. But mostly it is as fast as you can go! We rocked about 6 miles of the trail, hopped on a sweet road that descended out of the park, and dumped us in Portland's gritty underbelly. Docks, scrap and supply yards. An adult video store called Fat Cobra...real special place.
Finally got into the office around noon. All without ever leaving the city!

Know Your Roots

WTF?

John Smoltz has left the Atlanta Braves and signed with the Boston Red Sox? Yep.

Florian has left Kraftwerk? Dammit.

Speaking of Mike Giant

After that post about Mike's bike, I rolled over to Fecal Face. Bad housing market/forclosure=more pools to skate. Read about it in the NY Times, son.

Reading Assignment

I've stumbled across a few things that I've read the last few days that I'd like to share and/or recommend to you:

The first is an article from Oregon Business Magazine on the Portland Bicycle Industrial Complex. Great article that re-affirms our choice to move here. I found that article on bikeportland.org.

The second article is from trackosaurusrex, the leading blog on things fixed. It is about Freeman Transport. Excellent words and photos. I've certainly got my eye on those guys...
Also on tracko, I saw pictures of Mike Giants bike that 4130 traded for some MG artwork for a headbadge...sweet deal all around.

Me, well EO and I spent the afternoon riding around to shops here in Portland introducing ourselves and seeing what there is out there. You know what, there is a lot.

Gonzo

We watched the Gonzo documentary last night. If you are a fan of Hunter S., I highly recommend it.

Social Networking

Joined Facebook. This whole deal is kind of weird, social networking, but I kind of get into it. I like staying in touch with folks. Anyone that has known me for the last 10 years or so can tell you, I tend to "go underground" every once and a while...so this Facebook deal has allowed me to catch up with folks from my past. So that is cool.

The Hungry Wolf Is The Best Hunter.

In someways little has changed. Like shop-vaccing the water out of the warehouse, ping pong and cheap beer. But most, like location, weather and direction couldn't be more different.
We're stoked to be in Portland.
That being said, the going isn't easy, but our resolve is being tempered. Been delivering "The Oregonian" daily at 3 am for a week now. When it hasn't been raining, it has been snowing. Most of my life seems like it is being lived after dark. I know it won't always be that way.
Things continue to progress with the PDW project as well. You will soon see great things. We're motivated, we have passion, and we are in the right place.

This much I know: Instant Coffee=Disgusting.

I've been keeping an eye on some folks in Europe who are finishing out the Cross season. The EJ has really done a good job of putting you in the action. DO IT!