Listen To Black Sabbath

"Wheels Of Confusion / The Straightener"

Long ago I wandered through my mind
In the land of fairy tales and stories
Lost in happiness I had no fears
Innocence and love was all I knew
Was it illusion?

Soon the days went passing into years
Happiness just didn't come so easy
Life was born of fairy tales and daydreams
Innocence was just another word
Was it illusion?

Lost in the wheels of confusion
Running through furnace of tears
Eyes full of angered illusion
Hiding in everyday fears

So I found that life is just a game
But you know there's never been a winner
Try your hardest, just to be a loser
The world will still be turning when you're gone
Yeah when you're gone!

Rwanda

Got a couple of good links from my wife Jen today. The first is to Project Rwanda which I've blogged about before. There are a handful of NGOs currently using bicycles in African countries to empower people there. Check out some of the links on the right side of Snot Rocket for more info.
The second really great link shows a video of a man who uses his bicycle to sharpen knives. This type of "velo-ingenuity" always floors me. If you click on the picture on the page that previous link takes you to, you can see some video. There some other versions here as well.

What the McFuck?

Mickey D's is going to start serving lattes and smoothies? Why,thats the best news I've heard in the last 20 seconds. Just one more thing to serve to millions in a half assed fashion.

Perfect.

Happy Mondays

The picture is of a piece entitled "Bicycle Messiah" for obvious reasons. I keep it on my tool board for motivation. This is what happens when you work year round at a bike shop in the midwest. The slow times in the winter will make you do crazy things...my boss let this project slide, but he did threaten to fire me if I kept working on the prison tattoo gun. I was getting pretty close too.
Ah, Monday morning, truely a day to not be trusted. It is close to 40, raining and foggy as hell. Shite. Just a week ago it was full on winter, and single digit temps. What can you do. At least the days are getting longer...
Spent some time this weekend getting the fixed gear back togther and I'm weighing blowing off the Surly Travellers Check in favor of getting some couplers put in my fixed frame. Something more to mull.
Ever wonder who came up with razor wire? Me too. Sometimes Mondays feel like they are wrapped in it.

Timeless

This is my bicycle. There are many like it but this one is mine. My bicycle is my best friend. I must master it as I must master my life. Without me my bicycle is useless. Without my bicycle, I am useless. I must ride my bicycle straight, I must ride it before he rides me. I will. My bicycle and myself know that what counts in this war is not the noise of our chain, the smoke of our tires nor the miles that we make. We know that it is the skills that count. We have skills. I will keep my bicycle clean and ready even as I am clean and ready. I will ever guard it against the ravages of weather and damage. Before god I swear this creed, that my bicycle and I are the defenders of our country, the masters of our enemy, the masters of our fate. So be it until victory is America's and there is no enemy but peace.

Lambchop's words still ring true all these years later.

Man Space

Snow is melting, and the fog is thick the last few days. The daylight is lasting a bit longer at night, and I've been spending a little more time in my shop working on some two wheeled projects. It is nice to have a little space that is all my own with tools at my finger tips.
Slowly getting the long range commuter bike togther after selling the Cross Check...we'll see what comes out of the project. Swap next weekend, and as always, some good deals will be had. Time to visit with some old buddies and make plans for warmer weather.

0 to 40 in 24 hours

Yesterday the snow was granular and drifting...today it is heavy and wet. We've had 30 inches thus far this winter, I wonder how long it'll take to melt it all...

Friday Treat?

Or Friday Heat?

TV's Hottest Mustaches Gallery!

Damn, the heat from the monitor is giving my hands blisters.

WWPD?

What Would Phil Do?
Just asking.

On a totally unrelated topic, it doesn't appear that I'll be headed to the SSWC in August as it filled up in about 4 minutes whilst I was sleeping a couple of nights ago. Call me old, but back in the day, you could just show up, and if you found the pre-race party spot the night before, you'd give them some cash, they'd give you some swag, you'd beat your liver into submission that night, and drag ass to the start the next day. (and that is a fact. I did it in 2000 and again in 02) None of this pre-race bs. And at $35 clams a racer, for 350 racers, thats a lot of clams....$12,250.00 is a pretty good "underground" "race" budget. Bitter?

Yes.

Ski On

Frank has the right idea! Happy New Year!