I guess one very basic point from Sunday morning's post is: don't push your political views at the workplace? That's just childish, and it invites strife where cooperation is required. I would say the same about religion, following a very common rule of etiquette that suggests avoiding both of these topics at the dinner table.

And I did once have a co-worker who drove a Hummer. Luckily I never had to work with him directly--I don't think I could've kept a straight face. So... if you want to be respected and taken seriously, don't drive your Hummer (Escalade, Yukon, Navigator, Land Rover, Excursion...) to work either.

There's much more to say. Stay tuned.

Music and Endorphins

I just finished reading a book “This is Your Brain On Music” (http://tinyurl.com/3fndff) which advanced that as well as other facts and theories. I absolutely believe music causes your brain to produce endorphins, and I had never put those words to it until reading this book! I should find that section and copy it out.

I made a “smart playlist” in my itunes where I just went through all the songs (26000+ now) marking the ones I like to sing along with. This created a playlist of some 3200 all-time fave songs. We listened to it on the trip to Death Valley and back—only got through about 350!—but maybe partly from the power of suggestion from reading that, it was incredible how GOOD I felt, with song after song producing waves of euphoria, just the simple happiness of hearing familiar notes (after all, what makes us like a piece of music other than familiarity? When you like “new” music, it’s usually not far from your “old” music, right? You take little steps, not huge leaps, into new genres and styles. And some people never leave the 12” circle of songs they grooved to in High School, and Kansas “Dust in the Wind” just keeps giving ‘em shivers till they keel over at 50.) MANY songs literally bring tears to my eyes—actually, I think I have overactive tear ducts, but still. It’s just a HUGE wave of STRONG emotion, the proverbial ton of bricks. And often, kinda interestingly, it was the odd segue, where one song stops and an entirely OTHER, unexpectedly-different-but-still-smack-you-in-the-face familiar, song starts. I got that again and again, that happy surprise.

I’m still listening to that playlist almost two months later, at the computer now and again—here’s 803 – 809:

Grateful Dead “Tennessee Jed” (hey, it’s MY list),
Eurythmics “Sweet Dreams,”
the Supremes “Come See About Me,”
Lambert Hendricks and Ross “Twisted,”
the Kinks “Dandy,”
Fats Domino “Ain’t That A Shame,”
Talking Heads “Paper” …

and that isn’t even a particularly good stretch, as stretches go in this list, but still, that jolt of recognition when Fats fades out and those first jangly chords of “Paper” kick in! It’s fuckin’ amazing! I guess I’ve always gotten this from music I like, but having it laid out like this is like eating dessert first and dessert only, on and on, without ever getting sick.

I tried to make this smart playlist sorta random, by sorting by track number. Thus all the songs that are the first tracks on their CDs play first (an interesting side effect--the secondary sort is by album title, so a box set or, say, Led Zeppelin [whose first four albums were of course alphabetically similar], or the Who [many of whose albums start with the word "Who"], and note the "American" jag! may get a string of songs in a row).

For fans of lists, here are the first 100 songs (includes track numbers).

My Doorbell White Stripes
No Class Motorhead
Love Is a Stranger Eurythmics
Come Together Beatles 1
After The Fox Hollies 1 of 24
Tell Me Why Neil Young 1 of 11
Black Cow Steely Dan 1 of 7
I Wish That I Could Be You Muffs 1 of 13
Let Me! Paul Revere & the Raiders 1 of 15
I Get Around Beach Boys 1 of 12
Do You Believe In Magic Lovin' Spoonful 1 of 14
Radiates That Charm Downbeats 1
I Don't Like You Muffs 1 of 24
Box Of Rain Grateful Dead 1 of 10
American Idiot Green Day 1 of 13
American Pie Don McLean 1 of 12
American Woman Guess Who 1
Sherry Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons 1 of 26
St. Stephen Grateful Dead 1 of 12
Dig My Grave They Might Be Giants 1 of 38
Welcome To The Jungle Guns N' Roses 1 of 12
Aqualung Jethro Tull 1 of 17
Hold Your Head Up Argent 1 of 8
Victoria Kinks 1 of 22
Superstition Stevie Wonder 1 of 17
Sir Duke Stevie Wonder 1 of 16
More Than This Roxy Music 1 of 10
It's Gonna Be Alright Gerry & the Pacemakers 1 of 10
To Know Him Is To Love Him Teddy Bears 1 of 23
You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' Righteous Brothers 1 of 18
Who Knows Jimi Hendrix 1 of 6
Shoot Out The Lights X 1 of 16
No Reply Beatles 1 of 14
Our Lips Are Sealed Go-Gos 1 of 11
Time Passages Al Stewart 1
Rag Mop Ames Brothers 1 of 16
Come And Get It Badfinger 1
Angry Eyes Loggins & Messina 1 of 10
California Dreamin' Mamas & Papas 1 of 11
Never In My Life Mountain 1 of 12
You Send Me Sam Cooke 1 of 13
Cocktails For Two Spike Jones 1 of 12
Little Willy Sweet 1 of 16
House Of The Rising Sun Animals 1 of 15
I Fought The Law Bobby Fuller Four 1 of 14
The Rain, The Park, And Other Things Cowsills 1 of 14
China Grove Doobie Brothers 1 of 11
Be My Baby Ronettes 1 of 18
Love Is A Battlefield Pat Benatar 1 of 15
Train 4 Non Blondes 1
Dancing With Myself Billy Idol 1 of 16
Enter Sandman Metallica 1 of 12
Respectable Street XTC 1 of 14
Brown Eyed Girl Van Morrison 1 of 13
Blue Sky Mine Midnight Oil 1 of 10
Somewhere (From West Side Story) Tom Waits 1 of 10
Bo Diddley Bo Diddley 1 of 24
More Than A Feeling Boston 1
Any Road George Harrison 1
Home Iggy Pop 1 of 14
Day of the Eagle Robin Trower 1 of 13
Bridge Over Troubled Water Simon & Garfunkel 1 of 11
Hung Upside Down Buffalo Springfield 1 of 20
Baby Now That I've Found You Foundations 1 of 10
Timothy Buoys 1
By The Way Red Hot Chili Peppers 1 of 16
Around The World Red Hot Chili Peppers 1 of 15
Do It Again Steely Dan 1 of 16
Give It To the Soft Boys Soft Boys 1 of 17
No Time Guess Who 1 of 11
Just What I Needed Cars 1 of 13
Space Oddity David Bowie 1 of 18
25 O'Clock Dukes Of Stratosphear 1 of 16
Sin's A Good Man's Brother Grand Funk Railroad 1 of 12
Ol' 55 Tom Waits 1 of 12
I Hear You Knockin' Dave Edmunds 1 of 18
Come On Down To My Boat Every Mother's Son 1 of 14
Making Time Creation 1 of 20
Bodhisattva Steely Dan 1 of 8
School Supertramp 1 of 8
Suite: Judy Blue Eyes Crosby, Stills, & Nash 1 of 10
Freedom Jimi Hendrix 1 of 10
Speak To Me/Breathe Pink Floyd 1 of 9
You're Pretty Good Looking (For A Girl) White Stripes 1 of 13
My Big Mouth Posies 1 of 10
Dear Eloise Hollies 1 of 15
Dedicated To The One I Love Shirelles 1 of 15
Carry On Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young 1 of 10
Hurricane Bob Dylan 1 of 9
The Pied Piper Crispian St. Peters 1 of 15
Everyone's Gone To The Moon (Mono) Jonathan King 1 of 14
Manic Monday Bangles 1 of 12
Down To The Waterline Dire Straits 1 of 9
Elephant Talk King Crimson 1 of 8
Where Have All the Good Times Gone? Van Halen 1 of 12
Dixie Chicken Little Feat 1 of 10
So It Goes Nick Lowe 1 of 19
Ever Fallen In Love? Buzzcocks 1 of 19
The Modern World Jam 1 of 19
Daniel Elton John 1 of 14

It leans pretty heavily to the 60s, and having arranged and listened to my iPod by year, I've come to believe that the mid- to late-60s really were an incredibly fruitful time in the short history of pop music. (AND ALL THAT STUFF WAS ON AM RADIO, and I got a transistor radio for christmas when I was like 10--yeah, 1967.)

Anyone out there? Want more of the list? mlevel at gmail dot com.

s

I have a co-worker who has been kind of an enigma. He is very busy and often inaccessible, so the few personal exchanges I have had with him have been in the nature of interruptions of work. I know he was in the military in Desert Storm I and his work was "blowing things up." He is very knowledgeable about our company's product, which runs on the Web and often requires significant customization. He knew of the song "Turning Japanese" but didn't know the artist, which might or might not indicate a certain depth of musical knowledge. I know he was in the market for, and eventually bought, a Les Paul guitar.

I know he is a Christian because of the many subtle and not-so-subtle signals... One was that for a while his IM avatar was a cartoon Jesus with electric guitar, underlined "Jesus Rocks." I've seen him give a CD that had the earmarks of "religious pop" to another person I know to be "fundamentally" religious...

I know his brother died recently, and he has not cut his hair since then.

This, really, is pretty much the sum total of what I know about him.

Except last week, his IM avatar changed to show, on the left, a picture of McCain with the word "Capitalism" under it, and on the right, Obama, captioned "Socialism."

A bit of an aside here: I have had this problem ever since George W. Bush became president of the United States. If I learn that someone voted for Bush in 2000--worse, in 2004--I can no longer respect that person's intelligence, and usually can no longer even LIKE them. The one exception is a millionaire, whom I know actually stands to benefit from the Bush presidency. Before Bush, politics was not unlike sports to me, where some people stood with one team and others stood with another. It just wasn't that defining, to say you liked the Redskins vs. the Giants. They were all pretty much the same, other than a thin veneer of this or that bent. Sure, people got passionate about a candidate, rarely, but it mostly seemed to be pretty much hair-splitting. I could respect a person who voted republican, because there were legitimate reasons a person might do so, and while it wasn't MY way, it was within the realm of human possibility to want things to be the way republicans seem to want them. Now though, with the incontestible facts of the crimes of the Bush residency, and the daily evidence of the rank, cavaliere, smirking elitism-plus-stupidity of Bush himself, how could ANYone but a drooling moron back this guy and his minions (again with the exception of the only people he seems to notice--the top 2% extremely well-off)? It's like a $50k a year guy with a family of three buying a Hummer--I have to question their intelligence and, indeed, their SANITY. Besides being stupid, they're part of the problem.

And this co-worker has now planted a flag in that camp. I always suspected it of him, the military and christian clues pointing that way, but to have it come out in this way ... it makes me frustrated and sad, and I run all the rationalizing through my head and can't come to a logical conclusion for it. What kind of blinders make him not see hwo stupid and crazy that is?

The statement itself, painting the contest as Capitalism vs. Socialism, is so grossly and wrongly oversimplified as to be laughable. Capitalism is far less than what Bush and McCain stand for, and Socialism is far more than what Obama stands for. The funny thing is that I can see that in their mind, the person who creates and flashes this cartoon probably thinks that they're stating McCain's position exactly and maybe fudging Obama a little, to make their point. Both terms are extremely broad, and Bush/McCain *might* fit into the definition of Capitalism--if you ENTIRELY EXCLUDE Mom and Pop and the overwhelming majority of private citizens. Obama *might* fit into the definition of socialism--"property and the distribution of wealth are subject to control by the public [Wikipedia, sorry!]" if we understand that he would attempt to apply that control simply to level the playing field; that is, not continue to give the rich (and worse, the corporations) any breaks that the general public is not getting.

Bush/McCain (and I think it is entirely reasonable to use the "/" virgule here to mean "and," connecting the two at the hip) have demonstrated and will continue to demonstrate the kind of "Capitalism" wherein the Haliburtons (and how is a no-bid contract construed as Capitalism by any definition?) thrive and the lower and middle classes are left to languish. We've seen it in action for seven years now; it hasn't worked. These "people" (for they aren't really people, are they--they are "boards"), even more so than the legendarily inhuman 19th and 20th century robber barons, are intent on ruthlessly wringing every dollar they can out of the government and the populace with no regard for humanity and the future, and indeed I don't see how anyone can extrapolate a near future including anything but a smoking crater where the United States used to be, if they logically follow this trend--we're already halfway there!

I've been saying this for several years now: If you are unsure how to vote in the presidential election this year, it's really quite simple:

1. Add the value of your bank balance and personal assets today.

2. If it is less than 100 million US dollars, vote for Obama.

And THAT's just the economic side.

Watch this space; Road Rash Shall Return!

Oh, have you seen "Across the Universe" (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0445922/)? Are we the only ones to find it bad, bad, REALLY bad? I think there's an odd syndrome--I've seen it before, can't remember where--of 60s-and-Beatles-infatuation among people who were born post-60s-and-Beatles, and they seem to take ownership of the 60s and Beatles music in a way that is often extremely distasteful to me. Besides the codification of the 60s into convenient chewy clusters (one character drafted, another one black, a girl "too" involved in the anti-war protest movement , another in the club scene trying to sing like Janis Joplin...), in this movie, it appears they tried to build an entire plot around the 60s and most of the dialog out of (sung) Beatles songs. To me, as soon as you start naming characters "Jude," "Max(well)," "Prudence," "Sadie," "Lucy," you're already losin' me, kid. When half of those characters are ONLY there to support an occurrence of one person or another breaking into song (i.e. "Prudence's" whole raisin-bran d'etre in the ENTIRE movie was to have a scene where she's shut herself in a closet pouting and everyone outside the closet sings "Dear Prudence," now THAT's just stupid. They shoehorned songs into the plot, and plotlines into song-ops. The one English guy always sings with a smile on his face and everyone has these pure, clear (let's call it "plear") voices fresh out of "Fame" (they were born after THAT, too, I think). WAY too many telegraphed references to well-known Beatles and 60s trivia, like the use of apples and strawberries and the comment to Max about killing grandma with a hammer. There are a few cool animation bits (well, one, really), but ALL of that might not be too bad, but they ALSO had to bring my man Jimi into it! Now they're making me mad. The characters are zero-dimensional. The acting is out of Junior High, rising only occasionally to Sophomore level. The writing is just execrable. I had to watch it through because these are my heroes from, and this is the soundtrack of, my youth, and frankly I couldn't tear myself away, just like that reporter and the Hindenberg--"Oh the humanity!" .

2548.3 / 1354

Santa Rosa creek has trails following it on both sides. I decided to check these trails out today. Didn't expect to go over ten miles again, but ended up almost exactly 12, and precisely exhausted. Have I mentioned lately how much I hate a headwind? And how I always seem to have a ferocious one on the return trip? The trail is nice, though, mostly through dappled sunlight, going from vineyards and forest to neighborhood backyards, and then downtown Santa Rosa. I rode along the south side of the creek going out, and the north side back. Riders note: There are three streams that join the Creek on the north side, you have to ford them or else ride some (currently unknown) distance out of your way to get across. Not a big problem now and in the summer, but in the rainy season, you have every oppourtunity to get wet.

http://www.born-today.com/Vacations/2005/06/06-07.htm

2532.2 / 1344. Rode about twenty-two combined miles yesterday and today.

Yesterday, High School Rd -> Occidental -> Sandford Rd -> Hall -> Willowside, dirt road following Santa Rosa Creek. Almost exactly five miles each way, and not too hard for having not ridden since what, March? Carrying the binoculars (in the stretchy harness) proved impractical for any but the easiest rides - they were bumping my knees a good part of the time. Still it was nice to stop and get a good look at an adult Bald Eagle over the Laguna, which I probably wouldn't've been able to ID without the binos, and some other birds.

Today, Rodota trail out to Stony Point Rd. and back - about 12 miles. Pleasant enough, but for a bit of improper rubbing of my naughty bits in the bike shorts, which I eventually sorted out (why I am I writing like one of those prissy Brits? I don't know!). Lots of purple flowers out, along with the usual poppies etc. Really pretty, but I was traveling light today so no photos. Was forcibly reminded on the return how much I hate a headwind. Seemed like about 20mph, and was especially bad on the long straightaways where I could see a mile or more of trail ahead not getting noticeably shorter as I worked my ass off. It just drains my energy, and of course any momentum I might've managed, so I'm pedaling nonstop but just to keep moving, and every mile seems like three. I tried to stay in the highest gear I could manage, sometimes 3-6 but more often 3-5, each downshift a little defeat.

These are the first rides since I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. There is a little more urgency to my exercise now, since it's part of what will make this disease manageable... I must say, I haven't felt very good after these rides, but I have pushed it a bit both days distance-wise, and truth be told I haven't felt particularly good with or without the bike rides, so it's not really saying much. I feel good about having made myself get on the bike and go.

The Italian Job (2003): I liked this caper-flick, mostly because I like Edward Norton and Mini-Coopers. It was nicely paced and not generally too serious and self-important like some "actors" and movies I could name.

2510.1 / 1255

Short ride out the Rodota/West County trail, where I diverted onto a little double-track out into the mustard fields, which are blooming insanely right now. Nice little ride, nothing special, but it was good to get out and eat some bugs.

2502.9 m / 1238 d.

To Forestville and back, on the West County trail. Whew! Been a long time since I've done this one. It's really rather easy (though I tried to keep up the heart rate and the leg strength by staying in highest gear I could stand) and very scenic. Just a few mild inclines to make it interesting. Anyway, after two years dormant, my bike and I passed 2500 miles today. Got a new, very bright, taillight and got my under-seat bag installed properly, so I'm off to the races.

2486.2 / 1235 glorious smoke-free days.

Just a little jaunt, again, to keep my foot in the door, but a good workout, trying (and mostly succeeding) to maintain over 10 mph in gear 3-7.

2478.1 / 1234 days, dropping the mileage-from-last, as it should be relatively obvious that I rode 8.3 miles since the last ride.

Just a short out-and-back to get some pictures of oaks and mustard in the "golden" evening light: http://www.born-today.com/Vacations/2005/02/02-07.htm.

2469.8 / 12.6 / 1230

Okay, on a roll (sorta)! Second day, twice the miles. My legs were actually a little sore today - from a 5-mile ride! - so I was glad to get out and work it off.

It has been a week since I cut back on the sugar. This means quitting Coke (from a 24-to-60-oz-per-day habit), no longer adding sugar to coffee, and no chocolates, ice cream, or other sugary desserts. I still drink my Martinelli's and cran-raspberry juice (no ADDed sugar, but plenty 'nuff in the fruit juice itself, I reckon) and eat fruit and other stuff that contains natural amounts of sugar, so it's a fairly small sacrifice, but still significant I think. I was a little worried about diabetes, but the net result, after a week is simply a generally better feeling. Another part of it was... just be tired of supporting the big national brands (McDonald's, which I quit a few months ago after seeing "Super Size Me" and Coca-Cola), and maybe just trying to strip away some of the unnecessaries, now that smoking is a distant memory...

Anyway: good ride today - 12 and a half miles! A bit of chafing, but hey, it wouldn't be "Road Rash diaries" without some of that!

I hope to build at least a little bit of stamina for the late-March vacation in Mexico. We've signed up for ocean kayaking off Cabo San Lucas (!), so I want to be up to that and any other tasks. Tomorrow, I may even go to the gym (it has been more than two years). Would you be a little annoyed if your "health club" continued to collect $40/month for TWO YEARS without so much as a postcard to make sure you're okay? They're sorta the only game in town, and... I think... I let stuff like this get to me too often and I should learn to let it go. I could;ve quit the gym at any time, but kept the membership because (a) I don't want to give up on getting in shape and (b) I could afford it most of the time and it was worth it to me for (a).

Onward and upward!

2457.2 / ~5 / 1229 days smoke-free

Road Rash rides again! The bike has been gathering dust for most of two years. It is such a gorgeous day, I had to get out and ride. The back tire may have a leak, but at least held air long enough for this little ride. I want to work up to the 40-, 50-, 60-mile rides again, but let's pretend I never did those , and just get a couple of 5- and 10-milers for now. I note that sometime since the last time I looked, my rear light was broken off. Sigh. I will get a new one, one that takes the same rechargeable AA batteries I have for my camera.

~2385 / na / 366

Yep, we now have a year smoke-free. Two months drink-free. Unfortunately, also almost 11 months job-free.

~2370 / na / 335+

XXX: Triple Icks.

11 Months since the Habit That Dares Not Spark Its Flame. Now, more than one month since any alcohol.

2138.7 / 40.4 / 242

Eight months since the Habit That Dares Not Speak Its Name. Good 40-mile ride yesterday - longest ride yet, and as usual, perhaps a little more than I should've attempted.

AI (2001)

Been a while since I reviewed a movie here but, this one sucked so hard I think my VCR got a hickey. Here is a GREAT example of mindless spending on special effects in lieu of plot, characters, acting... William Hurt, who I generally respect as an actor, tries to keep his head down so his face is not associated with this pile of doodoo, but it's too late - we saw him. Jude Law sneaks in a pretty good performance as Gigolo Joe (in IMDB, Law is quoted as saying, "I would never know how to sell myself as a sex symbol. That's not how I'm programmed").

Haley Joel Osment shows a couple of moments of promise, and an hour of treacly make-it-go-away-ness that ensures his future in horror movies until he reaches adolesence and starts to look like John Elway, and then overdoses on a mixture of drugs and alcohol in a popular LA nightclub with Macaulay Culkin semi-implicated by calling for the ambulance.

Oh, but that's just one possible future.

Some rather expensive voices get no face-time in this movie...

Jack Angel (I) .... Teddy (voice)
Robin Williams .... Dr. Know (voice)
Ben Kingsley .... Specialist (voice)
Meryl Streep .... Blue Mecha (voice)
Chris Rock .... Comedian (voice)
Erik Bauersfeld .... Gardener (voice)

T notes that the most likable character in the story is Teddy, and it appears there's a good opening for a sequel. I rather hope Teddy can become a real bear and maul the other characters in that movie...

1779 / ~14 / 170

Annadel with Randy. Fun! The most "technical" riding I've yet done, mostly single-track, lots of rocks and roots (and mud, after the rain from the weekend! I was pretty much spattered all over with mud). I need some kind of toe-clips, or bigger pedals, for this kind of riding... I got left behind on the downhills, but not so much on the uphills.

~1765 / ~5 / 168

Did the West County Trail again Monday, and attempted to gear up (through a rainy week) to the new trail that goes from Big Rock to Loma Alta. I managed it yesterday, but not without a LOT of stops for air and water. I am a wimp still.

I realize that while I like riding on fire roads and stuff, I don't care to get very "technical." When the road gets a little steep I tend to inch my way down, unwilling to risk going over the handlebars or worse...

1746.6 / ~16 / 158

Checked out the West County Trail from here to Forestville and back. Pretty nice. There's about a mile stretch that doesn't have a paved bike path where you have to follow 116, but even that has a nice little single-track several yards away from the road. Then there are a few places where the bike path stops and restarts for short distances, but it's still really beats the hell out of the ride you'd have to do on 116. Now, if we can get the trail extended to the River and Armstrong Woods...!

On 2/15, I accomplished the stated goal of climbing the Burnside Road hill. The loop urned out to be closer to 20 miles than 17.