Rodota Schmodota

Bike 2: 71.3; 26.1.

That's 2/3 of the way to 100 miles on the week, but I'm actually hoping for more like 120, or at least more than my biggest week so far (108.6).

My average speed over the 26 miles today was a little over 13mph--actually only about 1mph faster than on the old bike, but it feels a lot faster. This route is unpaved, though still not mud or gravel, for about 10 of the 26 miles.

I'm sure all the statistics are scintillating to anyone unfortunate enough to be reading this, but I like to keep track of stuff.

Tonight: Steely Dan! They are one of my many "hero" groups--and were not really a group at all, per se, during their main recording years (1972-82 or so).

I think many listeners got a certain impression from "Back, Jack, do it again" that conveyed an image that didn't really jibe with what the Dan really were. For one, they were more jazz than rock or pop. For another, they were probably the smartest lyricists yet then heard (and maybe still). For still another (another what? another "THING"!), because they weren't a band per se, they had the most talented musicians available in LA-area recording studios, and they could enlist the right group of players for each song on an album if they pleased. They (Becker and Fagen, the core of Steely Dan) were also notorious perfectionists in the studio, so what you heard on those six classic albums was absolutely the best possible sound that could be wrung for the studios and musicians of the time.

Then as if for irony, Fagen's none-too-melodic voice presided over the whole affair.

This might've been the height of what Punk was a response to, in a way, but I bet most music-literate punks would have nothing but good words for the Dan, who after all peopled their songs with cranks, misfits, and downright perverts, in settings that ranged from seedy to creepy to post-apocalyptic. Where the Eagles at their best might've laid claim to some of this territory, it had to have been a strain for them; the Dan at their worst walked all over the Eagles.

In those days, the release of a new Steely Dan album was reason enough to go and buy it, sight unseen.

As I thought about them today riding my bike, I thought of "King of the World" from the "Countdown to Ecstasy" album, with the aforementioned post-apocalyptic setting:

Hello one and all
Was it you I used to know
Can't you hear me call
On this old ham radio
All I got to say
I'm alive and feeling fine
If you come my way
You can share my poison wine
CHORUS:
No marigolds in the promised land
There's a hole in the ground
Where they used to grow
Any man left on the Rio Grande
Is the king of the world
As far as I know

I don't want your bread
I don't need your helping hand
I can't be no savage
I can't be no highwayman
Show me where you are
You and I will spend this day
Driving in my car
Through the ruins of Santa Fe

CHORUS

I'm reading last year's papers
Although I don't know why
Assassins cons and rapers
Might as well die

If you come around
No more pain and no regrets
Watch the sun go brown
Smoking cobalt cigarettes
There's no need to hide
Taking things the easy way
If I stay inside
I might live till Saturday
CHORUS

The verses follow a pretty basic rock chord progression--"All Along the Watchtower" backwards--and then we go practically into free-form jazzland on the choruses, with chords 98% of rockers never attempt (of the groups of whom I know some of their charts, you might be surprised to know that the only other group that went out into this territory beyond 4/4 time and major, minor, and seventh chords, was the Grateful Dead.

Maybe this is my way back into playing music. Must find the old Steely Dan book. Which was funny in itself, because in an introduction to this book, Becker/Fagen themselves claim that they use something called a "mu" chord wherein one adds a full step to the octave note--which creates for example a pretty difficult-to-play barre chord--and I'm still not sure if they were joking, but they said if you tried to play their songs without using these "mu" chords and they found out about it, you'd be in some sort of trouble. (Though neither of these scrawny guys looked capable of beating up Eleanor Roosevelt in a fair fight, they could certainly deliver blistering and withering verbal abuse, if their lyrics gave any indication.)

Here's to Steely Dan! Can't wait to see 'em tonite!

Marin Novato

Bike 2: 45.2; 24.4

That's a weird name for a bike. "Marin Novato"; Novato is a town in Marin County, and if you've lived in or near there (as I have for some 35 years), "Marin Novato" is not a sequence or pairing you would normally use. But it's a very cool bike. It has added about 10% to my average speed, even on rough terrain, and I'm regularly passing the mountain bikers now, which makes me feel really good about my progress. Today's ride repeated the loop of July 30, but probably 20 minutes quicker. So I'm pleased with the new bike. The only thing that requires acclimatization is the unsuspended front end, which rattles like a diamondback (heh) on a good bumpy downhill, such as Green Valley Rd. today, where I got up over 30mph and felt like I was hanging on for dear life. But I love the flat-gray color, the different frame shape, the smooth-rolling tires, the softer seat, the disk brakes. Like a sportier car, the bike itself kinda pushes me to ride more aggressively, to pedal a little harder. I need to get bike shoes to use with the pedals, or switch back to the plain pedals until I do. And I need to get a bell, because I hate shouting at people on the trail, and I don't trust them to stay right (if they are on the right to begin with).

Cyclists, again, have a bad rep on the trails, and I try to be conscious of that and conscientious and courteous to other people on the trails, but it is really true that momentum is very important to a cyclist--it's something you work hard to get and are loath to throw away on unnecessary braking, so, for example, when I'm rolling on a nice downhill and there are people three abreast on the trail just before it turns back uphill, I will hit the brakes with more than a little reluctance. But I'll hit the brakes nonetheless, and greet those people with a cheery "good morning." But jeeze, I wish EVERYone was as considerate as ME!

Hoping to do another 100-mile week. 40 miles so far, pretty good start.

New Bike

29km / 29km

I got my new bike. It's a Marin Novato. It rolls smooth, like a (good) dream. Since the REI assembler set the odometer to kilometers instead of miles, I don't know how fast I was going (up to 30kmh, usually closer to 20), but it did seem faster than the old Giant. I fixed the setting; we'll see.

F <-> SR

460.6; 31.0

There ya go--31 miles! I did the 16-mile West County Trail, and then went through Sebastopol and did the 15-mile round trip out to Santa Rosa, basically a Forestville to Santa Rosa round trip. Not too bad, but I really took it easy for lots of the distance, knowing I was going to go farther than usual.

Insurance scare after dentist visit Friday--looked like I was not covered, and the possibility arose that maybe the extended coverage through August was only for certain body parts. I realize this is par for the course with the insurance "industry," but is it not still absurd, and even Kafka-esque (appropriate for today, as we read about the discovery of Franz' porn collection!)?

So, what happened to the Better Business Bureau? Is that even an avenue for a common citizen to complain against the corporate behemoths of today? To whom DO we complain, when we discover that the afflicted part of us is the one that happens to not be covered in our policy? "See the fine print here? 'Except in cases where left butt cheek is involved.'" So, dental and vision are a little more obviously different from general medical, I suppose, but it doesn't take much to see it extending down a slippery slope, to ear nose and throat, or podiatry, or heart-and-lung, or liver, or any other specialty, each falling under its own insuredness, such that we are paying for a Chinese menu of potential areas of ailment. And mind you, all of these are in addition to the THOUSAND DOLLARS A MONTH they want for basic medical health coverage.

Well, actually, dental IS covered, so I guess I have little basis for complaint... but I certainly was NOT a happy camper on Friday--indeed, no happy tent, no happy firepit, no happy spork and tin plate, not even happy weiners and S'mores.

I'm shopping for insurance for this difficult time of underemployment. I sure hope we can do a LOT better than the COBRA quote (1K/mo).

Sugar Town

429.6; 16.7, and that puts me over 300 miles in this latest spate of pedaling.

Nancy Sinatra! I haven't thought of that song since 1966, probably, when it was on AM radio with some regularity. My friend and I thought it was funny, the "Shu shu shu" refrain... Listened to the sample on iTunes, boy, that's creepy. I'll probably have bought it by the end of the week. Oh, it's Friday, better buy it soon--but should I look up Nancy Sinatra albums, or just get the 99-cent single on iTunes? LOL

I'm told, to progress in the muscle-building and weight-losing, I need to cross-train. "Lunges" and "squats" and the like are proposed and are probably just the thing. I just have a really really hard time with "organized exercise," exercise-for-exercise's-sake, exercise without scenery passing by as I GET SOMEWHERE. Too, if I hope to regain the svelte figger of circa 1990, I would probably need to step eating dessert and pay more attention to what I eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Actually, I'm probably doing pretty well there:

• Two or three cups coffee with nonfat organic milk.


• Costco macadamia-cranberry crunch cereal with blueberries--lots--and a peach and a banana sometime later in the morning.


• Peanut (or some-nut) butter and jelly, usu. on whole grain, for lunch.


• Various excellent meals usually involving foods from our meat and/or veggie CSAs, which Terrie makes nightly (I hope I'm saying THANK YOU every night...).


• After that is when it all falls apart: third of a pint of Ben and Jerry's or similar, in front of the TV.

But I do feel healthier. And I question the value of denying one's self these pleasures. My friend is cutting out practically all foods that taste good, it seems, and is now checking his blood sugar more often than I do, even though he isn't (yet) diabetic. And my sense is that he's not even that close to being diabetic. Further, that your diet and exercise can control your blood sugar levels, but ultimately, diabetes is largely genetic and a large percentage of your chance of ending up with it is entirely out of your hands.

How unhealthy might it be to stress out that much about your health?!?

It's one of the things that make me uncomfortable to be around him now. There's an implicit accusation there, that *I'm* not doing everything *I* can to control my sugar...

One Goal Met

412.9; 27.3

And so, two 25-plus days this week. It seems three 25s are harder than five 20s, somehow, but today I actually seemed to gain momentum later in the ride. No pressure for tomorrow, but who knows. 284 miles since July 13, starting to seem like a real accomplishment... First 13 miles clocked in at 66 minutes--almost 13mph...

Last night, watched "Big Easy to Big Empty: The Untold Story of the Drowning of New Orleans." If even SOME of this is true, the current United States "government" has absolutely no shame. Really scary, how totalitarian this looks, and how hopeless the average citizen's chances against it. This is, absolutely, ten times as bad as anything Nixon did. One could make an argument for calling it genocidal.

We need to start planning for what to do if the 2008 presidential election is hijacked like the last two. I have no doubt that McCain loses in a fair contest, and I have no doubt that these sleazy people WILL try to usher him in anyway. I don't think we're living in a democracy anymore. I would dearly love to be proven wrong (about the ushering). I think the greatest hope of avoiding that is an overwhelming turnout for Obama. If it looks anywhere near close, they will try to skew it.

Boomerang

385.6; 27.2.

This route is boomerang-shaped. Big sweep ENE, then a right angle to NNW, out to a point, and turn around and do the whole thing backward. Half of my goal is done: one 25+ day in the bag this week. I was definitely running out of steam by the end, even without pushing too hard. Hope to be more sprightly at the end of a similar ride Thursday.

Sunday Roll

358.4; 20.5.

Didn't really plan to ride or have any expectation of a number of miles to ride today, but ended up getting 20. And not a "normal" 20, but one that included the bike path to Forestville and back, a pretty big hill (Barlow Rd.) and some single-track (in Ragle Ranch Park). Most impressive, I made the Barlow hill in gear 3-4 (19 of 24) without stopping.

At the foot of Barlow, there's a mini Buddhist shrine for what appears to be a cyclist who died there. Not sure who he is, or what the story is, but I stop there sometimes and somewhat superstitiously pour some of my water out. Guess I see it as sharing one of the precious things a cyclist needs, one of the few concessions almost EVERY cyclist makes to carry as much weight as necessary; the most valuable thing I'm carrying. I guess I don't really think this guy is cycleing beyond the grave, and in need of astral hydration (!), but it's more in the way of a gesture at the memorial; i.e., for the living. And it's only two or three miles from home so I am okay with jettisonning the last of my water bottle. Now I think maybe I can make that little patch green and keep it that way through the summer.

I took a little ride on a Marin (Belvedere?) 29er (single-speed) bike yesterday. It has the pedals designed for special shoes, which I don't have but I guess I'll need. I like the concept of wheels three inches bigger than the standard (26-inch) wheels--more momentum, better and smoother rolling over obstacles, higher center for the bike, but lower overall center of gravity for the rider. That, coupled with higher gearing and a stiffer ride, I think will make for a better machine for the kind of riding I'm doing. I'm going to get the bike if it's available. Wonder if I can get them to leave off the branding decals?

Stiffer ride: I tightened my front fork this morning before my ride, and I think it did help in the uphill and in general--less "give" means more power transferred directly to the pavement.

My goal this week, I think, will be to get at least a couple of over-25 rides.

Calcified

337.9; 17.7 (108.6 miles in five days)

It's quite warm outside today, and I did already walk about five miles, so 17.7 is acceptable. Could've gone longer, but this was all the distance I needed to go today.

I guess I wouldn't say I'm going with full-on intensity, but I am going harder than "medium." On the return trip, I tried very hard to keep it over 15mph, which is pretty fast for me, as a continuous pace (I get to 17 or 18 with a tailwind, or at least no headwind, and perhaps a bit of a downhill slant). Mostly did stay over 14 (well, definitely over 13) the entire ride back, except stopping and slowing for traffic.

Looking at bikes. Navarro Buzz V was looking pretty good in the REI store, but now I realize the gearing is pretty much the same as my existing bike; now I'm getting swayed by the Marin Redwood: http://www.marinbikes.com/2008/us/bikes/specs_redwood.php or the Muirwoods 29er: http://www.marinbikes.com/2008/us/bikes/specs_muirwoods_29er.php

So many variables! It helps to keep in mind that you can change a lot of stuff on a bike after you get it, and the more integral options are the ones to consider first: frame type and shape, gearing, brakes. The seat seems to be the first thing to go on a lot of stock bicycles. It's good that I think about it more before doing anything.

Lag-O-Matic

320.2; 21.3

Caught a 'bug' of some kind, it seems, at the Sonoma County Fair Tuesday in the livestock area--Swine Flu? I don't know, but on an intake of breath, something seemingly got into my respiratory system, caused a coughing fit, and lodged in my sinus cavity, where it stays, an irritant that won't go away. By this morning, I was no longer sure it was the particle from the fair; just knew my sinuses were still irritated and I didn't feel very good.

I'm determined, though, to get 100 miles in this five-day week. I have an appointment tomorrow in Santa Rosa--an 18-mile round-trip--so should manage it. But today was hard, and a lot slower than previous days, with more and longer stopping. Maybe it was partly from starting later and so getting more headwind.

People point to Obama's lack of experience vs. McCain's. I don't see a big gap there, and I don't see where inexperience in the kind of politics practiced by Karl Rove et al would be a negative point anyway.

I'm reading a sort of bio on Obama, "Promise to Power," a puff-piece to be sure, pretty obviously written by an admirer. But what I see emerging is a man of strong character, a man who devoted to service, and a man of extraordinary intelligence and learning. A man interested mainly in solving problems. He is extremely ambitious, but I think it is borne out that his ambition is not the self-serving ambition of a W. Bush (or even Hillary Clinton). I honestly don't think he's in it for personal glory.

I believe McCain is a damaged human. Whether from his Vietnam captivity or being dropped on his head at an earlier age, I do not know, but he has the look and manner of a person who is capable of wildly unpredictable and irrational actions, and I don't trust him. I also believe he IS in this for personal glory, and that's why he has switched ("flip-flopped," in the vernacular) from portraying himself as an almost independent outsider to largely toeing the BushCo line. I believe he will cave to corporate interests--rather continue in the Bush tradition of catering to corporate interests with no regard to human or national cost. Maybe he WAS outside? Now he wants very badly to be inside. Or shall I say "to be inside, very badly."

I can't believe this is anywhere near a close race, but in a way that's good: maybe people won't take their votes for granted and will go to the polls in large numbers in November. It is of the utmost urgency that we NOT let this neocon repugnican nonsense continue further--the country and the world won't survive it.

The Perfect Loop?

298.9; 23.2 miles. Tempting to go around the block just to pass 300, but we're in this for the long haul.

Well, it's better than the ride that included the hellish Frei Road segment. All the same, but instead of turning on Frei, I stayed on Guerneville Road to the end, turned left on 116, right on Green Valley, and met up with the West County trail there.

The remaining segment on Guerneville road is a slow grade (slowing me to 5mph at worst), but with at least 5 feet of shoulder, which feels like a mile compared to the entire lack of shoulder on Frei, even with cars passing at 55. There's still another variation yet to try, cutting over on Vine Hill Road, but it looks rather Frei-ish, and it would also make me miss the fun Green Valley Road downhill, on which I got up to ~32 mph coasting today. Biggest downhill I've had in this two weeks of riding.

It's taking me about two hours to do 23-ish miles. I think I was a little slower today, in spite of starting earlier with presumably less heat and headwind. Third day in a row over 20 miles, so maybe it's wearing a bit--and as noted yesterday, precious little in the way of visible/tangible results.

They're trimming brush and trees on part of the Greenway, and they have adequate signage on the eastbound entry to that segment, but NOT on the westbound. So twice now I've suddenly come up on these guys blocking the path such that I have t ocarry the bike around them. If they had a sign at the previous underpass, I could simply cross of the creek and ride the trail on the other side for that segment. As I was negotiating this obstacle today, a guy down near the creek was yelling at me to go back--yeah, like I'm gonna backtrack a mile when I can get around this in 20 seconds! I cupped hand to ear, universal sign for "I can't hear you!" and continued.

Thinking I should try to do some more serious climbs--seven years ago, I was doing hills like the truly fearsome Burnside Road--but it seems almost better to do a lesser grade consistently and steadily than to do a major one with multiple gasping-for-air stops...

FOund out how to adjust the front fork, I think. Might add a little preload to stiffen the ride there. Would definitely help in the case of actual standing-on-the-pedals climbs....

Tech Writers on the Storm

275.8; 23.6

Kinda wanted to try for more, but needed to get back.

Rodota -> Greenway -> Turned around at Willowside, which is around 13 miles, so the round trip would be around 26. But instead of taking the Greenway all the way back to Rodota, I shortcut it south on Stony Point. Still good ride, good workout; I'm drenched with sweat again.

So, is this just gonna make for shapely legs with the giant round torso balanced precariously on top? What do I need to do to reduce the BELLY? Might start doing some treadmill time too, and the situps again (which we KNOW have absolutely no effect on the abs). It's not like I'm pigging out hugely; though I do have my nightly dessert, it's no more than I had before I started biking so much. How much deprivation do I need to endure to lose a couple inches at the waist?

Deep Frei

252.2 miles on the OD - 22.8 miles. Have I mentioned that I had some 2500 miles (from ~2000-2006) on the odometer before the battery died and it zeroed out? OK, just checking.

Tried to extend the Sonoma County Bike Path Tour today, to encompass over 20 miles. I won't do this route again! Everything was okay till I got to Frei Rd, which is a bit of an uphill grind, with NO shoulder, several blind curves, and relatively light traffic but going about 40 mph.

In some cases, heavy traffic is almost better. If there's a constant line of cars, it's a pretty good bet that if one sees you they'll all see you.

Otherwise, great ride, with an earlier enough start to beat the worst of the heat and the afternoon wind.

From Sebastopol: east on Joe Rodota trail to the Greenway; west on the Greenway to Willowside Rd.; north on Willowside to Guerneville Rd.; SW on Frei, which crosses 116/Gravenstein to become Graton Rd.; catch the West County bike path there going south back into Sebastopol.

Looking at "hybrid" bikes for the road. 99% of my riding has been on pavement, and I think I can do better with more road-wise gearing, tires, etc. Having lost my job, should I drop $500, 800 on a bicycle? It's quite possible (it's my fervent hope!) that would become my commute bike., so there's SOME justification for it.

The girls at the coffee cart at Andy's seemed to think I was a "bike man" who had ridden from Maryland. I told them I left Maryland in 1974; "there have been a few stops."

Last night, Nina Gerber (http://www.ninagerber.com/) played at the French Garden restaurant in Sebastopol. Totally confirmed my assessment from hearing her on CD (I bought her "Sweet Dreams" lullabyes CD four times and gave it away three times) that she is an AMAZING guitarist, a local, should-be National, treasure.

The less said about the rest of the experience, the better--though you might find my account amusing, it would be quite negative. But I feel a profound urge to write a lilting melody about giving up in the face of adversity, just lying down and waiting for angels to bail me out, and if I can mention fire, birds, and weather in the same line, I think that'll be the chorus. Ahem: "hand me the capo, dear, I feel a Song coming on!"

Blueberry Derby

229.4 on the OD; 16.4 miles, and I've officially ridden 101 miles since I started riding again (seems like more, frankly). 95 degrees outside--if I don't lose some of this flab, I am going to give up and start eating chocolate ice cream exclusively.

The blueberry farm is here:


View Larger Map

It's about a 6.5 mile ride from Sebastopol, 1.7 from Forestville, according to my trusty odometer. They have blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, and those flavors of ice cream and sorbet. It is a nearly perfect stop on the 16.4-mile bike ride from Sebastopol to Forestville and back (they could provide more chairs and more shade).

The blueberries aren't particularly cheap ($5 for a pint, which I devoured in one sitting), but they are good, and you can see where they came from. (To see where the raspberries came from, go to our back yard.)

Aren't these bike shorts supposed to be comfortable? A somewhat delicate matter: I have . . . issues . . . with getting everything situated properly so it doesn't move inside the shorts in a very uncomfortable manner. I was actually wondering if I was putting them on backwards; i.e. the padding is supposed to go in the FRONT? The only reason I wear them, really, is for the padding in the REAR, though. So I don't know. This is true of all of the bike shorts I've worn.

OK, ROAD BIKERS. When you come up behind someone and overtake them, especially if you are going enough faster than them to startle them, do you simply not have the spare breath to call out "On your left" or something like that? If you can't muster that, how about "pbbt pbbt pbbt"--the sound of wind from an asshole. Otherwise, one of these times, I am going to be startled sufficiently to veer inadvertently (after all "advertently" isn't a word, right?) directly into your path. I realize you want to seem as much like an android and/or Frenchman as possible, and it's hard to make a noise above the sound of your legume-sized testicles rattling about in your calcified scrotum, but c'mon, show some human consideration and maybe someone will watch your dumb-ass sport on television, 'mkay?

I really pushed it (for me at least) today, and maintained continuous speed and sweat (and almost constant high gear) through the entire 16-mile round trip, with no stops on the way out to F'ville, and only a rest at the turnaround (Zen Center), the aforementioned blueberry stop, and one other stop for water and crotch adjustment at Occidental/Gravenstein on the way back. It feels good. It feels like I'm stronger than last time. I like having the leg power, I think that could make the wind ultimately less annoying--though it's a different thing pushing the pedals with two miles to go, from pushing 'em with 15 and two big hills still to go!

My morning blood sugar readings have been great since I started riding again. Predictable, but surprising how immediate and how major the effect is: all readings pre-layoff were in the mid-hundreds. Seven of 12 days since, under a hundred (as low as 76). I think there's a certain "ricochet" effect, where high number s stress me out and cause generally higher numbers, and low numbers tend to be calming.

Yesterday, magnificent Frida Kahlo show at the SF Museum of Modern Art. (Get reservations and) Go!

213.0 on the odometer, 17.7 miles today.

Rode east on the Joe Rodota trail to where it meets the Greenway trail, then west on that trail to Willowside Road, south to Hall, west to Sanford, south to Occidental, west to High School, and south back into Sebastopol. Nice ride, mostly level, almost completely on paved bike paths.

Rebel Without a Cause. I would've thought Sal Mineo would've gotten more fame from this film, maybe even more than James Dean...

195.3 on the odometer - 16.4 miles today.

Forestville and back. We are so lucky to have the beautiful West County, Joe Rodota, and Greenway bike paths, enabling bike rides of this length and more with only very short stretches where you share roads with motor vehicles.

An "added plus" on this route is the blueberry farm. I noticed several bikes parked there today, and was tempted to stop myself, but had nothing to carry berries in today.

Is it self-perpetuating now for me, or just a fact of life, that road bikers almost never exchange greetings (at least with me) and mountain bikers almost always do? Well, a cycling magazine I once read actually commented on this phenomenon in their letters section, suggesting (perhaps somewhat tongue in cheek) that road cylists are more competitive and/or are stingier with their breath. Be that as it may, I feel that cyclists of both kinds have a bad enough rep in this area, and I make it a point to slow way down for peds and horses (and for that matter, cars and other bikes) and say HI. I always ring my bell for kids (and when coming up behind people, thank you!). Oh, hey, my new bell rocks (http://tinyurl.com/6z9m7c links to Amazon, but you can get the same price at REI and elsewhere).

Dark Knight, Mid-Day

178.9 - 6.7 miles. Rode over to Ragle Park and did the fun loop of single-track back there. See if this html works:


View Larger Map

Caught the newest Batman installment in a matinee. Why don't I walk the block and a half to the theatre more often to see movies as they are intended to be seen? (Mostly because whenever I think to go see a movie, I find the next start time is more than 90 minutes away and my gnat-sized attention span takes me elsewhere before showtime.)

I guess I'm a sucker for hype; this movie has gotten a lot. That tends to mean one of:

• it's a great movie, or


• the producers are desperate to get butts in seats

I think the first, but jeeze, what hath Bob Kane wrought? While the caped crusader was never a particularly happy-go-lucky kinda guy, I hardly think, in the original 1930s late-night inkfests when he was created, that anything this dark and complex ever crossed anyone's mind.

OK, the big hype was around Heath Ledger, playing the Joker in his last role. Well, what actor in his right mind follows Nicholson? I have to say the actor's craft is somewhat oblique to me. To me, a good actor is one in whom you don't notice "acting," and beyond that, it's really hard for me to say, of a characterization I enjoy, how much was good acting and how much was good writing/ direction/ production/ costumery/ popcorn/ mood-on-my-part, but this Joker was really pretty damn captivating, without the scenery-mastication that tends to typify the role, and it was definitely—-definitely--an entirely different person from the Brokeback Mountain character. (Actually, I don't recall being that impressed with Nicholson's Joker, which, after all, was mostly just a painted Nicholson... I'll have to see that one again now.) Based on that, I think the hype around Ledger here was well-justified.

Why does Maggie Gyllenhaal give me the creeps?

Christian Bale has turned out to be perhaps the best Batman yet. This is a seriously twisted person, almost as much in his way (as an endless line of critics have noted) as the Joker himself. But then, what sane actor would NOT follow Adam West?

Modern America doesn't have a lot of mythology going for it, so characters like Batman (when not played in camp form) provide an interesting glimpse into the collective psyche. When we can invent a persona and a physical presence, what do we choose? Among others, a millionaire vigilante with a chip on his shoulder the size of Utah. Hey, that almost sounds like... George W. Bush! (W. plays it a little more campy, though.)

As for the rest, I like how the accoutrements were mostly underplayed. Sure, he has the newest-model Batmobile, hang-glider cape, etc., but for the most part, that stuff is incidental to the story.

The typical Batman scenery is full-on Art Deco, as if Gotham were inhabited almost entirely by unhinged wealthy gay collectors. That, too, seems muted here--though the backgrounds are so dark it's hard to tell--when you see a wide shot of the city, it's early 21st century all the way.

I was forewarned that this movie was unrelentingly dark, with almost no humor. Actually, there were several places where the entire audience laughed (and one where only I did--FYI, that was where the judge's destination was revealed to her).

OK, seriously, I have a hard time thinking of stuff to write about movies. This is a long, dark, beautiful movie; it's worth seeing in a theatre. I give it all five stars.

Superstars of Permaculture

I had a permaculture-intensive weekend. Saturday, we took a tour of water savvy stars of Sebastopol, including Catchtail Farm on the Blucher Creek watershed, a talk with Brock Dolman on (and in) the Laguna de Santa Rosa, and a visit to the Post-Carbon Institute.

Sunday, I went to an open house at the Regenerative Design Institute in Bolinas.

I have a huge mish-mash of thoughts and inspirations around this, so please excuse a scattered posting. I'll try to fix it later.

What I've seen this weekend, and really in about the past year, is that, beyond the facts of global warming and peak oil, people are beginning to see that we are really on or past peak EVERYthing, and the Republicans aren't the only party that is pretty much over. It's really rather amazing that the US culture of excess has lasted as long as it has. However, it's also evident that there will still be parties.

Here's the thing: EVEN IF NONE OF THIS WAS HAPPENING, the following would be good things to do:
. Build community
. Grow food
. Learn all you can about conservation of all kinds
. Practice conservation
. Become more efficient

These are good things to do; if the left-wing liberal screwballs and Al Gore are correct in their dire predictions, these things may also become necessary.

In a time of massive inflation, good will and food become more valuable currency than paper money.

It doesn't matter if you own or rent the place where you live, you are still the custodian of it, and you can still create what you want (and need) in that space.

The Catchtail Farm folks have a really lovely place and a great outlook, and they're the kind of community members I hope I can become. When they started at this location, they built a fire circle in their yard and invited everyone up and down the street to a party at their house (see? already! Still having parties!). They've done smart things with their land, but what sticks with me--and what I believe will carry them through any coming crisis--is that they have built--are building--a strong community.

Brock gave a great walk and talk on water, and more to the point, on watersheds, at the Laguna. He's a man who likes to play with words, so I enjoyed his talk.

The Post-Carbon (heh, I first typo'd "Post-Carob") Institute is doing amazing stuff in a town environment in Sebastopol. Besides maintaining a large "victory garden," they're setting up an electric- and hybrid-car rental service for our town.

Something Terrie noted, and that surfaced on one of my quote pages in my daily catch-up work there, that has stuck with me too: "When it comes to getting things done, we need fewer architects and more bricklayers." -Colleen C. Barrett (insert here a hundred other sayings about the relative worth of action vs. thought.)

There are a lot of people who are full of blue-sky ideas. Ideas are great. Ideas make the world go 'round. One person who can and will carry a rock 30 yards is worth approximately 15 people with ideas about how to move a rock 30 yards. Does anybody want to carry the rock? I'm here to suggest that the best architects have lain bricks, nailed boards, framed walls, hung sheet rock, and maybe even that only those people have really proven themselves qualified to BE architects... (More later)

Rode

172.2: 17.8 miles.

I've gotten in a few rides this week, dinging the odometer in miniscule chunks, but managed about 16 miles Wednesday and then this ride today, to Santa Rosa and back. Feels good. I'm slower than just about everything else out there, but I pushed it today and kept it up near 13 mph most of the time, and that in a headwind. More and more, I'm just on the big ring in front and the highest few gears in back. A roadier bike would have a better gear ratio and would be more efficient and therefore faster and that's a large percentage of the people who are going faster than me.

Cary Grant jag fading. The Awful Truth (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0028597/) was hilarious, great fun. Indiscreet (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0051773/) was a little slow, but it isn't a comedy and romance isn't really my bag. My Favorite Wife (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0029284/), good, but not up there with The Awful Truth...

Heroes

Another kid from Santa Rosa is coming home from the middle east in a box.

People call him a hero. Something bothers me about that. It makes me wince a little. Maybe it's the fact that they don't know anything about him, and tend to use that word "hero" in the same breath with words like "freedom" and "fighting terrorism," words our resident (I still have trouble including a "p" on the front of that word) has used over and over in a sanctimonious way to try to cover his lies about the war. In fact, whenever I hear that word "freedom" nowadays, I hear it spoken in W's simpering voice, and it becomes a simplistic, one-dimensional concept that has been drained of all of its original meaning. "Terrorism? That's people not like us." I think it has come to be mostly a synonym for "Islam."

Because in fact they are fighting a lot of things over there, but it doesn't seem like they're fighting terrorism, particularly, and I just don't see how they are defending freedom, by ANY stretch of the imagination.

Maybe it's the people I've known in my life who have chosen to go into the armed forces and police. Some of them really believe they are doing something noble, becoming peace-keepers and/or defending the concept of freedom. Others, well, they were bullies before and they remained bullies, in uniforms. They wanted to shoot guns and blow shit up, and maybe they even wanted to kill people. In regular society, that's not a hero. Somehow, you put a uniform on it and it's all cleaned-up and noble.

Or, they wanted a free education, someone to tell them what to do, some kind of structure in their lives, and really could be considered unwitting heroes when they found themselves one day sitting in a Hummer that happened to roll over an IED.

Heroism is more about the cause than the effect, isn't it? It's about your motives.

How much does an 18- to 22-year-old kid really understand about what it means to join the military and fight an old men's war? What do they really know about the principles on which this country was founded, that they are allegedly defending all those thousands of miles away?

But in a culture whose favorite pastimes include a game called "Guitar Hero," I guess I understand why people call these kids heroes.

I don't think you can automatically call a guy a hero just because he gets himself killed overseas. I think they deserve to get the benefit of the doubt to some extent--maybe this latest casualty WAS a hero--but I wouldn't automatically put them on a pedestal. And in any case, I wouldn't inflict the final indignity of putting Bush's vapid words in their mouths.

If one of these children had an uncommon understanding of world politics (or at least, say, a Harvard Business School edumacation), and no immediate financial need (oh, perhaps, was from a cushy Texas political family backed by Big Oil), and STILL left a promising future and gallons of alcohol and piles of cocaine, signed up and went overseas as a Private First Class...? Maybe THAT kid would be a hero.

Chill on the Anti-Warming

There seems to be a number of people (and I think that number is three, and they all post regularly [one might say obsessively] on the comment boards of the Santa Rosa Press-Democrat {pressdemo.com}) who are still and/or newly in denial about the global warming question.

They tend to cite one book--I've never seen anyone cite two--and tend to set it up against Gore's movie "An Inconvenient Truth."

They also tend to posit that the entire GW "thing" is a conspiracy by "libs" to "keep us from consuming," "prevent us from enjoying life," etc.

I admire these people for their ability to hold an idea against the overwhelming tide of scientific facts and opinion, but I have a few questions.

Is there more than one book that debunks this GW "thing"?

IF the whole thing is untrue, an evil plot by liberals, even if the world is COOLING, how does it follow that there is any wisdom in continuing to spew crap into the earth, air, and water of this planet? Conversely, Mr. Conservative, what would it hurt if we attempted to Conserve a little?

In other words, whether it's true or not, wouldn't it be better to act as if it were true than to act as if it weren't?

I'm just asking.

Citizen Manners

What is it that makes people think they are exempt from rules, laws, and ETHICS to which the rest of us are subject?

Why, at the park around the corner, with signs clearly posted at every entrance forbidding off-leash dogs, and with a dog park less than two miles away where dogs can run and play untethered with other dogs, does almost everyone but me walk their dog without a leash? This is a place I love and respect. It is not really a man-made park along the lines of a city park, so much as a careful intrusion into a sensitive wetland habitat, a place where humans are allowed to observe from the edge, if they're considerate and careful. I try to keep my silence while I walk Laika there, passing dog after loose unruly dog and owner after lazy, apathetic owner. I'm not the police here, not even a hall monitor set to rat on offenders, the better to smooch on the derriere of the nearest elected or appointed uniform. I don't even necessarily believe in blindly following all laws to the letter. But these regulations make SENSE here, especially in cumulative form. Maybe it would be okay if one person's dog ran free while they walked, in reasonable voice control. But one leads to ten leads to a hundred, and there's shit all over the trails, and loose animals that threaten my dog and who knows what wildlife creatures here.

I called a guy on it in the parking lot. His dog came directly up to us and completely ignored him while he called it. I pointed out the sign, thirty feet from his car, and tried to make it light, but the frustration of repeated offense boiled up a little, especially when HE got all pissed off at ME for calling him on it, and then when it was down to the F bomb with him after only three lines of dialog.

What is WRONG with people?

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.

My current goal is to make the 17-mile loop that includes the full length (and height) of Burnside Road. I may try it today...

1700.5 / ~15 / 143

Road Rash somewhat ill, but still alive...

Lovely day out, and I managed the Pleasant Hill / Kennedy / Barnett Valley / Burnside / Watertrough route.

I was feeling really pretty down about still not having a job (though at least there have been jobs to apply for this week for which I felt I had at least a remote chance of getting an interview!). And now I'm relying on unemployment $$, having blown through a pretty big chunk of savings $$. And I just sit around here really not doing a whole lot - and not feeling there's a whole lot I *can* do. And the gym is starting to bore me, now that I took two weeks off to travel and have a cold, and I'm now questioning whether I really want "that kind" of muscle --- I REALLY just wanted to be slimmer, after all...

SO anyway, it's good that the weather's not crappy, and I can get out and do some significant miles.

Wore the bike shorts I got for xmas - modestly wearing sweats over them - and a sleeveless shirt to start on this year's tan (ha!). And the long climbs and drops on Barnett Valley and Burnside are good for the soul. Even though I'm *still* unemployed and *still* feel like a leaky money-boat in a vast ocean of non-opportunity, hey, it *is* a pretty world.

Rented and watched some old Burns and Allen shows last night - not as funny as Spike Jones, and George never *was* funny (the difference being that he was trying to be funny in later years), but Gracie had her moments, and was I suppose something of a pioneer as a woman comic...

While I'm not working, I mean to start drawing again - but of course as I worked out today, "All of art is in stARTing," and I haven't done more than buy supplies and think about it so far - there's still the blank page to contend with.

Ah well.

1670.6 / ~11 / 69

One of those days where I make myself get out and ride, and am eventually glad that I did it. The seasons here (and there ARE more than two) are very notceable if you simply get outside enough to notice. Not just walking from the house to the car, and not just going out hiking somewhere every few weeks, but really getting out consistently - to the same places if possible - so you see the subtle day-by-day changes: the difference after one, two, three rain storms. The biking helps with that, and more than the exercise value and the getting thin value and the challenge-and-self-esteem value, THAT is what I REALLY like about it.

Climb-first rides are sorta "more better" on these colder days - I get reasonably warmed up before flying downhill in the sharp breeze (today, 31.5 mph coasting down Watertrough Road).

1659.5 / ~14 / 66

Today's bike ride actually almost accidentally included the fearsome Burnside Road hill. Have been doing rides somewhat less than, but similar to, this one since being laid off 11/1. And working out at the gym most weekdays and some weekend days. Not that I'm "buff" or anything, or eve *want* to be - just tired of my flab, as noted below, and pleased with the progress I've managed from just a little of this working out'n'stuff. Have been absent from here because my profile on the QuitNet seemed to receive all of my journalizing for awhile, but now "the Q," like SO many other things, has annoyed me and I have left in ... well, not a HUFF, per se, but perhaps in a SNIT (cf Austin Lounge Lizards' "The Illusion Travels by Stock Car"). So perhaps I'll continue here now.

1600+ / 48

No more job. Still trying to decide if I resigned in the face of layoffs or was laid off outright.

At any rate, we're good for a few months of this before the situation becomes really desperate. I'm riding the bike about 10 miles/day. Also joined the gym and worked out there for the first time today. Really wanna be done with the "hate handles," as with the Addiction That Dare Not Speak Its Name, and this will help with both - and with general sense of well-being during these difficult times...

My new standard bike ride is nothin' to write home about - hence no blogging - but it is enough to keep me in reasonable bike-shape. Need, however, to exercise other parts of my body than my legs!

Holding at 1561 for now / 38

Rain. Good, long, hard, help-you-sleep rain, pattering all night outside the open window, making a nice clean smell inside. I actually slept thru my usual weird 1:30am wake-up. Woke briefly for the usual 3:30 non-event, but ultimately managed to sleep to 5 - latest I've slept in several days!

MUST join gym now. Sit-ups are helping the "abs," but dunno about "love handles" - I don't think there's an exercise that reduces those, other than overall sweating-out stuff. Be that as it may, weighed in today 11 lbs under my weight at the Dr about two months ago - so now a svelte and compact 214. More, I *feel* "muscular." Not Schwarzenegger-muscular, but maybe closer to Linda-Hamilton-muscular (which really is more my ideal anyway), like there's less fat and more muscle on me, like I have actual *strength*. MUST join gym to maintain this through the rainy season.

Have another book to edit. 88 pages. Should get me through today better than yesterday.

Halloween tomorrow: a night that at times carries for me a boatload of "triggers." I spent a few consecutive halloweens going to the exotic-erotic ball, which had already become something less than its original concept by then, but was still pretty fun insofar as it was one night I could dress up in drag and probably not get beaten up. Even at time looked pretty good, and might even have "passed," as they say. Six or seven years ago, went with a girl on whom I had an unrequited crush... Steve, in auburn wig, black lace teddy, leather mini, lime-green fishnets over purple tights, high-heeled ankle-high boots, with assorted chains and leather hanging on here and there - Pat Benatar meets Stephanie Powers. Or something. Wobbling along with a drink in one hand and a cig in the other, flirting with everything that moved and some that didn't.

You know, no regrets, but also no need to revisit. A period in my life that I look back at now with a mixture of "awe," "aw, shucks," and "awful." Be that as it may, H'ween can STILL (obviously) be a night for drinking and all that goes with it. One of those nights where you get the day off in advance NOT really because it's your birthday but because you know you're gonna wake up late, with a need to assess the damage! How nice, to sit home with a bowl of candy, half-hoping no kids show up so we can eat it all...

It's a strange and wonderful new life. I'm slowly getting used to it.

~1561 / 37

Pretty much a five-mile sprint (well, MY version of a sprint, slightly faster and sweatier than my normal speed) Friday to get to the bus. Slight chance of rain today - any excuse to avoid the usual bike ride! WILL join the gym this week.

Pretty good weekend. No biking, but nice hike on Saturday; pure laziness on Sunday.

The Addiction That Dare Not Speak Its Name, and Life, have thrown me a variety of curveballs (AND spitballs, AND sliders, AND...), but it seems like previous battles with TATDNSIN did prepare me somewhat more for this time, and I'm also going through a whole lot of other crap that seems, in a way, to strengthen my resolve. "That which doesn't kill you blah blah blah." Every single moment is an opportunity to succeed or fail, and trite as it seems, one moment at a time wins the hour/day/week/month.

Still, I often want to just curl up in a ball and hibernate through the next three or four months.

Sleep has been weird, of course. I seem to wake each nite at 1:30 and 3:30, before waking and getting up at 4:30 -- the earliest I can stand to allow myself to get up. On weekends, I then fade again at 12 or 12:30 in the afternoon and again around 6. This will pass, but it's freakin' annoying NOW.

Work should be picking up somewhat now. Being busy will help, I think. I dunno. Sometimes I question why I am doing this. I was on a somewhat pleasant path to oblivion with nothing standing in my way and here I have to go on this self-improvement kick -- for what?

Circular logic: I do it so I can continue to do it.

1556.5 / 34

Took the Pleasant Hill route, which may or may not become a Friday tradition. My hands are not working too well at the mo' - specially my right hand which almost never leaves the grip due to the fact that the rear brake is on that side.

After waking at 3:45a, waited as long as I could stand so I wouldn't be riding in the dark the entire trip, 30 sit-ups, too, besides crunches I (tried to) do last night while watching football (the least I can do, for all the effort the *players* put in, right?). I have "washboard abs" - if you count washboards that have been flattened by a steamroller and then dented into a convex shape...

Left at 6:15 or so, still dark AND (very) foggy, so I didn't see the sun 'till the last five miles.

On Bloomfield, a ghostly grey fox (or small coyote?!) crossed the road ahead of me - not as close as the "Masked Avenger" flying raccoon, but close enough to see in the pea soup and the dark.

I need fog lights! I had a cone'o'cloud directly ahead of me for the first ~10 miles, and had to constantly brake on the downhills (thus losing a lot of time and momentum) because I couldn't see the actual road surface ahead. When a car would pass, i could briefly see farther, but then dark again.

Have I mentioned the smell of apples on Pleasant Hill? Man, I don't even like apples that much, but it's like when you slice into a fresh crisp apple, that smell, as you pass (some of) the orchards... Really a treat!

By the time I hit Petaluma-Valley Ford, I am pretty much drenched from the fog. Didn't wear glasses, which bugs me because I like SOMEthing between my eyes and the occasional errant acorn, but at least I could see - which prevents errant ME from hitting a whole shitload of acorns!

Coming up Pepper Road, finally, rays of light shooting out of holes in the fog and between the trees, like in a religious painting - "holy cows" uncaring in the fields below - but it IS friggin' inspirational! Day 35, FIVE WEEKS, of a hard-fought battle, and what I'm doing right now is part of a direct benefit of my fighting of that battle. This is a big part of why I'm doing it, and a big part of why it's working. Circular logic.

To the showers!

~ 1532 / 33

For those who came late, the first number is the current odometer reading on my bike (mileage since about June 5, 2000), and the second number is the number of days since (huh, Norton Antivirus just opened a second instance and started scanning, sheesh!!) since we quit the Addiction That Dare Not Speak Its Name. Pleased to now be in day 35 of this.

To be fair, I manually started the first instance, and I must have it set to automatically scan at 7am.

Drove to work; still dark when I got here around 6:30. Starbucks' Venti Latte, the addiction that dares to speak...

Looking at a pretty much empty work day today, except for meetings.

Among other things that I've recently gotten from Amazon, the videos from Spike Jones' TV show! These just crack me up. By the time I got to Volume 4, some of the sight gags were old, but there were actual laugh-out-loud parts in every one of 'em. Don't know that they'll wear well, but they certainly got me out of Tuesday's funk. Maybe I should go ahead and get "The Spike Jones Story."

1527.8 / 32

Not gonna bother tracking the times anymore. Some miles are longer than others, and I have an optimum speed that I do (about 13, 14mph), and I'm comfortable. Great sunrise this a.m. Got a couple pictures, undoubtedly post somewhere later. Slightly different route, so minor it's not even worth describing, but it's nice to have one more option. Today the ride was very easy, other than starting out in the dark - I'd really rather not do that. Something not quite right with the overhaul - (new) chain slips a click every now and then, esp. in 3-8 (hardest gear), which is of course not good after sinking another $80 into maintenance I otherwise wouldn't notice.

I will cautiously say that the depression has lifted... Of all the things that might help combat this, Spike Jones and felafel (sp?) seemed to do it for me last night. But also, making myself find something positive, however miniscule and stupid, DID actually help patch up the holes through which large chunks of not-happy were coming.

1511.5 / 31 / na

Two rides off-road: Loma Alta again Sunday and Bolinas Ridge again Monday. Both rides kicked my ass; I went less distance than previous visits in both cases. Still, I suppose every horizontal mile and vertical foot does some good.

Huge ugly depression the past few days. Not gonna get into it here because talking about it tends to = dwelling on it, which tends to make it worse. Head down, shuffle forward...

The positives:

• A full month away from The Addictions Which Dare Not Speak Their Names, and no strong desire to restart either.


• In the same time, lost 7 or 8 pounds.


• Doing situps now when watching football; so sick of this beer belly.


• Haven't been watching football much.


• Money in the bank - a new experience for me.


• Not very hungry=lose yet more weight! Ate one small meal yesterday and almost puked THAT up.

Hey, you get your positives where you can! May think of more, but cling to these for now. When this thing first hit me, I figured it was just one of the dips one can expect when getting clear of a 30-year addiction. It has now gone on for more than three days, and I begin to think maybe I should get in and possibly move on to Thorazine, or at least adjust my existing anti-dep dosage. Spending a great deal of time on Quitnet, which seems to help marginally, if only to make me try to focus on the problems of others instead of my own.

But it pisses me off, because I feel I'm doing EVERYthing right - up through Friday, I felt really great - and yet am still running up the down escalator. Head down, shuffle forward.

1500.5 / 27.5 / na

Fair enough, took the bus home. Here's this morning's ride (the "Pleasant Hill" link).

1495.1 / 27 / 120+

Yes, that's at or over 25 miles this morning. That's how sick I am of 116, Roblar, and Stony Point. This 25-mile ride effectively avoided all three, at the cost of 9 more miles and a LOT of big and little hills. But also with the benefit of seeing:
- across the valley to Mt. St. Helena, tule fog clinging to the lowlands, orange sun just breaking the horizon (Pleasant Hill Rd)
- fog and sunlight mixed (Roblar after Canfield)
- An egret standing calmly next to a sheep (Walker Rd)
- wide shoulder or near-zero traffic, pretty much all the way
- Hawks and harriers and kestrels, oh my (all over)

Some of the time, riding my bike is like the times when I was younger, hitching... and I'd just be walking along an empty road someplace, waiting for a car to pass, not caring all that much if I did or didn't get a ride. My thoughts wander all over the place (and I thought I'd have a lot to write this morning), but if you stopped me and asked me what I was thinking during those 2+ hours I couldn't tell you. Hate to get all new-wavy-gravy (and what the f890 *is* up w/that, anyway, "wavy gravy," what a name to give yourself and live with for 40 years; what a maroon!), it's a lot like meditation, I suppose.

It *is* easier to do these explorations in the mornings. There is less wind, it's cooler, etc. I could *never* manage the reverse of this morning's route on one of those hot windy afternoons!

And so I close in on 1500, a LOT quicker than the first 500 or 1000...

(Yesterday evening) 1471.6? / 25.5 / 90+

Man, that wind just kills me. I feel like such a wimp when it slows me down, and I'm all whining and groaning up some hill. It wasn't windy out at like 2:00 and I was thinking I could try a different route where I'd avoid some of the annoying 116; then at 4 it's like 100mph straight in my face and all I want to do is be done with it. I should do my exploring of different routes in the morning, eastbound, when there's no wind or it's at my back.

Have thought for quite a while, seriously, that the more often I do this ride, especially that stretch of Roblar Rd., the more likely I will die or be seriously injured on my bike, most likely from an errant driver. I also need to "cross-train" if I want to be more all-around fit than just having huge leg muscles. I sorta hit a peak two weeks ago by doing 120 miles - I could do more, but for any permanent benefit at that level, I'd have to do it *every* week. And in spite of all this pedalling (about 350 miles in 25 days, avg 15/day, if you're keeping track), my belly is not getting noticeably smaller. And the rainy season will start any day. Plus, there are so few options on this ride, it will get boring. I also hate the fact that I have to commit to 90 minutes/16 miles or ~30 minutes/5 miles -- no in-between -- if I'm gonna ride at all. In a 90-minute span, the weather can change pretty drastically 'round here. Heh, supplemental to yesterday's lists, "Reasons Not to Ride At All"! So, guess I'll be checking out the gym soon.

Feel like, after almost 4 weeks clear of That Thing Which Dare Not Speak Its Name, it *is* getting a bit easier, and things *are* getting back to "normal." I'm able to concentrate somewhat more on my work. My two daily walks have become "necessary," but those two 15-minute breaks merely replace the 8-15 3-minute breaks I used to take in the course of the day.

1455.6 / 25 / 90

We Bad. It was actually just starting to get light in the east when I pulled up to work today.

Reasons to ride to work in the dark:

- less traffic
- lights make you more of a "sore thumb" than in daylight
- vehicle lights allow you to see them coming from behind
- cooler
- no sun in face, or faces of drivers coming up behind you
- can go home earlier

Reasons NOT to ride to work in the dark:

- fog makes it impossible to ride with eye protection
- can't see more than about 60-80 feet
- can't see gratings and other road-colored hazards till you're almost on top of 'em
- can't see around curves
- can't go over about 20mph (with visibility provided by current headlight)
- can't take eyes off road for a second
- tunnel-vision from not taking eyes off road
- dying raccoon flung, rolling, in front of you on the shoulder by passing car that hit it
- skunks and opossums running in front of you under their own power
- worry about lights running out of juice
- warmer
- Starbucks no less crowded

All in all, not really something I'd want to do all the time, but not too bad.

Frigid Bonehead's Diarrhea (2001): Not bad, really, I just like playing with the names (and hey, *they* used "diarrhea" to describe her M.O., not me!). Quite funny at times. Unfortunately, I'd expected it to be more "liberated" somehow - I mean, women I know talked about the book as if it was something new and different, and it's just this poor girl worrying about becoming a spinster and doing Mr. Wrong while waiting for Mr. Right - a plot as old as the hills, and not very P.C., either. Renee Zellweger is always charming with her funny half-shut eyes and tacky zebra-print underwear, but there's nothing earth-shaking here, just a light romantic comedy. "Whippy" plays himself, a Certifiably Annoying Twit. I'd probably have liked this more - or avoided it all together - if I hadn't been expecting more.

1439.9? / 24 / ~90

Pretty sure that was my mileage when I pulled in last night, but I thought did just the standard 16.4 mile ride...

Windier than usual, and the ride seemed longer, but actually it was about the same as usual. Finding that I can power up hills better - which stands to reason, I suppose, after the steeper hills of recent off-road rides. Roblar in particular is a stretch I never look forward to, but it really wasn't that bad once I'd done it. Thing is, I might start out in the highest gear, and then as the climb starts I reluctantly downshift one or two notches, and then the wind hits me full on and I'm a couple MORE notches down - it just kills all momentum, physical and mental. I do find now that I'm not quite as totally beat on that last stretch through Sebastopol and home.

A few bad moments with the Addiction Which Dare Not Speak Its Name, but nothing bad enough to make me start again. I get uncomfortable in my own skin, feeling very intensely that something is missing - and I take a walk, or eat or drink something, or whatever. I know the actual missing thing will not help. Even when I was using it regularly, one was never enough. Often required two or three in a row just to feel sated with it - for 15 or 20 minutes, anyway. What's missing was missing before I ever started THAT stupid thing, and that's what I'm dealing with now. I cannot stress enough how much the riding and walking has helped. I feel like I've made a complete 180 from self-destructive, apathetic, depressed to health-conscious, intensely emotional, and seeing a future. When I look at myself in the mirror, I don't honestly see any difference, but I see it in other people seeming to notice me, when previously I SO effectively managed to fade into the background that I did so pretty much all the time without even thinking about it, and generally thought of myself as invisible. Now I have a "presence" that is very new - I've actually had it before, in "manic" moments and when I was on anti-depressants before... So it's probably partly the Wellbutrin - but I think it's mostly the exercise. At the same time, as is well-known, I am generally more edgy than usual, affected more by things, more likely to be emotional and more willing to "get into it" when I am...

No ride today, though. Will take film in from Saturday's hike and do other car-required stuff. Brought in a fresh towel - nice, the "little" things! Tomorrow, a day-long meeting in that other city, but if I can get up early enough I'll ride in here and pool with someone else down there.

Man, last night's Cowbores and Deadskins football game was one of the dullest in MNF history, probably. Buddy and I slept through the fourth quarter.

DSL down this morning - I can count the times this happened with cable on one hand, but it's already happened several times with DSL - very disruptive to my routine of checking news, forwarding the daily cocktail, etc., and I have to head out (albeit early for a change) "empty-handed."

1422.9 / 23 / na

Started a page of links to our various hikes and bikes. On the way out today, saw the bus sitting there, and it was too good to pass up, so I rode it to SSU, biking the mere five miles to work from there.

There are some severely challenged people riding those busses, including those who are generally acknowledged as having "challenges," and those who have perhaps slipped through the institutional cracks, so to speak. I suppose I should be kind, and open-minded, and tolerant, but y'know, for the most part they *do* give me the willies, and I really hate having some guy grunting, moaning, and drooling in the seat right behind me, and not knowing what he's gonna do next. Meanwhile, he's "conversing" with another ward-of-the-state across the aisle, in a very repetitive, barely sensible conversation which focuses mainly on the fact that he has given the other fellow a red lighter and the other fellow can have a light now for his three (3) cigarettes, and he gets two checks, one at the workshop and one at home in the mail which the mailman brings, and he has given the other fellow a red lighter... And I'm thinking, if this is where smoking gets you, maybe I should quit or something.

Petaluma Hill Road is boring, with heavy traffic and a bit of a headwind, but has mostly wide shoulders and is blessedly short from SSU to Penngrove.

1417.6 / 22 / na

Biked most of yesterday's hike - not as hard as I thought it would be, and fun. Brought plenty of water this time, but was out in the sun for a much shorter period, so didn't need as much.

Did figure out that we probably would have had to turn back if we'd tried to do the loop. Also figured out, I think, that we didn't actually do "Drake's Head," which is on *top* of the bluff, whereas we went down one of the valleys. I didn't go all the way out to the "Head," figuring we'll do it together sometime.