517.9; 28.6 (2hrs, 10min)
Entered dates and miles into a Facebook app, Bike City, and wondered the whole time why I was doing that when I have it all in a spreadsheet, in which I can crunch the numbers any way I like. For example, the FB app doesn't track by week, doesn't appear to be able to compare one month to another (or even show the numbers for past months), provide average miles per day (I've been tracking my avg/day and seeing how high I can get it by the end of the month (79 days since I started). Today's ride just bumped the avg up past 12 mpd...
Anyway, bored with the regularity of numbers like 31.3, 26.0, and 16.6, I extended the Forestville route a different way today and so got a different number.
I was prepared to just go to Forestville and back, and instead took off north on High School Road to make an additional loop to the unpaved section of bike path, Fulton Rd., and back.
I'm seriously concerned about my contract job--(deleted possibly incriminating content).
I think some employees just don't require feedback in their work--and some employers just don't think of it as a requirement to GIVE feedback. I, not being one of the former, have trouble dealing with the latter (and probably they with me too). (snip!)
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Monday, September 22, 2008
Tightening
489.3; 31.3
Lovely morning for grabbing some mileage, hoping to top my biggest week yet (that was 120.9 miles--I'm almost halfway there already). It dawned clear and still, and so it remained, a crisp autumn morning (now that we're officially into autumn). I got new tights that are specifically for biking--if nothing else, they won't catch on the front sprocket. I like 'em, overall...
Returned the clip-in shoes yesterday, and bought toe cages, which I'm already used to on bike 1. Anyone wanna buy a pair of Shimano SPD pedals (PD-M424)? Only about 500 miles on 'em...
People and dogs all over the paths, but I'm really not that bothered by it, and I would like to bothered by it even less. Let it go, move on, etc....
Lovely morning for grabbing some mileage, hoping to top my biggest week yet (that was 120.9 miles--I'm almost halfway there already). It dawned clear and still, and so it remained, a crisp autumn morning (now that we're officially into autumn). I got new tights that are specifically for biking--if nothing else, they won't catch on the front sprocket. I like 'em, overall...
Returned the clip-in shoes yesterday, and bought toe cages, which I'm already used to on bike 1. Anyone wanna buy a pair of Shimano SPD pedals (PD-M424)? Only about 500 miles on 'em...
People and dogs all over the paths, but I'm really not that bothered by it, and I would like to bothered by it even less. Let it go, move on, etc....
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Mister Early
458.0; 26.0
Not THAT early--it was after nine when I left--but seeming early because of the low mist (hence the "Mister" part of the title) hanging around through the first half of the ride, causing poor visibility not only via moisture in the air but also via moisture on my glasses. Also, wearing full-on sweats rather than the usual shorts and t-shirt made everything more muffled.
Tough pedaling early, when it seemed like all I could do to keep up a 15mph pace, then it was easier on the return trip, especially when I got behind a pair of guys on racing bikes who I expected to leave me in their dust, but I actually had to slow down at times to stay behind them until Wright Rd., where I shortcut the corner and left them behind.
The farther portion of this trail, the last segment of the part called the "Santa Rosa Creek Greenway," is about 2-1/2 miles of unpaved road on either side of the creek. At the very end, someone has taken to hanging a sign about how there are plans to pave this segment. Below the sign hangs an open envelope of orange slips of paper with the anti-creek trail web site address printed on them. These slips fall out of the envelope and scatter on the ground around the trailhead, and it's hard to muster much sympathy for a cause that litters the trailhead like that while professing to be in the interest of saving it.
I'm with 'em, sorta, on the need for study before putting in a paved bike path--except, bikes are ALREADY USING that path--it's among other things, a BIKE PATH.
And it's a much safer option than the parallel Hall or Guerneville roads. From my own personal viewpoint, I have no problem at all with the paving of this stretch. The other side will presumably remain unpaved (as it is still on the rest of the Greenway's south side, all the way back to Stony Point).
Since bikes are already using the trail, the arguments they're using pretty much center around the faster speed of the bikes that will ensue, added danger to peds, blah blah blah, but what I see on that trail is almost EVERYONE disregarding the leash law. Then there's a bit of a non-sequitur in the the inclusion of an endangered species list--including trout in the stream. Now, there is just NO WAY faster cycling would have ANY effect on said trout--unless indeed, it scares the illegal fishermen away.
They also don't mention the fact that this paving provides access to wheelchairs--and I DO see people in wheelchairs on the other segments.
Be that as it may, they have succeeded in at least delaying construction.
I can live with it either way, but the protest rather reeks to me of NIMBYism with which I'm not altogether unfamiliar. Something else interests me on that map, and that is all the "proposed" bike paths in the area that would make for much safer biking in a much more extended area, including, apparently, completion of this near-loop that I ride almost daily by extending the trail across Willowside Rd. and past Delta Pond, to Frei Rd (which the reader may remember) where it looks like a bike path is ALSO planned. Honestly, I'd be happy with more unpaved paths than more paving of existing ones... I suspect the thing will be paved eventually, but can't be arsed to attend a meeting about it, for all of these reasons, but mostly: BOTH sides--the NIMBYs and the racing bikers--annoy me no end.
Proud to have passed 800 total miles today, this 70th day since I started biking again.
Not THAT early--it was after nine when I left--but seeming early because of the low mist (hence the "Mister" part of the title) hanging around through the first half of the ride, causing poor visibility not only via moisture in the air but also via moisture on my glasses. Also, wearing full-on sweats rather than the usual shorts and t-shirt made everything more muffled.
Tough pedaling early, when it seemed like all I could do to keep up a 15mph pace, then it was easier on the return trip, especially when I got behind a pair of guys on racing bikes who I expected to leave me in their dust, but I actually had to slow down at times to stay behind them until Wright Rd., where I shortcut the corner and left them behind.
The farther portion of this trail, the last segment of the part called the "Santa Rosa Creek Greenway," is about 2-1/2 miles of unpaved road on either side of the creek. At the very end, someone has taken to hanging a sign about how there are plans to pave this segment. Below the sign hangs an open envelope of orange slips of paper with the anti-creek trail web site address printed on them. These slips fall out of the envelope and scatter on the ground around the trailhead, and it's hard to muster much sympathy for a cause that litters the trailhead like that while professing to be in the interest of saving it.
I'm with 'em, sorta, on the need for study before putting in a paved bike path--except, bikes are ALREADY USING that path--it's among other things, a BIKE PATH.
And it's a much safer option than the parallel Hall or Guerneville roads. From my own personal viewpoint, I have no problem at all with the paving of this stretch. The other side will presumably remain unpaved (as it is still on the rest of the Greenway's south side, all the way back to Stony Point).
Since bikes are already using the trail, the arguments they're using pretty much center around the faster speed of the bikes that will ensue, added danger to peds, blah blah blah, but what I see on that trail is almost EVERYONE disregarding the leash law. Then there's a bit of a non-sequitur in the the inclusion of an endangered species list--including trout in the stream. Now, there is just NO WAY faster cycling would have ANY effect on said trout--unless indeed, it scares the illegal fishermen away.
They also don't mention the fact that this paving provides access to wheelchairs--and I DO see people in wheelchairs on the other segments.
Be that as it may, they have succeeded in at least delaying construction.
I can live with it either way, but the protest rather reeks to me of NIMBYism with which I'm not altogether unfamiliar. Something else interests me on that map, and that is all the "proposed" bike paths in the area that would make for much safer biking in a much more extended area, including, apparently, completion of this near-loop that I ride almost daily by extending the trail across Willowside Rd. and past Delta Pond, to Frei Rd (which the reader may remember) where it looks like a bike path is ALSO planned. Honestly, I'd be happy with more unpaved paths than more paving of existing ones... I suspect the thing will be paved eventually, but can't be arsed to attend a meeting about it, for all of these reasons, but mostly: BOTH sides--the NIMBYs and the racing bikers--annoy me no end.
Proud to have passed 800 total miles today, this 70th day since I started biking again.
Friday, September 19, 2008
Sneakin' Back
432.0; 23.4
Back to sneakers, and I must say, a lot less stressful riding. Perhaps infinitessimally slower than with the clip-ins, but that might be remedied by using "cages" like on my other bike (from which I removed the leather side-straps so I could get out more easily).
Peculiar "ending" to Lost Season 3. Seasons 4 and five pre-added into Netflix queue.
SNL's take on Palin and Clinton, w/Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, was pretty funny. But in two months, Palin will be just be the punchline to a footnote, along with McCrony. How many here remember Geraldine Ferraro? Raise your hand...
Back to sneakers, and I must say, a lot less stressful riding. Perhaps infinitessimally slower than with the clip-ins, but that might be remedied by using "cages" like on my other bike (from which I removed the leather side-straps so I could get out more easily).
Peculiar "ending" to Lost Season 3. Seasons 4 and five pre-added into Netflix queue.
SNL's take on Palin and Clinton, w/Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, was pretty funny. But in two months, Palin will be just be the punchline to a footnote, along with McCrony. How many here remember Geraldine Ferraro? Raise your hand...
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Crunch
405.6; 23.0
I gotta start getting out earlier--the headwind is really obnoxious in the afternoon (and practically nonexistent in the morning).
Well, I took that first tumble with the cleats in the pedals. Coming up to a cross street, I saw a lady with a kid stop to wait for me, then I continued up and saw a car coming from the other way. Mixing up the signals from the brain, I hit the brake instead of twisting out, and found myself on the ground quicker than you can think it. Amazingly, I have only a skinned knee and bruised ego to show for it, and was able to get back on and ride the eight miles home from there.
I might try riding with regular shoes again, by way of comparison. I'm not sure the speed and power gain is worth the epidermal loss. Even if this only happens every now and then, I suspect it will NEVER again be as painless as today, and realize I will now need to carry some kind of first aid kit as well as the other stuff I'm packing. (And indeed, I might go for knee and elbow pads if they weren't so inconvenient.) So I might have some SPD pedals and $115 Keenes for sale soon...
I gotta start getting out earlier--the headwind is really obnoxious in the afternoon (and practically nonexistent in the morning).
Well, I took that first tumble with the cleats in the pedals. Coming up to a cross street, I saw a lady with a kid stop to wait for me, then I continued up and saw a car coming from the other way. Mixing up the signals from the brain, I hit the brake instead of twisting out, and found myself on the ground quicker than you can think it. Amazingly, I have only a skinned knee and bruised ego to show for it, and was able to get back on and ride the eight miles home from there.
I might try riding with regular shoes again, by way of comparison. I'm not sure the speed and power gain is worth the epidermal loss. Even if this only happens every now and then, I suspect it will NEVER again be as painless as today, and realize I will now need to carry some kind of first aid kit as well as the other stuff I'm packing. (And indeed, I might go for knee and elbow pads if they weren't so inconvenient.) So I might have some SPD pedals and $115 Keenes for sale soon...
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
biking
382.6; 23.9
Really had to kinda force myself to get out there, and it was later (=windier) in the day when I finally did get out. Still, went farther than what I thought of as "minimum."
Lost, Season 3. Got the last disc today. This series is just so strange... sometimes seeming almost solely for the sake of being strange... like the writers throw in all these additional plot elements and story arcs just to see how many they can throw in and how far out they can get, perhaps not even considering if, when, or how they will wrap it all up at the end. But even while I'm shaking my head in disbelief, I'm laughing and enjoying the ride--not unlike Sawyer and Charley with Hurley in the episode with the microbus. Then too there are Harold Perrineau and Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, both excellent in Oz and welcome on my TV screen anytime. Season 4 to be queued up ASAP!
Really had to kinda force myself to get out there, and it was later (=windier) in the day when I finally did get out. Still, went farther than what I thought of as "minimum."
Lost, Season 3. Got the last disc today. This series is just so strange... sometimes seeming almost solely for the sake of being strange... like the writers throw in all these additional plot elements and story arcs just to see how many they can throw in and how far out they can get, perhaps not even considering if, when, or how they will wrap it all up at the end. But even while I'm shaking my head in disbelief, I'm laughing and enjoying the ride--not unlike Sawyer and Charley with Hurley in the episode with the microbus. Then too there are Harold Perrineau and Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, both excellent in Oz and welcome on my TV screen anytime. Season 4 to be queued up ASAP!
Monday, September 15, 2008
Foot Bondage (not the Good Kind [If There Is a Good Kind])
Bike 2 (and they'll pretty much all be Bike 2 unless noted from now on I think): 358.7; 18.8.
Continuing with the innuendo titles here. Has anyone else commented on how the word "innuendo" is itself something of an innuendo? At least when used in reference to Italian sodomy...
Today I tried out the new Keen sandals with cleats that firmly affix my feet to the pedals. To get out, with this brand, you have to twist your heel outward. NO OTHER MOTION WILL GET YOU OUT OF THOSE PEDALS, and YOU WILL FALL OVER WITH YOUR FEET STILL FIXED TO THE PEDALS. Initially, the pedals were adjusted so tight that I had to stop, get off the bike, and step out of the shoe and wrench it off the pedal by hand--luckily tried this one foot at a time or I'd still be pedaling, afraid to stop, miles away from here or simply going in circles. Once loosened a bit, they work okay, and I think with a little more practice I'll be very happy with them, but boy it's a real test of faith to clip in and go with both feet! In other words, they require some getting used to--but also I suspect that sooner or later I WILL have an accident with them--not IF, but WHEN. I could be wrong.
On the up side, they add all of that upstroke power to your pedalling (that is, while the right foot is pushing down on the right pedal, the left foot is pulling up on the left pedal), and it did seem like I gained a mph or two, especially on uphills when "spinning" in lowish gears.
"Burn After Reading" was a great, funny, entertaining movie. I can't think of any reason not to give it all five stars. Excellent cast, brilliant story, superb dialogue, and many exquisite other superlatives. Also, this might the first movie I've ever seen without any advance knowledge of what it was about (aside from seeing a brief blurb that said it was the Coen brothers' return to comedy). I'm glad we're getting out and seeing movies sometimes.
I was proud (if that's the right word--one must use such caution!) to attend a ceremony yesterday wherein my wife received the precepts at her Zen Center. I know she worked hard all summer at the classes and the homework, and in learning a little bit about it, I find it an exceedingly admirable thing. Respect, T!
I have such a hard time with religion. Lately the dogma of fundamentalists literally makes me teeth-grindingly angry. It is just unfathomable to me how a person can let something so wispy and ethereal drive such hard-nosed beliefs and activities--and even within that, how they so misinterpret the book that holds all of their tenets! How they can let a fellow human--nothing more and perhaps a good deal less--plant a flag in their town and say, "I am God's interpreter on Earth," and then blindly follow. How they can fly in the face of all logic and reason, all out of the hope of a promised eternity in an improbable (and surely insufferable!) heaven and abject fear of an impossible Hell... These people are going to take this country back to the middle ages.
Buddhism, as I've seen it, is an entirely different thing. It all makes eminent sense, the precepts being a great example. My only problems with it, I guess, are the chanting of words I don't understand, and the bowing and rising, bowing and rising, which gives me head-rushes and threatens to make me pass out, and again, I'm not sure what or who I'm bowing to, and that makes me very uncomfortable. I do feel that I could take some time to learn more about it and I would probably be happy and comfortable with it. What I really like about it, something the preceptor said yesterday, something about committing to peace in the world, being yourself a cause of peace in the world... That is something I would like very much to do, and that is what will probably bring me back to the Zen Center. In Buddhism, too, there is virtually none of the "marketing," that need to convert others, that drives Christians et al to make their kids go door to door with pamphlets etc. It is absolutely true that, in the Christian religion(s), those who are innocent of knowledge of heaven and hell and god and jesus are supposedly not sent to hell when they die, and so these devout practitioners think it their duty to inform the innocents, so they CAN go to hell!
Anyway, wrong place perhaps to go off on a religion rant, when really I just want to mark the occasion of Terrie's moment. So here's to my love Junden, doing something very right.
Continuing with the innuendo titles here. Has anyone else commented on how the word "innuendo" is itself something of an innuendo? At least when used in reference to Italian sodomy...
Today I tried out the new Keen sandals with cleats that firmly affix my feet to the pedals. To get out, with this brand, you have to twist your heel outward. NO OTHER MOTION WILL GET YOU OUT OF THOSE PEDALS, and YOU WILL FALL OVER WITH YOUR FEET STILL FIXED TO THE PEDALS. Initially, the pedals were adjusted so tight that I had to stop, get off the bike, and step out of the shoe and wrench it off the pedal by hand--luckily tried this one foot at a time or I'd still be pedaling, afraid to stop, miles away from here or simply going in circles. Once loosened a bit, they work okay, and I think with a little more practice I'll be very happy with them, but boy it's a real test of faith to clip in and go with both feet! In other words, they require some getting used to--but also I suspect that sooner or later I WILL have an accident with them--not IF, but WHEN. I could be wrong.
On the up side, they add all of that upstroke power to your pedalling (that is, while the right foot is pushing down on the right pedal, the left foot is pulling up on the left pedal), and it did seem like I gained a mph or two, especially on uphills when "spinning" in lowish gears.
"Burn After Reading" was a great, funny, entertaining movie. I can't think of any reason not to give it all five stars. Excellent cast, brilliant story, superb dialogue, and many exquisite other superlatives. Also, this might the first movie I've ever seen without any advance knowledge of what it was about (aside from seeing a brief blurb that said it was the Coen brothers' return to comedy). I'm glad we're getting out and seeing movies sometimes.
I was proud (if that's the right word--one must use such caution!) to attend a ceremony yesterday wherein my wife received the precepts at her Zen Center. I know she worked hard all summer at the classes and the homework, and in learning a little bit about it, I find it an exceedingly admirable thing. Respect, T!
I have such a hard time with religion. Lately the dogma of fundamentalists literally makes me teeth-grindingly angry. It is just unfathomable to me how a person can let something so wispy and ethereal drive such hard-nosed beliefs and activities--and even within that, how they so misinterpret the book that holds all of their tenets! How they can let a fellow human--nothing more and perhaps a good deal less--plant a flag in their town and say, "I am God's interpreter on Earth," and then blindly follow. How they can fly in the face of all logic and reason, all out of the hope of a promised eternity in an improbable (and surely insufferable!) heaven and abject fear of an impossible Hell... These people are going to take this country back to the middle ages.
Buddhism, as I've seen it, is an entirely different thing. It all makes eminent sense, the precepts being a great example. My only problems with it, I guess, are the chanting of words I don't understand, and the bowing and rising, bowing and rising, which gives me head-rushes and threatens to make me pass out, and again, I'm not sure what or who I'm bowing to, and that makes me very uncomfortable. I do feel that I could take some time to learn more about it and I would probably be happy and comfortable with it. What I really like about it, something the preceptor said yesterday, something about committing to peace in the world, being yourself a cause of peace in the world... That is something I would like very much to do, and that is what will probably bring me back to the Zen Center. In Buddhism, too, there is virtually none of the "marketing," that need to convert others, that drives Christians et al to make their kids go door to door with pamphlets etc. It is absolutely true that, in the Christian religion(s), those who are innocent of knowledge of heaven and hell and god and jesus are supposedly not sent to hell when they die, and so these devout practitioners think it their duty to inform the innocents, so they CAN go to hell!
Anyway, wrong place perhaps to go off on a religion rant, when really I just want to mark the occasion of Terrie's moment. So here's to my love Junden, doing something very right.
Friday, September 12, 2008
Pedaling My Ass Around Town
Bike 2: 339.9; 17.7
18 miles seems like a "short" ride now... Even with what seems like a pretty strong headwind, if I keep pedaling consistently in high gear, I'm doing 16, even 18 mph. Leg muscles always hurt when I first start, but often like today get accustomed to pedaling and it gets easy.
A couple of other cyclists stopped with their bikes, apparently fixing this or that. Felt like maybe I should stop, but nobody seemed particularly distressed... And this isn't the Outback or anything--there are after all gas stations, liquor stores, delis within easy bike-pushing distance--hell, the bike shop is only five miles away...
18 miles seems like a "short" ride now... Even with what seems like a pretty strong headwind, if I keep pedaling consistently in high gear, I'm doing 16, even 18 mph. Leg muscles always hurt when I first start, but often like today get accustomed to pedaling and it gets easy.
A couple of other cyclists stopped with their bikes, apparently fixing this or that. Felt like maybe I should stop, but nobody seemed particularly distressed... And this isn't the Outback or anything--there are after all gas stations, liquor stores, delis within easy bike-pushing distance--hell, the bike shop is only five miles away...
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Goat's Heads
Bike 2: 322.2; 26.3
And by the way, that's 340 miles now on Bike 2 since I got it August 14--just past the 332 miles I'd covered on Bike 1 in the prior month.
Tire still full. Today I noticed all the star thistles blooming beside the trail, especially out near Willowside. Their thorns (called goat's heads, and I think perhaps occasionally used in the making of a soup) are like children's "jacks," and they scatter from the plant to lie in wait on the roads and trails, to embed themselves in bike tires and eventually break off and work their way through the tire to the tube, where they cause flats. I had so many problems at this time of year with my other bike, I got the Green Slime stuff AND a liner to combat them and STILL got flats from them now and then. So, that's probably the culprit of my recent tubular problems.
Anyway, happy to again pile on some miles. I do feel like maybe I'm ever-so-slightly slimmer around the midsection after all this, and feel kind of obsessive about keeping up the miles (even while trying to climb more hills, which usually means fewer miles in the same span of time). Today I felt sore and slow when starting out, so didn't push the speed too much, and eventually settled into a mindless rhythm--sometimes I completely zone out for long stretches, and don't remember covering those miles, after the fact.
Again, people with dogs off-leash pissing me off. I don't usually say anything, but today a woman was on her cell phone totally ignoring her dog, which as soon as it saw me coming started running as if to give chase. I yelled "Leash" after passing; doubt she even heard me. Sigh.
And by the way, that's 340 miles now on Bike 2 since I got it August 14--just past the 332 miles I'd covered on Bike 1 in the prior month.
Tire still full. Today I noticed all the star thistles blooming beside the trail, especially out near Willowside. Their thorns (called goat's heads, and I think perhaps occasionally used in the making of a soup) are like children's "jacks," and they scatter from the plant to lie in wait on the roads and trails, to embed themselves in bike tires and eventually break off and work their way through the tire to the tube, where they cause flats. I had so many problems at this time of year with my other bike, I got the Green Slime stuff AND a liner to combat them and STILL got flats from them now and then. So, that's probably the culprit of my recent tubular problems.
Anyway, happy to again pile on some miles. I do feel like maybe I'm ever-so-slightly slimmer around the midsection after all this, and feel kind of obsessive about keeping up the miles (even while trying to climb more hills, which usually means fewer miles in the same span of time). Today I felt sore and slow when starting out, so didn't push the speed too much, and eventually settled into a mindless rhythm--sometimes I completely zone out for long stretches, and don't remember covering those miles, after the fact.
Again, people with dogs off-leash pissing me off. I don't usually say anything, but today a woman was on her cell phone totally ignoring her dog, which as soon as it saw me coming started running as if to give chase. I yelled "Leash" after passing; doubt she even heard me. Sigh.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
31 Flat-Free Miles
Bike 2: 295.9; 31.3
Catching up with the miles on Bike 1 7/11 - 8/11, but I took a week off in the month 8/11 - 9/11.
No flat! I have some hope now that I fixed it right this time.
Nice to stop at the coffee cart at Andy's and read the West County Times, about halfway through the 31 miles.
Now need to get to work on Java courses. I like this a lot--it's a useful skill to have, being able to at least read and maybe even write a little Java code, so even if the job ends when we finish the Java stuff I'll have something new in my bag of tricks. Meanwhile, working at home at my own pace is absolutely wonderful. I've been able to participate, too, in some of the yard stuff, working toward my Junior Permaculture Cadet badge...
OK, to work then!
Catching up with the miles on Bike 1 7/11 - 8/11, but I took a week off in the month 8/11 - 9/11.
No flat! I have some hope now that I fixed it right this time.
Nice to stop at the coffee cart at Andy's and read the West County Times, about halfway through the 31 miles.
Now need to get to work on Java courses. I like this a lot--it's a useful skill to have, being able to at least read and maybe even write a little Java code, so even if the job ends when we finish the Java stuff I'll have something new in my bag of tricks. Meanwhile, working at home at my own pace is absolutely wonderful. I've been able to participate, too, in some of the yard stuff, working toward my Junior Permaculture Cadet badge...
OK, to work then!
Monday, September 08, 2008
(Insert Flatulence Joke Here)
Bike 2: 264.6; 27.0
But four miles of that was walking the bike with a flat rear tire (again).
I was just starting to feel proud of having replaced the tube with some degree of competence when, after 22 miles, I felt a sort of "bap!" like when you go off a curb, but I was just going over a small (maybe 1-inch) notch in the concrete. Seconds later, the tire was flat.
I attempted at one point to get some air into it, but of course I had not read or otherwise received detailed instrux on the hand pump I got with the bike and so was doing it wrong, and was entirely unable to get the pump to attach to the stem.
This, and the fact that I have not lost a single ounce of weight in now 600 miles of biking in 57 days... very discouraging. At least I have an extra tube now, and I have every reason to hope I will eventually get it right if I get enough practice from the multiple flats I am sure to have. I only hope I actually got the wheel itself back on the bike properly so THAT doesn't come flying off unexpectedly.
I get SUCH a sense of despair when I can't get a mechanical thing to work properly--and that seems to be every time I ever have to try to get a mechanical thing to work properly.
Anyway, walked four miles to bike shop, which happens to be on the way home, bought two tubes and got some guidance, and was able to ride the rest of the way home. I have NO confidence the same thing won't happen again, but hey, I got home, and I'll be a little better off next time, right?
But four miles of that was walking the bike with a flat rear tire (again).
I was just starting to feel proud of having replaced the tube with some degree of competence when, after 22 miles, I felt a sort of "bap!" like when you go off a curb, but I was just going over a small (maybe 1-inch) notch in the concrete. Seconds later, the tire was flat.
I attempted at one point to get some air into it, but of course I had not read or otherwise received detailed instrux on the hand pump I got with the bike and so was doing it wrong, and was entirely unable to get the pump to attach to the stem.
This, and the fact that I have not lost a single ounce of weight in now 600 miles of biking in 57 days... very discouraging. At least I have an extra tube now, and I have every reason to hope I will eventually get it right if I get enough practice from the multiple flats I am sure to have. I only hope I actually got the wheel itself back on the bike properly so THAT doesn't come flying off unexpectedly.
I get SUCH a sense of despair when I can't get a mechanical thing to work properly--and that seems to be every time I ever have to try to get a mechanical thing to work properly.
Anyway, walked four miles to bike shop, which happens to be on the way home, bought two tubes and got some guidance, and was able to ride the rest of the way home. I have NO confidence the same thing won't happen again, but hey, I got home, and I'll be a little better off next time, right?
Sunday, September 07, 2008
Sunday Drivers
Bike 2: 237.6; 18.6
It was a short ride, but included several hills, some quite steep and/or long, including: Daywalt Road; Blank Road from 116 to Peterson; Orchard Station Road from Roblar to top of hill; Hessel Road from Turner to Fairbanks (fire station); and Lone Pine from 116 to Bloomfield.
Got a flat tire, luckily within a mile of home. I walked the bike home, couldn't find obvious nails or thorns, and refilled the tire. It'll probably be flat again shortly, but just in case. Funny, I bought a spare tube, what? four days ago?
On 116 near town, a woman in a dark blue Mercedes crossed the line to get nearer to me I guess. Not really close, but let's say two feet. This is a case where I was entirely off the road, on a ten-foot-wide shoulder. Then, I saw her do the same to another cyclist ahead of me. WtF?!? Granted, cyclists can be annoying--I've been annoyed by them when driving in MY car, especially on a narrow but wide-enough road where they might be riding two abreast when we could all coexist and get on with our lives if they were single file--but I've never heard of a cyclist killing anyone with their vehicle, which is basically what this woman came quite close to doing, twice.
I've noticed a couple of things, though, while out riding on a more "road-oriented" bike, that I might share, and if anyone's reading this who is prone to getting pissed at cyclists...
The shoulder is not always as smooth, clear of debris, and safe for riding as the road proper. Especially at any speed over 20, and/or in alternating light and shade, two-wheelers can't always trust that there will be no nasty surprises on the shoulder. Among other things, that's where motorists toss their bottles and mislay a lot of vehicle parts.
The edge of the road is often much more bumpy than the center: Ruts tend to form on the right edge, from vehicle wheels, water runoff, whatever. It seems like 9 out of 10 potholes are on that right edge.
It looks wider from a car than from a bike: Handlebars are 12-18 inches wide--that's my functional width (NOT the 1.5" of my tire!). A two-foot-wide shoulder only gives me six inches of wobble room. Don't necessarily expect a cyclist to manage to keep within that range, especially going uphill where one does tend to go a bit more side-to-side from pulling/pushing to make it up the hill.
Momentum Is Currency: If I can manage to keep the momentum from a good downhill, I can often maintain some speed going up the next one. It can mean the difference between cruising over the next hill at 13-15mph in high gear vs. gearing way down and laboring up the hill at 5mph. At the bottom of a long hill, I will hit the brakes out of consideration and safety every time, but man am I grateful when you don't make me do that!
The Momentum Thing also comes into play at stop signs and traffic signals. Certain online-news commenters claim to find it unconscionable that cyclists don't always come to a full stop at intersections. I notice that most cars don't fully stop at stop signs--in fact I count on it when I'm on my bike. But the dynamic on a bicycle is very different: You can hear a lot better (assuming you're not one of those morons listening to an MP3 player or similar); you can usually see a lot better; and you're approaching the stop at a slower speed to begin, with so you have more time to evaluate the intersection as you approach. Coming to a full stop on a bike also means COMPLETE loss of momentum. For me, at least, it usually means I have to get off the seat and pedals, and start from zero again when ready to go, which requires a LOT more work than slowing down, even slowing to less than 1 mph.
A last thing (for now) to consider: I don't think any cyclist WANTS to be in your way. I'd rather be off the road entirely, on a bike path, but the bike paths are incomplete, and they don't always go where we need or want to go. When I travel the roads, I will often go miles out of my way to avoid shoulderless hills, badly potted pavement, blind curves. When I know a car is behind me, I try to pedal a little faster if it means I can get out of their way sooner. When a car purposely goes left into another lane to pass me, I am always grateful (though I don't usually wave because I doubt you're looking for that even if you could see it, and I'm usually in a place where it's best to keep both hands on the grips). But know that I AM grateful for every concession you make as a ped or driver, as I'm trying to work that space between the two. Thanks!
It was a short ride, but included several hills, some quite steep and/or long, including: Daywalt Road; Blank Road from 116 to Peterson; Orchard Station Road from Roblar to top of hill; Hessel Road from Turner to Fairbanks (fire station); and Lone Pine from 116 to Bloomfield.
Got a flat tire, luckily within a mile of home. I walked the bike home, couldn't find obvious nails or thorns, and refilled the tire. It'll probably be flat again shortly, but just in case. Funny, I bought a spare tube, what? four days ago?
On 116 near town, a woman in a dark blue Mercedes crossed the line to get nearer to me I guess. Not really close, but let's say two feet. This is a case where I was entirely off the road, on a ten-foot-wide shoulder. Then, I saw her do the same to another cyclist ahead of me. WtF?!? Granted, cyclists can be annoying--I've been annoyed by them when driving in MY car, especially on a narrow but wide-enough road where they might be riding two abreast when we could all coexist and get on with our lives if they were single file--but I've never heard of a cyclist killing anyone with their vehicle, which is basically what this woman came quite close to doing, twice.
I've noticed a couple of things, though, while out riding on a more "road-oriented" bike, that I might share, and if anyone's reading this who is prone to getting pissed at cyclists...
The shoulder is not always as smooth, clear of debris, and safe for riding as the road proper. Especially at any speed over 20, and/or in alternating light and shade, two-wheelers can't always trust that there will be no nasty surprises on the shoulder. Among other things, that's where motorists toss their bottles and mislay a lot of vehicle parts.
The edge of the road is often much more bumpy than the center: Ruts tend to form on the right edge, from vehicle wheels, water runoff, whatever. It seems like 9 out of 10 potholes are on that right edge.
It looks wider from a car than from a bike: Handlebars are 12-18 inches wide--that's my functional width (NOT the 1.5" of my tire!). A two-foot-wide shoulder only gives me six inches of wobble room. Don't necessarily expect a cyclist to manage to keep within that range, especially going uphill where one does tend to go a bit more side-to-side from pulling/pushing to make it up the hill.
Momentum Is Currency: If I can manage to keep the momentum from a good downhill, I can often maintain some speed going up the next one. It can mean the difference between cruising over the next hill at 13-15mph in high gear vs. gearing way down and laboring up the hill at 5mph. At the bottom of a long hill, I will hit the brakes out of consideration and safety every time, but man am I grateful when you don't make me do that!
The Momentum Thing also comes into play at stop signs and traffic signals. Certain online-news commenters claim to find it unconscionable that cyclists don't always come to a full stop at intersections. I notice that most cars don't fully stop at stop signs--in fact I count on it when I'm on my bike. But the dynamic on a bicycle is very different: You can hear a lot better (assuming you're not one of those morons listening to an MP3 player or similar); you can usually see a lot better; and you're approaching the stop at a slower speed to begin, with so you have more time to evaluate the intersection as you approach. Coming to a full stop on a bike also means COMPLETE loss of momentum. For me, at least, it usually means I have to get off the seat and pedals, and start from zero again when ready to go, which requires a LOT more work than slowing down, even slowing to less than 1 mph.
A last thing (for now) to consider: I don't think any cyclist WANTS to be in your way. I'd rather be off the road entirely, on a bike path, but the bike paths are incomplete, and they don't always go where we need or want to go. When I travel the roads, I will often go miles out of my way to avoid shoulderless hills, badly potted pavement, blind curves. When I know a car is behind me, I try to pedal a little faster if it means I can get out of their way sooner. When a car purposely goes left into another lane to pass me, I am always grateful (though I don't usually wave because I doubt you're looking for that even if you could see it, and I'm usually in a place where it's best to keep both hands on the grips). But know that I AM grateful for every concession you make as a ped or driver, as I'm trying to work that space between the two. Thanks!
Thursday, September 04, 2008
ROE-blar? or ROB-lar?
Bike 2: 219.0; 20.9
And 103.8 on the week, unless plans change for Friday and Saturday. I think I did get about halfway to Petaluma (to Roblar Rd.), so theoretically today's round trip equals a one-way ride to P-town--half of the ride I didn't do yesterday. This shorter ride again included some hills, which I mostly avoid by riding on the bike paths.
I got a Camelback pack that carries 70 oz. of water, extra tube, bike tool, wallet, and one or two other things as needed. It's nice. It spares the need to carry two water bottles that get hot sitting in the cages on the frame (or allows me to carry 70 + 48 oz. of water total, with the caged bottles).
Palin. There seems to be this hysterical glee among the Repugs, based on what I understand to be almost complete fabrications about the candidate. They are ecstatic about her on the SFGate and PressDemo comment boards (at least as much as I can stand to read), sure that somehow this woman has the "libs" (I wouldn't shorthand it like that if I was a con...) quaking in their boots? I don't see where this VP candidate gives McClone any advantage whatsoever--just a blip in controversy. It will be interesting to see the debates, but the Dems have won the debates in the last two races and still had the presidency stolen. My concern, before during and after Palin, is that people will continue to buy the skewed non-logic that the neocons have purveyed for the last ten years...
Is Obama going to increase taxes and McColon reduce them? I have not noticed a reduction in MY taxes in the past eight years that these people's hero has been vacationing in Crawford, and I don't think McClown will be any different.
Will the dems give everything away to the illegal immigrants? Jesus, that's such a stale argument. I believe if we put up every illegal immigrant on US welfare and unemployment for 100 years, that still would be about 1/100th of what we've spent on this stupid war in Iraq, and 1/100th of what we've given away in favors and tax breaks to the three or four remaining corporations that are now basically running monopolies in the US and the world. Where is your sense of SCALE. Bush initially asked for a HUGE number of dollars in support of this war--$85 billion, wasn't it?--and has since come back repeatedly, each time for even more, and we have nothing to show for it but body bags. I'd frankly RATHER give some of that money to illegal immigrants! And OTHER unemployed folk, like myself!
And 103.8 on the week, unless plans change for Friday and Saturday. I think I did get about halfway to Petaluma (to Roblar Rd.), so theoretically today's round trip equals a one-way ride to P-town--half of the ride I didn't do yesterday. This shorter ride again included some hills, which I mostly avoid by riding on the bike paths.
I got a Camelback pack that carries 70 oz. of water, extra tube, bike tool, wallet, and one or two other things as needed. It's nice. It spares the need to carry two water bottles that get hot sitting in the cages on the frame (or allows me to carry 70 + 48 oz. of water total, with the caged bottles).
Palin. There seems to be this hysterical glee among the Repugs, based on what I understand to be almost complete fabrications about the candidate. They are ecstatic about her on the SFGate and PressDemo comment boards (at least as much as I can stand to read), sure that somehow this woman has the "libs" (I wouldn't shorthand it like that if I was a con...) quaking in their boots? I don't see where this VP candidate gives McClone any advantage whatsoever--just a blip in controversy. It will be interesting to see the debates, but the Dems have won the debates in the last two races and still had the presidency stolen. My concern, before during and after Palin, is that people will continue to buy the skewed non-logic that the neocons have purveyed for the last ten years...
Is Obama going to increase taxes and McColon reduce them? I have not noticed a reduction in MY taxes in the past eight years that these people's hero has been vacationing in Crawford, and I don't think McClown will be any different.
Will the dems give everything away to the illegal immigrants? Jesus, that's such a stale argument. I believe if we put up every illegal immigrant on US welfare and unemployment for 100 years, that still would be about 1/100th of what we've spent on this stupid war in Iraq, and 1/100th of what we've given away in favors and tax breaks to the three or four remaining corporations that are now basically running monopolies in the US and the world. Where is your sense of SCALE. Bush initially asked for a HUGE number of dollars in support of this war--$85 billion, wasn't it?--and has since come back repeatedly, each time for even more, and we have nothing to show for it but body bags. I'd frankly RATHER give some of that money to illegal immigrants! And OTHER unemployed folk, like myself!
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
The Answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything
Bike 2: 198.1; 42.4
Yeah, 42. This is the full extent of the West County and Rodota trails--8 miles from Sebastopol to Forestville, back to Sebastopol, continuing 8 miles to Santa Rosa, 5 more miles out the Greenway to Willowside Road, and back. Gotta admit, I was slowing WAY down towards the end. I wish there was a good way to keep my water at least somewhat cool--it's pretty much as hot as the air temp by the time I really need it. And I'm practically chugging a 750ml bottle of Pellegrino when I get home.
So, tomorrow, if I feel up to it I'll ride to Petaluma, and if not I won't feel too bad about missing a day. It should be less mileage, and will include lunch in the middle.
I've been listening to faves from this decade so far on iTunes. The list is certainly not as long as for the 60s (949), 70s (1305), 80s (436), and won't be anywhere near as long even when 2010 rolls in, but there's a fair amount of cool stuff, and some of it's even by bands that didn't exist before, say, 1995... Maybe there's hope. :-)
Yeah, 42. This is the full extent of the West County and Rodota trails--8 miles from Sebastopol to Forestville, back to Sebastopol, continuing 8 miles to Santa Rosa, 5 more miles out the Greenway to Willowside Road, and back. Gotta admit, I was slowing WAY down towards the end. I wish there was a good way to keep my water at least somewhat cool--it's pretty much as hot as the air temp by the time I really need it. And I'm practically chugging a 750ml bottle of Pellegrino when I get home.
So, tomorrow, if I feel up to it I'll ride to Petaluma, and if not I won't feel too bad about missing a day. It should be less mileage, and will include lunch in the middle.
I've been listening to faves from this decade so far on iTunes. The list is certainly not as long as for the 60s (949), 70s (1305), 80s (436), and won't be anywhere near as long even when 2010 rolls in, but there's a fair amount of cool stuff, and some of it's even by bands that didn't exist before, say, 1995... Maybe there's hope. :-)
Monday, September 01, 2008
Labor
Bike 2: 155.7; 17.2.
50 days and 500 miles since I was laid off, I tried an old new all-road route today, taking 116 south out of Sebastopol, right on Hessel Rd., keeping right on Turner, Blank, and Canfield, Bloomfield, Pleasant Hill, Watertrough, and Bodega (12), then left on Ragle, and right again on Mill Station, crossing 116 to the bike path and back down to the high school and home. Shorter mileage, more hills (approx. 800 ft vertical), including a few downhills over 30mph. I wish I could switch to the softer-riding mountain bike on the downhills and the faster smoother Marin on the uphills and flats. I'm thinking of possibly riding to Petaluma Wednesday; about 25 miles, I figure. After this ride, I'm thinking of it a little less, though truth be told there are probably fewer hills because that route cuts right through the valley. I suppose it's a long-term goal, to again manage that half-century round trip from Sebastopol to Petaluma. It was something I wished I did a few times when I was working in North Petaluma in 2001, and always wished to do again on something like a regular basis, whenever I again found myself working in Petaluma. It could be a relatively easy haul, if it was safe to ride the full length of 116 and Stony Point. Stony Point has since been widened, 116 has not.
(Topo shows the route as 17.5 miles, with only 400 ft elevation gain/loss. Not sure I should believe that, but if true, I think I could manage that [35m/800' round trip with lunch in the middle].) I have another day to think about it.
50 days and 500 miles since I was laid off, I tried an old new all-road route today, taking 116 south out of Sebastopol, right on Hessel Rd., keeping right on Turner, Blank, and Canfield, Bloomfield, Pleasant Hill, Watertrough, and Bodega (12), then left on Ragle, and right again on Mill Station, crossing 116 to the bike path and back down to the high school and home. Shorter mileage, more hills (approx. 800 ft vertical), including a few downhills over 30mph. I wish I could switch to the softer-riding mountain bike on the downhills and the faster smoother Marin on the uphills and flats. I'm thinking of possibly riding to Petaluma Wednesday; about 25 miles, I figure. After this ride, I'm thinking of it a little less, though truth be told there are probably fewer hills because that route cuts right through the valley. I suppose it's a long-term goal, to again manage that half-century round trip from Sebastopol to Petaluma. It was something I wished I did a few times when I was working in North Petaluma in 2001, and always wished to do again on something like a regular basis, whenever I again found myself working in Petaluma. It could be a relatively easy haul, if it was safe to ride the full length of 116 and Stony Point. Stony Point has since been widened, 116 has not.
(Topo shows the route as 17.5 miles, with only 400 ft elevation gain/loss. Not sure I should believe that, but if true, I think I could manage that [35m/800' round trip with lunch in the middle].) I have another day to think about it.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Backwards
Bike 2: 138.5; 23.3
Thought the Guerneville Road section that was such a bitch to climb would be fun to do downhill, and figured there's any number of points to cut the loop short in this clockwise direction, too. But the slope is pretty gradual--only good for about 25mph tops--and I ended up doing the entire loop on the Rodota trail in to Santa Rosa and back out to Sebastopol.
Head winds suck. And not the good kind of sucking.
I think my disc brake(s) might be dragging a bit, and from what I can tell, that's not uncommon for new brakes. It's not quite enough to really feel like it's slowing me down, most of the time, but enough to make a little noise, especially when backing the bike up. Hmm. I'll let it go for a while and see if it works itself out.
I think I am mostly happy about McClown's choice of running mate, because I think it shows the shallow Repubs' typical misunderestimation of the American voter, like just having a woman--ANY woman--VP is gonna get them women's--ANY women's--votes. It is absolutely amazing to me that they are having their convention in New Orleans in hurricane season [um, they're not--it's in St. Paul--where'd I get this idea?]. What a buncha dumbasses! Now we have "storm of the century" Gustav blowing in on the party--may they all drown in the cesspool of their own lies. Hey, I remember when "x of the century" meant something! In year eight of 100, how can anything be "anything of the century"?!? Eight years into this century, it rings a bit hollow, especially with these fat cats still contributing to global conditions that might well create much worse storms before the century is out.
"Hamlet 2." I think I liked that movie a lot more than I should've, but y'know, even for a pointless summer teen comedy, it was better than it should've been. Quite a few laugh-out-loud funny moments, and hey, points for ABC's "The Look of Love" closing it out--yippie yi yay! I made noise about it elsewhere, but will just re-mention that Catherine Keener and Amy Poehler were both especially good in this, not that they needed to carry the movie...
Thought the Guerneville Road section that was such a bitch to climb would be fun to do downhill, and figured there's any number of points to cut the loop short in this clockwise direction, too. But the slope is pretty gradual--only good for about 25mph tops--and I ended up doing the entire loop on the Rodota trail in to Santa Rosa and back out to Sebastopol.
Head winds suck. And not the good kind of sucking.
I think my disc brake(s) might be dragging a bit, and from what I can tell, that's not uncommon for new brakes. It's not quite enough to really feel like it's slowing me down, most of the time, but enough to make a little noise, especially when backing the bike up. Hmm. I'll let it go for a while and see if it works itself out.
I think I am mostly happy about McClown's choice of running mate, because I think it shows the shallow Repubs' typical misunderestimation of the American voter, like just having a woman--ANY woman--VP is gonna get them women's--ANY women's--votes. It is absolutely amazing to me that they are having their convention in New Orleans in hurricane season [um, they're not--it's in St. Paul--where'd I get this idea?]. What a buncha dumbasses! Now we have "storm of the century" Gustav blowing in on the party--may they all drown in the cesspool of their own lies. Hey, I remember when "x of the century" meant something! In year eight of 100, how can anything be "anything of the century"?!? Eight years into this century, it rings a bit hollow, especially with these fat cats still contributing to global conditions that might well create much worse storms before the century is out.
"Hamlet 2." I think I liked that movie a lot more than I should've, but y'know, even for a pointless summer teen comedy, it was better than it should've been. Quite a few laugh-out-loud funny moments, and hey, points for ABC's "The Look of Love" closing it out--yippie yi yay! I made noise about it elsewhere, but will just re-mention that Catherine Keener and Amy Poehler were both especially good in this, not that they needed to carry the movie...
Friday, August 29, 2008
Degrees
Bike 2: 115.2; 20.6.
92 of 'em (degrees), when I left at about 1:00. Pleased to have a little shade along the greenway, and hope the recent tree work provides shade for future generations of hikers and cyclists.
I have biked 110.6 miles this week, two more miles than my previous high; could still log more tomorrow.
Sonoma Rep, Sebastopol Shakespeare Festival is staging "Taming of the Shrew" outdoors in Sebastopol's Ives park--three more nights. It's a great rendition of a classic comedy. Bring a picnic dinner and a bottle of wine, and you're set!
92 of 'em (degrees), when I left at about 1:00. Pleased to have a little shade along the greenway, and hope the recent tree work provides shade for future generations of hikers and cyclists.
I have biked 110.6 miles this week, two more miles than my previous high; could still log more tomorrow.
Sonoma Rep, Sebastopol Shakespeare Festival is staging "Taming of the Shrew" outdoors in Sebastopol's Ives park--three more nights. It's a great rendition of a classic comedy. Bring a picnic dinner and a bottle of wine, and you're set!
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Two major hills
Bike 2: 94.6; 23.3
Steely Dan was really cool. I could think of all kinds of reasons to be disappointed or annoyed, but the fact is, they put on a great show, with a good number of songs I (mostly) know, presented in just-new-enough ways.
It’s been a while since I’ve had a Steely Dan song stuck in my head, and (yesterday AND) this morning I had the odd sensation of having two at once: Gaucho and Aja, endless loop between the chorus of Gaucho and that little Chinese-sounding instrumental part of Aja…
Absolutely terrible opening group—(what I would call) freeform jazz by a quartet of electronic keyboard, drums, trumpet and sax. No vocals; keyboardists sets a tone, each player emotes heavily, lather rinse repeat. Everyone politely claps, not only at the end of the song, but after each *&*%#% solo—of which every song consists of exactly four, of course: noodle noodle noodle noodle, big ending. No Theme! Thankfully, they only did three or four songs. I hesitate to mention the name, but you already know if you like or hate this kind of jazz, so in case you want to avoid them, it was these wallies: http://www.samyahel.com/home.html.
The band came on and did a funked-up instrumental of “Everyone’s Gone to the Movies,” segued into “The Fez,” and in the middle of this, Becker and Fagen entered.
So the group included Becker and Fagen, lead guitarist, bass, backing keyboard, bass and tenor saxes, trumpet, trombone, drums, and three lovely afro’d backup singers. They have a Web page with everyone listed http://www.steelydan.com/2kband.html.
Guitarist, drummer, singers, and horns had occasional standout moments. I got to thinking, no single guitarist is ever gonna fill the chair, no? Because even on individual albums, they’d have at least 10 guitar credits, and that was really a big part of the freshness of their sound, the various different soloists—especially on guitar. So to have one guy sit through 15 songs is more than any one guitarist probably ever did with them. But “Show Biz Kids” didn’t sound right to me without that slide… who was that on the original, Jeff “Skunk” Baxter? The backup singers really added a lot to the quality of performances and the visual aspect of the show--and reminded me how many songs featured a trio like this, including ah Clydie King (I remembered THAT name; the others were Venetta Fields and Sherlie Matthews)...
The set had an odd boxy geometric design as a backdrop (I think it was some portion of the Citizen box set logo), across which various motifs were projected. Common colored spots shone down on group and individuals, with occasional rotating-pattern spots (like on the “Show Biz Kids” punchline). One really cool, lovely dark purple song ending.
Did anyone note the irony of Steely Dan T-Shirts (cf "Show Biz Kids") for sale ($30+) in the lobby? There was a nice Aja one, but I don’t wear black much. All the others looked rather phoned-in, pieced together out of old fonts and clip art, with no intimate knowledge of the group? I really treasure my “Morse Science High School” T-shirt from the Firesign show…They also had CDs, a $65 sweatshirt (?!), hats with “SD” on the front, key chains ($15), and coffee cups. You wouldn’t even GET a reference to a “Steely Dan Coffee Cup,” back in the day!
I doubt there was a person under 40 in the audience—none, at least, who came willingly.
I think Donald was trying to channel Ray Charles, with the sunglasses and odd posture at the keyboard. Or has he always done that?
Becker only spoke up once, during “Hey 19,” with a funny bit about how all the cells in your body are replaced every seven years, and the cell that remembered that amber-colored beverage must’ve been replaced, but the backup singers would remember it—oh yeah, “Cuervo Gold”! And he sang “Gaucho” in kind of a low register with little or no backup.
Interesting that they didn’t do the earlier hits like “Do It Again,” “Reeling in the Years,” "Rikki Don't Lose That Number," but I was pretty happy with the song selection, with relatively obscure stuff like “Fez,” Parker’s Band,” but still would’ve liked one or two from the first album and maybe “My Old School,” “King of the World,” stuff like that. Only one encore did seem a little chintzy, but it was a good 90 minutes plus overall. Of course, I’d’ve happily sat through the entire catalog, and for $100 a ticket, I feel they shoulda played requests at my house, but I guess that’s what tickets cost for an elusive top-name act like the Dan of Steel now…
The vocals were really hard to decipher--whether from the sound system or Fagen’s delivery, I can’t say--but I kinda felt bad for T, who hadn’t lived and breathed these songs, to get no idea of what was being said in e.g., “Show Biz Kids,” which was clear as a bell and bristling with angry wit on the album of course.
It was fun to recognize (most of the) songs in the first few notes and sing along, and somewhat surprising that much of the audience was singing along too. I always felt the Dan were kinda “ours” prior to Aja… but then again, a lot more were singing to “Peg” than to “Parker’s Band”… (But everyone seemed to know “Kid Charlemagne,” which I thought was not that well known, so what do *I* know…)
Anyway, a great, fun, entertaining show. I was very glad I went.
OK!
Today's bike ride again made the big loop completed by Guerneville Rd., 116, and Green Valley, and I think the maximum speed on my odometer (35.4) probably IS accurate, and I got to at least 32 today on that Green Valley hill. Too bad about that stop sign right at the bottom of the hill. Think I'll do this loop backwards sometime just to get the long downhill without a stop on Guerneville Rd.
I did the Barlow Lane hill as a little add-on. I don't think it adds much if any to the mileage, but it does include a little extra sleigh ride on Mill Station Rd.
90 miles on the week now. Need 18 to surpass my last "big week."
Need a bell.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Steven D. Miller [mailto:steve@born-today.com]
Sent: Tuesday, August 26, 2008 11:49 PM
To: 'Terrie Miller'
Subject: Set List
Everyone’s Gone to the Movies (instrumental)
The Fez (Becker and Fagen enter)
Royal Scam
I Got the News
Show Biz Kids
Bodhisattva
Two Against Nature
Hey 19
?? “…not the case…”
FM
?? “…yes we’re gonna have a…”
Gaucho
Black Friday
Parker’s Band
Josie
Aja
?? “…Can’t Stop the Fire…” band intros (Guitarist John Harrington, drummer Kevin something, alto sax, Bob something, yeah I got THOSE down!)
Black Cow
Peg
Kid Charlemagne (Encore)
Steely Dan was really cool. I could think of all kinds of reasons to be disappointed or annoyed, but the fact is, they put on a great show, with a good number of songs I (mostly) know, presented in just-new-enough ways.
It’s been a while since I’ve had a Steely Dan song stuck in my head, and (yesterday AND) this morning I had the odd sensation of having two at once: Gaucho and Aja, endless loop between the chorus of Gaucho and that little Chinese-sounding instrumental part of Aja…
Absolutely terrible opening group—(what I would call) freeform jazz by a quartet of electronic keyboard, drums, trumpet and sax. No vocals; keyboardists sets a tone, each player emotes heavily, lather rinse repeat. Everyone politely claps, not only at the end of the song, but after each *&*%#% solo—of which every song consists of exactly four, of course: noodle noodle noodle noodle, big ending. No Theme! Thankfully, they only did three or four songs. I hesitate to mention the name, but you already know if you like or hate this kind of jazz, so in case you want to avoid them, it was these wallies: http://www.samyahel.com/home.html.
The band came on and did a funked-up instrumental of “Everyone’s Gone to the Movies,” segued into “The Fez,” and in the middle of this, Becker and Fagen entered.
So the group included Becker and Fagen, lead guitarist, bass, backing keyboard, bass and tenor saxes, trumpet, trombone, drums, and three lovely afro’d backup singers. They have a Web page with everyone listed http://www.steelydan.com/2kband.html.
Guitarist, drummer, singers, and horns had occasional standout moments. I got to thinking, no single guitarist is ever gonna fill the chair, no? Because even on individual albums, they’d have at least 10 guitar credits, and that was really a big part of the freshness of their sound, the various different soloists—especially on guitar. So to have one guy sit through 15 songs is more than any one guitarist probably ever did with them. But “Show Biz Kids” didn’t sound right to me without that slide… who was that on the original, Jeff “Skunk” Baxter? The backup singers really added a lot to the quality of performances and the visual aspect of the show--and reminded me how many songs featured a trio like this, including ah Clydie King (I remembered THAT name; the others were Venetta Fields and Sherlie Matthews)...
The set had an odd boxy geometric design as a backdrop (I think it was some portion of the Citizen box set logo), across which various motifs were projected. Common colored spots shone down on group and individuals, with occasional rotating-pattern spots (like on the “Show Biz Kids” punchline). One really cool, lovely dark purple song ending.
Did anyone note the irony of Steely Dan T-Shirts (cf "Show Biz Kids") for sale ($30+) in the lobby? There was a nice Aja one, but I don’t wear black much. All the others looked rather phoned-in, pieced together out of old fonts and clip art, with no intimate knowledge of the group? I really treasure my “Morse Science High School” T-shirt from the Firesign show…They also had CDs, a $65 sweatshirt (?!), hats with “SD” on the front, key chains ($15), and coffee cups. You wouldn’t even GET a reference to a “Steely Dan Coffee Cup,” back in the day!
I doubt there was a person under 40 in the audience—none, at least, who came willingly.
I think Donald was trying to channel Ray Charles, with the sunglasses and odd posture at the keyboard. Or has he always done that?
Becker only spoke up once, during “Hey 19,” with a funny bit about how all the cells in your body are replaced every seven years, and the cell that remembered that amber-colored beverage must’ve been replaced, but the backup singers would remember it—oh yeah, “Cuervo Gold”! And he sang “Gaucho” in kind of a low register with little or no backup.
Interesting that they didn’t do the earlier hits like “Do It Again,” “Reeling in the Years,” "Rikki Don't Lose That Number," but I was pretty happy with the song selection, with relatively obscure stuff like “Fez,” Parker’s Band,” but still would’ve liked one or two from the first album and maybe “My Old School,” “King of the World,” stuff like that. Only one encore did seem a little chintzy, but it was a good 90 minutes plus overall. Of course, I’d’ve happily sat through the entire catalog, and for $100 a ticket, I feel they shoulda played requests at my house, but I guess that’s what tickets cost for an elusive top-name act like the Dan of Steel now…
The vocals were really hard to decipher--whether from the sound system or Fagen’s delivery, I can’t say--but I kinda felt bad for T, who hadn’t lived and breathed these songs, to get no idea of what was being said in e.g., “Show Biz Kids,” which was clear as a bell and bristling with angry wit on the album of course.
It was fun to recognize (most of the) songs in the first few notes and sing along, and somewhat surprising that much of the audience was singing along too. I always felt the Dan were kinda “ours” prior to Aja… but then again, a lot more were singing to “Peg” than to “Parker’s Band”… (But everyone seemed to know “Kid Charlemagne,” which I thought was not that well known, so what do *I* know…)
Anyway, a great, fun, entertaining show. I was very glad I went.
OK!
Today's bike ride again made the big loop completed by Guerneville Rd., 116, and Green Valley, and I think the maximum speed on my odometer (35.4) probably IS accurate, and I got to at least 32 today on that Green Valley hill. Too bad about that stop sign right at the bottom of the hill. Think I'll do this loop backwards sometime just to get the long downhill without a stop on Guerneville Rd.
I did the Barlow Lane hill as a little add-on. I don't think it adds much if any to the mileage, but it does include a little extra sleigh ride on Mill Station Rd.
90 miles on the week now. Need 18 to surpass my last "big week."
Need a bell.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Steven D. Miller [mailto:steve@born-today.com]
Sent: Tuesday, August 26, 2008 11:49 PM
To: 'Terrie Miller'
Subject: Set List
Everyone’s Gone to the Movies (instrumental)
The Fez (Becker and Fagen enter)
Royal Scam
I Got the News
Show Biz Kids
Bodhisattva
Two Against Nature
Hey 19
?? “…not the case…”
FM
?? “…yes we’re gonna have a…”
Gaucho
Black Friday
Parker’s Band
Josie
Aja
?? “…Can’t Stop the Fire…” band intros (Guitarist John Harrington, drummer Kevin something, alto sax, Bob something, yeah I got THOSE down!)
Black Cow
Peg
Kid Charlemagne (Encore)
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
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!
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!
Monday, August 25, 2008
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.
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.
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