Restless Leg Syndrome?
I’m sure RLS is a very serious condition and I don't want to diminish it, but as a cyclist I couldn’t help viewing the site, thinking . . . WHAT THE?!
Cranky on 08.26.05 @ 12:39 PM PST [link]
Friday, August 26th
What’s On My iPod Right Now?
Well, first of all I don’t have a fancy iPod. I have a budget-style MP3 unit that came loaded with a puny 128MB card. It’s actually a manageable little player, holding only a few albums at a time. I primarily use it for riding and traveling. Maybe someday I’ll go the big 20GB to 60GB route. Until then . . .
Here’s what I’ve got rolling at the moment, in play order:
Bjork – Medulla
When my buddy Timmy P visited earlier this summer, he brought the making of Medulla video, which was pretty interesting. So I saw that before hearing the disc. Bjork is fun to watch and fun to listen to. I liked her way back as a Sugarcube and have ever since. But admittedly she often sits on the cd rack while I opt for others in the collection. Timmy’s a Bjork nut. Has everything Bjork and then some. Over the last couple years he’s helped reintroduce me. Medulla is Bjork’s most recent release (2004). It’s her “human instrument” album - layered up exclusively with beatboxes and/or vocal arrangements . . . no traditional instruments. You got to respect Bjork’s creativity and unique style. Because of Bjork and Sigur Ros (and a few dark Icelandic movies) the Icelandic landscape beckons me. I’d love to go to Reykjavik someday to sip whatever it is the locals sip, hear some music, then sit in a mineral pool.
Ladytron – Light & magic
Ladytron caught my ear awhile back on an internet radio station. I read somewhere, like it or not they’ve been “saddled with the ‘eighties’ retro tag.” In some ways I want to keep that time in the past, but that has more to do with events like summer camp, acne, and gym class. What I did like about that time was the care-freeness of it all. Coming home after school, plopping down on the couch with a big bag of potato chips, and watching Gilligan bungle another escape from the island. So the eighties sound is sacred for me. I can’t do a lot of it, but every once and awhile I enjoy a good dose. Ladytron is cool because it’s a modern take on stuff we’ve all but choked on for the last 20 years.
Van Halen – Van Halen 2
I went to my first rock show in 1982 (The Who). That was my musical awakening. Although I will say, for an awakening I was really half asleep for the next few years. It wasn’t until later in high school and really into my college days that music fully awoke me from my lazy teenage slumber. I went and saw Van Halen in 1984, the album before Sammy defiled them. I remember making Eddie guitars out of cardboard with my buddies and doing "air" guitar sessions for an "air" camera. I’d better stop before I embarrass myself further. Before you think me a total rube, dig out some of that Floyd or Dio or whatever heavy stuff it was you listened to way back when and spin it again. The experience washes away the years.
Red Snapper – Making Bones
This rap-n-jazz, down tempo, trip hop album is infectious and easy on the ears. It’s an excellent listen as you ride album. It has a soundtrack-like quality that makes even the most mundane commute seem like you’re cast front and center in the excitement of a Guy Ritchie (Snatch) or David Fincher (Fight Club) film. This one is from 1999 and was out on Matador Records – the label that can do no wrong.
Cranky on 08.26.05 @ 11:43 AM PST [link]
Monday, August 22nd
September 2005
August 2005
July 2005
Back in the Saddle
While on the road, I realized I don’t have much patience for sitting in front of a computer emailing, let alone composing anything for the blogosphere. So after the fact, here’s a quick recap of things.
I attended Outdoor Retailer in Salt Lake City last Thursday through Sunday. I go mainly to visit with technical fabric vendors – the likes of which for some reason don’t show at Interbike. I also like to see the latest and greatest outdoor industry stuff and I like to see company “presence” at the show – meaning booth design, merchandising . . . all stuff that interests me. The Canadian fabric people I deal with had some really nice new offerings. In addition to some impressive new synthetics, similar to what I already use, I was pleased to see some organic cotton and hemp blend products coming down the pike. I’ll always maintain the “high road” with functional technical fabrics, but in the future you may see Hypnotic dabble in the natural fiber realm. Why? (1) In an effort to bring prices down and (2) get away from petroleum based products in support of a sustainable future.
From there I traveled to Minneapolis. I hadn’t been back on the home soil in a little over 2 years. This was mainly an opportunity to show off Oskar to grandparents and friends. Beyond that, it was interesting to see what’s going on around the twin towns. We went to the new Walker Art Center. They just completed a big renovation/addition. Saw an amazing exhibit by photographer/painter Chuck Close.
I was shown the new (to me) Midtown Greenway rail/trail from Hiawatha all the way down to the lakes area. This is a few miles of excellent urban rail corridor, bisecting the heart of Minneapolis, taking you to pretty much anywhere you need to go. Resident riders call it the “bike super highway.” That it is! 
It quickly and conveniently delivered us to the northwest side of town for an excellent tour of the newer trails at Cedar Lake and Theodore Worth where Swervy ruled us on a monster gear. Then back to his basement lair of fine homebrewed malt beverages. I’m here to tell you, that man knows how to brew! I think my favorite of the evening was the Hot Pants Pale Ale. INCREDIBLE!
Again, mainly a vacation, but most (if not all) of my vacations also involve business. I stopped by Quality Bicycle Products (QBP) to get a tour, see old friends, and talk turkey with them about Hypnotic. 
Spelled my name wrong, but a nice gesture nonetheless. What an impressive place. When I worked there some years ago it was already impressive and they’ve continued to take their business to new levels of sophistication. Their systems are amazing and their products and services are equally incredible. They’re in the process of doubling the size of their current 90,000 square foot facility. Here’s a view from the lobby looking out onto the new addition. 
Keep your eyes out for a future blog entry where I reveal the nature and content of our talks. Juicy huh?
It feels like I’m well on my way to an ugly case of “blogger’s cramp,” so I think I’ll end it there for the day. I’m also extremely tired. Long day of traveling yesterday and a fitful night of sleep. Good to be back home of course. I’ve about overdosed on air and auto travel. Especially good to get on my bike today and commute.
Cranky on 08.22.05 @ 01:07 PM PST [link]
Thursday, August 11th
Clean Cities and Nice People
I’m leaving at the cracka-crack-a-dawn tomorrow morning for tabernacle town (SLC) to hit up Outdoor Retailer. Then come Monday I’m off to Minneapolis to rendezvous with my wife Dana and the little big man - Oskar. We’ll be haunting the 612 for a week visiting parents and friends, riding, drinking Nick’s beloved Swervy brew, etc.
In the off chance any of you place a web order during that time PLEASE NOTE the cart will be functioning, but nobody will be home to fill your order. We’ll be back and ready for action Monday, August 22nd. You all should be at SS Worlds during that time anyway, so I’m not expecting much traffic.
AYE CARUMBA!!!
I just realized I never sent my Hypnotic care package to the event. I’ve got a bunch of water bottles and knickers and things I’m donating. I’ll add that to the growing list of things to get done today.
I will have sporadic access to the web, so I’ll be able to see what’s going down from afar. I’ll simply email any of you shopsters, informing you of my whereabouts and the status of your order. Don’t fret or frown, you’ll get your stuff eventually.
And I’ll hopefully be able to do some posts from the “field.” Just need to get a flash card reader for the camera and find some PCs along the way. Shouldn’t be hard to make happen. Much love . . .
Cranky on 08.11.05 @ 12:01 PM PST [link]
Tuesday, August 9th
The Oil We Eat?!
. . . The common assumption these days is that we muster our weapons to secure oil, not food. There’s a little joke in this. Ever since we ran out of arable land, food is oil. Every single calorie we eat is backed by at least a calorie of oil, more like ten. In 1940 the average farm in the United States produced 2.3 calories of food energy for every calorie of fossil energy it used. By 1974 (the last year in which anyone looked closely at this issue), that ratio was 1:1 . . .
~Richard Manning
That’s a quote from the article The Oil We Eat – Following the Food Chain Back to Iraq, by Richard Manning from the February, 2004 issue of Harper’s Magazine. A friend forwarded me this article last week and I can’t seem to stop thinking about it. It touches on a number of topics important to me – the environment, social justice, nutrition, etc. Believe it or not these are some of the same reasons I ride a bicycle.
In my opinion cycling is a “niche in the system” – a concept Richard Manning charges each of us to seek out. What he’s referring to are notions of “good” in the world – places or things that stand out against the ugly backdrop of modern civilization. Sorry folks, don’t want to sound all doom and gloom, but really when you look at the larger picture of things, it’s not all roses.
All the nastiness seems to wash away when I ride. It is the ultimate freedom. Of course I occasionally have to breathe car exhaust and dodge broken beer bottles, but I feel like I’m doing my small part. The bonus is the fact that I get fitness on top of all the ethical stuff – another thing that is important to me. If you’re still with me here and you have a few extra minutes, read the article, get inspired, and please take action - the health of our planet and the people and things that live on it starts with YOU.
Check it: The Oil We Eat
Cranky on 08.09.05 @ 10:20 AM PST [link]
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