Of course, the love glove.

This is must be a really hot item for the season because it's sold out. The makers of the glove claim it to be "the most romantic, cosiest gloves ever invented." If I'm ever seen with such a thing around my hand, call the police because I have been either brainwashed by some sort of cuddly, hand holding cult or my brain has been replaced by an alien being. Seriously, do people really use/wear/enjoy these types of things?!?! What's the etiquette when approaching a pole? Or other people? Or a cyclist?

Still need an idea...

...about what to get me for xmas? <---If you're wondering, I'm the one that took the Christ out of Christmas. Anyway, only a few days left and here's what you, yes you, can get me.


Lovely, yes? It's the Thorn Exp touring/expedition bike and I won't be mad if I recieve the bike after xmas. How to order, you ask. Right here.

It's quiz time

Do you know your geography? Take the travel IQ quiz. I thought I'd do a lot better. :(
My scores:
Level 6
191366 pts.
Travel IQ 94

Click Here To Take The Quiz

2nd time playing:
level 8
269939 pts
IQ 101

Are we there yet?!?!?

How much longer!?!?! For fark's sake, isn't Christmas over yet? Come on father time, speed this train wreck up. It's ONLY been 3 months of continuous Christmas music that I'm forced to listen to at work. Please. Stop. The. Christmas. Music. I'm. Freakin'. Dying. Over. Here. The govt. should make the terrorists listen to this Christmas crap as much as I have to. THAT, my friend, is torture.

From Ours To Yours

Seasons Greetings!

XOXOXOXOXO
Oprah, Barack, Lil' Britney and me.

I feel a little guilty

for posting this after reading about the ice storm in the middle of the country. It was 56F this morning when I biked to work and somewhere around 70 when I rode home this afternoon. 21 mile commute. It felt good. The rest of the week = highs in the mid-70s.

The Sunday 15

1. Miles on the bike today – 14
2. Flat tires today – 1
3. Frame pumps owned at the moment – 0
4. CO2 inflate cartridges – 1
5. Empty CO2 cartridges – 1
6. Phone calls for a ride home – 2
7. Miles ridden home in a car – 7
8. Essays graded – 36
9. Essays not graded – 22
10. Loads of laundry today – 2
11. MPG for the Prius for the first week – 42
12. Dollars spent on gas since I got the Prius – 0
13. Classes left to teach this semester – 1
14. Fame pump plan on buying tomorrow – 1
15. Doors hung this weekend – 1

Incase anyone was wondering

And so it begins

piece by piece.
My plan was to order the frame (Thorn Sherpa) first and then buy the parts that I needed as I found good deals. The Sherpa is the business, as the Brits say. BUT. Buying the car below ate into my frame budget. I might need to wait on my tax return to buy it and hopefully the US dollar, British Pound exchange rate will be a little better. So, I ordered the first two parts (11-34 cassette & rear derailleur) for my new expedition/touring bike build. My intent is to go full Shimano XT. Lovely, aren't they?

Ecotone

The literary journal of my former MFA program. Submit. Buy issues. Donate.

Ecotone is a literary journal of place that seeks to publish creative work about the environment and the natural world while avoiding the hushed tones and clichés of much of so-called nature writing. In the natural world an ecotone is a landscape where two separate ecosytems overlap, a place of danger and opportunity for animals. As we try to reimagine a new literature of place, our journal embraces literary ecotones, writing that breaks across genres and seeks out edges. These edges—between science and literature, the urban and rural, the personal and biological—are places that are alive and electric, as well as new and dangerous.

Ecotone's blog which is also linked to the right.

Also a party to celebrate the publication of the fifth edition of Ecotone will be held from 7 to 10 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 8 at the WHQR Studio Gallery, 254 North Front Street in Wilmington. Ecotone is the national literary journal published by the University of North Carolina Wilmington’s Department of Creative Writing. The event will feature a talk by Jill McCorkle, Ecotone contributor, North Carolina native and author of multiple books including Carolina Moon and Crash Diet. The night will continue with a silent auction to benefit the journal, as well as beverages and hors d’oeuvres. Admission will be $10 and will benefit the magazine.

Hi. My name is Eric

and I just bought a 2008 Toyota Prius that looks like this:


I have to admit, I hate cars. I hate everything about them. I hate the way they look, smell, sound, taste, feel and I hate the money that's dumped into them and the gas that I have to put in them and the way they are everywhere and and and I just hate them. BUT unfortunately, I have to have one. It's a 30 miles one way drive to the school I'm teaching at, and that's a bit too far to bike. I can and have biked that far, but it comes down to the time involved to do that, which I don't have. So, the 1992 Celica that I had was on it's last legs. Let me put it this way, when I was at the Toyota dealer today, someone walked my the Celica and asked if there was a bomb ticking under the hood--clack clack clack clack. It was a good car, 145,000+ miles on it and with the roof racks I moved mattresses, beds, tables, surfboards, bicycles and pretty much everything I own with it. So, I did it. I bought a new car. And now I am the freaked out owner of a 2008 Toyota Prius. The car is a little scary. The newness. The crazy hybrid technology. The status of having an environmentally friendly car. The car payment. The scary thought that I will become a hybrid car snob the way Mac users are snobs about their computers. Yes, I have a Mac--holy crap....

School of Life, bicycle gangs and Queen

When I was a kid, I lived in Huntington, WV. Easy on the incest jokes. My family and I lived in little neighborhood with rolling hills, a 7-11, two grocery stores one elementary school, and of course I had friends from said ‘hood. One friend, Dave Elmore, who was a year older than I was, lived a street over. He’d come over and we’d lip sync to Queen’s We Will Rock You/We are the Champions. He’d also swim in our pool, and we had a bicycle gang with other kids in the ‘hood. For some reason, our gang mantra was something like: we turn our hats at midnight. Don’t ask. Because I don’t remember. We also played little league baseball and basketball together. Today, it was brought to my attention (I haven’t talked to him in like 100 years) that he is down in Roatan, Honduras; he has started a non-profit last year called SOL (School of Life) International Foundation. Their mission: SOL (School of Life) International Foundation is working to initiate and support community-based programs designed to promote education and increase the quality of life in developing areas.
Check out their website. Help if you can.
Click here for a recent article on Dave.


View Larger Map

I'm thankful that

the Creation Museum has finally made it clear. I've always wondered what happened to the dinosaurs. This brilliant piece of religious Americana is located somewhere in Kentucky, which apparently was created some 6000 years ago.
Here are a few pictures from the museum.
Click on the image to enlarge.

Biblical History is the key to understanding dinosaurs!


How did the dinosaurs fit on Noah’s ark?


What happened to them after the flood?


But what happened to them!?!?!?!

Eve feeding a carrot to a squirrel. OMG! WATCH OUT, EVE! DINOSAUR!

The Hall of Torment

See the rest of the photos HERE.

Lhasa to Kathmandu by Bicycle

5 min. video by Brad Davies of Australia. Lhasa, Tibet to Kathmandu, Nepal by Bicycle, October 2007 Amazing scenery including Everest. If this doesn't get your adventurous spirit out of park, I don't know what will.

By the Numbers

*I’m 6’0”
*38 years old
*185 lbs.
*BMI is 25.1 (25.0 is overweight for someone my height, age, weight and frame)
*I need 2500 calories per day to maintain the 185 lbs. This is with exercising 3 to 4 times a week.
*I need 2000 calories per day to lose 1.5 lbs. per week.
*1.5 lbs. per week times 12 weeks, 6 days (90 days) = 20 lbs.
*185 lbs. minus 20lbs. = 165lbs = the ideal weight for me.

I’ll be using Fit Day to help keep track of my calorie intake. I hit the gym after work today. My goal is to lose the 20 lbs. in about 90 days, but I want to get back in shape. This is all part of the plan to travel again by bicycle. I’ll start commuting to work by bike next week.

Update:
Calories taken in today according to Fit Day = 1135. I have a feeling it's more that b/c of my inputting that data. Which is fine b/c I think I need more than that to function. I did 35 mins. on the elliptical machine at the gym burning 350 calories. I was surprised how good I felt during the workout.

Bike Vs. Hummer

This is the reason why cyclists should ride with traffic and not on the sidewalk


Cyclist vs. mountain

Check Out This Shat

William Shatner sings Elton John's Rocketman at 1978 Sci-Fi Awards show.

Seattle Has It Right

Average gas price in the US is 3.051 today. More people are obese in this country than ever. Oil is at an all time high lurking around $100 a barrel because of greed. What better time to ride a bicycle when you can?

Seattle City Council approves bicycle expansion plan

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS (November 6, 2007)

SEATTLE -- The Seattle City Council has approved a 10-year plan for 118 miles of new bike lanes and 19 miles of bike trails.

Mayor Greg Nickels hopes the number of bicycle commuters will triple -- from 6,000 to 18,000. It's now about two percent of the workers.

The plan approved Monday would establish a 450-mile network of lanes and trails for bicycle riders.

The city has budgeted $27 million for cycling projects. Completing the plan will cost $240 million.
(Seattle P-I, Times)

They're Baaaaack

The boys over at 77 Santas are back at it. This is the second year they are saturating the interwebs with “Christmas and holiday music during November and December.” Admittly, I hate the holidays and everything that goes along with them. Every year, from the day after Halloween until a little after Valentines day, I would rather pull out my toe nails with pliers than take part in the festivities. BUT. I have to say, last year JV and PC made it a little more bearable. I look forward to seeing/hearing what they have for us this year.

Deals and Steals

Here are a few cool websites that feature one outdoorish item at a time. These sites are designed for the cheap people who like to get outside -- camping, clothes, wetsuits, board bags, camp stoves, shoes, snowboards, and pretty much anything else you can think of. Gear Engine keeps it's deal up for 3 mins. and then switches to another. Gotta be on the ball for that one. Steep and Cheap keeps their deals going until they sell out. Same concept at Whiskey Militia but they are more in the realm of board sports and board sports culture.

Free Legal Music Downloads

Check out Spiral Frog.
The catch: you are subjected to some advertising while the music is downloading. I see no problem with that; I'll just walk away from the computer for a bit. I plan on testing it out tonight.

Update:
Spiral Frog is for PCs only. If you have a Mac, like I do, your out of luck. So, if someone with a PC wants to give it a try and report back, please do. I'll test it out on Monday from work...shhh, don't tell.

Because today is Halloween.

Zombie Personal Ad


Today's recommended reading:
The Zen of Zombie: Better Living Through the Undead























Scary Video of the Day

Some timely movie making. Starring me. Boo!

I want to "ride" my bicycle

From Telegraph.co.uk

Man who had sex with bike in court
By Richard Alleyne
Last Updated: 1:21pm BST 26/10/2007

A man has been placed on the sex offenders’ register after being caught trying to have sex with a bicycle.

Robert Stewart was discovered in his room by two cleaners at the Aberley House Hostel in Ayr, south west Scotland, in October last year.

On Wednesday Mr Stewart admitted to sexual breach of the peace in Ayr Sheriff Court, where depute fiscal Gail Davidson described how he had been found by the hostel workers.

She said: "They knocked on the door several times and there was no reply.

"They used a master key to unlock the door and they then observed the accused wearing only a white T-shirt, naked from the waist down.

"The accused was holding the bike and moving his hips back and forth as if to simulate sex."

Both witnesses, who were extremely shocked, notified the hotel manager, who in turn alerted the police.

Mr Stewart was placed on the sex offenders’ register but his sentence was deferred until next month.

He is not the first man to be convicted of a sexual offence involving an inanimate object, however.

Karl Watkins, an electrician, was jailed for having sex with pavements in Redditch, Worcs, in 1993.

Unrelated photo, but I can understand his point.

Time To Change

Yes, at times I get my inspiration from bad '70s TV. Who doesn't, right? Below is a video of The Brady Bunch kids rawkin' their hit, Time To Change. You may be asking yourself, "self, what does this have to do with anything?" Well its time to change, then its time to change...sha na na na na na na sha na na na na na. Who couldn't be inspired by that, right? I've been on the bike for all of 10 miles or so since June. I have membership at the Y and have been all of 10 times since earlier this summer. My eating habits are that of a 13 year old: pizza, kit kats, french fries and so on. I'm not a 13 year old; I'm getting older. I've gained quite a bit of LBs too. And if I want to travel in the future, I need to be in better shape. So, this is my declaration: I'm going to move towards a healthier life style. Eat better. Exercise daily. Start commuting to work by bike (I use to do this 4-5 times a week). Going to bed at a decent hour. Stop the bad habits that I have picked up/revisited over the past 5 months. In the past, when I've tried to this, it has always started out fine and then a month or two down the road, I kind of give it up. So, I will post my progress here in hopes of keeping me motivated. Thanks, Bradys.

A Late Poem

You Look Outside

You look outside.
Already it is five o'clock.
The world is disappearing.
Across the city, yellow leaves are dropping
from the trees--
lamps going out slowly--
In the Diamond district,
store owners undress
the windows. They unclasp necklaces
from the headless mannequins.
You look outside.
Already it is evening.
On the table, the books lie open
to where you stopped reading
about the Magellanic clouds.
The sky is violet against the iron railing.
In the river, cars drift
upside down with their lights on.

~~Malena Morling

Halloween costume ideas

for your dog(s).

Last night's gig

So the 4 people that read this blog might remember that I mentioned that the band I play with was to open up for Tim Reynolds at a local club. Well, that was last night and it was a blast. I was a little worried that there wouldn’t be much of a crowd early. We played from 9:30 ‘til 10:30. To my surprise, there were quite a lot of people for our set. The gig was great. Tim joined us onstage for a song. He was stage right to me and during the song; all I could do was watch him play. The guy is an alien when it comes to playing the guitar. I’m sure I hit some bad notes, but oh well. I kept thinking: holy shit. That’s Tom Reynolds standing next to me. One degree of separation from Dave Mathews. Anyway, two different people recorded the show and we are going to talk to Tim and make sure it’s cool with him that we release the song that he played on. We plan to get it mixed down and out on CD and iTunes, as an EP, as soon as we can.


For those of you who are in Wilmington, we are playing the Bud Light Chili Cook Off next Saturday, October 27 @ McRae Park . I think we go on around noon. Plenty of time for beer and chili after the set.

New Tent: MSR Hubba Hubba

"Winner of a 2005 Backpacker Magazine Editors' Choice Award, the 2-person Hubba Hubba doesn't compromise on internal space to save weight. This freestanding, superlight tent features lots of elbow room, 3 setup options, 2 doors and vestibules, and no-drip entries that keep the inside dry even with the vestibules open."

It's light, easy to set up and you gotta love the name. I ordered it from Boulder Mountaineering for 179.00 with free shipping. Can't beat that price. Most places sell it for just under $300. Now I just need to find time to use it...

Back to the future

Future Plans:


Shooting for 18 months. I have to try it again. Everyday I regret not following through with the bike trip that this blog was intended for. If anyone that reads this is interested in stopping their life for a extended amount of time (or a short time), traveling around the world on a bike and would like to join me. Drop me an email: theheaviestbike at gmail dot com - I would love the company. We can talk.

Funny School Papers

Click on the images to enlarge.

Self-promotion

The band that I play in is opening for Tim Reynolds on Oct. 20th at the Soapbox Laundro Lounge and is playing the Bud-light Chili Cook Off, Hugh McRae Park, Wilmington, NC on Oct. 27th among other gigs.


I’m the bass player. Here’s a video:

Childrens do learn...

...and the President doesn't.

Pet Peeve #352

It annoys me to no end when someone will take a two-week trip to another country, and then he or she considers himself or herself an expert on the country or some minor aspect of the country. I know it shouldn’t, but it does. Btw, I’m not referring about G’s blog about a recent trip he and others took. His entry made me crave Europe and has me looking at flight prices to destinations anywhere. It makes me think that the people who irritate me, the expert two-weekers, only travel to brag about it when they return home. I’m sure I’ve done it, spoke a little too boastfully about a trip, (unintentionally?) and if I have and it bothered people, I apologize.


Hey friend, I just returned from a weeklong trip to Berlin. The wifey and I spent a day at the zoo studying wild polar bears. They are magnificent creatures. Did you know that pregnant female polar bears den up in the fall after feeding heavily in August and September? During our expedition, we observed a male polar napping in the July sun. Fasinating, I tell you. I feel that I have become closer to the animal and now understand them on a level unlike anyone else in the world. From now on, I will always refer to them as ‘my beloved polar bears.’

Ashes and Snow

I stopped by ArtFuel Inc. the other day to talk to Sarah Peacock about tattoos. She showed me a recent piece that she did based on one of the photos from Gregory Colbert’s (No relation to Stephen, I think) collection called Ashes and Snow

All are sepia and umber in tone, and Colbert had spent thirteen years filming and photographing elephants, whales, birds, wild cats and other animals in such places as India, Burma, Ethiopia, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Namibia, Egypt, the island of Dominica, Tonga, and Antarctica.

I think this collection has been out for a couple of years or more(?), but they are new to me.

A Tuesday Poem

The Face of Love

she has one of them
like a very famous
nobody
her mother was good looking
and drove a convertible
her father a drunk
they invited me to their home
several times
they went over my shoes
looked at my pistols
they had lovely affairs there
the grandmother
was hard of hearing
and wore a disfigured cameo
she told of days gone
when she rode an Arabian to the Landing
to meet the boat
there would he books and cologne from Paris
material and perhaps a piano
and no counts from New Orleans
as the story goes she married one
it turned out this way
and the legend continues
blood and starlight in the river
African violets and capes
Chopin and back roads
and her granddaughter was just like him
silent and cruel
always taking her beauty rest
and her best friend's
friends

Close in.

~Frank Stanford

© Ginny Stanford

Disclaimer

This is a personal blog and sometimes relates narratives from my daily life. When the anonymity of those referenced is compromised by reader’s comments, the post will be deleted at my discretion.

Vedder, Penn and Rose go 'Into the Wild'

On a side note, I haven't seen the movie yet because this town sucks for getting movies. Dragon Wars and Balls of Fury are playing but not Into the Wild. WTF?

He gets an A in assholery

Reporter: Mr. President, back to your grade point average on holding the line on taxes.

Bush: I thought you were going to talk about the actual grade point average. I remind people that, like, when I'm with Condi, I say she's the Ph.D. and I'm the C student and just look at who's the president and who's the adviser. But go ahead. . . .

Watch the video here

Another one bites the dust

"Floyd Landis lost his expensive and explosive doping case Thursday when arbitrators upheld the results of a test that showed the 2006 Tour de France champion used synthetic testosterone to fuel his spectacular comeback victory, The Associated Press has learned.

The decision means Landis, who repeatedly has denied using performance-enhancing drugs, must forfeit his Tour de France title and is subject to a two-year ban, retroactive to Jan. 30, 2007.

The ruling, handed down nearly four months after a bizarre and bitterly fought hearing, leaves the American with one final way to possibly salvage his title — an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

If Landis doesn't appeal, he'll be the first person in the 105-year history of the race to lose the title because of a doping offense."


Oh, Floyd. Vous avez cassé mon coeur. J'ai cru et ai tiré pour vous, mais maintenant je dois vous abandonner. S'il vous plaît. quelqu'un réhabilite le cyclisme.

Joe Zawinul

In keeping with today’s theme of music, I bring the sad news of the passing of a jazz great, Joe Zawinul. Zawinul is famous for playing with the band Weather Report and writing the Cannonball Adderly song, Mercy, Mercy, Mercy. He was 75 and died of cancer in his native country, Austria. Below is a video of Buddy Rich and his Band playing Mercy, Mercy in Berlin, 1970.

Into the Wild

I’m looking forward to seeing Sean Penn’s adaptation of Krakauer’s Into the Wild. The early reviews are favorable and revisiting the book, in my mind, has peaked my adventurous spirit again. I have no idea what that means but don’t be surprised if I decide that I want to try to swim the English Channel or climb Kilimanjaro. ;) I love the book and as a bonus, Eddie Vedder has done the soundtrack, which seems fitting. As JV, over at 77 Santas pointed out that one of the tracks, Hard Rain, is a bit “lo-fi” and I agree, but am in love with the song regardless and now the soundtrack. You can listen to a streaming version of it here. Warning: there is an annoying woman saying "music on demand" before and after every track.

The movie opens September 21. So if any of my ILM friends would like to join me, holla.

Headbangers Ball

With T blogging about Metallica and a birthday looming in the near future, I got to thinking about my youth (oh sweet, debaucherous youth, where did you go?) and some of the music at the time:

Alice Cooper - Raise Your Fist and Yell (Drove to Fayetteville from ILM to see AC in ’87 with some friends. The car broke down and we ended up taking a cab for some 50 miles to get to thte show.)

Anthrax - Among the Living, I'm the Man (EP) “"We've got real def rhymes and fresh new jams/And ya think we got egos but we're just hams…” (Pure poetry.)

Black Sabbath - The Eternal Idol (Definitly not the Sabbath of pre-’87 and that’s probably why this record escapes my memory)

Carnivore - Retaliation (Who?)

The Cult - Electric (Everyone should have this in their collection. Good ol’ Rock n Roll)

Celtic Frost - Into the Pandemonium (They cover Wall of Voodoo’s song “Mexican Radio” on this one. I still think that it is an odd choice, but whatev…)

Death - Scream Bloody Gore (The godfather record of Death Metal.)

Def Leppard - Hysteria (No other 'metal' record was produced better than this one, in my opinion and the first record with the Rick Allen after he lost an arm.)

Dio - Dream Evil (I saw Dio this year too, Charlotte and I was amazed that this guy who stands about 5’4” could have the voice with the power of Pavarotti on steroids.)

Dokken - Back For The Attack (Dokken filmed their video for ‘Dream Warriors’ in ILM. The band that I played in at the time practiced in some storage sheds that were next to the movie studio. Some guy from the studio bought us 3 cases of beer to stop playing while they were making said video, and then later, George Lynch stopped by.)

Frehley's Comet - Frehley's Comet (Saw Ace opened up for Alice Cooper in Fayettville)

Grim Reaper - Rock You To Hell (hee hee)

Guns N’ Roses – Appitite for Destruction (My favorite band of the time. This cassette never left my possecion. Saw G N’ R open up for Motely Crüe this year. See mullet picture above.)

Helix - Wild In The Streets (The band I played with at this time opened for Helix at The Mad Monk in ILM. I was 18.)

Helloween - Keeper Of The Seven Keys Part 1 (Need I say more?)

Judas Priest - Priest...Live! (First song I learned to play was Priest’s “Livin’ After Midnight” which I believe I heard on a commercial recently, intrumental.)

Kane Roberts - Kane Roberts (Who?)

Keel - Keel (Also so opened up for at The Mad Monk)

King Diamond - Abigail (That dude can scream, isn’t that right grandma?)

KISS - Crazy Nights (The third time I saw Kiss was on this tour. They were also my first concert. 1979. I was…9.)

Loudness - Hurricane Eyes (My friends that are half Japanese liked them.)

Mötley Crüe - Girls, Girls, Girls (See Gun N’ Roses)

Motörhead - Rock 'n' Roll (I love episode of the Young Ones with Motorhead.)

Savatage - Hall of the Mountain King (The title of this album made me want to be a Viking, still does.)

Twisted Sister - Love Is For Suckers (I had a Twisted Sister hat!)

W.A.S.P. - Live...In the Raw (Wasn’t Tipper Gore leading the PMRC at this time?)

Whitesnake - Whitesnake (Here I go again….)

The Great Sally Smits

testing out embedding music. enjoy.

I am

tired b/c I couldn’t sleep last night.

thinking about Hannah’s brother and sister b/c they are so awesome.

looking fwd. to playing tennis over the weekend. I'm so going to kick t's ass. :)

pissed off at this video. So mush so, I tracked down one of the asshole’s myspace page.



still deciding what to do with the information.

undecided on what to have for dinner.

not wanting to grade.

happy that Top Chef is on tonight.

My Dad

turned 75 today. He smokes a pipe, walks 2.5 miles every morning, watches the sun set every evening and runs a successful engineering firm.

Not long after India's independence in 1947, and the country divided into Pakistan and India, my dad(15+/-?)and part of his family fled. They boarded a boat in the Karachi harbor, spending days and days barely moving (lack of wind) on the Arabian Sea. Eventually they landed in Gujarat, India and settled in tiny village called Mota Asota and then Jamnagar.

What's left of my dad's house in Mota Asota, India.


Jamnagar, India

Tropical Storm Gabrielle...

...is sitting off the coast and kicking up a little surf. A few pics from the end of my street: