One good thing about the prior year

Originally, I began this post by composing a list of things that were great about 2009. As I attempted to put together a top ten, I started thinking about how everyone seems to have their own list of what was great about the previous year, but someone else always disagrees with them. I did some checking around, and realized that the current mode of thinking has progressed to the point that some have even taken to criticizing the listmaking process itself. It seems that the very act of making a list of things that you like, or want to share with others at the end of the year, makes you somehow inferior to them, due to the unavoidable differences between between your list and someone else's.
I happen to think this is great. I love reading a list of someone's top music of 2009, and then reading the comments below that invariably chastise the listmaker for such transgressions as placing the XX's new cd above the Dirty Projectors in the list, as if they couldn't believe someone could possibly think that could be an acceptable order to place them in....blah blah blah...
So how could I stay ahead of the curve and set myself apart? How could someone like me possibly have a chance to withstand the critisism of the potential tens of readers that may come across my humble "best of 2009" list?
It quickly became apparent to me that I would have to start thinking outside the box. (wait, can I still say that? it sounds so dated) Rules would have to be bent, maybe even broken to achieve my end product. My actions would have to be drastic and carried out with a boldness seldom seen in year end listmaking.
Then suddenly, the idea came to me: If the list itself had become passe, then I had no use for it. I would eschew the list altogether and refine my previous three hundred and sixty five day experience down to it's singularly pointed essence.
So without further ado, may I present to you:
The Top Thing of 2009
(Drumroll, please) (yes, the pun was intended)


I know what you're saying. You just can't argue with this selection, and you're kicking yourself for not being the one that thought of it first. Not just the song, but the very idea behind it. In a world filled with irreverence, the irreverence expressed in this song and it's accompanying video quite simply trumps anything anyone could ever think of that happened during the year 2009. So what if our economy is in the tank, no one (including myself) has a job, or our country is involved in wars that seem to no longer have a purpose? Let's go surfing. So what if you're sick and can't afford healthcare and you're hoping the government can help, or you're so afraid of the government that you are considering building a bomb shelter in the backyard? Let's go surfing. So what if the bank is foreclosing on your house and your car, your wife is leaving you, your dog just bit you on the leg? Let's fucking go surfing.
And if you think about it, that's all there is to it. It's all perception. As bad as it can get, it could always get worse... or it could get better- it's all in how you look at it. So to everyone going through hard times, personally, financially or otherwise: It's going to work out. We sit on the cusp of a new decade now, but it could just as easily be the middle of the year or the middle of the century. There's always going to be something to keep you going, some proverbial glimmer of light in the dark tunnel you may currently find yourself in. You're going to keep heading towards it and I'm going to keep heading towards it, and that's why reaching this demarcation line called the New Year is worth celebrating. For all the work we put in, we're all moving forward whether we realize it or not. And that's one good thing about the prior year: we know where we've been, and that's in the past. Hold on, because sometimes it just takes one thing to turn it all around.

"And so... And then..."

As a child, my brother used to say that when he was in the middle of telling a story he was making up. He used it as sort of a placeholder while he decided which direction his often fantastic stories would take him (and whatever adult would listen). This blog recounts reality the way I see it, but I haven't been writing lately because I haven't felt I had anything to say. Mainly, that is due to not really knowing what is next for me. It helps me to have an idea of where I am going with a story in order to fill in the middle parts. My life seems to be a lot like this; without a clear finish line, I find it difficult to head in any one direction. I hope that out of this lack of direction may come the clarity of purpose in what's to be the next chapter of my life. I'm optimistic, but realistic.
I quit working at the bike shop, which was difficult for me to do. I really have this strange attachment to bicycles, which I can easily see lasting the rest of my life. There are a lot of things to like about bikes, and the mechanical aspect seemed the most appealing to me. Bikes are simple machines, and working on them requires few specialized tools, but often a vast knowledge of the interactions between components. Most people who profess that they have this knowledge do not, and I've seen plenty of ignorance pass for gospel. Even with knowledge, a good mechanic can be betrayed by a poorly designed component, and the end result can appear the same.
In working at the shop, I enjoyed pursuing at least some level of perfection with each bike I repaired. (Of course, that level varied drastically with each instance!) The bikes were the easy part. People could be an entirely different story. Even though I felt I did my best to see that each customer had every need and want attended to, there were always going to be things that slipped through the cracks, creating an end result that could go off in any direction. I guess I could say that I was fortunate to go on for as long as I did without this happening. My good intentions could have been betrayed by misunderstandings at any point. What did happen, I will probably never really know, but things transpired which left me unable to effectively do my job any longer, and that was difficult for me for a while. I do belive that lies were told, and the people who told them know who they are.
I'm not saying this because I expect any justice to come of this. I've moved on. The next chapter of my life is yet to be written, but it's gonna take a while to get the editing right. I'm bound to have some restarts and reworks, maybe even throw a few pages in the trash, but eventually I'll get this novel written. Until then, I'm making it up as I go along, and so... and then..
just please bear with me.

Telemarketers

I usually thank them for calling and tell them I'm not interested. If that doesn't work, I just hang up. I'm glad I don't have to do that for a living.
http://crazytelemarketer.ytmnd.com/

Ultremo- R recall

This may not be entirely factual, but I'm trying to scoop velonews, cyclingnews, etc.
Schwalbe Ultremo-R tires are being recalled.

Previosly, they issued this warning about bulges in the tires, but now it has moved to a full recall of all "Ultremo-R" tires. My guess is that they will announce this soon. Or maybe they already have, and I'm scooping nothing....

Single Sunday

Last Sunday, Dale and I drove up to Comlara Park to do some 29er singlespeeding. Dale brought his brand new Singular, and I have to say it was looking pretty sweet. We got there early, and I think we only saw two other riders the whole time we were out. One was a guy on a full suspension Turner that wasn't wearing a helmet, but was wearing a headband on his nearly bald head. I thought that was interesting. Trail conditions were very good, and even the weather was nearly perfect- cool and with a light breeze. It looked like we might get rain on the way up, and it rained on us a little during the ride, but not enough to get us or the trail wet! In all, it was a great time on the bike, and I'm ready to do it again sometime.

Looking good!  Dale ordered this from his friend Marty. Frame is new, parts are off his old Mary.

Detail of Phil Wood eccentric. I think that if you were stranded in the woods, you could take this out and use it as a signal mirror; it's that polished.

The Mary hasn't been ridden much. Hate to say it, but I think the Sigular is lighter, and handles better. Time to sell?

Light reading

I just got on the internet to check Howtoavoidthebummerlife.com, and I realized that it had not been updated in some time. This is strange, Stevil usually updates the same times every week I thought, so I did some investigating. I soon came to the same conclusion that you probably already have- Stevil has moved on from Swobo, and is now at http://www.allhailtheblackmarket.com/ (just in case you didn't already know). So much for a PSA... I need to read that blog regularly, and so do you.
Speaking of reading, I haven't read anything that didn't offer a subscription in years. I still haven't finished Joe Parkins' book "Dog in a Hat", so graciously loaned to me by a shop patron about 5 months ago (thanks Michelle!). So far, it's been pretty good, but a few weeks ago I found myself in a Barnes and Noble and wandering AWAY from the magazine rack. I ran across a new book (which I probably won't finish) called "Decoding the Universe" by Charles Seife. I think that book titles tend to draw me in, usually only to disappoint later. Maybe that's why I seldom finish them. I expect that by reading the book, I will be able to decode the universe, although I find it slightly disconcerting that it was on the sale rack for $5.98. I was pleasantly surprised, however, when I read the first sentence on the first page: "Civilization is doomed" Of course! I agreed. I'm pretty sure that when is the question, but that can possibly be answered by the LHC's finding of the Higgs boson and dark matter and things like that. Right? We can only theorize. This book has me excited to read it, I just hope I can actually finish it.

Empathy

Empathy is a big word right now, made popular again by the Sotomayor confirmation hearings. Personally, I feel empathy for her for having to put up with infantile questioning from our idiotic members of congress. Oops- that's actually sorrow I feel for her.
It's really too bad, but for a while now, I've felt I cannot discuss the goings on in the shop for fear someone will recognize their bad behavior on this blog and I'll be in big trouble. Then I ran across this craigslist entry, and felt that recently rediscovered feeling. So I'm going to suggest going here to see someone elses' experiences. I can't belive that nearly all of these things happen to me, too.
Wait, yes I can.
P.S. I can't condone craigslist for anything but humor. Buying a bike off craigslist is not recommended. I could tell you why, but it would be more fun for you to figure it out yourself. And by fun, I mean a giant clusterfuck. Oh, sure you could get lucky and get a great bike for a low low price, but it's highly unlikely. As in winning the lottery unlikey. Which by the way, is a complete and total waste of your time. If you're not smart enough to figure that out, I really wish that you'd at least stop wasting my time, when you're standing in front of me in the gas station, and all I want to do is pay for my Gatorade so I can get back to my ride, but you just have to keep checking your numbers and making sure you played all the newest scratch- off games just in case you had a few dollars left in your pocket that the government hadn't gotten ahold of yet. Oh, yeah, and don't forget your pack of cigarettes- wouldn't want you living long enough to actually wise up and realize you're never going to win.