tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-352996612024-03-13T07:16:06.401-04:00benjacatdshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05280266194425218034noreply@blogger.comBlogger373125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35299661.post-62414553558634534202012-03-12T20:28:00.004-04:002012-03-12T21:08:18.854-04:00We are finally no longer viewed as freeloaders. Sort of.Nearly four years ago, I <a href="http://http://benjacat.blogspot.com/search?q=gas+tax">wrote about the fraudulent argument</a> put forth (by people like Terence P. Jeffrey) that the federal gas tax covers all of the country's road expenses.<br /><br />Back then, anyone paying attention knew that was completely false. The problem, of course, is that not many people pay attention.<br /><br />Four years later, it seems as if there is more and more written about this topic, and the articles are not limited to fringey left-leaning or urban transit oriented publications.<br /><br />In fact, <em>USA Today*</em> just published an <a href="http://http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/story/2012-02-07/gas-tax-not-enough-to-fund-roads/53228510/1">article</a> called "Gas tax falling short in paying for transportation needs," which talks about how "the federal [gas] tax accounts for about 45%-50% of capital spending for transportation." So, in other words, we have a serious case of motorist welfare going on in this country, and income taxpayers are covering the bill for lots of roads.<br /><br />Which is great news for cyclists, who are often accused of receiving a free ride and enjoying the fruits of the gas tax while not contributing to the roads (or bike paths) on which they ride. Since it is a safe bet to assume that more than 50% of miles traveled in this country are by car, and that more than 50% of road wear and tear is caused by cars (opposed to bikes), we cyclists should probably be the ones outraged over the way drivers are getting a free ride on our tax dime. Right?<br /><br />Regardless of your views on transportation infrastructure funding, admitting that general taxpayers are subsidizing road infrastructure with billions of dollars is the first step in having an honest conversation about this issue.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">*I recognize that no individuals actually subscribe to <em>USA Today</em>, and the only people who read it are those who pick up a free copy from the lobby in the hotel at which they are staying. However, my point remains that the fallacy of the "gas tax pays for all roads" argument is being challenged on a more mainstream level now than it did even in 2008. Which is good news for anyone who cares about having an intelligent discussion about road funding.</span>dshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05280266194425218034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35299661.post-65207429873660263702012-03-03T16:02:00.003-05:002012-03-03T16:45:25.653-05:00The Skin I Live InIt is easy to become complacent about going out and supporting local venues that showcase quality art. Sometimes it just seems more appealing to stay in and watch DVD's of <em>Nurse Jackie </em>than to venture out. Sometimes, however, you just have to make a point to represent.<br /><br />Last night, we did that.<br /><br />First stop was <a href="http://www.heightsarts.org">HeightsArts</a>, to check out the opening of a new photo show that featured pieces from (among others) Greg Donley, a local bike rider and generally good guy. The show was called "Tophography," and was "a group exhibition of recent photography by five area artists whose work offers personal experiences of landscape—near, far, and along the way." The works ranged from aerial photographs taken from an airplane to collections of overlapping photos of local and New England terrains taken on bicycle rides and hikes.<br /><br />The show was nicely put together, and the recently expanded gallery space is a real treasure of the east side.<br /><br />Next stop was to the Cleveland Cinematheque to see <em>The Skin I Live In</em>, Pedro Almodovar's recent project with Antonio Banderas. After failing to win the pre-movie $5.00 coffee shop gift certificate drawing for the millionth time, we saw a pretty twisted, depraved, and incredibly well done film. The entire (creepy) vibe of the movie, including the soundtrack, seemed to seethe with Kubrick's influence.<br /><br />Despite being average length (about 2 hours), it was very epic, without feeling "long," if that makes sense. This statement is a very big complement to any movie viewed in the seats at the Cinematheque by anyone who is over 5'6" tall.<br /><br />It also reminded us how great that place is, and how we should go there more than once a year.<br /><br />Here is the movie's trailer:<br /><br /><iframe height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/EolQSTTTpI4?rel=0" frameborder="0" width="560" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><br /><br />My only regret of the night ws not purchasing one of the $1.00 bumper stickers that read, "Occupy the Cinematheque...616 seats."dshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05280266194425218034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35299661.post-53619450964179704932012-02-19T20:42:00.008-05:002012-02-20T12:39:00.922-05:00Long distance nanny (Stanley) camLast weekend, Stanley and I traveled to upstate NY for a guys only trip that included a day-long dog training workshop on Saturday.<br /><br />On the way, we stopped at Allegany State Park for a hilly hike.<br /><p><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aLEnsAk7Wto/T0GmSfwUmuI/AAAAAAAAAT4/oA8B6x_VThw/s1600/ASP%2Bhike%2B-%2Btrailhead.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 240px; height: 320px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5711028639174531810" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aLEnsAk7Wto/T0GmSfwUmuI/AAAAAAAAAT4/oA8B6x_VThw/s320/ASP%2Bhike%2B-%2Btrailhead.jpg" /></a><br />On Sunday, we pretended we were "serious" hikers and did some technical routes in the Mohonk Preserve and at Minnewaska State Park.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FhIRDmyjvxA/T0GnrIwiNRI/AAAAAAAAAUc/0XIUA1WKYr4/s1600/s%2Bpeter%2527s%2Bkill%2Bsign.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 240px; height: 320px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5711030162009765138" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FhIRDmyjvxA/T0GnrIwiNRI/AAAAAAAAAUc/0XIUA1WKYr4/s320/s%2Bpeter%2527s%2Bkill%2Bsign.jpg" /></a><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uR1x-icJHr8/T0GniKBnJ4I/AAAAAAAAAUQ/xBuKDnLtSXc/s1600/d%2Band%2Bs%2Bcave.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 320px; height: 240px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5711030007731005314" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uR1x-icJHr8/T0GniKBnJ4I/AAAAAAAAAUQ/xBuKDnLtSXc/s320/d%2Band%2Bs%2Bcave.jpg" /></a><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-e1Hr4Kr7f2k/T0GnY1VsROI/AAAAAAAAAUE/3C_vaxLG45s/s1600/s%2Boverlook.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 320px; height: 240px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5711029847559259362" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-e1Hr4Kr7f2k/T0GnY1VsROI/AAAAAAAAAUE/3C_vaxLG45s/s320/s%2Boverlook.jpg" /></a><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bpBRSyqC6bA/T0GnyTSRD-I/AAAAAAAAAUo/R6RUuICYxCY/s1600/s%2Brocky%2Btrail%2B2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 240px; height: 320px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5711030285094686690" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bpBRSyqC6bA/T0GnyTSRD-I/AAAAAAAAAUo/R6RUuICYxCY/s320/s%2Brocky%2Btrail%2B2.jpg" /></a><br />The Most Innovative Use of Technology on the Trip prize, however, went to Katie. She suggested that she keep an occasional eye (from home, nearly 500 miles away) on a crated Stanley in the motel room via Skype while I hit up (on both nights) a local place called <a href="http://www.hopheadscafe.com/home">Hopheads</a> for some locally sourced veggie food and really good beer. This allowed him to relax in a climate controlled room while I went out in the cold night, and was just just a phone call away in the event that Katie noticed that he was making a racket at the motel.</p><p>All hail the power of the Internets.</p>dshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05280266194425218034noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35299661.post-48346568840488745492011-09-29T22:36:00.004-04:002011-09-29T23:48:46.072-04:00Ringing. Endorsement.<div><div>Pantera. Mogwai. Earth Crisis. Boy Sets Fire. Unsane. Hatebreed. Metallica. Dinosaur Jr. Helmet. Deftones. Shellac. Spudmonsters. State of Conviction. Tool. Mushroomhead. Soulfly. Quicksand. And on.<br /><br />And on.<br /><br />And on.<br /><br />The list of "loud" bands I have seen play live is virtually endless. And I have probably played 40+ shows in pretty "loud" bands myself.<br /><br />When things get loud, I throw in some cheapo earplugs. Or toilet paper. It's not usually an issue.<br /><br />So here I am, at the age where I am easily in the upper age echelon of people who see shows. Except at last week's <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swans_(band)">Swans</a> show, where I was probably the median age. Maybe younger?<br /><br />And most of these guys playing are, eh, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Gira">not young</a>, at least for rock and roll. Or whatever you call the noise Swans makes.<br /><br />Yet they are the first band ever to run me out of the club because of volume.<br /><br />It was the first time I had seen them, and maybe I should have been better prepared, based on the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swans_(band)">past</a>:<br /><br /><em>One of the trademarks of Swans' early period was playing at painfully loud volumes during concerts, to the point where some audience members would vomit or the police would stop the show....Since Swans' reformation, Gira has made a point of maintaining the intensity of their live show, stating that it is at once "soul-uplifting and body-destroying". He has also developed a penchant for turning off the air conditioning before Swans perform, comparing the experience to a Native American sweat lodge.</em><br /><em></em><br />I left because it was no longer enjoyable. Because I felt sick, and because I want hearing when I'm 80. I am 100% sure that it was incredibly louder than anything I have ever heard.<br /><br />In other words, I let a bunch of dudes easily old enough to be my dad force me out of club because they were playing too loud.<br /><br />I have officially lost all cred and will now be only attending Jimmy Buffet cover band concerts.<br /><br /><object width="480" height="360"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/f18UoLJ8RQY?version=3&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed height="360" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/f18UoLJ8RQY?version=3&hl=en_US" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object><br /><br /></div></div>dshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05280266194425218034noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35299661.post-23221868916142512102011-09-27T00:05:00.003-04:002011-09-27T00:42:24.678-04:00Something new to worry about<a href="http://http//www.theatlanticcities.com/commute/2011/09/bikers-lung/195/">Biker's Lung</a>.<br /><br />If you read the <a href="http://http//www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-09/elf-cca092311.php">press release</a> from the European Lung Foundation, however, it states that the study only looked at ten people: five bicycle commuters, five pedestrian commuters.<br /><br />The results make sense though. I'd like to know how much of the higher black carbon levels is due to the proximity of the bicyclists to the cars (opposed to the pedestrians), and how much is due to the bicycle commuters breathing deeper while riding.<br /><br />And were the black carbon levels exhibited by the bicycle commuters dangerous, or close to dangerous?<br /><br />I also often wonder about the healthiness of breathing in the road salt mixture when riding on dry days in winter, after a snowfall.<br /><br />I also often wonder about the healthiness of worrying about stuff like this all of the time.<br /><br />That may cause more health problems than the deadly black carbon urban cyclist lung.<br /><br />And that is a shame.dshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05280266194425218034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35299661.post-45344985149700954522011-07-14T01:03:00.007-04:002011-09-30T00:06:41.774-04:00Pizza legsMy pre-race meals tend not to be generally accepted by the people who determine the answers to these types of important, world-changing issues.<br /><br />As such, I will resort to the excuse of <a href="http://www.jeremypowers.missingsaddle.com/?p=275&cp=1">pizza legs</a> for a really crappy performance at the Tour of the Valley criterium. <br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-l6T39YxW2pw/Th58qYQe6EI/AAAAAAAAATw/Qkyk0-cSqnw/s1600/IMG_0399.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5629073651767633986" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-l6T39YxW2pw/Th58qYQe6EI/AAAAAAAAATw/Qkyk0-cSqnw/s320/IMG_0399.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XmlBrr5jGoM/Th58p9PMkTI/AAAAAAAAATo/uO4rJQhZn5I/s1600/IMG_0392.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5629073644514480434" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XmlBrr5jGoM/Th58p9PMkTI/AAAAAAAAATo/uO4rJQhZn5I/s320/IMG_0392.jpg" /></a></div><div>Normally, this type of stuff is kept on the down low, but a certain investigative photojournalist exposed my methods with a rare race appearance on Sunday.</div><br /><div>What's not to love about sitting around watching a bike race in the middle of the afternoon on a 90+ degree day.</div><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D2PlEz_5XTU/Th58pWrXtKI/AAAAAAAAATg/G0Mt1hbi_pk/s1600/IMG_0396.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5629073634163668130" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D2PlEz_5XTU/Th58pWrXtKI/AAAAAAAAATg/G0Mt1hbi_pk/s320/IMG_0396.jpg" /></a></div>dshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05280266194425218034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35299661.post-24553822155045889382011-07-07T19:23:00.008-04:002011-07-07T20:13:10.983-04:00Observations from the weekend of the Fourth(1) I have confirmed that <a href="http://www.tacotontos.com/">Taco Tontos</a> is my favorite place for burritos in the entire universe. If I lived near Kent, I would be morbidly obese. And happy.<br /><br />(2) The best way to deal with a fireworks display across the street from your house and an Alex dog that is terrified of fireworks is to go somewhere not near a fireworks display. I think he had the most pleasant Fourth of July he has had in a while.<br /><br />(3) The <a href="http://www.medinaredcross.org/">Medina Twin Sizzler</a> was very fun this year due to the organizers agreeing to allow all "experts" to race together, instead of having us youngsters be caught (again) by the hulking 35+ expert peloton.<br /><br />Fourth overall, first under 35 expert. Where's my Cat 1 upgrade now, USA Cycling?<br /><br />(4) After busting out of the Twin Sizzler and being home and napping by the time I would have gotten my boss gold medal from the race, I played with the Reuben, the <em>American</em> Black and Tan Coonhound, to celebrate the day. He is quite the patriot. (Video courtesy of Katie).<br /><br /><iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Qk1vruiUch4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>dshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05280266194425218034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35299661.post-66333531633234077052011-06-12T10:12:00.012-04:002011-06-12T10:41:56.629-04:00Okkervil, Titus, and racingOn Saturday, I drove three hours round trip to race the 72-mile state road race, before turning around to go to Columbus to see Okkervil River and Titus Andronicus at the Newport Music Hall.<br /><br />Okkervil:<br /><p><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nqh5cYu2D8c/TfTLw1DcXSI/AAAAAAAAATA/404VX2bkFsk/s1600/Okkervil.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5617338674973531426" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nqh5cYu2D8c/TfTLw1DcXSI/AAAAAAAAATA/404VX2bkFsk/s400/Okkervil.jpg" /></a><br /><p>Titus Andronicus:<br /><p><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nMngKMMb7lQ/TfTLf8rvhRI/AAAAAAAAASo/iEGMje8sb44/s1600/TA.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5617338384963831058" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nMngKMMb7lQ/TfTLf8rvhRI/AAAAAAAAASo/iEGMje8sb44/s320/TA.jpg" /></a><br />Having never seen Titus Andronicus before, I suspected that they would be best enjoyed in a small, blue-collar club somewhere in Jersey. I think I am right, but they still managed to kill it in the bigger music hall setting.<br /><p>I had been waiting to see Okkervil River for some time now, and they were as good as I wanted them to be, even though their set list was a lot different that what I was hoping for.<br /><p>As for the bike race, I spent nearly 50 miles in some form of a breakaway, took ninth, and teammate Aussie took second after a superhuman effort by <a href="http://ueberdiebruecke.wordpress.com/">Brian</a>, who soloed away for the win with 8 miles to go.</p>dshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05280266194425218034noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35299661.post-82029901471447161152011-04-17T15:26:00.000-04:002011-04-17T15:27:36.350-04:00Covered Bridge #2Since I wrote a race report for the team, I thought I would post it here also. Yes, this will be the second consecutive entry that can be considered a "race report" on this blog.<br /><br />No, I have not been kidnapped by someone who stole my Blogger password and likes to write race reports all the time.<br /><br />Yes, the "clean set of wheels" part is meant to sound ridiculous and is a reference to a phrase used by a well known bike racing announcer.<br /><br />Yes, the next post will be about someting other than a "race report."<br /><br />I hope.<br /><br />-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br />Aussie (Rob), Scott, Derek, Tom K., Brett, and myself lined up for Team Spin at the start of the “A” race at the Team Akron Valley Circuit Race, also known as the “Covered Bridge race,” on Sunday, April 17. Jane G. represented the team in the women’s field. <br /><br />The A race is seven laps of a five-mile loop, the B’s and women do five laps. <br /><br />The A race saw about 25 starters, including multiple riders from teams such as RGF/Cleveland Clinic, Team Lake Effect, and Stark Velo, as well as solo riders from Team Panther, Speedgoat, and a few other teams. In the A race, Aussie got away with Joe from Death Row Velo early in the first lap. They built a solid gap, which meant that the remaining Team Spin riders in the field had to cover dangerous looking moves and hope that the two breakaway riders did not get caught. <br /><br />Near the middle of the race, after a tough half-Iap, I found myself in a group of five riders that managed to extract ourselves from the field. At that point, my job was to simply sit in the break and let the other riders try to bring back Aussie and Joe, who were still up the road. <br /><br />We caught the breakaway with a little over one lap to go, which meant that we were now a seven-person lead group. I was not feeling very perky at that point, and I confirmed with Aussie that he still felt good. <br /><br />I tried several attacks on the second half of the last lap, but they were closely followed by the vigilant group. Things were shaping up for a seven-person sprint, which is not my bag. At all. Thankfully, it is Aussie’s. <br /><br />The group slowed down to a crawl in the last 2k, and I found myself with a small gap inside the last 1k. I took advantage of it and accelerated, knowing that I would either hold it to the line, or, at the very least, cause the other teams to chase me down and set up Aussie for the sprint. <br /><br />At about 200m, I heard the group approach, and saw Aussie come around me. He held it to the line, and showed the rest of the breakaway riders a clean set of wheels. A win for Team Spin! <br /><br />Great job to everyone who raced today.dshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05280266194425218034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35299661.post-80633482222903802342011-04-15T14:47:00.002-04:002011-04-15T17:23:14.777-04:00Tour of the Battenkill 2011There are apparently lots of Category 2 racers in the New England area who do nothing but ride bikes all winter long. <br /><br />At least that is what it felt like at around mile 50 of the race on Sunday when the wheels came off the wagon and I began limping to feed zone 2 where I happily pulled the plug and accepted a ride to the finish from the "team car." <br /><br />It was still a great weekend that involved nice weather and riding bikes...things could be much worse. <br /><br />It is mind boggling how much planning and legwork must go into organizing a race that includes 35 separate fields, 2,500 racers, a 100K loop that goes through several municipalities, and racers on the course from 8:40 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. <br /><br />I would invite the amateur racers who complain about Battenkill's payout to try to organize something similar themselves and see how much work it entails. <br /><br />In fact, I can think of several less annoying ways to make a living than organizing bad ass events for unappreciative bike racers.dshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05280266194425218034noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35299661.post-92011833667435136262011-04-03T21:08:00.003-04:002011-04-04T23:30:31.140-04:00Into EternityOn Friday, Katie and I saw <a href="http://www.intoeternitythemovie.com/">Into Eternity</a> at the <a href="http://www.clevelandfilm.org/">Cleveland International Film Festival</a>. It is about the construction of a massive underground cave in Finland that is supposed to (safely) hold the country's nuclear waste. It is being built to last 100,000 years, and is an extremely long and deep cave. No one working on it now will be alive to see the completion of the project. <br /><br />The part of the movie I liked most was how the officials in charge of this project were so concerned about the well-being of civilization 100,000 years from now. Specifically, they talked about the challenges involved in communicating to people 100,000 years in the future about the dangers that will lie beneath the earth in that spot. Will they speak our language? How can we even begin to conceive of the proper way to communicate with these people? <br /><br />I am pretty sure that a massive undertaking such as this, which takes into account the safety of people more than 3000 generations into the future, would never occur in the United States. <br /><br />And that is unfortunate.dshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05280266194425218034noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35299661.post-23934056673835924462011-04-02T11:23:00.002-04:002011-04-02T11:37:33.114-04:00T Minus<a href="http://www.tourofthebattenkill.com/">Battenkill</a> is eight days away. <br /><br />This year I have the pleasure of doing the 82-mile Category 2 race, which includes the standard 100K loop plus an additional 18-mile loop at the beginning of the race. <br /><br />I always imagined that the extra loop at the beginning was a flat to rolling stroll through the countryside taken at a conversational pace that allowed the higher level racers to talk about how much better they are than the lowly chumps who only race 100K. <br /><br />Then I recently read the updated website that shows this loop consists of the first 16 miles or so of the 100K loop, after which we then head back towards town and then do the entire regular 100K loop. This means that we get to do the 18% Juniper Swamp climb at mile 11 not once, but twice. <br /><br />It's good thing that I climb well for a guy with a beard.dshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05280266194425218034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35299661.post-78711617994525718792011-03-26T19:51:00.002-04:002011-03-26T20:18:24.069-04:0013 Most Beautiful . . . Songs for Andy Warhol's Screen TestsA few years ago, the Warhol Museum commissioned musicians <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dean_and_Britta">Dean and Britta</a> to compose music to accompany some of Andy Warhol's "Screen Tests," which were four-minute silent films of the faces of people with whom Warhol associated in the 1960's when he worked out of the Factory studio. Dean and Britta wrote music (and in a few cases played covers) to go along with 13 of these screen tests, and also released an album and dvd as part of the project.<br /><br />The whole show, including Dean and Britta and their backing band, <a href="http://www.cleveland.com/popmusic/index.ssf/2011/03/dean_britta_perform_music_to_a.html">played </a>the Cleveland Museum of Art's Gartner Auditorium last Wednesday.<br /><br />Despite not necessarily being a Dean and Britta devotee (and not really being a devotee of their past bands), I had a good feeling about this performance. I couldn't have been more right.<br /><br />First, I was shocked by how many people the museum's auditorium held, and I also couldn't believe how many people attended this event. I was initially afraid that the $26+ price tag, combined with it being a Wednesday night, would result in low turnout. Instead, the place was nearly packed, and I just read that it holds almost 700 people.<br /><br />As they played the songs, the movies were projected on a giant screen in the background. Dean and Britta talked about most of the movies in between songs, and gave brief summaries of the lives (and some tragic deaths) of the lesser known subjects that the show featured.<br /><br />Given the nature of the event, and the fact that the screen tests of both Lou Reed and Nico were chosen to be included in the program, the entire show had an unmistakable Velvet Underground feel. Which most of the (very age diverse) crowd ate up, myself included.<br /><br />The show was worth every penny, and I left with the feeling that this town still knows a good time when it sees one.<br /><br />Here are a few clips of the show from other cities:<br /><br /><iframe title="YouTube video player" width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/p7HfI6dThy0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br /><br /><iframe title="YouTube video player" width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/NXjU9mkqeJI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>dshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05280266194425218034noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35299661.post-89710305370848757402011-03-25T19:51:00.002-04:002011-03-25T20:00:43.018-04:00Just where we last left offAs of last weekend, it had been over six months since I lined up for the start of a road race. However, in many ways, it seemed like six days. The same people, the same butterflies, the same vibe.<br /><br />The Malabar Farm race had a small (but strong) 1-2 field, and teammate Jason took a respectable fifth place. Sunday's Race at Deer Creek in southern Ohio was better attended, windy, and cold. Teammate Aussie Rob made the early place and rocked a third place. I lost the sprint for 10th (the last paying spot) after getting away from the field on the last lap with Katsu. Oh well.<br /><br />I wish I could find a hobby less time consuming and oppressive than road racing, but the allure of beating myself into the ground with a bunch of other insane dudes week after week gets the best of me every year.dshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05280266194425218034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35299661.post-25660373570575638792011-02-09T23:41:00.003-05:002011-02-09T23:53:47.950-05:00FrozenKatie often tells me that the type of beer I enjoy is made for old men in creepy sweaters, and for hipsters who wear old man sweaters. She might be right.<br /><br />But the real question is why do I always find myself paralyzed with indecision when confronted with a few shelves full of such beer. I can spend $130 in a grocery store in about 13 minutes, and then I spend 15 minutes obsessing over an $8-$10 six (or sometimes four) pack of a pretentious microbrew.<br /><br />I am, however, improving. Tonight I actually bought some beer, opposed to looking at it for an extended period and then leaving the store empty handed.<br /><br />I think it has has something to do with being really cheap.<br /><br />Or maybe I am just wearing the wrong type of sweater.dshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05280266194425218034noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35299661.post-26372767083433666322011-01-04T17:17:00.004-05:002011-01-04T17:34:00.517-05:00Basketball DiariesI was devastated when I was cut from the Holy Name High School basketball team during my freshman and sophomore years, thus ending any hoop dreams I may have had. My problem was that I thought I had more game than I actually did. In retrospect, I am glad I was cut.<br /><br />As a junior, I was asked by friends to play on a (non-school related) team in a tournament open to anyone. Our team consisted of some high school team players, and some scrubs like myself.<br /><br />We were immediately eliminated, and I remember playing against a team full of complete badasses. Some of them ended up playing on big-time college teams, and one of them turned out to be this <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earl_Boykins">guy</a>, who scored 26 points the <a href="http://www.cleveland.com/newsflash/index.ssf/story/boykins-scores-26-points-bucks-beat-mavs/f68b7d4689fb409baa6982f5e5507138">other night</a> against the Dallas Mavericks. I remember trying to "guard" (if you can call it that) this 5"5' dude when he would drive the lane. Let's just say things got very ugly very quickly, as evidenced by the number of times they would block our shots, and the ball would sail 30+ feet into the roaring crowd, who were all there to see the Cleveland all-star team wreck shop against us.<br /><br />As they used to say on <em>The Wire</em>, I'm pretty sure that, even back then, I was slower than a white man in slippers.<br /><br />But I can totally beat Earl Boykins in a time trial.<br /><br />Right?dshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05280266194425218034noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35299661.post-22573339964906783922011-01-03T22:04:00.010-05:002011-01-03T22:21:56.350-05:00How is it......that sometimes I am asked if I am ever going to "grow out" of bike racing?<br /><br /><p><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_k3p3-CxZJBQ/TSKRZwXj6kI/AAAAAAAAASI/iWQrBlZA6OE/s1600/cx%2Bclose%2Bup%2B2010%2Bstark.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 134px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558164761795095106" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_k3p3-CxZJBQ/TSKRZwXj6kI/AAAAAAAAASI/iWQrBlZA6OE/s200/cx%2Bclose%2Bup%2B2010%2Bstark.jpg" /></a><br /><br />Or that people often think it is "immature" for adults to wear band clothing?<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_k3p3-CxZJBQ/TSKPEOyyHTI/AAAAAAAAARo/rhLpsX4kzkg/s1600/unsane.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558162192981957938" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_k3p3-CxZJBQ/TSKPEOyyHTI/AAAAAAAAARo/rhLpsX4kzkg/s200/unsane.jpg" /></a><br />Yet it is not immature for adults everywhere to be obsessed by, or for a metropolitan newspaper to devote 25% of its front page and a four-page pull-out section to, a perennially losing football team. </p><p>Weird.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_k3p3-CxZJBQ/TSKQgXQtC3I/AAAAAAAAASA/HqX8u_uOLCc/s1600/1-3-11%2Bpd.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 220px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558163775802903410" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_k3p3-CxZJBQ/TSKQgXQtC3I/AAAAAAAAASA/HqX8u_uOLCc/s400/1-3-11%2Bpd.jpg" /></a></p>dshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05280266194425218034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35299661.post-38474741500872169552010-12-15T18:07:00.003-05:002010-12-16T11:06:07.598-05:00HypocriteThis <a href="http://velonews.competitor.com/2010/12/news/district-attorney-seeks-to-bar-vail-victims-testimony-in-plea-hearing_153108">article</a> in <em>Velonews</em> talks about how the Eagle County (Colorado) District Attorney is trying to prevent the victim of a horrible car on bicycle hit and run incident from testifying at a hearing addressing a proposed plea bargain with the driver.<br /><br />For those unfamiliar with the case, here is what supposedly happened:<br /><br />Mercedes driving wealth fund manager hits and seriously injures doctor who was riding his bike. Driver then does a bunch of things that make it clear he knew he hit someone, yet later denies knowing he hit anyone. And then blames it on sleep apnea. And then blames it on "new car smell" (no joke). Doctor suffers serious head and spinal injuries (view photos at above link at your own risk).<br /><br />After charging the driver with a felony and two misdemeanors, District Attorney Mark Hurlburt agreed to drop the felony charge in exchange for guilty pleas to the misdemeanors. Hulbert also observed that “felony convictions have some pretty serious job implications for someone in Mr. Erzinger’s profession.”<br /><br />Only the driver, Martin Erzinger, knows what his thought process was that day, and what really happened. I do not blame him, nor his attorney, for mounting a vigorous legal defense. That is how the system works.<br /><br />Without knowing the <em>admissible</em> evidence involved in the case, I also can't comment on whether the plea agreement was a good idea. Prosecutors are faced with tough choices every day, and the often ignorant and fickle public has been known to hate plea deals, but they also hate it when prosecutors go "all the way" and lose due to lack of evidence or a boneheaded jury.<br /><br />If D.A. Hurlburt weighed the strengths and weaknesses of the state's case and made an informed decision based on the risks of losing, then I would have no problem with the plea deal, as distasteful as it may be. The problem is, he did not. He instead admitted that the effect of a felony on Erzinger's record helped sway his decision.<br /><br />What he was saying, of course, was that he is less inclined to charge a rich businessman with a felony when compared to a common criminal. The ignorance of this statement is mind boggling in light of the obvious fact that a felony makes virtually <em>anyone</em> unemployable in the minds of most employers, whether the employer is an investment bank or Burger King.<br /><br />Maybe armed robbers in Vail should also not be charged with felonies because, you know, how will they support their families with that on their record? Or drug dealers. Or sexual predators.<br /><br />I also find this excerpt from his <a href="http://www.da5.us/attorneybios.html#MarkH">bio</a> to be quite offensive, given the fact that he is spending taxpayer money to deprive the victim of this crime the chance to speak at the plea deal hearing:<br /><br /><em>As an experienced prosecutor, Mark knows it is important not to simply secure convictions, but to seek justice. He makes victims a priority and is dedicated to providing victims a strong voice in the justice system.</em><br /><em></em><br />This might be the most disturbing and embarrassing legal story I have read in a while.<br /><em></em>dshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05280266194425218034noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35299661.post-92160356623784152732010-12-13T20:50:00.003-05:002010-12-13T21:15:58.291-05:00He's backIt has now been five weeks since Reuben's emergency bloat surgery, and about six weeks since his Addison's diagnosis. Dr. Mike has lifted all restrictions for him. His coat is back to normal, and he no longer looks like a bag of bones.<br /><br />I had been taking him on walks up to two miles until the weather recently turned sour. Now it will be basement agility sessions until the grass reappears in the backyard, whenever that may be.<br /><br />Five weeks ago I was driving 85 mph on I-271 on a Sunday morning, not sure if he was going to even make it to the vet hospital. Now I am doing agility with him again.<br /><br />As far as I am concerned, this is all gravy.<br /><br />Pretty soon, we should be back doing this at trials:<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/FccOOrxnXSM?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/FccOOrxnXSM?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>dshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05280266194425218034noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35299661.post-12406440404215106202010-12-12T15:07:00.005-05:002010-12-12T15:24:20.772-05:00WLC2K11I have officially entered the WLC2K11 (Weight Loss Challenge 2011), which is a gentleman's wager amongst a few of us bike riding types. The concept is simple: We all throw some cash into the pot, and the one of us with the highest percentage of starting body weight lost after a March 1, 2011 weigh-in wins the whole pot.<br /><br />My goal seems modest compared to the goals being thrown around by the others, so I suspect that I am not a favorite to win the grand prize and its accompanying fame and fortune.<br /><br />However, participating does improve winter motivation, especially when the weather is putrid and riding inside sounds less than appealing.<br /><br />Time to scour the library website for more movies to request for these indoor sessions.<br /><br />This is shaping to up to be a long winter.dshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05280266194425218034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35299661.post-70121481558369434342010-11-13T20:40:00.003-05:002010-11-13T21:16:52.147-05:00When we last left our hero......Reuben had just gotten his bark back after being diagnosed with Addison's.<br /><br />Then, on Sunday morning, he started showing symptoms of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloat">bloat</a>, or gastric torsion.<br /><br />We immediately rushed him to the vet hospital where our good friend and vet Mike performed emergency surgery and saved a hound.<br /><br />He is now recuperating from a very bad week.<br /><br /><a title="our reuben by prudence rabbit, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/prudencerabbit/5162460573/"><img alt="our reuben" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1107/5162460573_3af2742936_m.jpg" width="160" height="240" /></a>dshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05280266194425218034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35299661.post-52374538046571118592010-11-05T18:04:00.002-04:002010-11-05T18:26:14.198-04:00Come again, hound?<a title="Untitled by prudence rabbit, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/prudencerabbit/229699222/"><img alt="" src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/90/229699222_d16b1d14c1.jpg" width="500" height="375" /></a><br /><br />Ever since we adopted Reuben four years ago, he insists on barking like crazy the second he hears the dog food hit the metal dog dish. <br /><br />Before every single meal. <br /><br />For over four years.<br /><br />No amount of dog training could break him of this habit. Maybe it has something to do with his inherent stubbornness, which likely stems from the fact that he is genetically hardwired to bark at raccoons up in trees for as long it takes until the hunter arrives.<br /><br />Needless to say, the mealtime barking got old. Real old. <br /><br />Until it stopped happening last Saturday. <br /><br />At which point we knew something was wrong.<br /><br />On Monday our vet diagnosed him with Addison's, an adrenal gland disease that can be fatal if not diagnosed properly, but is treatable once caught. He stayed the night at the vet hospital, and we picked him up Tuesday, expecting a marked improvement. Instead, he was weak, extremely lethargic and pathetic, and did not show the improvement we had hoped for. <br /><br />And still no barking at dinnertime.<br /><br />Early Wednesday morning seemed no better, and another trip to the vet was inevitable. I was worried, to say the least.<br /><br />Then, within hours, he perked up. He started to seem like his normal self again. So I went to the pantry, grabbed the dog food, and started to fill the dish.<br /><br />"Blarp....Blarp...............................Arf arf.........Barooooooooooo......Barooooooooooooooo!!!"<br /><br />We now look forward to his mealtime barking.<br /><br />Every single day.dshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05280266194425218034noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35299661.post-10115279562868391212010-10-31T23:32:00.002-04:002010-10-31T23:52:07.779-04:00GBVKatie and I just got home from Oberlin where we saw Guided By Voices play on their "classic lineup" tour. Normally, when we see a show at Oberlin, the room is filled with students, about a quarter of which are young enough to theoretically be our children. Today, the crowd was filled with people who made <em>us</em> feel young, all there to see a band full of guys old enough to be our dad. <br /><br />Nice.<br /><br />The most interesting part of the night was the fact that the opening band (whose name I still don't know) played in Halloween costumes. Real costumes, not "look I'm wearing a Hawaiian shirt and sunglasses at night" type costumes. Surprisingly, that made it more difficult than I care to admit in deciding whether I liked them. I'm pretty sure that, whether we like it or not, visuals play a large role in creating an opinion about a live band you know nothing about. <br /><br />Is the keyboardist female? Does the singer look like a tool? Is the bassist a 15-year old burnout? <br /><br />Today I learned that these questions are indeed important. <br /><br />And I learned that you can move a lot of cans of Bud Light at a GBV show when they are $2 a pop.dshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05280266194425218034noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35299661.post-10079307877254034482010-10-15T12:15:00.003-04:002010-10-15T12:53:08.968-04:00The kids are alrightIt was neat to see so many junior riders at this weekend's UCI3 Cyclocross festival in Cincinnati. Even the ones who kicked my ass.<br /><br />It was also neat to see adults taking some very young racers around the course during warmup and showing them the ropes.<br /><br />I do have to admit, though, that my initial reaction to some of this "coaching" was lukewarm when it appeared that the adults involved started getting a bit serious about matters. Then I saw some <em>really</em> young kids riding some <em>really</em> expensive wheels, a topic thoroughly discussed on some recent Facebook threads.<br /><br />I then compared those scenes with the kid warming up behind me on Sunday (who looked to be about 10 years old) who was yelling and carrying on the whole time because he was having so much fun just riding his (non-$2000 wheeled) bike around the course. That, my friend, is what it is all about.<br /><br />I am not sure why I have such a reactionary aversion to parents and role models who take their children's bike racing so seriously. Is it any different than a parent who really gets into their kid's little league and hits ground balls to the kid who plays shortstop? Or the parent who regularly practices shots at her soccer playing, goal tending daughter?<br /><br />Maybe I am a bit sensitive to this topic because so many people take the fun out of their children's sports by taking it so seriously. Or maybe because I remember being told in 4th grade football by Coach Marconi that he was going to bash our heads into the brick wall if we didn't hit the sled harder during a 90 degree practice.<br /><br />This sport is pretty great, and there are already enough barriers to entry for young riders, such as affording a safe and race worthy bike. Let's encourage the kids, but not scare them away.<br /><br />And, for God's sake, a 12 year old probably does not need $2000 wheels. And a <a href="http://velonews.competitor.com/2010/10/cyclocross/cyclocross-buyers-guide-part-two-mid-priced-cross-rigs_146327">$3750 cross bike is not a mid-level cross bike. Nor is a $1999 frame.</a>dshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05280266194425218034noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35299661.post-12772484929165369832010-10-06T22:43:00.003-04:002010-10-06T23:09:47.017-04:00Really?I went to this <a href="http://law.case.edu/Lectures.aspx?lec_id=236">lecture</a> yesterday at Case's law school because it seemed interesting and, let's be honest, I needed the CLE credit.<br /><br />Mr. Murray, a bioethicist, is also the Chair of the Ethical Issues Review Panel for the World Anti-Doping Agency ("WADA").<br /><br />The most surprising part of the evening was nothing that he said, but the reactions of some of the audience members who seemed angered and mystified that athletes "cheat" when competing.<br /><br />Of all of the mysteries surrounding doping in sports (how it is done, how often, how do they avoid detection, etc.), one thing is not (or should not be) a mystery: why they do it.<br /><br />Large percentages of people in major metropolitan areas allow the outcome of a Sunday sports contest to dictate their mood on Monday. We revere our professional sports heroes. Outstanding high school athletes are treated like gods in communities large and small. Winning is everything. Don't you remember, it's <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnoeYt2jpXA">you vs. second place</a>.<br /><br />Oh yea, and some of these people (many of whom are otherwise totally unemployable) end up making millions of dollars playing sports for a living.<br /><br />I'm not sure what's more offensive, cheating athletes or the fact that people are still shocked when they find out people do this.dshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05280266194425218034noreply@blogger.com1