Blasphemy Law

I recently watched a televised debate that aired in Britain concerning an archaic blasphemy law that still exists on their books which states that blasphemy against Christianity is punishable by varying degrees of severity decided by the court system.

The debate panel featured some stalwart supporters who believed that any negative comments directed towards Christianity should always be punished, while other defended the position that the law is obsolete, and never served any positive function other than suppressing free speech and expression.

I seemed to me that to support such a law you must possess an incredibly high view of yourself. To think that the celestial creator of the infinite cosmos would give two shakes about what a few small humans have to say about him is a level of narcissistic arrogance that exceeds comprehension. If one takes a cursory glimpse at how large we know the universe is, and how small and insignificant each of us are within the cosmos, it becomes impossible to elevate one's thoughts and words so high as to bother God. Only a human created being could be capable of caring about what humans think, how they act, or what they say to each other. Blasphemy, as it has been said, is a victimless crime; for if there is no god, the only people offended are the believers, but if there is a god he would clearly not care.

I hope Britain can shake off this law; so long as it does not come crashing down onto us good Americans.

Huckabee: Watch this man

Now that the democratic primary has been whittled down to just two candidates, Clinton and Obama, we can take a closer look at the dark side. When the republican candidates aren't arguing about who will torture more people, drop more bombs in the middle east, or who will attack Iran first, they occasionally say some pretty revealing things.

We all know Romney is part of a crackpot personality cult whose cosmology is only rivaled in oddity by the nutty scientologists, however Baptist preacher Mike Huckabee also believes some blindingly stupid things.

Huckabee says he will re-write the constitution to match the Bible

Huckabee believes in creationism

First, advocating that we re-write the constitution to meet 'god's standards' should immediately cast a shadow so large as to disqualify one from serious political discourse, however this is America, a land where there are enough ill-informed individuals to support a preacher for president. Huckabees comments sound like something spoken a thousand years ago, back when the Christian church was actively murdering anyone with the gall to question Holy Scripture. I would really like to know just how far backwards Huckabee would take us. Stoning homosexuals? Killing children who talk back to their parents? The death penalty for those who convert away from Christianity? Burning the necromancers, pagans, and magicians? Its all there, all advocated within the pages of the Bible. Hell, I can only imagine the plight of atheists under such a system. If history is any gauge of what Huckabee's America would look like, I should be in cold sweat right now. But, I have hope that the rational people in this good country, founded upon secular principals, will send the preacher back where he belongs; the pulpit.

Concerning the creationism video. Huckabee obviously could not be more wrong; he states his beliefs should not have any bearing on his candidacy; however, evolutionary theory underlies all of modern science including biology, genetics, agriculture, medicine and so on. If one 'denies' evolution, they simply cannot make informed decisions about any field of scientific inquiry. A coherent understanding of reality is necessary for all political candidates, especially our president! Imagine the leader of the free world deciding science policy based on the belief that the earth is 6,000 years old and that Jesus is coming back any day now, or policy concerning the middle east, or the environment... its a nightmare.

Candidate Match Quiz

USA Today's Candidate Match Quiz

According to the quiz my top choices were:

1. Dennis Kucinich (now dropped out)
2. Chris Dodd (now dropped out)
3. John Edwards (still in the race)

On some of the questions I didn't really see my opinion listed; so I chose the most appealing option. Interesting quiz nonetheless.

Updating

Saturday: Terrible weather. Tried to sell the two crappy games that came with my XBOX 360 at a local game store, but too many people beat me to the punch; it was a no go. Oh well, to celebrate my luck I bought Call of Duty 3 for 20 bucks. Good deal, less pissed now. Went home, finished the game F.E.A.R.

Sunday: Woke up to a blizzard raging outside. Pissed off. Walked through the woods to Fred Meyers and bought some food. Came back home just as blue skies were arriving; the snow promptly melted but by then it was too late to ride so I stripped my ironhorse completely down to its individual components and built it back up. Good times.

New website format: Better in nearly every way compared to the old one. Loads faster, posting is easier, and now Sadie has an account too. Excellent; between my mental diarrhea and Nate's fewer but highly recommended posts we have a new voice and perspective turning the cranks of the crazy bicycle.

Day 1 of Training

So, my loving, and sometimes over zealous husband came home the other night announcing that we will be biking to the summit of Mauna Kea during Spring break. Now mind you, this is no simple feat. Lets first consider the height of this volcano, at 4200meters this is no small climb. Secondly, let us not forget that we will be starting at sea level, therefore estimated total elevation gain= 4200 meters (13,796ft). Third, lets look at our overall fitness at this point in time. I would probably classify us as "weekend warriors", with a few small rides, runs... during the week. Let's just say, we have a lot of training to do! And this brings to my fourth point: the amount of time we have to prepare for this ONE DAY event. Spring break is the last week in March, and we are beginning the last week in January, so that gives us just about two months to train.
Now, some people may have responded to this announcement with something resembling, "Are you crazy!", or "not with me you're not!". But, one of the many reasons we are married to one another is that I am equal, if not more of an adrenaline junky than him. Thus, only minutes after hearing this news, I was planning in my mind a grueling training routine, which I set on paper the following morning, and put into action this morning. Let's just say, I'm a little excited about this new objective, and so far, after one day of training, I'm feeling like this is a realistic and attainable goal. I'll touch back in a week to let you know if I'm still standing!

Update on the death of the WWU Student

On January 14th I wrote about the Korean student who was killed in a hit and run attack by a drunk, high 20 year old woman.

As it now turns out, the woman Ashley E. Wick is pleading not guilty on all accounts. It has also been confirmed that Wick was both drunk and high on the anti-anxiety medication Xanax at the time.

What the hell is she pleading not guilty for? I'm sure some snake of a lawyer decided it was the best legal option, which is not surprising, defense lawyers are parasitic by nature, but Wick's guilt is undeniable. She killed someone while under the influence of mind-altering substances.

Her trial has been set for June 28th, and her bail is currently at $50,000. I'm sure the parents of the dead Korean student will be pleased to know that if convicted Wick will face a maximum of 3 years in jail. 3 goddamn years. What message does this send? If you want to kill someone in Washington don't do it with a gun, just get drunk and hit them with an automobile. Plead innocent, and in the worst case scenario if you are found guilty you'll ride out an easy 3 years in a minimum security resort.

I can't help but wonder if I'm missing something obvious here, some fact or argument that someone could point to as an explanation for what I perceive to be a flagrant violation of justice. Don't drunk drivers usually receive more than 3 years when they kill someone? How about drunk, high drivers with previous hit and runs who kill people and then narcissistically plead not guilty.

I feel for the parents of the student. Its also nice to know that if someone kills me with a car they’ll receive a slap on the wrist.

More Craigslist

I was browsing craigslist when I came across this gem of a deal:

Its a 1998 K2 OZM Carbon, a bike I distinctly remembering wanting 10 years ago when I first saw one in a Homer Alaska bike shop. While this bike was cool a decade ago, it is now way, way past its prime and would be easily out-performed by even the low-end full suspension bikes of today. However, once again, the seller is completely ignorant of the modern bicycle world. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if the carbon frame, fork, and wheels have serious structural problems, especially after 10 years of use.

Asking price: $1482

Realistically this bike should be selling for $200 tops, yet this guy wants to get almost what he originally paid. I'd also like to know why 1482? Why not round down to 1450, or round up to 1500? People are dumb. He'll probably wonder why it doesn't sell.

Racing Goals

So, I've decided to pick up racing. After mountain biking seriously for about 3 yrs now, I think it's about time I try my luck on the race scene. Seeing as we are moving to Bellingham in May, in only made sense that I should pick a race there. While searching the internet, I came across the Indie Series, which holds x-country races across Washington. Fortunately, one takes place in the Bellingham area, and in July, so we will be there and have some time to prepare. Having never raced before, I plan to enter in the beginner class at first, though I may change my mind and try sport once it gets closer to the date.
As for training, I am pretty much clueless, and have limited time to put in hours on the bike. I figure initially two to three, 1-2hr rides during the week, then a 2-3hr ride on Saturday, and a slightly longer ride on Sunday. Plus, once a month a longer "epic ride". I'm sure I will have to increase this mileage as the summer approaches, but it seems that will be adequate for now. We'll see how that works out, and I will keep posting on my progress.

The Evolution Continues

It started with as a poorly written piece of html, now after much half-assed work it can finally be navigated properly! Welcome to Crazy Bicycle two-point-OH yeah!

Class Schedule Update

It seems that I have very little of my own time this semester as I am cramming as many classes as I can get in order to graduate this spring. It has been a long time coming since I graduated from high school six years ago. So a full load of 18 credits, none of which have anything to do with my crappy communcation major, fills my days with much reading and dire exhaustion. My Mondays start with a 9:00 Metaphysics class, taken solely out of kitten-like curiosity to the things we believe about the world. Next up, at 11:00, I have Language and Culture in Society, a followup to the Linguistics class I took last semester. Then I have American Philosophy at 1:00, which interstingly enough, Americans are well known NOT to study. I guess, if you go to a seminar on French philosophy, you will have several hundred French, Canadians and small factions of French philosophy entheusiasts, The same for Germans and German Philosophy, However, if you go to a seminar on American Philosophy you will find a smattering of Russians, Germans, French, and British folk who all know more about historical American philosophers than American philosophy professors. At 2:00 I have my only lower division class, Anthropology 100 which after attending the first few classes, I have determined that we will be babied through every twist and turn that the teacher takes us. And that voice, she really does think that she is talking to a group of young, maliable third graders all intent on the lecture while she actually waits for us to answer every rhetorical question she poses. This will be my favorite for sure, i'll probably get a C. Lastly for Mondays is my other favorite class, Archeometry. We will be learning how to analyze floral and faunal remains in archeology sites as well as how to interperate site features and artifact stratigraphy. I continue to work Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, but with one new catch on Tuesday and Thursday-- I have a class an hour after I get done with work on those days too, so I get home pretty late. Oh well, all in the name of my communication degree.

Craigslist Folly

The world of mountain biking is full of jargon; numerous part standards, widths, heights, weights, pressures, and lengths. To the uninitiated it can be confusing to say the least... which brings me to my main point. Craigslist. The wonderful world of the bike page on craigslist is a mixed bag of those in the know, and those who don't have a clue. Occasionally you'll see a great deal, but more likely you'll find someone trying to huck a part or bike for a absolutely ridiculous price. I've decided to highlight a few of Bellingham's recent adds:

Wow, an ancient set of square taper XT cranks. These are at least 10 years old, but rest assured they are in good shape! "light scratches where pedals were installed, otherwise threads fine. Chainrings have little to light use" Yeah, sure buddy, your 10 year old cranks, which have seen enough use to rub off their XT logos are in great shape and I'm sure the hook shaped chainring teeth will match up great with my new chain!
Asking price: $100

im looking for a cheap kona shred
When I first saw this post title I immediatley knew the individual must be below the age of 14 with an IQ to match. The Kona Shred bikes, while not top of the line, start at around a thousand dollars. However buddy boy here wants to spend 200 bucks. His message continues, "im looking for a kona shred in good condition and preaty cheap so just plz email a pic of it plz at (email ommited) i will pay in cash" You know what they say, you get what you pay for. WTF, LOL OMG.

You know times are bad when people are trying to sell their kids bike for gas: "Nice HUFFY bike, Made in United States of America . Rear tire shows wear. black paint with flames and chrome front forks. Just pay for 10 Gallons of gas put in my vehicle, from locale gas station and its yours."
Whats that junior? You want to ride your bike? Sorry, mommy traded it for a tank of gas, now go watch some more Sponge Bob and mommy will bring you a king size Snickers bar.
I like this morons emphasis on HUFFY and the (wrong) fact that the bike is made in the good 'ol USA. I'm betting this person has greasy hair, packs an extra 50 pounds, and favorite beer starts with a "B".

Doeman find Francis Collin's "Language of God" lacking in rational thought

Francis Collins is widely known as the director of the Human Genome Project, one of humanities finer moments in which our genome was successfully catalogued in a feat of scientific prowess. One might assume that such an accomplishment means that Collins is a pretty bright guy, which is true, however his recent book is proof that the human mind is capable of incredible compartmentalization, the ability to hermetically seal parts of one's thinking from intellectual rigor and honesty.

I don't mean for this to be an in-depth review, so I'll keep my comments succinct and brief. There are some major philosophical oversights Collins made, and while I'd like to take credit for pointing them out, they are so blatantly obvious any one could do so.

The thesis of Collins' book is that science presents undeniable evidence for the existence of the triune Abrahamic God, an interesting thesis and no small claim. How does Collins set about proving his thesis? - through a number of different ways:

First, Collins makes, or rather borrows the 'morality argument' almost completely from C.S. Lewis, the famous Christian apologist. If I was to characterize the argumentative style of Lewis, I would say he characteristically bites off more than he chews, making grandiose claims premised on weak assumptions, a trap Collins walks directly into. The crux of the morality argument in "The Language of God" is that there is no evolutionary justification for altruism on the level of the individual. Collins cannot imagine how individuals performing altruistic actions benefit their own reproductive health and thus assumes altruism must come from outside the individual; it was put there by the Abrahamic God. I have two things to say about this: 1. Collins ignores the research by Richard Dawkins, among others, on the nature of kin selection and how altruistic actions on the individual can plausibly, realistically, support the genetic benefit of the group. 2. Collins is employing "God of the Gaps" logic, something he claims to despise, by looking for a hole where he perceives there isn't a scientific answer and plugging in God. This is no small logical error, and is quite typical of Christian apologists; these individuals search for 'gaps' in science, the places where we don't yet have answers so they may insert their own version of God, as if by proxy. Even if we didn't have a scientific explanation for the existence of altruism, there would be absolutely no reason whatsoever to assume a god is responsible, let alone a Christian version. This kind of logic is pervasive throughout the writings of C.S. Lewis, and because Collins piggybacks so heavily on Lewis's popular books, he falls prey to the same shortcomings.

Second, on the reason why God doesn't provide more concrete evidence of his existence Collins says, "If the case in favor of belief in God were utterly airtight, then the world would be full of confident practitioners of a single faith. But imagine such a world, where the opportunity to make a free choice about belief was taken away by the certainty of the evidence. How interesting would that be?" So, according to Collins the reason God doesn't make his existence clear is because the world would be less interesting. Couple this with the belief that God will damn to hell those who don't accept his existence and you have a fairytale-esque reality set forth by Collins. Why would God hide himself and then damn those who can't find him? Well, because its more interesting than the alternative!

Third, Collins relays a personal experience which he said solidified his Christian belief,

"On a beautiful fall day, as I was hiking in the Cascade Mountains ... the majesty and beauty of God’s creation overwhelmed my resistance. As I rounded a corner and saw a beautiful and unexpected frozen waterfall, hundreds of feet high, I knew the search was over. The next morning, I knelt in the dewy grass as the sun rose and surrendered to Jesus Christ."

If one can deduce the existence of Jesus Christ, and the triune deity from a frozen waterfall, then you can assume anything from anything. Why not assume, from the frozen waterfall the reality and existence of genocidal meatball monsters on the dark side of the moon? Using Collins' logic, there is no difference; in fact anything goes with this kind of pithy thinking.

If Francis Collins wasn't one of the most prominent scientists operating in genetics he probably wouldn't have caught so much flack for this book, however because he is highly educated he should know better. I found this book sadly disappointing.

New Day

The rainy weather combined with a bum knee did not dampen my desire to bike this weekend. I haven't done much mountain biking lately, so Saturday I rode Galbraith and Sunday I spent time in Area 51 sliding around in the dead leaves and mud. The temperatures were in the upper 40s so there was no danger of getting too cold even with the downpours. I did however discover an extreme limitation inherent in the design of WTB's Weirwolf tire; it is terrible in North West mud, absolutely horrible. Numerous times I would be ripping downhill into a corner only to have the bike suddenly start to slide away from me; the tire, which is great in dry conditions, just can't handle the mud here in Bellingham. It was dangerous, a couple times I thought I was going to drift into a tree and ruin the day so I guess I'll have to put a Timberwolf back on the front; they are anchor-weight heavy but handle the mud with precision.

On a sad note, a WWU student was killed last week. The student, a Korean guy here on an 8 week cultural exchange was walking back from Sehome village with a friend after phoning home to let his parents know he arrived in America safely when he was hit by a van driven by a 20 year old woman. Witnesses say the van stopped for a few seconds before speeding away. Fortunately the police were able to quickly identify the woman since only a week previously she had been involved in another hit and run. Upon arresting her they noted she was drunk and high on prescription medicines. She is going to be tried for vehicular manslaughter.
I thought about this for a long time last night and have decided its too bad we don't have access to a much more stringent punishment in cases like this. Why is it that these situations seem far too common? The dregs of humanity, the most worthless members of our species ironically end up un-scathed while killing the best among us. Undoubtedly the Korean guy had just finished his mandatory 2 years of military service and was looking forward to 8 weeks of well-earned learning and growth here in Bellingham. He had paid his dues and was on the right path only to have his life stolen away by a drunk, high woman whom our government not only granted a drivers license, but allowed to drive even after a hit and run incident exactly one week previously. I'm sure she will be found guilt and given a light sentence of 10 years courtesy of us tax payers before she is back driving again. Again I say, its too bad we don't have a more efficient way of dealing with those who kill others. I've always thought that if you kill someone you tacitly forfeit your right to be treated as an equal member of society; you have broken that most solemn trust to live amongst the rest of us in peace and you therefore face the consequences. This position needs no religious or moralist spin, I think it can be arrived at by an exercise of pure reason. But in an age of hippies and fundamentalists I guess I'm just old fashioned.

Observations

Monkey Zoo
I've come to think of the urban landscape as something like a zoo, we cyclists are akin to the minimum wage workers who thanklessly have to clean up the poo the moneys throw at anything which moves. We don't necessarily want to be there amongst the monkeys, but we got bills to pay. We really don't like dealing with the poo, but the monkeys just keep chucking it at us. We sometimes try to reason with the monkeys, explaining to them that their poo really stinks up the place and is difficult to remove from the walls, that their incessant screaming makes life a little less enjoyable for everyone, but the monkeys don't understand; they just stare blankly at us before hucking a big handful of poo right towards us. On a good day we'll dodge the monkey poo, but on a bad day... you get the point.

Spandex
Why do cyclists wear spandex. Why. I suppose this type of philosophical question is on par with why cyclists shave their legs, another brain twister I've never been able to figure out. But spandex, whenever I see a cyclist wearing it, especially a mountain biker, I can't help but immediately visualize them dancing in an aerobics video set to 80s pop music. This is not a good public image for the sport; imagine what a non-cyclist must think when they see a brightly colored spandex-clad screw ball breathing heavily as they whiz down the road. Or worst, a tight single file line of roadies with their faces 8 inches from each others asses. Again, not a good image. Also, it is worth mentioning that NO ONE looks good in spandex, ESPECIALLY bike shorts with their oddly placed pads. I don't care if the cyclist is a woman with the greatest legs and butt in the world, put her in bike shorts and her attractiveness immediately falls to that of the average woman. Or worst, take your average cyclist, who might be packing a little extra weight as it is and put them in spandex. One word: vomit.
There is no reason not to wear baggy bike shorts these days; they don't catch on anything, are comfortable and breathable. Plus, they don't give off a campy image or show the world something that is better kept private.

Bikes in the Movies
Another thing that hurts the cause is how cyclists are portrayed in the media. Since most people take their opinions and values from what they see on TV and in the movies, it follows that when commuters are portrayed as nerds such as in '40 Year Old Virgin', or 'You Me and Dupree' people will believe it. When these movies continually reinforce the old stereotype that success is equated with automobile ownership, we will have a hard time breaking into the mainstream.

Skewered Hand Update

No work today, the first time that the shop has been open during break that I didn't work. Not because of my hand, I worked yesterday, Ryan is back so we have our normal schedule again. I basically sat here and played computer all day and read for my metaphysics class which should be interesting. My palm is still numb, but I can move my wrist more freely without pain. The swelling around the wrist has gone all the way down and none of the three holes have any pain when I push on them. So I am optimistic that I will make a full recovery by the end of the week. Probably just in time for the inevidable rain that will make the trails muddy again-- and I havent even gotten a chance to ride yet. Sadie and I went up there today, but on the way there, though I had already declared that I was not going to ride the trail, just clean it, I discovered that I couldnt really pull back on the handlebars, which is essential part of riding the trail. So I walked it once around picking up sticks while Sadie rode 5 laps. Good job Sades!

I guess I'll let everyone know when I'm all better. No I'm not going to the hospital Ariel, unless it stops getting better this quickly.

Nate Shiska-bob - $4.00

And a tetanus shot perhaps. I wasnt sure if I was supposed to go to work today, so I did anyway to get in some extra hours and greet Ryan back from his two week vacation. I boxed a bike and built a bike in a few hours and took lunch. There wasn't a lot to do around there afterwards, so I was pretty bored really. I decided I would give Ryan a hand and prepare some warranty wheels for rebuilding. A pretty standard routine for sure, just cut the spokes around the hub, take them off the rim and clean the hub and rim for rebuilding. I was on my second wheel and had cut all the spokes around the hub and taken it out. The wheel reflector was still on the spoke so I grabbed it to pull it off the end of the spoke because we save such things. The rusty spoke didn't let go easily so I pulled harder. It went. And with it, my hand shot like a bullet down to the opposite side where the spokes skewered three tiny holes neatly in a line, an inch apart. The middle seems to have gone completely to the bone, pinching my ulnar nerve. I immediatly lost feeling in my palm, though I still have full movement in my fingers and hand. After I cleaned the spurting blood and compressed it to stop the bleeding I found that drastic wrist movements caused shooting pain up into my pinky and ring fingers. After a half hour there remained a dull throbbing pain where the injury occurred as well as limited pain up the nerve to my elbow. Movement did not cause much pain, however any force required to twist the wrist, like opening a screw cap, even softly, sent more pain up my arm. At this point, most movements like straightening my elbow or bending at the wrist causes pain all the way to my inner tricep as well as a constant dull pain in the hand. My palm remains numb to touch, but still feels hot and cold.

You may order a Nate Shish-ka-bob online, just email and I will ship via UPS anywhere. I would show pictures but there is not much to look at, just three small red dots. It makes me angry that an injury that could look so awesome, like a spoke protruding through my hand gushing everywhere, just isnt as photogenic as I would like. Oh well.

Monday

While carnage ensued across the Pacific Ocean (read Nate's update), I worked a routine day in the office, well almost routine except for the 3:00pm meeting that went till 4:30! I usually leave at 4:00, the horror! I don't know what it is, but when I know my leaving time for an event I get anxious if I'm pushed beyond it. Maybe if I was a 5 minute walk from work I wouldn't care, but I'm a 25 minute commute. Not long in theory, but in bike-o-vision, with the cars, stop signs, and hightend state of alert its about 2 hours.

On a different subject, while the winters here in Bellingham are wet and dark, we still have green things to enjoy. At least away from the buildings, roads, and in the woods that is. I took this picture on a new trail I discovered a couple weeks ago.

Kings Landing

A small epic has passed and a nap well taken completes my adventures for the day. We decided to try to get to King's Landing as neither of us quite knew how to get there. Unfortunately, we guessed the path too well and didn't get chased by angry Hawaiian's riding big trucks sporting rottweiler missiles. Our ride to the local kapu beach was pleasant and devoid of any intense moments, with the exception of the white tourist mobile we quickly caught, trailed and almost hit as we passed it on the rough 4x4 trail. The car would zig-zag up steep hills trying avoid the giant holes reminiscent of Tree Planters. Three seconds after passing, we were free to hit the gas and have some fun on the rough dual track, tearing along at a blistering pace that no doubt made the tourists jealous. We found a beach and stopped for snacks after about an hour of riding, picked up some shells and enjoyed the sun, which has been so faint in recent months, and listened to the crashing waves on the rocks. This was not quite King's Landing, but it did suffice for a short stop before continuing on the trail.

The fast dual track hadn't ended at the beach so we fired up the engines and prepared for a good, tear inducing pace that would liken us to downhill racers, but the descents were too short for that kind of speed. We did have a blast picking lines down the road, aiming for any rocks or bumps that might fling us skyward, to land, tuck and pump our way to speed.

We came upon what we think was the way to Kings at an intersection that headed inland or further down the coast. We figured that the inland route would lead us to the Ag. roads and home again so we took it, skipping King's Landing. We didnt need more sand in our bike shoes anyway, its coarse and gets everywhere. We finished off with some Jamba Juice with so many carbs it makes you see extra dimensions.

Blood

A little bloody. The worst thing about road rash is that it exposes the nerves which results in more pain than you'd think from the wound.

Raw Hamburger

Say you stuck an M-80 in a pound of raw hamburger and lit the fuse; the subsequent mess is what my knee looked like last night after I was hit by a 50mph gust and slammed into the pavement going near top speed. The streets were wet, as they always are these days, and my tires are bald. All these factors together contributed to my crash, a crash that sounded like a metal folding chair dropped onto a sidewalk from a 10 story building. WHAM! Irrigating the wound once I got home was a blast, I thought I was doing pretty good after scrubbing it with soapy water and a towel, but I changed my mind once I poured isopropyl alcohol over it... as it mixed with the blood and flesh it looked like magma and felt the part. I vocalized my excitement with colorful language. Also, I didn't exactly sleep well being covered in bruises and having my road rash solder itself to my covers only to rip open whenever I shifted positions, but hey, nothing is broken at least.

Naturally I took pictures which I will post later in full resolution.

Toss the Cellphone and other Digressions - Unapologetic Thoughts from an Angry Cyclist

As of January 1, it is illegal to use a cell phone while driving in Washington State. I don't know if this includes using hands-free kits, but if not it should. If you are caught using a cell phone while driving you will receive a $124 ticket (why didn't they round it to $125?). I'm fully aware that the drones will not obey this new law and it really is a shame since most people do not possess even the most basic ideo-motor functionality required to navigate their giant vehicular machines without regular negative occurrences, so when you add a cell phone to the mix things go down hill fast. Studies have proven that cell phone use while driving essentially lowers one's abilities to the level of a drunk driver, but we are a nation of Americans, how dare anyone infringe on our conviences.

I've had a number of close calls caused by cell phone wielding drivers which has bred in my psyche nothing but utter contempt for anyone who uses a phone while driving; a $124 ticket is not enough for these blow-hards, the fine should be much higher and include some kind of mandatory license suspension. Whoa boy that would get their attention wouldn't it? It'd be like taking a pacifier away from a baby; just imagine the unintelligible whining and excuses would be sure to follow.

But the attitude isn't new right? People who drive while cell phoning do so because they have important business. Thats why they speed, and break traffic laws too; their lives are important, more than everyone else’s safety even. How else would they be able to know, while driving home from work, what their fat kids want from McDonalds? IMPORTANT BUSINESS! Right?

Wrong.

This self righteous arrogance is the reason why change comes so damn slow in this country, hardly anyone is ever willing to openly examine what they are doing and make the changes necessary for the good of the group. This is why I can never be a libertarian; humans are way too selfish to be granted much influence. Its in our genes; selfishness was great 50,000 years ago on the Sahara when food was scarce, but these days it just makes life miserable. Obesity, copious car usage, self-righteous arrogance, and blow-hardiness... We all want to play our music loud, drive wherever we please, and fly wherever we want. If someone says we should conserve, well to hell with them! We are Americans, God's people, the blessed nation of Consumerism. We are so smart and forward thinking we elected Bush not just once, but TWICE. Go figure.

I have immense pride in the secular vision of our founding fathers, but no pride in what we have become as a country

Beginning of the Year

So a new year begins and a final semester of school looms ahead threatening to stamp out any possibility of fun that may chance my way. I'm talking about my schedule that I have forced upon myself, class all day on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, as well as work on Tuesday and Thursday same was last semester with an added twist, I will be attending another class on Tuesday AND Thursday nights to heighten the excitement of being in school with no free time. Well, we cant have that, so I've decided to put up my list of NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS.

So my Ipod broke this year. Running it through the wash a second time was not the best idea for laundering my dirty songs. I figured that would put everyone off the scent but instead it just broke. It may not have been the wash that killed it but the drying. Who knows. I picked up another mp3 player though for christmas and we'll have to see how long it takes for me to wash this one. I decided not to pay the apple tax so I got a Creative Zen Stone 1 gig player for half the price of a shuffle. My biggest worry is the rain, I ride in the rain. And those of us who know, know that when the rain comes down, it doesnt stop for a few months. We're in the middle of those few months now, more than a few really, the middle of the nine of them. So I'll keep us all posted on the Stone's effectiveness at repelling water, battery life and tree-bashing hardyness.

My Resolutions

1) To ride every morning before work or school that I see fit. (You see what I've done here, I can follow this one whenever I like and not break it).

2) To live until at least the following year (2009).

3) To post this list for all who care to see.

4) To get my bike as muddy as I did today as often as possible.

I tried to contribute as many non-binding resolutions like our Senate and House does so that I cant be held accountable for not keeping up with them. The only one that I cannot really fully be in control of is living until 2009, there are just too many cars to keep track of for me to put that one all on myself... and I'm going to be in Hilo for a good portion of this year.

2007 is in the Bag

Its a new year. We made it; our species that is. Lets see if we can keep the trend going!

I try not to make resolutions, partly because its too cliche, and partly because its just a set-up for inevitable failure (everyone always makes impossible resolutions), but I have outlined some goals I'd like to achieve, things like reading more, learning more about a few specific subjects, trying to eat a little healthier, and saving a bit more cash. I'm liking my prospects on the first two, we'll see about the second couple.

2008 should also deliver some new guests to the town, witness a trip by Sabrina and I to Taiwan, and hopefully see status improvements at work. Nagging at the back of my mind is also the desire to go back to school; a year can yield many results. I'm optimistic. I also hope for the health of my family, especially my Pah.

Life is short, so I hope we can all realize and appreciate the brief spark of existence we have. I'm excited to see the new discoveries on the horizon and learn a little more about this wonderful place we live.

2008 will also bring the world a new American president, a fact I find both horrifying and refreshing, as does most everyone else. The good news is the bar is low right now, 'up' is the only direction!

It'll be interesting to see, as it always is, the new bike technology that'll come out. I'm anticipating Cannondales new bike; will it be lust worthy? A flop? Only so-so? Maybe in 2008 I'll get a faster bike for commuting, but maybe not. The only constant is the fact that I'll keep commuting on two wheels.

Crazy Bicycle has grown by leaps and bounds and I'd say it will continue to do so. We've had visitors from every corner of the globe, and hope some of them will keep coming back to see what we've got to say. As long as the website is up, Nate and I will keep spraying our mental diarrhea all over this place.