Sunday, July 19, 2009

Could we be a hateful, war mongering, rascist nation?



At 47 minutes, it is a stretch for attention spans, but it is a powerful message. Don't get me wrong, we enjoy more freedoms and privileges in this country than most. I want to keep it that way, and maybe even improve on it. Fear the extreme on either side of the balance beam.

Saturday, July 18, 2009

Way to go WIDOT!







Well will wonders never cease? Looky what the DOT did just for us lil ol' pedestrians and bicyclists. This is without a doubt the most forward thinking action I have ever seen on the part of either the local city builders, or the state. A special double thick "atta boy" to whoever is responsible. Thank you.



In other news, a cool car was seen, captured, photographed and released by me this morning. I roped it by the front wheels and tied it off to my bike. It was very docile, smelled clean, was not aggressive. Possibly a new adaptation by nature to changing environmental conditions. The ever present parasitic being was not present in the front area, but I'm sure a change to symbiosis is in the works. Compare and contrast to the normal vehicles seen in this area.

Thursday, July 9, 2009

The face of La Crosse

has broken out in a rash of orange pimples. They appear in the road every Spring and Summer. Busy little city engineers scrape and cut and redo, and reredo, and undo the roadways until they clear up the little orange cone pimples that corral, and herd, and clog the flow of traffic. Oh, and let me just add 90 degree weather, humidity, and thunderstorms to the situation.

And here is the payoff for the biking community, pissed off drivers looking for a target for their vengeance. I got flipped off today while commuting in the bike lane on Hwy 16 by a driver stopped dead in a jam. Hardy hardy frickin har on you in your insular, air conditioned, stereo playing pod of security. Funnier still, the road crew apparently thinks the bike lane is a great storage area for their orange pimple cones at the day's end.

It's a small town, with a lot of charm. Sometimes though, the lack of a more urban mentality can really wear me down. Madison, progressive, bike friendly, great infrastructure. La Crosse, angry redneck peckerwoods that love their beer, NASCAR and TV. So I leave you with this La Crosse car folks:

Friday, July 3, 2009

How much do you love a Friday?


Project for the weekend - Go through the staggering amount of material possesions that seem to accumulate and hide in every nook and crany of a household. Garage sale? Nope. Donate, yes. Oh the humanity! Why in the world do I own a potato ricer? I mean, I had to ask someone what the heck the thing was, just to realize I own a potato ricer. Drawer by drawer, box by box, I aim to pare down the clutter and distraction that permeates my household. I found a remarkable tool to aid in this process, found it with a google search, printed it out and I hold it up in front of whatever item I find that raises even the slightest question in my mind.
The big thing here, to me, is to just let go. There is the philanthropic side of donating to local charities, and I sincerely hope these things go to those in need. There has been suffering, and difficult times in the past, and there will no doubt be more in the future. As tough as things can be, somebody somewhere is eating a bigger shit sandwich than you, which as a humanitarian whole really sucks. As an act of patriotism, instead of firing a weapon, do a good deed for a fellow American. Peace and prosperity America, happy birthday.