SWEN YELLAV

train back to dublin

2009-02-04T08:33:00.000-08:00

this morning i found out that loney dear is touring with andrew bird from their performance in washington, DC. i have had plans to see this show in pittsburgh and i think the fact that loney dear is the opener i am definitely going. i have never seen a show at the carnegie music hall and this would be a great reason to go. it was 2 years ago i posted the i am john video which is still a fantastic video and song. OUCH.... just found out that loney dear possibly stops touring with andrew bird before the pittsburgh show and birds opening act it TBA. bummer.

ok. get ahold of your pants for some exciting STUFF!

ok. i have been known to have a few items of taxidermy in the house but does this one take the cake or what? it brings just the balance of uncomfortableness to cozyness my living room was lacking.

ever since i broke my 8 cup french press i purchased and have been using a 10 cup which i have never loved quite as much as the 8. bargain shopping last weekend i found a new 8 cup in the box at goodwill for $3. it was bound to find its way back into my life.

sewing. something i enjoy from time to time but have not a royal clue of how to do it well. i recently pulled out my mothers machine and learned what each knob does and only broke one needle in doing so.

my pride and joy of the last few weeks. i have been wanting this machine for almost two years now -at least it feels like its been that long. the only regret is that i didnt buy it sooner.

this mornings breakfast along with coffee. i have been eating hummus wraps with avocado daily. this morning my dad dropped off some canadian bacon from an amish auction so i added that with egg and super sharp cheddar. a nice breakfast treat.

no one on the corner has a swagger like us

2009-01-27T13:09:00.000-08:00

had to post this story. more people cannot live without than you would expect.

SURVIVAL

and you know when its all gone, something carries on-- and its not morbid at all

2009-01-27T09:57:00.000-08:00

hello friends. this is the first post in a while that i am excited about posting. sure, i wanted to show off the bikes i spent time cleaning up but i just wasnt all that into it.

last night i went to see frightened rabbit at carnegie mellon university. this is the second time seeing them and it was nice to see them as the headliner. if you are not familiar with these scottish brothers you need to do yourself a favor and check them out. definitely a band worth seeing whenever possible. their talent and emotions are proven in the midnight organ fight but i dont expect it to be the end of "monster" albums.

more exciting news. i will be seeing bonnie "prince" billy in chicago at the vic theatre. calling this exciting is an understatement. bonnie is my go-to man. that is easily proven by organizing my music by play count.... finding him in about 85% of the top 200 or songs. i truly do not know what to expect in this concert but my imagination is setting me up for a fantastic show.

speaking of rabbits.. or bunnies for that matter.. check out the ones in this video from you, youre awesome, out of cincinnati, oh. ps.. i have that same dish drying rack in my house. highly recommended... the rack and the music!!!!

moving forward to bikes. i commonly get this question... hey ryan i want a bike what kind of bike should i get... with this example i am not saying go buy a $2000 bike but usually people want to spend $300-$500 on the wrong bike. a used version of this bike could be found easily in your price range. most people love the idea of mtn bikes and shocks and flexible stems but thats just it. they love the idea of them but when it comes down to it is all extras that are not necessary and actually adds to inefficiency. i know ive mentioned it before but maybe this picture will help create the new vision of the bike you want.

ok. a highly unlikely discussion on this blog but i am going to mention the steelers being in the superbowl. do i care if they win? of course. i live near and visit pittsburgh often and if anyone knows anything about this area is that there is a concentration of people are huge pricks on the average day (you say more so than anywhere else, and i say yes). if there is situation that is going to make thousands of people happy that live around me i am all for it. do not get me wrong. i am not one of those people who slam this area... i live here and i choose to live her for many good reasons that most people choose to go on without acknowledging. they would rather fill their thoughts with questions such as "remind me of why i live here and not florida?" and "isnt this weather awful?" ok.... after writing all of that i feel like a huge prick so i guess if you live here you are not immune to it.

enjoy the rest of the week! and "keep yourself warm".

i would be sad

2009-01-17T05:47:00.000-08:00

upcoming shows i hope to be attending pittsburgh:

frightened rabbit
tim fite
watson twins w/ ben kweller

new albums:

whitest boy alive
john frusciante
m. ward
animal collective
loney dear

to name a few.

be sure your sins will find you out.

2009-01-11T19:25:00.000-08:00

i came home today to find thie in my driveway.... the sign has been in my yard for a few months now... just showed up one day and i kept it. i am pretty sure the same persons made this pile of snow appear as well. i think ill leave it there until the good lord taketh away.

tubalard

2009-01-07T17:39:00.000-08:00

below are the pics of the folding bike and the defense bike. i put an antique horn on the defense bike that i believe is from the early 1900's. the folding bike turned out great. i ended up buying new tires that were a bit skinnier that clear the forks nicely. a smooth and fun bike to ride.

i rode today on the snowy streets and grass. i felt like a stuffed pig getting into spandex and slowly turning the cranks over in the soggy grass. its going to be a long rode to getting back into shape.

down by the lake where the wild wind blows, free from the weight of desire.

2009-01-06T13:52:00.000-08:00

its been a long time without posting. although i have thought about posting i havent had anything to say and i just havent made the time. its 2009 which doesnt mean much to me.... most people probably have made goals for the year and started that new diet that is only slightly different than the one that they started last year around this time. being that i havent ridden my bike in months and running is the same situation i plan on doing that more often now that the holidays are over and i am actually looking forward to it.

that blue folding bike finally got painted and i am in the process of putting it back together. the biggest holdup is that the front tire is too big for the forks to fit in the fork....FDFF (fatties dont fit fine) i felt a need to get that bike finished because i added a new vintage bike to the group.....a 1930's defense bike in total working order. the tires inflated and held air which i was pretty ecstatic about. this bike cost me $25 and i didnt even have to buy a tube for it. ill post pictures of both this one and my folding bike redo when i finish it.

no photos this time. happy new year everyone.

what more is tomorrow? than another day.

2008-12-07T11:30:00.000-08:00

our second repeal day celebration and beer taste benefit. 75 years of legally enjoying BEER. here are very few pictures from the successful and fun evening.

i dont know what you thought. im not your astronaut.

2008-12-04T19:38:00.000-08:00

its here. our second repeal day celebration. many things are the same... its relaxed, fun and about nothing but having a good time. fortunately this year, on the 75th anniversary of it all, the party falls on a friday night and its at the corinthian. we sold out before the doors opened and hopefully the hype and excitement is followed throughout the night. hopefully i will have some photos to post. if not i am sure there will be some posted on the repeal day blog.

above is a photo from my kitchen. it includes the new "drinking after five" clock, the repeal day flyer from last year and of course in the background, Mr. Ramalamb.

while we are on the subject of beer tastes.. jimmy and i broke open this bottle from southern tier brewing. i last posted about southern tier with their pumking ale. i just opened another bottle of that pumking that i have been saving in the fridge and noticed that, although it wasnt in the fridge all that long, time did not do the beer any good. is that possible to notice such a drastic difference in a beer in only a two month period?? it did not taste bad by any measure but it just didnt have the body it did when i first bought the beers. to note: i have been battling a sinus cold and that definitely has an affect on taste buds.

ranting... anyway... there really isnt a beer with vanilla bean that i ever thought was great. its just not for me and this beer was no different although i did enjoy it. first reaction was that this would be fantastic as a milkshake. that lead me to the idea of a milkshake store devoted to milkshakes made from stouts and other brews and liquors. imagine a whole list of them to try. -id go there anyway.

well sorry for the lack of posts. i am sure to post again sooner and hopefully with some fun pictures from tomorrow night.

ah shnucks.....

in the mornin on the fields of green, in the homeland weve never seen

2008-11-11T18:52:00.000-08:00

guter Tag. so its been over a month since i have returned from nova scotia. i have been working a lot to help pay the bills these weeks and although i have thought about riding my bike i have not the slightest urge to. i happened to find several of my biking friends on facebook and its great. they all have biking photos and videos to post which keeps me in the loop but also i feel that i am missing these good times in the woods.

im not sure i have wrote about what has happened at our local trail system but if i havent we are no longer permitted to ride on a majority of them and that has had me a bit depressed since i was beginning to have a strong attachment to some of those trails. lately i have heard of new trails being built on the legal side by "longhair". he is a loner we have met throughout the past few years who has slowly let us become friends with him. he has gone through some tough and terrible times in his life and goes to the woods for his medication. brushing miles of trails with his bare hands..not only to clear the path but because he loves the color of the soil and it kicks up food for the wildlife. im not sure why i am writing about him right now but i do have a certain care for him and at time almost feel his pain when he lets us into his life. i also have not met someone so genuine and sensible about his respect and love for the forest and god. this weekend is supposed to be spent at the cabin by several of my friends. i know i cant make it the whole weekend but i hope to be there for a night.

i came across this NPR article and found it interesting. its about trees... one of our worlds greatest resources. i dont know what it is about trees but i never lose interest in them - from saplings in a forest to things made from wood...especially old things. ok... i just deleted my further rant on trees.

my rabbits foot fern was struggling in my dark house so i decided to hang it in the kitchen. not having a plant holder i conjured up this idea... the bike chain plant holder..just another way to reuse your old bike chains.

there is grime on my face, there is crust in my eye, there is no one in the place but no one said goodbye.

2008-10-29T06:19:00.000-07:00

we had the first snowfall of the year a few days ago. big fat flakes.

havent done any biking in the past few weeks. no cross which i had really hoped to do more of this year.

last week i planted some trees around the house. my plan for the property is to not have any grass to mow and have it loaded with plants and trees. a little at a time i guess.

ive been researching tires for my truck and going to upgrade the leaf springs in the back. i am a firm believer in good tires.

i am also enclosing my front porch with hemlock shiplap that i picked up last week. ill possibly post some pictures when i am finished. i am added two lead windows for some character. not that my advanced carpenter skills are enough character.

well just a short update hope everyone had a great halloween.

For sweetness alone who flew out through the window....

2008-10-18T09:17:00.000-07:00

this is a big weekend. a group of my friends are running the columbus marathon and it is all their first marathon ever. more importantly there are three birthdays this sunday. my cousin lisa, susan (joes girlfriend, and my mothers 60th!! we are celebrating today. my mom doesnt read this blog but if she did she would probably say something like... "be careful, i worry so much about you.' i could never repay my mom for how fantastic she is. shes no rebel or adrenalin junky pushing me to seek out all kinds of adventures but she loves me to pieces and this i know. happy birthday shirley!

I SAW THE BRIGHT SHINIES
below is a fantastic animated video from the octopus project by Divya Srinivasan. she has some fun videos on her website to check out if you are killing time.

THE STORY OF STUFF
Below is The Story Of Stuff Please take the time to watch this 20 minute video.

via videosift.com

i must say that i have seen and heard some of the most ridiculous things this election year. most of which do not surprise me. ive been numbed throughout the past years. without going further, please
VOTE!!!!! JIMMY IS GOING TO AND THAT MAKES HIM FEEL GREAT!!!!

but i slipped through the scheme, so lucky to fail.

2008-10-13T15:28:00.000-07:00

here is a small collection of photos from our Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island trip. it was a great tour and we had exceptional weather. of the sixteen days we were riding twelve of the nights were spent in a tent and we had only about four days of unfavorable weather.

the people of nova scotia for the most part are very friendly. the land is nice and it is a perfect territory for a bicycle tour. i would probably guess that our average mileage in a day was about 60 miles. with the most being around 115 and the least being 30. there was only one day we did not ride.

it was quickly realized that nova scotia does not have great beer although they think it is awesome (see alexander keiths) and it was very tough to find good coffee. most towns in nova scotia are small and tend to shut down around now until spring. we had our share of good food but each place we stopped was a gamble. the salmon lox and smoked trout were fantastic and a good price. the best fish and chips i had was the first place we ate in st. john, new brunswick. mussel soup was fantastic at the knot pub near lunenburg and the mussels were best at the rope loft in chester.

of all things for me to forget to pack i forgot my sleeping pad. to be honest i barely missed it. only one morning i woke up to a frost. just over 1000 miles of riding and i havent been on a bike since i have been back. hope you enjoy the pictures.

There was a knock at that door that shook through their hearts

2008-09-19T09:16:00.000-07:00

recap on last weekend. a large turnout for the peanut butter festival despite the poor weather. luckily no rain during the race. a challenging 15 mile course. jason forgot his helmet and finally found one to borrow only to realize he forgot his shoes to... jimmy passes me around mile nine or so, passes up the trail marking as i yell for him to return and he never caught back up. i finished fourth overall, 1st singlespeed and jimmy finished first in his age category. **jars of peanut butter went up to three dollars. we still bought two cases but i am not even sure that is a discount.

ended up not going to the other race - still have a slight cold as i leave for Nova Scotia today.

i am almost finished with packing. we now have a total of four people going on the trip. jimmy finally came to and realized he is going to go and we picked up a girl bike racer from pittsburgh that we recently started hanging out with. she did the seven springs race solo so there shouldnt be any problem with her abilities.

it looks like the weather is going to be fantastic. Dave Krack who was there in july doing the Ride The Lobster unicycle race said they experienced 52° days then. the ten day forcast for halifax showed sunny days in the upper 50's and nights in the lower 40's. can't wait for these next three weeks.

i am taking no phone so i will not have any email, text, or phone access. i am however taking a camera. take care and i will post pictures after i return.

there was a fanfare blowing to the sun that was floating on a breeze

2008-09-12T07:14:00.000-07:00

Two races this weekend. The Peanut Butter Festival and the Michaux 50 miler I have been doing the peanut butter festival for the past three or so years. Its a great 15 mile race and we always pick up a case of $2 jars of smuckers peanut butter Currently it is raining here and it is possible it will rain for the next five or so days. Follow Hurricane Ike. That and the fact that i am still sick is making this weekend a tough decision. I did some changes on my 29er that dropped it a couple pounds. That should make it much more pleasant to ride/race. Racing this weekend is up in the air as of now. If i am going to race id like to do both.

Pumking!! Had it this weekend on tap at Sharp Edge This beer is fantastic and the best pumpkin beer i have had-not to take away from some of the other great pumpkin beers but once you have had this it would be hard to drink the rest.
We love the Sharp Edge and after seeing Fat Heads with a team at the 24 Hour Subaru Championship I decided to ask Sharp Edge if they would be interested in sponsoring a bike team. Ill keep you posted.

As for Nova Scotia. I found out the ferry we were planning to take there stops the first week in october so we are now driving another 5.5 hours to st. johns, new brunswick to catch that ferry. the pluses are that we will save $100 on ferry fees and parking is free compared to $10 a day. plus this ferry runs every day opposed to twice a week. I purchased two waterproof stuff sacks for my sleeping bag and tent and a pair of chacos

The adventure is right around the corner!!

and the rabid bits of time have been eating you....

2008-09-07T16:43:00.000-07:00

a short recap on the laurel classic championship as i remember. 22 mile single loop course.. start 4 mile climb... climbed with a lot of strong racers.. stuck with two other single speeders who at the time were unsure of how fast they were. after that climb i was still racing with the other singlespeeders but realized they were stronger riders than me. mile 12... still 3rd singlespeeder and enter another LONG climb. 3 miles after that climb i am passed by jason and soon after jimmy. we are all racing close together and i am having fun since i was racing alone much of the course.

bottom of the hill and entering the woods jimmy breaks a chain and i lose sight of diurba. eventually i come across diurba on the side of the trail fixing his tire. LONG descent. would have been a lot more fun with a suspension fork or at least less tire pressure. surprised to see the finish at the bottom. finish 3rd single speeder with two single speeders i never saw pretty damn close to me.

a good race with cash payouts and talented strong racers. TOO far away - 4 hour drive....ill informed and i thought it was going to be a two hour trip.

some excellent beer and a home cooked meal- magnotto's carrot/spinach pasta with eggplant, squash, tomatoes and peppers (all from the garden) and a pumpkin cheesecake. peanut butter festival is this saturday.

but gravity always wins, and it wears him out, it wears him out.

2008-09-05T12:15:00.000-07:00

off to the laurel classic mtn bike challenge. looking forward to this race although i just found out about it yesterday. 22mile single loop. i found myself with a fever, clammy, and drop dead weak this week. i am still not fully recovered because as i found myself soaked in sweat this morning and as i now type i am clammy. should be ok enough to race as i have energy. ill be racing singlespeed but hoping to place in the overall category.

the difference a GEAR makes.

2008-09-01T08:52:00.001-07:00

24 hours of seven springs recap.

dry weather and mild temperatures made for a pleasant environment. the course however was equally brutal as it was fun. i have been riding single speed for about two and a half years and this was the first time i changed my gearing on my bike. the first lap was brutal wondering how i would be able to climb another lap. battling the rocky sections of this course left for no power when it came time to climb. it was a course for big wheels and gears but not that bad of a course for the SS after getting the proper gear down. justin pulled consecutive 59min laps but there were some boys sponsored by the state of pennsylvania who were ridiculously fast and skillful. here are my laps as i remember. we placed 2nd and it was a battle to the last couple laps.

lap 1: 1hr 5min 29in 33x18
lap 2: 1hr 4min 29in 33x19
lap 3: 1hr 8min 29in 33x19
lap 4: 1hr 4min 29in 33x19
lap 5: 1hr 4min 26in Geared

jimmy at the top of the big climb 7 or 8 miles into the 12 mile course

heath. strong and consistent.

diurba. riding strong with walking pneumonia. way to stay strong durb.

our fast girl paula and our help for the race becky. she was awesome and we wouldnt have been nearly as on top of our game if not for her. thanks becky! also...without her we wouldnt have these photos.

paula. turning her fastest lap at 1hr 18min. nice paula.

what you feel like. sometimes more often than not.

the final lap. top of the climb awaits a paleo ipa a few swallows of that was fantastic after that climb. good idea!

finished racing and celebrating a great job racing. waiting for me to finish my final lap.

to my team we did a great job and it was a fun race. congrats to pro bikes for pulling off a win and everyone else who raced. peanut butter fest is next weekend and then i will be touring nova scotia. talked to justin about cross racing and will try to join in a few of those races this fall when i return. happy labor day.

lust for comfort suffocates the soul

2008-08-29T07:24:00.000-07:00

i almost posted this video back when i saw it for the first time. not surprising that something so unique and interesting came from bjork. i watched the video again today with 3d glasses on but i am not sure that made it worse or better..

helmets for the urban rider which i though were great.

Duvel on draft!?
my beer of the day calendar left me with this quote the other day:
"Let us drink for the replenishment of our strength, not for our sorrow." -Circero.. and excellent quote and i am not sure who Circero is but i wouldnt be surprised if he was a depressed alcoholic.

i just ordered a new shuffle from MACMINDED. its officially up and running again after a short shut down period. they have a new shuffle out that holds 500 instead of 250 songs but for what its worth i saved the money and purchased the refurbished old style shipped to my door for $41. my old one had problems the the contact to the headphones and after i screwed with it enough the sound quality became poor.

finally bought moldable insoles for my riding shoes. i have heard of people buying them and not putting them in the oven which i may have liked better since i felt like by heating them it pressed the arch down some. regardless they will be much more comfortable than what i previously had.

ok- time to pack.

when i die, ill hang my head beside the willow tree.

2008-08-28T13:04:00.000-07:00

chad vangaalen who i have just learned about after watching the video below. apparently he is interested in death and has quite a unique imagination. his new album soft airplanes releases september 9th. his sound is reminiscent of neal young.

Molten Light

Red Hot Drops

24 hours of seven springs is this weekend. i havent ridden since last weekend although i have been commuting to work. im not even sure if i posted that i started a new job at starbucks this week. its too early to comment on how i am going to like it.

jimmy and i. i look depressed and jimmy is definitely thinking of something funny or planning his next prank. we havent been to jasons cabin in a while but it has been a great year for it. we rode more miles and spent more nights there than in the past few years.

hope everyone has a great labor day weekend. ill try to post our results of the race when i get the chance.

i am with it! ooh man i am wired!

2008-08-19T18:49:00.000-07:00

Mike Flanigan of ANT was interviewed by NPR. Listen to the show here.. i must say that i love the fact that i am seeing more people on bikes and even motorcycles. Mike makes a fantastic bike and has great taste in what he does. This is the type of bike i recommend for everyone. I feel if everyone bought a well made, light, singlespeed commuter bike they would ride it much more often than the geared comfort bike which is what i would consider what most americans
would go out and buy to leave in their garage collecting dust.

the latest news here is that i recently was hired at the hermitage starbucks. i have to say i am excited about this and there is no doubt i will be commuting there on my bike. my plan is to get a bike rack outside the shop before too long. my first day is monday and i believe there is two weeks of training. ill be grinding out $7.20 an hour. perks are a pound of coffee a week, medical, dental and eye insurance keeping only 20hrs a week, and a 401k. it will work nicely with substitute teaching.

fantastic video and song from my morning jacket. love it! watch it here.

autumn is around the corner. the best season to be enjoying the outdoors. forget summer forget fummer.. autumn is where its at.

milk thistle, milk thistle, let me down slow

2008-08-12T14:17:00.000-07:00

havent posted any videos in a long time and i came across this video today. conor oberst. stream his new album online and if you like conor oberst this new album will not disappoint.

something else in the music world i found interesting was lack there of a must for menomena fans. the same ones who brought us the evil bee video in the archives.

the weather has been fantastic here in pennsylvania. cool nights and beautiful days.

jeans, 6HOP, folding bike, six speed to start

2008-08-05T15:01:00.000-07:00

long overdue post.

i bought the original jeans at a shop in CA while visiting my cousin and her husband. just loved them and couldnt wear them enough. scored the same pair on ebay just recently... a size larger so they are not as sweet but i still wear them a lot.

***forgot to mention 6HOP... great race.. wet conditions made for a very slippery course... glad i took my 26in bike as a back up because that is the bike i ended up racing. i believe i was the sixth man in on the first lap which i am pretty happy about. the next singlespeed bike was minutes behind. my partner paula rode great and jimmy, jason, and heath had some great times as well. if we do the seven springs 24hour race the riders just mentioned are most likely the team..

my friend jason saw this bike on the way to work and gave me a call.. i wasnt able to check it out until later in the day and when i saw it at the end of someones drive i thought it was pretty cool. then again, it was at the end of someones drive standing on a golf ball kick stand and a flat tire. i wasnt sure if meant take me im free or im just showing off my 30lb folding bike so i ventured up to the door and the old lady said take it.

so i am currently working on this bike. i will strip it and paint it gloss black. i think i am just going to scrap the decals. if you have an interest let me know what you think...

my other project right now is a 26in carbon fiber six speed. 44 in the front and 17-34 in the back. more pictures if i ever get to it. thats it for now...

i think im stranded but i dont know where

2008-07-08T13:51:00.000-07:00

for those of you who didnt find it on youtube on your own...

ridiculously hot today and some storms rolling in from ohio later tonight.

i spent a long weekend at The Great Blue Heron Festival which was good time. we decided to take the 97 mile trip by bike. 30 miles in a downpour on the way there and a sunny hot day on the way back. average speed was around 14 mph which is about 4 mph faster than the flat canal trail we took to dc. the roads from here to samson, ny are great.

hope everyone enjoyed independence day.

cycling trivialities

2008-06-30T16:08:00.000-07:00

well i have officially made it on you tube. unfortunately its not for some great accomplishment but it was good old fashioned fun. the first video is me attempting a log that i know is beyond my skill and talent level. maybe this is something i will work on this year.

this stoopid video is a "to be continued" ...let the anticipation build.

I might never catch a mouse and present in my mouth

2008-06-25T18:55:00.000-07:00

Fat Tire Challenge was my first race of the year and also my first time racing this event put on by the same people who do the Peanut Butter Festival. I managed to place 2nd. Not to take away from that but when i finally caught Shane (3rd) towards the end of the 24 miles course he flatted while we were exchanging places and the fourth place finisher Scott Root flatted multiple times. The fact that i finished 8 min behind Travis Saeler (1st) and i was the only one in the top six racing a single speed i am ecstatic. This is a picture i stole from Travis' Blog. The Fat Tire Trophy will have the top three racers engraved in it each year which i thought was a nice touch.. four sides to fill, plus a larger base could easily be added when that fills. looking forward to the next races... only one for sure now is the six hours of power which i will probably race with paula in the co-ed division.

In music news, i have listened to G Love and Special Sauce's new album which is perfect for the summertime brews and bbq's or frisbee in the park.

i was worse than a stranger

2008-06-19T21:09:00.000-07:00

its late here and i just decided to post these two pictures. one of my personal record 5 month beard and the other of the mustache i am currently sporting. my first bike race of the year will probably be this weekend. of course i am nervous but looking forward to it.

the past couple weeks a lot has crossed my mind to blog about but now i am just thinking of sleep. happy friday.

gobbledigook

2008-05-27T12:27:00.000-07:00

sigur ros released their first track and video from their new album to be released june 23 today.

also, i just got these photos from the pittsburgh to dc ride so i thought i would post a few.

notice the windmills. we passed a few different farms. i just dont see where people would argue they are an eyesore taking in consideration the alternative energy producers.

too much gear and jasons killer touring bike in the background.

flat is not necessarily as easy as it sounds.

harpers ferry is a great town. no ramps from the trail to get over to the town. you have to carry your bike up the steps and take the foot bridge over.

last campsite, 40 miles to georgetown and we find out its not the safest 40 of the 318 mile trip. besides that, the campsite was probably most peaceful of the trip. a nice flowing river, a soft green lawn, and canopy under the sycamores.

finally made it. avg speed i am guessing was 10mph. about half of what i thought we would average. we left boston, pa 430pm on a tuesday and arrived here at noon on friday. a nice weekend with friends and even a birthday to celebrate and luck also landed us a ride back to pittsburgh on sunday. thanks again missy for the place to rest and relax and for bringing my bike home the following week.

Like sycamores

2008-05-22T14:55:00.000-07:00

For those of you who know me, you know that i have never been involved in organized sports. This is mostly because of my upbringing and my closeness to the outdoors instead. While my friends were in little league i was probably looking for snakes and climbing trees.

I was although a huge hockey and penguins fan in my college days. Since then i have lost touch with the game (ie. the pens started to suck royally and i remember somewhat of a hockey falling out) and i find myself in a place where hockey is very popular around here again.

Today i was in high school for the first time in a month or two to find a mass quantity of "playoff beards." the people who normally wore facial hair just sported a longer version and others compared with their buddies to discuss who's beard was better.
this is funny because although i was a hockey fan those few years in college i dont remember much about the playoff beard, only that hockey, more than any other sport, sported beards.

i guess i am blogging about this because a student asked me today about my playoff beard. and in the past others have asked me why i am growing a beard as if i need a reason which i really dont have. all in all i am excited about the enthusiasm for beards and hockey. and for these next few weeks it may be nice just to say "its a playoff beard!" when someone asks why i am growing a beard.

also.. for those of you who do or may comment, thanks! it would be nice though if you could leave your name for those of you who leave anonymous comments. it also allows for you to man up to your dirtbag comments.

okay stop. okay start.

2008-05-09T21:38:00.000-07:00

when blogs end you usually never hear from them again, they change their name, or every so often they change their mind and begin to blog again.

i found myself checking out old posts and thought that someday i would enjoy reading more posts. kind of like old letters or balloons or pictures or whatever but without taking up physical space.

for those of you who still check this blog thats great and hopefully i gain back some readers that i lost. im still not sure when i will post or how often but i am looking forward to a great summer. much has went by in the past months that i could blog about but that is behind us now.

"today is a special day" -Roalce

OH! FOCUS!

2008-01-15T19:35:00.000-08:00

sorry for the lack o' posts but thats just the way it is. this blog is dead. its not rising...swen yellav...whats that? erase it from your bookmarks. forget it existed. but before you do that click on the title and buy this car. you know you want it. buy it, go ahead... DO IT. Drive it into the sunset. jam your shit in it and go somewhere. that place youve been talking about. the place thats better than where you are right now. where everything is better. but on a serious note.....buy it.

well youre so silent, jens. well maybe i am, maybe i am.!

2007-12-25T10:14:00.000-08:00

Its been great seeing everyone over break. Happy Holidays to everyone. Sorry for the lack of posts and even though i gave fair warning about not posting, people have expressed that they are not happy about it. i mentioned i may post a link dump of several blogs and websites i check on a daily purpose. i know what its like to check dead blogs and its not all that fun and i apologize.

i was just thinking of how i wanted to decorate my bike with english ivy and ride it through the streets and then i discovered i was more than one-upped. here is to the new year my friends!

THANKSGIVING FIRST, THEN THE FIFTH.

2007-11-21T06:39:00.000-08:00

HAPPY THANKSGIVNG everyone. this is by far my favorite holiday. taking in consideration the time of year and the shear shear basics of the holiday of giving thanks for everything surrounding you or whatever you would like to be thankful for its a tough holiday to beat.

i look forward to dinner with my family and seeing friends this week. repeal day is around the corner and im sure there may be some photos posted at www.repealday.blogspot.com after the celebration.

posts here will be slim to none.

have a great holiday season.

like gacy's scene a canvas in your hand

2007-11-05T14:12:00.000-08:00

the new bike buzz quickly wore out when i decided to paint the shop. im glad i stuck with my original color choice because i think it turned out really nice. all in all it was fairly easy since i had todd around to help. we had the both sides complete in three casual days and found time in between to replace the thermostat in his van and head down to a photo show in pittsburgh.

the sologoat is selling some bikes including an orange motivator custom painted for speedgoat. its set up as a cross bike and is a bike i have always liked. unfortunately its not a good time for another bike. maybe it wont sell and i can consider it next summer.

off to coudersport tomorrow to cut fir for christmas wreaths. something different and nice good people to spend a couple days with.

should we go outside, should we break some bread, are you interested

2007-10-29T10:35:00.000-07:00

every once in a while we see something we can relate to. i related this site to my past weekend.

its done! i rushed it but it turned out great. it has several flaws to speak of but if you take some advice from the bike snob(its all in the details: screw your bike!) you will understand that its part of a necessary process. more on that to follow below.

so part of my love from this bike came from the fact that it was all black with white rims. i called it my devil bike or ghost bike. upon stripping the frame i found some great detail i couldnt bare to cover so i took the bike back to its roots. included some leather streamers, reflectors, and a new leather seat. it rides super fast and silky smooth. it not longer can have the name ghost or devil bike with the color combination so i will be open to suggestions.

i also am thinking of putting a metal basket on the front. i think it would take away from the look but since i took the rear basket off my cross bike i feel a need for a basket bike.

ok...i read that bike snob post a couple days ago. it couldnt have been more appropriate because i have been contemplating a new bike. there are bikes i have always wanted (track for instance) but i have not ran into the right one. this new bike i have been contemplating will be a 29er..... through all the hype of 29ers i have never truely wanted one. lately i have been riding more than ever. for the past year i have been riding SS rigid and i love it. with all the extra miles i have been getting pretty beat up. i know i do not want suspension. but i am thinking a rigid, geared 29er would be nice to ride every now and then. especially for races next year that i decide that gears would be better/more fun.

so i guess my decision comes down, mostly, to gears and not wheel size. if i make any decisions (most of you dont care) i will keep you posted. it would be custom and i almost 100% on who i would have build it. more later- or is it all just "diamond-encrusted gold fronts"

"Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe."

2007-10-24T11:35:00.000-07:00

this wedding was top rated. everyone had a blast.. here are some great photos i said i would post.

Buckets of moonbeams in my hand

2007-10-24T11:14:00.000-07:00

yesterday it rained all day. perfect day to start my restoration project on one of my favorite bikes. its a hawthorne my father bought for me. he paid $2 for the bike which is one of many reasons i like the bike so much. i wrecked this bike one day riding no handed and broke the weld at the bottom bracket.

i relaced, greased and polished the wheels/hubs. sanding and painting is in the near future. also, i am going redo the banana seat. im thinking leather but worried about riding it if the seat gets wet....ruined pants....right?? ill post pictures of the completed bike.

Waldo Lake

2007-10-19T20:21:00.000-07:00

This is waldo lake. Claimed to be the clearest lake in the world. Very clear. Thanks to jason for bringing his great camera on the trails. Little did he know he would be breaking it AGAIN a few days after these photos were taken.

Mckenzie River Trail

2007-10-19T19:59:00.000-07:00

Below are samples of the beauty surrounding the mckenzie river trial. By far one of the most amazing trails i have ever ridden and one of the greatest highlights of my trip.

dancing like some wierd mongrel

2007-10-17T07:00:00.000-07:00

this small clip reminded me of some of the dancing that was going on this past weekend. plus it made me happy so i had to post it.

Ease Down The Road

2007-10-16T17:32:00.000-07:00

a quick map of most of my destinations.

View Larger Map

Happy Halloween MO FOES!

2007-10-16T14:41:00.000-07:00

Us two renegades are looking forward to seeing some crazy costumes this year so get your act together. i myself do not have a costume yet but i am brainstorming. Joe put together this Halloween Reminder out and i had to post it.

Congrats

2007-10-16T13:21:00.000-07:00

Congratulations Mike and Nicci. A fantastic wedding and i plan to post some of the best pictures from the evening when i get the chance. Just look at the love.

Sometimes you get up and bake a cake or something

2007-10-03T08:31:00.000-07:00

cannon beach. i drove here early this week and walked the cool beach barefoot. for those of you who find this scene familiar it is the last scene in the movie goonies. a beautiful beach. it was nice to hear the crashing of the waves and smell the salty sea.

doug fir lounge. something about cordwood construction that i just like. i will be there again tonight.

the schnitzelwich.

a donut place in town called voodoo donuts. below is the old dirty bastard(chocolate, peanut butter, and oreo). i also had the memphis mafia yesterday which has chips and bananna. bananna in a donut is very good.. if i walk by this place again i am getting one of the vegan donuts.

Heavy Hitters.. i stopped into rogue brewery and the best option was to get this sampler.. all the beers that i wanted to try were mostly around 10%. juniper pale ale(empty one), glen ale, a stout i dont recall the name of and the I2PA, clearly the best.

id write more but i am in a rush. the national was simply an excellent show. in the top five performances i have probably went to. beck still is at number one and that was a long time ago.

hope all is going well for everyone.

you might see a horizon But the ending is never in sight

2007-09-30T21:16:00.000-07:00

sunday night. basically my evening didnt end up as planned but i think things turned out excellent dispite. i drove over to the east side of town to a.. park my car on the street for free b.. eat at apizza scholls then catch a movie. well the pizza place doesnt open until wed. i decided to keep my car and showed up too early for the movie so i moved on to other things..

i did though. eat a fantastic bowl of smoked split pea soup with bread and oil, had a great americano with a raspberry tart, walked through several antique and vintage stores and met the two guys pulling of this adventure. i over heard them talking while eating a terrible slice of pizza. i knew i had to talk to them so i got up to throw my pizza crust away (just because its terrible doesnt mean i dont eat it) and said as i walked by "ill be right over to talk to you guys."

do yourself a favor and look over there blog... read about them. i couldnt help but think about my small, driving trip alone in comparison to what they are doing. they share some of the same core features... meeting new people, going new places, experiencing something different.

matt mentioned they would accept someone to join them if i was interested. interested? yes. going to do it, no. why?? im not sure.. i probably have a handful of reasons why i wouldnt. in that handful is one that says "i dont want to go through a year of phone calls from my mother asking me if i am going to stay in a hotel or saying "please dont sleep in a tent"."

and while we are on the subject, this movie is released this week. directed by sean penn, music by eddie vedder and i am looking forward to it. watch the trailer under the video menu.

bring me a day full of honest work, and a roof that never leaks. ill be satisfied

2007-09-30T00:35:00.000-07:00

mt. hood... woke up the next morning after camping and this whole mountain was covered in snow.

hiking in washington with friends... gifford pinchot national forest. 4.7 mile hike up to a lake and then back. one of the dogs dug up a bees nest along the trail. i was the only one to get stung but it was pretty scary.

this happened soon after stopping to take a picture. dont worry mom and lori the first thing i thought about doing was washing it out with peroxide.

balancing rock at garden of the gods. there is also something in colorado springs called the incline. its 1 mile up a mountain and in that mile you gain 2000ft of elevation. i did it in 27 minutes.. the long time record holder did it in 15. a brutal climb.

my mom went to see phil collins today(corey i know your jealous) shes a huge fan and is always asking where her "no jacket required" tape is. im glad she got to go and hope she had a blast.

im actually exhausted right now so i am going to crash. i hope everyone is doing well at home and i look forward to having dinner at la isla soon and bonseys wedding.

oh. i just got back from the doug fir lounge where midlake played.. fantastic venue, midlake was stellar. gn all.

I took a walk with an invisible friend

2007-09-22T10:31:00.000-07:00

evil bee.

can you memorize the scenes...they will be different next week!

2007-09-21T22:41:00.000-07:00

kate is great... pete is great as well and i am happy for the both of them.

this is NC bbq and i loved it. the picture gives no justice. it was fantastic.

olga from russia poured me this kamikaze and homemade limoncello. she also decided i should try a few select saki shots.

lucilles. i heard it was a good place to stop and it was.

theres nothing quite like the blinding light

2007-09-20T07:37:00.000-07:00

greetings from amante coffee in beautiful boulder colorado.

i arrived here this morning(thurs) after a long drive from chicago. i pulled over and "slept" a few hours in nebraska. below is a picture of the sunset during the drive and the other two are pictures of logan square auditorium where i went to the sold out okkervil river concert. i guess their past shows in chicago havent taken off so well and they were happy this concert was great.

breakfast at the bongo room. awesome.

a crazy placed called cest si bon....as you can see there is nothing french about it. collard green eggrolls..crab cakes...blackeyed peas..rice....cornbread muffin.

a chicago dogs with all the fixings minus the poppyseed buns and some standard ball game brews. no better place to have it than wrigley field. these are for mikulas...ha. hope things are going well at home. : )

a ride home along lake michigan after flatting near the university of chicago. walked to a bike shop to buy a tube only for the shop owner to not lend me the tools to fix the flat...."his insurance company would have a heart attack" ridiculous. so i walked to a hardware store...replaced the tube. then had to find another bike shop to fill my tire with air. thankfully i was near a college town.

looking forward to the next few days here. thanks to amy, adam, and cori, for putting me up, the game, and the excellent sushi and white ales.

okay okay, okay okay, okay okay, okay okay

2007-09-17T11:13:00.000-07:00

the results from last weekends peanut butter festival race are linked here. its was my second race of the year and i look forward to a few more before the year is over. a lot of competition did not make it to the race since the month of mud started the next day. i heard the first month of mud race went well.. good luck to those of you racing. i unfortunately will not be making it to any of the races this year. other news.....

beer.

vintage wine and beer has scaldis on tap...probably running low since jason, jimmy and i put a decent amount of it down before walking over to aladdins.

i recently had lagunitas' saison on draft and round two with urthel hop-it... fantastic.

the macmobile.

food.

bratwurst.

a real taco. dang...i didnt see the salsa verde in the bag until i finished it.

more food pictures in the next few weeks if i remember to take the pictures. sometimes i just get excited and eat the food before taking a picture.

oh...more bike news. my kelly fell off of my rack...my rim is bent...possibly can be trued to acceptance but its not pretty. could have been much worse...ie...broken car window, bent fork blades/drops.. as far as i know the rim was the only thing damaged. my goal is to stop using that bike for a commuter, build it as a SS cross bike, and build a vintage fixed gear.

also, the b.o.a.r.d has a blog. its blank at the moment. they meet next week and maybe an introduction will make it to your screen by the end of the month. http://www.repealday.blogspot.com/

this is an old song, these are old blues

2007-09-08T06:58:00.000-07:00

newsom's songs are timeless. my favorite music to listen to. looking forward to the day i see her in concert. here are three songs. each fantastic.

today is my fathers birthday. i thought he was sixty today but he insists that he is 61. suprisingly he is at an auction today and not working. "To here, the days pile up"

"peach plum, pear"

"sprout and bean"

"sadie"

I leaned on the wall and the wall leaned away

2007-09-03T17:58:00.000-07:00

sorry for the lack of posts. i imagine posts will not be as often the next few months. the weather is just that good.

out of my league, i have birds in my sleeves, and i wanna rush in with the fools.

2007-08-23T09:49:00.000-07:00

my new road bike. ive ridden it twice so far. its light, comfortable and fast. a shorter stem would improve my positioning but i think i am going to keep it like it is for now. my first ride consisted of staying local and someone in a white bonneville and ohio plates flooring his car and playing see how close i can get without hitting me with the mirror. further down the road when i was approaching him at a light he pulled in front of me and slammed the brakes.

that basically cut my ride short for i was afraid he was trying to kill me. i ended up talking to a cop in a parking lot (a friend actually and not that a cop could do anything). since it was raining his response was, you shouldnt be out in this anyway.. oh! thats right. what the hell was i thinking. sometimes you just go home disappointed and it just takes time to forget the bad.

the second ride was with jimmy and i ended up hitting a large stone that flatted my front tire instantly. we had a tube and co2 because i asked jimmy to bring one since i havent picked up any road tubes yet. further down the road and closer to home i noticed jimmy had a slow leak....no tube no co2. i know jimmy made it pretty close to home but i have a feeling he walked the last half mile.

thanks to those of you who came together to help me get this bike built cost effectively. especially jason and jason. diurba donating the frame and drivetrain and harmer donating the levers. time is flying by and we finally had some rain. fall is around the corner. its harvest season here so tomatoes, potatoes, eggplants, squash, zucchinni are all in abundance.

i visited dr clune today to get some larabar and soap. since his accident he will not be able to run the last marathon he always wanted to do. he is always in good spirits and if you ever get the chance to visit him in his store next to philadelphia candies please do. he has some excellent products.

when my past became my present state of mind

2007-08-21T07:19:00.000-07:00

i had these videos posted last week but ended up falling asleep. i watched them again this morning and decided they were definately worth posting again. this eugene francis jnr is probably considered abstract and eccentric but i find him quite likable, not that you cant be all three. did you see that owl in the video. anyway....i hope you enjoy these videos as much as i did.

if that video and song didnt win you over maybe this next video, kites, dedicated to eugenes mother and sister, will. my mom and sister both looked after me and still do as i continue growing up which is nice. every once in a while when we get together we sort through hundreds of photos and laugh and remember. we never had a video camera, and only one special audio recording that we have listened to uncountable times.

as i see the memories recorded in this video, the sled riding, the water, the bike, the sled, the tents, i remember similiar times with my familiy. growing up is something else, to look back can overwhelm you with so many feelings.

my own pollution

i got a gnome in the backyard, i put him right on the X mark.

2007-08-20T06:47:00.000-07:00

a fantastic rain the past two days. i spent the weekend around west virginia riding one incredible trail that we usually get to ride once a year called quebec run and a place called coopers rock. jimmy managed to lose two brand new water bottles over the weekend. we probably only rode about seven miles of coopers rock before we decided it wasnt for us and opted to venture to the brewery in morgantown, WV. great pale ale and an ok porter. met some nice folk who were familiar with some beer bars in pittsburgh, had an excellent black bean burger, and headed back to pittsburgh for the rest of the weekend.

apple store, dress pants for the wedding, crepes, thai cusine, belgian beers, anniversary ale, rei, and riding through the city. fat heads doesnt like you to park your bike outside of their bar which bothers me. sometimes i think the south side is just lame.

below is the video to "oh mandy" from the spinto band. this song was picked for the background of my friends skate session in his skate video, launch radical. a spectacular video to match the song.

the weather has really been great the past week. sweatshirts are almost acceptable and hot coffee is becoming more enjoyable with the cool mornings. the new imacs are nice. i am interested in the new wireless keyboards although there is no number pad and i wish they would incorporate a trackpad or mouse into the keyboard.. i mean, if you are on the couch with your keyboard and ipa you dont really have a place for a seperate mouse. i also am trying to figure out the pros and cons between the airport express, airport extreme, and apple TV. they all do something different...they all do the same thing..

as for music... i have okerville river on my mind in chicago, the weakerthans are coming to mr smalls in october, and peter bjorn and john will be there in december.

best new music is john vanderslice. road bike is built. i havent cut the fork tube yet and i may be going with a shorter stem with some degree of rise. ill put some miles in on it before i make any changes. its light and unique. cotton wrapped, wine corked bars. kelly take offs with dura-ace stick shifters. surprisingly i am looking forward to some road rides. if i dont like it there is a good chance it will go up for sale.

its been so long since we have had a rainy day like this. its great. enjoy the video. i did... it had some of my favorite things in it.. bikes and trees... i didnt see any beer or coffee but we all know it was there somewhere.

Famous-sounding words make your head feel light

2007-08-15T16:54:00.000-07:00

a video for now. actually there has been several times i have wanted to post but havent had the time. enjoy.

i stop and hold my breath and watch the way you used to be

2007-08-07T06:17:00.000-07:00

iconcert cal has a new version up that has a tab devoted to album release dates. if you are not familiar with this application it takes your itunes library and searches for concerts (you input the search radius) of the bands you have in your library. actually, it came in real handy when i was going to see a band i know very little about, the weakerthans, and i found out they will be playing at pittsburghs mr smalls.

i am currently building a road bike since i have never owned one. a alluminum frame was given to me by a friend so i bought everything i could from frankford and ordered the rest from three other shops. i also ordered from Rivendele Bicycle Works which is one of the best bicycle websites out there.

to continue with music i recently went to club cafe in pittsburgh to see guggenhiem grotto. a band from ireland that put on a great little performance. club cafe, although disguised with neon lights and motorcycles parked out front, is a cool venue. small, about 15 tables, and close to the stage. i was also taken to a place called TRAMS, vietnamese food.... i heard a lot about how mean tram could be but on this day he was in a fantastic mood. the fresh spring rolls were great and the spicy prawn was fair enough to call good. it all washed down nicely with a growler of paleo IPA from north country brewing!

i spent a few hours with my good friend jay over the weekend. he drilled me about questions of the future and i soaked it in and tried to answer his questions. he says i am getting better. after thirty years, he is no longer vegetarian.. i showed up giving him some garlic and a few beers, shut-down ale and the berliner weisse from dogfish head and he sent me off with buzz love coffee, a road bike for a friend to ride when home, and goat meat. i cooked the goat meat that night with squash, rice and black beans. tough like leather.

well, a nice storm is moving its way here and i hope we really get slammed. its been the driest summer than i can remember. its already august. my favorite months are around the corner.

A RUN OF TEN

2007-07-26T19:52:00.000-07:00

jeff jones has taken his frame design to the folks at merlin. he did this for obvious reasons that you can read up on on his website or dirtrag. i have never rode a jeff jones bike but i have seen them in person and watched jeff jones ride and talk about his bikes. not only has he done an excellent job designing this his bike but it all is put together with complete logic. he has a pure love and true talent when it comes to bikes.

I was singing without knowing the words

2007-07-24T19:53:00.001-07:00

josh ritter's animal years was one of my favorite albums of last year and i still listen to it often.. i guess hes been working on his new album on a farmhouse in maine to be released in september.

its official. i am racing this weekend. let the stomach aches begin.

rye toast under nutella

2007-07-23T20:58:00.000-07:00

i found this and thought it was fantastic. when i first heard this song on the radio it took me about five more times of listening to the song to find out that the words were "under my umbrella ella ella!" then it reminded me of my sister because when going to chicago we had to buy an umbrella in case it rained when she has probably bought over 15 umbrellas in her lifetime and just forgot to pack one--it did rain. well now we can all go out and buy the umbrella song umbrella. all will sleep a little easier now knowing the next time it rains we will be under her umbrella ella ella a a a...

six hours of power this weekend...full intentions of going to watch and wrench on bikes but a friend of mine just informed me that his teammate may drop out. now im nervous about the whole thing.

f o r t r e s s

2007-07-15T17:39:00.000-07:00

i scratch my mind, i think about life and stuff sometimes.....

2007-07-08T20:13:00.000-07:00

lube is an important part of a smooth running bike...some buy TRI-FLOW and some buy JIG-A-LUBE!

a "summer slammer" from dogfish head. peach something or other. well i can drink about two...too tart, not that great, girls probably dont even like it.

so we spent some time building a pump track in jasons back yard.. and here are some pics from the day..

this guy stopped over and helped pack down the track. he did a great job.

we decided to plant this bush between two of the berms.

And you wouldn't feel sad, and you wouldn't resist Cause you knew what you had, and you were thankful for it.

2007-07-05T10:32:00.000-07:00

three great videos from okkervil river.

and life changes not you, life changes not you.

2007-06-30T12:40:00.000-07:00

LOW

IPHONE....last night i was at the sweet old small ships and i ran into a couple students of mine rocking the new iphone. i didnt get to use it but i did watch him maneuver through it. its sweet as expected. i forgot to ask him if it has apple care which i am sure it does...$599 for the phone...you almost have to get the apple care.

below is a tree frog i found while pruning a japanese maple. it just hung out all day there while i worked around him. he did puff himself up a bit when i took the photos to make himself look bigger in case i wanted to throw down with him. but i just let him chill.

went on my third ride today. awesome day. really feeling great on the bike. 29ers and $4000+ bikes are showing up all over the place. i still like the 26in but as far a geometries i like salsas 29er set up. had a new kid, andrew rademacher, on the trails today and he showed some great talent and strength. fast through the twisty flats and techy downhills.

happy fourth of july weekend..

well i lagged behind....so you got ahead

2007-06-26T20:00:00.000-07:00

so knog has been making these things called frogs for sometime now and i finally got myself a pair. todd and missy picked up a two pair as well. they are perfect for those night rides to the bar, easy to switch bikes, and BRIGHT! they now a make 5 LED model(bullfrog or something) but i figured one is just fine.

RIDING.. went on my second ride of the year tonight with jason and jason. it was fast and fun. they decided to start riding big chainring and the pace was fun. it was all i could do to keep them in eyesight but it was perfect. i am hoping to do at least one of those rides a week. oh. new platform pedals for the kelly and a new refurbished ipod shuffle. i waited to long to buy that shuffle but im glad i finally got it...OH I BOUGHT IT AT MACMINDED...OF COURSE. speaking of apple...iphone comes out friday and there were people waiting in line for it today. HA! i hope someone i know will get one. as for me..im happy with the phone i got.

anyway, laisla patio after riding. its not the perfect patio....but im sure to spend my share of time there.

oh...update on the garden....i didnt plant a single thing.

here are some photos of the place amy and adam had their party at. it was one fun party and i loved the studio they picked...including the garden off the back of the patio and the FOOD! thanks for the great time adam and amy and congrats. i look forward to visiting you both soon. find me a good winter job and i just might stay.

the way doors can open and people just walk in

2007-06-24T11:04:00.000-07:00

two great songs:

bright eyes' lime tree:

find song here:
bowsplusarrows

and

daniel johnston's worried shoes

find the mp3 by daniel johnstons and a version done by daniel smith and sufjan stevens here along with other great songs.. ie...beck...true love will find you in the end and bright eyes...devil town which daniel johnston originally wrote and performed.

LALalalalAlHAlallAlAAllAA!

2007-06-21T05:02:00.000-07:00

what could be more fun than riding bmx bikes with animal masks on? i could take a good hour or two of that right now.

bat for lashes-whats a girl to do.

I climbed the hill, I wanted to look down on you.

2007-06-20T20:01:00.000-07:00

another beautiful day in the shenango valley. i quit work and went for my second run since february and it was a punishing run. my legs were so sore and tight that i decided to walk the rest of the way home. after going home, eating and showering i stopped by my sisters to check out her new chestnut cabinet. from there a stroll around town and i decided to go grocery shopping.

my staples consist of yogurt(stoney fields is by far the best), cottage cheese(always throwing around brands, usually something cheap), fruit smoothie drinks from bolthouse, chocolate(dark), wheat thins, bananas, peanut butter(smuckers natural).

anyway. no cloth bags... i should get a couple. ive seen a few cool ones. i am getting sick of storing all of those plastic bags to take back to the store. which reminds me....hermitage no longer has a recycling program... can anyone tell me what happened to that??

anyway the grocery ride was sweet. i was able to store my bike in the beer depot(too bad i couldnt take a case of beer too, i need a trailer). i love that bike.

after the store i stopped by bobs and taught him how to maneuver the menu on his new lcd he got for fathers day. it was between a olevia and a view sonic and we went with view sonic for two reasons... digital tuner and design. he seems to like it. i wish this picture of his antenna was better but it was absolutely hilarious in person.

you, youre awesome!

2007-06-18T19:10:00.000-07:00

so yeah. do any readers even watch these videos?? let me know for my curiosity is maxed. actually i would say why are you even reading what i am typing now but i have found that i read some pretty stupid and meaningless stuff just because its part of my routine when i get on the computer. "well lets see what old so and so is pissed off about today" or "i wonder when the next time one of my music blogs is going to post something, i hope its something sweet" or "so and so is really putting in the miles, hes a way better rider than i am, damnit! let see how many hours he spent on his bike today. holy shit! i havent put in that many miles in over six months. he wins."

anyway. i enjoyed this one.

this strange plan is random at best.

2007-06-18T18:41:00.000-07:00

today i actually had a nice stroll on the bike. although it was to a couple customers houses to look at new jobs i snapped a few photos along the way. i thought it would be nice to have some photos instead of the lame videos nobody probably watches/listens to anyway.

bike lanes in hermitage, they are just like the sidewalks...show up out of nowhere and end just the same.

blue heron. king of lake julia. i guess pond owners buy heron decoys or water gadgets that spray water at anything near it to keep all their precious pond fish from being eaten by these nobles. i saw this great bird along with an abundance of fish at the park.

this guy. loses at least one branch a year(probably from drunk drivers or lawn mowers who are high). there is just something about this plant that ive always liked. i wonder how many more years he can take the abuse.

anyway. it was nice to be on the bike. the weather has been great. i even got a run in a few days ago. a slow start and a short distance but it was a start. im looking forward to spending some time with some friends i havent seen in a while... heath, jason, paula, jason, bob, tim and definately looking forward to seeing kennerdale...i guess there are new trails i havent been on and about everybody i ride with are sure to be waiting for me at the top of the hill. damn.

these things take forever, i especially am slow....

2007-06-17T09:33:00.000-07:00

a great find, thanks for sharing:

2007-06-11T18:35:00.000-07:00

good videos have been few and far between but this one wasnt too bad and the song was decent too.

currently i am sitting in the front yard and the raccoon decided to come out from the storm sewer. pretty neat having the raccoon become skeptical of you and eventually trust you enough to go about its nightly walks.

i see the wasp on the length of my arm

2007-06-11T07:02:00.000-07:00

i called lori today to find out she has a litter of carmel kittens under her porch. anyone who knows a good home for them or just one of them please get ahold of me. lori is torn.

i was watching a video of sufjan from blogotheque and i thought i would share it along with some of his other performances. enjoy.

you have good friends...

2007-06-08T14:21:00.000-07:00

yesterday was john mcconnells birthday and we headed to north country. as always...great beer great food. their supplier changed the brand for squidilicious and its not so squidilicious anymore.

anyway. we had a great time and from there went to coney island which surprisingly had 20 or so taps with some great beers such as hoptical illusion and number 9.

happy birthday john. be thankful i didnt post the lame picture of you passed out in the car.

so a friend of mine had an ugly sweater party some time ago and i didnt get to go. after seeing the photos i keep my eye out for ugly sweaters. joe spotted this bad boy at tj maxx.. notice the rat tail that is braided. a potential winner but only if you grew a matching rat tail when you wore it.

all due respect was meant and all

2007-06-05T18:26:00.000-07:00

the pennies that come in handy

2007-06-04T05:47:00.000-07:00

Eleni mandell is playing with great lake swimmers this weekend in pittsburgh. here is a video of hers and find more of her music here

although she has a sound like other female artists i like, i havent fell in love with her music. out of the five songs i have heard of hers, this one wins:

my cheeks will dry off in the sun

2007-06-03T18:12:00.000-07:00

unfortunately a bird had picked this tree to build its nest and lay its eggs and when i picked it up to plant it the eggs fell out and busted. better luck next year.

craving this place....

check out hickeys corner -he just tells it how it is, its "AMAZING" and "SPECIAL". .

had some sushi and some excellent cold stone rip off ice cream on friday in cranberry. she called it cream flavored ice cream.. its amazing all of the flavors they have these days.

work is going well. it finally rained there today. i have this week to get a majority of things wrapped up. looking forward to that.

gn all.

either youre smart...or incredibly stupid

2007-05-30T20:21:00.001-07:00

and sometimes you cross it, before it crosses you

2007-05-28T17:19:00.000-07:00

back from chicago and it was a great trip. i have been to chicago twice before but this was the first full weekend of going out and enjoying the night life. i had a great time and amy and adams party was great. it was in a mans photography studio. i just happened to step outside on the patio to enjoy the garden and i got to meet the owner and his son. we mostly discussed the garden which he claims is the only one on randolph street. cypress, maple, peonies, ginko, pine, and many others...but the star was a fantastic european beech. the man said he started the garden about twenty years ago.

sometimes i think about visiting some of the things i planted in the future and on occasions i have already. some things die but the majority of things become quite impressive. its funny how certain things i remember planting and how its always nice to see things taken care of. i think thats why i like trees so much. they grow and they dont look out of place... or crowded and usually not pruned or wrongly trimmed they just continue to look better as the years pass.

anyway. lately i purchased about three new pairs of jeans, a hoodie, a new coat and an incase for my laptop. when in chicago i tried on about seven pairs of levis because i have really wanted a pair but nothing i put on was great. i liked the shrink to fit but just didnt want to gamble that i would like them after the whole shrinking process. so i moved on to some other denim and i think they are awesome.

coming up soon are two concerts i would like to make it to...voxtrot and great lake swimmers. its tough to find someone to go to these concerts with sometimes. although i am totally ok with going alone sometimes the company makes the driving there and back home a bit more enjoyable.

currently i am listening to a the new album of lewis and clarke available here streaming!!! this band is fantastic. the title link will take you to a place to download four of their songs free.

fujiya and miyagi

2007-05-22T20:20:00.000-07:00

walked to WALGREENS today for the first time. got what i needed... walked home. it was basically sweet..

this video as well

alela diane

2007-05-22T20:05:00.000-07:00

it cant all be wedding cake. it cant all be boiled away.

2007-05-20T19:35:00.001-07:00

the ghost of you lingers... ga ga ga ga ga..

hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey

2007-05-16T21:26:00.000-07:00

good night

congrats mike

2007-05-14T18:05:00.000-07:00

this is for my friend who just graduated nursing school. if he is as good of a nurse as he is a skateboarder you are in good hands... good luck on the final exam, train hopping, and philadelphia mike. if you hop short on catching the train, i want your match stick holder and your hat. lets get that growler refilled soon...

just trying to figure out what we're doing

2007-05-06T08:06:00.000-07:00

you might as well just sit wherever you are

youve been sitting on the sidewalks

2007-05-04T02:38:00.000-07:00

i ran into hello saferide a couple months ago and i just happened to search for this video.

Hello Saferide - The Quiz

i turn to hear you say a false replete

2007-05-04T01:28:00.000-07:00

i came across this video around four thirty after not being able to sleep after just telling my sister the day before i rarely have any problems falling asleep or sleeping in. hmm. anyway, i thought the video and sound was great. i guess this is lisa lobsinger. tina... she reminded me of you in this video... i think she has some of that beauty the amons have.

well its just about five now and i think i am going to get up. cinco de mayo this weekend. laisla put on a patio which will be great. the fence that was put up unfortunately was solid panel on two of the three sides. thats not fun for many reasons. you cant yell out to people in the parking lot and you cant ride by and see who is on the patio...

big birthday this weekend for sara. each year on saras birthday i sing a song into her answering machine. these are the only messages saved on her answering machine and she has to skip them each time she gets new messages.. this is the third year and i hope my song tops the past two years.

work is moving along and i am pretty busy. i plan to take some pictures to post in the near future. enjoy the video..

An Anniversary Away - Reverie Sound Revue

Lisa Lobsinger

so i breathe it in. it says here we are, and we are here...

2007-04-30T20:17:00.000-07:00

ok. so the concert continued and i remembered i had pictures of this guy that decided to grow outside the front door in the spot where the ferns grow. i love the ferns and i thought it was neat that in both pictures the auto focus focused on the ferns and not the flower.

its eleven thirty and im sure there will be an encore. then to SLEEP.

Oh, its kind of a stupid groove. Oh, its kind of a natural fact.

2007-04-30T19:55:00.000-07:00

above title is linked to NPR's coverage of opening band fugiya and miyaga and peter, bjorn and john. i first heard F&M when they played at this years SXSW show and i thought they were great. i just so happened to come home from work today and i noticed they were playing tonight. its eleven now and peter bjorn and john are just finishing. its been a great show.

writers block is definitely a top ten album of the past year.

in your skeleton suit

2007-04-25T07:17:00.000-07:00

it has been a great spring so far. no riding or running but i have been working quite a bit. its nice to be busy with work again. my truck just got out of the shop... fuel filter... i replaced the first one at about 16000 miles and diagnostics showed it needed replaced again at 21000. the first replacement cost me about $15....this one since i let the shop do it cost me $120. i am curious to know where i am getting this dirty fuel at.

new gadgets.... i decided to get the blackberry pearl and to my surprise i really like it. the reason i like it so much is how it integrates email, phone calls, and text messaging with the address book. it works great... havent spent much time browsing for anything on the internet and not sure i will use it for that.... i imagine it will do great for traveling, finding restaurants, directions, etc... in those situations.

i can also sync my calendar but i mostly use my calendar on my laptop and not so much while i am at work. it figures out the words you want to spell after typing but i havent seen a setting where it predicts the word before you spell it. anyone familiar with that??

in a week or so we should start doing some grilling around here. no progress on the garden since last garden post. rainy day today. maybe trailer and shop work. i am trying to get the trailers legal so i dont get slapped with some mega fines that everyone tells me they are cracking down on. as one person described it... "the DOP is like your wife, no matter what, they are going to screw you."

birdmonster @ mercury lounge

there's a hole in my pocket thats about her size

2007-04-21T20:30:00.000-07:00

autism

above is a website a friend of mine asked me to pass along. it is a video from five for fighting in attempt to raise money for AUTISM awareness.

where would we be without wishful thinking

2007-04-17T18:53:00.000-07:00

its more than earth, seeds, sun and water

2007-04-10T10:44:00.000-07:00

gardens. gardens have always been a part of my life. its one of the clearer things from my childhood. although i dont recall working in the garden, i remember just being by the garden. i guess most of the work was done by my father. work was involved because i have learned that a vegetable garden does not exist on its own.

i remember the year of the prize carrots and the years when i just looked at the cabbage and never really understood what it was. i remember the corner devoted to pumpkins and lifting leaves and finding colorful squash and pickles that were only the size of a pebble a few days earlier or even just a flower. i remember the pussy willow tree that grew at the top of the garden and i would think of that tree often. i just always thought it was my moms favorite because she would bring branches in and place them in a vase.

there has been several years i have built my own garden and i have yet to have the success that my father has. even today my fathers garden turns out much better than mine but it doesnt have the same success it did when i was a boy. the garden i watched as a boy and searched for worms in and chased grasshoppers from plant to plant was something all together different. you just cant go outside and decide to grow one of those gardens.

this is my first garden in my new home. i will post updated pictures of it as the year goes by. the photo below is of the compost pile underneath the rhododendron. mostly coffee grinds. im looking forward to strong blooms.

two to listen to, and them too.

2007-04-08T07:41:00.000-07:00

bird and the bee and lily allen.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=9348709

and

loney, dear and low.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=9432230

"spring thang 2007"

2007-04-06T06:47:00.000-07:00

if you roll to a ludacris concert, then you just roll the only way you know how.

creep under my door

2007-04-01T16:19:00.000-07:00

again and again by the bird and the bee!

its april fools. i was fooled and i fooled a few. had a great birthday weekend. thanks to everyone who contacted me and shared the weekend with me.

You dare my dream of snowy cloth,Felt snapping white as albatross,Is bitten by the wind and rocks,Is hushed into the clary moss,Is ushered here to cou

2007-03-28T19:49:00.000-07:00

nt his loss
My kite; pale cotton, willow cross.

im not sure why i havent ran into this video earlier but here it is and i think its as great as the song.

where's my cookie. help me find my cookie. please

2007-03-28T17:24:00.000-07:00

update: still havent found my wallet. gone forever i guess?

i just finished solving the rubiks cube again. uhhmmmmm! by solving i mean i looked up how to solve it on the internet and followed the directions. im sure there are people who can solve the rubiks cube without directions or know how, those people who can see 15 moves in front of them and remember the 14 steps it took to get there, but thats not me and i am proud of solving it just the same by using directions...its cool and at least i didnt take it apart or switch the stickers.

as for the shuffle. i want to let you know that you can get an refurbished ipod shuffle for $49.00. if you are interested in getting one or any apple products please visit my friend's website @ http://www.macminded.biz/. the website is still under construction but the shopping link works. after checking out just fill in the agent number associated with macminded. im sure he will appreciate your business, even if you just get a sweet shuffle.

check out the new airports which allow not only for remote printing but remote hard drive access.

the person this video is for will know exactly its for them and i know it will bring a smile to their day.
enjoy....

who wouldnt feel deflated

2007-03-25T17:02:00.000-07:00

i am watching the discovery channel right now and i thought i would post a couple pictures and write a post. i have watched very little television since we got dish network but i must say when i take the time out to watch it and shows like the one i am currently watching are on, planet earth, pole to pole, it makes it worth it. this documentary took five years to make and so far it is excellent.. check it out if you have the time.

i ran today for the first time in weeks. nice run although the chaffing of my legs was painful. strength wise i could have ran longer.

last night i watched blood diamond and thought it was a story well told. joe leaves for his golf trip this week and i am thinking about skipping taco night again. maybe i will make pasta or salmon instead.

the photo above is of the great maples in my front yard. Davey tree stopped by a few weeks ago and gave them a quality trim. honestly, i have seen worse.

the other photo is of the sign i saw in the neighbors yard on may way home last week. it took just about one year to get my next door neighbor to move out. ouch. i felt bad enough the day i rounded the corner saying i was going to feed their dog rat poison and the family was outside sitting on the step. that was enough to get rid of the dog but i wonder if it was something else i said. well, i hope the new neighbor is great.

this discovery show is awesome so i am going to put this down for the next three hours and soak this in.

happy spring everyone. it looks like its going to be a great week.

did i fall or was i pushed?

2007-03-20T20:11:00.000-07:00

not much to say right now. awesome video/song above. spent a few hours at north country this evening with friends and met another.

menomena in pittsburgh. stream their new album here.

find great podcasts of the sxsw show and a lot of show pictures from KEXP here.