Friday, December 30, 2016

Resolve







End of the year is coming up.

Got any good resolutions, for yourself, planned out?


Me, I think I am going to try to say the word "cock" more...

You know, because of the Chinese astrology thing.
There Year of the Cock, 2017.


Think it is even a fire cock year.
So, we have that going for us...

Which is nice.








(One could also refer to 2017 as the year of the rooster, that translation also works.  Either or, rooster, cock.)



Wednesday, December 28, 2016

The Jam







Ya know what band I can never get enough of?


Smash Mouth.

Just a great band.


Sometimes, you just can't get enough of them though...
You just get to rockin' out and boom, the song is over.

Luckily, somebody has put this together...

Tuesday, December 27, 2016

Uhm






That no-comply tho...

Monday, December 26, 2016

Tennessee Digger





Who doesn't like a nice barn find story?


Well, this one is more of a farm find story, as bits of that old dragster looked to be a tad spread around, but it's a cool car with associated good story.



Read about it here. 

Friday, December 23, 2016

Magic








More holiday magic for you.

Thursday, December 22, 2016

12 Days







More holiday cheer for you...

Wednesday, December 21, 2016

Dun Dun Dun



















Listen, not all of these posts can be winners.

Tuesday, December 20, 2016

Travel Tips







In case you are travelling for the holidays...



(I will be holed up in my bunker here, for roughly 1,500 days.)

Monday, December 19, 2016

Holiday Cheer








If this doesn't stuff some holiday spirit all up in your stocking, I don't know what will...

Friday, December 16, 2016

Sure

Thursday, December 15, 2016

Whinge





Do we not say Alberta Clipper anymore?

Maybe that was an expression local to my Midwestern roots, not more widely used?
Is it polar vortex now, is that what we're calling it?

(Perhaps calling this weather pattern an Alberta Clipper was giving too much attention to that poor, frigid province...
They had to assume too much cursing from frozen folks further south.)




Anyway, there is one of these polar vortex jobs vortexing it's way right over us today.
Wind and cold, man, wind and cold.
Gusts that will about lift the dog off the ground.  That vicious wind which picks up the grit from the street, sending it in visible waves to sandblast what skin you've left uncovered.
Cold that stays below freezing and gets to single digits cold.


Oof...

Wednesday, December 14, 2016

Distraction














Hey, look at this cute thing...









I would guess you are here for some distraction from reality.

A distraction from the stories coming out of Aleppo.
Thoughts of how many refugees died trying to get out of that place...
Or some other place getting f'd by some IS occupation.
Perhaps you are trying to avoid pondering how the president elect is likely interviewing some leader of a flat earth society to head up NASA.



So, here is a cute thing to distract you from those thoughts.






Tuesday, December 13, 2016

The Winds



I have sorta been keeping track of this wind farm action, off Block Island.
The island is bit of land off Point Judith that has all your New England island summer get away charm.

The farm is somewhere of the island, those five turbines, out in the Atlantic a ways.

I was a bit fascinated by the logistics of all of it.  The turbines are from the EU, they were off-loaded down the road, then barged to the site.

Assembling giant erector sets out in the moving ocean seems like a challenge, no?

Anyway, announced yesterday...


The Block Island Wind Farm is officially up, running, and connected to the grid, operators announced Monday. The country’s first offshore wind project will produce enough electricity to power 17,000 average homes. It will provide all the island’s electricity needs, supplanting its old diesel generators and will also send electricity onto the mainland grid.


There is more to read here, if you would like.

Monday, December 12, 2016

Mountain Monday







I guess when you have your own backyard pool, you get your lines pretty dialed...

Thursday, December 8, 2016

Dryer Fires





Are dryer fires trending?



I feel like I have seen a lot of images with dryers on fire in the past week or so.
More then, well, ever...



Perhaps it is symbolic or some form of metaphor.
Perhaps it is the start of some laundry machine mass extinction, due to global lint build up.
Perhaps dryers are actually portals to hell, now opening up to bring this year to it's natural conclusion.

Wednesday, December 7, 2016

Infamy


Tuesday, December 6, 2016

Mammoth






I have been looking at pictures of this bike for years...
Books, classic bike magazines, the usual motorcycle spots.

It is a fascinating machine.
Maybe not handsome, exactly.
But interesting for sure...

Kinda cool to get to hear it and see it move.

Friday, December 2, 2016

In Case







In case you were looking for a car that looks like a guitar amplifier road case, tipped on it's side...

Here it is.



(I am not sure what is more terrible, the car itself or the narrative to justify it.)

Thursday, December 1, 2016

Rhodey Roads





Super awesome Civic - check.
Sweet sound system - check.
Ken Block steezey DC sweatshirt - check.


This rad race car footage is from just up the street, here.

Monday, November 28, 2016

Spider












Oh, I like that...

Thursday, November 24, 2016

The Bird




Here I am, giving you (a picture of) the bird.

No, the table doesn't look like that here.
Probably won't even eat at the table, to be honest...
Made our own traditions here, I suppose.


Best wishes and all that.




(Besides, sometimes one needs a break from the full on turkey day action.)

Wednesday, November 23, 2016

Colors











































Something pretty to look at.

Attribution.

Tuesday, November 22, 2016

Hmm






What is going on with that frame?

There, behind the transmission, the extra space there.
A jackshaft something or other maybe, to offset the final drive?

Obvious drag bike thinking going on.
I wonder what is going on there...

Friday, November 18, 2016

Black Bird







Here is something to distract yourself with...

Wednesday, November 16, 2016

Tiny Dik Dik






Take a gander at this tiny dik dik, will you...

It is pretty cute.
And it is called a dik dik.




Unrelated story/memory:
Back in the college days the flop house I was living in took in these two brothers and their dog.  It was college era, so the idea of five dudes and a large dog sharing a townhouse seemed reasonable, because rent was quite less than a couple hundred bucks per person.

Anyway, the dog, named Dick.

Things were fine, at first.  Maybe.
Then Dick had mange, or something.  Hair just fell off of the poor thing, great tumbleweeds of dog fur.  Still a nice dog, but kinda gross to touch.  There was some associated smell, as well, that got pretty overwhelming.

The the dude who was Dick's human didn't have the means or wherewithal to deal with the dog mange situation.  He loved the dog, but you know...
That guy would scratch the dog, rub it's belly, normal dog owner things.

When giving the dog belly rubs, the dog would get excited.  So much so that the doggy penis would start to reveal itself...
And that guy would shout "Touch the Dick dick, touch the Dick dick!"


I got out of that situation shortly thereafter.



Tuesday, November 15, 2016

Saab Story




Yenko Saab?

Really?


Where are all the Saab's?


Know what I am most compelled by in this pic?

That little LUV truck, down at the end...


Friday, November 11, 2016

Hmm















That is an odd but lovely bit of bike there, huh?




Thursday, November 10, 2016

Bus







Sure, how about an old van rescue video...

Wednesday, November 9, 2016

Word of the Day


Tuesday, November 8, 2016

Elections























Remember, every vote counts.




Sort of...

I mean it gets applied to the numbers for the electoral college...
And then those votes count.

Thursday, November 3, 2016

W





And it happened...





The Cubs won the World Series.





Wednesday, November 2, 2016

Poll Dancing




There is an article over at Politico on the right wing poll watching plans and present reality.

Some of the details and comments from those involved are equally troubling and hilarious.

I am just not certain if some people have any connection to reality...


These comments on both poll watching and voter suppression plans, from a conservative group, for Philadelphia...
For example.

Many polling locations are in schools, and black schools are so disorderly that pretty much any official-looking white person with a clipboard can gain access to them ahead of time and set up a hidden camera. You don't really ever even have to speak with an adult. Simply walk in like you belong there and no one even asks you why you are there. So we usually go in teams of two, one person driving and one person dressed as a blue collar worker with a clipboard, and we set up a hidden camera in the school cafeteria. Go during lunchtime and the teachers are all so busy trying to contain the kids that no one says anything. We already have a few set up...

We also have some teams going in to the ghettos in Philly with 40s and weed to give out to the local residents, which we think will lead to more of them staying home. We have had success with this in the past...


So, a couple things here...

The plan is to set up hidden cameras that look over kids eating lunch?
I guess they will only get used of voting day, because hidden cameras to watch a kids space...
Well, that is just fucking creepy.
Where do those wild kids eat on voting day, by the way?
Maybe the polls get set up in the gymnasium, or someplace else, for the election?

And to keep voting turn out low, people are going to drive around passing out booze and weed?
I am guessing the architect of this scheme has never actually been to Philadelphia...
It is the city of brotherly love, sure, but two white guys driving around handing out weed and malt liquor is going to raise the suspicions of any Philly resident.
Seriously.
It's quite a risk and investment as well.
All that mary jane, all those 40's, rolling through the "ghettos" of the a big city...
They say you can hardly walk through those areas without getting shot.


I mean, I just don't know what to say...


Another link to the article here.

Monday, October 31, 2016

Any Questions






Just gonna assume this guys name is David.

Wednesday, October 26, 2016

How To





Yeah, it is one of those unverified Google search maps.

Always amusing, if not exactly informative...

Really, Rhode Island?
How to make an igloo?
That's your big question?


I guess it is a small, lightly populated state...
Seven people searching about igloos is probably enough to skew the results, here.

(That map should get bigger if you click on it.)

Tuesday, October 25, 2016

Shark Week









Is it shark week?

Monday, October 24, 2016

Perfect Food







The perfect food...



To eat while driving a bus?

Wednesday, October 19, 2016

Science














































I think you know what this means...

Friday, October 14, 2016

Parking













Is that not a reasonable place to park, officer?

Wednesday, October 12, 2016

This Guy Again






Another video to inspire you to cut your bicycle in half, because you never learned how to actually ride it well, by comparison...

Or a tourism video for Scotland, with the bike guy.



You get some bloopers at the end, as well.  Which is a nice reminder that even for this amazingly talented guy, there are still a lot of misses and tons of work.

Tuesday, October 11, 2016

Hot Rod










Thoughts of building another hot rod have been floating around my head...

Nothing specific, just the idea of another giant puzzle to mess with.

Monday, October 10, 2016

St Louis Scientist


















Rather prescient headline on a St Louis scientist, from 1902.

I mean, nailed the crazy part.
The people read this in 1902, all dead I assume.


St Louis hosted that debate last night.
That seemed to verify the crazy bit posed by the scientist.

Thursday, October 6, 2016

Forgery

Tuesday, October 4, 2016

Something Fishy





So, I live in the ocean state and I eat fish.

But pretty rarely, at this point.

I find it hard to find fish I trust at the store and I don't have the free time I did when I would actually drive down to a dock to buy what fish I cooked.
That is an option here, a pretty amazing option, but not so convenient.

By comparison, those fish on display at the more convenient market, well...
I read those display case signs pretty carefully.
If it has a grown or caught in anyplace vaguely suspect, it's a non option.  Really, do you trust the fish regulations in China or Russia.  Not a nationalist jab there, I don't trust the regulations here either.
It may not even be the fish claimed by that little sign in front of it.

Anyway, came across this article today on the whole seafood scene.  Here is a snippet-


The seafood industry offers a perfect storm for scandal: In sharp contrast with beef, pork, or chicken, more than 90% of the seafood we consume is imported, via a largely opaque and convoluted supply chain featuring numerous middlemen and minimal regulatory oversight. Plenty of low-cost products can look remarkably like high-value ones, particularly given that consumers very rarely see, buy, or cook whole fish (save a subset of relatively small and less coveted species). There are 400 to 500 commercially available species, yet, according to the National Fisheries Institute (NFI), 94% of the fish consumed by Americans is limited to just the top 10 most consumed among those, and the top three—shrimp, salmon, and canned tuna—account for almost 60% of sales. When almost no one knows what most fishes look or taste like, it's not too difficult for consumers to be fooled. If we actually get red snapper fewer than one in 20 times, how can we be expected to know the flavor of the real thing?

If you eat fish, it's worth a read.
If you order fish from a restaurant and enjoy that, you might want to skip reading it.  Ignorance is bliss and all that.


Another link to it.

Monday, October 3, 2016

Five More Minutes


Saturday, October 1, 2016

Another






Another Pixies album?

Did we need another?
I guess we did...


Haven't even given it a complete listen, yet, but here's a track.

Friday, September 30, 2016

I Want You to Know

Thursday, September 29, 2016

New God







How about a short film about surveillance and redemption?

Wednesday, September 28, 2016

Team 80








Another year, another lap for these folks...

Annually, they race a hundred year old motorcycle from the Atlantic to the Pacific.
The Cannonball, the race is called.


They post up daily reports.
The ride, the rain, the overnight hotel parking lot engine rebuilds, the friends made, the fun had...

If'n you want, you can find them over here.

Tuesday, September 27, 2016

Boat Elevator





Still a bit busy around here...

But I found this video of a boat elevator rather interesting.
Are boat elevators a thing?
I guess they are.

This thing lifts 3000 ton boats 110ish meters.

Seriously, look at the scale compared to that building on the right...

Tuesday, September 20, 2016

Busy






Busy week here.

Here is a new Red Fang song for ya...

Friday, September 16, 2016

Casual Acquaintences


Thursday, September 15, 2016

TED Tree Talk






How about a TED Talk about talking trees?

Really.

Wednesday, September 14, 2016

Zumwalt




So, I guess this 4.5 billion dollar super boat was here, last week.

Tours and everything?


I heard about it from a newspaper, on the other side of the continent.



I guess it is a stealth boat.
That's probably why nobody here knew to cover it...

Tuesday, September 13, 2016

Special Time

Thursday, September 8, 2016

You're In Danger
























Use caution around tapirs.

Wednesday, September 7, 2016

Robot Overlords



Robot overlords, you ask?
What is this all about?


Well, it's about an interview over at the Atlantic, on the subject of automation's advances and the impact that might have on society.  Ryan Avent is the interviewee, writer of books and columns and rather clever based on what writing of his I have come across.

The conversation starts on the advent of technology in our lives, specifically work places, and how that could impact some pretty base parts of our society...
And goes from there.
The looming Technical Revolution as an evolution of the Industrial one.

Here is a snippet, for you to consider-


I think this transformative revolution will create an abundance of labor. It will create enormous growth in [the supply of workers and machines], automating a lot of industries and boosting productivity. When you have this glut of workers, it plays havoc with existing institutions.

I think we are headed for a really important era in economic history. The Industrial Revolution is a pretty good guide of what that will look like. There will have to be a societal negotiation for how to share the gains from growth. That process will be long and drawn out. It will involve intense ideological conflict, and history suggests that a lot will go wrong.

Worth a read, if there is a chance your job could be performed by a computer program or a robot.
If you don't think that is a possibility, maybe you should read it anyway...

I am not convinced the robot overlords are upon us, presently.
Their roots are already taking hold, maybe...

If robot overlords have roots or dream of electric sheep.

Link here.

Tuesday, September 6, 2016

Slow






Read about Slow TV here.

Friday, September 2, 2016

Seriously

















This hit me so hard, yesterday...
It nearly knocked me over.

Thursday, September 1, 2016

Papi




Yeah, so baseball season is winding down.

That means just a few more chances to see David Ortiz play.
The proximity to Bean Town has me thinking about that.

For a guy who is rarely on the field, Ortiz is a special player to watch.
A craftsman, professional.
Dude crushes baseball for a living.

Anyway, The Atlantic has a nice article on the guy.
A summary of his career, his place in history.
A generation of baseball fans has watched him in the biggest moments, in the most important games, late at night and late in the season. He helped his team break an 86-year title drought and then, nine years later, win its third in short succession, with a galvanizing speech to a wounded city in between. Whenever he has stepped on the field, he’s given a sometimes stodgy game a sense of uncut fun, of release from ceremony.
Here is a link to it, if you are down for some baseball reading...


Wednesday, August 31, 2016

Hmm

Tuesday, August 30, 2016

Play








Sorry for all the video posts, lately.
I do have things to say, but not the time.


Which is ironic, given the content of this video.

Monday, August 29, 2016

Sian






I have never surfed and only have a vague idea where Sian is, on a map...

But it looks like a nice place to be.

Friday, August 26, 2016

Nobody Speak








How did that pig get in there?

Thursday, August 25, 2016

Battle Cat







So, this happened.

Wednesday, August 24, 2016

The Reason






I rarely head towards the home town...


The future foretold by this cookie may be the reason.

Tuesday, August 23, 2016

Packages






Huh...

Monday, August 22, 2016

Sailboats



Did you know I have a thing for sailboats?

Well, I do, in spite of knowing fuck all about sailboats I think they're cool...


The Ocean State has a fair number of them.
They get made here, or maybe used to be made here, I don't know.

Anyway, I wandered over to a museum featuring a couple of sea loving brothers, who built boats.  The Herreshoff Museum.
They built some historic America's Cup boats as well.
Torpedo boats, too.
Really, a lot of boats.


Like I said, I don't really know much about boats, so reading about the innovative rigging of an aft jibakker, or whatever, sort of goes over my head.
Regardless, it's hard not to appreciate some lithe bit of wood, stuck together to race across waves with a gust of wind.

Oh, there is family narrative, history of motivation, genius and local economy on display as well, if you pay attention.
Cool museum...

Thursday, August 18, 2016

Greatest Headline Ever







Yes, it is a real story...



Article here.

(I know you want to read it.)

Wednesday, August 17, 2016

Restoration





This is pretty interesting, if you have an hour to kill...

Tuesday, August 16, 2016

Salt
























Oh, hey, it's Speedweek...








Monday, August 15, 2016

Fun & Games







So, you turn a crank and maybe take a pie to the face?


That does sound fun-filled, huh.



And the boy taking note, keeping score, or what?


Weird...

Friday, August 12, 2016

Opala


















Today's day dream project car.

Chevy Opala...



Thursday, August 11, 2016

Wind




Did you hear that Scotland actually generated enough power from wind turbines to cover the electrical needs for the entire country, last Sunday?


That seems pretty significant, even if the conditions were, literally, the perfect storm.


Story here.

Wednesday, August 10, 2016

Jump



Got a bit sidetracked with life there, sorry for the lack of posts.
I do have a good one, to make up for it...


So, back before the quiet week here, I went to jump out of a plane.

It's a strange thing, planning to jump out of a plane...
Something I always figured I would do, but with no time frame, no deadline.
When the reservation is made, the abstract idea changes to another thing that rolls around in your head.
You read about skydiving, you watch the videos on line...
You try to distract yourself from thinking about it too much.
Which sort of worked for me.
The friend I went with, reported the same sort of thing.

Notoriously late to things, she showed up here, before our drive to Newport more than an hour early.
The day of, one cannot hide from the nerves.
So we talked about being nervous and our individual research and preparation efforts.
On the drive over, we talked about politics.  The terror of the current political scene was a good distraction from the terror of tossing one's self out of an airplane.

So, for details, the skydiving place was in Newport, chosen for the view (and safety record).
The skydiving was of the tandem variety, with a guy strapped to you who actually knows what he's doing.


And then, you are there.
At an airport, signing a lot of waivers...
You watch a video, a rather short video.
Somebody directs you to step into a harness and snugs it around your torso.
They direct you to go stand outside.

My friend and I stood outside, looking at tiny planes.
Watching other people meet their jump people, watching planes take off.
At that point, you know it's happening, but things are still abstract.

A couple of weathered looking guys walk over and introduce themselves, somewhat awkwardly.
My guy is Pete.  I watch as he methodically runs his hands over various parts of the parachute rig, touching here, tugging there.
And OK, we're walking to the plane, a little Cessna thing like you see at every small airport.
We're told where to sit, contorted a bit, to fit four people and a pilot in the tiny space.  No seats, just on the floor.
Pete and I sit, facing each other, me backwards behind the pilot, him smashed against the back of the compartment.
My friend next to me, with both her and her jump guy facing the back of the plane as well.


Sometime, during the nervous chatter on the ground, Pete mentioned he was jumping eight times that day.  The other guy mentioned to my friend he had jumped some twenty thousand times.
Those numbers rattle around in my head.


We taxi to take off with the door open, which I thought was cool for some reason.
The engine rev's and the door closes and we're in the air.
Scrunched together, just able to see out the window from our floor seats and the plane started it's climb.
Too loud for any real conversation.


Here is the thing, the jump altitude was 12,000'.
That's two and a quarter miles, to put some perspective on it.
Little planes take a long time to get to that altitude.

But it's Newport, so you look at the bay, the ocean, the town, the bridge.
There was a sailboat race, so I looked at that, noted the colorful spinnaker of one of the boats.
Facing Pete, I could also see the altimeter strapped to his wrist.

Look out the window, glance at my friend for an exchange of nervous smiles, peek at the altimeter.
Another turn, more climbing.
Repeat...


About this time, I remembered that the harness guy told me that the jump guy would recheck and adjust my harness on the ground.
I realized Pete didn't do that and wonder about what to do, as we climb another 1000' up...
Certainly, that can't be an oversight.


And the plane keeps climbing.
Sitting across from me, Pete looks like maybe the calmest person I have ever seen.
His sunglasses conceal his eyes, tanned, a dull smile on his face.
I notice how muscular his arms were for a guy of his stature.
There on the wrist, that altimeter.
Somewhere around 10,000' Pete shifted his arms and covered that dial up.
I wonder if that is intentional...

He directs me to turn around, to clip us together, which is really hard to do in the tiny space.
Thankfully, all straps get cinched and adjusted as he sets things up, which eased my mind on the chance of my skinny frame slipping out of the harness.
Goggles on, "They should feel tighter than you think they should be." Pete shouts into my ear.


Suddenly, the door is open.
I give my friend a thumbs up, though I can hardly process what I am seeing.
She and her guy shift around, their legs swing out the door and they are gone.

Pete and I start to scootch towards the door.
I think about how hard it is to move on the carpet, two men strapped together in a tiny space, I can't quite maneuver.
Things get real as soon as my foot inches past the door frame, as suddenly the speed of the plane and cool air of altitude grab a hold.
I am supposed to place my feet on this step, but cannot.  The wind pushes my legs around and I can't quite shift my ass closer to the door.
Then they are sort of there...
I feel Pete rocking back and forth.
One...two...three...


I remember seeing the plane as we rolled through the air.
The noise, so much wind noise.
The earth below is hard to process, just blue and green.
Pete raps me on the shoulder, which means I can stick my arms out...
Assume the free fall position.
Arms out, chin up, all that stuff.
I can't even process what is happening...

Noise. Wind. Green. Noise. Wind.


Rather abruptly, there is a pop...
The harness grabs at me, snatching us from terminal velocity, to a slow glide.
A gentle breeze and fluttering canopy.

The view is finally something I can understand.
There is a horizon, shapes I can make out...
We wind our way down, ever so slowly.
I can see me friend off in the distance.
The sailboat from earlier.


As we get closer to the ground, we do some turns.
Pete lets me steer.
Swinging from side to side, like a pendulum.

Pete takes over as we near the drop zone and demonstrates how lame my turns were with a series of high arcs to line us up for landing.
Feet up, sliding to stop.
On the fucking ground.


What I wrote there, it doesn't really capture the experience.  Not at all...
Thought I would make an effort, anyway.

I will absolutely go do it again.
If you've thought about it, go.

Once on the ground, it's a little weird.  The transactional part of your experience with the jump place is done, they have other customers to deal with.  I just had a total life changing moment, but they do this all day.
So, we left.
We sat in the parking lot for a bit, sending those "not dead" texts.
Decided some food, and more importantly, a beverage was in order and took off.


The brain though, at that time, was still in reboot mode, so wrong turns were made, decisions seemed impossible, etc...
We did find a place and I will tell you it was about three hours before the shock started to wear off.


So, yeah, jumped out of a plane...


Friday, July 29, 2016

Stuff





Stumbled across this article about the idea of the objects we choose to keep or collect defining us.

Sort of inarticulate representations, or narrators of our individual history.
Mirrors, maybe...


Pretty sure I have way too much stuff.
I am not even sentimental about most of it, just to lazy to get rid of it.

Anyway, the article is a fun read...

Another link to it.

Thursday, July 28, 2016

Maps

Wednesday, July 27, 2016

Yup


Still Going

Tuesday, July 26, 2016

Parking Lots





A pal invited me to an old skate movie hang out session at a local brewery last night.
Pretty good excuse to get out on a Monday, right?

It was a funny scene.
A bunch of guys my age and older, sorta standing around.
Some of 'em happened to be brewers/skaters, so that was how the plan got started, I guess.
One or two younger guys, actually skating.

Not a lot getting landed, but fun none the less...

Hangin' out.

Shackle Me Not was the first video up...
But it was hot in the brewery basement, so everybody was outside the loading dock.
The movie part stopped when the guy who put the deal together broke his phone, bailing in the parking lot.
They were being played from his phone.

It didn't really matter.

Just a bunch of old skater dudes...
All that is really needed is a parking lot and an excuse to be there, maybe a curb.

Skaters are simple, that way.



Monday, July 25, 2016

Friday, July 22, 2016

Stewart








I miss this guy...



(Yes, I am aware this is two political posts in a row.)

Thursday, July 21, 2016

Radical Republicans



Yeah, we all have too many options, when it comes to media covering the GOP at the moment.

Again, I am staying off politics (sort of) here.
I don't think many are capable of civil conversation on the topic and I would rather not pontificate.
That never goes anywhere...

I do like to stay abreast of world events though and there is big stuff happening.  I found this read pretty interesting, how the GOP transitioned from being the party of the "shining city on a hill" to what we see today...

Here is the lead in-
Trumpism may have parallels in populist, nativist movements abroad, but it is also the culmination of a proud political party’s steady descent into a deeply destructive and dysfunctional state.

While that descent has been underway for a long time, it has accelerated its pace in recent years. We noted four years ago the dysfunction of the Republican Party, arguing that its obstructionism, anti-intellectualism, and attacks on American institutions were making responsible governance impossible. The rise of Trump completes the script, confirming our thesis in explicit fashion...

We did not advance our argument about asymmetric polarization lightly. We had worked closely with members of both parties and are not unaware of the issues and divisions inside the Democratic Party. But we had seen the GOP go from a problem-solving center-right party to a problem-solving very conservative party — and then evolve into an obstructionist party intent on appeasing extreme forces inside and outside Congress.

Pretty thoughtful observations on the GOP path.
With concern for your political identity, worth a read...

Another link to it, here.

Wednesday, July 20, 2016

Grand Prix


















Handsome.

Tuesday, July 19, 2016

Life Lessons


Friday, July 15, 2016

O Town






Hey, I know that taco spot...

Thursday, July 14, 2016

Mullen







When was the last time you saw a new video bit from this guy?

That wasn't a TED Talk, I mean...

Wednesday, July 13, 2016

Not Safe











Not safe for work...


Sorry.





Maybe it is a dude nipple there, then it would be OK, right?

Tuesday, July 12, 2016

Herding Call






Here is some traditional Swedish herding because...

I don't know.

Friday, July 8, 2016

Weekend Plans







Thanks for the suggestion, DL.

Thursday, July 7, 2016

Day Off




So, listen, I don't know where you head is on topics like gun control, or concealed carry laws, or any of that.

Neither do I know what you think of cops shooting people.

I keep my thoughts on those subjects rather to myself, because my thoughts are all over the place on those topics lately...


But, regardless of where any of us stand on these subjects, I propose that we just try out a National Don't Shoot Anybody day.

Just a day, to take a break from shooting people...

I mean, we have pie days, hot dog day, potato day...
How about we try a day where we, collectively, agree to not send bullets into other people?

If you are in favor of more gun control, it probably won't change your plans for that day.
Likewise, if you own guns, carry them, or whatever, probably no change in daily plans for you either.


Just one day, to see how it feels...

Wednesday, July 6, 2016

Still

Chicago





It's been on my mind lately...

Maybe just rolling ' over by the place by Pulaski?

Tuesday, July 5, 2016

Ack




Solo for the past weekend here.
Time to think singular thoughts, to do only the things I choose to do.
You know how that goes...

Decided to get out for a minute on the bike.
In spite of invitations to do other fun things...
Caught up in my own agenda.


The air was warm, but not too warm.
Trying to get into my rhythm, corner to corner.
Feeling the flow of an fairly empty back road.
Visor cracked, to take in the smells of backyard BBQ's and feel summer against my face.

I opened my mouth, to take a deep breath, to settle myself into an upcoming turn...
On a road I didn't know.

And felt it, the unmistakable sensation of some bug smacking over the tongue.
Something big.
Something moving, wedged into my throat.

Standing up the bike from the turn, searching for anyplace to stop.
Wretching against the thing, which is having it's own very bad day somewhere past my mouth.
Helmet ripped off before the heaving sets in, tossed aside.

And up came some watery bile and a writhing stink bug.


As I knelt there, spitting, eyeing that bug squirm and start to wander, I came to realize...

We're never alone.