Down the hill, fast, fast

Watched this and remembered some bike messenger moments, nothing like these guys though. The start of this race is what triggered the memories. Look for the opening between vehicles and pedestrians and go for it.

Saturday

Ottmar is part German-Tibetan according to Dave, which is a very interesting mix. Talented too.

That was one of the last things I read on Twitter, a while ago. I like it. A good rumor.

Rode the Bullitt to Mellow Velo on Wednesday morning. David brought out an enormous ape-hanger handle bar and we took a photo of me holding it in place.

Then we moved on the real candidates, and there were several. All so similar. But only one in black, and that one turned out to be perfect, in combination with a new stem. Added nice cork grips to that, which is a cool detail. David was going to mount everything right away, but we noticed that the cables for brakes and the shifter were just a little too short for the new bar, and so the bike will be ready on today.

I am thinking of trying a new bar on the fixie, also. In the mid-Seventies I had a bike with racing bars turned up – so that the ends of the bar pointed forward. It was a popular thing then, and is a very comfortable position, but I haven’t seen anybody with that style in years. David claimed that there are some messengers in the movie “Quicksilver”, who have upturned bars, but that was decades ago, too.

A Friday morning of autumn colors, after the rain, and a fine walk to Downtown Subscription. The coffee was decent and the chile in the croissant was nice and spicy for a change… On the way home I entered a well known Native American art gallery on Canyon Road and saw a beautiful garment mounted on the wall. For a brief moment I thought it was made from human skin, but the sign said that it was a parka made from walrus intestine, sewn together with grass. While I was still wondering whether I was looking at a piece of art or a functional item of clothing, the gallery person came over and confirmed that it was indeed functional. He showed me photographs of the garment being worn in the great white North, and explained that it was water-proof and large enough to be worn over sweaters or fur. It was meant to be tied over the opening of a kajak. It was hard and somewhat brittle now, but one only had to spray some water on the material and it would become soft and pliable. Once the fabric had absorbed a certain amount of water it would once again become water-proof. I asked him how old the item was, and with a smile he said, not so old, from circa 1950.

How many items of clothing survive sixty years? It was marvelous to see. If the price tag only wasn’t $9,500… I tell you, I’d buy this garment before I’d spend that kind of money on a painting or photograph.

I read “100 Days of Solitude”, which I enjoyed very much, in which a woman describes her schedule of doing 1000 full bows a day – in addition to sitting and walking and cutting wood… so of course I did 108 (good Buddhist number) full bows on Wednesday and again yesterday. Man, do I feel the front of my thighs now, especially when walking up the stairs. Why go to a gym, when I can work out while, hopefully, creating some merit. My mind is trying to argue in favor of having a bowing-rest-day, but I don’t think so… (I did do another 108 on Friday afternoon)

Spent much of Friday organizing photographs and working on a new slideshow for the upcoming solo performances next month.

Hello there! (photo)

Eyewitness: Bhutanese landscape | World news | guardian.co.uk
Mount Jomolhari, around 7,350 metres high, seen from Chilela, a pass situated between the Bhutanese valleys of Paro and Haa, bordering Tibet and Bhutan. Ascended only six times, access restrictions imposed by the Bhutanese government forbid climbers from the mountain.

Direct link to the beautiful photo.

Hm, I bet there is less trash at the bottom of Mount Jomolhari than around Mt. Everest (I prefer the Tibetan name Chomolungma)

According to estimates, there are nearly 120 tons of litter and 120 dead bodies on Mt. Everest.

120 tone of litter!!

Joshua Ramo discusses how his favorite teacher changed his life (YouTube)
John Braman was director of Upaya a few years ago and is a friend of mine.

If a person can’t parallel-park they should not receive a driver’s license. If a person doesn’t know the First Amendment they should not be allowed to run for a public office. And no, it doesn’t matter which party they belong to. Maybe we should develop a “driver’s license” for politicians. If you can’t answer a few basic questions, you don’t get to run.

Self Moving Vehicle

From Neo Bohemia:

neo bohemia – bicycle

Two bicycle sticker designs that I have been working on. Clear stickers with the kanji in either black or white with my red stamp. Thought that they should be presented today.

And here is what the sticker looks like on a biycle:

Get Yer Torches! It’s a Bike Helmet Witchhunt!

Copenhagenize.com – Get Yer Torches! It’s a Bike Helmet Witchhunt!
In a perfect world, an individual who chooses to promote everyday cycling, and who has dedicated a great deal of time, energy and personal resources to do so, would be set high atop a pedestral to be respected by the local and global community.

Instead, Matthew Modine, actor and founder of Bicycle for a Day, is subject to a cyber witchhunt these days.

Instead of focusing on the good this guy is doing, all the focus is on his personal choice of whether he wishes to wear a helmet or not. Which he doesn’t.

Ironically, the man is more well-informed about helmets than the pundits who seek to hunt him down.

Continue reading.
And these guys wore helmets