sunday

Why I didn't go riding today.

It's a freakin' winter wonderland out there. With some (for Seattle) serious accumulation and more falling every minute (for 30-odd hours now). It's not quite the worst since I became a year-round-rider, but it's right up there. Pretty, though.

I was unable to ride, but that doesn't mean my bike has to go to waste. I built a SnowBiker to keep my saddle "warm" until the weather turns less Yukon-y.

I should have made him bigger, but it was 23F outside and the snow packed about as easily as sand. No matter, he's been absorbed by the surrounding snow already (took less than a day).

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In other news: I was out on the deck about 2 this morning and I got to see an example of the Xmas spirit in action. There was a fella running down the sidewalk, and something told me to watch him. He slowed to a walk as he came abreast of my building and then, after looking both ways, crossed the street at a sedate pace, then burst into a run for maybe twenty feet after reaching the opposite side. As he then sauntered nonchalantly along the fence around the Yule-tree vendor in the parking lot I reached for my camera, sensing good video in the making. I wasn't quick enough. By the time I had the camera powered up and aimed he was half a block away at a dead run with a 6-foot Douglas Fir under his arm. Approximately 90 seconds after he disappeared up a side street two police cars cruised by. Blind luck, or a meticulously planned extralegal covert operation?

wednesday

Bikes and Beefs

The US government does not want you to use economical, earth-friendly transportation unless it is built by Americans or Asians*.

The US government is retaliating against a European ban on hormone-injected beef (from anywhere, not just the US) by imposing a 100% (!!) tariff on two-wheelers under 500cc if they're manufactured in Europe. The frankenbeef ban has already been in effect for twenty years, the tariff is brand new. I understand that the wheels of government grind slowly, but damn.

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"There is no logical link between European motorcycles and the dispute over beef. Imposing these stiff tariffs on motorcycles would do nothing to resolve the trade dispute, but would punish American buyers of European motorcycles. Trade disputes residing concretely within the boundaries of the agricultural industry should not be resolved with trade sanctions levied against non-agricultural products. A 100 percent ad valorem, or higher, tariff on these motorcycles will cause serious and potentially irreversible harm to American small- and medium-sized business owners selling the vehicles. Additionally, citizens will be denied access to certain models of competition and recreation motorcycles that contribute to the lifestyle and well-being of millions of American families."

-Ed Moreland, AMA Vice President For Government Relations.

Full text of AMA letter (.pdf)

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The public comment period seems to have ended (8 Dec) before we (the public) got to comment.

Hmm.

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*Many of whom also do not want our chemical-y meats, fruits & vegetables.

monday

12east ~ partII

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partI coming soon

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US12 across Idaho on a sunny September afternoon. It was a long awaited and much needed day with no particular place I needed be and no particular time I needed to be there. This is from 5 to 5:30pm the same day, but again just the photogenic bits.

sunday

12east ~ partIII

Yes, part 3. It's the one I finished first.

US12 across Idaho on a sunny September afternoon. It was a long awaited and much needed day with no particular place I needed be and no particular time I needed to be there. This is from 5:40 to 6:00p on a Thursday, but just the photogenic bits.

Parts 1 and 2 will be ready when they're ready, I've heard that anticipation builds character or makes the reward sweeter...or something.

wednesday

NOTE: I went riding last week (WA/ID/MT) and over the next month (or six) I'll post some of the (many) hours of video waiting patiently to have the boring bits edited out. Please be patient - I'm efficient, not magic.

Waaaaay back in March I ordered a neat Dainese helmet for summer (very ventilated, as the Official Dainese CG Animation shows). Then the EC decided that one of the chemicals in the paint was now verboten and Dainese scrapped the ones that were already made and re-made them. So no new summer helmet for coho this summer.



The day after my birthday (yes, you've missed it) I got an email from Bram at the Dainese Store in Belgium (he's been very polite, apologetic and helpful as the delivery time kept slippin' slippin' slippin' into the future: first April, then June, then "are you sure you don't want to try a different color?" - delivery day always tantalizingly visible, but just out of reach) my hat is on its way (currently my Italian hemet has left Brussels and is now, for some reason, in Nottingham) and will be here just in time for autumn. I just had to have the yellow one, didn't I? The color code for gialla (say it with me, "g'Yalla") is 007, by the by. How cool is that?

Enjoy the video, I'll post a real picture when it comes.