RIP Touch and Go

Sad news about prolly my favorite record label ever.

Scantastic #1

My college (and current) friends Chris and Joe have gone on a scanning streak as of late, digitizing numerous photos from our bygone early 1990's era. Here are five of them:

1. Joe and Todd's Apartment - Chicago

The doorway between the minivan and the car was the entry to the storefront apartment Joe shared with Todd at the intersection of Grand and Ogden. We spent alot of time drinking and playing ping-pong in its 1,200 square foot space. It had no interior walls except for Todd's massive record collection and the bathroom. At one point someone slept in a tent inside--John Maybe? On Google Maps, the building looks essentially unchanged, though the left adjacent biker bar is larger.

2. DB in Joe and Todd's Apartment - Chicago

This is the incomparable Dan Berry presumably speaking Fake Italian. Note Joe's bitchin' flute lamp in the background.

3. Indiana Beach State Dunes - Chesterton, Indiana

Here is someone's feet at Indiana Dunes State Park...Chris' I'd guess. Sweet, tight jean shorts.

4. Kettle Moraine State Forest - LaGrange, Wisconsin

This is Joe and I at the Kettle Moraine State Forest in Wisconsin on the first day of hunting season when you probably shouldn't be riding vaguely deer-shaped mountain bikes amongst drunken hunters. We did anyway.

5. Whitten Hall, Illinois State University - Normal, Illinois

This is me attempting to put Toonces the Illegal Dorm Cat into someone's CD player. I was unsuccessful and the kitten was unhurt. Sweet EQ, huh?

Foto Philler

Just back from the moto tradeshow in Indy and have very little in the way of cool photos...so I thought I'd post some random nothing shots from my camera's memory card which now, inexplicably, seems to have a virus...anywho...


Beer sign lamp from a bar in Indy. Unfortunately they no longer sell the brand.


These are limes.


A hinge on the table edge.


Ice in the fountain.


Mom's homemade ravioli.

Racking up Blackie Onassis

My good friends at Electra Bikes were kind enough to hook me up with some new accessories for my trusty cruiser bike recently. Named Blackie Onassis--for the Urge Overkill drummer whose stage name is presumably an homage to the former first lady--my cruiser was at one time a bare-bones exercise--a coaster brake single speed in flat black aluminum. Cargo demands led me to add a basket to her, which while functional, never looked nor felt quite right.

Now with the addition of the alloy and wood front cargo tray and the matching wide rear rack, Blackie has been made cargo-worthy, while still retaining it's lo-profile black sleekness. And while my initial cargo hauls have been modest, I'm thinking I can carry three or four six-packs...a paltry capacity by Dutch standards perhaps, but not bad for the U-S-of-A. I'm sure it will be more than adequate for my forays to the library, hardware store, bagel shop and Walgreens.

Big thanks to Chris and Justin and those guys with the funny names down there in Vista, CA making some of the coolest bikes on the planet.

WARNING: This post will take at least an hour

If you click on the photo above, a new window will appear and load a Gigapan photo of the Obama Inauguration. As I did, you'll probably say to yourself--"Wow, cool photo," or "look at all those people," or "it's like television but not."

Then you'll notice the navigation tools in the upper left hand corner and start to move around and zoom in. And zoom in. And zoom in some more. Pretty soon you'll be trying to read the brand name off some lady's glasses, or laughing at the guy zipping his pants by the porta-potty, or playing 'Find the SWAT Team.' As the post title implies, you will spend at least an hour doing this--it cannot be helped and I apologize.

You'll then ponder whether it is an amazing co-mingling of optics and technology, or a peek into our Sinister Surveillance Society. Both, I suspect, but also the source of some yuks, to which I submit the following:


President Clinton staring at the twins is too obvious, so I'll just give props to George the First on the headgear--I think he can see Sara Palin's house with that hat on.


Come on Justice Thomas--stay awake for a brotha!


It just ain't a party unless Sasquatch shows up.


"Dis' me all you want terrorist guy--I'm still The Decider."


You never see Mrs. Butterworth and Aunt Jemimah in the same place at the same time. Coincidence?


"Great seats, my ass! A $10k donation and all I get is a splitting headache, Willard Scott yapping in my ear and hair gel that smells like bird shit!"

A fino salvo from North Holland

One of the coolest things I've ever done on a bike. Seriously.


Blue river, red lights.

Yours truly peeing al fresco. Photo by Warren.

Imagine how big this would have to be to house that many cars.

Detouring Amsterdam on Bikes

The things we pass off as work some days...

Randamsterdam Photos

They have alot of __________ in Amsterdam

CATS...this one is as large as a bull.


CHEESE - Ummm cheese.


PROSTITUTES - Note the red lights.


GANJA - For the whitest Rastas you've ever seen.


BIKES - Though I've not seen one with a helmeted rider.

Amsterdammmit!

The buildings in Amsterdam list every which way.


We had Warren cloned and made into an army of supermodels.


A barge-o-bikes!


A wary Eli shields his cappuccino from a Dutch cat probably named Cappuccino.


Well the sign does sort of indicate that's how a bike should be stowed.


It's just a little simpler than "Netherlanders."

Number Six free at last

Rest in peace, Number Six. And thank you.

Score!

I just found this in my bag here at work! Yum!

Bumper Sticker of the Week

I'm not much for bumper stickers. Particularly here in Santa Cruz where the highest form of expression appears to be the Bumper Sticker Manifesto. Ugh. This one made me laugh, however, and I pass it along to you dear reader.