Film: Riding The Long White Cloud

I'm in the middle of watching the coolest series of videos and it's blowing my mind. A bicycle tour of professional skateboarders across New Zealand: "Riding the Long White Cloud." I heard mention of this a while back, never had cable to catch it on TV, and recently thought to look into it. Well the film is viewable in a 5 part series (at thepredatorybird.com). Unfortunately our internet is pretty slow, so I've been struggling to get through the first couple of videos, but my excitement has helped me be patient. I don't usually have enough time to watch for more than a few minutes anyway. This whole concept is a dream to me and I'm in awe of the whole project.

It has inspired me to look deeper into realizing a goal I have merely considered in the past: biking across Ohio. Cincy to Cleveland; or, perhaps, Cleveland to Cincy. Whichever. Both. Not sure what is realistic in terms of how soon, not to mention how to prepare; to train. Maybe a solo trip (that is, if I can't convince C to get a good bike suitable for the trip!)... not sure. I'm thinking this is a couple years down the road, but maybe now is time to start planning.

I really think you, whoever you are, should watch at least one of these videos. Maybe it will inspire you, too.


Riding the Long White Cloud Part 1 from predatory bird on Vimeo.

A Break from the Positive: Dumbass of the Week Edition

Found this article by D. Dowd Muska called "Four Wheels Good, Two Wheels Bad." The name itself, in its suspiciously explicit literalness, should imply satire. He starts by saying this: There is something profoundly wrong with a nation where more adults ride bicycles than children. Then he writes: Two odious ideologies fuel the popularity of bicycling: anti-obesity extremism and eco-lunacy.

This no-name blogger realized his opportunity for quick fame: denouncing cyclists. There are few other groups that are quick to spread such an article like wildfire. Re-posting and re-posting. The new shock-journalist need only stereotype cyclists as smug, de-legitimize bikes as toys rather than true vehicles, and trivialize this right by over-generalizing the fact that some cyclists violate road laws (while ignoring the numbers of automobile drivers that do the same).

Who knows why Muska is mad at cyclists? Is it because, as he points out, some funding for bike projects is coming from the federal gas tax? He whines, [S]tate and local pols... gleefully commit drivers’ forced contributions to dubious bike schemes... “Bicycle planning” is providing lucrative jobs for bureaucrats eager to wield the coercive power of government to change commuting habits. He has even attempted to coin the term "Big Bicycle." Wow. I bet it hurts to stretch that much. He mentions that 4 out of every 10 dollars of that tax goes to non-highway expenses, but fails to describe where those 4 dollars are spent. Probably not all on cyclists and pedestrians. I'm splitting hairs here. This tirade has no point. It's just mud slinging to gain popularity by riling the poles of a political spectrum over a subject that really has no political affiliation. Like many of his other posts (esp. the one I just read about climate change), he drops what he probably believes are devastating bombs--these little factoids--but leaves them more or less unsubstantiated, leaving me irritated only long enough to write a cathartic blog post to cleanse my palette and forget about it.
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Funny aside: In his "bio" he claims he enjoys searching the woods of Connecticut for the mountain lions wildlife bureaucrats say aren’t there. Yea, fuck Big Wildlife. Paranoia is a beeotch.

Start a Riot

Found this quote which was recently posted up by a good friend, B-Lee:

There’s a whole girl culture that exists when you’re little. There girls have their own scene. And it always gets totally fucked up when girls start dating boys. Like two of them like the same guy. Or they just start dating guys and that becomes their life. Then they get married and that’s traditionally how women get into these situations where they are totally separated from each other in these domestic spheres. What we want to say is, "No, that’s not happening to us. This is girl culture and these are our rituals."
– Tobi Vail, of Bikini Kill

This was extracted from an article on Riot Grrrls. The article (which is essentially about fashion) is irrelevant here. It did re-ignite this thought that keeps occurring to me which is how can I connect with my daughter as she grows up, and help her foster a sense of confidence, self-esteem, self-empowerment, and expose her to punk thought and ethics, and maybe even Riot Grrrl philosophy? As a man, it's a paradox. I feel like I should work on writing a book about feminism for fathers, mostly just to get myself to learn about it. Anyway, this is where I hope I might be able to lean on the women (womyn?) I grew up with to help impart these alternative philosophies to Ellise (A!!ison? B-Lee? etc, etc.). This is unfamiliar territory, on which I tread with much trepidation. Is it possible to overcome the inherent conflict and help "guide" my daughter on a path of feminism?

Looking for a lot of advice here...

words to learn to live by

To get thine ends, lay bashfulness aside; Who fears to ask, doth teach to be deny'd.

Robert Herrick English lyric poet (1591 - 1674)

destroyer will kill

Can't remember why I thought of this, but I revisited this link to a bunch of photos I uploaded about 6 years ago to a graffiti website called "Robots Will Kill": DESTRO

Good memories about my shitty skills and some fun times spent alone trying to get good and dreams about getting down with big writers

enjoy!

dont worry about critiquing this art, positively or negatively, it was a hot minute ago

The religion of environmentalism

On an NPR-broadcast BBC news program yesterday I learned about a British guy who is suing his former employer for philosophical discrimination, based on the legal precedent of religious discrimination. The philosophy in question was centered around Climate Change and his relatively radical environmentalist ethics. Now, I don't know his whole ordeal, and I can't say I support his legal actions, but I was intrigued to think of environmentalist philosophy as a spiritual/religious ethic. The plaintiff said "my belief is underpinned by moral and ethical values comparable to many of the world's religions...it is crucially underpinned by ...overwhelming scientific evidence..."

One listener ("J.R." of Boston) responded to the story to criticize this guy's actions saying environmentalism was in no way similar to any of the world's faith-based "religions" which rely on faith in the unknown, whereas Climate Change has a scientific basis. [This is the best I could do to transcribe what was said:] "Religion is based on blind belief that notions established by others are purported to be the word of a higher being and that your own well-being will be enhanced by following and making offerings to those bringing you the Word. Climate Change is based on scientific evidence. How we are causing damage, how to avoid doing so, and the consequences of not making changes are not a matter of faith..." That is a terrible comparison. I can agree that religion is faith-based, but to deny a spirituality grounded by science is sad. And having to follow and make offerings to the ones bringing (i.e. interpreting) the Word? That statement really narrows it down to the blind leading the blind. [I'm not attacking religion here, but the choices of words used to describe Religion in such a myopic way.]

My thoughts? How cool it is that the ethics of environmentalism have a proof-driven, scientific basis! And it could be argued that there is plenty of unscientific faith and sublime wonderment in nature and environmentalism. For example, compassion toward animals is purely an ethical thing. A stance against pollution is comparable to a stance against murder or, more generally, a stance against Evil.  I love the thought of environmentalism as a spiritual, religious movement. It makes perfect sense. Everything one does to benefit the environment is a religious act; going on a hike (or a bike ride) is a pilgrimage...

A BBC article on the story can be found here

The radio "programme" that includes the quotes above can be heard

here (at ~14 minutes)

Old Old-School

I was thinking about how some of the stuff that I think is cool is basically just regressive and nostalgic in essence. You know? I don't mean like mustaches or aviator sunglasses or popped collars or whatever. I mean like bigger scale, not-ironic kind-of stuff. For example, organic agriculture and small, family farms: like I said before, these are throw-backs to pre-War farming methods. What else? Cycling: essentially unchanged since it's invention in the 1800's (unlike the automobile which was developed around the same time). Environmentalism: basically a way of life before Industrialism. Whole foods: came before mass-production, processing, and packaging.

Strangely, all these things tend to connect, I guess under the umbrella of pre-Industrialism environmentalism. Straight up conservatism. 'Ism for shizzim.

Quote: Imagination

Worry is a misuse of imagination.
Dan Zadra

Weekend Warriors

"Holy F balls." That's how C suggested I start this entry. I agree that this phrase sums our exasperation at our current situation. We had slept in the morning after Thanksgiving and were brainstorming all the wonderfully relaxing things we could fit in to our three extra days of holiday vacation: "Let's sleep in and wash my car windows;" "let's watch football and go shopping;" "let's clean the house." Somehow the conversation turned to dream house renovations. C asked me what I would do to change the kitchen. We then started talking about knocking out walls around the house. In an attempt to reign ourselves in, I mentioned that if we were going to do anything, we should pick a needed change--like removing this dirty carpet. A blink later and C was on her knees pulling carpet back to appraise the hardwood floors. I think she was as excited as I when we realized the floors were probably in great condition throughout. By noon we had removed all the carpet and padding in the hallway. We went to lunch and wrote down our strategy for refinishing our hardwood floors. However, our flowchart involved a lot less steps than what we've done so far. It is late on Sunday morning and we are at Panera for the third time this weekend. Our refrigerator and oven are conveniently blocked by our couch and a few bookcases. So that is why we ate Wendy's last night.

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I'm finishing up this post Monday morning. C is at home finishing up the second coat of stain in the living room and hallway. This project has involved renting (for 24 hours) an electrical floor sander and 3 passes over approximately 900 square feet with successively finer sanding pads; scrupulous vacuuming; tack-cloth-ing; and now TWO coats of noxious wood stain (English Chestnut!). That is, not to mention dismantling our home and packing our possessions into the basement and garage. Soon we will be polyurethane-ing. Did I mention that we overlooked the fact that 40 degree temperatures and rainy weather is really slowing down our progress? Well, the floors look gorgeous so far and pictures will be up soon.

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I want to mention that this project started on "Black Friday"--the day after Thanksgiving--the largest shopping day of the year, and also designated as "Buy Nothing Day" by radical "Jammers and Cultural Creatives" across the developed world. I'm proud to say, in the spirit of B.N.D., C and I rented a tool to work together to improve our house. We didn't have to wade through crowds of sale-hungered mall shoppers to exchange money for services, improve our quality of life, and support the economy. We also improved the value of our house, which might, in a small way, improve the value of our neighborhood. The cynic would remind us that we did buy some tools (a sanding block, a broom handle...) that will remain in our possession, that we quickly went through some inexpensive latex gloves, and that we created a lot of trash. I will remind the cynic that we saved some beautiful wood floors, original to the house (50 years old!), and that carpet should never have been put into the house in the first place. Our house will be cleaner, contain less allergens, and be easier to clean, and our knowledge and independence is increased. Remember the three R's: Reduce, Reuse, Refinish...?

(All my love to C, my beautiful wife, who was a powerhouse this weekend and this morning. She is an incredibly hard worker and inspires me constantly. She was in her element from the point of ripping out the carpet. C, I know this project has been testing your patience, and the fast food we've been fueling up on is killing us slowly, but everything looks great and I am loving you more and more every second. When this project is finished, hopefully I'll make it up to you, big time.)