Went for a great ride today. The weather was beautiful, the bike was rolling smoothly (note to self: lubricate like every day instead of every week, the difference in feel is AMAZING), and I actually brought tools in case I got a flat this time. Riding long-distance is becoming more and more interesting to me... being somewhat flush with spending money at the moment, I bought things like a double bottle cage that mounts on my seatpost, a new frame pump that will actually put tires at 120 psi, spare tubes, patch kits, a bright-as-fuck headlight. The kind of touring I want to do is light, light, light. Like, messenger bag with a few tools and some food. I just haven't decided yet if I literally want to take my messenger bag to, say, Cleveland or Greensburg to start, or if I ought to get a cheap rack and panniers.

The Birmingham Bridge.

Gutted building, Market Square. A guy came up to me and asked what I saw in this photograph--I said I loved seeing a window through a window, that it reminded me of the way we're taught to be constantly dissatisfied, how as soon as we achieve something we want, we don't give a shit anymore and look to what's next, what's better, what's more expensive. Americans are all about getting that promotion, that bigger house, better car, sexier girlfriend, better body, and the lifestyle that causes is so empty.

Construction on a new skyscraper downtown.

happiness is a warm gun

Holy moly. This morning we went from this...


...to this. In a matter of about half an hour.


All I can say is hell yeah. It's not even all that cold out, but all this snow gives me a seriously excellent opportunity to play with my studded tires. That guy on the bike down there definitely had em. He was just cruisin, balaclava, fenders, lobster gloves and all.

I didn't go back to sleep. It was pretty much impossible. Instead, I had a repeat of my last bout of insomnia, and went out for a lovely walk. Ate some donuts, too. Then I came back, cleaned up the kitchen, and baked cornbread.


Actually, last time I woke up really early for no reason, it was a Tuesday, and I got hit by a stupid car. Maybe that means something really good will happen today...

wow, insomnia.

It's five. I am wide awake. This is a problematic way to start off a six-day work week. At the same time, I don't get a ton of sleep these days anyway, so it shouldn't be much different than usual...

Took the bike out for a big ride today (new Michelin Speediums, there's nothing like new tires). Enjoyable, but cold as hell. I also ended up getting a flat right before I got on the Smithfield St. Bridge. I was waiting for the light to turn, looked down at my wheel, and saw a thumbtack sticking right out, as if somebody was going to hang a picture. Who drops a thumbtack on the road?! Needless to say, I reached down and took it out, instantly letting all the air out of the tube, instead of riding as far as possible on it. Tonight, I resolved to NEVER go out without patches, a spare tube, and a frame pump. I think I'm going to use some of my insurance claim cash to buy one. And maybe some tire liners. Flats are a total bummer. Seeing Pittsburgh via bicycle is wonderful, though. There's something exhilirating about going over a bridge with no windshield in front of you...

Anyway, here's a list of things I really want to do with my life:

Make a risotto cake using pork stock with smushed up pinto beans and chilies (I just think this would be TOTALLY delicious).

Be a bike messenger.

Someday quit cooking, go back to school for music, and get back into choral music, maybe professionally.

Race in a velodrome.

Learn to TIG weld. I would love to build frames someday. You can get a pretty basic kit for around 1500 bucks.

Find true love.

Find plenty of other love.

Actually pick up this damn guitar and learn to play.

Try being a breakfast cook. Or any other job that would allow me to see what a normal person's work schedule is like.

Use my 35mm more. It's a beautiful old camera.

Build more things. Tables, chairs, cabinets, etc. Get much better at carpentry/home improvement, honest crafts in general.

Go on a really, really long bicycle tour. Seriously, I'm talking save up some money, mount some serious panniers on the bike, sublet my apartment, and be a drifter. I really, really, really want to do this.

Own a gun. I was such a good shot in Texas, and regardless of what all my ultra anti-gun readers think, they are extremely fun. Also, get good at archery.

Get back into weightlifting. Preferrably at a place where I can do it at home. Gyms are expennnnnsive. Honestly though, I just wanna see how much I can leg press these days...

Learn to box. And I mean old school, jogging at five AM, Rocky boxing.

Make wine again. Make a ton of it. Also, get wine and save it.

Do all this before the end of the world. When the end of the world comes, be on the high ground so I can live a really cool post-apocalyptic life like in the movies.

Travel overseas, preferably with a bicycle.

Continue to be oddly happy even though I'm a fatalist and a nihilist, and have an extremely bleak outlook on the way the world works. Make fun of the shit of society.

the garage

I know, it's tilted to the left. But now my apartment looks like a bike punk's place, for sure.

pictures interest people!

Working on some tripe.

Yep. You guys have seen that mug before. The finishing touch to the ultimate commuter. I rode her to and from work today in some pretty icy conditions. The handling was like riding on dry pavement with Alice in the summertime. I'll be beating this thing up in the snow with hot coffee for months to come.

lydia

home improvement!

I love drilling holes, sanding tables, and using chemicals to make things pretty!

clean house!

I have so much space again!

the finished project

Here it is: my cyclocross/cruiser/fixed-gear/mountain bike/commuter/snowmobile.

Basically, I could change the tires and bars on this and make it a racer. Or a straight up cruiser. It's awesome. I bought a Dura-Ace lockring and the proper tube to fit the studded tire to the front wheel today. Swapped the road stem out for a straight one, and fitted those cruiser bars to it, with a single Tektro front brake lever and some grips. With a pair of old toe-clips, it's ready to ride. I did some trail stuff in the park today and it was awesome. Next week it's going to get icy and I'm gonna take her to work.

This bike definitely deserves a name now. I'm thinking.

alice, post-crash restoration

Weinmann LP18 rims laced to Formula track hubs.

Ritchey Logic headset. Let me tell you, these things are a total bitch to replace. Now, though, instead of loose ball bearings, I've got 'em mechanically sealed. Smooth steering.

New saddle--carbon shell, titanium rails.

This bike is completely silent now. No rattle in the head tube, no noisy drivetrain, no rickety dented rims. It's perfectly tuned and perfectly geared. Definitely the first bike I've had that has nothing rigged up dangerously just so it can stay on the road. Bar tape looks like hell though, gotta get that fixed up.

the semi-finished concord

alice's new shoes, breathing new life into the concord

Yesterday, I bought new wheels. New, perfectly trued, double-wall Weinmann rims laced to Formula hubs. It's like riding on a kitten. The road vibrations are lessened, my acceleration has improved incredibly, climbing hills is a breeze now. I rolled up Greenfield Avenue last night from the South Side to Swissvale, and while that's meaningless to most of my readers, Pittsburghers will know what the fuck is up. It was a climb.

That bit of touring around the Eliza Furnace trail followed some racing. At the beginning of the night, I met some messengers under a bridge near Polish Hill to do some sprints. Seriously hardcore people, only me and one other non-messenger among them. It was cold. But I actually did pretty well. Out of three sprints, the first with three people and the second against one opponent, I came in second, won, and lost, respectively. I actually outsprinted a Pittsburgh bike messenger. With Alice, no less. It makes me feel really good that not only am I not a bad rider, but my ride--the red Schwinn with the red and green bow on the headtube--is a competitive piece of equipment. I am hooked on racing people, and sadly, these sprints are going to start happening every Friday at 5:30 PM. Once again, I'm shit outta luck as far as actually participating in the local bike culture goes.

My other project the other day was taking the Concord--my first bike since I left home--and converting it. I stripped off the rear brake and lever, shifters, cables, derailleurs, computer, and the bars that were on it. I put an 18 tooth cog and my Innova studded tire on the post-crash rear wheel and fitted it, and put together a BMX chain with some spare links. I put drop bars
in the stem and fitted a single cross lever to them for the front brake.

Then, I took a hacksaw to the crankset, turning it into a homemade singlering crank.

As soon as I get a lockring for the rear hub, and a tube to fit the other snow tire on the front, it'll be a low-geared off road/inclement weather fixie. I'll upload pictures of the completed project soon, though it won't be ridable until I get those parts next week.

Parents asked me to put up some photos of the damage. As you can see, I'm probably going to pull through.

Car to the face. Luckily, your chin is some of the hardest bone in your body!

Pedal gouged a piece of my ankle out. This is the part that has me limping.

And, just because it deserves to be on my internet journal, here's a really myspacey picture of what I look like these days. Or rather, what I look like when I'm on vacation, and have time to make coffee at home.

brush with death

Hit by a car today. Pulled right out in front of me, no left turn signal, into a shopping center while I was cruising down Centre Ave, in the middle of the lane, in broad fuckin' daylight.

Some people just forget sometimes that they're driving a few thousand pounds of metal around. "I didn't even see you, the sun was in my eyes," she said. Well, maybe you ought to get some fucking sunglasses, and learn to use that set of brakes that costs as much as my entire vehicle. I AM TRAFFIC.

Anyway, I win on this one. I have several witnesses, the woman's phone number, and the police report puts her at fault for not yielding to me! Woohoo, legal upper hand!

Oh, and I am fine. Little scrape on the ankle, nasty-looking bruise on my chin. Alice is completely unscathed. I locked her up, got into the ambulance, then walked back to the crime scene two hours later to ride home. Here I am now at the Coffee Tree, with the leg up on a chair and a nice hot cuppa joe.

Anyway, you could totally die tomorrow. Get the number of that barista you like. Eat some truffles and foie gras. Shoot a gun, get drunk, have lots of sex. I could've been pushing daisies 1500 miles away from home today. That is, if I weren't such a tough motherfucker.

Ride hard, it keeps you warm.