Just some random crankiness

How come iPod accessories cost so damn much?


I had to pay almost 20 bucks for a little clip that will let me put my Shuffle on my belt loop instead of hanging it around my neck like a goober.

I guess the stuff cost so much because dumbasses like me step up to the plate and buy it. I was at Circuit City and they have all kinds of stuff for iPods. Docks, connectors, chargers, cables-you name it and none of it is cheap.

I shop at our local Border's because they have a great assortment of mountain biking and cycling magazines. There is this clerk there that is so *s l o w * ringing up everyone's order and I always seem to get her when I'm waiting in line.

Today she was all by herself at the front and the older woman in front of me was questioning the price on everything she was buying. First off, If you are gonna be that much of a pain in the ass when you check out-go shop at Wal-Mart where they have do it yourself checkouts. Second.......yeah, I know-be patient but while I and other customers were waiting (for at least 5 minutes or so it seemed) at least 3 employees walked by the register area and none of them either paged for more cashiers or ran one themselves.

Outstanding customer service..............Not.

Being patient is just not in my nature when it involves having to wait to pay for something. Took the test and I am relaxed, calm, secure, and optimistic but not patient. Go figure.

This is nice. Now all they have to do is figure out how to make their hambugers not taste like greasebombs.

Hunting with .50 caliber handguns? Holy shit, there won't be any deer left to eat.

We could sell them water...............for 5 bucks a gallon.


Yes, He does........when he's not riding His chopper.

Hey, this is cool. It took Darth 30 questions to get the object I was thinking about. The object?

A turd.

Yeah, I know............I need to grow up already.

I used to smoke, maybe this guy oughta consider quitting as well while he still has some face left.

Dumbass of the day. Gasoline and dishwashing detergent=napalm. I knew that already, too bad they didn't.


I have a tough job.

If anybody can figure this out-lemme know. Since I am so impatient-I gave up after 5 minutes.

As if the above link wasn't enough of a time waster, check out the pictureofeverything.

I'm guilty of not checking my e-mail all the time, I missed the fact that someone had comment on an earlier post I did. I had posted a link to this story and said that Newsweek f**ked up. Here was the comment posted by "Anonymous"...........

____________________________________________

"Newsweek f**ked up"? Not hardly! Newsweek reported on something that's actually been reported on many times before and seems to have happened repeatedly. The only reason they were taken to task for it is because their report happened to coincide with riots that were breaking out over it. The problem isn't reporting, the problem is Administration knuckleheads telling military commanders to "turn up the heat" on suspects taken captive, who in turn give a wink and a nod to poorly educated 19 year old kids who think it's funny as hell to beat the living crap out of people whose culture is different from theirs and who, 99 out of 100 times are completely innocent, guilty only of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

And we wonder why people around the world are starting to hate us?
____________________________________________

................My thoughts on the above comment? I completely agree with you that the Administration is full of knuckleheads.

Newsweek also has some knuckleheads working for them as well.

As far your comment about "poorly educated 19 year olds kids beating the crap out of people" is a bit unfair. Whatever.......you have your opinion-I have mine.


I saw this and was surprised they didn't mace and taser her. Those 86 year old women can get out of hand in a hurry.


Damn, that's a big fish.
According to the story it took over a half hour to reel in. Shoulda used a stick of dynamite and saved some time.

Gosh, I wish my parents woulda used this when I was a kid. Then I woulda been normal.

I wonder if I can just buy the motor for my chopper. Shucks, I'll just get some spokey-dokeys.

Till later...............

Podcasting stuff+chopper update

I suppose it's no small secret that I am a really big fan of podcasting. Most people I've talked to have never heard of it before. Here is a very brief explanation.



Here is how I listen to pods. First I downloaded iTunes 4.8 to use as my music managing software because it works well with iPodder. After you have iPodder downloaded and installed, just click the "Podcast Directory" tab and go to the iPodder.org-Podcasting Central tab and double click it. Go to the "Categories" section and open it and you will find all the pods organized by category. Double click any pods that look interesting and they will be added to your subscribed feeds.

You can configure the iPodder software to check for new feeds automatically or any number of ways by clicking "Tools" and then click " Scheduler".

You don't need an iPod to listen to podcasts, if you have some other type of MP3 player, just drag the files out of the iTunes library and into your MP3 players disc drive and they will play. You can also just listen to them on your computer by double clicking the file.


Click the above image to get a full size diagram of how podcasting works.

Here are the RSS feeds for some of the pods I am currently listening to..............If you have podcasting software installed, just click on the links and copy and paste the feeds into your software.

IMC Radio- this is a collection of feeds from Indymedia.com, all kinds of stuff shows up here. Kind of like a potpourri.

These Days- San Diego public radio news and interviews.

Adam Curry's Daily Source Code- The father of podcasting-he has a daily podcast that has music features,promos and the latest podcasting news.

The Bike Show- stuff about bikes.

Radio Free Biker- more stuff concerning bikes.

Slacker Astronomy and Slacker Astronomy Extra- You don't have to like astronomy to enjoy this podcast. Learn some stuff about science.

The View from Here- A couple talks about life in Israel.

Keith and the Girl- A couple of clowns from NYC. Very funny and VERY off-color.

Benjaman Walker's Theory of Everything. Very eclectic. Something different with every new update.

Fly With Me- What airline pilots really talk about.

Catholic Insider- A Dutch priest. He talks about stuff other than religion-it's pretty darn interesting.

Here's a very good directory. Here's another.

I have a 512mb iPod shuffle and it's big enough to hold at least 12 hours of shows which works out well because that's how long it will play before it needs recharged. I listen to them at work through one earbud at a fairly low volume so I am able to have a conversation with someone and don't appear totally non-social.

I could go on listing podcasts to listen to........ go ahead and experiment-not every pod you subscribe to will be to your liking -it's all good- just unsubscribe and check out some different ones........... they are free after all!



My buddy Greg sent me some more pics of his chopper build up. Folks.........this thing is "forking" scary looking.


Nice shot of the triple trees. You have to remember, none of this stuff you are seeing is off the shelf parts- It's all coming directly out of Greg's brain and into metal.

Click the pics for the largerer versions.

Izzat some wild stuff or what?


Riders eye view.


Sweet Jesus, that's one long ass fork.



That's about it for today, next time I'm gonna rant and rave about how much iPod accessories cost and shitty service at Borders.

Till later.

Crit pics..............

Here are some pics from the crit I was at yesterday.....................



















My favorite one is the last one, man those guys are FAST. I have to apologize for the blurry pictures, this is the first time I've used my new camera for action pictures and I am still a little bit unsure of the settings. All I know is that they race inches apart from each other and I'd have to estimate they are going at least 25 mph.

My friend Will from Ed's Ski and Cycle was providing neutral support for the race and he had some pretty neat road bikes on display as well. I haven't been up to his shop yet, but maybe he will let me take some pics of the place when I manage to free up some time and pay him a visit.

I have a friend that is thinking about trying out his bike fit service and perhaps I could document the whole process and post up some pics. We'll see how that works out..................

After the race I rode over to my brother and sister-in-laws house to catch the tail end of my niece's birthday brunch. When my brother in law built his house several years ago-it was on a hill totally by itself on several acres of land. Now-it is surrounded by a new development of mini-McMansions............all the houses look the same to me. Same color, same size..........totally boring looking.

I also gave away one of my bikes yesterday. We have a nephew the same age as our daughter and he needed a road bike to do some commuting on. My 1977 Raleigh worked out really well for him so I gave it to him. I think it's pretty cool that a 17 year old is more interested in riding then driving. The bike is older the he is-truly old school.

Now I am down to 5 bikes.

I think my next bike is gonna be some type of full suspension bike. I like the Specialized Enduro and the Jamis Dakar. Both are really nice looking bikes but until I save the bucks for one or the other-I am thinking I will end up with a Dakar since they are a good bit less expensive then Specialized. Who knows, maybe I will hit the lottery and buy one of each:-)

I know I keep blathering on about podcasting but if you spend any time on a bike solo riding or commuting in a car- listening to podcasts are a great way to entertain and learn some stuff. My next post I am going to list some of my favorite ones again and how to listen to them.

Till later..................

Quick ride.............

Did a quick little ride over to Lancaster Saturday. 35 miles at about a 16mph average. Almost got wiped off the face of the earth on the way back to my house.

Not sure why, but I always seem to get the 88 year old lady with silver-blue hair driving her dead husband's 88 Coupe de Ville out there tryin' to kill me.

Had some old lady blow through a stop sign at 4 way intersection-she didn't see me until the last second-and she hit the brakes so damn hard she and her passenger slid right off the front of the seat (no seatbelts, I guess) and hit the dashboard. I saw her way before she saw me and I had nearly come to a stop, thank God.

Old people shouldn't drive.

Get with the program..........

Which program is that you may ask? ..........................

The EXTREME program. You know, where everything is turned up a couple notches.
Several examples............

-Speakers

-Energy drinks

-Marketing

-Elvis

-Sex toys No wait-I guess that one has always been somewhat extreme.

-Sports

-Ironing

-Hubcaps

-Pizza

-Pumpkin carving

And yes, even mountain biking. I'm so sick of everything be labled extreme, I am ready to projectile vomit on the next person I see that mentions anything that is "extreme".

Whoa.

I suppose that would be a little "extreme" of me, huh?


I haven't seen the newest Star Wars movie, I'm pretty sure
the above dialog wasn't included.

I'm glad this little guy isn't living in my neck of the woods. Scary shit. I've read that sex offenders are not happy that they have to register where they live. I have a solution-don't be a sex offender.

That's about it for today. My next post will hopefully include some pics from the crit I will be attending on Sunday.

Till later.....

Rocket Science...........

I suppose building a chopperbike from a pile of tubes and an old frame or two isn't rocket science, but to me it is. Not sure how my friend Greg's mind works but it's damn fun watching the progress on his chopper build up.

Click the thumbnails to supersize.

At this point Greg has decided to go with a Aheadset style of headtube.


Not having one handy, he makes his own out of steel tubing.


Old one from the donor frame on the left, new one on the right. According to Greg, this has been the most difficult part of the project so far. I can believe it figuring that you have to precision machine both ends of it. I'm really looking forward to checking out his handiwork when he constructs the fork.

Bike riding is not a crime. Awesome blog, check the rest of it out.

This is a seroiusly cool way to make a living. I wonder if something like that would fly around York?

I wish this shop was right here instead of Cali. I am digging the flamed seats.

This is why I don't watch much TV. Network TV makes you stupid.

While I'm not too hot on the idea of teenage pregnancy (yeah, my daughter is 17-you got a problem with that?) I totally think it was wrong for the school in this story to do what they did. They let the father (also in the class) participate in graduation? That's messed up.

Saw this and I had to laugh. I bought a Plymouth minivan the year before this was offered. Less then a year after the warranty expired-the transaxle ate itself. What a piece of shit. I'm sticking to Subies after the van wears out.

I know I have a couple readers in Minneapolis, this looks like a really nice bar.

Hmmmmmmmmm...............get it?

Till later...........

Wal-Mart..........

Lots of folks really hate Wal-Mart. I'm not a super huge fan of the company myself because the company I work for goes head to head with them in all our local marketing areas. I do know a couple things about them..........

-They are ballbusters when it comes to price. Price is everything for them. Which is good for customers in the short term but perhaps not in the long term.

-They pay jackshit. Our company is guilty of that to a certain extent as well, but once you make full time at my company-the benefits are pretty good. Part-timers also have fairly decent benefits after a year of employment, including healthcare after 90 days.

-They exert too much influence on their suppliers. That's okay sometimes, sometimes it's not. Am I complaining? No, I buy stuff there fairly often. We purchased a 32" TV there this past winter for 200 bucks. Money talks-bullshit walks.

On to other stuff............

I checked my site statistics and found a person that was looking for how many calories are in a donut somehow ended up at my site............

Alot.

I'm guessing that someone is on a diet and wanted to know how many calories were in the donut they snuck before bedtime.


I also have a huge bruise on my ass cheek from the "off" I had up at Rocky Ridge this past weekend. Oh, my aching ass.............

For lack of a better term, Newsweek f**ked up. News at all cost isn't worth people dying.

Going to watch this bike race this Sunday. My friend Will owns the LBS that is providing neutral support and I am gonna hang out some.

Till later and more pics from my friend's chopper build up. It's rocket science I tell ya.

Till later.

Chopper pics...........

Is this neat or what? (clickia to make biggia)

Greg has been fitting some pipes and welding away.

Man, this thing is gonna be cool.

I don't know jackshit about welding or metalworking but I really like the lines. Hurry up and finish it so we can terrorize my neighbors.

I used to be a really big NASCAR fan. I think that in the past 10 years or so, that the sport has become a caricature of itself. I mean, do I really care if Tony Stewart says a couple of bad words once and awhile? Shit no, I think they oughta have to wrestle for the trophy after the race. Or least have a fistfight. Then my favorite toupee wearing driver Jimmie Spencer would be kicking some major ass.


Folks, this is the real deal. Anytime you get all 4 wheels off the ground-that's driving.

I also follow drag racing. Yeah, go ahead and make fun of me but it's hard to argue with 7000 horsepower.

Anybody see this? That ain't right. Even if the dog was gonna be euthanized-it still isn't cool.

I'm damn proud to say that I am not on this list. Because I don't have any hair to style. Just a whole lotta forehead. And it's sunburnt forehead after my tennis whooping Sunday.

I'm not sure what kind of music this is. It's certainly different. I like it.

You dickhead.

This is cool. I'd like to give it a shot. I think it would be useful for getting through an 8 hour shift at work. The donuts might end up being funny shaped though.

Tired of needless content? Get this......

What the hell was this guy thinking when he got dressed?

I love this site. I haven't gone through all the rants yet but I especially like the one about American Idol. I'm not one for much network TV, so I can see the guys point. Turn off the damn TV and go for a bike ride or a walk.

I haven't really been following the Giro much but I'd really like to see Ivan Basso do well. He's the only guy out there besides Jan Ullrich that has the slightest chance to kick Lance's ass in July.

Almost got creamed walking out of Target Monday afternoon by you guessed it..........a soccer mom in an SUV talking on her cell. I had just bought a 1/2 gig iPod shuffle to listen to podcasts at work and was looking at the package so it's sorta my fault but she shouldn't have been going 45 mph in a parking lot.

I like my 4 gig iPod mini a whole bunch but it's getting too beat up being carried around in my shirt pocket. The Shuffle is a lot smaller and the 1/2 gig size is more then enough to hold 8 hours worth of podcasts.

Something crawled into a ventilation duct at work last night and died. Our air conditioning smelled like rotton eggs on and off all night. Holy Mother of God it smelled bad. For once, I'm glad that the bakery isn't air conditioned.

Helmets save lives. Just read something on the YAMBA board about the owners of one of our LBS's having a crash on the rail trail. They are going to be okay but you can never be too safe. I wonder how the hell I got through childhood back in the 60's and 70's without a helmet. I used to do some very crazy shit on a bike and never got more then the occasional scrape. I must be right with Jesus. Or something.


Drink up.

Till later.

People with cellphones.........

Looking at the pic above-you might be thinking that the post below contains some stuff that ain't exactly P.C.



You'd be right.


You've been warned.


People with cell phones that drive and talk at the same time oughta be shot on sight. Or if that's too extreme........then they should be dragged out of their vehicle and worked over with a bag of nickels until they're lumpy.

Ever see anyone walk around talking on a cellphone? They usually stand in one place like they are in a daze or stand in one spot and mindlessly blubber away. Imagine the same asshole talking on their cell and driving. Scary shit when they are surrounded by 3 tons of SUV and you are on a 25 pound bicycle. Mmmm, sounds like I have a hard-on for drivers with cell phones.

Took a ride up at Rocky Ridge Saturday afternoon-had one heck of a good time-I have to learn how to ride with a 100mm suspension fork again. After riding rigid on the SS for the past 2 years, I got hung up on a couple of rock outcroppings because I was going too slow. Maybe I just need to ride faster..........

I did see something while riding up there that I've never seen before while riding up at Rocky Ridge. I've seen all kinds of stuff while riding but today was the best.

I was on Trail 2 near the rear of the park when I came up on an unleashed dog, a few seconds later around the next bend-I saw a woman standing in the middle of the trail totally oblivious to anything talking on a cellphone.

It gets better, about 1oo feet down the trail were 2 small kids playing off to the side of the trail. I'm assuming the dog and the kids were hers but I didn't stop to ask. "Mom of the Year" material for sure.............I'm just glad she was able to spend some time in the woods to get away from everything for awhile.

On the bright side, I did see fellow bike blogger Ed Hidden out for a ride with one of his young sons. The "Trail-a-Bike" that Ed was using looked like a fun way to take a small child on a bike ride.

On Sunday, I played tennis with our 11 year old. He pretty much kicked my ass. The fact that I don't even know how to play tennis probably didn't help much.

I saw this on a fellow bike bloggers site. My first thought was, WTF???? I seriously thought it was some sort of parody site. After browsing it for a few seconds, I realized-they are serious. I would love to take a look at their demographic studies..............who exactly is this bike is targeted to??? NBA stars? I'm wondering if they will be coming out with some bling wheels and low profile tires soon. Pimp my bike brah.


I wonder if Wal-Mart carries these.

Here's one kick-ass bike ride. Anytime you get arrested in a foreign country riding your bike-it makes great stories to tell your grandkids.

I thought this was funny. I guess I ain't gonna be needing a jacket when I die,huh? In the afterlife, I'll probably end up being a cook here. Hard to believe that's real place. I wonder if they have fake suicide bombers.


If you lack a sense of humor........
do yourself a favor-
and don't click on the thumbnail above.

Organ donors save lives. He helped 5 other people but you have to feel for his family.

This looks like it might be fun............ Me? I'd rather derby.

This guy sure sounds like a dick. Ban mountain biking? What, is the guy a commie or something?

This is gonna be some hard core riding on May 28th. Sure hope they pave that shit by then.


Somebody was having fun with Photoshop..........

Hey, here's something useful. Found it on one of my favorite anti-spyware sites......

I saw our house.................well, I at least saw the roof of it. Hint-use the "satelitte view"

Adam Curry interview. Podcasting rocks.

This guy sounds like one helluva game designer and a pretty shitty mountain biker.

All along, you though these guys were dumbasses.

Next post, I'll have more pics of my friends chopper build up. It's coming along rather nicely.

Till later.

More homebuilt chopper news.....

Wow, this is really good news for people that own oil wells.

Man, that's just insane.

My buddy Greg sent me a couple more pics of his homebuilt chopper buildup, I am totally jealous!

Here are a couple thumbnails.......clickie to supersize.

In this pic Greg has the rear triangle ready to be tack welded, the front of the bike is still in the set up stage.


This pic gives you an idea of what the wheelbase will be, it's gonna be a monster at right around 6 feet. Greg is using a 26 inch rear wheel and a 24 inch front. I'm sure his son Alex is totally stoked to be helping his old man with this build up. He's a cool kid. And that's gonna be one long-ass fork.

Saw this article on a fellow bike bloggers site. It's a little bit of a long read but some of it really seems to be a wake up call. I don't think any of this is going to transpire when gas hits 4 bucks a gallon, maybe at 5 or 6 bucks a gallon though.....................If that happens?

I can't really change my driving habits for commuting to work-I work 3rd shift and I would have to ride on some really narrow 2 lanes roads with little to no shoulder. I'm not willing to do that to save a few bucks. If it came down to it-I'd buy a 200cc scooter to save gas.......... My wife drives 25 miles to work straight down the Interstate at 5AM to get to work, so she would have to leave at 3 AM to get to work on time if she rode a bike-totally out of the question.

Sometimes the stuff I find when I'm browsing the net defies description.......


I'm wondering what the title of this sculpture is....
Maybe.... "Bend Over, I'll Drive" or "Hey, Did You Drop the Soap?"

This is kinda sad. I remember when we used to have "Large Item Pickup" in our neighborhood twice a year. Everybody would have the chance to throw out all kinds of bulky or unneeded items. It was always fun to watch soccer moms in their Lexus SUV's browsing for stuff. It's sad that the guy in the story has to do it to make ends meet.

Wanna have the pool all to yourself at your next pool party?

I like this joke...................

Newly Married

A newlywed couple had only been married for two weeks.

The husband, although very much in love, couldn't wait to go out on the town and party with his old buddies.

So, he said to his new wife, "Honey, I'll be right back..."

"Where are you going, coochy cooh?" asked the wife.

"I'm going to the bar, pretty face. I'm going to have a beer."

The wife said, "You want a beer, my love?" She opened the door to the refrigerator and showed him 25 different kinds of beer, brands from 12 different countries: Germany, Holland, Japan, India, etc.

The husband didn't know what to do, and the only thing that he could think of saying was, "Yes, loolie loolie...but at the bar...you know...they have frozen glasses..."

He didn't get to finish the sentence, because the wife interrupted him by saying, "You want a frozen glass, puppy face?" She took a huge beer mug out of the freezer, so frozen that she was getting chills just holding it.

The husband, looking a bit pale, said, "Yes, tootsie roll, but at the bar they have those hors d'oeuvres that are really delicious...

I won't be long. I'll be right back. I promise. OK?"

"You want hors d'oeuvres, poochi pooh?" She opened the oven and took out 15 dishes of different hors d'oeuvres: chicken wings, pigs in a blanket, mushroom caps, pork strips, etc.

"But sweet honey... at the bar... you know...there's swearing, dirty words and all that..."

"You want dirty words, cutie pie?...

"LISTEN UP, DICKHEAD! DRINK YOUR F--KING BEER IN YOUR GOD-D--N FROZEN MUG AND EAT YOUR MOTHERFU--ING SNACKS, BECAUSE YOU AREN'T GOING ANYWHERE! GOT IT, ASSHOLE?"

Not like I would ever do anything like that.............

Ann Coulter is a guy. Damn.

I could have fun with this. I'd probably end up in jail.

Next post, I think I will go off on drivers on cell phones. Tune in.

Till later.................

Hope I'm a winner....

Here's a picture of the bike that is being raffled off at my LBS. I bought 10 dollars worth of tickets because I need this bike.

I need it like I need more forehead..................

I guess I'm a sucker for any bike with a wild paint job. Like I said yesterday-It's for a good cause, the proceeds of the raffle benefit YAMBA. Since I helped found the organization nearly 5 years ago-they have grown and expanded more than anyone has expected-they will put the money to good use.

If you are so un-coordinated that you can't trim your sideburns...........this product is for you. I am thinking of buying it and just wearing the side pieces all the time.

What do I know?................

Till later.

I'm a simple guy..........

Yessiree Bob, I am.

Don't take much to make me happy.

This movie right here oughta just about make my summer.

It has all the criteria of what it takes to make it to the top of the Donut Guy's "Top Ten" list...........

-Car chases

-Wild ass stunt driving

-Explosions

-Jessica Simpson

-Wanton destruction.

It even has my favorite actor of the 70's.........Burt Reynolds. (disclaimer-I only liked him in the Smokey and the Bandit movies and Deliverance)

It's a must see :-)

I might have posted this before, but this brotha knows how to drive a bike. Most of these guys don't.

Now I ain't the smartest guy in the world, but why would anyone wanna try this stuff? Why not just go ahead and light your ass on fire with lighter fluid awhile?

People will buy anything......... 15,400 bucks? Alllllrighty then.

My buddies at Gung Ho fixed me up with a new set of handlebars yesterday. I think all the bike shops in York are pretty nice places to spend time........... but I've been doing most of my business with Jay for the past 9 years so I might be a tiny bit biased. Super folks and they have the best shop dog ever.

Make sure ya stop in to buy some tickets to win a free cruiser bike. The proceeds benefit YAMBA. Come on, who doesn't need another bike? Uh, well maybe I don't need another bike but that's beside the point.

I got a set of real nice Titec "Hell Bent" semi riser bars. I like'em because the sweep is just like what I had before and they are guaranteed for 3 years-no questions asked. Gotta love that. I took them home, set up my new fork to 100mm of travel and played around with stem spacers until it felt right.


I never took a measurement of the old set up but I would imagine the front of the bike is a couple inches higher as I had to also adjust my seat because the nose was too high. Looking forward to riding on Wednesday night. Single speeding is the dog's balls.

Some NASCAR news............Rusty Wallace is still an asshole.

Here's the Dad of the Year. Good God.

Maybe it was the thousands of e-mails and phone calls they got.

I've had this happen to me on occassion....................

Here's a joke that's kinda non-PC and it might even be in bad taste..........

Little known fact...............

Did you Know?:

A study conducted by UCLA's Department of Psychiatry has revealed that the kind of male face a woman finds attractive can differ depending on where she is in her menstrual cycle.

For instance, if she is ovulating, she is attracted to men with rugged and masculine features.

However, if she is menstruating, or menopausal, she is more prone to be attracted to a man with scissors lodged in his temple and a bat jammed up his ass while he is on fire.

Till later............