Don't text and drive!

Don't text message while you're driving. Or download ringtones. Or fish around in the back seat. Or play with your radio. Watch the road. If you kill someone while you're driving because you're not paying attention to the road it's murder.
photo by fastboy

Dinner at the Casbah with sis and bro

Sigh. Christmas is over...

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Ten Reasons Bikes are Better...

Adam from rocbike.com posted a list of ten reasons bikes are better for winter commuting. He could have called it top ten reasons Paul Soglin can kick rocks.

Sacramento Area People With Bikes

This is a call to anyone in the general downtown/midtown/east sac area: I'd like to organize a Christmas light stroll on bikes for some time in the coming weeks. We'll start at my house, drink hot chocolate/beer/wine/cider/whateva and then bundle up and cruise at a slow pace around the fab forties. The more people the better. Email me at firstnamelogan@gmail.com or comment here with your email.

Phil Collins - In The Air Tonight (gorilla drummer version)

Paul Soglin is neat.

And I think he is pretending to be someone else and commenting on my blog.

R.I.P. Einstein

Honor, Aaron, Zay and Olly's cat Einstein was hit by a car and died yesterday. Honor's been petitioning for a speed bump in the very spot for years as cars zoom through the residential neighborhood at 45mph+ at all hours. He was nice cat who was robbed of his other eight lives. Slow down.
photo by Honor.

R.I.P. Jim Ford

R.I.P. - James Henry Ford. Though he released only one album* (Harland County), he wrote songs for Aretha Franklin, The Temptations and Bobby Womack, was a friend and major influence of Nick Lowe and Sly Stone, played with Elvis Presley, Gram Parsons, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, Elvis Costello, Ricky Nelson and many more. He was also stepfather to Marlon Brando's children. Though amazingly gifted as a singer and songwriter, Jim Ford's legacy was limited after failing to sign with Atlantic's Jerry Wexler and becoming addicted to cocaine in the 80s. He beat the addiction in 2004, found Jesus, and started working again. A few months ago Bear Family re-released Harland County with 15 previously unreleased songs and a 40 page booklet as The Sounds of our Time. Ford was having the time of his life and recording music for the first time in years with a NEW album set to release in February. He had been planning to perform with Nick Lowe and record an album with Dr. John next spring. Aside from writing and singing music, he was fond of rebuilding Peugeots at his house in Fort Bragg, CA.

My Christmas Gift List.

Speaking of materialism, BikeSnobNYC has compiled a list of gifts sure to delight the cyclists in your life.
I already have all those things, so if you're looking for a gift for me, I'll take anything on my Amazon Wish List. Gift cards to Trader Joe's and Peet's Coffee are also a good way to get in my good graces. After you're done Christmas shopping, check out this interactive nd informative website about how all the presents you just got done fighting other shoppers for are ruining the world. Happy Holiday$!

Nice Hummer, sorry about your penis.

An study reported in the Daily Galaxy concludes what we already knew: Low Self-Esteem and Materialism Go Hand in Hand.
"Most of us want more income so we can consume more. Yet as societies become richer, they do not become happier. In fact, the First World has more depression, more alcoholism and more crime than fifty years ago. This paradox is true of Britain, the United States, continental Europe and Japan."
via cycle-licious and theboyonthebicycle
comic via freewheelsingspirit

Gratuitous pug pancake photo

We might just get to ski yet!

I was interviewed by a local radio station (KFBK) the other day about the dire snow situation. They asked if I've been skiing yet, and I scoffed and said it's tough to do without snow. But now we (skiers) have snow!!! As much as 24 inches in some places and expecting more soon. Time to plan a trip!

Release the Zombies on Paul Soglin

Paul Soglin, former mayor of Madison, WI, said on his blog yesterday that "The bicyclists who braved the week's second storm should be taken out and shot". He prefaced it by claiming that he's " the first to protect the interests of bicyclists..."

Mr. Soglin, for some people the bicycle is not just a toy that comes out when it's sunny and the birds are chirping. For some of us it is our one and only means of transportation, one that serves us well, rain or shine, and carries us to our destination a little wet but no worse for wear. No one is insisting that YOU actually get out of your H2 and ride in the rain, we just ask that you refrain from advocating our murders when we're occasionally forced to ride in foul weather.

As one commentator on his blog said, "Here we see the beauty of blogs. Now we can publish anything we want before we use our brains and think about it..."

Company Christmas Party

Amanda and I attended a Christmas party thrown by the company I work for. We ate Italian food, watched a slide show of my coworkers various adventures and played games. The company gave us each a nice windstopper fleece vest with our logo on the side and I won a back-packing tent and some fancy insoles so I'm stoked about using it.

Had to post this again. Because it's amazing.

I'm so glad I invented the internet.

So I finally have the internet set up in the house. All it took was Zack and Jordan spending three hours each on the phone with a cranky chola from comcast who was grudgingly walking them through the set-up. I'm so glad I can surf the internet again instead of just reading books. In the past two weeks I've read 1984, The Old Man and the Sea and a book about environmental entrepreneurship. What a waste of perfectly good web time. Whatever. I'm buying a Nightrider MiNewt lighting system for my bike. It's as bright as a car headlight but smaller and much more expensive. Most of my commute is on an unlit bike trail that's frequented by all manner of hobo and ne'er-do-well so a good light is mandatory. Last night I had a few drinks with Amanda, Zack, Jordan and two of Jordan's friends and I forgot to eat dinner, so I was miserable when I woke up (after too few hours of sleep). I was nodding off while riding to work and rode off the side of the trail a few times. I must have looked awesome to bystanders; red-eyed, swollen faced and swerving all over. Bad news.