last sunday, december 19

Two men standing deeper than knee-deep in snow, disappearing as the G hurtles past, disappearing in high winds, down and back, away into the past. Leaning on pick and shovel like awe-filling heroic statues. The hard hold of a heavy hand cleaning cluttered culvert of cumulus; freshly frozen, freshly fallen.

I love to fight

... insurance companies, anyway; once in awhile it's so satisfying to just write a letter where you are the victim and they are the perpetrator of some ghastly shortcoming (lack of coverage) The best part is when it works, obviously.. payoff is payoff. If your skills are up to par, or if your explanation is rational enough to be logically correct, deep enough to be touching and emotionally charged enough so they are just a little scared you might show up with a shotgun over one shoulder a la Roddy Piper in the bank scene in 'They Live', then you know it was all worth the two hours you spent writing, looking back and forth over crummy policy details, and six weeks of praying they will decide to send you a check for a few grand.

And the worst case scenario? Re-appeal. Second level claim. Third. Small Claims. Lawyers. Raising Hell.

tough day, tough night

Ever take apart a rotisserie chicken and wonder if taking apart a person feels similarly? Wonder what it's like to break a person? Of course it's just the willpower that makes it so much harder, and then I realize I'm headed down a bad thinking road and shake it off, shake it off.

Some days it helps to remember the only thing that keeps from tasting the pavement is willpower. The willpower to struggle through inane repetition, to remain a toaster, a single bubble in a boiling pot and not the flame, not the lid. The willpower is the lid.

bye bye shoes!

how many shoes is it kosher for a heterosexual male to own? I'm at 25 pairs. time to take a big old dump.

fraidy cat

today's route:

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=3077983

There was a nice little side trip- Jackie Robinson Park. It was accidental - and as I turned to go round the other way back to 145 and around three guys in front of a bodega were laughing and talking- one says "ey! c'mear!" to me, and I just kept going like he was talking to someone else. I got about two blocks away when I realized he had a bike... and was following, now saying "ey! ey! ey!"and I instantly recalled being terrorized in high school. Sure, maybe he just wanted to talk, or ask me about my spandex clothes, or maybe just some tips on road biking. What's in my pockets? $20? Phone? Screw that, it's 5:45 am in some random impoverished neighborhood, I look like I'm lost, on an expensive-looking bike. Honestly- I didn't think of any of those things I just mentioned. My pace was moderate pace, probably about 13-15 mph until I wrote "realized he was following me" then shifted into the big chainring and just started hammering the pedals while pulling on the other leg, yanking the handlebars with my arms and back. Full commitment. Never looked back once. Felt a warm glow in my chest, really. Breathing way too hard but the legs were just fine. I must have been going 30. I didn't really catch my breath until I got to Swindler's Cove. Probably more scared than I needed to be, but I'll never need to know for sure. As far as I know it was perfectly metered. Honestly, I could have skipped that mile-and-a-quarter. Sure there are random freaks everywhere, and crime is at a low, but that's not a route I'll take again in the dark.

Highlights of the ride-

Park Ave is closed today, and I took the opportunity to go up the ramp around grand central terminal and through the tunnel of the Helmsley building.

On the west side highway, passing the water-treatment park I felt the flutter of tiny wings against my cheek. A fly? A baby bee? Something.

hinkeytime in hymietown

Today's title is overly creative and ambitious for what I'm talking about.

today's route:
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=3057118

I like the west side greenway north of 125th except for where the signs say "bikes 5 mph", the hill above the GWB and sporadic parts afterward that are narrow and muddy. Would be great for a mountain bike.

A couple of big differences from my last ride- rode a much lighter bike (about 4 pounds lighter) and went much earlier in the day. Less traffic, less heat.

And here's a contradicting and funny bit of me. Just last night I commented on a blog, all positive and helpful for New Yorkers to get along better on the trains. The post was simply “What’s Your Biggest Subway Pet Peeve?”

And then today, just an hour ago I was going the wrong way down a 1-way street on my bike. It was for a couple of blocks only, at the end of Central Park West. I was being careless and stupid. I was right in the middle of the road too; potentially a real mess. A dude on a bike yelled "hey, hey, you've got to go with the flow of traffic!" and instead of "yeah! right! thanks!" I said "So do you!"

So what's the moral here? I live in an ivory tower that has no mirrors?

for the promise of free coffee

today's route:
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=3036022

still taking it easy after the de-fanging. If it's replaced with an implant will I be 'new fangled'?

one of the fancy shmantzy bike shops in the village thinks it can double as an espresso bar. They're doing a tasting today of several of the more prominent roasters...
It's a tour-de-france watching party.

http://www.bikeblognyc.com/?p=4418

I don't even want their coffee, just to show up and get all snooty about coffee over people who get all snooty about bikes and gear. y'know, there was a bike race in central park just this morning. I'm sure they were more than snooty enough.

the perfect food

I had a tooth extracted yesterday. This is a long and involved story. I had all my wisdom teeth out at 18, which most of you will remember. So now I have no more wisdom.

"So, it was a charisma tooth?" (Thanks Vin).

So now, a hole in my jaw where a molar used to be, I have to eat very liquidy foods for a few days. Honey, hummus, that kind of thing. Soymilk with brewer's yeast or flax. But I was hungry for something a little more substantial for lunch.

Several days ago I'd made a green curry with chicken thighs, from the recipe on the coconut milk can (thanks Heather) skipping the fish sauce. Ew, fish sauce.

But it wasn't as much food as I'd hoped there would be, mostly gravy, which wound up in the quinoa-lentil-rice combo I'm fond of (2-1-1, btw).

Monday I'd some spiralized zucchini with a simple sauce VB showed me while we were in Florida in 2007... made only of raw garlic beaten to a yellow mist, and olive oil. Added some lemon for good measure, and to cut the garlic potency.

Threw both of these leftovers into the food processor (heated up the gravy-combo first, the fat had coagulated) with an avocado. Honestly, this had to be one of the best meals I'd ever, ever made at home. So satisfying, creamy, filling. I should have taken pictures but it just looked like thin guacamole.

today's route

Aaand I'm spent:
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=3019440


I really wanted to see the park called "smuggler's cove" which I remember from a recent trip to my grandmother's house had its entrance on is on dyckman/10th ave. Next time I want to check it out I'll know the short way!

I honestly don't know how I went from Ft George to Fairview/Broadway.. it looks clear on the map but my memory of that point is a little foggy- I might have taken b'way terrace but still doesn't explain how I blew right past dyckman the first time and didn't realize where I was until I got to the bridge and turned around..

At about marker 17 I lucked out and found a partially open hydrant- and drank a whole bottle (~24oz) before refilling and getting going again!

dilbert, ahead by leaps and sharks

If Scott Adams has to explain why comics are funny (or not) isn't it kinda over?


http://dilbert.com/blog/entry/comics_that_didnt_work/

google pedometer

you probably already know the google pedometer. very useful for bike rides, long walks, or measuring freaks:

today's bike route:
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2767384

saturday's ride:
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2767384

Random of the day

On the train this morning, I was standing at the door, waiting for it to open. Dude standing behind me looks around to catch a look at my face and says, "Hi,I know you from somewhere? You look familiar. Did you go to LHS?"
"No, I didn't. My sister did."
"It's you all right. Did you know Andrew S*?"
"Doesn't sound familiar."
"Cello player- he was my best friend. He was TERRIFIED of you. He said you beat him up."
"Nope. Doesn't ring a bell. But if you see him, tell him I said GRRR!"

another afternoon in the sun: solo session

I went to union square in bike tights and two shirts and played footbag alone, on the north side in the sun. TONS of fun. Low wind, just warm enough for a good sweat.

I forgot how much I liked practicing alone. Playing socially is important because it keeps me grounded and also feeds creativity; but it's also too laid-back and simultaneously competitive (even if it's only in my own head).

The solo sessions are where I have the most fun seeing where I am, pushing myself- finding ways to feel good about where I am... finding that mindset of staying relaxed and focused, and in the moment... and the rest of the world just goes the fuck away. The balance seems to be somewhere between 1-to-1 and 2-to-1 for practice vs. social sessions. It's like juggling or cycling, or music. At heart, they're disciplines. Maybe that's why I didn't keep on with music... I forgot to keep up the solo sessions. Maybe I just sucked and wasn't happy without practicing.

I saw someone from work walk by with her boyfriend- but she either didn't notice me or pretended not to. I saw them in commodities; they must live in the village, or near me. A German guy with two kids careening around on scooters was very considerate- when his kid buzzed by me yelling, dad made the kid come back and apologize. The Hassid with his kid was totally rude and hit me with a soccer ball, and didn't say anything at all. Five french kids in their early 20s wanted to kick around a little, and they were impressed and grateful for my time.

today in t-shirts

seen in union square:

superman with obama-head

"obama is the new black"


discuss.

boycotting bottled water

All;

It's not like me to make blanket statements like this, so please believe this is significant and important to me:

I am really going to try NEVER BUYING ANOTHER BOTTLE OF WATER.

There are so many websites dedicated to this I won't even bother listing any. If you bother to look, I refuse to believe you wouldn't agree.

I should add soft drinks to this too, because most of them are pretty useless... one step at a time, one step at a time.

bikram yoga, take two

Okay, it's definitely extreme-new-agey, even as far as new-agey things go. There's almost zero emphasis on meditation, getting the postures really right, or explaining why we do certain poses or types of poses, or their history or use. "This opens up your heart center". Is that like the Hudson Valley Heart Center, or Columbia Presbyterian?

Again, I'm just going to be skeptical when feeling like I'm drowning in my ears, in nose, and throat all at once, despite the repeated claims that those feelings are are "natural and OK"; and the kicker- "if you feel like you're going to pass out, that's OK too" strikes me as odd.

There was a lot more sweat the second time around too, but a lot less "oh god I'm gonna die" feelings afterward. Chugging a liter of coconut water after class might have helped there... also, not chugging two guinness 90 minutes before the class this time either was another good move. All the same, I wasn't much more flexible or loose or strong- if anything I was more easily distracted, less focussed, less relaxed. Hopefully, that's not the beginning of a hot-and-sweaty addiction. I really prefer the slower yoga, the easing into positions, the instructor's gently corrections... you know, so you feel like you're learning something and part of something not on a health-crazed roller coaster from outer space that you have to pay extra for towels and water and a loaned padlock for your coat, bag, and clothes.

Either way, I've only another couple of days left on my week of unlimited classes. We'll see how the body bounces back this time.. I was still sore Monday from Friday's, but I'm hoping to get back Thursday, because if nothing else it is good stress relief and exercise.

Hot & Sweaty Yoga

Last night a friend took me to a Bikram Yoga class. Quite the experience. I'm assuming you have been to some kind of yoga class or at least seen one on tv.

If you've never been, imagine a Yoga Class in a 100° carpeted room. as you can imagine the air was pretty thick. Lots of bathing suits and red-faced, sweaty people. The room is heated to help you be loose and flexible, and 'get the toxins out'. What are these toxins, you ask? I don't know. Are they those the things that are absorbed by chinese foot-pads while you sleep? Toxins are unmeasurable, but we always have some, and it seems we're always trying to get rid of them. Being alive creates toxins. They're poisonous, but not poisons like carbon dioxide, or testosterone. Is anyone else worried about 50 people going into a room that screams "fermentation is happening here" and working out for 90 minutes, wringing out by breathing, sweating and twisting as much of those dreadful toxins into the air, towels and carpet as we can? It's like a carpeted gym without ventilation in there. Okay, my last harp on the boogey-toxins: we never hear about them existing anywhere besides inside our bodies. I'm not arguing there are no poisons in the environment- no way- only that very, very little of it comes directly from purging it from our bodies by way of yoga. But back to the class- I'm not writing to debunk or argue the benefits of yoga- these are just my doubts about 'the party line'.

We all used those neoprene yoga-mats, with towels on top of them. That seemed weird; I thought the mats were only to protect the small bones in your knees and feet from the hard floors one typically sees in yoga classes... so the towel keeps you from sliding on the mat. Seemed like the mat-towel combo is just to define personal space (and maybe keep the carpet dry) which is weird in itself in a class that is partly about being in a community, a group meditation.

It was organized well- first all the standing poses, then all the kneeling poses, then all the floor poses was kinder to my body than it could have been; I kept thinking I was in a yoga-triathlon. The class attitude was introverted and extroverted at the same time. We were told not to look at anyone else, to just find your focus spot in the mirror or on the wall. But then we were supposed to use other people for reference on how to move between poses; mixed messages anyone? Speaking of that, it was a lot like a spinning class, where the instructor has a wireless headset/microphone, and was trying to be encouraging and challenging and inspiring, but it kept cutting in and out, which meant it was either too loud and concentration-breaking or too soft to hear what we were supposed to do next. "aaand GO! full lotus!" I had to stifle some laughter when she was pseudoscientific with fun statements like "this pose was designed to work on the endocrine system" and "this pose makes your brain release melatonin". I could have done without that, too.

Not to only wax negative here- yoga classes are almost always a good thing. The only reasons I can think of to take one are studying with the same teacher long enough to get bored, or if you're not physically able to get through it. New environments, new studios, new classmates, new teachers, new approaches- all good things. New variations and poses- all good things. I learned a pose I'd never learned before- the rabbit. Focussing on being in your body long enough for your mind to relax, so you can let go of the day a little bit and meditate for ten minutes- very good things. I've got a week of unlimited Bikram coming, and I will go back at least once more.

I am out of shape and it kicked my butt something serious. I feel today like last night I was in a fight with a 50-foot Transformer who is also my Dentist. Probably one of hardest yoga classes I've ever taken, but maybe not for the reasons you're thinking- it was just trying to stay focussed. My mind kept trying to break back into "reality" to look at the men and the women and the reflections in the mirror and how much farther my neighbors could stretch than I could, and how awful the lighting was, and the distracting changes in volume, how we should have staggered our mats instead of lining up in parallel rows. When I got up from meditation and looked around the room, there was a blanket of mist three feet high, covering the darkened room filled with bodies, breathing and oscillating. That sight in and of itself was beautiful, and I'm grateful to have been a part of it.

Namaste, everyone!

humidifications

At the start of last winter I got one of those "adorable humidifiers":


I wanted the elephant, but all the store carried were penguin and pig, so now I have a pink plastic pig. But look at these molds. They're all very simple and basic. The most complex one is thomas the engine? There are lots of cool ideas for shapes: celebrity heads (think J.R. "Bob" Dobbs with the smoking pipe), the sun (listen, solardeification is on the rise) various planets, a charmed snake coming out of a basket, smoking volcano....But we could even get out of reality for a moment- a curled-up smoke breathing dragon (the one on that site is a lame teddy-bear version). I'd suggest a nativity scene just for sales' sake because you KNOW people would buy that. Whatever! How about a jack-o-lantern, fruit basket (or just a whoppingly huge smokin tomato? baked potato?)

I could go on...

text of the day

"are they still calling it the white house?"

"it's now officially known as 'run's house'

highlights from 'reducing your carbon footprint'

here are some of my notes from a recent lecture:

Buzzword of this year will be "Green Collar Jobs". I'm still not sure what that is, but apparently it's the fifth quickest growing sector of the economy.

Install photovoltaics. The local power grid currently is fed back ~2% of the energy it sells, from people and companies who farm their own electricity. Con ed says they can only handle about 4% but "research shows" they can take closer to 15%.

Fracking for Natural Gas is the common method used to unearth this resource, but it wastes lots of useable land and destroys lovely resources and materials - like acres and acres of trees.

Add two steps: Reduce-Reuse-Recycle-Replace-Replenish

32% of the Greenhouse Gases in NYC come from residences

When the power demand is at its peak here in the summertime, we activate and use power plants which are otherwise closed down and are not audited, certified, inspected, etc. In other words when we need clean power the most, we create huge amounts of pollution in supplying our demand.

Some interesting people to check up on:
Ben Jervey / Sustain NYC : the Big Green Apple *
Majora Carter / Sustainable South Bronx
Josh Dorfman / Lazy Environmentalist *
Annie Leonard / The Story of Stuff
Colin Beavin / No Impact Man*

**Other resources to investigate
Greenopia
Earthday.net
Makemesustainable.com
Green Worker Cooperative
Build It Green (wish I'd thought of that url, very catchy)

That's all for now, I'm ready for a dip in the lethe....

nonsense word of the day: Obamagasm

Nonsense word of the day: Obamagasm (Oh•báh•mah•gahz•êm)

Obamagasm: The disco-ticker tape parade of emotion uncontrollably bursting from the heart of America.

nonsense word of the day: deometer

Nonsense word of the day: Deometer (de•áhm•e•tûr)

Deometer: A nonexistent measuring device which refuses to measure. See also anometer.

It's not my fault when others put things in my head, in my head, in my head....

I used to know this dude who made music, and I found an old tape going through boxes. it's haunting, sad, lonesome, really depressing. and now I can't those wailing melodies out of my head.

my job is like a zen koan

Today was good, in a meaning-of-life kind of way. Just when I thought I was starting to 'get it', I realized a whole bunch of really bad mistakes. Hopefully they're not enough to get me fired. Eh, they're probably not.

The point is, I think I am starting to see that I will never understand it. Would the zen master say I'm starting to understand it then?

oh, make mine with a twist, too!

half-caf half soy half half-and-half bacon donut pizza burgerccino.

that's all I've got right now.