Ride And Abide

Perhaps, I should go back a few months... or years, actually. I had met Josh when he was still working at Freewheel in Minneapolis (around 2009) and  when he decided to break out and pursue his own vision of what a bike shop is, I was happy to support him  -  Angry Catfish Bicycle Shop and Coffee Bar .  After hanging around the shop and joining the team I kept hearing about  The Dakota 50 (pronounced: five - oh)  in Spearfish, South Dakota.  I knew very little of what the event actually was and I signed up and found myself heading there over Labor Day weekend 2010. Dakota 5-0 2010 That was the worst day ever on a bike.  Weather:  perfect.  Bike:  performed flawlessly.  I was out of shape... So out of shape, in fact, that I did not know what out of shape even meant.  Somehow  I managed to finish the race.  9 hours and 30-some minutes after I departed the community center in Spearfish, I returned....

Dick Proenneke in Alone in the Wilderness part II I had viewed this videography around 2005.  At first I was merely entertained.  He does a great job telling a story and the footage is engaging.  Since the time I was first introduced to his story, I find myself reflecting on his story... then go and rewatch his video... or do some Google searching about Dick.  Then I started to really think about his story and what he had done.  Initially the story seemed like a tale about a camping trip in the wilderness... the more I thought about it, I started to consider all of the tribulations of the situation he put himself in.... but, more importantly the tribulations of all the situations that he had removed himself from.   Essentially removing himself from society (seems OK, actually)... and all the inter-personal contact of other people - and that is something I cannot wrap my head around. So.. I believe he went up there as a reasonably short-ter...

Love People, Use Things... - Joshua Fields Millburn, presumably taken from some other source... but I first heard it from him. I haven't been around here in a while... Pretty wrapped up in work, and not-work and trying to optimize what is going on with that. Christian Löffler - Haul (feat. Mohna) It's far away You walk this distance Like it's a little dance You walk your walk Like a waterwalk I recently had an epiphany, of sorts... (and I'm struggling to put it to words...)     I work very hard to try pursue things not easily within reach, rather than optimize my current situation.  I think this pursuit makes me blind to the opportunities around me.  I'll have to think of an anecdote to explain this one.  (to be continued...) Vacillation Hesitation Consternation Procrastination I need to take more chances, accept more risk... sweat less and sweat more.  My constant planning and contingencies cannot possibly...

In matters of  taste , there can be  no disputes I can't believe it's taken this long for a quip from The Big Lebowski to appear on my blog? It is interesting how we/us attempt to analyze something that is subjective, form an opinion and then convince others that my our opinion is the "right one", if they did not arrive at the same opinion.  Interpreting art or music is a good example - which experiencing the medium, you may have been in a bad mood, or the light was not optimal.. or you were on 'shrooms... but, the experience you had with the object may have been (and likely was) different than most other folks.  Why bother arguing about it?.  Everybody is right.... in their own opinion.  Hell... even YOUR OWN opinion on something will possibly change over time.

This is going to be an interesting post... and a long one.. .and one that probably won't make sense, at first.  It is about a trip I am about to embark on.  The destination itself is not what is important, or significant.   Moab / Fruita is a place I have wanted to visit for quite some time, but.. had I never made it there, I am not sure I would be very disappointed.  I just knew I had to take a trip again this year... and the stars aligned that Parker would be at the  Fruita Fat Tire Festival  and I had some banked vacation I had to burn up.  I also decided to pursue a few more notches in my "ride a trail in each state in the US" quest. Life's Prologue It is now funny to me how a number of things that my Dad would go on-and-on about... actually are pretty bad-ass.  It's clear that I was listening to my Dad (as I still remember the conversations) but, sadly I was not "hearing" him.   Case in point:  The...

This post is going to deviate a bit from my normal posts, but it's something I wanted to document and review... to see if I don't feel crazy about my views later. Somehow I have managed to end up on the surprising side of a conversation... Net Neutrality and Personal Privacy.  I'll gladly be educated on how my views are wrong.. but nobody seems to have valid arguments of why getting rid of Net Neutrality is so bad - shouting hyperbolic things such as: "They're destroying the Internet..." "they're going to make it impossible for the little guy..." Prove it... show some research... I'll be happy to concede that I am/was wrong and have one more thing to have unkempt angst over. Net Neutrality - nobody is entitled to Internet.  Similarly you're not entitled to a cell phone, home phone.. water in your home.  If you absolutely *need* Internet, there are places to get it (Libraries, Coffee Shops, Bars, Home Depot, hell.. even a car dealer...

This post is going to take a while to complete.... It would seem that truly discovering yourself can be a real drag.  And when I say "discovering yourself", I mean the kind of introspection where you start to really "dig in" and look at your personal traits that are not optimal.  Start to analyze why you have had failed relationships (not just romantic ones), why you struggle to deal with things that life throws at you.  Reflecting on the adaptations you have constructed, are not ideal and are kind of ugly,  in hopes that you can to deal with life. Running Away The beginning of today's blog post brought to you by Pharcyde - Runnin... Which is also brought to you by:  J Dilla is awesome... D-E-A-R - M-A-N Dialectical Behavior Therapy - Express Yourself I prefer Salt-n-Pepa over Madonna for my audio cue, maybe NWA even... Salt-n-Pepa - Expression N.W.A. - Expression Happiness... is on you: "Isn't it great to know...