so my bike and i may go back to working for the jimmy johns bike delivery empire. all indications are that there aren't going to be shit for hours at my current job so i gotta make some adjustments.
oh well. being a shop mechanic in winter in minnesota is boring as hell anyway.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
the national health care debate as performed by cuddly, non-partisan children's characters
one fine day ollie the elephant and danny the donkey were walking to go visit their sick friend in the hospital when ollie the elephant said, "i think that the government giving people things makes them feel bad and not want to do things for themselves".
danny the donkey thought for a bit and replied, "if the government gives people just a little then they will want to earn the rest"
to which ollie the elephant said, "but danny, you can't take things away from people just to give them something else, what if they don't want it?"
"come on ollie old buddy" brayed danny the donkey, "everybody wants to have nice things that they can take for granted. we know whats best for everyone right?".
"the government can't be trusted, we can prove it", trumpeted ollie without irony, "we have to leave it to the market to decide. it's the only fair way".
danny snorted "oh of course ollie, we'll let the market decide, but what about when 'the market' decides to only give a little bit to some people, none at all to others, and all the rest to a privileged few?"
"be careful my good friend", laughed ollie, "you're starting to sound like a socialist. people won't sit still for that you know."
"i am not a socialist!" insisted danny, shaking his mane, "all i'm saying is that if everyone gets a piece of the pie the picnic is more fun."
"we're not talking about picnics danny", said ollie, "but what if i made the pie, what if i worked very hard and got everything together for it and someone else didn't help at all. how come they get a slice?"
"well it's just rude to eat pie in front of someone who hasn't got any" said danny the donkey, "that's all."
"it's not hard to make a pie danny." said ollie
"it is if you don't have a pie tin", replied danny, "not everyone has pie tins just laying around you know".
"ah, but everyone can have a pie tin if they want it badly enough", gushed ollie, "that's the magic of the market" he said knowingly.
"that's just not true!" retorted danny, "what if they're allergic to shiny stuff, what then?"
"no one is really allergic to shiny stuff", grumbled ollie, "it's just that some people are lazy and want my home-baked pie for nothing".
"they're not lazy, they have a condition!" cried danny.
"well if they have a condition they probably shouldn't have pie anyway, what if they got all barfy from too much potato salad and wieners and can't eat their slice but then they felt better later and then they ask me for another one?" asked ollie.
"well it's not their fault" said danny, "they can't help if they are allergic to shiny stuff and can't make their own pie and they get barfy at the picnic just when they are going to get some pie and then they can't have any at all. everyone else gets some."
"but that's just my point", crowed ollie, "what if me and my friends all make our own pies but no one else does. should we have to give them our pies? that's redistribution of pies! that's marxism!"
"no one want's to take your whole pie ollie", reassured danny, " i just think it's nicer if you share. after all, it's not like everyone will get the same sized slice anyway" he said slyly.
"all right", agreed ollie, "i guess sharing is ok as long as we get to have the big slices".
"of course", said danny, "i wouldn't have it any other way".
danny the donkey thought for a bit and replied, "if the government gives people just a little then they will want to earn the rest"
to which ollie the elephant said, "but danny, you can't take things away from people just to give them something else, what if they don't want it?"
"come on ollie old buddy" brayed danny the donkey, "everybody wants to have nice things that they can take for granted. we know whats best for everyone right?".
"the government can't be trusted, we can prove it", trumpeted ollie without irony, "we have to leave it to the market to decide. it's the only fair way".
danny snorted "oh of course ollie, we'll let the market decide, but what about when 'the market' decides to only give a little bit to some people, none at all to others, and all the rest to a privileged few?"
"be careful my good friend", laughed ollie, "you're starting to sound like a socialist. people won't sit still for that you know."
"i am not a socialist!" insisted danny, shaking his mane, "all i'm saying is that if everyone gets a piece of the pie the picnic is more fun."
"we're not talking about picnics danny", said ollie, "but what if i made the pie, what if i worked very hard and got everything together for it and someone else didn't help at all. how come they get a slice?"
"well it's just rude to eat pie in front of someone who hasn't got any" said danny the donkey, "that's all."
"it's not hard to make a pie danny." said ollie
"it is if you don't have a pie tin", replied danny, "not everyone has pie tins just laying around you know".
"ah, but everyone can have a pie tin if they want it badly enough", gushed ollie, "that's the magic of the market" he said knowingly.
"that's just not true!" retorted danny, "what if they're allergic to shiny stuff, what then?"
"no one is really allergic to shiny stuff", grumbled ollie, "it's just that some people are lazy and want my home-baked pie for nothing".
"they're not lazy, they have a condition!" cried danny.
"well if they have a condition they probably shouldn't have pie anyway, what if they got all barfy from too much potato salad and wieners and can't eat their slice but then they felt better later and then they ask me for another one?" asked ollie.
"well it's not their fault" said danny, "they can't help if they are allergic to shiny stuff and can't make their own pie and they get barfy at the picnic just when they are going to get some pie and then they can't have any at all. everyone else gets some."
"but that's just my point", crowed ollie, "what if me and my friends all make our own pies but no one else does. should we have to give them our pies? that's redistribution of pies! that's marxism!"
"no one want's to take your whole pie ollie", reassured danny, " i just think it's nicer if you share. after all, it's not like everyone will get the same sized slice anyway" he said slyly.
"all right", agreed ollie, "i guess sharing is ok as long as we get to have the big slices".
"of course", said danny, "i wouldn't have it any other way".
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
insomnia can suck my ass...
...but holy shit does the workhorse chronicles kill!
now i want to say "fuck off" to my grown-up work-type responsibilities and obligations and ride bikes, play guitar and party* all day.
i can make all of these things happen, it's just that i tend to piss people off when i demonstrate that no one can really make you DO anything...
*yes, i use it as a verb. if you don't like it then don't fucking use it...
now i want to say "fuck off" to my grown-up work-type responsibilities and obligations and ride bikes, play guitar and party* all day.
i can make all of these things happen, it's just that i tend to piss people off when i demonstrate that no one can really make you DO anything...
*yes, i use it as a verb. if you don't like it then don't fucking use it...
Monday, September 7, 2009
no name XXXIX
i was going to do this other alleycat that the jimmy john's kids throw but my man altan told me the wrong damn day, so i took the wrong day off. boo.
so i went and rode out to the end of the minnetonka lrt trail instead, 63 miles of mostly crushed limestone on top of 50 miles of crushed limestone to hit the end of the southwest lrt trail the day before. oof.
so then i have this ingenious idea that i'm gonna go and do the no name since i'll be stuck at work during the jimmy john's thing.
took 5th, did this to do it, won a fancy-schmancy spoke card. ended up at anitra's shindig at grumpy's ne. cool party, great cause, saw some folks i haven't seen in a while and generally had a rockin' time.
some thoughts on the evening at large...
-i need to fix my venerable hudson map co map of mipples/stp as it's no good to me falling apart
-those complimentary transit maps are worse than useless unless you already know where everything is
-35mm knobby cyclocross tires will slow you down over 22 miles of pavement
-nothing beats a $2 tall boy of pbr after a bike race, except for 4 of 'em
so i went and rode out to the end of the minnetonka lrt trail instead, 63 miles of mostly crushed limestone on top of 50 miles of crushed limestone to hit the end of the southwest lrt trail the day before. oof.
so then i have this ingenious idea that i'm gonna go and do the no name since i'll be stuck at work during the jimmy john's thing.
took 5th, did this to do it, won a fancy-schmancy spoke card. ended up at anitra's shindig at grumpy's ne. cool party, great cause, saw some folks i haven't seen in a while and generally had a rockin' time.
some thoughts on the evening at large...
-i need to fix my venerable hudson map co map of mipples/stp as it's no good to me falling apart
-those complimentary transit maps are worse than useless unless you already know where everything is
-35mm knobby cyclocross tires will slow you down over 22 miles of pavement
-nothing beats a $2 tall boy of pbr after a bike race, except for 4 of 'em
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