CX Porn

These pictures are beautiful. Many thanks to the small hipster in my life who stumbled upon them.


Did you see that the CX Worlds are coming to Lousville in 2013? Pretty effing exciting.

No song this time. Just go see of Montreal the next time you're within 100 miles of a show. They were good ol' fashioned awesome at 930 last night. Who needs a hype man when you've got a HYPE TIGER?

Mourning the death of democracy

If this were any other day, I would post something quippy about my early season training (it's going well), or about joining a new team (NCVC), and then probably link to a song that you should listen to. That's not what this post is about.

Today, the United States Supreme Court voted in a 5-4 decision to protect corporations' first amendment rights to freedom of speech. Sounds ok, right? Remember T. Boone Pickens' bizarre alternative energy ads in the run up to the 2008 elections? He paid for those with money from his wallet. He's a rich dude, so he can buy airtime on your teevee and say pretty much whatever he wants to say. If he wanted to buy one minute of airtime during the 2009 Super Bowl to say "hey America, good job voting for Obama. Please mail him a used Tickle Me Elmo to welcome him to the White House," he could have. Just that one little statement, then stare at the camera for 56 seconds. He could do that because he, a private citizen with all of the rights and privileges afforded by the United States Constitution and its Amendments, can say whatever he wants. I want my rights protected, and I want all other Americans' rights protected. Keep putting up commercials, T. Boone, and don't be afraid to get creative with it.

Today's decision, Citizens United v. Federal Elections Commission, extended our rights of free speech, political or otherwise, to corporations. Now any corporation can buy any amount of advertising, bankroll any movie, or donate any amount of money towards advocacy of any cause or campaign (there are still presumably limits to the amount that corporations can donate to an individual electoral campaign). Because of today's decision, when political candidates run for office, there is no limit to how much a corporation can spend to help motivate the public to vote for the now-purchased political campaign. Forget about Joe Congressman (R-TX), and say hello to Jack Representative (I-Exxon). We, the people, have all but lost our collective voice in the political process in our United States.

Fuck that. I need to get out of the US if this is how politics is going to proceed. Unacceptable. Let me know where and when the protest is. See all of you there.

School starts tomorrow.

That means 4 months of 52 hours/week where I can't be on my bike, sleeping, or drinking. But, I need to be eligible somehow to win the conference championship.

I can't stop listening to the Kid Cudi album. Rocking Up Up & Away now.

MTV's Real World: DC (Velo)

So MTV invaded DC over the summer, remember? The DC season of the Real World started airing sometime last week, and I watched every painful second of the first episode last night, in the hopes of catching a glimpse of myself in my Descente kit or bright red work jacket. I wasn't so lucky, this week. BUT, I did see a couple folks in dc velo kits. First you get on local Fox news, now this? You folks are racking up the brand value dollars.


Listening to Seu Jorge's cover of Rebel, Rebel by David Bowie. The original plays over the trailer of the new Michael Cera talkie, and it's a real pleasure to the ear.

anybody want to buy a frame?

seriously, bid on it. help a brother out. free shipping if you're metro accessible.

listening to Harold T. Watkins or How to Wait for a Very Long Time by Fanfarlo.

advice to a 2 year-old

Old people like to complain. We complain a lot, and most of us are very good at it. If you listen to us long enough, you'll hear that one thing we complain about an awful lot is work. B, those people are doing it wrong. Work, school, hobbies, passions: these are all funny things. If you do anything long enough, it's bound to upset you at least once. But don't let this keep you from doing anything.
Your challenge is to find the things that upset you from time to time, but you're so happy to do them that you could never imagine quitting. Sometimes you may not want to do your work, or you won't want to go to school, or maybe you'll want to just up and quit all of your hobbies and burrow into the side of a mountain and live like a muskrat. Those are the times when the next two words will become the most important words in the universe: zest and vigor. Look these words up or have your Mom explain to you what they mean. I'll wait.
Now, when you feel like quitting, take these words into consideration. Your attitude changes the way you see the world (and the way the world sees you, but that's a story for another day). I want you to approach your challenges with zest and vigor, and if you still hate them, then you're doing something wrong. Like I said before, if you're doing nothing but complaining, even after you change your attitude, you're doing something wrong.
When you do find those things that you absolutely love to do (on most days), give everything you can to them. Use every bit of your brain power on your homework. Ride your dirtbike as hard as you can. Make it your job to know or to find out the answer to every question your teacher asks, and while you're at it, think of questions your teacher might not even know the answer to. These are the challenges you'll face, and they're wonderful challenges. You, B, are just the man for the job. With zest, vigor, and lots of love,

Reopening of Capitol Hill Bikes

I totally forgot the most important part of the entry I wrote earlier. Capitol Hill Bikes, my LBS, has secured a new location. They've been rocking the LIQUIDATION SALE signs for the better part of the last two months, and they got word this afternoon that they'll have a new lease in January.

The new location will be just down the road from the current storefront. They're moving from 705 & 709 8th St SE to 719 8th St SE. No word yet on when they'll be reopening, but rest assured that the Hill's most rockinest bike shop will still be alive and kicking (ass) in 2010.

So party on (and thanks for the sugar cookie this afternoon).