one garbage bag at a time

I’ll buy us each a footlocker, in which we will put things with personal value that serve no purpose other than sentiment. And when we drive off into the sunset, those footlockers will be the only thing of ours left in some relative’s attic or basement. If it doesn’t fit into our chosen automobile that is our future, it was long since gotten rid of – sold, donated, gifted or trash – one garbage bag at a time.

Today I moved one garbage bag closer to that footlocker. Today I moved one garbage bag closer to the life I’ve been dreaming of for years.

By the end of this month, my pickup truck will be paid in full. By the end of this year, we will be free of no less than two credit card payments. By the end of 2006, we will never again have credit card debt. Before biking season of 2007, we will never again have a car payment. By the end of 2008, our only debt will be to the mortgage lender.

By the time Jarek graduates from High School, we will no longer be part of this rat race. Look for us off the grid. Visitors always welcome and encouraged 🙂

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because i just can't help it….


Mechanical Artificial Replicant Trained for Yelling

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to be or not to be

it is better to be dfl than to dnf

i learned this today .. it was a very difficult lesson to learn, but i learned it …

it was hard .. harder than i’d imagined .. and i wasn’t prepared … i cried .. i made deals with myself .. i dealt with alot of mental shit .. i wanted to dnf (did not finish) .. i wanted to dnf like i’ve never wanted to dnf before .. there was just no energy in my body ..

i had to decide, which would be easier for me to deal with… finishing the race more than an hour past my goal, or not finishing the race at all?

in the end, i finished that damn 48 mile race .. and i wasn’t even dfl (dead fucking last)
Continue reading

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one fucking speed

my single speed is almost done! I’m just waiting for my spacers to come in the mail .. and for the Farmer to find the right spring to use with the singulator and my gear combination and i’ll be ready to rock and roll !

Spent some time at the shop the other night pulling the gears OFF the K2 – even though I never actually rode the bike with the gears on it – got the front brake attached (finally!), found the chainline, put on a 16-tooth cog …

the Farmer was kind enough to help me out, and offer me his singulator, just didn’t think I’d need to ‘push’ it, rather than ‘pull it’, so he’s got to go looking for that spring ..

So, with any luck, i’ll be riding one fucking speed within a week!

in other news .. I broke the rails on my saddle and the 12 hours of addison is this weekend *yikes*

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Dreadlock Playlist -cont

This is what I have so far … this list will be played on shuffle ..

(NOTE: The list below appears perfectly aligned in Firefox, but since IE doesn’t always follow ‘industry standards’, it kinda looks like shit if viewed in IE)

Suggestions? Additions? Subtractions?

Red, Red Wine			Bob Marley & The Wailers
Buffalo Soldier			Bob Marley & The Wailers
One drop			Bob Marley & The Wailers
One Love			Bob Marley
No Woman, No Cry		Bob Marley
Exodus				Bob Marley
Natty Dread			Bob Marley
I Shot The Sheriff		Bob Marley
Get Up Stand Up			Bob Marley
Buffalo Soldier			Bob Marley
Three Little Birds		Bob Marley
Sweet				311
All Mixed Up			311
Purpose				311
Amber				311
32 Flavors			Ani Defranco
Rapunzel			Dave Matthews Band
#41				Dave Matthews Band
Say Goodbye			Dave Matthews Band
Space Junk			Devo
Mirror In The Bathroom		The English Beat
One Nation Under A Groove	George Clinton
Jesus on the Radio		Guster
Keep It Together		Guster
Come Downstairs and Say Hello	Guster
Me And Bobby McGee		Janis Joplin
Mercedes Benz			Janis Joplin
The Weather Is Here...		Jimmy Buffett
God's Own Drunk			Jimmy Buffett
Kpt. Kreemo			Knundrum
My Sharona			The Knack
Straight Cold Player		Lenny Kravitz
Let Love Rule			Lenny Kravitz
Marijuana In Your Brain		Lords of Acid
Tuesday's Gone			Lynyrd Skynyrd
Ask Me No Questions		Masquerade
Rastafarian Fishing Shanty	Masquerade
Float On			Modest Mouse
One Chance			Modest Mouse
A Head With Wings		Morphine
88 Lines About 44 Women		The Nails
Funky Bitch			Phish
Sparkle				Phish
Kitty				The Presidents Of The United States Of America
Peaches				The Presidents Of The United States Of America
Blitzkrieg Bop			The Ramones
Knockin' On Heaven's Door	Eric Clapton
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from the dark corners of my mind

i’m visiting in marquette in the winter time, john’s off to work and i’m enjoying my vacation by sleeping in late in his warm flannel sheets .. my sleepy lazyness was intruded upon by a hard knock on the door .. confused, and in someone else’s apartment,i quickly jumped out of bed looking for something to put on over my extremely naked body ..

as luck would have it, i jumped out of bed JUST in time for the maintenance guy to open the door to let himself in … and there i stand in the middle of this small, 1bedroom/studio apartment BUCK ASS NAKED staring at the maintenance man …

dude’s jaw drops open for a second .. without removing his hand from the doorknob, he says “uh ….. i’ll …. comebacklater” and slams the door shut…

ahhh .. that poor dumb italian boy … it was fun while it lasted, but i’m glad its over… as luck would have it, you just weren’t the one for me .. thank the fates for gettin my back ..

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Dreadlock Playlist

So, I’m gonna be sittin for like 5 hours having my brains pulled out of my skull …

Jess and Nick have agreed to Dread my do (as long as i provide enough alcohol *grin*) …

So, I’m workin on a playlist to get us through the day .. So far I have a few Bob Marley & the Wailers tunes … Any suggestions?

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maybe we should try the panic button

As we’re driving out of the parking lot with our windows down, we had to chuckle at the many groups of people walking around aimlessly pointing their keyfab into the air, in hopes of seeing flashing lights, or hearing a horn honk from a familiar car. We chuckled because we had done the same thing just a few minutes earlier, but maybe with a bit more direction and focus.

Southeast Michigan’s proudest lesbian/bisexual/curious hippies were so excited about the performance they were about to see that they skimmed right over the piece that would have been a good detail to remember — where the hell am I leavin my car?

Hey — don’t think I’m not throwning myself into this mix. I got out of the car and strutted excitedly toward the entrance without ever stopping to check out my surroundings. There’s something about outdoor summer concerts that you can just feel the energy in the air from the second you pull into the venue.

So, the concert was fantastic .. I haven’t been to a good “chic” concert in a long time and Ani put on a good show. I was able to snag some pavillion seats at the last minute, so we had a great view 🙂

I was afraid that the concert goers – being mostly women – would be the same clones that I’ve been seeing out and about lately, wearing the requiste uniform of denim mini-skirt with a white spaghetti strap tank to and little flip flops. Cookie-cutter women who have very little ability to think and act for themselves. Trying very hard to be different without straying too far from their best girlfriends who are also trying to be different in the same ways. (figure that one out, will ya?)

I’d forgotten how much of a ‘specialty’ crowd an artist like Ani DeFranco would draw. I’ve seen the Indigo Girls in concert a few times, but its been years. It was refreshing to see the more wholesome and earthy girls for a change 🙂

Most of the women were hippy and happy .. I felt very comfortable, for once, not out of place .. hehe … Although, there were quite the number of Butch Bitches in attendance; those who took a bit of looking to determine which way their chromosomes swung. … But I suppose that was refreshing too …

So, it was a great night… Those cookie cutter women really make me sad… I’m starting to see it in my mountain bike world too — these are the strongest and baddest women that I know, and they’re following our local bella around like she’s bringing golden gifts and aligning the planets…

call the girl police, I’d like to file a report …

Bah … Its tough to remain a strong and independent women these days… I hope I’m doing a good job of it 🙂

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not much to do with anything but ….

I’ve been in a funk… I’ve been in a rut, a valley, a duldrum, a mother fuckin snit…

And now I’m done.

I had a fantastic ride tonight. I might have pushed myself harder tonight than I have in months — if ever. Legs burning, I was screaming at the hills (my ride partners must have been embarrassed *blush*). I didn’t quit when I wanted to, and I didn’t slow down when I wanted to.

Thanks to my teammates for pushing me harder than I thought I could go.

Thanks to Mother Nature for cooperating for a change.

Thanks, sweetie, for Tuesday nights 😉

….. so, I was starting to feel “reset” at the Poto yesterday. I had a great ride yesterday as well. For the first time in more than a month, I started to feel connected with my bike. I felt like I was in control of it, and it was in control of me at the same time. I rode with some great friends who were also having a wonderful time. I rode all the way home in the Jeep with a silly grin on my face. What a great day!

Today? Well, today was the icing on the cake. Today put me back where I belong. Today I felt like a 3rd year mountain biker (rather than the 1st year whiner I used to be, and I’ve been acting like). Today I remembered that I CAN ride with more experienced riders and not hold them back. Today I remembered that I’m strong – both legs and mind. Today I remembered that I am in control of MY life.

Dinner’s here … time to eat 🙂

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because i can't resist

Please meet my friend John. I’ve met very few people who enjoy life to the extent the my pal pictured below does. This picture sums it up pretty well, I think.

Party on Big Guy 🙂

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