Posts

Posted on

Vital Statistics

This morning, because I was starting a new book, I chose to climb the big hill on 162nd so that I would have a shorter bike ride and a longer Max ride. By the time I get to the Max station at 162nd and Burnside, I’m pretty out of breath and end up sucking wind while I do my doctor-prescribed back stretches as I wait for the train. Today I was unfortunate enough to suck in some unexpected smoke while I stretched. I looked up and some kid was smoking the last two puffs of his cigarette 10 feet away from me. I was standing directly under the No Smoking sign and considered getting his attention and pointing to it, but I chose to do nothing since he was nearly done with it. Nevertheless, during my entire ride and even up until now, I’m plagued with a cough that I just can’t get rid of. It started out as “the tickle”, but evidently coughing once or twice made it worse.

I continue to assume that smokers don’t know the effect they have on people.

Bike odometer: 6113 miles
Current reading: The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown, Smoke and Guns by Kirsten Baldock and Fabio Moon
Recent listening: Not Blue by Various Artists (compilation by Curt Nelson), Grace by Jeff Buckley, Dreamboat Annie by Heart, Rainy Day Music by The Jayhawks, Science Friday
Recent viewing: Sportscenter, My Name Is Earl, Distraction, The Daily Show
Recent playing: Poker Room
Recently Accomplished: n/a
Imperative To Do: Bike repairs, get watch fixed, truck shopping
Cool link: Hallelujah: Excellent Wikipedia entry about an incredible song. I totally dig the explanation of the “secret chord” in the first verse and how the lyric explains the chord progression of the song.

Posted on

Vital Statistics

I’ve been noticing more and more that people are disobeying the “No Smoking” signs on the Max platforms. I haven’t said anything to anyone in awhile, but last night I disembarked from the Red Line train at Gateway and found two TriMet employees standing on the platform smoking and talking. What the hell?

Bike odometer: 6095 miles
Current reading: Forgotten Promise by Gretchen Von Loewe Kreuter, Smoke and Guns by Kirsten Baldock and Fabio Moon
Recent listening: The Ghost of Tom Joad by Bruce Springsteen, The Caution Horses by Cowboy Junkies, The Score by The Fugees, Rainy Day Music by The Jayhawks
Recent viewing:The Colbert Report, Sportscenter, Medium, CSI: Miami, Lakers at Suns, Bulls at Heat
Recent playing: Poker Room
Recently Accomplished: Mowed the lawn (front and back, very short), turned the compost, ordered new pedals for bike
Imperative To Do: Bike repairs, get watch fixed
Cool link: What does Critical Mass mean to you?

Posted on

Republicans Don’t “Fall on their sword”

Prior to Hurricane Katrina, I think it was pretty perplexing for many people why the Bush administration never fired anyone when mistakes were made and, in some cases, rewarded perceived incompetence., and getting legal help for this is important, and you can navigate to this website to find more information about this.

There’s an understanding within the administration that everyone knows where the bodies are buried. Furthermore, the understanding seems to be that nobody will do the “honorable thing” and “fall on their sword.” Michael Brown appeared to sacrifice himself so the administration could keep credibility, but when he was subsequently called before Congress, he promptly threw his boss, Michael Cherthoff, under the bus.

So, too, it appears with Scooter Libby. The administration might have thought Libby would be the fall guy for the Valerie Plame affair, but his lawyers seem to think otherwise.

Of course, both of these are minor players. What would happen if Cheney or Rumsfeld was fired? Or Karl Rove? Then we’d find out some real shit about Bush. Because nobody wants to take the blame and everyone wants to place it.

Posted on

Something Happening in Los Angeles

Are the Lakers coming together at precisely the right time of year? That’s what happened when Kobe won his first championship in Phil Jackson’s first year as Laker coach. Something has definitely changed with the Lakers in the last two games. Witness:

  • Kobe didn’t score 40, 30 or even 20. 17 points on only 18 shots. Probably a third of those shots came in the final period which the Lakers have designated “Kobe time.”
  • The Lakers are suddenly playing physical against the smaller Suns, effectively neutralizing their quickness advantage. Also, the Lakers instigated both major altercations during Game 3, but Phoenix ended up with 3 technical fouls and L.A. only 1.
  • Phil Jackson has shown his playoff genius again with the small adjustments. For example, in Game 3 Laker players were obviously catching the ball after Laker made baskets and gently dropping the ball to the floor to keep the bounce low. So what? If the Suns can’t pick up the ball easily, they can’t run the fastbreak on made baskets.
  • During Game 2, it also became evident that the Lakers had been practicing jamming Nash’s passing lanes on dribble penetration. The passes that used to make him look like a genius now make him look like a chump.
  • Kwame Brown, previously known as Jordan’s Bane, has become a player. 11 rebounds, 5 assists and 5-8 from the field. Sure it’s easy to get numbers like that against Tim Thomas and Shawn Marion, but he’s doing it. Did he ever perform like that for Washington?
  • Even better than Brown’s improvement has been Lamar Odom’s. Odom was “the man” on Miami’s playoff team 2 years ago but he has virtually disappeared since donning a Laker uniform. Why? Mix a new system in with having to play with Mr. 35-Per-Game and I think you can figure it out. Now, there’s a good chance that Odom can play Scottie Pippen to Kobe’s Michael Jordan.
  • Another talent that Phil Jackson brings to the table is his unerring ability to get the most out of his role players. Brian Cook had 9 points and 7 rebounds (6 offensive) in 11 minutes. 11 minutes. He was a factor in the game during every second that he played.
  • More importantly, he seems to have finally convinced Kobe Bryant (just like he did 16 years ago with MJ) that no player can win without his teammates. If it’s true, the Lakers could go much further than beating the beat-up Suns.

On the other hand, it’s hard to find any good news for the Suns:

  • Tim Thomas went down hard after a knee-on-knee collision with Marion during Game 3. Sucks to be a Suns big man—Amare Stoudemire, Kurt Thomas, Brian Grant and now Tim Thomas. It’s like a curse.
  • Why aren’t the Suns running pick-and-roll more? Tim Thomas and Shawn Marion both seem like excellent candidates for that strategy with Nash or Diaw.
  • They seem to be relying too much on Nash’s penetration, which has often resulted in a blocked shot or turnover.
  • While Nash has continued to dish out the assists at his regular pace, his scoring is way down. Not only have they taken away most of his points of penetration, they have managed to reduce his 3-point production, too.
  • Leandro Barbosa, James Jones and Eddie House have virtually disappeared in the last 2 games. The Suns can’t win without them.
  • Boris Diaw has been amazing this year but has nearly sucked in this series. He has to use his quickness to find a way to make the Laker big men pay.
Posted on

Vital Statistics

Portland’s daily newspaper, The Oregonian, has an article about barefooting today that has a few paragraphs featuring me. The interview and picture sessions actually happened last fall so it was a bit of a surprise when Aimee Green (the author) called this weekend to let me know if was coming out today. The printed version appears on the front page of the “Living” section and features a rather large picture of my feet on the escalator at Pioneer Place (a mall not far from CPS). There’s a second picture of me on the Max on the inside page where the story is continued.

Update 4/27: Some editions of yesterday’s Oregonian had a picture of my feet in the teaser frame on the front page. I made the front page!

When Aimee was researching the story, she found my web page on the Internet and emailed me. She described the article she was writing and asked if I would like to participate. I answered affirmatively and invited her to a Barefoot Hike, a monthly occurence during favorable weather. As it turned out, Thomas and I were the only ones to turn up at the hike, so she walked with us for awhile and we talked about all things barefoot.

Not long after that, she contacted me again and asked if she could join me for my commute some morning. I agreed and she and a photographer met me at the Gateway Transit Center for a Max ride and a short walk to my office. Having the photographer with us was weird because he kept running ahead of us and snapping photos of my feet. Aimee also had to keep dodging out of the picture as we talked. It was quite amusing, actually.

They returned for lunch the same day and we went to the food court in Pioneer Place with the intent of encountering as many people as possible to see their reaction. The photographer took more pictures and we went to the Apple Store, where I had no particular business but I always visit when I’m close. They wouldn’t allow any pictures inside the store, so we left after a short time.

And that was it until a couple of months ago when another photographer contacted me and asked if he could ride the Max with me. I’m not exactly sure why that was necessary, but I agreed to it. That’s why I’m wearing shorts in the picture on the escalator (fall) and sweats on the Max (winter). I’m happy with the picture of my feet, but I look terrible on the Max. I really dislike pictures of myself.

The whole experience was amusing and gratifying, I have to admit. Being able to ramble on about barefooting for many minutes to an engaged audience was unlike anything I had experienced before. It made me feel important and interesting. Funny, I know.

I still haven’t read the whole article (I’ll do that tonight when I get home), but I did read the parts about me. I find it a bit disconcerting that she chose to use the quote about stepping in shit, but I suppose that’s how these things work. Oh well.

Bike odometer: 6061 miles
Current reading: Forgotten Promise by Gretchen Von Loewe Kreuter, Smoke and Guns by Kirsten Baldock and Fabio Moon
Recent listening: Shaday by Ofra Haza, Not Blue by Various Artists, Tie Your Mix Down by Various Artists, Crooked Fingers by Crooked Fingers, Rainy Day Music by The Jayhawks
Recent viewing: Medium, CSI: Miami, Wizards at Cavaliers, Kings at Spurs, Sportscenter, Countdown
Recent playing: Poker Room
Recently Accomplished: n/a
Imperative To Do: Bike repairs, get watch fixed
Cool link: Model Denied US Entry—The story is slightly amusing but the two pictures are priceless!

Posted on

Wizards at Cavaliers

  • What happened to Lebron James tonight was pretty unbelievable. Not only was he missing jump shots left and right, he was missing layups and even dunks. After showing that he was the real deal in Game 1 with a triple double, he turned in a 28% shooting night, had 2 assists, 10 turnovers and made some really bad decisions down the stretch. Of course, he’ll probably have a monster game in Game 3.
  • Neither on of these teams is good enough to go very far in the playoffs. There were turnovers and bad plays throughout the game. The winner of the series gets to play Detroit who will undoubtedly take apart either of these teams.
  • I can’t think of a basketball commentator that I dislike more than Jeff Van Gundy. He doesn’t provide any meaningful insight and tonight he was horribly biased for the Wizards. Unfortunately, he was teamed with Doc Rivers, who shares many of his coaching philosophies. When they both started talking about how much the fans loved to see a good hard foul, I just wanted them to stop. I’d really rather see basketball played. Coaches don’t really understand at all what fans want and they should just STFU on the subject.
Posted on

Vital Statistics

We had a good weekend. Thomas got 2nd in the Regional Pinewood Derby Championship and tied the track record for a short time before the 1st place winner smashed it. The weather was beautiful and we spent some time outside both days. The 2006 NBA Playoffs are also underway which is one of the highlights of my year.

Bike odometer: 6041 miles
Current reading: Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing, 9-11 by Noam Chomsky
Recent listening: Dreamboat Annie, Copperhead Road, Rainy Day Music, Throw Down Your Arms
Recent viewing: Paycheck, Bulls at Heat, Nuggets at Clippers, Pacers at Nets, Lakers at Suns, Bucks at Pistons, Memphis at Dallas, Wizards at Cavaliers
Recent playing: Poker Room
Recently Accomplished: Fixed Graham’s Pinewood Derby car (glued front axle), mowed lawn, paid bills
Imperative To Do: Bike repairs, get watch fixed

Posted on

Vital Statistics

I haven’t had much of a chance to truck shop this week, but I do have a few questions for you, readers:

  1. If I’m looking for an early 90s vintage small truck, which makes/models are typically low maintenance?
  2. What questions should I ask sellers when I call them?

Bike odometer: 6032 miles
Current reading: Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing, 9-11 by Noam Chomsky
Recent listening: Buddy Holly, Grace, Has Been
Recent viewing: Countdown, The Colbert Report, Sportscenter, The Office
Recent playing: n/a
Recently Accomplished: n/a
Imperative To Do: Fix Graham’s Pinewood Derby car (a little glue), mow lawn (front and back)
Cool link: Pimp My Snack

Posted on

Vital Statistics

Saw another truck on my way to work this morning. It was a 1993 Mazda B2000 (or something like that) for a little more than $2000. I got the phone number and will call tonight.

Bike odometer: 6024 miles
Current reading: Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing, 9-11 by Noam Chomsky
Recent listening: Buddy Holly, Rainy Day Music, Spirit Trail (Disc 1 only), Rock ‘N’ Roll, Love Is A Dog From Hell, Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me, Has Been
Recent viewing: South Park, Countdown, Without A Trace
Recent playing: Poker Room
Recently Accomplished: n/a
Imperative To Do: Fix Graham’s Pinewood Derby car (a little glue), bike repairs, truck shopping, mow lawn (front and back)
Cool link: Funny Video

Posted on

Vital Statistics

As promised, here’s a picture of the truck that I was thinking about buying:

After I asked a number of stupid questions, my co-worker concluded that I was not man enough for such a truck. Alas, I have to agree. So I have been browsing Craigslist to get an idea of what kinds of trucks are out there and how much they cost. I’ve been narrowing my criteria and this is what I’ve come up with so far:

 

  • $3000 or less
  • Less than 150,000 miles, preferably less than 125,000
  • Less than 15 years old
  • Extended cab
  • Gas mileage doesn’t matter much
  • Tags good, recently passed DEQ
  • Owner will let John Mechanic check it out at his home

My co-workers seem to have an anti-American car bias and recommend Nissan trucks. My sense is that both Ford and Dodge make fine trucks (my little Mitsubishi is really a Dodge). Although my preference is probably a smaller truck, I’m not going to use it for commuting, so bigger trucks are OK, too. I’ve always been attracted to SUVs, but not so attracted to SUV pricing. Does anybody make an SUV with a rear bed?

Current reading: Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing, 9-11 by Noam Chomsky
McCartney Trivia: According the the book I’m reading, George Harrison’s “Something” was written about his then-wife, Patti. Years later, George’s best friend would write another song about Patti, with whom he had fallen in love. The friend was Eric Clapton and his song is “Layla”. (last installment)
Recent listening: Decade
Recent viewing: Nova, World Poker Tour, Saturday Night Live
Recent playing: Poker Room
Recently Accomplished: Taxes done, entered and reconciled half.com transactions
Imperative To Do: Bike repairs, truck shopping
Cool link: Craigslist RSS feed: An RSS reader allows you to watch for new and updated postings. Unfortunately, you can’t save your search criteria (“truck” + price range) as an RSS address.