I can be such a dumbass sometimes. I complain about the Top 40 while smoking American Spirits and perusing vintage vinyl. I cite obscure quotes from Catcher in the Rye while I blog and listen to Neon Indian. I have been known to scoff at mountain bikes, beach bikes, motorized bikes, dirt bikes, cafe racers, bikes with gears, and soon, bikes with brakes. I don't care how much your specialized cost, it is automatically not as cool as my draft because you bought it from Bike Source, while I sourced my components from thrift stores, vintage bikes, pre-owned bikes, currently-owned bikes, and once I even single-handedly crafted a crank arm from a pencil stub I found on the floor of a locally-owned coffee house. I can be such a dumbass sometimes.
I like fixed gear bicycles because they are the simplest simple machine. Aside from legs, transportation really couldn't get any more primal. And I assume other riders would agree. I don't even really give a shit about tricks. Sure they look badass, and sure I'm learning to skid and shit, but what I enjoy most is just pedaling around on the pavement and enjoying the silent agreement that exists between me and my bike: I will forever grease your chain if you promise not to throw me over the handlebars. Deal.
But just because I most enjoy this aspect of riding doesn't mean that I'm any better. Who am I to say that surfing your huge fucking 40s through the forest is and less tight than squeezing between parked cars and a hard place? If you want to sport your bans and unnaturally small dog in your panniers and Miley Cyrus in your ear-ears, so be it. Hell, I haven't even heard of most of the reviewed albums in Filter.
We are all connected in a beautiful way. We are all sharing the road, trying to get from point A to point B, and back again. So I need to quit being a fucking elitist. Because as long as we can agree on the fundamental ideal that two-wheeled modes of transportation are the shit, then I'll be content.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Thursday, November 26, 2009
bigChalk
"Liked" by over 713 people so far...it's got to be good.
OH, such sport.
Wizard Smoke from Salazar on Vimeo.
OH, such sport.
Words, not bombs.
This post is adapted from a friend of mine, his blog.
On Gradual Change
The principle idea, crucial to the success of a stateless anarchy, is the trust that there is an
inherent human tendency towards good. To believe in anarchy, you must believe with all you
heart that an untainted human being is a kind, loving, caring human being, and one who is willing
to help better his or her own society. Those who reject our ideals are those who have lost their
faith in humanity; thereby they have lost that fire in the soul that is life.
I do not claim to believe that there are not evil, dishonest people in the world today. I
encounter people every day that are plagued with ignorance, plagued with selfish greed. But
these people did not come into this world so corrupted. They are products of their surroundings
and modern society; they are poisoned by parents, poisoned by their parents, who in turn were
poisoned by their parents, in a bitter, vicious cycle of turmoil and hate.
The time has come, friends, to cast this gilded ring back into the fire from which it came. Put
out of your mind, if you will, the difficulties we face in bringing down the state, however great
they are. Consider, now, the difficulty we face in moving the minds and hearts of humans
towards this pure, loving condition. Without a doubt, this current generation faces the greatest
difficulty of all in making this change. Those born into a corrupt world will not know what to
make of our attempts. They will resist, they will struggle with the ideas that we present of true
freedom and happiness, but we will stand strong against resistance, we will never abandon our
fellow men and women. When our generation, and that of our parents has passed, so too will our
torch be passed to a new generation of young people fighting for liberty. As time moves, quickly
as it always does, our movement, and it's voices, it's writings, it's calls for change, will not be lost.
With each new year, the world will see more and more a transition into life, a transition into love.
The babies born each new year will be welcomed by, and grow up in, a more and more caring,
nurturing environment. As these babes grow old, they will see more and more the fantastic
efforts being made by others for life, and they too will fight in their own ways to keep our lives
stateless and pure. They will fight, their children will fight, and their children will fight, until our
once-compromised society has become a place of equality, liberty, productivity, and peace.
Smash the state, love life, live love, be free.
Words, not bombs.
posted by John Doherty, Friday November 21, 2008.
On Gradual Change
The principle idea, crucial to the success of a stateless anarchy, is the trust that there is an
inherent human tendency towards good. To believe in anarchy, you must believe with all you
heart that an untainted human being is a kind, loving, caring human being, and one who is willing
to help better his or her own society. Those who reject our ideals are those who have lost their
faith in humanity; thereby they have lost that fire in the soul that is life.
I do not claim to believe that there are not evil, dishonest people in the world today. I
encounter people every day that are plagued with ignorance, plagued with selfish greed. But
these people did not come into this world so corrupted. They are products of their surroundings
and modern society; they are poisoned by parents, poisoned by their parents, who in turn were
poisoned by their parents, in a bitter, vicious cycle of turmoil and hate.
The time has come, friends, to cast this gilded ring back into the fire from which it came. Put
out of your mind, if you will, the difficulties we face in bringing down the state, however great
they are. Consider, now, the difficulty we face in moving the minds and hearts of humans
towards this pure, loving condition. Without a doubt, this current generation faces the greatest
difficulty of all in making this change. Those born into a corrupt world will not know what to
make of our attempts. They will resist, they will struggle with the ideas that we present of true
freedom and happiness, but we will stand strong against resistance, we will never abandon our
fellow men and women. When our generation, and that of our parents has passed, so too will our
torch be passed to a new generation of young people fighting for liberty. As time moves, quickly
as it always does, our movement, and it's voices, it's writings, it's calls for change, will not be lost.
With each new year, the world will see more and more a transition into life, a transition into love.
The babies born each new year will be welcomed by, and grow up in, a more and more caring,
nurturing environment. As these babes grow old, they will see more and more the fantastic
efforts being made by others for life, and they too will fight in their own ways to keep our lives
stateless and pure. They will fight, their children will fight, and their children will fight, until our
once-compromised society has become a place of equality, liberty, productivity, and peace.
Smash the state, love life, live love, be free.
Words, not bombs.
posted by John Doherty, Friday November 21, 2008.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
does it matter?
I spent a good chunk of today in the airport. Per usual though, since everytime I travel outside of Charleston I am required to first bypass the Charleston International Airport. Such a title would suggest that this particular hub is competent, productive, and well, on time. Contrary to popular belief, I have had an on-time flight exactly zero out of four times. Just to put it in perspective, the percent equivalent of the fractional value 0/4, is zero. Needless to say, it's frustrating. What is also frustrating is the utter disregard, and hypocrisy, that I observed in myself at the airport today.
Sitting in uncomfortable chairs (to which the attached armrests are cemented in place so that one cannot--god forbid--lay down) gives you plenty of time to reflect. Too many times I have been on a delayed flight. Too many times have I been stuck in queue waiting to exit the plane and catch a short connector. And too many times (more times than I'd like to admit), I find myself cursing silently at these sons-of-bitches to hurry to fuck up. But the reality is that I am no more important than the slow motherfuckers that I follow. Reading this, I am sure that we can all agree. But no matter how true this is, we often refuse to believe it. Furthermore, it's often that the most obvious facts-of-life are the easiest to ignore. Guilty of sighing loudly and complaining under my breath while I wait in line at the BMV, I am. Let's face it, for our own sanity, that federal offices will always be closed on holidays and will, every other day, move slow as humanly possible.
While we were waiting to take off, the pilot came over the loud speaker to inform us that we would be waiting a few extra minutes for passengers that had just landed and would be arriving shortly. And I couldn't help but let out a grieving sigh, for I had been anxious to be home all day. Worse than this, the woman behind me shouted a verbal complaint to the pilot from a seat behind me. How could we be so selfish? It is the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, flights are likely all booked for tomorrow, and these travelers just want to go home, like me. And I can't dismount my high horse long enough to comprehend this?
And as I impatiently wait to land, I notice that the seat beside me is empty. This flight was supposed to be full. And the ghost traveler whose seat this is may not find another flight until Thanksgiving day, may miss Thanksgiving dinner, the Macy's day parade, and the dog show that follows. And this is not due to the Delta's incompetence--it is due to the way we think. If every pilot would be so kind as to wait for lagging passengers, if it were normal for us to look out for one another to the degree that we look out for ourselves, the world would be (at the risk of sounding cliche) a better place.
But the stupid reality is that we do not think this way. Homo sapiens are like any other species on Earth. Just because we are intelligent, does not mean we surpass the conditions, or rules of natural selection. Though, (likely) unlike any other species, we are capable of evaluating our thoughts and actions--which is why I was able to label the woman behind me, "selfish." The fact of the matter is that she was just looking out for herself, and possibly her family, but mostly herself. So should I be so disappointed in humanity? Yes. Perhaps not solely for her selfishness, but because we are capable of judging our own behavior, and should thus be able to control our selfish instincts. I realize (unfortunately) that I cannot control this in her, but I can try to supress my own inward-thinking ways. As humans we value, well, our values. We hold selfishness as a sin (though I'm not sure it should be considered such). But because we do, we should swallow our own best interests, and start looking out for our species in its entirety.
oh, such sport.
Sitting in uncomfortable chairs (to which the attached armrests are cemented in place so that one cannot--god forbid--lay down) gives you plenty of time to reflect. Too many times I have been on a delayed flight. Too many times have I been stuck in queue waiting to exit the plane and catch a short connector. And too many times (more times than I'd like to admit), I find myself cursing silently at these sons-of-bitches to hurry to fuck up. But the reality is that I am no more important than the slow motherfuckers that I follow. Reading this, I am sure that we can all agree. But no matter how true this is, we often refuse to believe it. Furthermore, it's often that the most obvious facts-of-life are the easiest to ignore. Guilty of sighing loudly and complaining under my breath while I wait in line at the BMV, I am. Let's face it, for our own sanity, that federal offices will always be closed on holidays and will, every other day, move slow as humanly possible.
While we were waiting to take off, the pilot came over the loud speaker to inform us that we would be waiting a few extra minutes for passengers that had just landed and would be arriving shortly. And I couldn't help but let out a grieving sigh, for I had been anxious to be home all day. Worse than this, the woman behind me shouted a verbal complaint to the pilot from a seat behind me. How could we be so selfish? It is the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, flights are likely all booked for tomorrow, and these travelers just want to go home, like me. And I can't dismount my high horse long enough to comprehend this?
And as I impatiently wait to land, I notice that the seat beside me is empty. This flight was supposed to be full. And the ghost traveler whose seat this is may not find another flight until Thanksgiving day, may miss Thanksgiving dinner, the Macy's day parade, and the dog show that follows. And this is not due to the Delta's incompetence--it is due to the way we think. If every pilot would be so kind as to wait for lagging passengers, if it were normal for us to look out for one another to the degree that we look out for ourselves, the world would be (at the risk of sounding cliche) a better place.
But the stupid reality is that we do not think this way. Homo sapiens are like any other species on Earth. Just because we are intelligent, does not mean we surpass the conditions, or rules of natural selection. Though, (likely) unlike any other species, we are capable of evaluating our thoughts and actions--which is why I was able to label the woman behind me, "selfish." The fact of the matter is that she was just looking out for herself, and possibly her family, but mostly herself. So should I be so disappointed in humanity? Yes. Perhaps not solely for her selfishness, but because we are capable of judging our own behavior, and should thus be able to control our selfish instincts. I realize (unfortunately) that I cannot control this in her, but I can try to supress my own inward-thinking ways. As humans we value, well, our values. We hold selfishness as a sin (though I'm not sure it should be considered such). But because we do, we should swallow our own best interests, and start looking out for our species in its entirety.
oh, such sport.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Sunday, November 22, 2009
KK5
Evidence that Kulture Klash V kicked ass. Also, one shot from the Warriors alleycat. Hoping to ball-up soon and play. Currently waiting on my holdfast FRS to arrive.
Also currently, learning to play recorder (beyond hot cross buns), and melting face.
Synopsis KKV:
Arrived around 10:00.
Met up with friend Phil from Savannah
Had a glass of 1554 (like Guinness, but I'd venture to say even more filling)
Observed the polo field, disappointed that no one spoke in British accents.
Favorite piece of artwork-the title escapes me. It was Acrylic on canvas-heads on sticks.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
First post. This is a daunting feeling. As if I have some sort of reputation to uphold, or establish. Like I have somebody to impress--a group of followers that hang on my every thought or idea. Well, I don't. I created this blog to discuss observations I make, people I meet, the stuffs and shits of my life. My biggest worldly tizzy is the humor deficit that plagues humanity. Thus my mantra is to ridicule, criticize, make light of situations that I encounter. Oh, such sport.
No self-respecting writer would plug a title so early in their work. Lucky for me, I don't fancy myself a particularly tactful writer. As the url and title partner to suggest, this blog is suspended in sticky dreams of youth and angst, that likely make broken sense to the adult psyche. I consider myself an adolescent still, capable of only irrational thoughts and impulsive decisions. I have little-to-no direction in life. I am nomadic, restless, reeling and writhing.
meh
No self-respecting writer would plug a title so early in their work. Lucky for me, I don't fancy myself a particularly tactful writer. As the url and title partner to suggest, this blog is suspended in sticky dreams of youth and angst, that likely make broken sense to the adult psyche. I consider myself an adolescent still, capable of only irrational thoughts and impulsive decisions. I have little-to-no direction in life. I am nomadic, restless, reeling and writhing.
meh
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