Author Archives: anachostic - Page 63

Trip Log 6/7/09

Posted by on June 7, 2009 No comments

Today I thought it would be good to see how far away a beach run would be on the bike.  I mapped out a rough route and took off.  This time I was prepared with GPS in pocket.

The ride out was pleasant and rather uneventful.  The crampbuster did an excellent job maintaining my speed on the long stretches.  I didn’t designate any waypoints, so I stopped whenever I felt I needed to get my bearings or take a break.  Stops included, it took about an hour and a half to get to the coast.  Still didn’t see any public beach access though, So I stopped for lunch.

On the way out, I asked where the beach access was, and was directed to a road not far from where I was.  A short drive over and I came to the “beach”.

 

That’s actually a pretty flattering shot.  That’s about all there is of the beach.  So, with my curiosity satisfied, I headed back.  I figured with less stops, I should get a more accurate time.  Not surprisingly, things went to crap.

 

That’s actually a pretty flattering shot too.  You can’t tell how dark it really was ahead.  Sure enough, in the last 15 minutes of the ride, down it came.  Fortunately, I think I missed the worst.  I can tell this by arriving in the aftermath.  Lots of debris in the road and a couple flooded road sections I had to avoid.

Now back home and warming up.  The storm should finish passing sometime soon, then I can get out again.

Trip Log 5/24/09

Posted by on May 25, 2009 No comments

figured this trip I would find out how long it would take to get to a local attraction via back roads and motorcycle.  This whole week has been rainy and miserable and a ride was just the thing to improve that.  That’s what I planned for, but not what I got. 

Looking at the map, it looked like a straight shot on three different roads.  There was a connector from one roadway to the next, but I figured that would be obvious when i got to that point.  That was a very poor assumption.  Not knowing the name of that road cost me probably 45 minutes of my route and returned to bite me in the ass again.  But when riding, you don’t get so worried about taking the long way.  That is, until you realize how badly you want the short way.

I hit the first waypoint and began the straight shot segment.  I got caught in a little rain.  At the time I was unfazed.  I got a little wet, but started drying right away from the heat and wind.  If you’re not from FL, you won’t believe the rain patterns.  It can be pouring down rain, but across the street, it’s perfectly dry.  I have seen a downpour about the size of a couple parking spaces.

When I got to what would be the second waypoint, I didn’t recognize it.  Primarily because the intersection had a lot going on: a red light, train tracks, and a steep drop-off.   Secondly, because I didn’t know the name of the street I wanted.  So I kept going straight and ended up somewhere else.  Then the rain began for real.

It was my first rain ride and I was unprepared.  I have no luggage, so I wasn’t hauling my mesh jacket’s rain liner.  The downpour got me pretty good.  I took shelter for a little bit at a gas station until some vehicles wanting gas pushed me out from the canopy.  Riding less than a mile down the road, the rain stopped and the roads were dry – go figure.

I finally reached my intended destination and turned around to head back.  The sky ahead looked like dark slate.  I considered my options over a meal: try and wait it out or plow through it.  Waiting it out could mean sitting until dusk and possibly the storm would come at me anyway.  I finally decided to bite the bullet and head into the maelstrom.  With thunder and lightning all around, a fogged-up helmet, a significant drop in temperature, and an uncertain route, I adopted a steady mantra of "This sucks.  This sucks.  This sucks."  I can only hope the people in cars were sympathetic to my situation as I slowed them down quite badly. 

I had to make another safety stop at a gas station.  The counter person was kind enough to point me the right direction to get back home.  It happens I was at the intersection I needed to be at.  I got a lucky break for once.  On the positive side, because of my ill-planned route, I had to make a couple very quick decisions in turning and braking, which I pulled off without issue.  Being a new rider, I am pleased by this.

I eventually made it home, stripped off the water-weighted jacket and jeans, wrung out my socks (literally) and took a nice, long, hot shower.  After getting my sanity back, I was able to go back outside to dry and polish up the bike before putting it away.  I’ve made a mental note that I will not leave the house without the GPS in my pocket.  In fact, I will probably be ordering a trunk for the bike this week and maybe a GPS mount for the handlebars.

Trip Log 5/16/09

Posted by on May 16, 2009 No comments

Today I got new tires installed on the bike and thought it would be a good idea to break them in.  So what better way than riding to work.  That would also be a good test to see if riding to work is feasible (it turns out it’s not).  My daily commute is about 3 hours roundtrip on the Interstate.  Not being comfortable at speeds over 60 on the bike, I chose an alternate route through secondary highways.

I left around 11 AM and tried to keep track of the waypoints where I would change roads.  The first checkpoint was at 20 minutes, the next was at 60 minutes, then I didn’t really know what the next road to use was.  So I wandered around taking roads that sounded familiar to me and eventually ended up on the right one.  Total trip time: 2.5 hours.  I was squirming pretty badly in the seat from saddle sores.

I stopped for food and then considered the fact that the PM storms were coming so I’d better get back home.  The thought of another 2.5 hours back was disheartening, but I sucked it up and headed out back the way I came.

That’s when things changed.  I missed my turn, which is not surprising since the road I took to get there was the first time I’d been on it.  Ended up in a city I’d only been to once before and knew I wasn’t supposed to be there.  On the way out, a road had caught my eye as a route I had taken before in the car.  When I turned around and was on the way back I saw the same turn and figured, “why not?” 

Now I’m in unknown territory.  At this point , the only thing I was really scared of was my stamina.  I don’t mind being lost – and this was really the definition of lost.  I drove through a city I’d never heard of; drove on routes I’d never heard of; took a two lane highway to a dead end (who ever heard of a highway just ending?) and had to backtrack twice.  I figured if I was on a road that went south or west, I’d have to hit a major highway sometime.

Finally, I saw a sign with a city I knew on it and was thrilled.  But I was also exhausted.  Once I hit the familiar roadways, I stopped at a gas station and got a snack and a drink.  While there, I assessed my physical condition.  My knees were so sore I could barely stand.  My back was pretty ok, which was a surprise.  My throttle hand was in sad shape – very cramped up.  My butt was a lost cause.  I had about an hour left of riding to go (this was waypoint #2).  Hopped back on and went for it.

The physical problems began taking their toll.  It was hard to concentrate.  There weren’t many stops to allow me to rest my throttle hand and air out the sweat on the seat of my pants.  My right hand starting turning to fire with piercing pain when I would try to stretch out a couple fingers at a time.  My knees would throb on occasion.  Cars and trucks behind me were getting pissed because I couldn’t keep a good speed going, so I got passed a lot.  Finally, I made it back home.  A 150 mile, six-hour journey to get lunch. 

In retrospect, I think everything happened probably as would be expected.  Many riders take a break once an hour or so and maybe I should have budgeted more stops.  I’m still new and I know I have too tight a grip on the throttle, which is having a negative effect.  I didn’t plan my route, but it would have been enjoyable with the exception of fatigue.  When getting the tires changed, I saw a product that allows you to hold the throttle without gripping it.  At the time, I thought I should get one.  Now, I’m kicking myself for not getting it then.

I have a ride planned for tomorrow, so I need to rest up tonight to do it all over again.

Changing Gears

Posted by on May 10, 2009 No comments

I’ve taken up the hobby of motorcycling in the last couple of months.  My nature is to resist acceptance of anything that seems cliché, so when a lot of oft-heard sayings suddenly became applicable to me, it was annoying.  I tried very hard to find a personal reason for feeling like I did, but for the most part had to accept that I was just like everyone else.

The first observation of my new hobby is that it slows my life down dramatically.  Before, I would hop in the car and go.  Now I have to pull the bike out of the shed, push it over to the driveway (exhausting, at times), safety check the bike, warm the bike up, get the gear on, then go.  This can be a 15-20 minute delay.  Then once arriving at the destination, park the bike safely, de-gear, lock up helmet, then continue.  Another 5 minutes.  Then more when leaving again.  The closest parallel I can come up with is that it’s like travelling with an infant.  And that is something I never was and never will be envious of.  But, it forces me to slow down, which I think has some benefits.

Next observation, my appetite is diminished.  By about half, I’m figuring.  This one I’m still trying to figure out.  Either the stress from the ride (because it’s pretty much high-alert most of the time), the dehydration from the heat and gear, or the natural workout from battling wind forces – another observation – is cutting my food intake.  This doesn’t happen on weekdays when I’m driving the car.

Third observation, riding is kind of a workout.  This is something that reminds me of a previous experience, indoor skydiving.  In both cases, your body is trying to maintain a form against wind forces causing lots of muscle micro-motions that eventually tire you out.  To a lesser degree, you are also shifting your weight fairly often when riding, which could work some muscle groups that don’t see activity otherwise.  It makes me think of someone who had ridden a horse for the first time and said that muscles he’d never known about were sore for days.  I sure don’t expect to get ripped from riding motorcycle, but I did lose almost 5 pounds after a couple of weekends.  It’s probably lost water from dehydration, but I can hope.

Final personal observation, everything is new at first, then it becomes normal.  Wearing gear seemed odd at first, but now feels normal.  I felt weird putting on this and that and the other.  Eventually you become less conscious (or self-conscious) when gearing up.  When I’m in a car, I feel very unsafe without wearing a seat belt.  I wear my seat belt even if I’m the only one in the car that does.  I am sure I would feel so much more unsafe without my gear and I don’t think any peer pressure could keep me from wearing it.  Start good habits from the beginning.  Going over 45 mph was scary at first, now 55 is normal.  You need to get used to the feeling of wind, vibration, and engine noise.  Then it becomes “normal” sound and sensation.

Lastly, all the “I told you so” things that I felt. 

  • You have much greater control with a manual transmission – check.  I’d never driven anything but an automatic.  I’m not convinced I want a stick-shift car, though.
  • You have much greater control on a motorcycle – check.  The braking, acceleration, and cornering are much better than a car.  You give up a lot of safety being on a bike, but it’s mitigated by the ability to get away or get around a dangerous situation.
  • You feel more in touch with nature on a motorcycle – that’s a little over-romanticized for me, but I have to agree that being in the open air is a much greater experience than being in a car. 
  • When you’re riding, you don’t want the trip to end – I guess so.  I have ridden past my planned destination often and purposely missed my turns nearly as much.

Last Saturday and Sunday, I didn’t drive the car at all.  This weekend, I didn’t drive Friday, Saturday or Sunday until dinner.  When I got in the car to get dinner, it felt odd.  I guess that is the first sign that being a rider is what I really want to do.  If I didn’t have such a long and dangerous commute to work, I probably would ride very day.  I regret I did not take up this hobby years earlier.

This Place Sucks, So Let Me Help

Posted by on February 27, 2009 No comments

I’m nearing the end of watching a George Carlin DVD box set and I have to say I’m pretty pessimistic on our culture.  The whole idea of "gotta have it now" is becoming pretty offensive to me.  TVs, cell phones, computers, iPods… the behavior of Zune users during the 24 hours the Zune was inoperable was outrageous.  People can’t live without a music player for 24 hours, or more realistically 12 hours, since you can’t be awake listening to a MP3 player for 24 hours.

Carlin will do that to you after a while.  So you have a couple of choices: accept it or battle it.  I’m going to make the most of it.

To that end, I’m going to convert this to my “eating out” blog.  They say you should blog about something you’re passionate about and I do enjoy fast food (see previous post on state of food).  I had planned on developing a web site that would allow anyone to rate fast food places, but I just don’t have the energy for that right now, so this will have to do.

Yellow Pages Are Anything But Green

Posted by on February 14, 2009 No comments

It’s a new year and part of the new years ritual is receiving multiple 10-pound books dropped off at the house for telephone listings.  Growing up in a small town, I remember the white pages and yellow pages being a book about a quarter-inch think.  Now living in a larger city, the yellow pages alone is…2 inches thick (I had to check).  Then on top of that, you get a second book from a competing directory.  and this one has a “smaller, convenient” version, so you can take it with you.

Ok.  Here’s the problem.  There’s something called the Internet, which is available in our house.  This Internet thing allows us to search for information, including phone numbers.  Usually, it’s faster to type in the name of what you want instead of the traditional alternative: trying to figure out what category it’s listed in, flipping through pages, and scanning the tiny type while being distracted by large ads.  Then there is issue of storage.  The directories take up…4.5 inches of vertical space (I had to check again).  That’s valuable real estate on counters or drawers.

So, in summary, the Internet is far superior to a printed list.  This is probably universally accepted.  So, I thought it was time to stop the waste of time and space… and paper.  This year is also the year I discontinued all paper statements for bills.  But back to the point, I called the directory’s service number.

The first person I spoke to was pleasant and upon hearing my request, wasted no time collecting my information and completing the request.  After I hung up, I thought, “That wasn’t so bad.  She was really nice.  Too bad I’m putting her out of a job.”  after all, these directory services are contracted by the phone company or are completely independent.

The second person I spoke to handled my request promptly also, but then asked an odd question: “Do you travel much?”  Hmmm.  I responded that I don’t travel too much.  Then the pitch came.  They also print atlases.  They had a new atlas of the United States that she could sell me for a great price.

Ok.  Here’s the problem.  There’s something called a GPS, which has recently become available in our cars.  A few years ago, I might have bought it.  I used to have a very large collection of maps from the areas I’d visited.  I was pretty proud of the collection also.  But now, my 25-pound pile of maps (I had to estimate, since they’re now disposed) has been replaced by a tiny touchscreen device.

So in summary, GPS devices have replaced atlases in much the same way as the Internet has replaced phone books.  Now, if these directory services were smart, they would partner with a GPS vendor and preload POI’s (Points of Interest) into a GPS based on their directory.  Then they would sell the GPS device.  Or they could sell a flash card with the POIs on it.

If I was cancelling my phone book delivery and the agent asked me “Do you have a GPS?” that would be a totally different conversation.  If I didn’t, I might be intrigued at buying a GPS preloaded with millions of POIs (if the price was reasonable).  If I did own one and they offered a POI card or subscription service compatible with my GPS brand, it might be attractive.

Vultures

Posted by on January 18, 2009 No comments

So now Circuit City is going under and the vultures have arrived.  I dropped in on day two of our local store’s liquidation and it was a madhouse.  People were all over the place picking at the carcass of the former leader of electronics sales.

One of the first thoughts I had was "Where were all you damn people only a few weeks ago?"  This company needed you then, but you’re here now after the pulse has stopped.  But judging by the people crowding the store today, they weren’t there for the company; they just wanted the plunder.  Maybe a "Yeah! We killed the dragon, now let’s rob the treasure room!" kind of sentiment.

The other thought I had was that some people scrambling for purchases took their local store for granted.  They just always assumed it would be there to provide an alternate shopping location when Best Buy pissed them off.  Now, Circuit City is going away and these people need to grab what they can before it’s gone.  Because when it’s gone, so is their option of buying somewhere else.

It has been reported that the liquidation company marks up the prices to mark them down over time.  These first few days of the sale would be the most profitable Circuit City would experience in a long time, if only it were them that got the revenue.

The shopping atmosphere in the store was pretty harsh.  The liquidator had obviously taken over.  They blocked off one entrance so you had one door to enter and exit through – inconveniencing incoming and outgoing customers at the same time.  But what do they care?  The liquidator is operating under another company’s name and has no obligation to please anyone.  The customer has no power and no rights.  A threat like "I’m never shopping here again!" would be met with "You’re correct." 

So when the company selling off another company’s inventory purposely deceives customers into thinking they are getting good deals and purposely disposes of customer service because there is no value in it, who are the real vultures?

Financial Voyeur

Posted by on December 30, 2008 No comments

I am developing a strange addiction to watching financial news.  It’s sadly like other people’s obsession with celebrities.  I say that because financial news is generally crap.

It just seems that the headlines take the current headline and use that to explain the days movement of the market.  Like yesterday it was "Oil rises above $40 on Mideast tensions" and today it’s "Oil drops below $40 over world economic concerns".   I don’t think they have any clue.

I know it’s unhealthy to watch the markets daily, but like a voyeur, I never take action on what I see, it’s just filler, junk, vapid nonsense.

So anyway, that’s my confession.

Auto Bubble

Posted by on November 4, 2008 No comments

Detroit makes me imagine a crazy person locked in a room somewhere making and churning out dozens of ugly teddy bears a day.  Each day people come to him and say "All the kids already have teddy bears and  even if they do want a new one, kids don’t want ugly teddy bears." 

But the crazy bear maker won’t stop.  He makes bigger, uglier teddy bears and pushes pile after pile of bears out the door.  The people carry heaps of grotesquery off to showrooms where the bears sit unwanted and unsold.

The bear maker is proud of himself.  His whole life has been making teddy bears and he feels he is vital to the well-being of children everywhere.  Whenever it is argued that his bears are unwanted, his response is "Look how busy I am!"  He never stops, he must be afraid to.

And sadly, after all these years of building bears in isolation, he discovers he has neither the skill nor the tools to build better bears.  He will need to be retrained or replaced.  We’ve already committed to pay for retraining and retooling.  Time will show whether he has no choice but to be replaced.

The State of Food

Posted by on August 9, 2008 No comments

It’s actually kind of pathetic, really.  My life has primarily become about food.  There was on old stand-up routine where a comic was pointing out how different people gave directions.  The religious guy would say things like "Go past the Catholic church until you get to the Methodist church.  Then turn left one block past the bible store."  The fat guy would say "Go down Main street and you’ll see a gym on your left.  You want to keep going right past that.  Don’t even slow down.  You’ll drive past a Pizza Hut, Burger King, and when you get to the Wendy’s, which has great food, slow down.  You’ll see the place on your left."  Well, that has become me.  All my reference points are restaurants.  I know where to find the food I like in every location I frequent.  I know where most Longhorns are in about a 100 mile radius.  Geez.

So, how did this happen to me?  Simple.  That’s my hobby.  If you ask, I also know where most pawn shops are in a hundred mile radius.  When eating alone, it’s usually easier and arguably cheaper to eat out.  So, I visit the same places many times, in many different places.  Like my white-collar/blue-collar post, I look for these landmarks when I am in a new locale.

I take a bit of flack for eating the same things over and over.  I can count the number of entrees I eat on my fingers; it’s pretty limited.  But my viewpoint is that it’s not the same meal.  Eating a burger at Chili’s for lunch and a burger at McD’s for dinner are different.  They taste different.  That’s my variety.  And I can identify the differences between all burgers that I eat, the fries I eat (including the texture of the salt), and the syrup/water/CO2 mixture of the Coke per location.  I’ve been on the fence for a very long time as to whether it’s a good or bad thing to have the server ask "the usual?"  It depends on my mood whether I get annoyed or not.  Also, I’m not sure about getting personal with the staff.  That makes me feel like I’m paying for attention.  Whenever money is involved, I don’t believe in sincerity.

Lately, our area has seen a compression of eating locations.  Within the last few months we lost: Roadhouse, Sam Seltzers, Lone Star, Bennigan’s, Don Pablo’s, Steak and Ale and Ruby Tuesday.  I guess the economy has hit the casual dining market hard, but then again, I never visited these places often (except Roadhouse), so maybe it’s my fault too.  I guess I can’t save the world, one restaurant at a time.