He's talking about Belleville

Wilco's Jeff Tweedy in Indy's local free rag:

NUVO: I can see how it would be difficult to gauge the impact of where you live on your life, but does it interest you to think about unique characteristics of Chicago, Illinois or the Midwest, and kind of what’s similar about culture in a particular region or a state?

Tweedy: I don’t want to sound insulting — it sounds like it’s something that you care about and think about a lot, and I don’t want you to take it the wrong way — but it’s really not where my head’s ever been. I grew up in a small town in southern Illinois and it took me a long, long time to come to terms with not hating that place. Also, I think even at this age, I feel like I sort of have survivor’s guilt for even getting out of where I grew up, and a lot of people don’t want to or don’t ever do that. But I also have to come to terms with that a lot of people don’t want to, and it works for them. It never worked for me; it wasn’t the place where it was really comfortable. So whenever you bring up that topic, that’s what I’m reminded of. I really wanted a bigger picture of the world that I was living in than what was available to me growing up. So I think the second I was able to get anywhere outside of those confines, I started doing that, you know, I started going to St. Louis. I grew up going to St. Louis to buy records and people looked at you like you were insane; it’s like going to Mars.

for the record, i don't hate home. and i don't think it's so "small" anymore, though this might contradict that opinion. but i can see, just a little bit, where he's coming from.

reading? do i know you?

it seems unlikely but there's a chance someone i don't actually know reads this blog regularly - there are plenty of blogs i read everyday that i've never commented on..

so if you're reading, and i don't know you, leave a comment, please. say hello.

CONGRATULATIONS! YOU STINK.

hmm.

last night i rode home from work with a tailwind. then i took a shower. then i played half a game of fifa08, which i was losing 3-0 when i forfeited.

gina went to rollerderby practice, i looked at email, ate some trader joe's ranch fries, a hot pocket soft sandwich thing (horrible), drank a Aventinus (super tasty. i should have more more often), drove to the liquor store, spent $30-ish dollars on two bottles (three floyds fantabulous resplendence and mikkeller IT'S ALIVE!), walked over to borders, bought two beer magazines, went home, considered cutting the grass (nope), read from the book of vice (blah), went to bed.

standard formula. big city life.

i got a flat on the way to work this morning - 4 blocks from work and i heard a HISShissHISShiss that is the trademark sound of a full on tire puncture.

luckily the glass stayed in the tire, making clean up a lot easier. most flats you gotta search all over the tire, running you fingers along the inside, waiting for something to cut you so you can clean it out.

changing a tire when you've been putting in a full-on effort means you're going to sweat a ton - when you're moving on a bike, the air helps. standing on a corner, not so much.

at work i'd immediately get under the air vent in the server room and start toweling off. that's the trick. that, and stinking. anyway.

knock on wood. first flat in a while.

colorado is still 3 months away and i'm getting itchy for vacation. i think i'd like to jump in the car and go drive in the mountains. or maybe bike the mountains. the key is mountains.

this week we're hitting a different bar every night because it's indiana beer week. maybe that was better in idea form than practice, though we've been having a good time with it. we now roll with a refreshed posse.

um... what else. they grated the road i use to ride my bike out of downtown so i've got to find a different route today. i think i've got it figured out.

what's the excitement in the county? did Breese build an Ikea yet?

zamora zamora

we got bobby zamora. i guess.

he's tall. so that automatically means he's good for like 20 goals, right?

hi jim brown

gina's friend roni from finland just bought a srt8 dodge magnum with the 6.1 hemi - then he threw on some flowmasters and he's got a supercharger on order. because 425 horsepower isn't enough, i guess.

roni makes nice money, but i think he's sorta like 'oh well whatever'.

hmm what else.

watched the rain ride roll by the subdivision this weekend. well, before that we saw a guy spin his taurus and nearly end up in the pond. not really sure how that happened. instead of ending up in the pond he just ended up in a field. no damage. it was entertaining.

and.

bought some beer, rode a bike, watched persopolis (A-), caught up on the tour (whatever), made a vegetarian quiche (A+). ate chicken curry. got the AIDS. Thug Life.

so if you're wondering what i've been doing, it's ride a bike to work, work, ride home, shower, eat, sit on couch playing grand theft auto iv or watching a movie from blockbuster

be kind rewind = c-
cloverfield = b+/a-
walk hard = c

also i've been waiting for fulham to sign someone worth being excited about, but as it turns out fulham are a mid to bottom table club and they don't do that sort of thing.

i've still got that mls package but i haven't watched an mls game in months. i will not purchase again next year.

i haven't been drinking a beer every night like i had been. empty calories. well, not empty. tasty. but not really benefitial.

what else. hmm.

nothing.

cubs cubs cubs cubs cubs

all this year, well, really, all any year when they're competitive, it's "here come the cubs"

this year has been particulalarly cubs heavy, because they're scoring a ton of runs.

but in the meantime, the cardinals, with a lineup full of who's thats, are trucking along... right behind the cubs.

anyway, finally, an article: yay tony, you drunk genius

rad

gina just bought this.

640 miles in June 07. Something like 100 in June 08.

When I last got on the scale, it read 195. I should be about 180.

So what's different? Last year I rode all the stuff below. And this year I haven't.

And this year I'm drinking a lot of beer.

Gonna try to remedy all that this month.

6/1/2007
(Fri) 11.55 13.86 3 - Pushing 0 554 185 Commute 3 - Pushing Road: Flat LeMond Alpe D'Huez
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6/1/2007
(Fri) 11.54 16.63 1 - Recreation 0 0 185 Commute 1 - Recreation Road: Flat LeMond Alpe D'Huez
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6/2/2007
(Sat) 69.00 19.05 4 - Training 178 3,194 185 B&O Brownsburg 4 - Training Road: Flat LeMond Alpe D'Huez
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6/5/2007
(Tue) 41.55 18.34 4 - Training 229 1,892 185 Whiteland Loop 4 - Training Road: Flat LeMond Alpe D'Huez
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6/6/2007
(Wed) 11.55 16.58 3 - Pushing 0 628 185 Commute 3 - Pushing Road: Flat LeMond Alpe D'Huez
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6/6/2007
(Wed) 11.55 16.07 3 - Pushing 0 0 185 Commute 3 - Pushing Road: Flat LeMond Alpe D'Huez
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6/8/2007
(Fri) 11.55 19.80 3 - Pushing 0 699 185 Commute 3 - Pushing Road: Flat LeMond Alpe D'Huez
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6/8/2007
(Fri) 11.55 0.00 3 - Pushing 0 0 185 Commute 3 - Pushing Road: Flat LeMond Alpe D'Huez
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6/10/2007
(Sun) 51.87 17.40 5 - Group Training 231 2,523 185 B&O Brownsburg 5 - Group Training Road: Flat LeMond Alpe D'Huez
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6/11/2007
(Mon) 11.55 17.33 3 - Pushing 0 600 185 Commute 3 - Pushing Road: Flat LeMond Alpe D'Huez
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6/11/2007
(Mon) 11.55 17.33 3 - Pushing 0 0 185 Commute 3 - Pushing Road: Flat LeMond Alpe D'Huez
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6/12/2007
(Tue) 56.20 18.94 5 - Group Training 194 2,500 185 Eagle Creek 5 - Group Training Road: Flat LeMond Alpe D'Huez
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6/14/2007
(Thu) 11.54 17.10 3 - Pushing 0 634 185 Commute 3 - Pushing Road: Flat LeMond Alpe D'Huez
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6/14/2007
(Thu) 11.54 17.31 3 - Pushing 0 0 185 Commute 3 - Pushing Road: Flat LeMond Alpe D'Huez
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6/17/2007
(Sun) 76.33 20.55 5 - Group Training 231 3,103 185 RAIN - Terre Haute to Indy 5 - Group Training Road: Flat LeMond Alpe D'Huez
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6/19/2007
(Tue) 55.00 17.19 5 - Group Training 187 2,608 185 Eagle Creek 5 - Group Training Road: Flat LeMond Alpe D'Huez
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6/20/2007
(Wed) 20.62 18.19 2 - Recovery 0 0 185 Southern Dunes 2 - Recovery Road: Flat LeMond Alpe D'Huez
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6/23/2007
(Sat) 70.10 20.10 5 - Group Training 0 3,000 185 Brownsburg Dale Route 5 - Group Training Road: Flat LeMond Alpe D'Huez
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6/25/2007
(Mon) 42.00 17.38 2 - Recovery 178 1,887 185 Whiteland Loop 2 - Recovery Road: Flat LeMond Alpe D'Huez
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6/26/2007
(Tue) 42.00 17.75 5 - Group Training 228 1,959 185 Eagle Creek 5 - Group Training Road: Flat LeMond Alpe D'Huez
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June Rides Distance (miles) Average Speed (mph) Effort Max Heart Rate (bpm) Calories Burned (kcal) Weight (lbs) Route Effort Ride Type Bike Modify Ride
20 640.14 18.41 n/a 231 25,781 185 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a

seriously, dude, glory and praise to our god

I'd like to thank the st. mary's church of trenton for reintroducing me to having hymns stuck in my head.

Mass was like church-lite. no petitions, no proclaiming the mystery of our faith (FUCK! I LOVE THE MYSTERY OF OUR FAITH! I used to get to put the mystery of our faith scroll out from behind the backdrop thing... anyway, I think that scroll was felt)... anyway, I took communion because what kind of godfather doesn't take communion?

"Sure, I'll take responsibility for the child's faith. Also, I'm feeling agnostic. Perhaps even atheist. Ask me tomorrow."

Anyway.

Just bought a print of this at 20x200. Not sure why.. I think I like it.

back to bike commuting

there's this

“I want that,” I’d say. “The Pig’s Dinner.”

“No, you will not have the Pig’s Dinner,” my mother invariably replied, and though we were a Jewish family, religious restrictions were not the problem. (Anyway, pastry chefs had yet to come up with the entertaining idea of adding bacon to ice cream.) “You may have a chocolate sundae.”

Hardly abusive, you might think, and in my more rational moments I must agree, but I have to think my obsession with desserts, barely diminished from childhood, results from excessive denial in those early days: “Three cookies is enough.”… “You don’t need whipped cream on everything.”… I might not have endured those years of deprivation had I not been encouraged to pour heavy cream on my sugared cereal, then considered nutritionally desirable.

All of us are incessantly being told that food should be local, but desserts are adolescent. They are a way of life—the life you led before you made rational (and often boring) decisions about what was best for you to eat. The world of sweetness is a fantasyland where the basic desires of childhood are satisfied, provided one is mentally strong enough to ignore lingering parental admonitions and physically sound enough to laugh at contemporary medical cautions.

Diners who live for the pleasure of main courses might fret over the fat content of their cream sauces, but they face far fewer crises than dessert eaters (unless they’re morally conflicted by foie gras). Desserts are exquisitely torturous to those of us who know our health is better served if we do without them, and we envy those who have the constitutions (and blood workups) that enable them to indulge without guilt.

Last night, while browsing the newest Gisele-covered issue of GQ, I ran across the previous article and for some reason couldn't put it down. I guess, as a psuedo beer writer, something about the way the author painted the entire picture grabbed me. I particularly enjoyed the passage above - particularly "The world of sweetness is a fantasyland where the basic desires of childhood are satisfied, provided one is mentally strong enough to ignore lingering parental admonitions and physically sound enough to laugh at contemporary medical cautions". BINGO.

I guess maybe that's common sense, but it never occurred to me before.

Anyway, I then showed the article to Gina, who just shrugged it off.

power of the pit.

So the last two days I've been wearing a regular old button up shirt to work, no undershirt, because that gets bulky and i'm fucking svelt.

anyway, yesterday i get home an notice i've got a little funk going. i think 'hmm maybe i forget deodorant'. i mean, it happens, whatever. then again why am i sweating in the office? i dunno. anyway.

today, no undershirt again, and i just check out my armpits, and there you go - wet spots.

i'm not going to handle getting older well. i mean, i haven't cut my hair in forever, i've pretty much stopped shaving, i shrug off any and all responsibility, and our house is in a permanent state of dishevel.

anyway, all that's really ok with me.. but this wet armpit thing? FUCK THAT.

this is what i just thought of

YAYYAY

SO we've booked our hotel for Great American Beer Fest in October in Denver.

I WILL HAVE A VACATION.

eff.

i will not be ashamed of things i found through dooce

so yesterday over on dooce.com there was a guest post by some guy who has very funny twitter stuff.

and he's got a site, i guess, and on that site there's a contest for sexiest sentence alive. it's nice reading.

no RAIN for me

Just cancelled my RAIN ride hotel - too busy this month to get the proper training in, and even if I did, I don't know anyone riding at the slower speeds I'm at currently... 160 miles in 90+ weather is fine if you're suffering with someone you know, but doing it alone or with a bunch of people you don't know is a whole different animal.

Anyway, I'm not heartbroken or anything. I'm doing fine rocking LAZY this summer and we'll see about next year.

In other rain news, the creek behind our subdivision overfilled its banks Saturday, causing a quick rise in the ponds surrounding the neighborhood, and a visit from a neighborhood kid, who stopped by - all frantic like - to inform us that we might want to move our stuff upstairs.

Up until that point I wasn't in the least bit worried, but afterwards I walked out to the pond and started keeping track of how fast it was rising. Over the course of an hour it was rising about two Mike-feet, but at that rate it was going to take at least 12 hours to reach our house. And the water was going to have to raise about 6+ vertical feet. So I stuck a bicycle fork/yard stick measuring device into the ground and waited to see how long it took for the water to cover it. But it never got that high.

There were some houses in the area that got the flooding, but we weren't close. It's funny how I never paid attention to my home-owners policy until the water started rising... then I was sitting on the couch looking to see if I had paid for flood insurance.

24.89, 16.23mph, 163/235, 1509 cal

building

don't forget

euro2008 starts tomorrow. and if you were staying at my house, you'd be spending the day at the bar.

Like Jesus says, "DO THIS IN REMEMBERANCE OF ME."

20.79 miles, 16.62 avg, 1:15 on bike
162 avg 185 max 1312 calories?!

knee is fine, lungs and heart... not so much.

patience is a virtue.

I AM BACK

23.11 miles, 1:23:59, avg 14.91

rode downtown to work to see if bike commuting is doable... looks good, no knee issues, just a severe lack of cardiovascular fitness.

I probably would have been faster but its' crazy windy. Anyway. Definitely not 100%, but it doesn't seem that far off, really.

last night

"So I've decided I'm just going to use the blog to keep track of every mean thing you do to me."

"Well at least you'll have content."