Monday, May 18, 2009

Dear Brew Dog McCracken.


There is a reason why you only got 26.8 percent of the vote.
Bringing your "Brew Crew" to restaurants and barking orders around like you own the city is probably a good reason why you are not Mayor.
If the company you keep around is a reflection of you, then you are one big asshole sir.

Hope you guys enjoyed making a cocktail waitress cry.

Fuck You.

Friday, May 15, 2009

Blooming Ride.

Baked Cranberry Walnut Muffins, The finest coffee Lance Armstrong
(So this photo shoot must be the reason why he had the highest water bill in Austin)
has to offer, taco's, and breakfast pizza are slowly surfing down my esophagus to my stomach food bank storage unit and now blissfully doing back strokes in my small intestines.

Plus Mellow Johnny's handed out handful's of dietary supplements,
this one has to be my favorite...
.
Race leader after Stage 5, Tour de Georgia 2008
"I have used SportLegs for every race in the past 5
years, as I hav
progressed from mountain bikes to the
Tour de France. There is no question
SportLegs helps,
something very simple that works very well."
-Trent Lowe, 24, Garmin
Slipstream pro cycling team

Now I'm feeling a bit on the puke side but just like a sucker I'm going to take all the free things I can receive in one day. Chipotle, put on your swimming goggles because yours about to enter the acid pool!
This year has been the first year I actually didn't wake up with a hangover, crusty eyes, or catfish mouth.
Bright and early the brown bandit bird was off to gather her worms.

It felt just like Halloween, other trick or treaters passing you along the street with expressions of joy on their faces. Quirky hello's and gentlemen tip their hat's in kind gestures.

"Top of the morning young lady"

"And to you too, kind sir."

It was almost like living in an alternate universe, where people actually do get by on their bikes. The streets were flushed away with the toxic smells of fuel exhaust and the impatience driver's provide.

There's been some quick snapped comments made with the people I interact with on a daily work related bases. Side sneers and mocks of the bike community, bitter opinions from the high polluted cities where cycling is well a mere joke to them.
"Why would I choose to bike around when I could just jump in my car?"

If they could only see the purity in our eyes and the love it gives us, our own will power. I'm not trying to shove it down your throats but when bicycling has been in my life for the past four years of course I'm going to be proud of it.

My sanity, body, and environment love me for it.

Alright, alright enough of the mush...


My friend and his pals are having their grand opening bash!

Fast Folk Cyclery!

Trick Comp, Talks of of free margarita's, DJ things.
The cookie master's finally gave me a whole weekend off!
So grab your swim suit, grab your bike, and let's let the sun ray's put some color on our flesh.
Oh, I'm having a BBQ tomorrow. Bring your own dish if you wish and of course your own "party water".
Starts early so I can have enough time to go on a long ride and finish it off with a dive in Barton Pool.

Come on, let's go!

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Way to Vote.

Our voice's were heard, we got the one's on our side in office.

Now I can go back to fantasizing about Chris Riley's Beautiful Teeth.

I cause noise complaints.

Oh, how my delicate mind and drowsy dropping legs were pushed to their fullest capacity this weekend.
Now I can walk a little straighter without awkward wobbles and sounds of "ouch!".
On the ride to work this morning, thoughts bounced around in my head...


Now I can positively state, that there is no greater feeling than the one's pedals provide.
(Well, other then fantastic animalistic behavior's )
Saturday marked the very first female Alley Cat Race to happen in Austin and NONE of it would have gone so smoothly without Ms. Annie Gunkle
putting it all together! Thanks Annie!
As well as the following sponsors;

Car R Coffins

Black Star Bags

Girl. Bike. Dog.

Fast Folk Cyclery

The Peddler

Just to name a few for providing prizes and support, and special thanks from me to Maine Root
for supplying my parched mouth with all the lemon lime soda my heart desired! My preparation for the race was not very...well it was well planned out but the follow threw was a different story. What was suppose to be a good night's rest, a hearty breakfast, and quick jog before the event quickly turned into going to bed at five a.m & having American Spirits and black coffee instead. By any means avoid two men who want to acoustically cover a Teriyaky Boys song.
Needless to say I probably wasted any last fighting energy left in me, or so I thought.

Ms. Killiingsworth and I approached our 94 degrees destination and were warmly greeted with all the lovely faces that made it out. I can't fully express the feeling of pride seeing all those women ready to ride!
After signing in we received a brown paper bags with our spoke card, stickers, pink tire levers, and our manifest.

It was probably due to the fact that I was a space cadet and was not paying any attention to details that my route was completely a scattered mess.
So as soon as, "GO!" was pushed threw the megaphone...
(photo credit: mikesnackcat)

Off we went like three blind mice...
Or let me re-phrase that, Kayla and I were the blind folded one's.
Oh, how we ran.




View Larger Map

Just when you felt defeat breathing down your neck you'd approach a check point and the lovely men were there to greet us with silly request. After, naming all the milkshake Sandy's provides, sewing a button on your shirt, origami fortune telling (cheek kissing boys), eating a butterscotch candy with sweat dripping down your face, donut circles, duck shooting, and finally to running into the Capital to Sketch a portrait of this classy broad...


We lost a few ladies along the way, two ended up crashing (with no involvement of cars) one was sent to the hospital with chin stitches and the other wound up fracturing a metatarsal in her foot. Ouch, glad your healing up ladies. Another ended up heading to Barton Springs and Ms. Kill stuck it out but the Heat was proving to be extremely overwhelming for her.
It ended up rounding off to about sixteen miles over all, took me about an hour and thirty minutes to make it to the park and drown my self in lone stars and hugs.
The idea of it all was finishing, trying. Pushing yourself and never giving into defeat. It's easy to wave that white flag around and lay dead in your tracks.
I'd rather end up at the finish line with victory on my side!

Thanks dearly to all the lovely friend's with their kind word's of support, I love you jerks.
After downing a few brews and witnessing the side events
off for a few beer's with some good company
was next.
Till the stroke of midnight, off to the Pedestrian Bridge for the moonlight cruise.


This was my first and there is no way that I plan on missing any others. The whole ride in general was smoother than the one Mass provides, don't worry Mass I'm still going to ride you. It was nice to open and beer and not have enough time to drink it!
The sky, streets, and city was all ours.
We gained a piece of it in our hearts that night, and after having a conversation with Kevin Sunday night it was very possible that my rooster cawing was the cause of the noise complaint we received.
Sorry Austin Police Department, sometimes you need to hear how much fun we are having with our bicycles.

Still more events going on kids, grab your 2009 Bike Month Guide at your local business and keep up to date on the best day of them all...

"Get Free Tacos Cause You Ride A Bike Day!"
aka
National Bike To Work Day!

Or at least that's what I like to call it, be cool like "The King" and jump on a bike!
Also use a kid's head to sign autographs!

Friday, May 1, 2009

Bicycles and Comic Books

I'm eight all over again...
pig tails, riding my bike down to the local corner store to collect cabbage pail kids cards, and my favorite blue dressed covered in mud from playing with the boys.
Why would Topps dare make this?

The first of May has quickly arrived leaving the traces of April behind.
The taste of summer is teasing us all with thoughts of swimsuits, flowers, and those wonderful sweaty bicycle rides.
This week was a much needed recovery from flu aches, exhausted mind thoughts, and black and blue legs.
All I really needed was some Monday Soul & a insightful lecture from Ms. Goodman.
Which will always be an empowering moment.
......
The Gun fight must go on!

Bang! : Women's Workshops at Yellow Bike Project

All through the Beautiful month of May they're going to be offering Women-only workshops every Saturday morning from 9:30am to 11am, at which point they'll open up for a regular shop.

What: Women’s Workshop Series at The Yellow Bike Project
When: Every Saturday in May, 9:30am – 11:00am
Where: Yellow Bike Project at Treasure City 1720 E. 12th Street

Each Saturday in May build your bike knowledge in a women only setting, and then stick around after the clinic and practice with coordinator support. Workshops are not necessarily sequential but do get more advanced each Saturday. Registration not required but space is limited. We will try to accommodate all that want to participate.

Workshop I (2nd) - Meet your bike. I.D. parts and components. Learn to patch a flat. Learn how to fit a bike.

Workshop II (9th) - Making adjustments with few or no tools: An overview of brakes and derailleurs.

Workshop III (23rd) - Brakes and shifting in-depth: Cable routing and set-up.

Workshop IV (30th) - Cups and bearings: Overhauling headsets, bottom brackets, and hubs. We'll teach wheel truing to anyone who wants to know.

Join me in learning to be independent in properly maintaining the wonderful thing you place between your legs every day! If you have any doubts, here is some importance and history what we do ladies.

I'm going to be there EVERY Saturday morning so don't be shy, join in with me. You'll have a friend there.


Boom ! : Austin Bike Zoo presents : Wheels of Wonder


If you have not had the privilege to witness with your own eyes how the bike snake operates, you definitely can not miss out on this. Austin Bike Zoo, is an inspiring the Austin community with bicycles and other alternative forms of transportation by creating unique human powered vehicles. Mi madre is coming into town on Saturday and believe that I'm going to have her on a bike riding with me.

May Full Moon Ride!


(photo credit: Birzer)
No more missing out on this ride, I've received too much feedback (shit) on my lack of attending this ride SO now I'm going to be there. I promise!
Saturday May 9th, 11:59 pm Meet on the Lamar Pedestrian Bridge, bring all your friends!

Phew, as you can tell it's going to be a growing experience, exhausting and fun Bike month!
Also, please don't forget to vote. If you've been my house you can clearly see my endorsement for city council place one.
Let the preacher, preach...!
Due to some pending, traffic tickets for some years now I figured I could not vote, or was not allowed to due to them. Thanks to Michael Litt (no wonder people love you) running Chris Riley's campaign I got registered during March's Critical Mass and received my voter's registration card in the mail yesterday. Use your voice people and show interested in your community and bike community. If it's such a part of your life, shouldn't you have some control over it?

I didn't forget...

Happy Birthday Mister Tobias Manco.

Stop reading, Get out there and make your own stories!