bird's still on the brain - quack!

just in case you were wondering, world championships are coming up. start practicing now boys and girls (take careful note of the 2 different types of calls - competition vs. hunting). listen to em QUACK (for real)!

bird brain

i've got a different type of bird on the brain.
who needs turkey anyway?
happy holidays friends.

independent

i'm slightly disappointed with the very end but... it's Ne-Yo, what can you expect? lyrics aren't exactly articulate and creative like NAS but - u get the idea... and can feel the beat. here's to the happily single, independent and strong women, who self-sufficiently work (apparently in stilettos and open backed tops but i digress...), play and live on their own terms. and to the men who are strong enough to appreciate and be attracted to that strength in lieu of intimidation.

life is short

driving down 83 to 695 today i noticed a procession. vehicles with flashing and blinking police lights, undercover, b'more police, FBI, and others... hundreds of cars, miles in a row. on-ramps were blocked off by armed guards. merging onto 695, the procession continued still heading north towards 83. no public traffic was heading north at this time via 695 or 83.

A ways down 695, a hurst appeared, surrounded by multiple tinted vehicles. 10 or more vehicles parked along the highway, with armed public servants and seated german shepards, soluting the procession. behind the hurst another multiple-mile long linear procession of flashing tinted vehicles followed.

33 year old Special Agent Hicks died of a bullet wound to the chest last week near Pittsburgh, PA. It was a suburban drug raid and the 40-year old woman who shot him claims she believed she was 'shooting a home invader'. Hicks, barely 1 year in the FBI, leaves behind a young wife and 2 year old son.

This tragedy caught my attention today only because i was in a particular place at a particular time. However, unfortunately there are so many 'public servants' who risk and lose their lives in the name of public safety on a daily basis. I decided to dig a little deeper (see below).

• firefighters
• police
• us government
  

These are just generally published stats... and don't even include all military deaths in the line of duty. However, the numbers suggest that we can assume every day someone, if not many, somewhere die in the name of public service. Whether we agree with the cause, effort or manner in which that particular "mission" or "event" occurred, a death, is just that.

It's sad to think that it takes some taking this type of risk, for us to go on with our lives, safe, secure and comfortable. And that at the end of the day - or of a day like today - their families, including small children who know nothing more than the comfort of their parents care, are the real ones who suffer. It's just sad.

ol' school

a new friend reminded me of some other good old stuff... check it! (thanx benjamin!)

meat

I don't care for meat. I'm no vegetarian though as in a pinch, i will have a little chicken or turkey or fish. fish i enjoy, meat - well it's rare. but, i don't care for meat. I also don't care for cars yet i truly enjoy driving my subi. i try to commute by bike as much as possible but i will admit - driving is fun. i don't always buy organic food - it's expensive but better for one and all. i don't care for processed food either, yet sometimes, i crave french fries, or chips or candy - mmmm twix or jelly candies or m&m's...i love animals yet no longer have a shelter dog.

During the post-swimming phase of (re)finding myself i sought meaning to make life feel whole. Since i've never been one to go "small", I gave up meat entirely, soon after became vegan, denounced drugs and alcohol of any kind and became involved with groups like amnesty helping to organize events like a 2 day fast / camp out in the name of a free Burma. I dreamed of post school years invested in Peace Corps and working at animal shelters. (Which was down graded to AmeriCorps and being a shelter volunteer). However, the more I read, the more discouraged I became. For every "cause" there were 10, 20, 100 other causes that seemed to be equally significant. How could I chose just one? How could I live honestly?

Why Meat is Bad

There are dozens of reasons to not eat (intensely produced) meat. From an environmental standpoint, agriculture is arguably one of the most detrimental of landuses. Hundreds of thousands of acres of forests have been converted to intense commercial agriculture (often non-sustainably practiced) over the years resulting in extreme soil erosion and modified hydrologic cycles (water flow). Modern day, intense agriculture, relies on fertilizers and pesticides which runoff into nearby, unbuffered streams (streams without forests on either side) and seep in to the water tables eutrophic-induced (nutriend buildup) fish kills and serious water quality degradation. Animal rights extremists will show videos of the way animals are tortured and confined via high production agriculture.

But, let's forget the environment, and animal rights... What about us? After all, it is about us, isn't it? Put heart disease and all other directly related health issues, most farmers inject the animals we eat with hormones that have been proven to mess up our reproductive systems. And those fertilizers and pesticides are also suggested to be equally harmful - case in point blue baby syndrome.

But I digress as this obviously isn't a post about convincing the world to not eat meat, eat mass produced veges or drive cars. This would be hypocritical. I do, on occasion, eat meat! I no longer am involved with amnesty and my days of fasting, protesting and a straight edged vegan lifestyle are long behind. And, we won't even get into the post straight-edge extreme i lived through in my later college years... this wild period is hardly blog-publishable.

In short, what i'm trying to say is - unfortunately for us all, no "position" is simple.

The Hypocrisy of It all

For one is it possible to truly take an extreme position without being hypocritical. Ie - animals rights activists that release helpless animals that will inevitably suffer in the real world, or activists that cause harm via their efforts. On a lesser extreme, vegetarians that eat marshmallows, jello, and even lowfat yogurt, wear leather, or use most of the cleaning and hygiene / makeup products found on the shelves these days because they are not informed. Or those who shun the hummer for it's MPG yet drool over an aston martin or a bentley.

If you love animals should you donate all of your time to the local shelter? Adopt 100 stray and homeless dogs and cats? Can you never own a pure bred pup? Should we all hunt our own food?!! If you are a solid environmentalist, can you eat meat and sleep at night? What about free-range meat products? If you eat meat, what about the genetically modified veges we all consume that are also grown on fertilizer and pesticide shocked farmland? Is that OK? Can a PA native eat a banana and sleep at night (eat local)? And following that thought, if you can eat meat or vegetables, can you drive a car contributing to not only a fossil-fuel based economy but also greenhouse gas accumulation and global climate change? IF, you are a human rights activist can you actively lobby for Burma while ignoring pressing issues in your own country, state (old data) or county? Can you drink only coke and not pepsi (or gatorade... etc) when coke is potentially equally offensive in their abuses? and on and on and on it goes...

And this all is not even beginning to consider a broader economic perspective... ouch!

Not a Soap Box

If you're reading this as a soap box, then you've got it (and me) all wrong. I've always wanted my life to be meaningful, in some way. To make a difference be it in someone's life. To contribute to something bigger than simply my happiness (even though the desire itself was contributing to happiness). To help those close, and be there for people for whom I cared even if it meant putting myself second. I've always wanted to live my life honestly staying true to my beliefs and convictions. Needless to say, I don't always achieve that goal. And honestly i'm not always sure how to get there.

But the question becomes, what "causes" and "issues" are can / should / do we support? Consider, the clothes on our back, the stores where we shop, the hygiene and cleaning products we use, the means of transportation we select, the foods we eat, and more. There is hardly enough time in a life time let alone a week or a day to consider it all.

So, really I don't like meat. I can't feel good about saying I avoid it for environmental, political, social or economic reasons. I just don't like it. Honestly, it doesn't taste good to me. But I eat it - sometimes. Don't like milk either so no hormones for me; however if that's all there is on the breakfast table for my cereal, I'll deal. Just like I drive my car - sometimes, and play with the first non-adopted pure-bred pup i've owned.

I have no interest in making anyone else feel uncomfortable about eating meat, or drinking milk, or driving a car - big or small. There is simply not enough time on this planet to absorb and understand it all. I do however have an interest in everyone thinking about these things - at least from time to time; critical thought is good as is living life in a way that brings not only happiness but growth. And I have an interest in making informed decisions. Perhaps this is why I aspire to teach and study in an environmental field. Perhaps this is why I do have an interest in understanding what makes us 'tick' - make the choices we do every day - what issues we chose to embrace and why. And how we go about living our lives while simultaneously feeling good about everything around us.

to a dear friend...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ms gretta! because a phone call when enjoying the outdoors just doesn't seem appropriate... i figure i'd embarrass ya publicly on my blog instead :)

if u were here there'd be a home-made cake involved, and possibly some cx skiing... and ofcourse margaritas! but alas pictures will have to do...

hope your weekend is PERFECTly wonderful dear friend!!! u've both earned the time out of that crazy city you now call home. e (& pep) - take good care of the bday girl!!! miss you both as always.

cold, as it should be...

It's gotten cold in the PA mountains.

Evidence:
1. frozen hydration pack tubing (solid!) during riding
2. sore nipples upon entering the house (and no we're not talking the gold nuggets on my rims...) - post riding
3. tears on the way to work and school (not of joy) triggering a mad commute sprint onto campus.

While the end of rides used to be marked by conversations about food (you're always hungry coming home), NOW, i find humor in WV and I instead discussing and coveting the heated seats in my subi. ahhh nothing like a slowly warming ass on the drive home in the dark from the forest. and me slurring my speech as my face is that cold.

Rides are now short. as is daylight. i seek climbs more than ever as descents are simply painful. If there were any way to ride uphill all the time, I would be stoked.

However this is a digression from the point at hand... considering the cold we are surrounded by now in November... it is hard to imagine that the earth is slowly warming. Check out NASA. The guy interviewed isn't so articulate but the CG is sweet and based on real satellite data. Ice sheets are melting beyond repair. anyone who watched an inconvenient truth, remembers the poor polar bears stranded on floating blocks of ice. (yea that movie was total hollywood but people love white 'cuddly' bears). sell it to tbe public anyway you can...

There is much more to global warming than simply melting ice caps. first, there is still not complete consensus on whether or not it really is happening. (questionable source - yes! wikipedia's content is fickle but u get the point...). and if it is happening, is it part of a larger cyclical and quite natural trend or is it human induced? maybe it's not happening. maybe our lives are too short and data too limited to know for sure. kinda like evolution...

And, what are the implications of this? modified forest composition... IE southern trees moving north, northern trees becoming extinct? invasive species proliferation? modified wildlife habitat? rising sea levels and slowly sinking cities (an extreme scenario but watch out san fran!).

So, in short, i'm on my bike, contemplating good birds that are attracted to bad habitats (ha!) that have also all flown south for the winter (my bald eagle buddy in the forest is long gone - haven't seen him in weeks)... and freezing my ass off all the while wishing it were warmer.

I take a (non)sip from my now frozen solid camelbak and realize in truth, i'm quite happy that it's cold as it should be. it's a temporary inconvenience which I think I prefer over the more permanent and rather frighteningly possible alternative.

missing extremity?

is it me or is donald missing an arm below?

QUACK!

The scene: Jacksonville, Florida
The issue: write-in's for the 2008 election
Who won?

Ranking as follows
Hillary Clinton
Ron Paul
None of the above
Jesus
.
.
.
Donald Duck
.
.
George W. Bush (NOTE: senior or jr wasn't specified - third term?)

Quack! this really got me thinking... are people really that ignorant?
My conclusion:

simply put, YES.
no, i'm still not over this election. I still believe that society is dictated by an educated few (education does not simply impling school, more so well read and able to think critically) that use their powers of persuasion via marketing (internet, tv, and so forth) over the uneducated mass. The poor bastards...

It also seems people are generally afraid to think for themselves and more apt to follow the masses. if they do take the time to actually read, they simply absorb, not considering other sources and points of view, and thus blindly accept. Only a few absorb while thinking critically for themselves and coming to their own conclusions.

Case in point - look at what happens when people do try to "think (i use this word loosely) on their own".

donald duck is elected as president.

Ok, so he didn't receive a majority - nice work Jacksonville.
Can you imagine if he did?
ok it's a long shot - but think about it.
Let's start a campaign for donald duck. I mean if arnold and ronald both could do it, why not donald? he's equally famous.

And consider this - write-ins for 2008 were at an all time high - 97,000 (and still counting) - more people wrote in random names (like donald) than voted for the independent party or than voted for ron paul. Boy would I love to see a nation-wide list of write-ins. i'm working on that one...

So in short, should i conclude that the educated few need to persuade the less than willing mass to follow their ways just to avoid potential quacking?

perhaps.

afraid of the dark

this getting dark at 5pm deal is gonna kill me. I'm thinking about lights for my rides so i can cruise in the woods at night... where to begin?

any thoughts on brands, and features to look for? i'd like to get something that's cost efficient but won't leave me scared in the dark on a deserted trail with raccoons and skunks.

i miss the 'old' good stuff...

there's no video - just listen and absorb...

yo mama

ok i can't resist... just one more. i have a bit too much time to spare tonight. this one is just so CLASSIC...

last

random note of the day... ry told me about this atleast a year ago - i'm stubborn i guess.. but now i'm on the bandwagon... pandora is old news. it plays the SAME old SHIT over and over...

i'm now a huge fan of last. plus they have funky mixes thrown in to mix it up. i'm likin this. try it! :)

POLLitics - and the fear factor

People are excited. In my tenure on this planet, I don't think there has been another election that has spurred so much intense response.

Change is, unequivocally a good thing and much needed. However, I am a bit sad.
Here's why. It seems to me that change is most inspiring in times of dire need.

Take a look at polls from 2004 vs 2008. Yes, while i recognize these polls represent a limited demographic, I do believe they do generally represent prominent thoughts and concerns during both elections. While the job market was certainly slow, gas prices were fluctuating, (yet short term ARM mortgages were quite reasonable) the 2004 election was clouded by fear - terrorism and 9/11 were on everyone's minds. People were torn regarding what issues were most important to them and this was reflected in a relatively close outcome and subsequent continuation of republican leadership. Which, according to some can be correlated with slowed GNP growth (yes an article with just a bit of bias)... read on your own though for more...

In 2008, people were still scared yet more definitive in their concerns as a downward spiral (that started years earlier) had finally caught up. caught up - with them on a personal level as those around were losing jobs, foreclosing on homes and were vulnerable to rising fuel costs impacting not only a credit card balance at the pump, but also food, shipping and travel costs in other forms. anyone who owns a home, drives a car, is employed, or buys their own food can understand these concerns. I have multiple friends with jobs on the line at this very moment and am vulnerable to that same ARM refinancing issue that Obama addresses in his plan.

Here is another thought to consider... McCain certainly screwed himself in his campaign strategy in not fully utilizing the net. An increase of 3.4 million voters under the age of 30 was reported with 66% of those votes going to obama. No that figure alone (probably from facebook!) doesn't represent the 6-7% victory margin. But, perhaps the victory reflected not only fear of dire economic circumstance but also a sound and current communication strategy.

The new plan for the future sounds good. hell, it sounds great but i'm still left with two important questions:

1. Why does it take such extreme times to inspire change? Why are we continually fear inspired as opposed to forward thinking?
   
2. Will people i.e. "america" understand that change will not happen in a measly 4 years? And that fiscal regulation alone will not bring better economic standing? if things get better will everyone relax once again ... 4 years down the road, america falls back into the same torn and divided society that was represented 4 and 8 years ago?

So, i'm not celebrating like most right now even though i realize the future potential. I'm sad that it takes near disaster to inspire growth. I'm sad that politics is a game of manipulation as much as one about reality. And I just hope that our new president elect is able to also educate while he has everyone's attention on his forward thinking path.

ouch!

does bush jr need to go back to doggy school?

baryshnikov

thank you jess for the badass gear... I have no idea how football players wear this stuff. it's heavy. the helmet was way too much to sport. the shoulder pads - left me sore the next day! Imagine riding around town on your bike in pink slippers and shoulder pads. i've got heals down - so now i'm expanding.

take note of the pink slippers... they are actually chucks - aka converse. people thought i was really a PSU fan... not so much...

introducing contador ... alberto contador. he's cute - i still think chaya has the drill down better.

tent advice

Ok... if you're shy about posting email me but...

i can't decide

REI half dome

vs

'ultra light' rei quarter dome

Ive read ALL the reviews... both seem good and reasonably priced. The REI people tell me that the half dome is fine for backpacking. space for the dog, heavier duty... but it's close to 2 lbs heavier... and i'm not exactly a powerhouse. the quarter dome got mad reviews in some of the gear magazines as an ultralight tent...

SO... i need solid advice cause i've got a few trips planned and am ready to buy. which one?
thoughts please?