chainsaw panda rides a bike

pie wanted to say

2009-05-30T11:56:00.001-05:00

pie wanted to say
Originally uploaded by faster panda kill kill

what the hell is going on here. abandoned? kidnapped by aliens? hiking to the equator? researching rainbows? still trying to fix a flat?

what is taking so long.......pie says hop hop. i need more pictures of me on the internets.

we still ride bikes, take long walks to empty places, we dug a pond in the backyard - toads showed up and croak every nite. last nite i was at polvos paying my respects to the margarita and happy bike ride home.

hope you are all well and good and enjoying many adventures.

tree planting. chestnut park. saturday. dec. 13th!

2008-12-12T18:15:00.002-06:00

also note: garden posse will be out across the street putting in plants in the vacant lot. they start at 10:30am (they got snowed/sleeted out on their plant day)

if you are in the hood or need something to do - please come out and help beautify east austin parks and lots. its a community thing. say hi!

9am chestnut park. 16th & chestnut. DEC 13th yeah trees

gardenposse making things lovely

2008-12-10T11:46:00.003-06:00

gardenposse was in my hood last nite! that is if the weather didn't postpone their evening activities. we had rain, sleet and more sleet and then some snow (but i was asleep already).

i will walk over a block to see if they got their plantings in.

i love gardenposse. i read about guerrilla gardening a year ago and have been meaning to make some seed bombs for a while now. i will make them for 2009. there's lots of space around here that can use a bit of love bombing.

and i will be happy to nurture along what gardenposse did.

the next couple of years are gonna be weird. but good. but maybe hard. and hopeful. and filled with change. community is a big thing already - i see it only getting bigger and more focused and with more people involved. i'm looking forward to it.

really, helping others is easy and fun. everyone has something to offer. everyone has a chance to impact someone's life for the better. it can be very simple: a smile for a stranger, encouragement for your friends and family, being their cheerleader - helping someone with a door or a pump on your bike! and if you got some funds, donate! every little bit helps.

right now, yellow bike hero's are looking for additional funds to move forward on their new location headquarters. they are an important and vibrant part of the austin bike scene and history. if you have some cash this holiday season, or time to volunteer, send some love their way. they help so many and get all kinds of folks on bikes for little to nothing in their pockets.

now go build some seed bombs.

and then i said

2008-12-09T18:32:00.005-06:00

i like being in the hands of whiskey.

WE JUST HAD A SUCCESSFUL WALK!!!!

** this is the part in the story where i hit send in my email program**

SORRY I PREMATURED ON THAT.

blame the whiskey

first time to walk BOTH dogs together in the new hood.

went fantastic. we didn't go super far. but a good 20min walk.

saw only ONE person.

and NO dogs. only behind fences. which is cool. pie seems to not be able to handle another dog walking towards him on a leash. he's like: WAHHOOOWEEHHHEEEAYAYYAYYAAA
HHHHHHELLLLLLYAHHHHHHHHHWOOOOOOOO

i saw one guy. and i go: HI!

and he pulls his hoodie back and looks over and goes: hi.

:-)

making friends

i don't care how juicy his butterball is

2008-11-26T10:58:00.003-06:00

Get the latest news satire and funny videos at 236.com.

shameless plug: greg works on the animation for these with Bob Sabiston and team in austin.

we are in our new (to us) old little house! no stove or sink. but its coming along. i have campstove french press coffee outside on the porch with the dogs in the morning.

this arrives on tuesday from ezra in NYC. wheels down soon in austin texas....and for those keeping count. ezra taught cancer to cry and scream like a little girl !!! the best thanksgiving....

here's wishing your butterballs are always juicy.

riding bikes in NYC

2008-11-08T06:23:00.004-06:00

HARLEM NYC. ELECTION DAY. NUFF SAID!

ok, i'll say a bit more. it was amazing. i was up on the 3rd floor of my friends brownstone they stay at and tired as hell from the best 5 days in NYC ever. we were settling in from watching election results at his mom's brownstone a block over. we stayed as long as we could and it seemed like it all wrapped up. 20min after we got back, it was called and the streets erupted. folks were driving and honking, people were on the streets clapping and yelling. i was looking out the ginormous 20ft window onto the street and across the way. folks were standing in their windows and waving and throwing firecrackers. there was a huge rally a couple blocks away. the news said bill clinton was there as well.

i stood a the window for a while, relishing the feeling and smiling like a kid in a candy store. we are here. finally. and to be in NYC to experience it was the best. among all the celebration outside, i fell asleep with a huge grin on my face and in anticipation of waking up tomorrow. a new day. a new president (elect). a resounding change in the election vote map. and a few more hours in NYC before i flew back to texas.

NYC was inspiring. i was there for a design conference. and also got to spend some time visiting my friends. we rode bikes all over.

i took the subway. i walked back and forth across times square, from 32nd to 53rd, many times. we saw and cheered on the NYC marathoners at mile 20. and yah, many of them brought me to tears. i wasn't the only one! that was amazing to see. double amputees, folks in the wheelchairs where they "run" it with their arms cranking, blind folks assisted by others, old folks, so many international people. there were a few folks that had TEXAS written on their shirts. so i yelled out: 'remember the alamo! yah texas!'

back in austin, and the bike stuff to do continues to pile up! doesn't seem to be a moment when there isn't some kind of bike thing going on. o what fun it is to ride a bike.

i had to hit the ground running on my return. work and we are moving. to a little tiny house on the east side off MLK and Chestnut. i can't wait to get over there. we have a back yard and a nice workshop shed we fixed up and a carport porch. yeah little and yeah having less stuff. and yeah photos.

i ate a delicious korean lunch on 32nd.

i got to meet and cuddle with my "other" dog who happens to live in NYC.

and this dog putney is an expert frisbee player and jumper. we are at grant's tomb here.

and i got to visit and stay with my dear friend ezra of fast boy cycles. he is kicking cancer's ass properly. and showed no sign of slowing up on bike rides. :-)

oops sorry

2008-10-30T09:47:00.004-05:00

my bad.

¡yo voté amigos! ándale! don't wait. git er done. pass it on! lets have something to really celebrate next tuesday. i'll be in NYC and i wanna hear some screaming. in happiness, not in horror!

*idea stolen from my Oregonian friend jason sager, who also let the goats down.

here is nick riding home from margaritas.

but its the same idea. get on your bike and go vote. kevin bacon quicksilver-style. with your own 1980's soundtrack.

GET YOUR WAR ON

2008-10-24T14:15:00.004-05:00

greg is part of the animator team here in austin that animates the GET YOUR WAR ON comic strip each week on 236.com

"yo yo that sound like doug from IT!"

i love these...

see all of them here - 236.com GET YOUR WAR ON

Get the latest news satire and funny videos at 236.com.

delayed amazement

2008-10-23T18:48:00.003-05:00

hi.

there was this.

alot of this.

and always - there's playtime with pie.

i've missed you.

fast boy cycles

2008-08-06T09:23:00.009-05:00

this is ezra caldwell. a dear friend that lives in NYC. he is a good man with a big heart. in fact, he now has a port going directly to his heart. he has cancer. this is where they will administer the chemo. straight to his jugular.

so at just 34 years old, he got dealt this card and will have to see it through. his motto that a friend of ours thought up is: fuck cancer. i'm ezra. i think its comforting for everyone. especially him.

i put up a blog where he is documenting this new thing for him. he named it: teaching cancer to cry. i like that.

ezra began building wood fenders a while back. and then moved on to frame building. he came down and apprenticed with whitney and fast boy cycles began. then everything started happening very quickly. building frames was steady work, he became friends with jeff at urban velo and was a contributor there and was recently interviewed by them in his shop.

other nice words.

pategonia writeup during bike to work week.
american craft magazine did a article about his bicycles and frame building
and that led to the the bicycle museum of america contacting him about putting one of his bikes into the museum. that was exciting!
urban velo wood handlebars
his flickr photos

his cancer discovery happened during the time i was having dumb nose surgery. funny how things pale in comparison to the c-word. my dad had lung cancer. twice. never smoked a day in his life. he's still here. he's active and healthy.

cancer is rough. and it afflicts too many people. i hope there is a break-through very soon to help people dealing with this. did you see the 60min interview about The Kanzius Machine?

His name is John Kanzius, he's a former businessman and radio technician who built a radio wave machine that has cancer researchers so enthusiastic about its potential they're pouring money and effort into testing it out.
If clinical trials pan out - and there's still a long way to go - the Kanzius machine will zap cancer cells all through your body without the need for drugs or surgery and without side effects. None at all. At least that's the idea.

for now, we do all that we can for the folks we love. and for strangers alike. its important.

ezra comes to visit and we ride around town.

he puts together yohei's bike in the living room. pie takes watch.

we go to that cowboy store on s. congress. midnight cowboy.

we do more riding with friends.

we drink many margaritas at polvos.

we do some good porch sittin.

the japanese national treasure wants to be a cowboy.

always lots of riding involved.

i have 4 bikes that ezra put together for me. the xtracycle, the milwaukee got a nice wheelset upgrade, and the surly 1x1 refashioned to a city bike. this one is a fast boy track frame and one of his wood bars.

can't wait to see him again. NYC is too far away.

nose bleeds are for pussys

2008-08-03T17:48:00.004-05:00

hello friends. i have survived wandering septum surgery. it was not pretty. or easy. or without its complications. but that is behind us. lets talk about nose bleeds. like the kind that looks like a horror movie. and how bout pain meds. when you take so many you hallucinate and wonder if you are awake, asleep or dead. or about how you thought it was going to be like getting your wisdom teeth out....remember last summer.....you would be sitting around knitting and reading and watching awful tv. that wisdom teeth stuff was pretty fun.

not so with the nose. the real horror show began on thursday, 4 days after surgery. greg came in and sat down on the bed....and nosebleed from hell began. i got freaked out cuz i didn't want no more of this shit. i was done. my nose hurt. i could barely breath. i had some kind of splints, shints, i dunno up my nose. and i was miserable and off pain meds.

greg ran me up to the doc. after hours. im glad he answered. after knocking frantically on the office door, a nurse opened up. doc led me to his office. greg sits beside me. and i only WISH we had a video camera. doc starts sticking suction tubes up my nose. says he can't really see -- so says: i'm going to take the shints, shunks (?) out. tells me to hold a tray under my nose. he pulls out these 3 inch long plastic things. first one. my legs are sticking straight out and i'm restraining myself from grabbing onto his white doctor coat. then the other.

greg says: wow.

doc grabs suction and jams them up my nose. later greg says it looked like my brains were being sucked out through the tubes. a couple minutes later. doc stands back. my fingernails are still embedded in the chair. and greg has a look of horror and fascination on his face.

i say: fuck.

doc says. feel better? i say uh yes. i blink a couple times. thank him. a few times i thank him. and the nurse. and we walk out.

i am now thrilled that the nose bleed happened. cuz those awful things are out of my nose. otherwise, i had 4 more days of them. i would have been a slobbering maniac if i had to deal with those things 4 more days.

we go home. and its time to celebrate. lets drink.

that's kinda how it went. i dunno what it is with the nose. maybe someone should have told me! maybe not. i had a few people (MY MOM INCLUDED) tell me afterwards they knew people that had this surgery and had all kinds of problems. but whatevers.

done. im back on the bike. even in the scorched earth temperatures we are experiencing in texas. bring it. i'm just glad to be back on the bike. and up. and breathing.

and yah. it all worked. go have the surgery if you need it. its hell. but whats a little hell for some good ol nostril breathing.

you are golden. really.

mamma said knock you out

2008-07-13T21:55:00.007-05:00

maybe it was this time. i got this black-eye not from a proper knife fight....but from going over the handlebars on my mountainbike at the greenbelt and landing eyeball first on a protruding root a few years ago. my sunglasses saved my eye. thanks smith. luckily it was a big group ride and many people saw it. whats the glory of something like that when nobody's there to see the agony and defeat as you hit the ground.

but i kept going. the eyeball was intact. as with most falls where you want to be ok - i jumped up and no parts were hanging by a tendon.....so good to go.

there have been many other falls. riding and racing mountain bikes will do that to you. so i dunno if another fall to the face caused this or maybe i was just born this way.

tomorrow i have surgery on my nose so i can breathe like a normal human being and hopefully not get as sick with sinus stuff during the spring. last summer i had my wisdom teeth out - now my nose. what fun. summer vacations are neat-o.

i'll be glad when this is done and over. i can deal with a few days in bed knitting and sewing and watching bad tv. i've been assured pain meds and g has been kind enough to stock up on amy's soups, grapes, cane sugar rootbeers and he surprised me with a ben and jerrys american dream pint. i'm fuckin setup.

but i know after a while i'll get sick of it and want to be outside. riding a bike. talking a walk. pushing a wheelbarrow. i keep reading these internet horror stories of people having this surgery and doing something strenuous and starting the mother of all nose bleeds to where you've screwed up and they have to go back in there. uh no. lemme just follow the doc instructions...

me and pie got a new gig. his chariot arrived. so now he can run alongside it and then jump in when he gets tired. or we can go places further away. i'll be able to get tula over to austin state hospital for volunteer work without her passing out in the heat. and we can haul uh....beer. and soup. and shit..more fun times on a bike.

thanks for visiting. (IRENA! hi hi hi) and for keeping me straight on stuff i mess up on.

also if anyone knows the owner of this chocolate-colored pitbull found around airport and IH35 - i bet he'd like to get home now. thanks velokitty.

rapha (no L)

2008-07-11T12:16:00.013-05:00

rapha rapha rapha.

it was back in 2005 when i first heard about rapha. whitney, famed austin framebuilder now nuclear button pusher, told me about their website. he had ordered some gloves and hat from them. at that time they only had a jacket, gloves, hat and a cute little satchel. i really wanted the satchel.

to me, they were this far away cycling company that seemed to center around riding their bikes all over the mountains of europe and creating very fine and lovely looking cycling clothes.

one of the first articles i read on their website was about glory through suffering.

Behind glory lies the misery of training, the slog of getting through bad days, the torment of going at less than your best and the absolute conviction that giving up is never an option. Herein lies the heroism of this beautiful sport the inner revelation that makes the cyclist impervious to ordinary weakness because every ride he has ever made exposes him to that defeatist voice; he has known it, faced it and conquered the fear of it, again and again and again.

kinda romantic huh. plus every guy pictured was an italian or belgium or spanish dream.

i began to get their catalogs and could see myself whisked away into the black and white photos drinking coffee on a sidewalk cafe with Gavino alongside our italian bikes about to take off for a 6hour ride though the countryside. i'd have my rapha satchel filled with bread and cheese, some apples and raisins. we'd stop for wine here and there. sit under trees and watch the clouds roll by.

see rapha has a way of doing that to an american girl whos never been across the big giant pond. when they came over to portland for the Handmade Bicycle Show, i was so envious. rapha? in america? putting on roller races and leading rides? delightful....

well. now here they are in austin. this weekend. roller races and a gentlemens ride in the hill country.

mellow johnny's will have a photo exhibition of six of the photographers from their magazine, Rouleur from july 11 through july 31.

the roller races will be SATURDAY, JULY 12 7pm-12am. it looks like you have to do a qualifying race friday - today. check with johnnys. i dunno.

here's to imaginary long glances from one side of the coffee cup at a street cafe someplace in europe.

p.s. photos not by me at all. they are from my mind.

shake your boom thang

2008-07-04T09:22:00.007-05:00

happy day four. good tidings to you from a red-checkered apron, a dog and a micro-small couch. can someone pass me a beer por favor.

p.s. if you love attic ted like i love attic ted. they are playing the comal house tonite.

attic ted at yellow bike art show party gallery lombardi by the railroad tracks (before they tore it down to build boring condos)

equal rights

2008-07-01T10:07:00.005-05:00

there is much injustice in this world. it can become overwhelming at times. being a cyclist, i feel like it gives us all a little better understanding and empathy for others that bear the toll of unfair treatment, in whatever form it takes and however it is used against another.

those of us that use bicycles as transportation have no doubt felt unjustified and even dangerous treatment from motor vehicle drivers because of their feeling that we do not belong on the road and the road is not to share. i'm sure there are many other reasons as well. but the carelessness of what seems like small actions on their part can cost one of us our lives. and it has.

this doesn't mean we shrink away from riding bikes or encouraging others to do so. living life is never all safe. but there are many things we can do by ourselves and collectively to make cycling safer for everyone. and those efforts are being made in Austin and Portland and Seattle and many other cities, big and small.

i hope too that by working towards equal assess to transportation facilities, roads - along with education towards safe cycling and co-existence between motor vehicles and bikes...we have a better and wider sense of injustices and unfair treatment towards others due to race, sexual orientation, financial status, unemployment, homelessness, non-conformity, misperception, mental illness, and downright lies and cruelty.

the world can be a hard place. there is much suffering. but each one of us has an opportunity to do something small or big towards combating cruelty and suffering. as simple as not judging and writing off the homeless in your neighborhoods. to volunteering and spending your time towards making something better. making someone feel good.

and finally what sparked all this was bad raps video they posted today. they had their pitbull ambassadors in the SF Gay Pride Parade. my heart has always swelled for the pitbull and their predicament in our society. it requires an education effort and a conscious and implied responsibility for those of us who are pitbull owners.

we have stereotypes applied to our fellow humans and our 4-legged companions - most that need to be re-examined and approached from a more humane and intellectual position. bad rap is one of those groups out there working to make it a better place.

thats all. i dont always have a way with words to say things well. but maybe the meaning comes across. be nice to each other. until we find the magical mystery instructions on how to save the world....maybe a smile and lending a hand can make as big an impact.

street racing this weekend

2008-06-17T08:29:00.010-05:00

its looking like a good weekend. more stuff than you can shake a cycling pro at. temps will be soaring into the 100's. scorched earth in full effect. what's a little blistering. lets ride bikes. this is gonna be fun.

THURSDAY CRITS
THURSDAY, JUNE 19
The Driveway
Races start at 5:30pm. info
how to get out there - ride your bike

YELLOW BIKE HUMAN POWERED MOVE PART II
SATURDAY, JUNE 21
51ST Street Shop meetup. 10AM
it was a fun the last time we moved the shop at Wheatsville to Treasure City Thrift. come out and be a part of Yellow Bike's step into the future. The old beloved 51st street location is no more.....soon they will have a new building at webberville and 12th street. new beginnings. good stuff.

more info on the move from yellow bike heroes.

here's a little movie i made of the wheatsville move.

Austin Yellow Bike Shop Move from iridemybike on Vimeo.

AT&T DOWNTOWN CRIT
SATURDAY, JUNE 21
4th street area.
Races start at 2pm. Pro Racing starts at 7pm. this race always entertains. i'm so glad to see a crit like this in downtown austin. remember the year when the classic car that lead out the pro's hit a bump in the road at high speed after one of the first laps, with the pro's hot on it's tail and almost took out a whole section of spectators. that was awesome. a bunch more info

pic from 06 race.

URBAN ASSAULT RIDE
SUNDAY, JUNE 22. 8AM
RunTex 422 West Riverside Dr. 8AM
Josh brings the Fat Belgium, i mean, NEW Belgium event to where it all started. Ride your bike to checkpoints, do crazy things that will erase any personal space issues you may have, and then ride your bike to the finish where you will find plenty of kegs of beer. FOLLY & FUN! more info.

THE ERACING STIGMA CRITERIUM
SUNDAY, JUNE 22. 9AM
Austin State Hospital. 4110 Guadalupe St.
i just found out about this event. in my hood - on my stomping ground! me and my dogs go over to Austin State Hospital alot. too bad they don't have a bike & dog category. we hang out on the grass under the trees. me and my dog Tula volunteer and visit with the patients once a month. i love this place - and think is a great thing to help support them and community involvement with ASH and the patients. and whats a better way than a crit! fun....

lots more info

here's tula after one of our visits.

the slow, the MAGNIFICO

2008-06-12T21:45:00.008-05:00

you've heard of slow food, the slow movement, and slow down now, which even has the slow blog. you are only allowed to read one sentence a day.

a year ago i tried to do some slow. and found, slow aint always easy. i dunno why. just dont do stuff (ya just tell that to your BRAIN). modern life can work very well against slow.

but i live in austin. the slacker capitol. we gave the world slacker, the movie. in fact, i worked with Teresa Taylor at I Luv Video for a while. in slacker, she played the woman who tried to sell a Madonna pap smear and she was also a butthole surfers drummer. so with all my years of experience here, the late nite shows of surfers, crust, pocket fishermen, seemen, ed hall, ST37, squat thrust, miracle room, abundance of coffee shops, the drag, hell i even took that Scientology test one time when i was bored - my pores should be seeping with slacker.

for now i'll mark the slow blog off the list.

i was gonna make this short cuz i have to paint my toes for a acupuncture appointment tomorrow. i have no idea if i have to take my shoes off or not. but i want to be prepared. that's the other thing. slow is not the same thing as sick. i've had allergy crap since march. 3 months. with 2 stints of week-long deathbed every organ in my body hurts shit. doc just gives me allergraD and nosespray. xray of my chest and head shows no tumors or worms. so i'm taking it old school. time to kung fu this shit.

what i really wanted to talk about was the yellow bike party and art show. uh fun! and big. there were so many people there. it was like bumper cars. every turn or forward and backward movement meant you were bumping into someone. i think there were people that gave up and fell to the ground. unsure.

the bands were supreme. i missed foot patrol cuz i got way too claustrophobic and had to go outside for a while. MAGNIFICO, everyone's friend zach band's, closed it out. they were tight! freddie mercury rose from the dead that evening. i mean when you can get the room full of sweaty drunk bicycle people doing a mosh pit to bohemian rhapsody - worlds collide. wish i had video of that.

but instead i got video of Fat Bottom Girls. that is a hell yes. thank you to yellow bikes for another great party. i've participated in their art show party for the past 3 years and its always a pleasure to work with them. they are bike heroes. now i gotta go paint my toenails.

MAGNIFICO from iridemybike on Vimeo.

yellow bike art show, party, gold sprints, alleycat TONITE

2008-05-31T09:55:00.008-05:00

as in Saturday, MAY 31.

from yellow bike - Celebrate the work of Austin’s grassroots bicycle community and join us for bike related fun, including gold sprints and yellow bike races, a raffle and silent auction art show, live music by Magnifico, Foot Patrol, along with No Big Deal, Blackholicus, and Hollywood Gossip, beats by DJ Brisket and DJ Katastrophik. There will also be 16mm bicycle films by Jeff Newbury. $5 suggested donation at the door. All proceeds go to The Yellow Bike Project and their new building construction.

When: Saturday, May 31st, 6pm to 2am
Where: 2908 Fruth St., The United States Art Authority and Spiderhouse Cafe

also note. alleycat race before the party

What: Yellow Bike Alleycat
Date: 5/31/08 (that's THIS Saturday)
Time: 5 PM
Start: Spider House Coffee Parking Lot (2908 Fruth)
Cost: $5 (admission to the race also gets you admission into the YBP party that starts @ 6 AND to gold sprints!!!)
By Whom: Bicycle Ben Lynch
Why: Because you haven't raced in a real long time and you miss it.
Who's gonna be there: Mr. Stopaskinsomanyquestionsandgetgoing and his pal Don Fergityerwallet

and finally: GOLDSPRINTS will be at the party.

this is nick from ben's alleycat race...

nick doesn't puke from iridemybike on Vimeo.

be sure to wear your stretchy pants. i'll have a jillion (give or take) photos in the show. its always a good time and worthy celebration. come out and support yellow bike. they like you. so do i.

for argos

2008-05-28T21:50:00.010-05:00

there was an incident a couple posts down about a computer theft from the Yellow Bike Shop on 51st, which ended tragically in the death of Argos.

He was the beloved friend and family member of 2 of the volunteers working there that evening. Argos chased after the kids that took the laptop and ran out onto 51st where he was hit by a car. The car, nor the kids, stopped.

I emailed the owners, Russell and Dalea, and asked if they would send me some photos of Argos. What a happy dog huh? They wrote lovingly of him - he was part of their family. he went places with them, he rode in a cart behind their bikes. many of us with pets know this feeling well. part of the family.

i'm sorry for their loss. this seems beyond insignificant to say. i belong to the peoples where dogs are their best friends, their running and biking partner, therapy, goofballs, cuddle buddies, huge responsibilities and capable of giving and receiving more love than you can imagine. in Russell and Dalea's email they talked about all the good times they had with him and how fortunate they were to have him in their lives. he was this kind of dog to them.

argos you are missed and loved and remembered.

things aren't like they used to be...

2008-05-23T19:18:00.002-05:00

this kid passed me the other day and pointed and made monkey sounds. i told him his mamma wears combat boots. i coudn't think of anything better. then i thought, if his mamma wears combat boots and has a monkey kid on a bike, i bet she's cool and i'd like to meet her.

yellow bike theft incident

2008-05-20T09:09:00.003-05:00

hard times last week at yellow bike on 51st. danny m. sent an email about some kids in the shop stealing the laptop, and the shop coordinators dog, argos, chasing after them onto 51st where he was hit by a car and killed. argos owners, Russell and Dalea, are obviously torn up about this and very sad. i can't imagine.....

yellow bike is graciously accepting donations for argos vet bill at the shop. they also are in need of a replacement computer. nothing fancy. mac/pc. they access their database via a web browser, so platform is not important.

if you are able to help in any way, please contact simon or head out to one of the yellow bike locations. they would be happy to see you.

this is from simon:

Yeah it was pretty fucked up. 3 kids about 14-16 stole the log-in laptop computer and ran across the back field to cross 51st street. Russell and Dalea, two of our newest coordinators, brought their dog, Argos to the shop. We are dog friendly and my dog was at the shop too, but i had to leave early. Argos chased the kids and was hit and killed by a car. Neither car nor kids stopped. It's pretty fucked up and sad. We definitely need a new computer asap (nothing fancy) and also donations for Argos' medical bill at the emergency clinic will be gratefully accepted at the shop.

you and your bicycle

2008-05-16T15:49:00.004-05:00

they have a skid contest in this movie. check out that kid's grin.

and the mother of classic bicycle safety films. one got fat. terrifying and funny, yeah. creepy voiceover, definitely. i would have liked to been around the table when this movie idea got dreamed up.

ride your bike. eat free food.

2008-05-15T14:50:00.004-05:00

FRIDAY, MAY 16. BIKE TO WORK DAY. 7AM-9AM. or as i like to call it, ride around austin and eat free food day. i mean, why discriminate against those without jobs or places to be before 9am?

live free or die. that's what the sticker on his bike said.

BREAKFAST STATIONS

austin cycling has a list of the breakfast stations. scroll down to May 16.

looks like good morning riding weather too - 60's at 7am. have fun.

Saturday, May 17 - Walking/Cycling Festival of Arts and Culture
Location: Carver Museum and Cultural Center, 1165 Angelina St.
Time: 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. more.
austin bike zoo

bikes not bombs

2008-05-11T21:50:00.008-05:00

my grandma used to scratch out her head in any photo or group photo. we'd go to visit her in Kentucky and she'd make such a fuss bout getting her picture taken. cuz she knew she'd have to get a hold of it and scratch her head out eventually. it was a odd thing - but i think i understood where she was coming from. and it made an impression.

Dan Mottola wrote a lovely article for the Chronicle titled: The Revolution Will Not Be Motorized. Dan is a brilliant writer and does a great job covering bike politics, legislation and fun in Austin. He also writes nicely about animal welfare stuff.

Dan profiled 4 bicycle transportationalist and he kindly included me. Its just too bad i thought he said it was about pipe bombs. so when the photographer came out, i did my best impression of a pipe bomb about to explode. my bad! sorry to fuck that up.

the photo that should have run. i dont know who this kid is. but i like his attitude. and his shirt.

and a shoutout to ezra, who made what is the most important part of the photo: the bike. check out more photos of his frames and builds. mine is the 4th one down. he is making beautiful wood racks and boxes too.

One of the people he profiled was Kris El Kong Elkinton. a superhero among costume wearers, a xtralongbike messiah, a real good pappa and one of the best people i know. i got this photo of him last year at Tour De Fat.

he and the nutt have a nice mobile bike mechanic thing going called guerrilla cyclewerx where they set up at events, parties, shows and work on your bike. they fix your shit. find them at frankenbike, the really really free market at treasure city thrift last sunday of every month, and lots of other places. drop them a wad of bills and let them fix that annoying squeak up by your saddle. or is that mine?

there are so many bike heroes in austin. lots of folks that ride their bike for transportation. every day i hear about another person getting on a bike to make their way for the first time to work, or school or on a errand. or just walking as transportation to the store, instead of getting in a car. i'd like to see them all profiled and recognized. they deserve it. i'm going to work on this.

first up: viking bike heroes.

HEADSUP: Brian is putting on a Cross CATASTROPHY race this sunday. 9pm. hike & bike trail. these kinds of things are what make good memories. and nice scabs.

happy mammas day to mammas of all

2008-05-11T11:03:00.004-05:00

pie supports mammas. and in honor of today, he puts a scarf on and lays down on a cushy pillow. tula, on the other hand, prefers not to put anything on top of her head.

high in the low 80's today! i think i could pull out my wool socks again, hmmmm.