That’s right- after YEARS of mocking them and spewing scorn and hurling derision at their riders, I am now one of their flock.

Perhaps this is my early onset midlife crisis, I’m not sure. But I could not keep my dirty secret in the closet any longer. I felt like a Republican at an airport bathroom and had to get it off my chest.

That’s the short version.

The longer story is that while I (still) love my main bike I wondered what it would be like to not have to change into bike shoes to ride- Simply grab my helmet and gloves (or not) and GO.

That ‘theme’ kept coming up especially when I tried to convince coworkers or friends to try bike commuting. They would point to my gear and say that they didn’t want to carry a bag of stuff and change at work.

I understood what they meant. I would try to point out other coworkers that ride who ride in street shoes. I was sympathetic. (side note- I really don’t carry that much- I leave extra clothes and shoes at work in my desk.) But most of the time for me, changing and clipping in my SPDs is my preference.

But then that changed one day when Pak bought a 2nd bike (he has a badass orange Steelman that I love). Man did I give him shit for it too. Relentless harassment. He was a good sport about it.

Then one night I met Pak and some other friends at my local pub. I walked there and he rode and locked up out front. The night kept going on and on at other bars and restaurants in other neighborhoods- as they do.

I eventually quit early (1AM-ish) and I offered to grab his bike from out front of the bar to get it off the street. I took rode it home and was shocked at how comfortable it was. I also realized once I was on it that I was in street clothes and shoes. Granted, I was only riding it two or three blocks but it was a very nice ride.

I did look around though to make sure no one saw me. I was embarrassed.

Fast forward a few months later- I went to Roaring Mouse recently to check out the Presidio shop and to pick up some parts and supplies. I also wanted to test ride a Civia belt drive bike and look at some Traitor bikes.

After my test rides, they pointed out a bike that happened to be just my size. And it was on clearance!

mine has a chain guard

It was the same model as Pak’s but set up slightly differently. I gave it a test ride and had a smile on my face. And the price was right (clearance!). And I left with a new bike. [note: it did not come with skinny jeans, nor would I be able to fit in them had it come with them]

I’ve been riding it to work (when it’s not wet or raining) and I’ve been wearing hipster sneakers too. It’s been really nice to go slightly slower (only 2-3 mins difference on my commute route) and (try) not sweat as much and just hop off and go to my desk- or the cafe, or store, or friend’s house or a bar to meet friends for b-day drinks.

So there you have it.

Soviet Fates and Lost Alternatives is not a book for a lot of you. But any of you who even have a passing interest in Russia and in recent history should pick it up. I found it fascinating- especially the later chapters which outline how much we (the US) have squandered a lot of our diplomatic clout. The book also offers great insight into the most recent elections in Russia and how our media can angle covering results sometimes.

I wonder if I would have read this if I hadn’t gone to Russia last year for work. Most likely I would have only had a passing interest in Cohen’s work and not paid as much attention.

I found the show’s transcript online here (pdf). Here’s the bit I found really interesting:

RATHER
As you look at– at Washington through both appreciating George W. Bush administration and the Obama
administration, the biggest mistake Washington makes on behalf of the American people in dealing with
Russia?
COHEN
21
A turning point for Russia came after 9/11. And I think your viewers need to be reminded of something that
happened. Right after we were attacked, the first phone call from a world leader that President Bush received
was from then-President Putin, who said, we’re told, “George, we are with you. Whatever you want from us,
just tell us. We’ll do it.” And what we asked Putin for in particular, were three things: We wanted over flight
rights to wage a war against the Taliban in Kabul.
We wanted excellent Russian intelligence about Afghanistan. And the Russians had created and left behind
after they withdrew from Afghanistan, a small but efficient well-trained fighting force in Afghanistan called the
Northern Alliance. It was trained by Russians, armed by Russians and it knew how to fight. And Putin gave that
to the United States to be frontline troops.
RATHER
He did all three.
COHEN
He did all three, and in the face of tremendous opposition in Russia. The military didn’t want it, the security
people didn’t want it, the diplomats didn’t want it, because what was he gettin’ in return? We know what Putin
thought he was gonna get in return: A real, enduring partnership with the United States.
What happened? Very quickly after 9/11, regarding Russia, under Bush, NATO was expanded toward Russia a
second time. And then, or maybe it was before, but about the same time, Bush unilaterally withdrew the United
States from the anti-ballistic missile treaty, which Russia regarded as the bedrock of its nuclear security. To this
day, Dan, to the year 2011, a decade later, both Putin and Medvedev have said repeatedly, and I quote, “We
were betrayed and deceived.”
And then Obama began the reset to try to repair things. And he made two mistakes which are still with him.
He wagered on Medvedev. He built the reset on Medvedev, who is now out–
RATHER
Putin’s successor, but now–
COHEN
22
Putin’s successor, yeah. He wagered the– the reset on President Medvedev and even insulted Putin, he and
Biden in a couple ways that really aggravated Putin. And the other thing is, again, the Russians gave. They
supported the sanctions against Iran. They opened more supply lines to Afghanistan. And I would defy
anybody listening to us today to tell me one thing we gave Russia in return, tangible.

Here’s a similar interview with RT and Cohen talking about Russia’s help to the US post-9/11 (skip to 9:28) – the original program is for sale on iTunes.

SOPAs sponsor, Texas Republican, Lamar Smith, thinks any fears are “completely unfounded”. “The criticism of this bill is completely hypothetical; none of it is based in reality,” said Smith, R.-Texas, in a statement. “Not one of the critics was able to point to any language in the bill that would in any way harm the Internet. Their accusations are simply not supported by any facts…..they need to read the language. Show me the language.”

Youre on, Lamar.

via Calitics:: Confessions Of A Hollywood Professional: Why I Cant Support the Stop Online Piracy Act.

excellent post

I was missing having a big mug of coffee recently instead of shots of espresso. So I bought myself a new gift and have been trying it out.

It’s a Clever Coffee Brewer and I picked it up from espressoparts.com (although I like how it has Sweet Maria’s branding on it).

I have some fresh beans from Weavers and have really really really liked the coffee I’ve been having.

If you’re interested- just look at the links on http://brewmethods.com/ and follow one (or more) of those methods and make yourself a cup.

I will say though that the scale I bought off Amazon really does help out when making coffee.

And yes, I know, I said I wouldn’t be one of those dorks that has to have a scale for his coffee- but it has been a bit fun to play with one.

Oh, and that is a mug from Rolando’s Super Tacos on the left. (I was making two cups at different weights to taste the difference).

Yeah, I get a bit too excited by the little things. But hey, that’s alright. Or as MM would say- alright alright alright.

So I finally broke down and bought some aftermarket filter baskets from espressoparts.com for Miss Silvia.

I’ve only pulled a few shots so far but as I expected nothing was earth-shattering about getting new baskets. We’ll see though as I try various blends.