art

Next time you see an ad or street sign promoting "artisanal" anything, remember that with a different mix of spaces, or some different kerning, you end up with " art is anal ". I'm not suggesting that it's supposed to be a reference to visual or perfomance art, or someone named Arthur, or whether it's anal retentive or anal expulsive. That's up to you. And the sign maker.

But now, like the little black circle in the upper right hand corner of the movie screen that flashes to signal the change of reel, you will have a hard time NOT seeing "art is anal".

You're welcome.

sometimes...

I was over at a friend's house tonight at our weekly board game night with a bunch of folks. Loud, boisterous, fun. A dozen or so adults around, half-dozen kids playing various games, snacks, drinks, board games, friends.

In the middle of a conversation at the board where I'm playing (frankly, I don't remember the conversation, and isn't really important), my friend KO(S) who is playing at the other board turns and punches me on the shoulder 7-8 times. Not that hard, but firmly, and not a gentle mock-punch tap either. If we weren't both big sturdy people like we are, I might have interpreted it as actually hitting "with intent", but we've known each other for a while, neither she nor I are shy about things, and I don't take offense. The thing is, I'm not going to simply accept a half-dozen punches for no apparent reason. And I'm not going to go out and hire a mediator to resolve the conflict for us. We're both adults.

So in that moment I count the punches, turn and say "that was 7" and then audibly count out as I return the punches to her shoulder 7 times, in exactly the force which they were thrown at my arm. The room gets quiet. KO(S) pauses, and then hits me 8 more times. I count her punches out loud, and then turn back and give the exact same thing right back to her. At this point, the punching is over for the evening.

But that moment... the quiet. That's what's on my mind. Not because I doubted what I or she were doing, but how fucked up people's perceptions can be. So fucked up by bumper stickers and rhetoric that they are unable to judge for themselves what something is or isn't.

I'm curious about the silence happened when I threw a punch and not when she threw the first punch at me. Is it because "there's no excuse for violence against women"? It better not be. First: that statement is rhetoric that doesn't apply to this situation. Second: it wasn't violence. Third: I'm 6'3", about 210 lbs - she's 6', 200 lbs. We're similar size and neither of us was winding up... it was fairly clear the even if it was enthusiastic, it was "play fighting".

So again, I say - what is it about the shock of me punching her back? Why is it that her husband felt compelled to walk over and pretend-punch me in the face because of the perception that my response was wrong because the "assault" on me was from a woman?

It's because rhetoric has such a powerful hold over us. Market to us, sloganeer at us, poll us... we'll say back to you what you want us to say.

And ultimately, it's the lack of context. Thinking critically (and no, I don't mean a formal definition of "critical thinking", rather, a mundane, yet far more important one) matter all the time.

"Question Authority" ... oh really? Does that include the soapbox upon which the bumper sticker is metaphorically standing? "Love is never wrong" ? Are you so sure about that? Sometimes, love can be really wrong. Ask your local police department for a list of domestic violence responses.

"Well - that's not love, that's the confusion of a co-dependent abusive relationship."

"So, you mean just 'healthy' love then... are you putting any restrictions on that?"

"Naw... it's cool. 'Celebrate diversity' and all that..."

"Uhm... really? Do you really mean that?"

"Oh, sure, I'm down with alternative lifestyles. "


"Uh... well, ok."


Context matters. Don't assume that your assumptions are the same as everyone else's assumptions.

What is violence to you is not the same as what is violence to her. What love is to you is not the same what love is to him. Authority is only that which you accept (or cannot refuse). Bumper stickers will not guide you through your life on their own.

wow, that sure is ugly...

Regardless of the science of renewable energy of all different types, and the public opinion and policies thereof...

I've gotta say that this wind farm sure does make that ridge awfully damn ugly...

uh-oh. now I've done it.

Cranksgiving Ann Arbor 2008 is now officially a go. I've already got some prizes contributed to the cause, so I guess this means it's official.

No dates picked or course detailed, but this year, so that folks of all types are comfortable entering, there will be the "Appetizer Course" (lighter, less demanding fare for the recreational riding), and the "Buffet/All-You-Can-Eat/Super-Size Course" (challenging, demanding, rewarding).

Bitchin'.

pedestrian rundown

RBR Quote:

Overheard: "Drivers in America and Australia just have attitudes. I
don't necessarily say attitudes towards cyclists, but towards other
road users. People just don't realize the danger they're causing other
people." -- Cadel Evans, 2007 ProTour champion, admitting that
training on the road has its unsettling moments.

Blend this with the experience the other day of the F150 almost running over the pedestrian... I'm sitting there at a stop light when this fucking nob drives up next to me in the right turn lane in his big ole' truck. The dude in the crosswalk is right in front of me, walking left-to-right, and as I'm sitting there, the F150 is creeping up and wanting to turn right on red. But somehow, he completely fails to notice that there's someone in the crosswalk. He's looking left, the guy is right there... I don't know how this is even possible to be so clueless, but the F150 driver either doesn't notice, or doesn't care, and doesn't stop until the pedestrian in front of his bumper gets freaked out and has to pound on his hood to get his attention and keep from getting flattened into the crosswalk. Somehow does F150 guy think he owns the entire road?

I was in the car a couple months ago when Mom and Dad were in town for a visit. There are a number of pedestrian crosswalks in the middle of loooong blocks on campus. They're not the most visible, but they're signed with high-visibility signs and have striped crosswalks. People use them. Thery're there for a reason. But when it was obvious that Dad didn't seem to be slowing down when there are pedestrians in the crosswalk, I had to repeat a couple times "Dad... pedestrians." before he clued in. After passing the crosswalk, he made some comment like "what the hell are those people doing?" to which I replied "They're crossing the street. They're in the crosswalk. They have the right of way - you're supposed to yield to them." to which he muttered "they just walk out there in traffic like they're flaunting it" to which the only thing I could think to say was "What, are you expecting them to yield to you instead of you yielding to them?" Sure, Alberto Gonzalez might think that the Geneva Convention is quaint, but hopefully the Rules of the Road don't end up in that same rubbish bin of quaintness.

Of course, the whole pedestrian crossing takes a more difficult turn when we start talking about mordern roundabouts. There's more of them coming to roadways in the U.S., and while they are safer than 4-way stops and signalled intersections for motorized traffic, they create significant challenges for people with disabilities.

randoms leftovers from Arizona

I never really wrote about the trip to Arizona this spring...

One memorable moment was the night of the Superbowl. Far from the stadium, at the bar in BBQ/TexMex joint with only 4 customers, talking with the 19-year old woman serving us food... She has lived all her life in the Phoenix area, but thinks about leaving to live somewhere else. No children, no spouse, no house. She's ready to go.

My advice: move to an old city. Phoenix is a bizarre mutant, and the world is far more interesting. Go to an old city. Live somewhere that geography shapes the way people live and dominates the culture, industry, and feel of the city. Rivers that have shaped Minneapolis, New Orleans, Kansas City. Ports and harbors that created Chicago, San Diego, Duluth, Baltimore, San Francisco. Mountains and valleys that dominate the landscape and shape the weather. Somewhere other than a sprawled suburb.

Somewhere that doesn't look like everywhere else.

And what is it about AZ state troopers? They just seem to like pulling people over. As I drive through AZ, NM, OK, TX, I see a lot more people getting pulled over in AZ than in the rest of the states. Are they looking for meth? Border-jumpers? Or do they just like pulling people over more than everyone else?

Extreme Apple Dream

Ever tried eating the entire apple? OK, not the stem, but instead of throwing the core of the apple out, just eat the whole apple. I've changed my habit: start at the bottom and eat THROUGH the apple. Like karate - punch THROUGH the board. You don't even notice that there's a slight texture change. Sure, spit out the seeds if you want, but if you aren't dealing with a "core", you don't get juice all over your face and hands, you don't have to look for a garbage can, etc. etc. Give it a try sometime.


From a book on population/resource issues called "The Ostrich Factor"... something that seems as good an explanation as any other for political/cultural division between communities, cultures, religions, nations: "Extremism appears to lead to clear cut decisions, whereas moderation embarrasses us by emphasizing problems that are yet to be solved."

A) There are lots of complex situations, unanswered questions, things we don't know yet. It's OK to admit that. It doesn't make anyone weak by doing so.

B) In negotiation you always have to ask for more than you want. In aspiration, your reach should exceed your grasp.

A and B are not exclusive. Doing both is tough. Doesn't mean we shouldn't try.


When did "owning a home" become the "American Dream"? Who sold us this load of bullshit?

The American Dream is a Superman-like "Truth, Justice, and the American Way" or the Ellis Island-like "huddled masses, yearning to be free". It's not a sales pitch from the real estate industry, and I resent the perversion that's been done.

Eco-rection

I don't really get it... Eco-rections, that is.

I get THAT they happen. I can understand that people have reasons. I just don't identify with them. There's plenty of reasons why people get aroused over "green-ness", being eco-friendly, trying to change the world.

I can understand that people really and truly believe that the single most important thing to do "in all the world, right now" is to clean up the environment. That they believe it is more important than all other political, economic, religious, technological, etc. issues.

I can understand that the pleasure of a personal crusade. How it gets ones nipples pert and erect with excitement over having a project, doing something, affecting the world. Some people want to make the world better, some people just want to affect the world. Others want to preach to others from a position of superior piety about how they are pure and proper and right in the world and therefore better than someone else who they've deemed inferior due to their different choices, or life, or situation.

But the thing that I really don't get is why people derive personal internal pleasure from "being green". I roll it over, looking at it from different angles, and it still doesn't trigger anything in me. If you choose to live your life in a way that consumes less, pollutes less, etc... that's fine. It's the way you live your life, and everyone lives their life, neh? You can make choices or have a plan for yourself and make changes. But if you're not actively organizing, or advocating, or trying to be holier-than-thou, or preaching-and-screeching, then why does "reducing my carbon emissions" become a source of pleasure in and of itself?

Where does all this come from, you ask? I was emailing with a friend that also rides a bike, and as the topic diverged from the original conversation, I made some sort of comment that "I just like bikes, that's enough for me". And she came back with how she loves that when she's riding her bike that she thinks about how good it is for the environment, and how it reduces traffic congestion, and all of that.

I'm trying to put myself in her head and understand what it is about that - what kind of pleasure or satisfaction she gets and how I can understand it by comparing it to my own experience. There's all kinds of pleasure that I can identify - a lively discussion, a job well done, a good cup of coffee, an elegant solution to a difficult problem, pleasant company, a delicious meal, swimming in the aromas of fancy beers, a hard workout, a beautiful vista, sex, friends, cool widgets, cool friends with sex widgets...

But the "I enjoy my reduced carbon footprint" pleasure? I'm just not built that way.