Wheeeeeeeeeee!

Riding Season

Damn. Riding after 6PM is rough. Far too many people out and 80% of them are morons.

All in all a good hard ride. The best part was the last few miles. I'd been barreling through the lumbering masses, weaving in and around people and setting my lines, looking for openings (I went to public school, I can navigate crowded spaces well.) I finally found a good enough opening where I torqued it up to 22MPH or so and was starting to get a head of steam on. I was going for a few dozen yards when a flash of blue blows past me on the left. It was a guy in full US Postal kit, right down to the Trek Madone he was riding. I dropped a few gears and got right on his wheel and we were going at a great clip of 31MPH or so for a nice bit.

When the inevitable brood of mouthbreathers slowed us down he did something weird. He started pointing at his rear wheel. I was a few lengths back and waiting for things to open up to follow him through when he got more insistant with his pointing. I finally got what he meant and closed the gap. I yelled "got it" and he negotiated the both of us through the jello-like group. We picked up the pace again and at this point I was stoked.

Usually, what I was doing would be considered bad form with someone you don't know. They call it "wheel sucking." When you draft behind another racer you expend 25 or more percent less energy. You take turns "pulling." This guy was in waaaay better shape than me and with his help I was able to ride a greater tempo for a longer period of time than usual. We got to a fork in the road that breaks out into a flat and a hill. We stomped up the hill and since I wanted to ride more of the same route (stupid, actually) I yelled my thanks and descended the other side to complete my ride while he took his ride wherever it was he was going. I've seen him a few times and now I feel like I have permission to fall in with him. I look forward to returning the "favor" and pulling him for as long as I can. That was a really cool experience.

Oddly enough, on the way to the route I passed Mayor Bloomberg giving a speech to a local political club and pulled over to hear the rhetoric. That shrill moron Curtis Sliwa was with him and as I pushed off I said to a security "Sliwa is f*cking everywhere, huh?" The jarhead almost spat as he said "you have no idea."

Lazy Days

New Tattoo

Dig it right here: www.nootrope.net/calypso

Long Time No Post

Rocking past weekend here in NYC. It was Design Week, so we hit a bunch of open houses, demos and presentations. The craziest one was a YMCA that was converted into an apartment. 7500 square feet of living, working and playing space. Crazy. Could entertain 300 people easily. Slick sound system, theater and more. Really insane. I have some phonecam and phone video stuff I'll try to post soon.

We hit the NYC Tattoo Convention where I saw some old friends (some very old) and picked up some books. Bruce Bart autographed my Rides of Passage with a touching inscription. Rides is a killer photobook of snowboards painted by tattoo artists.

Best part of the con? Seeing the chest and rib design Dan at Calypso Tattoo is laying on me. It's exactly what I wanted with the added depth of a personal story intertwined into the work. In keeping with the fact that all of my tattoos are incredibly meaningfull to me, this one weaves a martial arts theme into the Marquesas-styled blackwork. I was thinking about just doing work on my chest, pulling down the pre-existing work into something larger, but Dan's design goes all the way down to my hip bone. Almost groin. We're doing this on Sunday. I'm jazzed. Thanks to IAM:Free for facilitating this.

And as is my yearly ritual, we watched (and drank at) the Norwegian Independance Day parade in Brooklyn. Pictures here. The parade gets smaller every year, but this year there were a hell of a lot more children. Hopefully that bodes well for the future.

Spring cleaning at Dojo Alexander in full f*cking effect. Radically hosed down the kitchen, stocked the wine rack, laided out some really nice dishtowels... Tossed massive amounts of old tech, paperwork, piercing supplies, guitar shit. Laid down new area rugs. Cool sisal shit that looks like the tatami mats they replaced only thicker. Nice and rough underfoot. New linens for the bed, nice floormat for the bathroom (Paul Reed kinda stripy.) I'm mostly a ivory, black, natural color kindaguy but I've been experimenting with some splashes of color. Added an orange laquered tray to the kitchenwares with matching pillar candles. Fresh peonies on the Noguchi...

War

It's one thing if men want to be fucking morons and blow each other up for bullshit fucking reasons usually relating to the Big Bully In The Sky. But when kids get killed, it's really fucked up. Have you seen this picture and the others like it? story.news.yahoo.com/photo/

Strange

In the early 90's I played guitar for a band from Hollywood named Savage Grace. They came to NYC and I hooked up with them downtown. We toured quite a bit, hitting the east coast, New Orleans and all through Texas. We opened for TSOL, Gwar and some other fun bands.

The other guitarist was a guy named Christian. Oh boy, he's is some shit now.

"Authorities raided the center and Logue's apartment in Hollywood on Friday, seizing medical supplies and equipment, along with a cache of military-style weapons, thousands of rounds of high-powered rifle ammunition and hand grenades, officials said."

More here.

And here is a picture of us. He's the guy with his right arm over my shoulder.

Charles Noguchi

"Sometimes you just have to pee in the sink."

Or buy a Isamu Noguchi piece.

Feh

The human body is an amazing machine, no?

No. It's fragile and fickle. I got a nice ride in today and I'm embarrased to discuss the numbers. Heart rate, way down. Cadence, a joke. I need to join a gym and keep the level of fitness I had this past summer and fall up year round. There's no excuse.

Regardless, it feels good to get on the bike and suffer. It just feels better when you start to suffer at a higher baseline. Tomorrow looks decent. I'll ride some more and start the the climb back to optimal fitness again. The beach is calling.

The other blog is doing well and I'm having fun writing for it. Go there and leave a comment.

On The (short) Road Again

Thank GOD I finally got some time in on the bike. I was going f*cking nuts. All mental work and next to no physical activity. Well, other than the usual indoor sports, that is. The past 45 days have definitely taken their toll. The human body loses all it gains rapidly once you stop training. My cardio sucked. My stamina sucked. But it felt great. Just gearing up felt good. Like some Pavlovian response.

It was nice and cold up by the water and in a salute to the coming spring I stripped down to my shorts and laid down on a picnic table. Scared an old fisherman I think and there were hordes of seagulls threatening to rain down green poop at any moment but I got a nice 20 minutes of sun in. I can't wait for the warmer weather.

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Click Pic For The Story

Office Window

ZING!

In a "Dear Condi" letter, Lloyd Axworthy rips us a new one.

"If you want to have us consider your proposals and positions, present them in a proper way, through serious discussion across the table in our cabinet room, as your previous president did when he visited Ottawa. And don't embarrass our prime minister by lobbing a verbal missile at him while he sits on a public stage, with no chance to respond."

Read the fun right here.

Satellite Radio

Romaine from The Derek and Romaine show on Sirius satellite radio was kind enough to offer me a recurring spot to discuss technology, the internet, mobile devices and things like that. We'll be taking caller's questions and generally having fun. I've been on the show a few times before and have always enjoyed it.

Monday nights at 7:15 EST starting March 14th. I'll post more as we get closer to the date.

Greetings Puny Humans

Dear Internet, I am sorry that I have been ignoring this blog and spending more time on the other one. The fact is, work is something I like to do and the other blog is attracting some smart people who(m) I like talking to.

I got a haircut tonight. Does that count as a postable event? No, I didn't think so either. Ummmm, I grew my facial hair back? Does that? No? Shoot. Errr. It's funny how the hair on my face is grayer than ever, but I feel younger with it because I wore a van dyke/goatee/whateverthef*ck from 1984 till 2000. Quite a run. I wonder how I'll feel in the summer.

I came across this link and can't figure out if I'm disturbed or elated. Either one would cause me to think more deeply about myself than I care to, so I'll just laugh for now.

I think that's all I have to say today. Oh yeah. Snow is coming and I still haven't been on skis.

New Blog

At the day job, I send out an occasional newsletter that details some of the cooler and more useful developments in the technology industry. This can be everything from legal issues with software and hardware, consumer electronics, cultural developments like blogs, social networking, open source and so on. It's a simple email with a description and a link, meant to stimulate thinking about how we can "take advantage" of the development. I've wanted to do something a little "deeper" so I set up a blog on my work-related site. Check it out here. I'm no Larry Lessig or Kevin Kelly, but I plan on (feebly) attempting to wrap my head around some of these things. While I'm sure it will open me up for some ridicule (don't all blogs?) I'm going to use the site to help further my understanding of this space. I'm sure I'll ask many more questions than providing any answers, but what the hell.

Scenes From A Saturday

Phonecam

Random Thoughts

Some days you're big wool overcoats and other days you're tight ballistic nylon. The van dyke is back. Grayer, but back. One day you're strong as a bull and the next, bronchitis has you under the covers. Group dynamics are worth studying. Mexico or Costa Rica are sounding good. The news isn't news to those of us who've been paying attention. The average American, is. TV is the opiate of the masses. Hinoki. Dark beer is better than light beer. Wireless phone companies rip you off every step of the way. I haven't been on my bike in 30 days and that makes me sad. Interaction audits on ski resort web sites makes the urge to ski that much stronger. Ski resort sites generally suck. Anthrax's cover of Kiss' "She," is damn good. The religious right has some set of f*cking balls. I own an elastrator.

If you are going to fight, fight to win.

Sick and Gravelly.

More Of The Same

PRESIDENT BUSH: "You work three jobs?"

MARY MORNIN: "Three jobs, yes."

PRESIDENT BUSH: "Uniquely American, isn't it? I mean, that is fantastic that you're doing that. "(Applause.) "Get any sleep?" (Laughter.)

No George, that's not "fantastic," that's fanf*ckedup.

E.S.T.

"I’ve spent my life going in the back door and coming out the side door. That’s the way it is now. When it only takes two years for your job to morph into something that would have been unimaginable twenty-four months before, it’s not really practical to go in through the front door. Not really practical to get the degree, the certification, the appropriate experience. I mean, even if you went back to university, the major you’d need by the time you graduated would be in a subject that hadn’t been invented when you enrolled. So I’m good at back doors and side doors. It’s what the Tribe does for me—provides me with entries into places where I technically don’t belong. And thank God for them, anyway. Without the Tribes, no one would be qualified to do anything worth doing." - Art.

'Splain Pls?

I guess I'm naive. But this whole "we bring the war there, so we don't have to fight here" dosen't make sense to my simple mind. The way I figure it, you'd catch a much worse beating if I got you in my house. I mean, all the tools of the trade are within easy reach so the logistical nightmare of arming up is non-existant. Come here, I'll kick your f*cking ass. I'm rested, well fed, all my buddies are on the block. But if I have to go there to fight ya, I have to get up early, pack a lunch, hump the gear... Also, when the hell did "troop" become singular? "Trooper" is singular. I know this for a fact. I was a f*cking Boy Scout. Troop 53, bitch. :-)

UPDATE: "If you fight in your house, you might break something you like. Collateral damage is far more acceptable when it is someone else's collateral."

Good point, but...

ITA. May '05.

International Tattoo Art. The Fat Ass edition. This is before I started biking my ass off, but still, lipo sounds sorta good. I SWEAR I'm thinner than that. Love handles? Love rack! At least the tattoo and fundoshi are perfect. Come see me in the Summer of '05, I swear...

<3 Gracenote Database

I'm on a ripping kick. I have 1000+ CDs and suddenly I feel they all need to be on a server.

Enbukai Site

I put some pictures up from the Enbunkai here: www.nootrope.net/enbukai. There are a few corrections to come, but that's pretty much it.

A very, very special day.

Haha

I got a sweet little mention on Boing Boing. Xeni gave me a plug. Have I ever mentioned how I want to be her? She writes for WIRED, is on NPR all the time and has a few other supercool ventures going on at any given moment. Read the mention here. I also discovered that I have an entry on the Internet Movie Database site. That's pretty funny. I got plugged on Boing Boing for my back tattoo a while back. That link is here. Thanks Ms. Jardin!

Mártires del Compás

Check these guys out if you can find them. Mártires del Compás. Martyrs of Rhythm. Rough and dirty Flamenco. From the streets, the way it's supposed to be. I'm off to rip somewhat related CDs.

Stanley-san

More To Follow

Otani Sensei Enbukai

Today was Otani Sensei's enbukai/memorial. About 100 people showed up and nine or so other dojos and presenters. People came from all over the county to pay their respects. The session lasted about six hours including a reception where much saki was imbibed.

I took about 300 photographs and just finished the editing. Selections and resizes are complete with optimization to come this week. Then I'll build a site around the images. I've done the IA and all the basic structure. I'll post the URL when I'm done. Thank you to Deborah and Phil Sensei for allowing me the privilege.

It was quite a day. Emotional and inspirational. Really cut to the heart of the matter.

Live.

Geoffrey Oryema

When I had my shop, one of my favorite recordings to play was by Geoffrey Oryema called Beat The Border. Brian Eno and Peter Gabriel work with him on this and his debut, Exile. I heard some music tonight that reminded me of his work. I need to go rip the CDs to the iPod.

"The disk alternates between frenetic thumb piano riffs and slower, melancholic sounds. "Exile" is a gripping musical expression precisely because it was made in exile, with shifting moods, from despair to yearning. Orema sings in turn in Acoli (his tribe's language), Swahili and English."

Pick it up.

Interview

Realworld Page

Norway Trip

I was in Norway back in 1999 hanging with family. I scanned some of the snapshots from that great trip and posted them at www.nootrope.net/norway99.

I really want to go back. Badly. I'm pretty sure my cousins have web sites, I'll add them to this post when I find them.

This is part of a post I made right after that trip:

"I love the way an airplane feels when everyone else is sleeping. The feeling of unlimited potential awaiting me when the plane touches down... The clubs in Norway and Sweden where they put buckets of fire in the street to let you know there is a club behind those heavy wooden doors. Doors that are hundreds of years old and secured with thick, blackened iron... The way the women drape themselves in rich wools. Self-assured and elegant... Northern Europe just feels different. The air is different. The weight of the air."

Screaming Swedes

Burst!

Can anyone translate this for me?

Watashi-no meishi desu

Business cards are little pieces of personal history. They represent a face, an image, a costume that you wore for a certain amount of time. The Japanese have definite etiquette regarding the exchange of cards that they call "meishi". Click the image below to see a few of the card I've had over the years.

In Days Of Olde...

Forgive the expression, but here is a little piece of piercing history. This picture was taken on the fire escape of Gauntlet NYC in 1995. Clockwise from the top: Dug, Mark Seitchik, Denise Gianetta, Lauren Pine and me. What a great time in my life. Such good people and so much fun. I also posted scans of the article featuring my work in Fakir's Body Play and Modern Primitives Quarterly Magazine. You can see that here.

Pic of a Walking Stick

Given to me by some very special friends back in 1987. Cherry wood, rattlesnake skin, quartz crystal. If this stick could talk...

Pix and a Walking Stick

Minus two, what do I do? Go for a walk, of course. Hell, it's almost as cold inside my pad as out, so. Suit up. Big yellow ski jacket, neoprene face mask, ski pants, timbas, gloves, under armour mock, walking stick and watch cap... off I go.

Wander a bit before heading over to mom for shrimp and glug. Mmmm good. Drink up and hit the road back.

Snagged a snapshot of me and my mom's dad (Pop Pop) on the way out the door. No wonder I like a good brew. Not that Rheingold is a good brew, but hey. Also grabbed a pic that proves I've been a geek for many, many years.

Blah Blah Blah

Damn. Even more of me. This one is old. Old and long. Like the latest one. Back in 2000 I was interviewed for BME Radio. Here is the transcription...

www.nootrope.net/bmeradio

@$#@!!!&*

I have to much crap. Unfiled papers, thousands of unstapled printouts, hundreds of accessories for my guitars (cables, stands, pedals, etc,) dozens of books that don't fit onto my shelves, artwork that's just propped against the walls, magazines by the hundreds (Dwell, Tactical Knives, Skin2, T3 and dozens more,) more clothing than you could ever imagine, piercing supplies, ritual items, glassware, carrying cases, communication devices, drums f*cking everywhere... I'm embarrased by an embarrassment of riches. I should give a bunch of shit away and only keep what I need. But I know the day that I give away guitar cable X, I'll need it the next week. It wouldn't be so bad if stuff was organized. I mean, most of my stuff is. I'm pretty anal about things, but there is this layer of, like, miasma of flotsam and jetsam that just runs through my space. The kitchen is a fucking mess... I'm really looking to winnow it down. I need help!

No Ninjas!