Why Kunstler Is Right (or, a Rare Post on Politics and the Economy)

This is a dumb post by a pretty smart guy. Speaking about “peak oil” and what James Kunstler calls “the long emergency,” Yglesias writes: Obviously, this would result in some economic hardship for many families, but it’s hardly an “epochal shift.” Indeed, even current gasoline prices are actually quite low as a share of household […]

Saturday Ride

Pittsburgh’s L’Alpe D’Heuz I didn’t pick the route, but rode with two friends. I had read about this climb, in a cemetery, in Braddock, but had never ventured out to it. It wasn’t as hard as expected–it gets its name from the numerous switchbacks, a rarity in these parts–though I couldn’t hold Stuart’s wheel (in […]

Slowness (or What the Roses Smell Like)

Orion Magazine has a fine essay by Rebecca Solnit, “Finding Time.” The problem is partly one of language. The language of commerce has been engineered to describe the overt purpose of a thing, but cannot encompass fringe benefits or peripheral pleasures. It weighs the obvious against what in its terms are incomprehensible. When I drive […]

The End of the Pannier Era

Well, that was quick. I didn’t mind carrying the single pannier with my clothes and various sundries, but the laptop was too much, due in part, I think, to the lack of proper rack braze-ons. I just couldn’t get the p-clamps adjusted well enough to keep the loads from swaying. And while it was nice […]

Saturday Ride

Mount Troy Loop Listed in Oscar Swan’s book at 35 miles, but in reality, only 24. Still, a very fine ride. Very windy, especially heading west, though I had a rare tailwind coming home through the Strip District. A new (to me) rear wheel did not cure all the ticks in my drivetrain, though. I […]

The Long Way

So I was asked to attend the monthly board of directors breakfast by my manager (this month’s topic was product development so the executives wanted to introduce some of the hired help). Okay, I said, figuring the meeting would take place somewhere near the office. I soon find out the breakfast would be held at […]

Pannier Report

Two days later. Monday’s ride in was a comedy of errors. I had both bags, with the laptop, mounted, and I didn’t shake down the setup over the weekend, which would have found that my heel clipped the bag with the laptop. In the course of the first few miles, I knocked the bag off […]

Sunday Ride, and Surly Changes

City wandering. No map, since it wouldn’t really be worth it. Over Stanton Avenue, into town, back up Penn, then a few laps around Highland Park. Good news: the legs felt pretty okay after yesterday’s thrashing. Bad news: the drivetrain sounds worse. So much for the fancy carbon cranks. I’m resurrecting the Truvativ ‘cross cranks […]

Saturday Ride

Smackdown! Yeah, so the temperature is hovering in the mid 90s, and Stuart and I are riding mid-afternoon, so what do we do? Ride four Dirty Dozen hills. Whee! These were all new to me (with the exception of Tesla/Flowers, which I’ve ridden down). Let’s break them down by hill, eh? High Street/Seavey I didn’t […]

Lean Times in Kentucky