Rack On!

“In the name of the best within you, do not sacrifice this world to those who are its worst. In the name of the values that keep you alive, do not let your vision of man be distorted by the ugly, the cowardly, the mindless in those who have never achieved his title. Do not lose your knowledge that man's proper estate is an upright posture, an intransigent mind and a step that travels unlimited roads. Do not let your fire go out, spark by irreplaceable spark, in the hopeless swamps of the approximate, the not-quite, the not-yet, the not-at-all. Do not let the hero in your soul perish, in lonely frustration for the life you deserved, but have never been able to reach. Check your road and the nature of your battle. The world you desired can be won, it exists, it is real, it is possible, it's yours.” Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged*. Also ANTHEM... SFC! Hint, hint, clue, clue!

Stick It Out

Sometimes the thought of just closing up shop and going fishing, sounds real nice. I could use a little recharge. Maybe some new surroundings. Then I realize it's Friday again. My little retreat out of "The World." I feel much better now. Good luck everyone at the Anderson Century Ride tomorrow!
Don't swallow the poison
Spit it out
Don't swallow your pride
Stick it out
Don't swallow your anger
Spit it out
Don't swallow the lies Lyrics by RUSH.

Xanadu

We found a little traveled path off the main Escalator Trail which took us into some very strange country indeed!
I had heard the whispered tales
Of immortality
The deepest mystery
From an ancient book. I took a clue
I scaled the frozen mountain tops
Of eastern lands unknown
Time and Man alone
Searching for the lost--Xanadu
Xanadu--To stand within the Pleasure Dome. Lyrics by RUSH.

American Pickers

I had a real, American Picker drop by the shop looking specifically for steel bicycles and old components. He was a real nice guy named Roy from Santa Rosa. It's fun to share your treasures with like minded people. He loved my Bianchi Axis CX bike, as well as the 1987 Rockhopper that I've made into a dedicated single-speed, drop-barred, Rock-Combo looking affair. He left with a few items and told me he comes through fairly regularly. Even though I know how much something may be worth, there's no way I can get those prices up here in far Northern California. So away goes the crap (at half price) to a place where everybody knows the game.

Name that Tune!

anarchist reactionary running-dog revisionist
hindu muslim catholic creation/evolutionist
rational romantic mystic cynical idealist
minimal expressionist post-modern neo-symbolist
Armchair rocket scientist graffiti existentialist
Deconstruction primitive performance photo-realist
Be-bop or a one-drop or a hip-hop lite-pop-metallist
Gold adult contemporary urban country capitalist.
First one to post the correct video wins a very special surprise!

Limelight.

Listen to THE PROFESSOR!

The Color of Right

Heaven only knows how it's come to this. Looks like another long, lonely night. But please don't judge me too harshly, the timing's just not right. Besides, I'm so full of crap, I can't tell what's strawberries anymore.

A quality of justice
A quantity of light
A particle of mercy
Makes the color of right

Gravity and distance
Change the passage of light
Gravity and distance
Change the color of right Lyrics by RUSH.

The Shins- Phantom Limb

Phantom limbs are phenomena in which a person continues to feel pain or sensation within a part of their body which has been amputated. An explanation for this refers to the concept of neuroplasticity, as the cortical maps of the removed limbs are believed to have become engaged with the area around them in the postcentral gyrus. This results in activity within the surrounding area of the cortex being misinterpreted by the area of the cortex formerly responsible for the amputated limb. Pain is often experienced due to the association of this area with the pain that may have been experienced by the limb before it was amputated. Much of this was discovered by neuroscientist Vilayanur S. Ramachandran, who also developed a method of treatment for it called a mirror box, again using neuroplasticity to remove the association of the limb with the surrounding cortex by providing visual feedback to make it appear that the limb is responding.

Lakeside Park by RUSH

Midway hawkers calling
"Try your luck with me;"
Merry-go-round wheezing
The same old melody
A thousand ten cent wonders
Who could ask for more
A pocketful full of silver
The key to heaven's door

Lakeside Park
Willows in the breeze
Lakeside Park
So many memories
Laughing rides
Midway lights
Shining stars on summer nights

Days of barefoot freedom
Racing with the waves
Nights of starlit secrets
Crackling driftwood flames
Drinking by the lighthouse
Smoking on the pier
Still we saw the magic
Was fading every year

Everyone would gather
On the twenty-fourth of May
Sitting in the sand
To watch the fireworks display.
Dancing fires on the beach,
Singing songs together...
Though it's just a memory,
Some memories last forever.

My Trusty Steed, Stumpy

"Tell me what company thou keepst, and I'll tell thee what thou art."
- Miguel de Cervantes (1547 - 1616) Spanish novelist.
I gave my old Stumpjumer a Seely'Cyclery tune up and wash up last week. Knowing that I was going to ride it on Saturday with my dad and possibly brother Tim, I wanted to put my best face forward. What started off as a simple spit-shine, soon turned into an all-day drive-train degrease, bath and bike flossing! The Web-Foot Season was particularly rough on my old steed, but until I chiseled off the layers of grime I didn't really realize. My middle chain-ring's teeth looked like pins! The chain was practically falling apart. Brake pads, worn down paper thin. Now that Stumpy's all smoothed out all proper-like, Bianchi's lookin' a little worse for wear!

Old Stumpy

1991 Stumpjumper Comp. Frame; Tange Prestige DB. Fork; Cro-Mo. Headset; Specialized SV2 alloy. Rear Derailleur; Shimano Deore XT II SIS. Front Derailleur; Shimano Deore XT II. Hubs; Shimano Deore XT II 32. Rims; Specialized BX23. Tires; Ground Control Extreme. Brakes; Shimano Deore XT II canti's. Levers; Shimano Deore XT II 2-finger. Cranks; Shimano Deore XT II Super Glide 24/36/46. Pedals; Shimano Deore XT II Comp. Shifters; Shimano Deore XT II Thumb. Bars; Specialized. Freewheel; Shimano Deore XT II 7 cassette 12/28. Stem; Specialized SL Cro-Mo. Color; Matte Gray.

Blue Lenses

Sign me up Baby!

Carve Away the Stone

As a punishment from the gods for his trickery, Sisyphus was made to roll a huge rock up a steep hill, but before he could reach the top of the hill, the rock would always roll back down again, forcing him to begin again. The maddening nature of the punishment was reserved for Sisyphus due to his hubristic belief that his cleverness surpassed that of Zeus. Sisyphus took the bold step of reporting one of Zeus' sexual conquests, telling the river god Asopus of the whereabouts of his daughter Aegina. Zeus had taken her away, but regardless of the impropriety of Zeus' frequent conquests, Sisyphus overstepped his bounds by considering himself a peer of the gods who could rightfully report their indiscretions. As a result, Zeus displayed his own cleverness by binding Sisyphus to an eternity of frustration. Accordingly, pointless or interminable activities are often described as Sisyphean. Sisyphus was a common subject for ancient writers and was depicted by the painter Polygnotus on the walls of the Lesche at Delphi.



You call roll the stone
To the top of the hill
You can carry that weight
With an iron will
You can drive those wheels
To the end of the road
You can try to deny
The weight of the load. Lyrics by RUSH

The Enemy Within

Suspicious-looking stranger
Flashes you a dangerous grin
Shadows across your window...
Was it only trees in the wind? Lyrics by RUSH.


I've been talking to several people about dreams that feature sinister, little monsters, be they mechanical or flesh, that crawl around looking for you only to stick you with a hatpin or spray you with acid or poison. For god sake man! Get a frickin' grip!

My Magic Mushroom!

Morchella, the true morels, is a genus of edible mushrooms closely related to anatomically simpler cup fungi. These distinctive mushrooms appear honeycomb-like in that the upper portion is composed of a network of ridges with pits between them.
These ascocarps are prized by gourmet cooks, particularly for French cuisine. Commercial value aside, morels are hunted by thousands of people every year simply for their taste and the joy of the hunt. The American state of Minnesota has adopted the morel as its state mushroom.
Morels have been called by many local names; some of the more colorful include dryland fish, due to the fact that when sliced lengthwise then breaded and fried, their outline resembles the shape of a fish; hickory chickens, as they are known in many parts of Kentucky; and merkels or miracles, based on a story of how a mountain family was saved from starvation by eating morels. In parts of West Virginia, they're known as "molly moochers." Other common names for morels include sponge mushroom. Genus Morchella is derived from morchel, an old German word for mushroom, while morel itself is derived from the Latin maurus meaning brown.

Chains and Gears

It really does not need to be as complicated as I am making it, but here I go. I am baffled by the wear pattern on the teeth of my bicycles gears. It seems to me that the backside of the teeth should be ramped and not the front. Of course, back and front are relative terms. Without a diagram to accompany my little mechanical mystery I must simply ask you to bear with me here. To my way of thinking... forget it! I'll report back to you. Seems to me it's Chemistry.

Super Conductor

"And so you see, it really is all in the presentation my son," the old man said from of the corner of his mouth, as he simultaneously lighted his enormous pipe and sent billowing clouds of aromatic smoke up to the rafters of the old cabin. I briefly considered trying to explain that these were "Exceptional Circumstances" and that I really did not appreciate his skimming over my case as though it was just run-of-the-mill, stock stuff! I felt like I was suffocating, the air in the room was growing rank. Finally I could stand it no longer and I launched into a tirade of obscenities and oaths.

Watch his every move
SUPERCONDUCTOR
Orchestrate illusions
SUPERCONDUCTOR
Watch his every move
SUPERCONDUCTOR
Hoping you'll believe
Designing to deceive
That's entertainment! Lyrics by RUSH

If I Could Wave My Magic Wand

I had a dream I was swimming in open water, way out at sea. It was so deep, I could never reach bottom. You said you'd meet me there, a midnight rendezvous you called it! We spoke briefly of our essential constituents, nothing really more than just elemental star dust. But now I'm beginning to suspect that I have been a fool for you, that I was nothing but a fool for you.

I'm not one to believe in magic
But I sometimes have a second-sight
I'm not one with a sense of proportion
When my heart still changes overnight. Lyrics by RUSH

Red Lenses

Sir! Sir! You there! You were standing here when all of this went down! Tell us what happened! Well, I was standin' over there by the tomaters! Suddenly this dang ol' fool walks in and says that the mercury is rising and somethin' about a pair of dancin' shoes, the soviets are the blues. Well sir, I just seen Red!

I see red
and it hurts my head
guess it must be something
that I read. Lyrics by RUSH.

The Body Electric

I awake to the sound of a large truck pulling up along side the house. Outside the bedroom window, the thing is inching straight up to my house so that the driver and I are eye to eye. I can see that it is a milk tanker and realize that the guy has missed his destination by one block. Through the window I begin motioning to the driver that he needs to go a block over. He starts trying to back out, so I decide to get out there to help him. I emerge to find the driver laying under the trailer with a remote control devise that allows him to move his truck. Everything is proceeding nicely when suddenly I see that the trailer is slowly backing into a power pole. I began to yell for the guy to stop, but the pole began to bend down under the weight of the still moving truck. I looked up to see high tension wires coming down on top of me, but I was paralyzed and could not move. I began screaming for him to stop, the wires only inches away from my chest, I awoke again, gasping for breath.
Memory banks unloading
Bytes break into bits
Unit One's in trouble and it's scared out of its wits. lyrics by RUSH

High Water

Shortly after entering the old hut, I laid down for a nap. I went instantly into a lucid dream. Waters were rising in the darkness, amidst an endless flood. They flowed into my memory, they flowed into my blood. I watched as something broke the surface and stared up at the starry dome. I still feel that relation, when the water takes me home. In the flying spray of the ocean, the water takes me home.

Springing from the weight of the mountains
Like the heart of the earth would burst
Flowing out from marble fountains
In the dreams of a desert thirst. lyrics by RUSH

Totem

Finally, after hours of hacking through dense under growth, we broke out of the woods. I could hear the sound of waves crashing on the shore. Once again, my father's orienteering skills were impeccable, we were only a few hundred yards away from old Keetah's hut. I remembered hearing the old man once say that here, every bird and fish knew it's course and that every tree had it's own place upon this earth, but that man alone had lost his way. Well, maybe figuratively speaking.

I believe in what I see
I believe in what I hear
I believe that what I'm feeling
Changes how the world appears. Rush Totem lyrics.

You'll Ruin Your New Shoes!

Dang! I seem to be a magnet for road debris out there on my new tires. I have already had a pinch flat (at 100 psi?) and tonight as I was rollin' back in on Placer, a puncture that I thought was caused by a small piece of glass (sticking in the sidewall) but turned out to be a needle-like nail. Problem is it's all happened to the rear tire. My peer group told me to get the folding tires even though I had put 2 seasons on the same tire with a wire bead and loved them. The new ones are extremely supple and sweet, but are they less flat resistant?

The Final Farewell

We arrived at the front door of the cabin and yelled for Ted. Finally my dad had waited long enough, he opened it himself. There, pinned to a chair was a note with the words "To whom it may concern; Every now and then when your life gets complicated and the weasels start closing in, the only cure is to load up on heinous chemicals and then drive like a bastard from Hollywood to Las Vegas ... with the music at top volume and at least a pint of ether, or in my case Red Bluff to Montana.” We never saw old Ted again (in person) but when "they" finally caught up to him, he had definitely had his hand (and a few others) in the making of history.

Freeze; Part Four of FEAR

The saffron-robed monk known as Bhakti, escorted us the final mile into Ted's place talking the entire way. "So I say's to the guy, I say's, so you're dying, but look how many problems you're saving. At least with what's going on in the world today, you should thank God that you're going out!” Turns out that Bhakti was born Harvey Strassman, a Jew, from the Bronx of New York. My father was trying to ask him questions about Ted, but Bhakti just kept on blabbering. "Hey, What did the waiter ask the group of dining Jewish women?" My dad was getting frustrated now but politely re-asked the question back to Bhakti. "I don't know Bhakti, What did the waiter ask the group of dining Jewish women?" "Is ANYTHING all right?" He yelled laughing, falling to the ground, completely useless for the rest of the day.

Happy Easter!

Run For The Hills

Since it was Friday just prior to Spring break, the school officials decided to release me to my father's custody. They smiled nervously, if not politely, as we left the office building, adding their best wishes for a Happy Easter, see you in 10 days. On our way home I asked my dad how in the world those old stuffed shirts could have changed their tune so quickly and who was the man he had mentioned to them as being his attorney. He told me that he was one of his friend's back in L.A. and not to worry about it any more. He then told me that what was important was that we get out to Ted's cabin immediately because he thought there might be a few "visitors" heading out that way.

Witch Hunt; Part Three of FEAR

The night is black
Without a moon
The air is thick and still
The vigilantes gather on
The lonely torch lit hill

Features distorted in the flickering light
The faces are twisted and grotesque
Silent and stern in the sweltering night
The mob moves like demons possessed
Quiet in conscience, calm in their right
Confident their ways are best

The righteous rise
With burning eyes
Of hatred and ill-will
Madmen fed on fear and lies
To beat and burn and kill

They say there are strangers who threaten us
In our immigrants and infidels
They say there is strangeness too dangerous
In our theaters and bookstore shelves
That those who know what's best for us
Must rise and save us from ourselves

Quick to judge
Quick to anger
Slow to understand
Ignorance and prejudice
And fear walk hand in hand...


lyrics by RUSH

The Truth Is Out There; Part Two of FEAR

I squinted in an effort to see beyond the blinding spotlight of the interrogation room. Who were these people and how many of them were in there? I repeated my statement. "I'm telling you the truth, my dad knows a man named Ted who lives in the Yollo Bolly Wilderness, in a cabin he built! He has a ton of books!" I pleaded. Just then over the intercom I heard a voice say, "Mr. H. There is a Mr. Seely here to see you." "Send him in!" He said. I continued my story. "This guy Ted says he used to be a professor at Berkley, he says he's going to re-write history!" I proudly announced. "That is the end of the interview!" My father said, as he entered the room.

Red Bluff 1972; Part one of FEAR

When I was in tenth grade at Red Bluff Union High School, my class was given the dreaded book report assignment. I decided that if I were to find a book that I thought no one (namely my teacher) had ever read, I could B.S. my way through and hopefully, get my famous C- grade. I selected this little book and wrote my heavily plagiarized report. Upon returning to class the day after handing in the assignment, I was met at the door by my teacher and the boy's V.P. I was told to accompany Mr. H to the office for a little talk. He took me to a room in the administrations building and there I discovered what appeared to be an interrogation room. I was informed that my father had been contacted and that I was to cooperate with the investigation or be expelled from school. All they wanted to know was, "Where did you get the book and where is it now?"

I Got Owned!

They say that one man's easy, century-recovery-ride is another man's butt-kicking, longest-ride-of-the-season, survival-fest. This certainly was the case yesterday, when I rode to Red Bluff and back with Mr. Souphouse, aka Stanley to my Ollie. The fact that he was on his Cyclocross bike and I was on my "Fast Bike" didn't help matters of ego much either. I am here today to debunk the myth that Cyclocross training and Mt. Bike riding are good ways to get ready for Road Season. I would say it's the other way 'round. Regular 50-100 mile road rides is how you get ready for Road Season!

Raised By Wolves

Blessing of the Bikes... and burgers

Please join us this April for the annual Blessing of the Bikes out at Father Herman's Church in beautiful Uptown Platina. Burgers after the show.

Easter Radishes

If you happen to stumble upon any of these little beauties in your organic vegetable shopping rounds, grab a bunch for me as well as yourself! They are mighty tasty!

More My Speed

Yes my friends, that is a V.W. bus out on the salt flats. Mid-engine, 500 cubic inch big block V8. It pretty much stays out of the way of anything coming up from behind!

Coming To A city Near You!

Celebrating its 100th anniversary, Oregon-based Tillamook Cheese shut the dairy farm gates behind it and hit the open road Jan. 9 on The Loaf Love Tour, making its first stop in Tucson, AZ, then nine other states and 25 cities over 11 months. At the center of the tour is a fleet of Loaf Love Buses: 1967 Volkswagen buses shortened by four feet, lowered by one foot and refurbished as replicas of Tillamook’s baby cheddar cheese loaves. Thanks and a tip o' the hat to Jacquie Phelan.

My Boyhood Hero

The Rifleman's Rifle. The trick feature of the rifle was a screw pin attached to the large loop lever which was positioned so as to trip the trigger when the ring was slammed home, thus allowing Lucas to rapid-fire the rifle, similarly to a semi-automatic rifle. The trigger trip screw pin was also used in two configurations. Sometimes McCain had the screw head turned inside close to the trigger. Most of the times he had it on the outside of the trigger guard with a lock nut on the outside to further secure its position. In some of the episodes the screw was taken out completely when rapid fire action was not needed. When properly adjusted, this screw “squeezed” the trigger when the lever was fully closed.

So Long and Thanks For All the Fish!

I'm off to the cloisters for a weekend sabbatical in preparation for Palm Sunday See Ya'll at Bechelli North for Cyclocross this Sunday.

Some Folks Calls It A Vapour Trail...

I call it a contrail. As a wing generates lift, it causes a vortex to form at each wingtip, and sometimes also at the tip of each wing flap. These wingtip vortices persist in the atmosphere long after the aircraft has passed. The reduction in pressure and temperature across each vortex can cause water to condense and make the cores of the wingtip vortices visible. This effect is more common on humid days. Wingtip vortices can sometimes be seen behind the wing flaps of airliners during takeoff and landing, and during landing of the Space shuttle. Any persisting rumors of contrails forming behind a certain, local, 6 foot 5 inch, single-speed rider on downhill sections, is merely conjecture.

Hot Stuff!

Pert near took my head clean off last night with a little home-made cold remedy my buddy made. Comprised of cayenne, ginger, hot water and honey, this little concoction will cure what ails ya!

Seems To Me It's Chemistry

Signal transmitted
Message received
Reaction making impact
Invisibly

Elemental telepathy
Exchange of energy
Reaction making contact
Mysteriously

Eye to I
Reaction burning hotter
Two to one
Reflection on the water
H to O
No flow without the other
Oh but how
Do they make contact
With one another?

Electricity? Biology?
Seems to me it's Chemistry

Emotion transmitted
Emotion received
Music in the abstract
Positively

Elemental empathy
A change of synergy
Music making contact
Naturally

One, two, three
Add without subtraction
Sound on sound
Multiplied reaction
H to O
No flow without the other
Oh, but how
Do we make contact
With one another?

Off the album, Signals by Rush.

Webfoot Finale

Wow, I was not expecting a turn out like that! Even with the time change, we ended up with our biggest and best ride yet! I want to thank all who attended our season closer and remind you to stay tuned for next years "Rolling Party" schedule. Until then keep the rubber side down and the muddy-side up!

Burning Dan and Tea Fairy

Firedrums is coming up soon and by golly, this year promises to be bigger and better than ever. I am planning on riding my unicycle over Hwy 36, juggling all the way. My friend Zuma called last night and said he has built a tree house that rivals the Swiss Family Robinson's and I am to be comp'd my entry fees! Oh. oh, oh, it's magic!

Say Good Bye To Your Only Friend...

at least for awhile that is. You see we are all in for a rude awakening come next Monday morning when we begin our days, in total darkness. Stupid Daylight Saving Time kicks in early Sunday morning. Since we are planning a final Webfoot ride this Sunday (Thanks Brooke) I am planing on a 10 a.m. departure time. That way it will feel like 9 a.m. Unfortunately, the real world won't be so accommodating. Sunday Mar. 14th, 10 a.m. Daylight Saving Time. Webfoot. Be there!

WOMBATS

I have included a link to my ol' pal Jacquie Phelan's blog for yall check out. Jacquie was introduced to me back in the 80's, by a guy who was on Gary Fisher's original Mt. Bike Team, Peter Lewendal. Jacquie founded an organization (after her years as women's world champion) called WOMBATS. Women Of Mt. Biking And Tea Society. Occasionally they allow a token man to join. I really don't think I could keep up with them. But it would be fun to try!

Nice Touch!

You know, I'm still blown away by the way old Jack W. was able to ride his way up through the pack during the "B" race on Sunday. But when those girls came out after the race and pushed his bike back to the truck... Good show old Chap!

Turtle Bay Sneak Peek

Spy cameras have captured images of a certain Red Bluff man's secret weapon for the upcoming Turtle Bay race in 2 weeks. Rumors persist that he is filling the bike's frame tubes and tires with helium. And there may be more in his innocent looking banana bread than just bananas. Race officials are considering a 20 lb additional weight requirement for this madman in the form of a large bag of dog food strapped to his back. Crikey, he'd still hand it to us!

Amelia Earhart FOUND!

A rumor which claimed that Earhart had made propaganda radio broadcasts as one of the many women compelled to serve as Tokyo Rose was investigated closely by Jim Blevins. According to several biographies of Earhart, Blev investigated this rumor personally but after listening to many recordings of numerous Tokyo Roses he did not recognize her voice among them. Well after 50 years of being moth-balled, David Seely has evidence of the contrary! As you can see by the clock on the wall, this photo was taken late in the evening (for old farts!) and Amelia was allegedly well into her cups.

Big Money

Big money goes around the world
Big money underground
Big money got a mighty voice
Big money make no sound
Big money pull a million strings
Big money hold the prize
Big money weave a mighty web
Big money draw the flies

Sometimes pushing people around
Sometimes pulling out the rug
Sometimes pushing all the buttons
Sometimes pulling out the plug
It's the power and the glory
It's a war in paradise
It's a Cinderella story
On a tumble of the dice

Big money goes around the world
Big money take a cruise
Big money leave a mighty wake
Big money leave a bruise
Big money make a million dreams
Big money spin big deals
Big money make a mighty head
Big money spin big wheels

Sometimes building ivory towers
Sometimes knocking castles down
Sometimes building you a stairway
Lock you underground
It's that old time religion
It's the kingdom they would rule
It's the fool on television
Getting paid to play the fool

Big money goes around the world
Big money give and take
Big money done a power of good
Big money make mistakes
Big money got a heavy hand
Big money take control
Big money got a mean streak
Big money got no soul... Rush from their album Power Windows

Roll The Bones

Peart (1991): "The song Roll the Bones is full of any number of little decisions that I had to make about what I thought, and how best to express them and how to introduce the idea that yes we do have free will and yes we do have choices, and yes our choices do affect the way our fates turn out. But at the same time, there are always these wild cards that are going to come along, sometimes tragically, sometimes triumphantly. The motto comes down to 'Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst'."

Geek Culture And The Joy Of Tech

Here's a fun little link to explore. Not a lot about bicycles but still cool. geekculture.com And speaking of JEOPARDY, I saw a clue the other night that was kind o' disturbing. "Known as, H.F.C.S. in the food industry, the average American consumes 40 pounds of it a year." What is High Fructose Corn Syrup! Yuk!

Occam's Razor

Occam's razor (or Ockham's razor), entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem, is the principle that "entities must not be multiplied beyond necessity" and the conclusion thereof, that the simplest explanation or strategy tends to be the best one. The principle is attributed to 14th-century English logician, theologian and Franciscan friar, William of Ockham. I've been hearing a fair amount of buzz regarding a return to the olden days of shaving. It is with this principal in mind that I offer my opinion regarding the matter. Have a nice shave!

Meanwhile, Back On Earth

According to my solstice monolith, everything is right on track for yet another spring here on planet Earth. The first kittens of the new year are emerging like blind kielbasas, paddling alongside their litter mates in makeshift cardboard nests, searching for the eternal milk-teat- goddess. Milk that miracle. What an ingenious way of nourishing one's young. Yet the birds have managed to pull it off without a drop of the stuff. Go configure!

Corporatization of Higher Ed-U-Ma-Cashun

Just about everyone with a stake in the long-term success of U.S. higher education worries about the growing influence of free-market business practices on the operation of colleges and universities. Most faculty, in particular, see the increasing reliance on corporate models as destructive the mission of higher education. Surprisingly, however, faculty members have not yet acted together through professional associations such as the AAUP to take an informed and persuasive position condemning the influence of corporatization on higher education. Nor have they suggested a reasonable approach to resist and reduce its spread. Resistance is futile! We are Borg!

Hammer Time

Well Folks, by my estimation, we should be hearing any day now of the comet that is heading toward us on a collision course for the year 2012. Regrets? I've had a few but
then again, too few to mention. It's been a full life and I have been extremely fortunate to have such wonderful friends and family. Now, the best we can hope for is that we are somewhere near ground zero when she comes on in. That would be quick!