not that you know live art.

“It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.”

Cool things are all around you. You just have to open your eyes and sometimes search. I went to the University of Michigan production of the Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice on Friday 12-5-2008 8 PM. These kids put their heart into it (kids is used here as metaphor for life). I could go on and compare it to the classical format or be critical of the acting in some way but that would be the farthest from the truth. Director Timothy Douglas used a 60’s interpretation that was complete with musical injections and some costumes of the same time made for a nice twist which played subtle mind games transposing the known “readerly text/novel” into a “writerly text” via the credibility of the cast and the production and use of the 60’s theme. The comedy found in the performance was detailed by the actors again spreading laughter almost homogenously throughout the crowd on command. My favorite was the use of music by Nina Simone.

You could feel the energy of the actors. There were like carbon nanotubes in strength. They were pleasantly relentless in their performance. I get high on that sort of thing. That is where I find the true essence of life. As if you did not know or perhaps you don’t. I get high on bikes. We all have to find our own beauty in life. There are but a handful of things that you can find such beauty in nowadays. Live art. Bike rides. I am sure there is more but try just these two to start. I had the honor of meeting Dylan Saunders and Darren Criss who were in this production; we had some pizza by chance after the show. Look for them in years to come, flat out cool dudes. And Kaylin Tavolacci signed, sealed and delivered in full the character Elizabeth Bennet. Oh. Essence. How about a top notch Dura-Ace brake from 1973 on a bike in Paris. All that training for a race. All that training for a performance. All just to get a high. Live art. Nostalgic photos. Bike rides. And Laughter. Now you have four things of essence. It seems an injustice to do it just for four days. Go to the theater solo, with your significant other or in a whole group, it is like a bike, once you learn to appreciate it you will never forget. Live. Art. Ride. Free.

what, moobs?

You really don’t have to look like this nor have kids that look like this if you buy a bike today. Now please, if you have man boobs or ‘moobs’ a gut or a physically lacking self, we can work on that. Be fit for life. 29 inch wheels simply work better, they go over obstacles. Consider this, to consider yourself a cyclist you must have a 29er. If you can only buy one bike, it must be a 29er. You can ride it on the flats, climbs, dirt, pavement…anywhere. It is a multipurpose machine. It is a gut buster and moob chaser. Now back to business. Go to your local cyclo-cross race this Sunday, it is the fall in the Northern hemisphere and mountain bike racing is over. But the Iceman was fun. Check it. Break. New link you…Ride this. Oh my.

O...bama

Need I say more. Peace. Dan k.

how many?

Depending how it is taken a better question to a Presidential candidate is how many bikes do you have and not how many houses do you have? When I am long and dead my vice of ‘many bicycles’ will be served well as some college kid in the year 2090 rides a 2007 Madone 6.9 to school and it is still considered a light bike at 14.4 pounds...but a house; I susppose ‘what is your carbon footprint?’ is a better question. How many McCain? A glutton for punishment and a running mate with a journalism degree. Call me crazy but I hold my elected officials to a higher degree of integrity and smarts, unless they are the Mayor of Detroit.

Now go vote but ask yourself this question after a crappie cross race, a lackluster kiss, a lay-off…ask yourself why the most educated people in the country…the people who have spent the most time in higher education, not the richest, but the highest number of PhDs…happen to live in California and New York. Why. Why do they. Why do they vote Democratic continually in the Presidential election? What is it that they know that the red states don’t know? What is it that the smartest people in the country know that is different? I am slightly smarter than the average bear however I know just enough to ask the right questions. Look that history up. Vote. Buy a bike and get your mind off that kiss or bad day at work. Good luck John…not really, however you need all you can muster. I think I’ll ride my bike to go vote. Which house will you be in? I can’t wait to redistribute some of your wealth. How about a bike for a house? Do some yoga for god sake.

wtf?

More…

i've been crossed!

They said it could not be done as frequently as they say the two day only sales that run every day on TV…every two days. They say all the time that you need to ride and ride often and other disciplines if you are true cyclist. “How many laps are we doing?” That was my question. The answer was 6 or 7. How can you start a race and not know how many laps you are doing I thought? That is how little I knew about what I was about to do. That is cross bike racing, perhaps the fastest growing area for racing bikes. From the start it was game on. 175 beats per minute (bpm) for 50 minutes…don’t try that at home without knowing you can do it. The reddish orange at the top is maximum intensity. Click pix to enlarge.

Lap 5 of six I fell off all the group when my handle bar snapped above the hood (the part that controls breaking and shifting) so I was stuck in one gear and rode it out. It broke cause it was a non-Bontrager carbon I assume….could have should have would have. Oh…and it was my first cross-bike race. It was off the hook. I loved every second. My brother Jay was right. Tough as shit makes you tough as nails. Totally like it more than crit racing on pavement. As fast as you can go on a bike, on grass, dirt, and get off and run through sand and obstacles with your bike carrying it on your shoulder when needed, no water to drink and no time to drink it if you had it. I have seen pictures of plenty of water and mud to run through though at other cross races. Seconds count. Drafting, technical skill and passion. It is all there. You got to want to do this. It is a clash between road and mountain. It is a cumulus cloud like no other as the high pressure meets low. It is pretty freakin’ cool. Cross bike racing. Try it. And for god sake do not buy a Specialized bike, the only thing they make in the U.S. is there catalogs. Every time you buy a bike you have chance to vote for what kind of world you want to live in, i.e. a greener one or a lame one. John B the owner for Trek might be a Republican but watch his 30 minute YouTube video regarding marketing which creates a false need of sorts to sell bikes v. filling a need for getting people on bikes that is already there by default and thus minimizing our carbon footprint. I recon the only two Republicans I like are John B and Collin Powell, both worked there way up through the ranks. Trek what can I do to get more people on Trek branded cross bikes? 13 days until you vote. Try that too. Vote for the D! Peace – Dan k.



FYI…
From: Store CustomerService [mailto:store_customerservic@specialized.com]
Sent: Wednesday, September 19, 2007 1:44 PM
To: dan k
Subject: RE: do you make one product in the US?

Dan,

Thank you for your e-mail. As of 2002 all manufacturing has been moved overseas, with the exception of our catalogs. Feel free to contact me again for any other questions you might have.

Best regards,
Kevin
_________________
Specialized Customer Service/Online Store
1137 South 3800 West
Salt Lake City UT 84104
877-808-8154

________________________________________
From: dan k [mailto:dkotwicki@yahoo.com]
Sent: Wed 9/19/2007 11:04 AM
To: Store CustomerService
Subject: do you make one product in the US?

do you make one product in the US?

Dan

bell's what?

What’s this? Michigan mountain bike racer Lummis’s leg at a race in September or October? Doubt it. Yeah. I am back to racing my bike and super stoked. 3 races in a row coming off a surgery 6 weeks prior and back to racing. More on the Bell's team here.