Archive for September, 2008
Commenting on WordPress X-Posts
Tuesday, September 16th, 2008 | LiveJournal Archives | No Comments
Again, I want to encourage you all to go ahead and comment on my WordPress posts. There is no account or login required to do so, simply your name and email address, and even your name can be anything ( I would suggest your LiveJournal username, so I know who you are ) and your email address is kept private only so I can approve comments.
Its not a whole lot more effort than commenting directly through LiveJournal, so don’t feel discouraged because you have to go to another site… and I love getting comments.
Thanks!
Cyclist Manifesto…
Tuesday, September 16th, 2008 | Cycling | 8 Comments
…in which I talk about myself as non-motorized traffic.
I love riding my bike to and from work. I really love it. I can’t say that I’ve regretted it even once. Not on any hill that’s tough to climb, not on any of these cold mornings, not once while sitting in my office dripping sweat as I cool down from my ride in. In fact, just having my bike on campus to run errands and travel between buildings is simply perfect. It now takes me half the time to get from one building to another to go and fix computers (now if all the buildings we have computers in had bike racks, things would be even better). › Continue reading
Cyclist Manifesto…
Tuesday, September 16th, 2008 | LiveJournal Archives | No Comments
…in which I talk about myself as non-motorized traffic.
I love riding my bike to and from work. I really love it. I can’t say that I’ve regretted it even once. Not on any hill that’s tough to climb, not on any of these cold mornings, not once while sitting in my office dripping sweat as I cool down from my ride in. In fact, just having my bike on campus to run errands and travel between buildings is simply perfect. It now takes me half the time to get from one building to another to go and fix computers (now if all the buildings we have computers in had bike racks, things would be even better).
Drivers need to realize, however, that I am not impeding traffic. I am traffic. I’ve actually been honestly surprised by the fact that in the past six weeks, I’ve only been yelled at once. Yesterday, was the first time someone was actually upset with the fact that I was riding in the road, rather than in the gutter or on the sidewalk. Oddly enough, it was on the same stretch of road that I got yelled at last time.
As it was, I was on Locust (a one-way, two-lane street) approaching University (a four-lane highway). There is a nice, wide, shoulder all the way down Locust which I take advantage of as much as I can, though occasionally there is a car parked in the shoulder and I have to shift into the right lane to get around it. However, as you encroach upon University, there is a right-turn only lane added, which eliminates the shoulder. As a result, I always look for an opening to move into the right-most non-turn-only lane because I need to cross over University and continue on Locust. I try to wait as long as possible, but traffic can be pretty bad on Locust around 5:30 so I will often pull out a little early to make sure I’m not stuck in the right-turn only lane. There is no clear ruling that I can see for this action in the Texas Bicycle Laws, but I would argue that it is my prerogative to take the lane, since, in my opinion, it would be “less legal” to continue straight from the right-turn only lane.
So, with all that in mind, when I took the lane, I checked my mirror (I have an awesome rear view mirror now, which makes me feel oh so much safer and more responsible as a rider) and moved into the lane. There was no-one in the lane and no-one with a blinker indicating that they were planning on moving into the lane, so it was all clear. As soon as I moved into the lane, though, some jughead in a massive white pickup truck honks at me and shouts something, waving his arm as if to say I should be on the shoulder or the sidewalk (have you ever had someone yell at you while they pass you in their car, its completely unintelligible). I’m not entirely sure why he was upset, he even turned left at the light, so I was never obstructing him, but he was obviously disgruntled by my presence in the street.
People like him need to realize a few things about my choice to ride a bike.
- I have every legal right to be on the road as any other motorized vehicle. While the laws encourage me from riding as close to the curb as possible, they do not prevent me from riding in the lane when it is necessary. The sidewalks, in my opinion, are right out. I would be more of a hazard to a pedestrian than an automobile. Additionally, sidewalks often end unexpectedly… or have a tree growing out of them.
- While I may slow down traffic on rare occasions, for the most part I am taking smaller, less utilized roads and staying out of the way on major highways. I’m actually reducing traffic in the places where it matters most.
- I am reducing carbon emissions. Most drivers may not even think about this, directly, but believe me, its a good thing.
- By not buying gas (I’ve filled my tank once in two months, and I’m still at 3/4 of a tank, presently), I’m actually combating the rising gas prices. All those stupid “gas-outs” and crap, they do nothing. There is only one way to reduce the cost of gas and that is to use less of it. So yeah, this one is for you, the one driving all by yourself in the giant six person SUV. For every million gallons of gas it takes you to drive to work everyday, it takes me none.
There are other reasons, personal reasons, why I ride a bike but the ones above are the reasons that affect other people. There may even be more that effect other people, but I can’t think of them at present. Regardless of my motivation, I love riding my bike, and I’m allowed to ride it in the manner which I do. I obey traffic laws, I stop at traffic lights and stop signs. I signal when I turn or change lanes and I obey the speed limit when it is possible for me to exceed it. I am allowed to ride my bike on the road, and I will do so in the manner that I see fit. This is my manifesto, as a cyclist. I don’t impede traffic, I am traffic.
Originally posted at K. Close III
You can comment at kclose3.com
Today’s Tweets
Monday, September 15th, 2008 | LiveJournal Archives | 2 Comments
- 08:08 COOOOOLD ride this morning, my ears are still trying to recover. #
- 09:06 So much Rock Band 2 yesterday, its like an all new love affair, though… so much is the same, and so much is better! #
- 10:46 Every time a song comes up with broken or random ID3 info, I get mad that I Eat Brainz still doesn’t work. #
- 11:02 I’d rather be A) out riding my bike or B) Playing Xbox. Work’s been okay today and the morning has gone by rather quickly, but still. #
- 13:09 Why are my birthdays not showing up on my Calendar? #
- 14:46 I’m just going to have to break down and start buying bottled water. #
- 14:55 Damn you, guitar, WHY WON’T YOU SHIP! #
- 16:38 Getting panniers for my bike is going to be expensive… #
- 16:45 Okay, more information on Rock Band 2 Drums… they may not be as loud as earlier suggested. No word yet on mixed pad signals. #
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Today’s Tweets
Sunday, September 14th, 2008 | LiveJournal Archives | No Comments
- 11:11 I wonder if GameStop has the RB2 Guitars in stock? I’d cancel my online order if I thought I could pick one up today. #
- 21:39 Rock Band 2 is excellent, everything that rocked about Rock Band, improved! And with the songs exported, I have 300+ songs. #
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Today’s Tweets
Friday, September 12th, 2008 | LiveJournal Archives | No Comments
- 06:55 I so prefer Gel over Paste. #
- 08:28 Wow, not only has the Xbox come down in price pretty notably, now the 120GB hard drive for it is soon to receive a price drop, as well. #
- 10:06 I really need to cut down on Genre’s on my iTunes… I need a clear and defined system. #
- 14:39 Too Much Pita! #
- 14:59 I need to blog, but I have no inspiration. #
- 16:50 #Blog: Creepy Crawlies… kclose3.com/blog/?p=66 #
- 16:54 Update, damn you, update! As soon as this computer finishes its patches, I can hand it off and leave! #
- 17:55 Finally, I can go home! #
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Creepy Crawlies…
Friday, September 12th, 2008 | Writer's Block | 4 Comments
…in which I talk about entomophobia.
Today’s topic on the LiveJournal Writer’s Block segment is “If one thing were to be stricken from nature, what could you stand to see go?” › Continue reading
Creepy Crawlies…
Friday, September 12th, 2008 | LiveJournal Archives | No Comments
…in which I talk about entomophobia.
Today’s topic on the LiveJournal Writer’s Block segment is “If one thing were to be stricken from nature, what could you stand to see go?”
I’m pretty happy with nature and all the things within it, all in all. Yeah, there are a lot of things that I don’t entirely appreciate, but what I do appreciate is the balance of everything, so realistically, I can’t say I’d want to see anything lost from nature. However, the question is not “what would I like to see go,” but “what could I stand to see go,” and while I have no ire against anything in particular, Heather’s terrorific fear of bugs can be almost a danger to myself and Ansel (though I know neither of us are really in danger).
When I was a child, I was very entomophobic (Google it) but as I’ve grown up, I’ve built up a tolerance for six and eight legged monsters. There are still a few here and there that break through my defenses, but for the most part, I can go about my business and let them go about theirs. I have a bad history of being stung, but at least I’m not allergic so there’s no tragic “near death” stories about any kind of stings.
Back when I was living in Connecticut, we had a slatted deck that ran the length of our house. I remember one day I hopped up and sat down on the deck only to be stung in the left butt cheek by a wasp that had been hiding down between the slats. It was gloriously painful experience that was equalled only by the embarrassment of being stung on the ass. Around that same time, I was walking past a poke-berry bush and just barely brushed against it and was stung in the shoulder by some other flying fighter insect. I think its the sneak attacks that are the worst, where you’re completely unprepared for the sting.
You see, if I can see the insect, and know its around, I can not only attempt to avoid it but also, I know its around and can prepare myself for the off chance possibility that I might get stung. Its with that thought that I have decided that these stirges aren’t nearly as frightening as I used to find them because they’re not really offensive, but more defensive. If I don’t antagonize them, then they usually leave well enough alone. Its only when you go blundering into their path, or home, that they get a little riled up and decide to attack.
Recently, I did unintentionally aggravate a stinger. It was flying around the house and, since Heather is completely petrified by flying insects (even those harmless junebugs), I decided to catch it and throw it outside. I did not, however, know that it was a stinging insect, so as soon as I had it in my hand, I was surprised to all of a sudden be in pain from its sting. This, of course, did not make Heather feel any better about there being a flying insect in the living room.
Heather is very paranoid of flying bugs, she tends to duck, dodge and even run from the room if something start whizzing around, often times with nearly reckless abandon, trying to escape often a completely harmless bug. The frequency of stinging insects in our house is actually pretty low, we are mostly plagued by moths, junebugs, beetles, and houseflys. Wasps, bees, and other more vitriolic threats, however, are a pretty rare occurrence in our house. They tend to hang out outdoors, under the eaves. We do get the occasional surprise attack from some wasps protecting their turf when we go out to get the mail or mow the lawn, but otherwise they just leave us alone. Still, Heather insist that I periodically go out and commit a cleansing act of insecticide and wipe out an entire clan. Its tragic, but I still get a sick thrill out of sending an entire hive of wasps to an early poisoned grave.
And then there are the cockroaches. Heather despises them, she feels that they are harbingers of filth and uncleanliness. While there may be some truth to that, they’re just looking for a cool, dry place to set up shop and raise a family of millions. It used to be that Ia was the great bug killer, destroying beetles and cockroaches with triumphant pounces and shoulder rolls, but lately she’s been to lazy to even bother. We’ve had to resort to toxic death chambers to keep their numbers at bay. Its not as exciting as the great insect hunter Ia, but they get the job done.
I’ve had some phobic experiences with crawlers, similar to the flyers in my past. I had a project in school, once, where we had to capture and preserve an insect for some nature lesson. In my attempt to catch a millipede in my back yard, I suffered a ringing in my ears and tunnel vision as I tried to scoop it into the pickle jar that would later be a lethal gas chamber for it. Much later, when living in the dorms, I was watching TV in Heather’s room when a sizable cockroach all of a sudden appeared on my forearm. After much flailing and flinging of large shoes and magazines, we finally decided there were better things to do than sit in her dorm room and watch TV.
Regardless, while I’m still not a fan of insects and their ilk, I wish them no ill will. However, in reference to the topic in question, I would not miss them if they inexplicably ceased to exist in our reality. This, of course, would have to come in some kind of mystical natural balance where the entire chain of predators and prey was not disintegrated by the loss of one link.
Originally posted at K. Close III
You can comment at kclose3.com
Today’s Tweets
Thursday, September 11th, 2008 | LiveJournal Archives | No Comments
- 08:24 Man, humid out there today… but I also found a new route that makes my ride 3000% easier! #
- 08:53 Holy crap, I completely forgot Rock Band 2 is supposed to be in stores on Sunday!!! #
- 09:31 oh great, meetings. #
- 13:15 So I’m enjoying Mass Effect… its like KoTOR, sans Star Wars. #
- 14:14 It feels like a robe and slippers day. #
- 14:49 Installing slow ass software patches. #
- 14:55 Why are these patches so slow!? #
- 15:12 Software installed, time to ride back to the Art Building. #
- 15:19 Aaaaand, back to Hickory. #
- 16:24 Working on more insufferably slow computers, this time with ants. #
- 17:06 Time to ride home, YAY! #
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Today’s Tweets
Wednesday, September 10th, 2008 | LiveJournal Archives | No Comments
- 08:27 Hey, where’d my Tiny Adventures go? #
- 09:52 My GameFly Queue is full of games that haven’t even come out yet! #
- 09:58 A first-person Parkour game? Really? #
- 10:35 hey. its raining. #
- 11:01 Man, I’m totally in the mood to just be home, today. #
- 11:09 yesterday was a wicked fast day, today is c r a w l i n g . . . #
- 11:26 Well, if the HTC Diamond is all its cracked up to be, it may be my new phone next year. Yay for $150 rebate in December! #
- 13:14 Curses, I know I will fall prey to this: tinyurl.com/5s93zv #
- 15:29 Hmm, torn about “Fast and Furious” #
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