i am indisposed

Saturday last was the second annual Reno Bike Project Bikeout or Strikeout! I, [un]fortunately was NOT able to participate in the Alleycat Race as a racer, but rather was there to help stencil the Black Hole Body piercing logo on the t-shirts of the racers. Dug e Fresh (www.scalleycat.com) put on a cool race. Chief amongst the coolness was the idea to use spray-painted stencils for each stop as the objectives. It was cool to see the racers come with more and more stencils and to get some yellow paint on my coolass cowboy shirt!

Check out the RGJ Vid (which SADLY I can’t embed!)

Anyway, check out David LaPlante’s post for links to more pics. It was s fun event. Someday it’ll be bigger that Hott Agast Nights or Street Vibrators.

-M

Cyclist hit by car in downtown Reno, Nevada.

Callie hit by car

Originally uploaded by i am indisposed
One thing I worry about as I ride my bike around town is getting hit by a car. That’s why I wear a hard shell bmx/freeride helmet.

The thing I worry about even more is someone I love getting hit by a car, since my wife, sisters, brother-in-law and most of my friends ride around town a lot.

That second fear materialized yesterday when I got a call from my sister saying she got T-Boned by a car on her bike. She was riding East on Fourth Street when a westbound car turning south onto Lake hit her at the front wheel. She went over the car, by far the preferable vector, hit the windshield with her helmeted head and onto the ground. Hit her head twice, both times protected by the helmet. She said she remembered the impacts and that they didn’t hurt at all. The helmet is in ok shape. Scuffed and cracked a little. Certainly needs to be replaced.

The driver and several others stopped immeadiately, called police and EMTs. They patched her up with bandages, though she wasn’t actually bleeding anywhere. Everything on the wrap-up went well. The driver got a ticket and has insurance.

Her bike is a little messed up. The front wheel bearings are running rough indicating a bent axle, which means that the carbon forks are ruined. The rear wheel is out of true and the driveside chainstay is bent. Various other scratches and scuffs, but not horrible. She can’t ride it at least.

I had prepared a lecture for her about wearing a helmet, but thankfully she had already started wearing one regularly. For those of you who think a helmet can’t help you in a car-bike collision: you’re dead fucking wrong.

-M

This is my grandfather, John Henderson. He was a Navy Fighter pilot on an aircraft carrier in WW2. After his service he settled in Baton Rouge Louisiana with his wife Rosemary and raised the family which included my father, John. (more…)

I heard on channel 8 news from Ann Cutler (I’d change that If I were you, too close you know…) that there was a crash @ Liberty and Sinclair necessitating “extrication.” So naturally I rushed out to get a looksee.

(more…)

A lot of babies look like pot-bellied pigs when they’re first born. -Ben Craig

I met Ed Adkins a week or so ago. He was in a gin-induced anti Tom Green rant, but seemed like a charming enough fellow. His wife, Heidi, was there too. Super nice people, and funny too!

(more…)

it’s pretty incestuous here… -Kyle Kozar

So yesterday I was chilling with the RBP drinkin’ PBR and chatting with Kyle, Noah, Mike, Reid, and the gang. The above quote came from me asking questions about how they came together, got hooked up with the people they’re hooked up with. (more…)

This is what blogs are for.-M

The dirt road crossed the wide valley for miles, and the boy stopped the truck right in the middle. As he set the brake and opened the door he watched something lying ahead of us in the dirt. He got out and left his cowboy hat where it was on the dashboard. He pulled a shovel from the bed which was littered with ropes, tools and containers all stuffed in the cracks and spaces with hay and dust. Still fixed on something in the road, he walked around to the front of the truck. I don’t know how the kid spotted it, but from the passenger side of the cab I could just make out that there was a rattlesnake stretched out in the middle of road. It was still morning and cool, and the way it was reposed there blocking our path looked to me like it was basking in the sun that only a few minutes before had risen over the mountains that contained the valley.

(more…)

Now I’m not necessarily ready to jump up and scream my Reno-gasm from the top of the Palladio, but on days like Saturday, living downtown kicks ass!

Smella and I met up with our new Friends, Mr. and Mrs. Reno Rambler and rode our bikes in the first Resurrected Reno Rambler ride. The RRs were a primitive bike club here in Reno long ago even before the Wheelmen. They had a bugler and proclaimed that the streets of this fair city were better than average for the riding of bikes. I’d say that’s still the case, though the cars are a tad sub-optimal.

We met up @ Plumas Park, and rolled to Saint Lawrence and Marsh where a guy restores and sells old bicycles. Amazingly enough none of us found something we had to have.

Then we rolled on to Walden’s Coffehouse and had breakfast and coffee. It was nice. Smella and I do this all the time and highly recommend the practice. After a few rounds of coffee we cruised out to Patagucci down Mayberry and the river trail and looked at high priced and ill fitting outdoor gear.

Rode back and hit the California Ave farmer’s market. Got corn, cherries, peaches, tomatoes and carrots.

Then it was on to the Tour de Nez! Here’s why it’s nice to live so close: Dropped the food off at home, hit the race. Bought some stuff from Bike Brothers. Got some cool hats and T-shirts hand made here in Reno. Talked to some fixie Bike Geeks. Watched the Messenger race start. Smella bailed to get a haircut @ Salon 7. And I cruised around with D-Lap. He and his fam live in the hood too, though on the good side of Arlington Ave. Then home to pick up the good camera, down to the salon to tell Nicole I couldn’t make it cause I had to shoot the Master’s race, down to the park, for a total trip of 10 minutes from D-Lap’s house to park! SWEET!

JWox rocked the house! He’s there third one back. Then home for some left over Pho, then back for the group photo on the Arlington Street Bridge, then home to change into some shorts cause it was hot, then back for the start of the Pro Race. Then home with friends for some Wisconsin Style Brats. We could have doubled the square footage for the price living in Sparks, or Arrowcrack or Demonte Raunch, but stuff like this would have slipped right by us.

-M

Worked in the yard again today. It’s great to live where we live. Kevin dropped in four times over the weekend on his way to and from work, and because, “it’s faster than calling.” Dave stopped by on a ride. PJ did a drive by. I think I saw Andy. And Ryan Jerz stopped by to say hello.

I have been reading his blog and commenting, but we both agree that blog-mmenting and blog-nonymity have their places, but a little human contact is still pretty nice, especially when you live in the same neighborhood!

Anyway, shoveling for two days takes it’s toll on flimsy arms like mine. Here’s what I did to move that last two yards of topsoil:

Still no beer. Made it through a BBQ and everything!

-M