Monthly Archive for July, 2009

Country Cracker

Published on 7/12/2009. 0 Comments Tags: , .

For years now, my dad has been telling me that some day, Ill get into country western music. If course, I know that will simply never happen; not while I am still cognizant enough to maintain my own dignity at least. Having said that, I stumbled across a band today that brings back some memories.

At the age of 14, Cracker was the first bad I had ever seen live. A friend of mine named Jen, was having a birthday party and wanted to go see this band. Having never heard of them, but not being one to turn down fun or my first concert invite, I decided to go along. Apparently, her mother had an in with the owners of Club DV8 and so she was able to get a bunch of 14 and 15 year-oldsters into the bar.

Long story short, it proved to be an amazing experience as I saw Cracker headline a show opened by a group called Sun 60 and, of all groups, The Wallflowers (1992, a few years before they blew up). I still have that ticket stub kicking around somewhere.

Instantly, I loved the Cracker sound; some mix of hillbilly blues, country, and some solid alternative mojo (a la lead man David Lowrey and his experience with Camper Van Beethoven). Yes folks, Cracker is as close as I will likely come to ever being a fan of country music.

As one might imagine, I was thoroughly excited today to learn that Cracker are still around and have released their newest work, Sunset In The Land Of Milk And Honey. Same sound, same lineup, same Cracker.

As of now, I have given the album a good once through, and will give only some brief thoughts. The first song to jump out at me was Friends as it seems to have the most classic Cracker sound I remember and frankly, any song starting off with the line "Well, I will never sleep with your ex girlfriend, even if she starts to flirt with me…again" is good by me. Turn On, Tune In, Drop Out With Me reflects a lot of the thoughts I have periodically about getting the hell out of Dodge (as in love with Dodge as I am some days…). Hey Bret (You Know What Time It Is) starts of with a classic harmonica-fueled Cracker sound while We All Shine A Light brings back a flavor of old the Old Camper tunes. Finally, the title track closes the album out with a little bit kick saying “cause dying is easy, it’s living that’s hard…”.

I may post more later, but I think it goes without saying that I’m glad to see Cracker back. If you’re a fan of old Cracker or Camper Van Beethoven, check out the new album.

Sunrise In The Land Of Milk And Honey (iTunes Link)

Salt City Sprints

Published on 7/10/2009. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

I kick ass. As a matter of fact, you have no idea how much ass I kick.

Tonight, a coworker invited me to a local club where her husband was putting on a cycling competition? Cycling? At a club? A great question Watson, now let us deduce.

Salt City Sprints was started by my coworker’s husband, who also runs the local bicycle collective. As the website states, it’s quite simple:

The basics of these sprints entails two riders. Not only are you racing each other, but also the clock. Two stationary track bikes will be mounted via a fork stand. The rear wheel will spin freely on the Krietler roller system. The distance that the each rider travels will be accurately measured through our in house designed (more on the technical vervage later), connected via USB port to our computer. This method will much more accurately measure statistics like time, speed, distance and wattage. We might even throw in an actual light bulb to see how much electricity your throwing down. Holla!

I can’t quite recall the distance (my guess is something close to a quarter mile, 400 meters?), but I know it’s equal to turning the cranks something like 54 times on a 53/15 gear. Stiff.

So, she and her husband raced and afterward, she asked me if I’d do it; after a minute, I agreed. The organizers found a girl (Laura) to race and it was on. Clipped in, adjusted the seat, and 4, 3, 2, 1, Go! We were off. I peddled as fast as I have in a LONG time and it seemed like forever. Soon, I was finished. The results?

15.705 seconds. Max speed 59mph. The fastest time of the night. First time on the bike, I won. Of course, that speed is adjusted, there is little friction and no wind resistance, but still, I was hauling ass. Two of the guys I met tonight were close, but me…the new guy…won. I was so elated. I didn’t think I’d be that fast. Many other people were in the mid to high 17s and low 18s. I hammered it. Despite the fact that I was a bit nauseous afterwards, I was blown away.

So, that was my Thursday night. I rode home all the way from 600 N. and 400 W. I put in well over 50k today. It was a great day on the bike. Time for bed.

2,000k

Published on 7/1/2009. 2 Comments Tags: , , .

So, Im pretty proud of myself. I looked down at my odometer after finishing my ride home tonight and realized I broke 2,000 kilometers on my bike recently. Actually, thats just 2,000 road kilometers, I dont measure my mountain bike rides.

2,000k in a little over a year isnt bad (Im at 2,120k actually). I started commuting last year in the last week of May. Since, Ive commuted on and off and have been making every attempt recently to ride at least two of my four workdays every week. Of course, Im completely unsatisfied with 2,000k and know Im capable of much more. Frankly, I could double that. Hell, 2,000k is only 40k per week. My daily commute from Midvale to downtown is 42k. I can do better.

So, Im going to think of a goal and really make sure its attainable. Ill update the site when I settle and even see if I can find some way of tracking it on the site. Until then, Ill continue patting my own back.