She sings

 Music Makers are my heroes.  Music is the fuel for the soul and those who create it are angels.  I'm not ashamed to say I cry sometimes when I get the injection.

I've been sinking deep into LCD Soundsystem recently and have landed on Get Innocuous.  I know James is the mastermind but Nancy Whang makes it happen.

LCD Soundsystem | Get Innocuous! live at Lollapalooza Chile 2018 | 1080p 60fps - YouTube

And then there is this...

Led Zeppelin - Going To California (Live at Earls Court 1975) [Official Video] - YouTube

I spent some time in Earl's Court in the 90s but I don't remember there ever being a venue that could handle Led Zeppelin.  But then I guess that is the point- there is no vessel that can contain the power of music.

Find.  Enjoy.  Share.  Repeat.

The Creator had a master tape...

 I know there is a Father-type being that has the master plan for everything and everyone including yours truly.  But sometimes I wonder- did He leave the master tape in the window of a hot car?

I bought a hair salon.

I don't need a hair salon.  I can't use a hair salon.  And still, here I am the proud new owner.  I suppose the chairs could be fun.  I wonder if the chemicals are flammable?

At any rate, The Creator has a master tape and I trust its a good one.  It might have a warbley part in the middle where the sun got to it, but it'll smooth out and by the final track it'll be 100%.

In other news:  I'm super impressed with the Cane Creek Helm after a first ride at The View.  Full review after 20 hours or so...

Just go and throw your hands up!

 After blowing out two Rock Shox forks in less than 18 months, I'm done with Rock Shox... and SRAM... and Fox... and... and... big corporate dummyheads selling crap and taking my money... Dummies!!.  Yeah, that's my consumer right.  You make me mad, I leave you- FOREVER.

I'm on DVO and Cane Creek suspension now and couldn't be happier.  Take that SCAM and F**X!

I know I'm not worth poop in a sock to them but that made me feel better.

Dig this: LCD Soundsystem - Best Kept Secret 2018 - YouTube

Function before fashion... I guess

 How did Campagnolo- a traditional Italian company immersed in the cultural ideal of that country that says in order for something to perform, it must be beautiful- get to this?

Yikes.  I'm sure it'll perform- albeit nominally- but it looks like... ugh... I don't know what it looks like!  Maybe it'll grow on me.

I prefer the simple elegance of my old Dura Ace cranks.

They've performed flawlessly since 1993 and they're somehow soothing to behold.  The Campys make me want to bite the inside of my lip when I see them.  Fortunately, I'll not be looking at them most of the time.  Maybe they will feel spectacular and I'll grow to cherish them.

That's not steel...

 I've been hunting the elusive steel bike frame and fork for awhile now.  I've found that there is a matrix of variables- quality tubing, right design, beautiful details, price, sizing, availability- but none of these intersect even close to the right place.  Most commonly everything lines up but the frameset is only available with a carbon fork- No Thanks.

Meanwhile... I'm sitting around the house not riding as much as I want/should/need to.

On a whim (as whimsical as I get- read: fretting and wringing of hands for 3 days) I purchased a new crabon frameset.

Giant TCR Advanced SL Team CCC.  Giant was unloading them after CCC disbanded recently.  I got it cheap and it'll get me by until I can bag my steely dream ride.

I cut the fork steerer and the seatmast today.  Both were far and away the most difficult times I've ever had getting through a carbon cut.  I guess that could be a good sign??  I was nervous as heck about cutting the seatmast b/c it is part of the frame- screw that up and the frame is hosed.  I cut it 10mm long on purpose just to be safe and I'm glad I did b/c I cut it off-square.  I will use a grinder to square it up and to bring it to the correct length.  The stem height it probably a little high but I'll refine that after I ride it.

I rode Needles and Iron Mt. yesterday on my Lynskey gravel.  Super fun.  But it was like driving the Nurburgring in a pickup truck.  Looking forward to railing it on the Giant.

Favorite song right now: "I write sins not tragedies"

 I dig this song by Panic! at the Disco on multiple levels.  The strings... the composition... the content...  It reminds me of my own failed marriage and another wedding I attended with a stirring of upsetting the apple cart many moons ago.

I Write Sins Not Tragedies With Lyrics - YouTube

I don't generally promote things with cursing in it but in this case it just makes me think of a ghost of an angry old man who had a chance to do things better than he did and now he's shaking his fist at young folks that can't see him... So that makes it OK, because that's the way I feel sometimes.

The entire album- A Fever You Can't Sweat Out- is fantastic front to back but this song is the hook and I'm enjoying swimming around with it stuck in my mouth at the moment.

Shut the front door!

New Stuff Day

 I finally got the package that I've been waiting for since April 1st.

The only other Campy Record group I have is model year 1986 and it is fantastico.  If I can get 35 years out of the new set I'll be very pleased... and probably senile.

Bruciare, Danillo.  Bruciare.

You have one body, one mind, and one spirit.

Favorite song right now...

They're Coming To Take Me Away Ha Haaa B-side by Napoleon XIV.

This is not the quirky song you heard on Dr. Demento's famous radio show about a man spiraling into utter madness.  This is the madness.

 You have to loop it for about 45 minutes to get it.

B-side of They're Coming to Take Me Away by Napoleon XIV - YouTube

I've been searching- without knowing- for awhile to put a tag on "things".  This nailed it.

When I'm not listening to this, I'm listening to Beatles Rubber Soul and Revolver studio cuts that didn't make those albums- Day Tripper, We Can Work It Out, Rain, etc.

What a wonderful age we live in...

 Charging my Olight PL-MINI 2 magnetically with my Goal Zero Flip 20:

Goal Zero stuff is crazy good.  This battery was stowed away in my camping gear tote for over a year and when I pulled it out it still had a full charge!  I thought maybe the charge indicator lights might be giving me a false indication so I started charging things.  I charged my cell phone from 50% to full four times and charged my Olight from 10% to full and the Goal Zero Flip 20 went from full to 50%.  Guess it was indicating correctly.  Amazing.

Sundown you better take care.....

I've found the end of the internet.

 This:

Hotel California | One girl One band | Study hard at the age of six | 一个人的乐队 加州旅馆 Miumiu的六岁学习成果 - YouTube

Question: Why are her cymbals see-through???  I actually like the stacked cymbal setup on the tom side with the little china crash.  But why are they see-through?!

Grassroots Precision

I love my Pop.  I needed a weird non-standard tiny bit of part to make my new frameset work and he got it for me!  I got a new frameset that requires a 1-1/4" steerer clamp rather than the standard 1-1/8".

I thought I'd be able to *get by* with a cut-to-size hardware store plumbing piece:

This is a 5mm section of hydrostatic pump expulsion pipe.  It's made of really hard plastic and would probably work.  But my Pop knows a guy who- for a bottle of home-made wine- machined me a much better part out of steel to within .5/1000 tolerance.  Bam!

I love old dudes with skills.

Going Green

 I've been on the juice since the beginning of this year.  I made the decision to start juicing because I needed something to hard-start my human life vessel back into something capable of doing the things my spirit needs it to do in order to experience joy on this planet.

Typical breakfast:

Converts to this:

It's delicious!  It really is.  It wasn't at first, but after awhile, my tastes changed and there are things I don't like anymore- canned tuna, hamburger, bread- and things I can't get enough of- blueberries, kiwi, broccoli.

I started with a 15-day juice fast b/c I needed a hard shock to the system.  I needed something to punch me in the face and a hard stop-start point where I began making different and better life choices.  My second fast is set to begin in a couple of days, but I love to juice everyday.  (Never thought I'd be that guy)

In other news...

I'm looking forward to putting many hours on the new(ish) Recluse this year.  The build was completed in the Fall of last year and I only got a handful of rides on it before the conditions got messy.  I pulled it out of winter storage a few days ago and got it all tuned up and ready to go.... then it snowed 15 inches.  Soon, very soon...

Talking to Humans

 I'm progressive in some ways.  I like prog rock mos def.  But there's some things I like to do the ol' fashioned way.  I like to call up Betsy and talk to her about paying my water bill once a month.  When I'm late, she sometimes lets it slide and doesn't charge me the late fee- shhhh....

Today I called up White Industries and had a pleasant conversation with Lynette before ordering a new set of hubs.  Lynette is in Petaluma, CA.  We talked about the differences between California and South Dakota.

I don't always go in for the flash and bling, but I thought gold was appropriate for the intended application.  Gold is White Industries' longest lead time for any color option but I don't care.  It's like Lynette said, "It's better to wait a little bit to get what you really want."

What makes a Bubble Bath better?

 I recently You Tube-binged on Family Feud "funniest moments".  That Steve Harvey is one charismatic, funny, dude.  One of the questions presented to the contestants was: "What makes a bubble bath better?"

Well, this was right up my alleyway of expertise- I thought- as I take a bubble bath most every night.  I was so excited!

The family that was playing this question was 4 women and 1 dude and they did really well.  But as each one of them offered up credible answers like, "Wine", and "Candles, and, "Scents", I kept thinking "MUSIC!".  Finally one of them did say "Music" and 8 out of 100 people surveyed agreed.

By far, the best bubble bath music that I've found is Moe's Dither.  It's just right in there with everything you need exactly when you need it whilst soaking in the suds.

I feel like an old-west. hard-seasoned, out-on-the-trail cowboy when I'm sitting in the bubble bath.  It feels like I've done something dirty and now it's time to get clean.  I'm not saying it's spiritual, but it's very close.  Ohhh.... it's very close.

 Heart's Magazine is right in there too.