Notes and a slight rant

Note 1: Greascar kit came in and I am going to install it this week, psyched.

Note 2: When you almost run someone over and then proceed to drive away by running a red light a wave does not suffice for sorry. Then again maybe he was trying to cover his ashamed face.

Small Rant:
I was asked recently while in a room with someone eating a large portion of cold steak with their hand if I miss anything being vegan. No I do not, I have gained a lot from my choice mentally, ethically and sometimes spiritually. I am not saying this is the only way to live, merely commenting on the tendency to question what someone may miss by making a decision rather than focusing on the positive side of their choice and considering it a possibility.

Smackeddown

So my friend Parker tells me that I may have been slacking on the blog front. Perhaps may is not a strong enough word, but in leiu of extravagant excuses I will give you a synopsis of what's been going on and what is to come. So grab a cup of coffee, or a nice glass of malbec and ride along with me.

Since returning to the often windy Twin Cities area, things have been busy for me. I have learned a bit about the barista trade while working at CRC coffee bar and through pointers from my former champion barista girlfriend Laurel. An unofficial champion, but she can make some mean coffee and the best grits I have ever tasted.

I am also working the morning shift at The Alt bikeshop, doing tunes and other repairs before the store opens. They offer next day service, because there is really no room to keep anything anywhere for very long, it makes for interesting bike placement and the 6am wakeup every day combined with Laurels late night schedule at the resturant make for alot of afternoon naps and read eyes in the morning.

Additionally I have been doing some bicycle frame design work, I started my own company called Dori-Mu Design LLC in the fall and have been doing a bit of work. One of the companies is a new local bike brand called Handsome cycles. I did not work on their first product, the devil, but am currently working on some future products, so stay tuned to Handsomecycles.com and if you live in Minneapolis, stop down to 1on1 bikes tonight at 9pm for the official release party.

Enough about the present though, I hear it is the new past anyway, lets get to the future.

A few weeks ago, I went out to Sunny CA for a few days to visit some friends, sorry that I missed you, but I'll be back soon. I went out to pick up a car with my friend Jon and drive it back to Minnesota. Apparrently we also went out to drive up hills at 40mph with a clogged fuel filter for the first day and then drive for 30hours straight to make it back in time for his return to Chicago. Note to self, the next time and idea like this pops up, take a bit more time to sort things out first.

The point of all of this rambling is to let you know that I have purchased a diesel mercedes and will soon be adding a second tank to run on wase vegetable oil. This will be used for some trips that are being planned for later in the year and possibly some Handsome cycles adventures.

The first trip is going to be to the deep south east to visit with Laurels parents and attend her mothers ordination as a Methodist minister. We will head to South Carolina, Savannah, Georgia and make a stop in Ashville, NC so I can drool over the cycling environment, see places I have never been and hopefully get some vegan soul food in Savannah.

The second summer sojurn will be to scout out the future home base for team Irving. Laurel and I will head west, towards San Francisco, south and east towards Boulder, further south to Austin, and back north to Minneapolis via Oaklahoma and Laurels Granddmas. Get your votes in now and contact your local university about getting us some Grad school grants and you may find us as neighbors, or should the trappings of society become too much, on your floor :).

Finally for this update is the largest news, this fall I am planning on ding a bicycle tour on the entire east coast with my friends Aaron, Matt, Jon and hopefully a few others. We will be riding from Maine to Key West and playing shows along the way to raise money for charities and get to the root of what Aaron and I consider punk rock touring. Currently slated to begin toward the beginning of September, we will stick fairly close to the coast and play anywhere that is down, so if you or someone you know is willing and able to help us book some shows and/or wants to raide along and defintitely isn't a jerk please contact me.

Thats the not so quick and definitely dirty, I will do my best to become a more diligent poster, so thanks for keeping me in line Parker and I will see you in July.

Blake