three martini bikeride

Here's an idea for Bike to Work Week, a three martini bike ride. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three-martini_lunch
This would be an opportunity for bike minded people to get together casually and discus bike issues in Spokane and in general. This should be done during the work day, you would of coarse get extra points for bringing your boss or an elected official, and dress should be business casual, yes this means a tie. I'm thinking three bars over an area small enough for newer riders but far enough apart that traffic issues will be experienced and can then be discussed in context. This is the sort of ride where the names of the not so innocent must be protected, yes you should do this on the clock. It's about how the business and the bike communities can help each other, so give this some thought and maybe we can set something up.

Fullmoon Howl

It's a full moon tonight and that means an FBC ride. This a great combonation of some of my favorite thing, cue Van Traps, bicycling, hanging out with friends and sharing a beer. Toninght there is a Lunar Ecipse so we get a little show before the ride, if you care to join the info is here http://fbcspokane.blogspot.com/ look for the full report soon

Commuting to work in February

I haven't been riding my bike to work much lately, not so much because of the weather, the last time was the first big snow storm in December. It's just that I had another option, my brother loaned me his truck so I drove.
The funny thing about riding is that thinking about it is always harder then doing it, but once you're out there you just pedal and get where ever you're headed. It's hard to get new riders to beleive you when you tell them their commute won't take much longer than driving until after they have done it a few times.
So if you're thinking about it, quit thinking and start pedaling.

blogging for the sake of blogging

OK so I don't have alot to say, I'm stuggling with the idea that I have to come up with something interesting to write about or I'm just wasting space. There is also the delema of what to write about, if I spend all the time discussing beer and whiskey you'll wonder how much does the guy drink, and if I go stream of concence on how I search out the details of small record label info I will again bore you to tears. I have decided not to worry about it, so if you don't find any of this interesting that's OK I'm still learning to write so check back in a few months or years and see if I've gotten any better and developed any kind of style.

Hopefully the snow will start going away soon and the bicycle content will go up. I did get out for a breakfast ride last week and that helps.

Winter cycling blahs

I haven't been out on the bike since the FBC ride on the 22nd http://fbcspokane.blogspot.com/ which wasn't a ride so much as a hop from one warm bar to another and with near record snowfall I don't think I'll be going on any long rides soon, altough I have been snowshoeing a couple of time so I guess that will have to make up for it.

Looking forward to some spring ride, long cold wet rides with a farm breakfast at the end.

Muffuletta

As the snow fell in near record amounts last night I put the final piece of 'The Sandwich' in place. For the last year or two I've have been playing with the muffuletta, this a New Orleans original created around 1906 in the Italian markets of New Orleans. I've never been there but having read mystery novels set there, where the detective always stops for a po'boy or muffuletta, I was fascinated and wanted to know what it was. I worked at a place that did a vegetarian Muffuletta served hot but I always felt like this wasn't quite what I was looking for and after a Google search I found the Gumbo pages http://www.gumbopages.com/ This a great resource for Cajun or Creole cooking. The bread was the last piece of fine tuning and Friday I tried a recipe that had been percolating in the back of my brain so here's the the result. These three Muffulettas fed 8 people with almost a whole one left, it was a nice evening with friends and family and Wii.

New Music

I pre-ordered a couple of CDs the other night, they both come out Feb. 5 and other then that I don't think they have anything in common.

The first is Chime Bells, it is suppose to be vintage cowboy yodel, some of it not available since it was released on 78.

The second is Kiss Kiss Kill Kill by the Horrorpops.

Here's a funny thing, since we got an Ipod in Apirl I've lost track of the number of new CDs I've bought. The previous few years I bought mostly from the used bin, letting chance and a good deal dictate what I purchased, now I'm finding obscure rockabilly, surf, 50's & 60's garagepunk, western swing, new country punk and pcychobilly, I've got 45+ record labels and online stores bookmarked... maybe if the major labels work at putting out good music instead of trying to protect an out dated business model... anyway enough of that rant