Pak Sabar dan Om Fathur menyiapkan posisi sapi untuk kemudian di sembelih

Hari Raya Qurban atau umat Islam sering menyebutnya Hari Raya Idul Adha, adalah salah satu hari besar agama Islam. Hari besar ini merupakan sunnah yang ada pada zaman Nabi Ismail yang kemudian terus berlanjut sampai sekarang. Saya tidak akan membahas tentang bagaimana sejarahnya, tapi saya akan menceritakan tentang bagaimana suasana hari besar tersebut.

Saat ini saya sedang study di Malang, dan saya masih merindukan euphoria hari besar keagamaan di kampung halaman saya, Balikpapan. Saya tinggal di daerah yang ramai dan warganya sangat kompak. Di hari-hari menjelang Idul Adha seperti ini saya sering merindukan suasana di rumah. Saya coba membuka album foto saya untuk menceritakan kembali suasana yang saya ridukan. Foto-foto ini diambil tahun 2006 tepatnya 3 tahun yang lalu.

Senyum ceria yang selalu ditampilkan dalam kebersamaan

Bahu-membahu memindahkan sapi untuk dikuliti –> Walaupun berat, kalau dilakukan secara bersama akan terasa ringan juga..

Membagi daging sapi untuk kemudian dibungkus dan disalurkan kepada warga sekitar

by Om Hanif
(disarikan dari sepedaku.com dan cerita di mailing list cikarangmtb@yahoogroups.com )

Jejak Metropolitan 1700 tahun yang lalu…

Ada keingin-tahuan mengenai di mana pusat kerajaan besar tertua di Jawa yaitu kerajaan Tarumanegara?… di Bogor?… Bukan!!

Menduga-duga kata Tarumanegara apakah ada hubungannya dengan Citarum,… selidik punya selidik ternyata emang berhubungan. Sungai terpanjang di Jawa Barat yang berhulu di timur Bandung tsb. ternyata merupakan lingkungan kerajaan Tarumanegara.

Dari hasil googling menemukan referensi, bahwa:

1. Pusat Kerajaan Tarumanegara berada di Bekasi… Selain situs di Ciaruteum (di Cianten dan sekitarnya).. ada juga Situs2 Purbakala di Tugu (Cilincing), Buni (Babelan-Bekasi), Batujaya dan Cibuaya di Karawang…

2. Pada tahun 417 Purnawarman memerintahkan penggalian Sungai Gomati dan Candrabaga (Kali Bekasi ?) sepanjang 6112 tombak (sekitar 11 km). Selesai penggalian, sang prabu mengadakan selamatan dengan menyedekahkan 1.000 ekor sapi kepada kaum brahmana.
> ini bikin penasaran untuk mencari jejak canal tsb, mestinya masih ada… dari Google map.. ada beberapa tempat yang dapat diperkirakan merupakan jejak canal yang dulunya sebagai ‘jalan tol’ metropolitan masa Tarumanegara.

Dari kedua hal tsb… mendorong keinginan untuk nggowes ke daerah Metropolitan tsb… dan sekali2 pengin ngerasain sepedaan jarak jauh – menurut ukuran saya.

Secara per-MTBan.. gowes sorangan kali ini, agak keluar patron… karena didominasi onroad, nggak ada tanjakan, nggak ada turunan… sebagian aspal ajrut2an dan single track tambak… dan flat PP 120.6 km… kalo dalam satuan yang digunakan jaman dulu.. setara dengan jarak 66,676 tombak…hehehe

Lega, puas, kagum dengan situsnya… tapi agak kapok sama gowes touringnya…

Posting di sepedaku.com….

Foto-foto di hmarga.multiply.com…

In the MIL course my co-facilitator Mew Aeon and I currently are running in SL the students are expected to analyze SL as teaching and learning environment, and in order to stimulate the students’ critical reflections we have prepared 4 discussions on different topics related to ICT-based Didactic Design. Last night we had the first discussion and for this I had prepared some slides (in Danish) focusing on two main topics; the field of Didactics and target groups.

8 students are enrolled in the course and since 3 of them did not have the possibility to participate in our recent f2f kick-off introductions  I had decided to repeat some central points. First of all there is the term ICT-based Didactic Design, which my colleague, Professor Birgitte Holm Sørensen from the Danish School of Education defines like this:

The process by which the purpose, the goals and the content is determined, and where the planning, the organization and the arena for teaching and learning is shaped based on theories and in relation to ICT-based practice in a context.

Via course readings the students are introduced to various didactic theories and models – one of the latter being the so called Didactic Triangle (usually attributed to German Pedagogical Philosopher Johann Friedrich Herbart 1776-1841) that depicts the basic relationships between teacher – content – student. Though all of us can agree that the field of Didactics includes more elements than the relationships in the Didactic Triangle it does, in my opinion, highlight the fundamentals and creates an excellent starting point for discussions on some of the key issues in Didactics.

Key issues in Didactics: content and actors

Now, what I find particularly interesting when you combine ICT with Didactic Design is that ICT not only serve as materials but also as arena or “room” for teaching and learning –an aspect which clearly is amplified when using 3D virtual technology like SL.  Most MIL students can be characterized as being tech-savvy educators/trainers for whom it is relevant to further enhance their competencies in integrating ICT in their practice and we naturally ended up discussing what impact especially web 2.0 tools/services will have on the way we think and practice didactics.

As I see it Web 2.0 tools/services have the potential of changing our perspectives and thus practices regarding:

• Users – both the students and the teachers with regard to relations/roles/responsibilities
• Participation – as we shift from consumption to (co-)production
• Multimodality – new possibilities to design for teaching and learning processes
• Networks and connections – from local to global citizenship
• Knowledge management – both from an information and communication perspective and with regard to security and ethics

How does web 2.0 change the way we think and practice didactics?

For the last decade the Danish pedagogical debate has been focusing on learning and learners (in opposition to teaching and teachers) – and this shift in perspective has been highly welcome and much needed. On the other hand this shift seems to have placed the role of the teacher in some sort of vacuum (are teachers obsolete in the future as polemically stated by David Gelernter ?) making the challenges related to especially ICT integration more difficult and complex than necessary. When discussing target groups we therefore also encourage the MIL students to carefully consider the roles of the teachers. Much as anticipated we did not reach any solid conclusions on any of the topics, but I do believe the discussions inspired the students and I’m looking forward to the next session later this week.

As part of our focus on target groups who could benefit from an environment like SL, we ended the night by visiting Health Info Island, including The Path of Support and finished off by investigating the Virtual Guide Dog.

/Mariis

Huh, so this was supposed to be a place for the me to write about the things I am doing as a musician/filmmaker. Yet apparently this is where I write about food and exercise and my crazy brain. If I thought someone was reading, I would apologize (hah, but you already KNOW THAT now!) Here’s the thing: I am bad at sharing. I hate, and have always hated, talking about myself. Why blog then? I love writing, and appreciate it very much when other people share. I hope to develop more skill as a writer and become less self-conscious when that “ME ME ME” voice pipes up and tells me to stop.

Why am I having a hard time writing about music? I am not totally sure. The general concept is something along the lines that I feel far away from the reasons I want to be a musician. That sounds harsh. I don’t like the way that rolls off the tongue, but it is what I’m going through so I have to deal with it. Having worked for a high profile syndicated radio program since last May, my knowledge of what it means to live in the music business has skyrocketed.  Besides some of the standard, liquid-y, “I scratched your back once now you must scratch mine” attitude that seems to drive much of the behind-the-scenes action, my experiences have largely been inspiring and encouraging towards my own desire to also be in that world (note: at the show, I am not “the musician” but “the filmmaker” so I get to peer zoo-like at the professional musicians who come through.)

But. There is a “but.” I have started to (prematurely and unnecessarily) worry that my personality is completely wrong for everything about being a musician, save for the writing, playing, rehearsing and being on stage part. I love everything about the creative parts of music, and I will never be able to explain the electricity I feel when playing a show. However: I innately detest promoting myself, I am good at meeting people, yet it exhausts me, and (this is the big one) I don’t want to travel round and round the country for the rest of my life. And I will have to. Part of the whole touring musician is, you know, touring. I will do what I need to do, and I realize that constant travel is hard on anyone, but if I’m being really honest with myself, I know the essence of my being does NOT want that lifestyle. I relish in having a home, and place that I can work and play and enjoy. Shit, I don’t even go out on weekends very often. I’d honestly rather be doing something creative at my apartment. However, no one is going to pay me to play songs to myself on my keyboard (unfortunately.) So, I’m a little bit worried.

I have been assured that I should not be anxious about something before I’ve tried it. I understand that, and I am trying my best to follow through. I am also trying to figure out what my dream job is in the event that all my worries actually come true. No doubt there is music. I have a suspicion there could be film. Scoring would be wonderful, but I don’t think I have the theory chops to do it (at least not right now). I have ideas, but that is all they are.

So, this is why it’s been difficult to write about music. I feel unsettled and fearful towards the idea being a touring artist, something I have never felt before. In a way, though, this is a good thing. It means I’m getting closer. That mountain that looked small from far away looks terrifyingly huge now, but hey, at least that’s progress.

Okay, we took the pictures on Sunday but are posting a day late.

We were so busy packing and getting ready to leave Tempe after my two-week run of Phantom there, that posting slipped my mind.

James reminded me about Hair Sunday just as I was walking out the door for the second show. Uh-oh! We hurried back into the Airstream for our photo-shoot and I resolved to post after we started our long drive east to Durham, NC.

James picked me up from the theatre after last night’s show ended, and we started the first leg of our journey. James had made reservations at the KOA in Holbrook AZ, which meant driving a few hours until about 1 a.m. This is our usual pattern when we leave a city.

So here we are in Holbrook. It is sunny and in the low 50s (got down to 27 last night!).

We have a Mi-Fi card which allows us to connect to the internet wherever there is a 3G signal. So I can post during our travels (dream on!).

Here are the latest Hair Sunday pics:

As you can see, we’re getting wild and wooly!

Here is where we are parked at this very moment. We’re sipping on our little Japanese thermoses of black tea and surfing the internet at the KOA. I stepped out to take this shot.

Have I mentioned that our cat Rupert has his own blog? Please check it out in my link list: “The Adventures of Rupert”. Rupert is a better writer than I am, and has been posting more frequently than I have lately (after a very long absence).

I’ll share one of his blog pics here, from today. He is waiting for the inevitable get-picked-up-and-hauled-off-to-the-truck routine. We will be pulling out of Holbrook shortly.

We hope to make it all the way to Oklahoma City tonight. That’s  a twelve-hour drive, but we have to cover 2000 miles in only three days!

The dredging of the Forest Hill Lake has been completed!  It now looks much like it did when we first moved to the area in 1972, no longer the wet land it had become.  Landscaping is still under way, with planting of a hundred or so black gums trees and grassy areas.  If you’re from the Richmond area you know that this was once the centerpiece of an amusement park, a street car destination.  The street cars were scrapped in 1949, right after they were bought by General Motors.  Forest Hill is now a quiet retreat in the midst of the city, with extensive walking and mountain bike trails and picnic shelters.  For the last two years it has also been the Summer Saturday home of the South of the James Market, which will continue til Christmas.  The Forest Hill trails connect with the Buttermilk Trail that follows the James River for several miles – lovely urban jewels.  Check them out!

最近何だか微妙に忙しくてラジる時間が無い・・・

だから！

チマチマと進める事が出来るぼでぇを塗って遊んでみた・・・orz



最近のラジ机・・・きちゃにゃい・・・



ＨＰＩアリスト２００ミリぼでぇ～
白が煤けてます・・・orz

ツーリングでクラッシュしたら傷だらけのダンディーになるから気にしないということで・・・

ハ●ヒです・・・

ネットで堕ちてたブツを貼り付けてみた・・・

シールが浮いているというツッコミは禁止！

どうせ張り替えるんだからＹＯ！

こいつは少しだけ問題ありな痛車・・・

ほんの少しだけ１８菌なカホリが・・・

HookSoftの＿SUMMERというゲームのワンシーンから・・・

このへんがすこし１８菌なかほりでつ・・・

１８菌はドリフト用のぼでぇ～なんで・・・

気にしたもんじゃねぇ～！

いちいち気にしてたら負けだもんげっ！

番外編

ぶん投げ寸前に回収に成功したショーケースに収められている

DF-03ｒａドリフト仕様をムリヤリ突っ込んでみた！

暫定的に・・・

いつかはショーケースにぶち込むに相応しいラジを手に入れたいなぁ～(笑)

As a performer, I am lucky enough to have featured on a number of CD’s by established names throughout my career, and even a couple of CD’s from bands of my own. But the journey I have taken as a songwriter and solo artist is a tougher one. It is very difficult to try and market yourself to record companies as an individual, and as the music business changes with ever more alarming rapidity, I took the decision to release my first all-original solo album via the creative commons route with the web label Jamendo. This means that I can offer it to the general public free of charge, while Jamendo work on my behalf to place my music commercially to the corporate sector (films, videos, shops and restaurants, etc)

The album has its beginnings in 2007, and the bulk of it was written in 2008.  I wanted to ’set it free’ so to speak, so I can move on and continue writing new material. I believe I will only continue to have the energy to create as long as I know it will have a chance to be heard, so it was with this in mind that I decided to give people the opportunity to download this album free of charge. By clicking on the link in the sidebar, you can access the download page for the album, and also view tracklistings and lyrics. It is an eclectic mix of styles, and I make no apology for that. Freeing yourself of traditional music business restraints means finding your creative freedom!

Kev Moore

Album cover artwork by Miki

…..a necessity for Fall touring in the North. A few weeks later and I woulda needed a space heater for the back of the van too. But I made it…with flying colors actually!

I’m back on my couch in Brooklyn after a solid week on the road. Thanks so much for the open ears and minds! I’ll look forward to coming to see you again in the Spring!

Special thanks to those who helped me fill my tank by making donations online, buying CDs at the clubs, and pretending they didn’t notice when I raided the sample trays at Panera. You’re all the BEST friends a dude could ask for.

What’s next? I’m gonna do some recording. More on that soon….

The sun is rising this Sunday morning as I sit in the back of the van driving back from Kansas hacking this out on my phone. The late night fog is burning off as we move back towards home.

We just finished up the last leg of a collection of mini tours through the Midwest. This tour brought us through Iowa and down to Kansas City. It’s been a long couple of days, and we’re all looking forward to getting back home to our wives and girlfriends EG Bailey, poet extraordinaire and TruRuts label owner, a member of the tour, said it best by saying, “We’re the worst tour ever, none of us are even single!”. None the less, We have had a few eye opening moments, and we’ve learned a few lessons.

One of the biggest lessons we learned are these:

Lesson #1: Take care of your own shit.

Hazel Dooney is right, artists cannot afford to live by the 18th Century Romantic principal that all an artist needs to do is make art and magically people with appreciate it and eventually treat the artist with God-like adulation. Artists have a responsibility to themselves, not society. If society doesn’t give two craps about your art, then it is the artist’s responsibility to either figure out why nobody likes their art and improve it if necessary, or figure out what’s wrong with their marketing that makes them keep people away. Society is not responsible to help promote the artist, they have responsibility to promote the arts. Your own promo is your shit. Do it right.

We live in an era where there are unlimited marketing tools within reach of artists. With a little discipline and patience, an artist can take hold of their own work and their own marketing and have impressive results. It only requires that an artist view their art as a career that requires discipline, instead of a lifestyle choice that makes them cooler. Sadly, this is rare, but those artists are out there, and when the cool kids are straddled with debt from a record label they regret, the Ani DiFranco types will still be around, still doing what they love.

It’s not that hard, and frankly doesn’t take that much. Most of it is common sense. Make certain you send clubs promo materials, ie tour posters and handbills. Get the posters to them early. Call them, make certain they are put up. If you booked well enough in advance, (3 months in advance is a good place to start, last minute tour booking sucks. It pisses off the rest of a band like and opens the door to let things fall through the cracks. It wastes their time and money, and says, “My time is worth more than your time.”. Do your homework, plan in advance, and make certain eveything is done right early.

Lesson #2:
Don’t be afraid to play offbeat venues.

Our last night we played a bookstore in Kansas City named Prospero’s Books. Up to that point, we were running low on funds, having taken a wash on a few shows due to bad promotion, etc. They passed a hat at the bookstore, and we ended up making a decent amount of scratch, enough to fund gas on the way home. There was no guaruntee, but we got a reward for thinking outside of the box. Plus, we met some cool poets and authors. Score!

Now I will note that this doesn’t always work, and it almost never works with bad promotion. Prospero’s put up posters and had a good amount of word of mouth traffic. And, if you go off the map, go to folks you know are gonna dig it. Ie, don’t come into a square dance country bar playing hip hop, that’s “bad” off the map. The owner won’t promote on their own right, especially if they don’t dig the music. But try to find your people, wherever they are. Go to bookstores, skateshops, coffee shops, house parties. Just make certain they pass a hat, and make certain to play your ass off.

This applies to artists too. Your art is not sacred. Put it up in an empty house. Post it at a skate shop. Ask your local grocery store. Spread the word, and be creative.

Lesson #3:
Buy your girlfriend a present. Nothing says I love you like a gift from Iowa.

Linda and I have done some touring in Oregon. I loved the Cottage Grove area. If you’ll be spending time in Oregon you might want to check out this website.–Correi

If you’re planning a bike vacation to Oregon, you’ll certainly want to include a stop at the Oregon Tourism Commission’s Ride Oregon website.

I just stumbled across this resource recently and was amazed at the amount of bicycling information that’s packed into the website.

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2010 Nissan 370Z Touring Roadster in Monterey Blue with Black Leather at Victoria Nissan in Victoria, Texas

2010 Nissan 370Z Touring Roadster - Interior with Black Leather at Victoria Nissan

2010 Nissan 370Z Touring Roadster - Steering wheel with audio controls, multi-function speed control, and Bluetooth Phone System

332 horsepower 3.7L V-6 in the 2010 Nissan 370Z Touring Roadster

2010 Nissan 370Z Touring Roadster Wheel

Nissan Z - Heritage, Performance, Style

Victoria Nissan in Victoria, Texas has secured an extra 370Z Touring Roadster from one of our fellow dealers. The Monterey Blue looks great on this Z, and is a great contrast to the black leather seats (which are heated and air conditioned).  You’ll also enjoy the audiophile BOSE audio system, and XM radio.  Here are the complete specs on this hard to find convertible -

2010 Nissan 370Z Touring Roadster in Monterey Blue with Black Leather with the following optional equipment:

• 7-speed automatic transmission with manual shift mode, paddle shifters, and downshift rev-matching
• Splash Guards
• Floor Mats
• Carpeted Trunk Mat
• Illuminated Kick Plates

Featured Touring Roadster Equipment:

Ventilated leather-appointed power heated and cooling seats  Digital Bose® audio system with 8 speakers, including 2 subwoofers 
 XM® Satellite Radio [1]  Bluetooth® Hands-free Phone System
 HomeLink® Universal Transceiver  Auto-dimming rearview mirror
 Aluminum-trimmed pedals  

Mechanical:
 VQ37VHR – 3.7-liter DOHC 24-valve V6 aluminum-alloy engine  332 hp @ 7,000 rpm
 270 lb-ft @ 5,200 rpm  Bore and stroke – 95.5 x 86.0
 Compression ratio – 11:1  Maximum engine speed – 7,500 rpm
 Emissions – Tier 2-Bin 5 (Fed); LEV2-ULEV (CA)  Continuously Variable Valve Timing Control System (CVTCS) with Variable Valve Event and Lift (VVEL) on intake valves
 Twin-intake system  Nissan Direct Ignition System
 Iridium-tipped spark plugs  Electronic drive-by-wire throttle
 Longitudinally mid-mounted front engine/rear-wheel drive  Carbon-fiber composite driveshaft 
 Front: 2-link double-wishbone aluminum-alloy suspension with aluminum subframe
 Rear: 4-link aluminum-alloy suspension  Front and rear stabilizer bars
 3-point front strut tower brace  Ripple-control shock absorbers
 Vehicle-speed-sensitive power steering Power-assisted brakes – 12.6″ x 1.10″ vented front discs and 12.6″ x 0.63″ vented rear discs
 4-wheel Anti-lock Braking System (ABS)  Electronic Brake force Distribution (EBD)
 Brake Assist  

Exterior:  
 18″ x 8.0″ (front) and 18″ x 9.0″ (rear) 5-spoke aluminum-alloy wheels  225/50WR18 (front) and 245/45WR18 (rear) Bridgestone® Potenza® high-performance tires
 High Intensity Discharge (HID) bi-functional xenon headlights  LED taillights
 LED illuminated Z® side marker emblems  Aluminum hood, doors and trunk
 Body-color dual power heated outside mirrors  Dual exhaust outlets with finishers
 One-touch trunk release  UV-reducing solar glass
 Power convertible soft-top with glass window  Rear glass wind deflector
 Power moving tonneau cover 

Interior:  
 Nissan Intelligent Key® with Push Button Ignition  Automatic Temperature Control (ATC) with in-cabin microfilter
 Bluetooth® Hands-free Phone System  3-bay gauge cluster (oil temperature, voltmeter and digital clock)
 Fine Vision electroluminescent gauges with multi-function drive computer  Upshift indicator light (manual transmission only)
 Power windows with one-touch auto-up/down feature and auto-reverse  Partial-down window mechanism
 Power door locks with auto-locking feature  Remote keyless entry with rolling code protection
 Remote front windows down  Key-operated front windows up/down
 Illuminated steering-wheel-mounted cruise control  HomeLink® Universal Transceiver
 Retained accessory power and battery saver  Map lights
 Tilt steering column with integrated gauges  Variable intermittent windshield wipers
 Auto-dimming rearview mirror  Dual illuminated visor vanity mirrors
 Digital clock (in radio)  Two 12-volt power outlets
 Three cup holders  Dash-mounted storage (N/A with Nissan Navigation System)
 Lockable glove compartment  Parcel box (behind passenger’s seat)
 Parcel shelves (behind seats) 

Seating and Appointments : 
 Ventilated leather-appointed sport seats  8-way adjustable driver’s seat
 4-way adjustable passenger’s bucket seat  Power front seats
 Climate-controlled seats (heated and cooled)  Driver-shaped bucket seat with thigh support
 Passenger-shaped bucket seat  Driver’s and passenger’s side knee support
 Synthetic suede door panel inserts  Leather-wrapped steering wheel
 Leather-wrapped shift knob  Leather-wrapped parking-brake lever
 Aluminum-trimmed pedals 

Audio:  
 Digital Bose® audio system with AM/FM/in-dash 6-CD changer  Eight speakers, including dual subwoofers
 XM® Satellite Radio [1]  MP3/WMA CD playback capability
 Auxiliary audio input jack [2]  Radio Data System (RDS)
 Illuminated steering wheel-mounted audio controls  

 Safety and Security:  
 Nissan Advanced Air Bag System (AABS) with dual-stage supplemental front air bags with seat belt and occupant-classification sensors [3]  Driver and passenger seat-mounted side-impact supplemental air bags [3]
 Door-mounted curtain side-impact supplemental air bags for occupants head protection [3]  Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC) [4]
 Traction Control System (TCS)  Seat belts with pretensioners and load limiters
 3-point ALR/ELR passenger seat belt system  Active Head Restraints
 Energy-absorbing steering column  Zone Body construction with front and rear crumple zones
 High-strength side-door guard beams  Hood buckling creases
 Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)  Nissan Vehicle Immobilizer System
 Vehicle Security System

All the above equipment and Victoria Nissan’s great service for only $43,170 plus taxes. Call Hutch Pine at 361-533-1205 with any questions on this vehicle. You can also email me at hpine@victorianissan.com

Victoria Nissan in Victoria, Texas, provides sales and service for new Nissan vehicles. Victoria Nissan also offers a great selection of pre-owned cars and trucks. In addition to new and used cars, Victoria Nissan also services all makes and models. Victoria Nissan is located in Victoria, but we offer a great selection of new and pre-owned vehicles to South Texas, including San Antonio, Houston, Austin, Corpus Christi, and McAllen metro areas. You can contact Victoria Nissan at 866-808-7765 or locally at 645-7045. You can also visit our online showroom at www.victorianissan.com or our blog at www.victorianissanblog.com.Victoria Nissan, 6003 N. Navarro, Victoria, Texas 77904

I’m too lazy to plan my bike trips in detail, preferring just to have a start and end point and only a very rough idea for the bits in between. It’s a very handy sort of laziness though ‘cos it works really well and gives me the flexibility to plan just a few days ahead, and not get stressed if things go wrong but makes it kind of hard to describe in advance what my plans are… so to that end here is a map showing a rough route for my journey beginning in January. The green mark to the north shows the route I took through Ecuador and Colombia last year, the purple line represents the idea for 2010.  I have mixed feelings about starting in Puerto Montt rather than Ushuaia.. on the one hand it makes getting to the start very easy but means I won’t see the very tip of Patagonia… however I have plans for that bit in a combined kayak and hiking adventure anyway for the end of 2010 so I’m not too bothered…. which on reflection is maybe not the right attitude… life being short and all. Never put off ’till tomorrow what you an do today… unless it’s work of course..

<click the map for bigger pic>

So, from Puerto Montt I’ll head north in Chile until I feel like crossing over the east side of the Andes in Argentina at some point, most likely while still south of Santiago.. from there I’ll stay in Argentina until in the north around Salta (probably…) before crossing back into Chile and the Atacama Desert. I’ll cross into Bolivia from the northern end of the Atacama.. pedal my way across the Bolivian altiplano via Uyuni, Potosi and so on all the way to the border with Peru at Lake Titicaca. Once in Peru I’ll head downhill and northwest to Arequipa before heading back up into the high Andes at Cusco. That’s the nominal end point. I’ve travelled a fair bit in Peru already so not too bothered about going further than that, however if time allows I’ll keep going north… it would be nice to join up with the southernmost extent of my cycling in Ecuador but I doubt very much I’ll have time. Just the part from Puerto Montt to Cusco could be as far 7000km over the ground, don’t know for sure… guess I’ll soon find out. I have just under 5 months.

That really is the extent of my detail planning until I get on my bike in Puerto Montt on the 14th January

To be honest I wish I could just go now…. I can have my gear together and ready to go in a few hours I reckon.

a particularly gruesome news item on the BBC website yesterday caught my eye, concerning as it did travel along remote roads in Peru… The full article is here but by way of a synopsis it seems that a gang has been ambushing/abducting folk on remote roads and then rendering the bodies down as a source of fat and body tissue for sale to the cosmetics industry… ugh… “Cmdr Angel Toledo told Reuters news agency some of the suspects had “declared and stated how they murdered people with the aim being to extract their fat in rudimentary labs and sell it”“… and I thought they only did that in the movies (Perfume springs to mind)…..

Members of the gang may still be at large, of course my immediate thought was that I’ll be travelling alone out in the mountains on my bicycle, but logically being a lean cyclist and, as one of my friends put it yesterday “one look at you Mike and they’ll decide you’re not worth the effort” I have nothing to worry about, hehe, especially not after a few months of mountain touring if past experience is anything to go by

For those who know I have joined Pedal Power the ACT equivalent of Bicycle NSW. I have been able to get a couple of rides with Pedal Power in on Saturdays. These rides are similar to MASSBUG rides with the riders being a mixture of ages and led by an experienced ride leader.

Like the MASSBUG rides the leader has planned the ride weeks if not Months in advance and has been able to take us to some interesting places. On the first ride we went to Reid and saw the Turkish memorial to the ANZACs and their service in Korea along side troops from New Zealand and Australia.  Last Saturday we went to the ACT bushfire memorial to the fires that happened in 2003 and destroyed most of Mt Stromlo and several suburbs.

The Saturday rides all finish at a cafe. On the first ride it finished at a cafe in Dickson and on the last one we finished at Weston Creek.  I have enjoyed these rides although they are not as fast as the rides with Dulwich Hill Bicycle Club. I am still considering joining either the Tuggeranong Vikings Cycling Club or the ACT Vets Cycling Club. I will make a decision as soon as I have been able to get in on a training ride.

I have also purchased the famous Red Book of  rides which outlines some good places to ride in Canberra. On thursday I went on a ride to Belconnen and back to Civic after work. The day was hot and dry. The temperatures were in the 30s so I was drinking water most of the day to keep myself hydrated for this ride. I was able to get a good ride in although it was just a exploratory ride, the route was mapped out in the Red Book and it used a lot of the ACT’s bike paths to Belconnen. I started from Weston Park where I rode to after work. I then went through Yarralumla past the Governor General’s residance and then around the lake and Scrivenor Dam.

I then took the path that lead to Parkes Drive near the ANU and got talking to some rodies. It is interesting here in the ACT given that a lot of people ride road bikes  (not just the guys in clubs wearing lycra). The riders are also friendly and when I stopped to check things out they did ask if I was allright or needed directions. I rode along the bike path under Parkes way and then encountered what would normally be a slight rise. I say this because it was either the heat or the lack of preparation that really sapped my strength. I was riding the Katana and lacked the range of gears that either the Trek, Red Hybrid or Black Magic has. I continued on however and got to Belconnen way.

After a wrong turn I got back on to the route suggested in the Red book and went up Benjamin Way. I then took the path around Lake Ginninderra and noticed the transition from urban suburb to what would be almost European farm land (yellow not Green however). I rode around that lake and would have gone on past the University of Canberra but took a few more wrong turns and wound up back in suburban Canberra. I rode through some of the northern suburbs. Some of which resembled housing commission suburbs in Sydney.

I finally found myself on familiar territory when I got to Lyneham. When I got there I took the bike path I know leads to Dickson and then took myself up Northbourne Avenue back to Woden via Adelaide Avenue. It was a really good ride but one I will have to repeat again to make sure I get the benifit of the good landmarks.

Such a classic situation. No editorializing comments necessary.

MORRISSEY EJECTS HAMBURGER FROM GIG
Morrissey had a fan thrown out of a gig in Hamburg on Tuesday after
the audience member shouted an insult at him.

Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_bU4hJz_0I
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBXOc8LAMb0
Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrZyJfqLHzA

- courtesy of http://www.unlimitedmedia.co.uk

During his recent visit to China, President Obama spent 30 minutes after his official business was concluded touring China’s most well-known attraction, the Great Wall. 30 minutes isn’t that much time to spend on the Great Wall: it was built almost five hundred years before Christ and stretches on for roughly 6,000 miles. It is visible from the moon and from a low Earth orbit, reputedly the only man-made object to claim such distinction.

China welcomes President Obama.

President Obama’s Great Wall tour is understandable, and since it isn’t something anybody can see without travelling to China, it’s perfectly reasonable that most visits to China, Presidential or otherwise, include a stop along it. The opportunity is just too much to pass up.

Media-hounds may recall that, weeks ago, President Obama also toured an historic American destination: Arlington National Cemetary. In remembrance of Veterans’ Day, President Obama silently toured the graves of America’s fallen service-men and -women, thinking and paying his respects. For 15 minutes.

President Obama spent half as much time touring the graves of fallen American soldiers, on a day set aside in their honor while we are again engaged in violent military conflict, than he did touring the Great Wall of China. Most likely, extenuating circumstances dictated the time alotted to each tour: scheduling constraints, travel arrangements, etc. Surely, there were reasons for the disparity in times.

And yet, the fact remains.

I’ve certainly been busy since the last time I posted something! Where to begin with what I’ve been doing?

Well, for starters, I was given the chance to act in a college film. I was there for 8 hours of filming, and I only acted for about 2 hours at most in it. But, it was fun anyway. I learned that my college does not have digital video cameras. We have the 16mm film cameras (the first design to have a zoom button!). I learned that actors need to find a way to keep themselves entertained between scenes. There is a short period of movement and action, accompanied by long moments of nothing.

An interesting note about this filming experience was that I was nearly arrested. Our director had found ‘the perfect spot’ to film the movie. (I will be saying ‘our’ and ‘we’ because there were about 5 or 6 people working on this film every moment I was there.) So, we all crammed into the pack of gum he calls a car and went off to this dirt lot on a fairly busy road next to a liquor store. (Needless to say, my claustrophobe self was more than happy to get out of the car.) Now, the story has a homeless man in it. So, one of our actors set himself up as a homeless man. We were recording for about an hour before the liquor store owner came out. Man, the owner was seriously P.O.ed. He was angry because we were recording a ‘bum around his establishment.’ Our director told him that his store wasn’t on the film. We couldn’t prove it to the owner because we were using the old 16mm film. He said that we had to prove to him his store wasn’t in the film, or he was going to call the police to arrest us. We didn’t want to get into trouble with the police, and we couldn’t prove to him that his store wasn’t in the film, so we had to leave. It really orally evacuated that we had to move. That dirt lot was an awesome place to shoot, and was better than the place we had to go to film the movie.

I saw Celtic Thunder when they came to San Diego! They were only here for one night, but it was a beautiful night. I fell deeper into love, had my heart broken, and fell in love with them all over again. I’m convinced that only a Celtic Man can pull such emotions from me. I had so much fun. I couldn’t hear properly for a day (due to my own screaming), and my throat was a bit sore from the event for about 5 days after they event. I can’t wait for them to come back to San Diego, though. I just hope that I can get better seats next time!

I also had the chance to see The Lion King in the theatre!  Alright, I had nosebleed seats (what do you expect for $28?), but I still saw it!  I took my aunt with me to the show, as she’s never been in the audience of a theatre, only on stage.  She, for some reason, wasn’t as impressed with everything as I was.  She was expecting the actors to be in more of an animal-looking costume.  We had the chance to go with the Director behind the scenes of The Lion King.  I learned so much information from there.  Apparently, there is 2 of everything for the traveling show.  There were two traveling shows in the USA, and when it became 1 show, that show ended up with both sets of props, costumes, and equipment.  The show I saw had the most South Africans  then any other Lion King show being played in the world.  6.  6 South Africans in the USA Touring Show.  That doesn’t seem like a lot to me, but it appearently takes at least that many to keep everyone in the show on track!  There are about 5 differnt African languages spoken in the show, which I found to be fascinating.  The one spoken the most is Zulu.

On the school front, I have been working on two group projects, a midterm, and a couple of essays. I think that my group projects are going well. One is going to be a Civic Engagement speech on the Ugandan Children, and the other is 10 minute play for my Theatre class. Our play is going to be a comedy of the LA judge that refused to marry an interracial couple. (If you don’t know what I’m talking about, here’s an article about it on CBN News.) I think that my midterm went well – it was in math. I hope that I passed it! I need all the good grades I can get in that class.

I’ll probably be putting the theatre project and play up onto Youtube when I get a copy of them. I’ll post the links/put the video on here when I get the chance to.

Well, now that I’m done telling you all about my life, I’m off to do some school work. Group projects really take all possibilities of having a life away from you.

Brightest Blessings,
Sockgirl

I’ve just written to a friend currently cycling around the world concerning maps for biking in South America and figured it may be useful to reproduce here…(really just  very lazy way of producing a post…) I already wrote about maps for Colombia and Ecuador last year here, and also touched on Rough Guides maps here… so here is what I wrote… “…traditionally the hardest country to get a good map for has been Bolivia but Reise now have a decent one (http://www.reise-know-how.de/bolivien-11300000-p-1782.html) as part of their World Mapping Project, the scale is 1:1,300 000 which is OK. It’s printed on waterproof paper too. The same maps are available for Peru, Chile, Argentina with Rough Guides covers – they’re all good maps and Stanfords.co.uk in London has them all….” and then, being the useful sort of chap I am, hehe,  I said I’d be happy to buy them for him and mail them to collect in Australia or New Zealand or Buenas Aires…. but it’ not a service I can offer to everyone… well, not for free anyway

Reise also have one for Ecuador now which may be more accurate than the ITMB one I had, but don’t have one for Colombia. Yet….

I spoke to Rory from Leeds’ finest indie band, Grammatics, about what’s in store for us fans in the coming year.

You played Reading and Leeds – how did that go?
As you’d expect. Lots of fun. Got to see The XX and Radiohead twice.

You’ve just completed your tour with Bloc Party too, any funny stories?
I stayed out with Matt in Brighton after the gig. It was White Night, the city’s equinox celebration where everything stays open all night, and the swimming pool was open til 1 or 2 in the morning. We were staying with a friend. We finished a two bottles of wine. None of us had trunks. We all took pants, and were very much looking forward to a swim, only to be confronted by a miniature jobsworth on the door who demanded to see our trunks before we paid in. I showed him the edge of my pants peeping out of my coat. He yanked them out, took a good long look and hissed “These are NOT swimming trunks”. I came on all Richard E. Grant, saying “These are my swimming trunks. I’m bohemian”. He replied “I think you’re a comedian, not a bohemian. And you’re not allowed to be drunk.” We tried to persuade him we were good for it but he wouldn’t budge.

You have a new single, does this mean we can expect a second album some time next year?
That’s the plan. We are settling down to write in the early stages of the new year and hoping to record just before or after the summer.

If so, does this mean you will be touring?
Yes. We have a UK tour in December of this year – as yet no confirmed plans for next year but one would hope we will make the festivals, then presumably plan to tour around release dates and so on.

The December tour dates are as follows:
Dec 1 2009: The Boiler Room, Guildford.
Dec 2 2009: Louisiana, Bristol.
Dec 4 2009: Drift In The City, Portsmouth.
Dec 5 2009: Proud Galleries, London.
Dec 6 2009: The Harley, Sheffield.
Dec 16 2009: Bar 1:22, Huddersfield.
Dec 17 2009: Adelphi, Hull.
Dec 18 2009: The Junction, York.
Dec 19 2009: The Royal, Derby.
Dec 20 2009: Deaf Institute, Manchester.

Their new single “Double Negative” is out on 7″ and download HERE.
Check them out on myspace.

Love your Motorcycle? Love Open Road Touring? Space is of the essence packing gears and simply enjoying the Motorcycle Lifestyle!

Gene Bisbee at BicycleBis keeps several lists of events including this one for Cross-country Bicycle Touring.–Corrie

It’s never too soon to start planning for a major bike ride next year.

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The current lineup of Thee Rock n Roll Band consists of GearHead on rhythm guitar and lead vocals, Sessions on lead guitar, The Rock n Roll Bass Player on bass and Rimshot on drums. Some other slightly more minor players are: MiniMogul, who runs Little Durango Records out of a secret bunker hidden in rural New Mexico; our studio engineer named Pro-Tool; our ex-guitar players Bacon and Vito (Bacon is the most recent ex-guitar player, so named for his hi-gain distortion tone. He’s kind of a heavy metal guy at heart.); The Baby is my first born child, who I do not use as a bargaining chip in any Rock n Roll negotations. I will introduce The Girlfriends as necessary. There are no Wives in this cautionary tale. At least not yet anyway.

Starting with GearHead. The particular talent that GearHead brings to the table is his gift of songwriting. Otherwise he’s a fairly mediocre guitar player and singing abilities are debatable as well. However, Thee Rock n Roll Machine runs on songs, in my opinion, and he brings the gift of tunes to play that are far more than merely connected-together jam riffs. His politically leanings are vaguely Republican-ish, as he has voted for the Right in every election since I’ve known him. However, he is pro-abortion yet anti-condom, and I do not detect any sense of a tradition family values in his personal history. His character is slight more difficult to figure out. He is not an honest man. He has the gift of bullshit but he is also occasionally honest and also a prolific (although sloppy) liar. He does not cause any kind of negative gut reaction, at least any negative gut reaction that is not  the result of the Burger King he forces the band to eat on tour. More about his need to control the road dining logistics later. I promise.

Sessions is a new addition to the act, replacing Bacon who relocated back to SmallTown, USA about a year or more ago. Sessions has a regional history and is one of the better guitar players around. He is also in another band which makes some money. That is a cover band. We try to keep that detail on the down-low. As best I can tell so far, they teach professionalism in the school of music he graduated from. He is always pleasant and polite. He could also have decaying bodies buried beneath his home for all I know. He is still somewhat of a mystery.

This is the part where I have to come clean with my biases. At this point, I have a mostly non-existent relationship with Rimshot and it has been that way for more than a year. In my years in the band, I had a negative gut feeling about the guy from the beginning. For about two years, I was assurred this was a misunderstanding on my part and in the end, I finally determined that he is a classic sociopath character. Our relationship is mostly a vague awareness of his existence and limited to conversations like “Is there an electrical outlet behind you?” and ignoring the casual insults he directs at me. That said, people can experience very different behaviors from the same people, and for some reason GearHead has a big brother relationship to him and is able to keep him somewhat in check. All that said, he is a colorful color character, has the trademark sociopath charm, can be entertaining while being self-destructive in the stereotypical tradition of rock drummers who die young (or become Christians or inmates later in life).

The Baby is a very new character, a somewhat devisive character too. More about The Baby later.

it’s happened before. you’re on the road and you see the golden arch shining like a beacon for your stomach. or maybe it’s jack ushering you off the freeway towards his newly designed 3-D box.. or the monarch of burgerland himself requesting your attendance in his court… perhaps it’s the red-headed girl with pigtails hypnotizing you to forget about your self-imposed daily caloric intake. regardless of the chef, your mouth waters before your mind can recall page 178 of Fast Food Nation. your body goes on autopilot fixed on its drive-thru destination and as you descend, you hear your stomach thanking and cursing you at the same time.

it’s a fight we avoid because we lose every time. resisting the urge to eat food that is fast. if whole foods had a 24-hour drive thru and a dollar value menu, we wouldn’t be having this discussion at 3am in the morning. alas, the same people who promote healthy eating probably also promote healthy sleeping, but i digress.

therefore, to cope with our bad eating habits, we employ some basic rules while at the drive-thru of our favorite american fast food vendor.

1. no super size – there’s nothing super about it.

2. no soda – water is probably the healthiest thing they have. take advantage of it.

3. no combos – just wish for some stowaway fries at the bottom of the bag

4. 90% of your order should be from the $1 menu. maximize your wallet.

5. speak clearly. enunciate.

Below is a typical morning meal ordered by lady danville. enjoy.

~dan