Thursday, February 26, 2009


The rim receives
its shape from the tension
of the spokes.
Or rather,
its shape is mirrored
by a shape in strength,
an invisible physic
to resist the ever-present
science of change.

I stood on the rooftop
last night, Jersey City
unfurled like an old man's
story.
And I played
the part of the pages,
holding still just long enough
for something to happen.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Coffeeshop thought

"do you like milk in your coffee?" is so much more intimate a question than "would you like milk in your coffee?" There's almost something post-coital about it, something morning-after. How do you take your coffee, in general? We might do this again.

Monday, February 23, 2009

A scattershot update. It's been a crazy set of weeks. Apologies for not posting the VGt how-to. I'll seriously get to that ASAP. Let's break it down:

Job. The job situation has gotten worse as well as better... while I am no longer writing under the same (truly terrible) editor, she got me pulled off of the one beat I really enjoy, the WTC reconstruction beat. It's been time to switch gears for a while, and I think its time to start looking for some disposable employment... a thing I can do for a while to make some cash, then leave without marring my resume too much. Especially if Grad School is in my future? yeah.

Bike. Speaking of disposable, I have this thing against expensive racing wheels... I think they're dumb. And given that I find wheelbuilding to be a truly relaxing enterprise, I've been working around the concept of disposable race-wheels. Generally, they're half-spoked front wheels with a good tubular tire made from scavenged wheel-parts. I can underbuild them to be light as I weigh in at 140lbs soaking wet, and with a good tire they handle quite well. As for the disposable part? I finally cracked my so-built front wheel, sprinting down Broadway with traffic, drafting a toyota, when I hit a large metal plate in the road. I limped it home, but the rim is cracked. Time to build new wheels.

Projects. Armchair / Shotgun is really happening. The website will be more than a splash in a few days, and submissions will be due April 2.

Life. Jay might get a dream job at Slate... Everyone cross or uncross your fingers for him as your luck-tradition sees fit. Few people deserve it as much.

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Not that any of you care, but after more than a year of sitting in my spare parts bin, i finally learned how to break down and re-build my bike's old Suntour VGT derailleur. I'll probably post a how-to over on How to Break Stuff. It's just so rewarding to solve a month-old mechanical problem.