There’s one less homicidal lunatic on America’s streets today. Christopher Thompson got five years for trying to kill a friend of mine and a couple of other folks. Character references, weeping and Bible verses failed to keep the gavel from crashing down. Bang. Five years.
Now, to show our gratitude, let’s see to it that there are fewer assholes on bikes eager to whip The Finger or a U-lock on anyone at the drop of a GU wrapper. You may win in court, but think about what you might lose on the street. I’ll bet my buddy Ron would take back a “Fuck you!” or two to have his OEM face back.
With Interior Secretary Ken Salazar saying thanks, but no thanks, John Hickenlooper is said to be polling slightly behind Scott McLobbyist in the Colorado gubernatorial race — even though the Denver mayor hasn’t officially entered the race yet.
That said, what’s not to like about a guy who opened a couple of brewpubs — Wynkoop in Denver and Phantom Canyon right here in Bibleburg? Would you rather have a publican running the state or some roundheeled Big Energy mouthpiece who keeps a mattress strapped to his back in case he needs to assume the position on a moment’s notice?
Meanwhile, it’s Friday and instead of bellying up to some elegant bar I’m up to my oversized keister in various labors for VeloNews — whose absentee landlords still have yet to offer me a reasonable contract for 2010, eight days into the New Year — and Bicycle Retailer & Industry News, whose management knows better than to pester me with such nonsense. Revising badly written legalese that is to freelance journalism what Shanghaiing was to naval recruitment leaves me fulminating and unfunny, qualities one does not desire in a humorist for hire.
And finally, to another matter: Any of you folks out there know much about Austin, Texas? A cycling buddy is contemplating a move there and wants the inside scoop on the joint. I haven’t been there since I was a sprout living on Randolph AFB outside San Antone, so as usual I am less than informed. Your assistance would be appreciated.
Colorado’s Democratic governor, Bill Ritter, is expected to drop out of the hunt for a second term tomorrow. Did he jump, or was he pushed? This must give Repuglican Scott “McLobbyist” McInnis a boner, assuming anything can, other than a fat sheaf of greasy bills left on the nightstand by whomever he bent over for the night (or hour) before.
Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper seems to be the beneficiary here, according to the prevailing political wisdom. Which, with five bucks, will get you a cup of coffee. More as it develops.
• Even later update: In case you have any doubts about whether McLobbyist is part of the “we make our own reality” bunch, check out this from Westword’s Patricia Calhoun. Dude wants to run Colorado and doesn’t even know where it is.
Faux News dingbat Brit Hume has tromped in the Dharma with his big ol’ Bible-beatin’ feet, saying that the errant Tiger Woods should abandon Buddhism and come to Jesus, sparking fits of enraged zazen at sanghas worldwide.
Like Steve Benen at Political Animal, I couldn’t care less about Brit Hume, Tiger Woods, golf and industrial Christianity as promoted by a fake “news” network that is less interested in reality than is The Onion.
But I take a very un-Buddhist glee in watching loudmouthed nitwits step on their own dicks, as long as they aren’t me. But of course, they are.
Miss Mia Sopaipilla employs a comforter against the cold.
We’ve barely dipped a toe into winter and already I’m sniveling about the cold. It’s gonna be a long January for you people if this keeps up.
We have one semi-pleasant day coming up tomorrow, according to the fine folks at NOAA, and then boom! Back in the deep freeze. Meanwhile, McDowell Mountain Regional Park outside Fountain Hills should be looking at temps in the mid-60s for the next few days. I am not there for some reason. I will never be smart.
I should’ve ridden today, but I couldn’t face another day of fenders and neoprene so early in the new year, so I went for a run in Palmer Park instead. Tights, two long-sleeved shirts, tuque, gloves and a sharp eye peeled for icy bits, of which there were many. Tire tracks, too, some imprinted deeply in the damp clay. Bad mountain bikers. Bad, bad, bad.
The rest of my day was devoted to keeping an eye on the VeloNews.com beta site, which remains very much a work in progress. Without warning, the old site vanished overnight like the proverbial Cheshire cat, taking the readers’ forums along with it and leaving no grins behind.
Meanwhile, as the mag’ staff cranks on the March edition, our lone wire service, Agence France Presse, sent us fuck-all between 10:16 a.m. local time on New Year’s Day and 7:46 a.m. this morning, when we got two stories, both on the same topic — the Team Sky launch in London — one in French and the other in English. No pictures. Zut alors.
Happily, our Euro’ whiz Andrew Hood was on the job, providing wisdom in U-nited States American, and ace shooter Casey B. Gibson came through with some pics courtesy of a colleague who was at the Sky shindig while the Frogs were busy letting the saucers stack up at some café or surrendering to someone. Welcome to the New Wheeled Ordure, January Edition.
No wonder Miss Mia Sopaipilla feels like staying in bed all day. Sometimes I do, too.
Mad Blog Media 