Month: March 2012

Post-birthday nose meets same old grindstone

~ Patrick O'Grady ~ 11 Comments

A thousand thank-yous to all who proffered happy-birthday wishes instead of death threats.

The festivities began with a pleasant two-hour bike ride — headwind out, tailwind back — and concluded with a high-speed burst of cookery after Herself invited the neighbors over.

We’ve been to their house for eats a couple of times, but had yet to reciprocate, so never having cooked for them I stuck with my basic skill set — a simple pico de gallo with blue corn chips followed by a pot of pintos in chipotle, which I turned into burritos smothered in hot Pueblo green chile with a side of roasted potatoes in red Chimayo chile.

Herself contributed a salad and a delicious raspberry cobbler. Beer and wine were consumed, along with a dollop of uisce beatha. Laughter ensued, and a fine time was had by all, except for the Turk’, who despises company, especially if it includes an aggro’ Chihuahua named Cujo.

Now it’s deadline time at the DogHaus, and somebody around here needs to get real funny real fast. We didn’t spend much on my birthday, but the White Tornado has a new fuel pump and the upstairs toilet has new guts, and Toyota mechanics and plumbers don’t work for free.

58 laps down, ? to go. …

~ Patrick O'Grady ~ 21 Comments

Once again The Associated Press has failed to mention my birthday in “Today In History,” though they have taken the time to mention hacks like Anthony Lewis (85), Michael York (70) and Quentin Tarantino (49). Between these gomers and the Pulitzer people I’m starting to get seriously pissed off.

Other noxious lowlights of the day, for those of you disinclined to click links:

• Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon sighted what we now call Florida, and don’t we wish he hadn’t?

• Milton Berle died of colon cancer in Los Angeles.

• Marlon Brando declined the Oscar for best actor, awarded for his role as Don Vito Corleone in “The Godfather.”

• And March Madness was born in 1939, just days after the Nazis invaded Czechoslovakia. A coincidence? I think not.

Hump-day happenings

~ Patrick O'Grady ~ 5 Comments

Just a couple of quick notes from the real world:

• The Washington Post takes note of the 2012 National Bike Summit.

• Friend and colleague Hal Walter scores a little local ink for the local food movement, to wit, the Arkansas Valley Organic Growers.

• And the RomneyBot 2012 — should it ever wrap up the GOP pestilential nomination — plans to wipe its drives and install a fresh copy of the Etch-A-Sketch OS for the general election. I am not making this up.

Spring cleaning?

~ Patrick O'Grady ~ 5 Comments

Got an old bike cluttering up your shed, garage or basement? Bike Clinic Too can transform that unsightly beater into transportation for one of its needy clients.

I was just at Old Town Bike Shop, getting a new stem for an old bike of my own, and BCT’s Brian Gravestock told me that he’s low on rolling stock and in need of donations to keep the op’ humming along. For a quick rundown on the clinic’s mission, you can listen to a recent report by KRCC-FM’s “Western Skies.”

The clinic’s clientele prefers mountain bikes when they can get ’em, and of course functional bits such as cassettes and chain rings are always welcome. Locks, too, are eagerly received — it seems there’s been a rash of bike thefts lately, and every bike lifted means another bike is needed.

Old Town will accept donations for the clinic. So will Criterium Bicycles. And the clinic is always happy to accept money, as sometimes it has to buy parts to put a beater back in business. Tell ’em the Dog sent you.