A Blog Secret
Occasionally I have people ask me about the blogs I read. I try to keep up on about 35-40 of them at any given time. I used to look at people who did that and think they were crazy - flipping back and forth from blog to blog… spending immense amounts of times simply figuring out whether people had updated their blogs or not (let alone reading them and occasionally responding). If that image pops into your mind, I have a little secret to share with you: People who follow a lot of blogs almost never go to the actual blogs they’re following. Yep - you read that correctly. If you want to follow more than one or two blogs, you need a blog reader.
A blog reader is a program where you make a list of all the blogs you want to follow and it checks them for you. In other words, I may follow 40 blogs at a time, but I do it by logging into a single program and it tells me the two or three that have posted new entries since I last checked. It’s a great concept. This way, the program remembers everything I’ve already read and keeps me up on anything new to check out.
If you don’t use one… get one. You’ll thank me for it some day.
I use Alesti. Why? Mostly because (1) it’s free (why pay for something if you don’t have to?), (2) it’s web-based (I can check my blogs at any computer and don’t have to download anything), and (3) it requires very little bandwith. It occasionally has trouble finding the “feed” for a blog, but I can usually figure it out. Besides, it’s incredibly web BASIC and even works well on the internet I have. As you many of you know, I live in “internet no man’s land” - high speed has not yet hit Dunningville. I’d love it… I’ve tried pretty much every option (outside of dish, which I’m not willing to pay for) but we live in a glorious dead-zone.
There are others besides Alesti, all you have to do is search for “blog aggregator,” “blog reader,” “feed reader” or something similar.
So there you have it… and internet public service announcement. You can thank me later 
Grace and Peace,
`tim
My New Lucet
I figured some of you might not know what a lucet looks like. Well, here it is:
You see it surrounded by several lucet cords.. The curl that extends on the right-hand side of the picture is made with a double-strand of worsted weight yarn. The bigger “chunk” on the left-hand side is a chord made out of a single-strand chord.
Essentially, a lucet is used to make a 4-sided cord that’s incredible strong and (depending on what material you use) much less stretchy than other types of cord-making (i.e. a knitted I-cord). It’s VERY fast and very easy (once you figure it out).
Grace and peace,
`tim
JJ worked today so Sophia and I had the perfect opportunity to head down the the Allegan fairgrounds for the Michigan Fiber Festival (warning, their website isn’t very good). I attended the festival a couple of years ago but didn’t attend last year so I was anxious to see how it has changed over the past couple of years.
First, it’s a fun festival at a great price. It cost $5 for the day ($8 for the weekend) and parking was free. We had a great time checking out the Angora Bunnies, the LLamas, the Aplacas, the Sheep and the Goats. We watched an overly anxious dog give his try at herding a handful of skiddish sheep, and we checked out a lot of booths.
Rule Number 1: Walk through the whole festival WITHOUT buying anything. Yep. That was my rule. I promised myself that I wouldn’t buy ANYTHING the first time through. And yes, I kept that promise. Amazingly, I didn’t buy much at all. Indeed, I only bought 1 thing: a Shedua wood Lucet. Lucets date back for a handful of centuries and are a convenient way to create a cord (similar to an I-cord but less stretchy). Actually, I bought two of them (but I’m not going to say much about the second one since it’s a gift and the recipient occasionally reads this blog….)
The only other goal I had was to check out some spinning wheels. I’d like to get a wheel eventually and want to be prepared when the opportunity arises. I checked out a Louet S51 (liked it), and Ashford Joy (didn’t), a Ladybug (ok), a Babe’s (the one made out of PVC… less expensive but not very attractive) and… to my great surprise, fell in love with the Lendrum Double Tredle. Honestly, I’d never even heard of the Lendrum. I was walking through a booth and saw a woman spinning on a “different” looking wheel and asked her about it. She chatted about it for a while and sent me to the booth right next to her where she’d purchased her wheel almost 8 years before (Maple Row Stock & Wool from Sherwood, MI). Turns out they still sell ‘em. They’re a hair more expensive than the unfinished version of Mach1 (which I’ve also fallen in love with although I’ve never seen one in real life) but similar to the finished Mach1 and Lendrum has been around a LOT longer so I know their history and have been assured (by someone who doesn’t sell them) that replacement parts are inexpensive and easy to get. Anyhow, I’m still not buying one right away, but I do have a favorite right now!
We also had the chance to meet up with a handful of other Ravelry members. Fun!
If you’d like to see some pics, I put a few up at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/24266318@N00/sets/72157606765395698/detail/
What a great day! Still can’t believe I only bought 1 (2) thing(s)!
Grace and Peace,
`tim
8 for every 5
Can anyone confirm or deny the stat I read today? It was that, during the olympic’s ceremonies last night NBC showed 8 minutes of commercials for every 5 minutes of the opening ceremonies. It sure felt like it, but I’d love it if someone could point me to a link or an organization I can quote…
Having thought about it a little more, I guess what strikes me is the jarringly obvious nature of the perfection, polish and precision of the opening ceremonies compared the to blatant materialism and commercialism of coverage in the US.
Still a little frustrated.
So here’s the question, for those of us poor sods stuck on dial-up and “over-the-air” networks, will it be possible to see any coverage other than pre-taped competitions that the US has already won?
NBC: Please show us the excitement of seeing other countries… please show us something besides US volleyball, US men’s basketball, US men’s swimming and US men’s track… please?
Oh, by the way… I actually love the Olympics (in case you couldn’t tell!) I love the ideal of international (semi)amateur athletic competition; I love the concept - it’s a great thing!
Grace and Peace,
`tim
NBC - You Ought to be Ashamed
Even as I write this, I may be witnessing China’s triumph over western commercialism. The opening ceremonies of the Olympics are being broadcast with near-constant interruption by NBC — it’s jarring. The commercials are not well balanced and they are dramatically NOT beautiful, especially when compared to the opening ceremonies.
The opening ceremonies, on the other hand, are unbelievable. The art…. the music… the coordination… the precision… I’m not ignorant; I know that the show is carefully planned propaganda (as are all opening ceremonies for all Olympics), but this is unlike anything I have ever seen. Perhaps unlike anything else I will ever see in my life.
Now, if only NBC hadn’t tried so hard to destroy it….
Whomever offers the media contracts for the next Olympics, pay attention: Don’t give the contract to NBC.
Grace and peace,
`tim
Michigan Fiber Festival (Allegan)
I don’t know much about the few of you that actually read this blog (other than the couple who comment on a regular basis and have blogs of their own - which I follow). I think, however, that those of you who may consider attending a fiber festival tend to live too far away to come to the one in Allegan (and those of you close enough, mostly aren’t interested). I may be wrong though.
So… on the change that I’m clueless about who you are, is there anyone out there attending the Michigan Fiber Festival later this month? (August 16/17)
Due to obvious occupational difficulties, I am unable to attend the 17th but may be able on the 16th.
Let me know - Maybe we can meet up/do lunch/get a drink/??
Grace and peace,
`tim
Finally, some sense!
Imagine what would happen if you or I were involved in a legal case and instructed (on bond) that any kind of travel for business required 48-hour notice to a court representative. Of course, it wouldn’t happen. For mere mortals like us, there would be no travel… Not with 48-hour notice… not at all.
The dear mayor of Detroit, however, is no mere mortal like the rest of us. Although he is currently on “bond,” he has been given the freedom to travel, at least for business, if only he informs (notice, CNN uses the word “informs” not “gets approval from”) the court. That’s what I call generous.
So what happens when the court is generous to you? Well, apparently in Mr. Kilpatrick’s case, you ignore the order; violate it; get a slap on the wrist, and violate it again by going out of the country (not just out of the state!) He’s in trouble now, but his little trip to Canada, you’ll notice, wasn’t his first violation. The rest of us would be sitting in jail after even the most minor infraction. (How do I know? Because I’ve seen the courts throw people in jail for far lesser infringements!)
Oh, and I don’t buy that blather about his first priority being being to take care of the city, either - how dumb do you really think we are?!
It’s about time the courts stepped up to the plate. Just because someone is famous (or rich… or powerful…) doesn’t mean that should get a free ride. As a matter of fact, I’d argue it ought to be just the opposite. Courts bending over backwards for celebrities and political figures actually undermine their own authority and violate their own values. Show some grace to Joe-and-Jane-Schmoe once in a while and we might respect you… Give overly-light treatment to rich people and we won’t.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/08/07/mayor.jailed/index.html?iref=topnews
***Steps down off of soapbox***
Grace and Peace,
`tim
Beautiful as Heaven, Deadly as Hell
A month (or so) ago, a few people from our church decided to do some landscaping around the parsonage. For this, we are incredibly thankful! The parsonage is 50-ish years old, but has never had much landscaping done to it and the work they did in the course of a day practically transformed our yard. To make matters even better, they are - even as I write this - putting up a fenced in back-yard so that we don’t have to worry about chasing Sophia to the highway if she decides to run! It’s great. However, that’s not my point. All of that is context to what I’m really interested in writing about this evening. I really want to write about a weed. Yep. A weed. Somehow, when they pushed a bunch of dirt into a pile, they must have worked up an old seed and exactly on the top of the hill a weed started to grow. In the course of a month, she’s now several feet tall and blooming. And beautiful - at least the flowers are. Every evening she pushes open a half a dozen white-trumpet-like flowers with blue-ish insides. Gorgeous. (Although the leaves suggest a little of her darker side.)
The weed is, I believe, Datura Stramonium: Jimson weed… or for those of you who like Harry Potter: Devil’s Snare. It’s a relative of the famous “deadly nightshade,” and it’s horribly poisonous.
Go figure! The one plant that not only lives but actually thrives under my care causes one to be “blind as a bat, mad as a hatter, red as a beet, hot as hell, dry as a bone, the bowel and bladder lose their tone, and the heart runs alone” or according to the Navajo: “Can’t see, can’t spit, can’t pee, can’t sh*t.” (please excuse the language…. reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datura_stramonium)
Several years ago I ran across this same plant and actually dug it up and put it in a pot - it thrived. My wife, upon learning of it’s effects, promptly “suggested” that it wasn’t welcome inside the house. Now I’ve been re-introduced. I wonder if I can replant it somewhere and tell people it’s intentional?
So what’s my point. Well, I don’t suppose I have one. I just wanted to share my little plant with someone before she gets dug up and destroyed….
Grace and Peace,
`tim
Ragbrai XXXVI is now officially over
What makes me say that? Well, the ride is over. But even more, I’m home and the wristbands are cut off. I could pretend Ragbrai was still going as long as the wristbands were still there, but once I cut them off, I suppose it’s official. It’s good to be home - It was great to see JJ and Phia again, of course. I wish I could have just had that and a few more days of Ragbrai fun.
In any case, I put up a few more pictures on the flickr set - I’m home now, so dialup forces me to shrink them a little. You’ll be able to see them fine though. I have dozens more if anyone’s interested - almost 800 MB of pics and vids.
If you’re wondering about mileage the magic number is 500. I dipped my tire at a little less than 500 miles but rode around a couple more to make sure I reached it! I couldn’t stand the thought of being that close and not quite making it.
The weak of heart may want to stop here. The rest of you feel free to keep reading. I’ve found myself wondering a few things over the past couple of days:
- Considering biking is such a “green” activity. I wonder if Ragbrai can actually be called a “green” event. Why? There are dozens (hundreds?) of team buses (mostly old school buses that have been psychotically painted) that drive from all corners of the US. People drive, fly, ride the train and ship their bikes from all over the world. I wonder if the green-ness of the riding is actually less than the pollution caused getting to and from it!
- Ragbrai is filled with crazies. These are people - presumably normal people - who take a week out of their life to ride their bikes around 500 miles across Iowa at the end of July, pay for showers, and sleep in tents. Many of them wearing clothing and costumes that would never be acceptable in “real” life. I have a sneaky suspicion there are a lot of lawyers, CPAs, Professors, etc. who, for a week each year, live their lives in lycra, dresses, kilts, banana outfits, loin-cloths and pretty much anything else you can think of and then go back to their “normal” lives as if nothing unusual had taken place. I actually think it’s healthy.
- Port-a-potties (called Kybos on Ragbrai) are a great invention. In one town they actually put little tubs of talcum powder in them for people to use. Nice idea (albeit a little gross despite the fact that they provided spoons for “distribution”). Sometimes the simplest inventions are the best. I actually got to use one right after it was emptied and cleaned… an unexpected blessing.
- “Adjusting.” One of the first things a young boy learns is that it’s simply not appropriate to “adjust” in public. Apparently that rule is suspended on Ragbrai - for both boys and girls. Lycra/Spandex apparently has that effect on both genders. I found myself wondering how long it takes the average Ragbrai rider to cease such behavior after returning home.
Things to remember if I ever do it again:
- Pack less. or not. I didn’t use everything I brought but could have. I would probably use the exact same list.
- Bring something pillow-y. Using my bag or a rolled up sweatshirt works fine but it’s just not the same.
- If I run across a wad of extra cash, It’d be great to have a solar charger for my cell phone. Dead cell phones are miserable and plug-ins are usually full by the time “the tortoise” rolls into town.
- Tortoise tempo rocks. A comfortable pace coupled with stopping in nearly every town may get me into town later than a lot of people, but it’s a lot more fun.
- Get a small, fold-able lawn chair. Matt brought one and it was great.
- Make sure someone on the team has a good pump. We had one this year and it was definitely worth it!
- See if someone will follow in a truck/van/u-haul/bus/camper/??? - it would be great to stay outside the main campgrounds and have someone to make sure our stuff is ready when we get there and there’s cold drinks available when we arrive — maybe even shade?!
- Invite people carefully. We had a good group this year - a great group actually - but I can imagine that, as groups get bigger, it would be more and more important to ensure everyone is compatible.
- Get some kind of speaker system. Riding with music is fun and other people seem to have boring play lists. I want something eclectic - sure, a lot of people are going to think my play lists are dumb… oh well.
- Sandals are awesome. I loved my Shimano/SPDs - WAY more comfortable than my biking shoes and the recessed SPDs are great.
- Don’t bring more than a pair or two of socks - I brought WAY too many socks and didn’t even wear them on the cold day.
- Bring several swimsuits - they’re the only comfortable thing to change into after riding all day and they wash/dry easily.
- Find some kind of light-weight top. Cotton T-Shirts seem too heavy; jersey’s are too tight for a comfortable evening; loose long sleeves are ok, but not optimal. I don’t know what - something has to be a better option.
- Consider being one of the crazies. I’m not into dresses or loin-clothes (aren’t you all relieved to hear that?!) but it would be fun to come up with a great costume/gimmick.
Well, there you go. Likely the last post for Ragbrai XXXVI - 2008. Thanks for listening.
I’m spending the rest of my “vacation” on a church campout at Cran Hill Ranch.
***Back to Normal Business***
Grace and peace,
`tim
Made It!!!
Well.. Matt managed to stick at tortoise pace all day and he and I road into town together. We’ve made it all the way to Le Claire!
As I type this I’m loading some pictures up on flickr. That website is:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/24266318@N00/sets/72157606261587424/
I’m putting up a couple of dipping pictures… all the way in the Mississippi. Eventually I’ll put up some more pictures for you to see, if you’re interested. For now, that’s about all I have time for.
It was a great ride today. Hot, but not miserable. Low humidity. Mostly tail-winds. Lots of good food, etc. — The perfect Ragbrai day!
Hope you’ve enjoyed reading about it.
Grace and Peace,
`tim
