Mo Gears Mo Problems

I think the rapper Notorious B.I.G. had it right when he swooned "Mo money Mo Problems" I think the sentiment can be echoed throughout ones life. Make the Face has been commuting on a single speed bicycle this summer. Its just a pile full of giggles to peddle your one speed bike to work. Simplistic satisfying and down to earth. When stopped at the red lights I am even trying to emulate the beatnicks who do T stands effortlessly. I was doing one at the only red light in Honeoye Falls when Mrs Prozac went by and gave the me a drive by shout out (Not to be confused with the kind of drive by BIG got)! I heard through her car window 'Gaaaarrrryyy......." I have even been taking the bus part way. They have these bike racks on the fronts of the buses and for only $1, I can eliminate 13 miles of my single speed commute and still feel like I am doing my part to reduce global warming. That bus is going to drive that route whether I am on it or not. (More on that in a later blog post).

Rapping up the Notorious B.I.G. name. My son had a friend on his ski team who had the nickname B.I.G Now I was confused because there were a couple of guys who were ...lets just say big boned. They could be construed as being called this name but it was actually another kid whos last name was Satorious and the kids came up with Satorious B.I.G. (get it). and thats a Rap.


I like commutin on my single speed
Its better than doing the deed (Not really but I am rhyming here)
I Take the bus some of the time
little B wont always pick me up on a dime
Went from a super Saab to a Raleigh with a single cog
Like my Brooks Leather old school
fits me like a freakin fool
and Alicia Keys rhymes in
I'm in Mendon.....

Huaraches

The Cream Puff, the RQ and I have entered the barefoot running craze. It started when I read the book "Born to Run". A few years later I find myself making sandals Huaraches (wah-rah-cheh ). Today was my inaugural 5K run in these minimalist of minimalist footwear. (RQs been doing it for a few weeks) I feel like a member of the Rarámuri or Tarahumara. The Native American running people featured in the book. I started by trying to cut up an old tire as the book says the Tarahumara did before the Leadville 100. Turns out tires are 3/4 of an inch thick and have steel strands in them. Too heavy too hard to cut and way too thick. Some research yielded better raw materials which I purchased to make them.

These are fantastic, your stride instantly transforms into a natural mid-foot strike, soft high knee form of running which feels utterly natural. Sometimes you hit little painful rocks under your feet and your knee naturally buckles in response to absorb the shock. A bit disconcerting at first but the RQ assures me it becomes second nature after a few runs. You get sensory as well as audible feedback. When I first started running in them it was slap slap slapping along. Oh my I have to make that stop, A few strides later I am gliding along silently. This is how we were born to run! To steal a phrase from the popular book.

Now excuse me I have to go make a pair of Huaraches for the Carrot Chopper.

Portlessman Revealed

This blog has currently been hijacked by one of the ladies over at TogetherCooking...specifically cream puff. Portlessman and I had a lovely time in Colorado and quite an entertaining road trip back to New York. He told you all about the food that he was stuffed with and the exciting adventures that we took. However he left out a few details that need to be shared with his readers.

Our trip back to New York took 28 hours, crossing over two time zones and traveling 1,666 miles. To keep us entertained we celebrated changing time zones and referenced our altitude as we slowly declined back to sea level, all while I tortured him by playing country music. Every time I fell asleep I would wake up to the sounds of NPR and then I would change it back to country. My plan for driving was to drive five hours and then switch off. Portlessmans plan for driving was to drive 1.5 hours, drink 16oz of water and then stop to go to the restroom, do some stretching and then switch drivers. The multiple stops made our trip a little longer than expected however it was worth it because Portlessman would get very cranky if he didn't do his stretches inbetween. Portlessman did not know that I took any of these photos until I showed him around the time we hit Ohio. I wish I could say that I'm making this up...but this is all real.