Friday Photo: Epic Wheels
The Portland bike community never ceases to inspire me. Last night Epic Wheel Works hosted their one-year anniversary party, the bike throwdown and benefit for the Bicycle Transportation Alliance that was one big get together of bike enthusiasts and people that believe in making their community a better place.
I’ve got to give it to Jude, founder of Epic, who truly believes in the idea that bikes can make the world a better place, and as she puts it, she’s making positive chance “one revolution at a time.” That and her wheels are simply works of art. If that doesn’t inspire you to go hop on your bike, I don’t know what will.
Mixtape Writing Contest
One of my favorite blogs is Matador Senior Editor David Miller’s, which he recently renamed “Operating on Stoke.” One of his new projects is the Mixtape Writing Contest, a weekly contest where people submit writing and a mixtape is made based on the winning entries. And because David’s such a creative guy, he comes up with some pretty cool themes for the contests.
This week he wanted a 3-sentence confession, made by relating a story, conversation or scene and adding a confessional sentence that hints at a deeper story. The 3-sentence confession had to be nonfiction. On a whim I submitted the following:
An old man sits on the park bench, paintbrush poised in hand. Behind him, a dog sprints away from its owner. I have a hard time saying no.
The full disclosure on this is that I don’t necessarily remember having this thought while I watched this scene. It is a thought that I do have often enough however, and it’s usually had at very random times, so I felt like it fit. David picked it as the winner and gave it a wonderful analysis as well as a pretty kick-ass mixtape. Check it out here.
Swedish Music: JJ
Opened up my latest issue of Paste Magazine and happened upon a review of Swedish group jj. Love new Swedish music discoveries. This song is from the group’s recently released jj nº 3. Listen and enjoy.
Friday Photo: Brooklyn Cruiser
NYC cycling is its own special thing. Stop signs don’t really count as stop signs, stop lights are merely for good measure and even designated bike lanes aren’t really like bike lanes in any other city; at least people believe in helmets. But that’s what makes riding in the city fun.
Ringing the bell incessantly as you cross the Brooklyn Bridge and having to maneuver around children flying by on wooden trikes. Dodging tourists in Chinatown with that smell of outdoor markets and produce hanging in the air that’s reminiscent of previous visits to Asia. Raising your hand in disgust at the drivers completely oblivious to the fact that a bicycle was ever invented. But on two wheels, the big city feels manageable, even more friendly. Which is why you keep ringing the bell.
Saving Salmon
“The sin lies not in the wilderness, but in the dammed.” – Steven Hawley in Idaho Tide, excellent article on saving wild salmon in the current summer Patagonia catalog. Go read!
Live The Revolution, May 13th
Fabulous event next Thursday for the wonderful Epic Wheel Works. A female-operated custom wheel building company… love it!
“The Hardest Thing in the World is to Simplify Your Life”
Good words and wisdom from Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard in this trailer for 180 South: Conquerors of the Useless. The travel/adventure documentary is showing at the upcoming Mountainfilm Festival in Telluride. Excited to see it!
Friday Photo: NYC By Night
No tripod, strange Diesel storefront in the background and a bus driving just a bit too fast. The city that never sleeps; a true statement.
Kombucha: Love it or Hate it? Love it.
So yeah… I’ll acknowledge that it looks gross, but there’s just something about brewing your own kombucha, and if you haven’t already jumped on the fermented tea train, it’s time to do it. Check out the latest installment of Foodie Underground to find out how (and why you should).
If You Expose Too Much Online…
Saw this walking down 5th Avenue in New York. Couldn’t help but take a photo.
blog.annabrones.com 