No kidding that Paris is for lovers, and apparently smokers and rollerbladers. It is beautiful, indulgent, and freaking pricy when the the exchange on the dollar drops below 50cents!!! Thank god for credit cards, right?

You'd think with Paris being a metropolitan city that there would be an abundance if wifi, but no, if you can find an Internet cafe you better have enough Euros to do a weeks worth of emailing in less than 20 minutes. This is why I'm actually posting from a random corner in Versaille. Literally holding up post, I might add!!

But France is stunning, and we haven't even begun biking yet!! Versaille is a must do if you love an abundance of gardens, fountains and obscene wealth. One can only imagine what it's like to live in such a place with gardens and forests as far as the eye can see, fountains and statues everywhere you look!! You can almost hear the horseback riding and secrets being told in far flung garden corners. Somewhere a murder of political coup is being plotted. The place where obscene despotism really did flourish!!

I have more photos posted at: http://fuzzyshot.com/shane42704

I think I'm done making a spectacle of myself on this random corner but I will definitely be posting as the wifi hunt continues!!

PS- Starbuck's really is everywhere you want to be:(

Posted via LiveJournal.app.

I'll fix it later...hehe

Sept jours, seize heures, vingt-trois minute.

The connectedness of life. Save the sea mammals on blast on Earth day. If we could learn from our mistakes, wouldn't we have changed by now?

Society, the constructs, the poor, the diaadvanged, the masses. The message hasn't changed yet. Though our technologies have allowed us to depart from tgus earth menrally emotionally psychologicly we continue to exist on a level too short sighted. Knowledge has done us in. What are we as a society trying to know?? We don't believe in god. And we sure don't care about earth, our creator. So what will knowledge tell us? God told Adam and eve not to even touch the fruit or they would perish, but they didn't. They were both able to eat the fruit. Is this what happens when you gain knowledge?? Instead of killing them, god decided to let man continue to evolve, gain progressive knowledge. Until he destroyed the earth in armegdein or we destroy it ourselves. Double suicide. Maybe that's all the planets really are. Or we are just a manifestatin of the right combination of gases until they become ricux?? Right before we turn into anothrr dead planet. Maybe were the first life in the universe that has some minute semblences of total cognition?? Conscious of metaphysical aspects of being?? A taste for creation, I suppose.

Posted via LiveJournal.app.

I got hit by a car on Saturday. Or should I say we met half way? The driver was turning into a parking lot, I was coming down Stanyan. I saw green so I was flowing with traffic. The light had just turned green so the guy in the SUV was letting her turn in. We didn't see each other because the SUV blocked our view of each other. I braked as soon as I saw her turn and tried to turn into the parking lot, but I didn't have time to slow down.. I went right into the hood while my bike hit the car and unfortunately was still attached to my left foot. It unclipped at some point as I struggled to grapple for something on the hood as I slid off into the street.

I'm alive. My bike is okay, the front wheel needed replacing. All and all I'm physically okay. A few scrapes but no blood and nothings broken. But what an experience.

Now I'm finding myself fearful, of what exactly, I'm not sure. Every time I go down a slight decline I have the child like trepidation and fear of falling racing through my mind. As I take these once fun and exciting moments I find myself in question of my entire existance as a cyclist. Every time some douchey driver punks me in his car I find myself less inclined to chase them down and bang some sense into their car.

With my big adventure to Europe weeks away, I wonder, "will I still be a cyclist when I get back?". Or is this the end?? Is this the end of this strange love affair??

This whole situation has destroyed my sense of fearless persona. My "conquer all" mentality blunted by a car bumper. I'm still riding to work but I'm a little more anxious, afraid of zoning out only to be rudely awakened by screaching tires. Sure, I'm physically okay, but my soul has been shaken to the core.

Posted via LiveJournal.app.

Listening to David grey throatily try to convince me that "it's a good life alone." Or maybe remind me. Sitting in my pearch above Stanyan, still trapped in LOST! Who would of thought, right? But the road calls me, a chilly fun run through the Sunset, home.

Posted via LiveJournal.app.

After Saturdays lengthy ride into Half Moon Bay and over King's Mountain, Sunday should have been an R&R day. Alas, life always has something else in mind.

Sunday started at 2am with a desperate phone call from Lydia explaining she need me and my car ASAP at her place. Long story short, she was moving out. My body, still in need of sleep, was present as moral support versus physical support. There was no way I was going to carry Lydia's stuff up and down the stairs at 2am!!! I was saving my knees the unneeded pain. Thanks to Josh the car was thouroughly filled with the important, high value items that constitute Lydia's life.

We got back to my place around 3:30 ish, but since I'd been awake, sleep was no where to be found. I decided to seperate my laundry and get it ready for the morning, you know, the one where the sun is. I eventually fell asleep, hoping that I would wake up at a decent time.

8am. I don't know what it is about this particular hour that always jolts me out of bed on the weekends. Maybe it's because I'm suppose to be at work at 8? Any way, that's what time I woke up and after much mental restlessness I decided that I wouldn't regret starting my day that early. So I took a shower, hauled my 2 large duffel bags full of laundery the block and a half to the laundry mat, dumped in the loads to wash and went back home, where I proceeded to clean as quietly as possible. Since Lydia had a rough night I was trying to let her sleep, but I also needed to clean, desperately.

After getting both the bathroom and the kitchen completely 409'd and Pinesolved, I went back to the laundry mat to dump the clothes in the dryer. I should have taken a break before mopping because it was already 9:47am which meant I was falling behind schedule. I needed to get to Farmer's Market as early as possibly, since last week I got there after 12pm and it was way too late to buy anything, since half the vendors had left by that time. Time itself was ticking away but I had so much laundry that I needed to, not only dry, but fold and put away.

To kill time before the clothes was done drying I decided to go through the stack of useless papers that has been collecting dust from the many places I've lived over the years and decide what was trash and what I was willing to hold onto for another millenia. Decisions, decisions. I should have thrown out more, I'm sure, but getting rid of useless material possesions is a long tedious process involving much denial and nonsensical justifications. Let's take the SEED magazine I "borrowed" from Spa Fitness in 2005. I have to keep it since it has a very interesting article on homosexual tendencies in other animals. It even has a corresponding list of over 150 homosexual species which includes flies and chimps. How can I possibly rid myself of this intellectual morsel?? Or the TIME magazine special issue titled 21 Days to Baghdad which is a photo documentation of the US invasion of Iraq, how priceless is that??

After my many tough decisions the laundry was way past dry and it was already a quarter to 11. I don't think I've ever folded my laundry so quickly before in my life. I even managed to fit the finished product in one duffel bag, how awesome was that? I quickly put all my clothes away, got my bike and my bike bags, switched my clips from my new bike shoes to my "everyday" bike shoes and took off. If I hauled ass I could get to Civic Center just before noon.

Getting on my bike after Saturdays 80+ mile adventure reminded my butt that it was not a happy camper. My legs felt like lead since I didn't get a good enough stretch or rest for the type of speed work I was ready and willing to attempt. Sad times. I don't know what my pace was but it was slow, molassess slow. Thanks to the heavy pedestrian traffic in Golden Gate Park I didn't feel so bad about my sub par pace. At least I was passing the kids with training wheels, LOL! It wasn't that bad, really. I got to the library bike parking at about a quarter to noon.

As I was locking my bike up a possibly homeless man approached me inquiring about bike powered generators for head lights during night rides. With his Puerto Rican Spanglish and my suprisingly friendly disposition we talked about how hard it was to find such a gizmo. He informed me that Wal-mart had these mythical devices, but who wants to shop there? I thanked him for his time and the great conversation as he walked into the library and I rounded the corner to Farmer's Market.

Many vendors were MIA but I was able to pick up some bare minimum neccessities, mostly potatoes and tomatoes. I decided to head over to the other Farmer's Market off Divisadero, by my office. Once there, I was surprised to find organic chicken for sale. Unfortunately all they had were whole chickens. I can't do that, sorry. I know I eat meat but I can't do the bone thing, gross. The vendor's were very nice but a little on the desperate side to sell thier precious foods. They let me know they would have boneless skinless chicken breast in a few weeks. Sweet!

Now that my shopping was done I hauled ass home in hopes to cook as fast as possible in order to get in some beach time on such a beautiful day. I got home by 1:20pm. I was done cooking by 3ish. After cleaning up I made it down to the beach with plenty of time to spare.

Finally taking some precious moments to myself I was looking at all the beach goers, the waves, the sun, even the sand. Everyone enjoying the beach in their own way. Some kids were playing the guitar while sitting on some drift wood. Trendy kids were laying out drinking beers. The weird lone old guy sitting in the dunes just admiring his surroundings, the screaming kids, the runners, the dogs; they were all there waiting for the moment when the sun disappeared behind the waves.

I had been meditating so when I had finished I was viewing everything with a deeper acknowledgment when this question popped into my head: Does everyone at the beach stop what they are doing to witness the final rays of sun for the day?? I sat pensively waiting to see the answer manifest. As the moments neared to the end of the official day time, more people gathered closer to the shoreline. Some people continued walking but slowed, some people continued drinking their beers but turned to gaze at the sun. At the final moment, when the sun is nothing more of a quarter of it's radiant size, almost everyone at the beach was standing, facing the sun in an almost ritualistic way. It felt as if the whole world was at the beach, holding their breath, waiting.

After the final rays had vanished into dusk, like army ants, they marched away from the beach and back into the city, back into their lives. I went home, ate some dinner, finished the third season of Law and Order:SVU and went to bed. I, like them, was touched by a singular moment that only affected me for an instant. Yet, any and every afternoon I have free I find myself at the beach, a constant part of this ritual.

Posted via LiveJournal.app.

I've started this muni photos project, I'm sure it's been done before, but these are mine.

This was my first one. This one was on the N Judah. Between Civic Canter Van Ness. Can you see what eye see?

This was my second one, "the END of the ride.". N Judah, getting closer to home.

I'm loving the gloss of the MUNI windows. I'm thinking of trying to do a reflection series, we'll see.

These next ones are to be played with a random mix of eclectic music. I'm calling it my "BLINK" series. Here's my fave still:

Posted via LiveJournal.app.

I have had this unfortunate battle with sleep my entire life. When I was a child it was the dark itself which kept me up through the night. The notion that only something horrible could possibly come of this sudden lack of illumination. Next was my introduction to my still current fear of extra terrestrials. The fact that I sleep with my eyes open is a testamemt to this fear. This was also coupled by eerie supernatural activity, imagined or not, fueled by sleep deprivation and an extremely superstitious mother. Needless to say, my blankets and I have had a very interesting love affair.

Once puberty hit I think a decent nights sleep became this activity that others were privy to; something I was to hear of but never know. Maybe the anxiety of entering the unknown of daily life built slowly on my adolescent soul. The premonition like certainty of the permenant discomfort of this human flesh suit that I somehow can't find the zipper to. Or maybe it was something lodged so deep in my unconscious that my eyes simply equated darkness to alertness. Vigilance, I suppose.

High school was easy, meaning staying up all night looking for something, be it trouble or not, made the ever darkening patches under my eyes irresistable. Besides if you drink enough pilfered two buck chuck, sleep happens, wether you like it or not. Between stressing out over homework, failed teenage love affairs, and the sleep that never came peacefully, sleep itself became the absolutely nessecary moments of unencumbered face meets desk action. The candle thoroughly burned from both ends I somehow emerged a paper mâché pheonix with no lifetime warranty.

Sure I sleep more often now. An awesome 5 to 6 hour average. The toll of years in this state finally wearing me like a battered fur coat. Yet I have survived. Night after night sans zombies, aliens, ghosts, and what have you. Only to lay my head down to sleep hoping that a peaceful rejuvinating action might occur is still a nightly battle. More a roll of the dice than a planned event.

Posted via LiveJournal.app.

Waiting for the key to womens restroom at pilsner a little drunk a little stoned. Making my way to the tennis ball courts where dodge ball has commenced. The tickle of pain I have dubbed the "ulcer" scratching at my side. Welcome to Thanksgiving. A drinking tradition.

Posted via LiveJournal.app.