I got an email link to a Craiglist posting from Josh saying that the fellow therein would probably make a suitable Friday Hero.
Well wouldnt you know it, as soon as I got home to put the finishing touches on Fridays post, the ad had been flagged by the Craigslist community. Lucky for you, Im a bit of a time traveler myself, and I sensed that the world was against people like us, so I took a computer generated snap shot of said ad.
Screw Friday Hero. For the first time in history Id like to present to you How to Avoid The Bummer Lifes 'All Week Hero'.

-Dude obviously has a little bit of ninja in him.

And while were on the topic of ninjas, why not show your support for Obama with one of these Obama spoke cards?

However if Barack isnt your cup of tea, you could pick up yourself a Hillary endorsed SupremeO Quill Stem High Rise Extendo-Matic©, or just throw all of your eggs in one basket and got to John McCain is your new bicycle (dot) com and do whatever the hell it is youre supposed to do there.

Johnny recently wrote in with an item that really should at some point end up in my posession, but as long as he has a breath in his lungs, probably wont;

"I work part time at the uppity uptown racer shop in MPLS (Flanders) and they have a wool jersey from the mid eighties on the wall from when their sponsor was Budweiser. One of the owners said he still had a long sleeve version that may fit my figure. We can derby for it next time you're up this way. And by derby for it, I mean we'll derby and I'll still keep it.
-Johnny"

Some guys have all the luck.

I was in Chicago for the last trade show they had there several years ago, and there was a clothing manufacturer in attendance who had a Budweiser jersey on display. Stupidly I asked if I might be able to procure the item, to which they responded with a fairly simple "no".
In hindsight I realized that I just should have stolen it. Karmas got nothing to do with anything when it comes to Budwesier jerseys.
I think theres a bumper sticker in there somewhere....

Joe recently wrote in with some insight on what BMX and professional photographers have in common;

"Yo Stevil,

Photographer Amy Stein noticed how many photographers rode BMX as a kid.

You've got to see this photo of Mark Hobson and family -- it's inspiring.

Heres my entry.

Rock,

Joe"

Marks moustache is staggering.

Patrick wrote in with something Bacon-ie;

"Not at all what I thought it was- click here."

I never even thought of including Francis Bacon in any of these posts. After all, hes got the name to beat all names and he made a ton of art that didnt suck. He is a very favorite painter of mine, and had a pretty incredible outlook on his good fortune of being one of contemporary arts greats.

In interviews Id read he often times would reflect on how he might go to Monaco to gamble and party with his friends. Hed blow thirty million dollars on Blackjack or whatever, and then return to England, knock out a painting and settle his debt.
There was a pretty great film that came out about the life and times of Francis called Love is the Devil in which Derek Jacobis portrayal of the artist was so staggeringly accurate, friends of Bacon were quoted as saying they thought they were watching his ghost. An interesting side note is that the Bacon estate refused to allow any of his paintings to be used in the film, so many of the shots were actually set up to mimic his paintings compositions.

The only criticism Bacon ever received was that in 50 years of painting his style hardly ever changed, the frustration for which hed occasionally express. The nature of making art is to evolve, and once one is embraced by critics and collectors alike, the evolution of ones style doesnt come as naturally as it should. You become pigeonholed and afraid to have your community turn their collective backs on you.
The art world is truly as fickle of one as they come.

Obviously though, the 86 million dollar price tag that the above tryptic fetched last week doesnt really serve as any indication of this.

And while Bacon is still fresh on our pallets, John from Hayes got ahold of us with a little rocket science;

"Stevil, likely an old one for you as by the time these things reach the tech department they’re 15yrs old, but it still applies today.

FWIW, if you haven’t had Nueske’s bacon, you haven’t had bacon. I prefer the black peppered, double thick, apple wood smoked cooked on a grill. Nothing says up nort’ like that. Cheers on ya."

I hadnt actually seen that, and due to the sheer volume of bacon related emails I get here, it comes as a bit of a surprise.

Anyway, lets get back to some bike nerd-dom, shall we?
This in from Jim;

"Stevil,

Here's a pic I took of my workbench. Hanging above is my '81 Bianchi Superleggera. Below that is a new Bianchi "bike"(?) that was in for repair.

I have titled the picture "When did it all go wrong?" Perhaps Sky would enjoy this pic. By the way, the '81 steel-on-steel weighs 20lbs. The new one, with carbon frame, fork, crank, seatpost and handlebar weighs............20lbs! Hooray for progress!

JP"

Jim, I know Im preaching to the choir here, but in the bicycle world I believe thats commonly referred to as 'planned obsolescence'.
Hooray for progress indeed.

Speaking of carbon, Im sure you all remember my Soulcraft fork debacle back in October.. For those of you who dont, allow me to refresh. I had just completed a marathon journey with Willie to Sacramento for a single speed rally, then a drive to Petaluma for a Halloween party, and then the long road home with my new custom frame and fork in tow.
Of course I couldnt just rest up and get my head straight that night.. No way... I began the preliminary assembly, with an emphasis on 'ass' as I ended up doing the unthinkable by cutting the steerer too short. Luckily I had a spare True Temper carbon fork which I threw on, but you know, despite all of the tests Ive read, and bomb proof reputation of these forks, every time I rode, I couldnt shake the image of Gorgeous George at the 2006 Roubaix going doooowwwnnnnn;

Would I have the cat like reflexes to throw the bars and guide myself to safety holding onto the fork crown?
Probably not.
Anyway in an email from Sean he said that that this week I should expect the UPS person to come bearing something "long, brown and uncut", so Im assuming that either a new steel fork will be arriving directly or Seans buying me off with a Pepperidge Farms summer sausage, which I have nearly as profound an appreciation for.
...Or hes got a surprise UPS strip-o-gram which Im totally emotionally unprepared for.

Newt and Jim both sent this tidbit on.. Jim writes;

"I don't know if this is for real, but if it isn't, it oughtta be.

Dinner in a bottle(dot)com

Mmmmmm... Bacon & Eggs flavored sports drink.

Jim"

Thats a travesty of nature. All these people getting their panties in a bunch over same sex marriage? Meat water is really what they should be attacking.

As we all know May is bike to work month. As most of you Im sure do not know, this Wednesday is drive your bike to work day. The Skipper and I have been celebrating this day all month long. First I drive my bike to his house, then load it into his truck. Then he drives his truck with both of our bikes, and I drive my truck backwards behind him to the warehouse, and we roshambo for the parking spot.
Theres really nothing like it to make yourself feel good about life.

So a few weeks ago I made a promise to some friends down in Florida that I would post this flyer for their race.

As I just emailed them, the last two weeks have been so nuts that the flyer got lost in the shuffle of my inbox. I am such a bastard. Begging their pardon, I should also note that they provided me with this weeks header photo of Spencer taking the leap. Ifin you get an itch, take a peek at their Flickr page.
As always, Im a day late and a dollar short.

Speaking of which, I just got an email from Captain Dave;

"I bet on the horse named "Stevil" in the Preakness. You lost me $5, you asshole."

It really is the story of my life.

So check this out- Over the course of a long and relaxing road ride this weekend, as usual I got hit in the face with several large bugs. You know, its Spring time, and the swarms are hatching. Every time I got pegged, it reminded me to keep my mouth more closed than open. Well at one point I glanced down to my right and noticed something amiss in my peripheral vision.
The short version of the horror I experienced was something large, like a cricket or perhaps a wasp found itself ensnared within the hairy labyrinth of my upper lip. I shit you negative my people. I caught a huge insect in my moustache which was stuck there for several large swallows of water and for what I estimated to be at least a quarter of a mile.
Once again, the count down for getting rid of this damned thing is on, and Im reasonably certain that no amount of supportive emails will aid in changing my mind.

And now finally, Ill leave you with a rant as only Mr. Keith Olbermann can produce.

Keith says all of the things Id like to if I had a broader vocabulary, and I never had to inhale.

On that note, Im gonna get on with my bad self to the ball and chain of another work week.
Giddyup.