However I did speak with Jason on the phone as he was walking out the door en route to the reception, and he said that the full shipment of his book will be arriving on shelves soon, and that the S.F. Electric Works gallery will be having a full fledged book signing on the 11th of October.
Mark your calendars.

Onto some bike news. I know each and every one of you stake your entire existences on the newest bells and whistles that come down the pipe every year, so it is for you that I will now post some super secret spy pics of the most recent generation of XTR that I stole straight from the sharp eye of Chipps, (who, incidentally I stole this weeks header pic from as well.)

You know, theres nothing that can make a simple bike ride that much better than a sizable investment into the bank of planned obsolescence that is the bicycle industry.

'Really now', you might be asking yourself, 'who is this guy to mock the whims of the market and the industry which pays him such a handsome, handsome income? He has so much crap in his garage, he has to go outside to change his mind.'
And to that I can only counter with that youre absolutely right.
Im as gigantic a hypocrite as they come.

But I still love my XTR thumb shifters more than just about any bike part I own.

Really, Im just warming up for our 2008 Interbike trade show extravaganza. Here at How to Avoid the Bummer Life were proudly flipping over a new leaf....
You needn't turn anywhere else for the most comprehensive coverage of every new fiber carbon/composite widget and googah to be premiered this year.

And speaking of the fiber carbon, is this a safe look for a carbon bar to have developed?

Now onto news about those in the world who put the 'cult' into culture.
While perusing the web recently, I came across a striking interview with Erik Brunetti of FUCT Clothing.

I have to offer Eric my utmost respect, as he truly is a pioneer and visionary, not to mention that the two pairs of his brushed denim shorts I wore until they were thread bare back in the early 90s, continue to be among my most favorite items of clothing Ive ever owned.
Its no exaggeration when I say its people like Erik that keep the fires of inspiration burning beneath me..
If youd like a little more insight into what makes my man tick, all youd have to do is click here.

While out and about on one of our trademark 'training rides' this weekend, Blacksocks took some time out to stop and save a banana slug who had wandered haplessly into the middle of the trail.

If I didnt know better, Id say old Mr. Blacksocks has a little bit of monk in him.

If you think about it, its kinda like stopping to smell the roses, which we all could stand to do from time to time, only it smells more of rotting leaves.

Benjamin wrote us (and also included this shot which Ive had up before, but its so good, Ill include it again anyway) with some thoughts on my new career choice which I highlighted last Thursday;

"I am well aware that HTATBL does not promote elicit drug use, performance enhancing or recreational. Why? this guy seems to be OK…
Good luck in your new career as a drunken clown (I don’t see how that differs from your current job) but if I can offer any advice. Hook up with your local Drunken Clown union. If you have questions I’m sure this guy can help you out.

Thanks Stevil,
Benjamin Bunny"

Thanks for the well wishes, and as far as promoting the partaking of ingestables, I tend to steer clear of that road, because youre all grown ups capable of making those types of decisions on your own.
Aside from that, as Ive said before, I say nope to dope, so it would be a little like if I were to expound on the virtues of adding nitrous injection to your automobiles.

I know nothing about it, nor do I particularly care. Ill stick to canned beer and sour Jelly Bellys, thank you very much.
Oh.. And Danzig. I like Danzig.

Steveo from Pittsburgh initially emailed this image to me from a random fellas Flickr page. I emailed this random fella to ask permission to post it here, and ironically, he emailed me back saying that hed remembered when I first had requested a shot of Glenn mowing his lawn.
Ill go out on a limb and say that this picture is just about that good...

The man known only as 'Banned in SF' has even appropriated some of old Glenns lyrics as a caption;

"Calllll meee the cake hunter! yeah thats my name. yummy little thing like is my only game. Dont need the sticky bun. Dont need whats missing. When I get a hold of you honey. Eat you up like christmassss..."

Much like his famous quote- "when I fight, I fight to the death", it would appear as though he takes eating cake just as seriously.

Is anybody who reads this in or around Seattle, by chance? If so, are you aware of this shindig?

If Im not mistaken, back several weeks ago we, along with a handful of other industry luminaries, threw down some goodies for this event, so if youre around, why not get to it and win one for the gipper?
If theres any more information about this event, or the good people behind it that you crave, all you gotta do it click here.

However, should you find yourself in the ATL, then you might wanna check out these goods instead...
(Correction. You cant see my face because my head is in my ass... This event takes place in San Francisco.)

Even though Fall is upon us, outlaw races across the land show no signs of slowing down.

Up now, David, who is an entrepreneur in Sweden sent us an email to let us know about a project hes got in the works;

"Hello...
I have just started a small t-shirt webshop here in Sweden and would be very happy if you would mention it in your blog. Right now I only have the design of the first shirt ready, and I need all the help I can get with promoting the site.

The idea is to get people to subscribe to buy t-shirts, a new print will be added every month. But I need to print at least 50 t-shirts at a time. So right now im collecting e-mailadresses. When I get 50 the fun begins ;-)

Best regards / David Johansson

www.fixtee(dot)com

(sorry for the bad english)"

As I told David, his English is far better than my Swedish, though I appreciate the apology just the same.
You know, its a little known fact that there are no bad days in that part of the world?
Come to think of it, I had a dream over the weekend that I returned to Scandinavia, and my life suddenly stopped being the shambles that it is.
..Maybe its a sign....

Our boy Squid also sent an email on;

"Stevil- Saw on HTATBL that you are coming this way in the near future. If you need a bed bike or beyond, holla at yer boy!

We got to meet up for a beer at the least.

Check out Amy's slideshow from Labor Day at Kissena Velodrome:

And! it's my company's one year anniversary today, WOOT!!
Cyclehawk NYC(dot)com

Ride Safe-

Squid"

One year? Damn, that went by quickly... but we gotta offer up huge congratulations, and thanks for letting us come along for the ride.
Today New York, tomorrow the world.

Speaking of taking over the world, Ive mentioned here many times that The Dirtbombs are one of my very most favorite bands on the whole planet. That being said, heres another video clip of them playing a cover of my favorite Sly and The Family Song just for the fun of it;

It should also be noted that they are just about to embark on another tour, (a majority of which will be supporting 'the wonderfulrockandroll band from Brooklyn' known as TV on the Radio dontchaknow?) and if youre not afraid of spraining the hell out of your funky muscle, do yourself a favor and get to the show.

The last time I saw them, I got to slap Mick Collins a bit of skin and let him know hes makes the world a better place.
When I come back in my next life, Im coming back as Mick.

Another musical act that Ive long had an affinity for is the mighty Shellac.

It looks like theyve got some upcoming dates in Canada, Ireland and The United Kingdom. Its still hell and gone from any West Coast dates, but its not their standard schedule of laundromats or slaughter houses in Budapest either, so were getting closer.

But again, I digress. This is a bicycle blog, right? We just want to investigate bicycle related topics, like this new 'urban bicycle explosion' that everyone keeps talking about, or perhaps the limited edition $18,000 Rock Racing super cycle. I mean, correct me if Im wrong, but isnt that why we all came here?

Very well.... You know, theres nothing that can ruin a bicycle ride faster, and with bloodier results than improper installation of sew ups.
Jim Langley has an online instructional for how to properly glue tubulars.

I dont know about you, but I feel better already.

And with that, I think weve pretty much covered all of the bases.

Art that doesnt suck? Check.
Soon to be obsolete technological advances? Check.
Interviews with an individual whos stirs the pot of common convention? Check.
Drug use? Check.
Alleycat races? Check.
Bicycle related how-tos? Check.
Rock and roll saving the savage soul? Check.
A smattering of other stuff? Check.
Danzig? Check, and check.

Its now time to turn on the grind stone and stick your nose to it. And might I suggest you get on that sooner than later, because Americas not gonna stay on the top of the pile as the best damn country in the whole galaxy with you just sitting there...

Plus your boss is right around the corner.
Quick.. hide in here.

You can thank me later.