Untitled

tossed hither in surf
all I have known
eaten away
now just a pretty shell
washed up
on the beach

my precious meat
dined upon by time
and discouragement
a decoration
for your sandcastle
with nothing true to say

thought I had
so many things to relay
my ideas were going to
light the way
now I swim in darkness
words break like waves
on dikes of dithering indifference

Oh Fickle Google

My 15 minutes of fame on the Google Image Search Engine are up. My usurped image of Santana at Woodstock no longer even places in the top 5 pages. I don't know what changed my fortunes, perhaps the link is just too dated to be relevant anymore (it is a couple of weeks old now, a lifetime it seems in this torrid age of information.) Now it's back to obscurity for this humble little blog, no more daily visits from foreign climbs, no more ill-gotten notoriety. Just you my loyal readers, just you.

It's a bit humbling to realize the power of the search engine, it's capacity to bring eyes from all over the world to a little out of the way blog like this. It's kind of like when the Madonna appears on a piece of toast in some Arkansas backwater and it somehow makes it on to CNN. Next thing you know the whole American Media Circus is on your doorstep to take pictures of your miraculous breakfast and the defective toaster that spawned the graven image. But when interest dries up you are left with a trampled lawn and a dried out piece of toast which hopefully you can get a few bucks for on e-bay.

Oh well, it's back to the drawing board I guess. Hopefully I won't be consumed with posting pictures that have provocative and/or popular search terms attached to drive traffic. Although I admit it is a bit of a jolt to have all those people watching I doubt many of them stick around to digest the real meat of the matter. In fact sometimes I wonder if you do dear readers, I haven't had a comment in many moons.

Now On Facebook

Okay so I joined the Facebook thing. I'm not sure why, it's not like I spend a whole lot of time on-line, and not as though I am looking to get more into it, especially with summer in swing. But I suppose I am curious about this entity called Facebook, and it seems like an interesting (if mildly addictive) way to keep track of people who are far away or seldom seen.

Whatever, check out my profile and invite me to be your friend. Let's do cyber coffee sometime.

Cats in the Hood

Last year we had one kitten from next door who wanted us to adopt him. His name is Buster, and I have probably mentioned his name before. Buster is all grown up now, although he is a very small cat, and he must have a hard time making it on the mean streets of the West End. There are a lot of big tough cats in this hood without a really good home, cats like Buster himself, only bigger, and meaner. The proof in the toughness of young Buster's life is that the last time I tried to pet him he got all squirrelly and hissed at me, whereas in the past he was eager for a good petting. He has a hard time trusting now, and is not the love cat he once was.

Enter this year's crop of kittens. One is a smoke gray kitten who looks a bit too much like the neighbors gray cat (named Smoke). Is it a family connection, or merely a coincidence? One can never know in the crazy mixed up world of cat sexuality, but I do know that Buster still has his boys and so perhaps Smoke is likewise endowed. In any case this younger Smoke, despite being very curious about us and our home seems to be a kept cat since s/he has a collar with a bell.

The other kitten looks a lot like our cat Merlin (Joanna has dubbed the cat "Mini Mer"). In fact, if I wasn't so sure that Merlin was an indoor cat who had himself fixed eons ago I might give pause. In any case, both these kittens are full of love and curiosity not unlike Buster was before the harsh realities of life in a poor neighborhood with a family who only has passing interest got the better of him. What will become of these little kittens? Will they survive their first years among the cars and tough cats that cruise these streets? Will they become the jaded and distant adult cat like Buster, who longs for good love but cannot trust anyone?

The Response(s)

Jun 6 (1 day ago)

Hello Ryan. Sorry for your bad trip to Olympia. I am going to see if I can locate a rock lock for the older

Trek helmets. They are a bit hard to find but I will make it work.I am the same as you,I like to keep my



stuff in good shape and for as long as possible. I to have heard the 5 year limit but if the helmet is in good

shape I would still wear it. Again,sorry and I will make it up to you.

It would be great to have your phone number?

Take care , Scot.

6:05 pm (3½ hours ago)

Ryan, Scot here again. I have some of the rok locks coming in so I will email you when they get here.
It won't cost. Thanks Scot.

9:23 pm (24 minutes ago)

Thanks Scot, but I'd like to pay for the part if possible.

It's like this: I didn't buy the helmet from your shop in the first place (I got it from Olympia on Pembina). The first time I broke it you had one in stock and replaced it for free.

I feel like I should give you something for your trouble this time; it's honourable, and I am an honourable person.

Here are my particulars (I would prefer "light mail" if it is an option):
351 Home Street R3G 1X5
783-4807

(p.s. My last email was probably a tad dramatic; it's a bit of an occupational hazard. I was just trying to burn off some of the frustration I felt in that moment; I wasn't truly outraged or anything. So, uh, thanks for listening.)

The Letter

Earlier today I ranted a bit about an experience I had in a bike shop today. It promised action, and here it is in the form of an letter sent to the store's e-mail address.

Hello Scot,

I was in your store this evening looking to replace the Zip Tite bracket that had broken on my Trek bike helmet. My helmet was manufactured in 2004 (purchaced in Feb of '05) and you previously replaced another broken Zip Tite (free of charge I might add), but this time your staff informed me that I ought to replace my bike helmet every 3 years and left it at that.

Being someone who likes to keep things for as long as possible if they are still useful (not because I am cheap, so much as I am in favour of re-using, recycling and not creating more waste than I need to) I was skeptical about the idea that a three year old helmet that looks to be in good shape should automatically become a candidate for replacement. Several opinions I have read this evening seem to offer a more reasonable lifespan of 5 years per helmet (barring any damage), others say a modern helmet should be constructed well enough to last even longer. In short, there is no consensus on when an undamaged helmet should be replaced, and what amounts to a refusal of service based on a suggested date of replacement displays little in the way of class.

I can respect the fact that your people want to make a sale, and if it were a matter of the part no longer being available I would be forced to concede that a new helmet was necessary. But having looked at the new Trek helmets in your shop I noticed that the Zip Tite, despite being a newer rendition, seems clip on in the very same manner it did previously, so that does not appear to be an issue. Perhaps you no longer carry spare Zip Tites, and a broken one automatically means it is time for a new helmet (in which case I suggest you no longer carry Trek helmets, because this part breaks frequently). But that is not what I was told. What I heard was: "your helmet is three years old, you need to replace it." After which I was told to check out the "Universal Fit Helmets" and dismissed so the person who was "helping" me could chat with her friend. With all do respect, my helmet does not need replacing, it needs a part (which one hopes will cost less than $15) and someone who is willing to sell it to me. Since you are one of the few Trek dealers in town, and the one nearest me, I was hoping to be as well served as I was last time I had this problem. I was sorely disappointed.

When to Replace Your Bike Helmet

Today I went to replace the brace in my bike helmet that had broken (for a second time). The first time I had it replaced the guy gave it to me for free. This time I was told, by people at the same store, that my helmet is too old and should be replaced.

According to the somewhat snooty mechanic who helped me a helmet should be replaced every three years because some of the plastics etc. break down. Now obviously the brace breaks down, but that's because it was poorly designed--too thin at the stress points--but the helmet itself is made out of fairly solid stuff, and has not been in any accidents.

I know the smell of horseshit, and in this instance it is the odor of a fresh dump. Clearly the call to replace a helmet every three years is brought on by the marketing departments of major manufacturers (Bell for instance). There should be no good reason that a modern helmet, designed to high standards, needs to be replaced just because of some arbitrary best before date, I mean c'mon.

I didn't tell the girl that she was feeding me a line of crap, but I looked around at the other Trek helmets and noticed that they still use the same kind of brace (although now it is a zip-trak version II), so they couldn't argue that the part was not available. I don't know what to do now. Do I cave and buy a new helmet, or stick to my principles and write a letter to the store owner and complain that his staff was selling me a line of BS. Actually, I know just what to do, I am the disclaimer after all.

From the Site Meter Files

I am fascinated by the "Site Meter" and the people who visit this site and for what. Unfortunately I haven't given people much reason to visit lately (lest they be interested in the archives), but one "recent" post has drawn a lot of traffic.

The picture I used of Carlos Santana has drawn more than a hundred hits from all over the world. "Woodstock 1969" or some variant thereof, turns out to be quite a popular search. Most people are Google Image searching, as I was when I found this shot.

Actually I just punched in Woodstock 1969 into Google image to see where I was placing in the search and came out #20 out of 48,900. This image came from another source (although specifically, I was looking for "Santana Woodstock") and now I've jumped ahead of that original shot and into a first page finish on Google Image. That's just crazy. (The Hendrix picture featured here finished 4th).

Only five of the last 20 visits from Winnipeg. There have been seven from the U.S., two unknowns, one more each from Canada, Germany, Mexico, Spain, France and Australia. Damn, I gotta get some Google-vertising up!