This evening after work will be the first northern Alliance ride. Hopefully more people show up than did the first month or so of our rides in the south. I’m not sure if anyone is still doing those rides, I can’t say as that I’ve heard from anyone for a while. Maybe I should write some letters.

I just spent the better part of an hour trying to update my account at Ironweed so that I can make sure to get my new documentaries. Apparently I’m retarded and it took me that long to realize that I couldn’t use the symbol # for my apartment number. Anyways, the knuckler did figure it out and all is well.

I finally got another road bike. I received a TCR Advanced 1 yesterday in the mail. I took it out for a quick jaunt and things look good. It’s stiff, light and rides nice. That sums up what one looks for in a road bike so I cannot and won’t complain. It also has the added plus of looking stealth which happens to be my preferred look for my road bikes.

I’ve been doing a lot of walking lately. Living just a few block from everything I need makes this a possibility and a pleasure. Around 9 o’clock is my selected time. I’ll walk to the store or to the shop to use the internet or whatever. I’ve noticed how much more quiet the city is at night. Of course, the reason I’ve enjoyed these little strolls is because I can think. Otherwise, if I ride my bike the trip is to short and no thinking can occur. I seem to have some serious problem that impedes me from thinking when I’m not transporting myself somewhere. Anyways, a couple of nights ago when I realized how quiet it is, I started to think about noise. Cities are noisy because of machines. The automobiles transporting one person and the industry and comerce of the day creates a lot of noise. In Chile, I liked to climb Renca Hill so I could get away from everything for just a bit, but upon reaching the top and the relative solitude it provided me, I could still hear the city.

A long time ago, as in back in the day, as in when I was in high school, as in a long time ago, I tried to find silence. Anyone who has set out on this quest finds that silence does not in any degree exist. I began by hiking alone to the remote places around St. George. I was able to get away from the bustle of the city, but soon realized that nature is all in a bustle as well. The bees hums, birds sing and beautiful sounds are everywhere but silence is nowhere. I searched for places where these things didn’t play their tunes. Snowy wonderlands brought new sounds into my now going-insane head. I decided to rethink my quest. I analyzed every possible place that could resist noise and came to the conclusion that a soundproof box would be the most plausible. But then I realized the most important part of the equation, I make noise. The noise in my head was louder the quieter it became in my surroundings. I then spent a long time trying to quiet my head, but that is a topic for another day.

Peace. Love. and Revolution.

Be the beginning.