RADIOTHON!!!

Hey y'all, it's that time again.

RadioBoise takes to the airwaves for 8 days of support-seeking, self-promoting, absolutely necessary begging so that we can keep bringing you the community-programmed music and issues that you deserve.

I'm on Tuesday 8-11pm. Call and say hi. And pledge a few bucks. We need it.

You can go here, too: www.radioboise.org.

Happy Halloween

The Route

Sure, a bit of the gleam is off. But it's going to be an amazing race next year.

Lunch

Great day for an afternoon ride.

Anniversary Ride

Cathy's gift to me on our 11th wedding anniversary was that I could go on a mountain bike ride, for as long as I wanted to, guilt-free.

She knows me so well.

So I headed for the Ridge Road for the first time this year, taking a circuitous route up the Aldape Pass side, and am I glad I did. I took routes I don't usually, saw some new things and felt really good. Started in the Reserve, up the road/trail by the gun club, past the dumpy shack, over Shane's, out to Rocky Canyon Road, up to the Ridge, up up up up and over to where 5 Mile Gulch hits the Ridge, and down down down.

I'd forgotten what a beautiful grind that ride up and over the summit on the Ridge Road was. I went a bit beyond my turnoff just to ride up there some more before coming back and turning downward.

I'd also forgotten how fun the descent of the top of the 5-Mile trail is. When I hit the intersection, I felt ambitious, so I turned and went back up at the Watchman Trail, which hurt a bit but was fantastic. Then I bombed it, half exhausted, all the way to town on singletrack via 3 Bears and the Reserve.

It's been a while since I've been out on the mountain bike for that long. A bit under 4 hours with stops and photos. The perfect fall ride. Thanks honey!

Big Fall

Sheezus. Is it just me, or is there more amazing new music dropping all around us over these past few weeks than we should have a right to expect?

Grizzly Bear, Flying Lotus, Sera Cahoone, The xx, Balmorhea, Matthew Dear, Tame Impala, Ty Segall, The Sea and Cake... Just take a look at that rapidly expanding Heavy Rotation list here. It's tough to keep up, but it's very exciting. And it's just the shove I need to start paying attention again.

Anything I'm missing?

The New Machine

It's like I've been reborn.

Took my MacBook into Mac Life for some long overdue upgrading. Tripled my hard drive, doubled my RAM, brought my OS closer to current, and put the old hard drive into a case so it's now a backup. And they cleaned the sh*t out of this thing. It looks like new. Even the stickers are cleaner.

It's a little weird how excited I am about this.

I've finally caught up on loading new music to this thing, so I feel like I'm not 6 months behind anymore. I can put pictures on it. Maybe even watch a video.

And it is SO. FAST.

I forgot how fun a new machine can be. This reminds me.

Middle Fork of the Salmon River

Back from an amazing trip. 8 days of high adventure on the Middle Fork.

James dropped a great quote by the campfire: "No man can cross the same river twice, because neither the man nor the river are the same."  (Heraclitus)
 

Tim Whitecotten

My friend Tim Whitecotten died last night. He was a great human being, a great friend, a force for good in a world that needs more like him.

Few were better to share a pint and an animated conversation with than Tim. He was inspiring in his curiosity and in his conduct, in his intellect and his enthusiasm. Even though he moved to Portland some years ago, and I only got to see him every year or so, I'll miss him very much.

This is a very sad day. Rest in peace, Tim.

U Cut Ma Hairs Off!

But man, do I look good.

School, Anyone?

First, Codeyear. Now, I've gone and signed up for this. I hope to be thinking like a machine by year's end. Anyone care to join me?

Exergy Tour

That's Evelyn Stevens on the top of the podium at the end of the Exergy Tour.

Amber Neben talks about her experience in the race in this very nice interview with VeloNews.

We had a blast watching and volunteering this year. From the awesome and horrible prologue where the whole race changed in an instant, to the cold downpour of the Kuna ITT, to Sunday's queen stage up the Banks-Lowman Road and down Hwy 21, right to the sprint finish in Hyde Park, the entire thing was as tight and pro as you could hope for.

The Specialized-Lululemon team dominated in Armstrong's absence, but there were plenty of other great performances, including the final stage being taken in a sprint by Claudia Haussler (who rolled a water bottle to Theo as we cheered from the side of Pierce Park Rd.!). It was a tough break for Neben to lose the overall lead on the last day to Evelyn Stevens, but great to see such a performance on the last day.

Let's hope the universally positive reviews of the Tour help turn the event into a Boise Memorial Day tradition for years and years to come.

Doc Watson, Earl Scruggs, John Hardy

Hats Off to Hesjedal

The Canadian pulled it off to become the first ever from his nation to stand on a podium (let alone on the top step) at the end of a grand tour.

 Ryder rode a beautiful race and gained the respect of the peloton. He made it fun to watch, and he brought his Garmin team into the ranks of the top international teams, capable of more than just winning the team classification. And the fact that he so often had help in Vande Velde or Stetina high in the mountains is almost as important.

With Vande Velde riding into great form throughout this race, July in France is looking very interesting. 

Code Year

I signed up for this today. JavaScript, HTML, CSS, all in a year. Just the basics, one lesson a week, but at least I'll be able to speak the language.

It's free. Anyone want to join me?

Marriage Movement: One Step Forward, One State Backward

Hooray for Obama. For shame, NC.

CFCF

Here's something new that I love: CFCF's brand new album, the Exercises EP. Quiet, gorgeous, minimal.

Another thing I love: coming across an artist I've not heard before and then finding out there are a whole mess of other albums I still get to hear for the first time. This is very exciting.

A Very Sad Friday: RIP MCA

MCA, the scratchy-voiced third (and my favorite) of the Beastie Boys, died this morning of cancer of the salivary gland.

He was diagnosed in 09, and it appears the last two weeks saw a fast decline.

This is a huge loss. The Beasties mean a lot to a lot of people, myself included. So many memorite wrapped up in their music, from License to Ill all the way through Hot Sauce Committee II. A rap or hip hop group that stays this good, this vital, for this long, is definitely something special.

MCA will most definitely be missed.

The Year Without a Pulitzer

Ann Patchett has a great and insightful op-ed piece in the NY Times today.

This year, the Pulitzer Prize Board decided not to bestow an award for literature. While it's far from the first time this has happened, Patchett lays out a compelling case for why this is a bad decision.

She wraps up as follows:

Let me underscore the obvious here: Reading fiction is important. It is a vital means of imagining a life other than our own, which in turn makes us more empathetic beings. Following complex story lines stretches our brains beyond the 140 characters of sound-bite thinking, and staying within the world of a novel gives us the ability to be quiet and alone, two skills that are disappearing faster than the polar icecaps.

Unfortunately, the world of literature lacks the scandal, hype and pretty dresses that draw people to the Academy Awards, which, by the way, is not an institution devoted to choosing the best movie every year as much as it is an institution designed to get people excited about going to the movies. The Pulitzer Prize is our best chance as writers and readers and booksellers to celebrate fiction. This was the year we all lost.

She's right. And this in addition to the fact that there were highly qualified entries being considered. Literature (not to mention struggling book stores) need the excitement this award creates, and this year, we just don't get it. It's a shame.

Mercury

This is kind of awesome. Sufjan Stevens, Bryce Dessner, and Nico Muhly collaborate on solar-system-inspired compositions and perform them in Amsterdam. via @pitchfork