Don't Forget To Vote!!!

It's Monday. Which means Dancing With the Stars is on tonight.
Which means you *need* to vote for Woz.

Seriously. Do it. It's FREE. You don't even have to watch. But he's gonna be dressed as Buddy Holly this week.... Voting details here: Dancing With The Stars, About the Vote
You can vote up to 13 times. Did I mention it's free?

T.R.

The Rejected. That's me.

On Friday (Friday the 13th mind you) I cruised down to my local Ford dealer to get my truck inspected. I hunkered down in the waiting room with the laptop to get some work done while they did the inspection.

The first hint of a problem was when the mechanic came in to ask me what kind of inspection I was getting. Kind? What do you mean what kind? Turns out that as of October 2008 a commercial vehicle = commercial inspection. Which = $100 more than the regular inspection. Great.

The second hint of a problem was when the mechanic came back and asked if I towed a trailer for work purposes. Why yes I do. So then he asks where my chock blocks are. Um, they're under my trailer wheels, where they're supposed to be. Oh. Well you need to have them in the truck to pass the commercial inspection. And you need to have them in the truck even when you're not towing, since it's a commercial vehicle. We can't pass you without the blocks. Great.

Now I know the Commonwealth is hurting for cash, but this is just stupid. A full DOT inspection for a pickup. Which means having to buy and extra set of blocks just to comply with the inspection. And you damn well better have those blocks in the cab because the State Police are hurting for cash too, which means if you get pulled over they will definitely be looking for them. And the fire extinguisher. And the first aid kit. Great.

7 States. 8 Hours.

Shake and Bake.

7 States in 8 hours. Massachusetts to Virginia. Actually it was 7 states and The District of Columbia. Which isn't a state, though they sure are taxed like one.

Having had a successful Westminster bike swap the other week I made a last minute decision to keep the truck loaded up and hit the Chesterfield VA version of the Stop Swap and Save. It was a bit of a risk- this was the first year for the event, and with the sluggish economy, a truck full of picked over cycling gear *and* gas money for 16 hours worth of driving I was worried about breaking even- let alone making money. But the truck still had too much stuff in it, and I had more stuff to move out, so I bit the bullet and hit the road. Fortunately I had a place to stay in VA, and in MD on the return trip, so at least I didn't have to shell out for any hotels. It all worked out for the best though, as I sold a bunch of stuff again- not as much as at Westminster, but once again I could see out the rear window (a bit) on the drive home. I think I'll be back for next years swap - maybe with a smaller booth, but I have a feeling that it will develop into a worthwhile event.

Highlights of the trip included:

Driving over the George Washington bridge just as the CRCA-DKNY group ride was heading out to New Jersey.

Blasting the horn at Angry Mark as I drove past Rutgers. I'm sure he didn't hear me, but it was fun nonetheless. I blew the horn again in Delaware for the other Marc, and for the whole DCCofD.

Traveling 7 states away from home, by myself, and still knowing people at the event. Which was important when I needed to grab someone to watch the booth so I could run to the bathroom.

Being 7 states away from home and meeting people I didn't know, then figuring out that I did know them, or knew of them.

Pandora. Streaming internet radio over my iPhone saved my life on these past two trips down to the Mid Atlantic. Sure I have an iPod stuffed with music, but there is something about radio that is just perfect for driving. Matt White turned me onto Pandora, and damn am I grateful.

Malcolm Gladwell. When I wasn't listening to Pandora I was listening to Audible recording of The Tipping Point. Gladwell reads it himself, and it's awesome.

Not-so-highlights of the trip included:

Driving home through a monster snow and ice storm. It wasn't the worst drive I've had, but it was no fun. You know it's bad when you see the snow plows turned over in the median strip. The only good thing about not selling everything I had at the swap is that all of the Wald parts in the back gave me better traction on the ice.

Being mistaken for Adam Myerson. Yes, it actually happened. No, I was not flattered.

It's a good thing I survived the trip- I've got many more multi state drives ahead of me this year. Time to Shake and Bake.*

*The Ricky Bobby obsession I have going on right now is Tim Johnson's fault. How did that happen? Check out his interview with Jeremy Dunn. Link. I laughed for hours.

Yeah, I'm a weirdo.

Stop Recycling.

Stop recycling. Start repairing.

Platform 21

I love the Dutch.