Whole Earth Flashbacks

Posted on by October 21, 2018

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEsZwhnf7_Y

My cousins out West were a whole lot older and cooler than I was when I was a pre-teen, and they had a copy of the first Whole Earth Catalog.

What a cool thing that was!

Pre-internet, there really wasn’t much like it….a catalog of useful tools.

This video has some bad language….and it reminded me that a lot of the stuff that went on in the 1960’s might not have been very morally modulated or nice (in spite of all the “grooviness”)…but it is an interesting account of a lively time and a good bunch of books called the “Whole Earth Catalogs”.

We need some grooviness now, I suppose.

You can never have enough “groovy”, can you?

Iohan on the Trans Ecuador Mountain Bike Route….

Posted on by October 18, 2018

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hn8QXbWZLtU

Iohan Gueorguiev.

Man.

I watched all of his earlier videos and then, for some reason, didn’t.

I don’t know why I stopped.

These are so good and done with such artistry and good, gentle humor.

And…listen for the Josh Garrels (!) song at about the 8 minute mark.

If you can’t get out to ride… out in the world….you can at least watch one of Iohan’s videos.

Good, good stuff.

 

Hah! ForestyForest! Living in a Van!!

Posted on by October 16, 2018

I’ve used a bunch of ForestyForest videos in my blog.

Bike touring….pretty amazing.

Check them out on his channel here….https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCofJu853kJKpkg4y5a-9YXg

Here’s a video where he profiles his solution to high cost and unsatisfactory rental situations in the city.

He sleeps in the van…showers at the Canadian equivalent of the YMCA….lives… and makes some money so he can afford the next adventure.

Pretty darn smart.

We find adventure where we can find it….even if it’s only sleeping outside over at “the property”.

It’s a good way to raise children….getting them used to adventure….even if it’s low-key adventure.

I need a road trip soon.

Ohhhhhhhhhh……SNAP!!

Posted on by October 15, 2018

Ohhhhhhh….yuck.

I had 8 trays of mail today….168 packages….2 trips to the post office to reload…..7 in the morning to 6 at night….and it was a pretty typical heavy Monday.

But….it wasn’t Christmas yet.

I was “given” 23 days off recently….11 days of annual leave and 12 days of LWOP to keep from paying me overtime for the hours that I worked over 2240 for the year….and this Monday was my second day back after they “reset the clock” and let me come back to work.

The alternative to taking the LWOP was to have my route cut from a 46K down to a 40K because I’d used so many hours during the year to do my job.

That’s about a 14,000 dollar cut.

And….it’s not even Christmas yet.

Ohhhhhhhh….snap.

Last Day at the P.O.

Posted on by October 14, 2018

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_p7LTtaNBfs

The “PO”!

Hah….that’s pretty funny because sometimes I get kind of “P.O.’d” when I’m at work.

Here’s a guy at his last day on the PO.

Why’d he do it?

Why’d he want to quit?

I’d be the wrong guy to ask that question….because….I can understand why he’d do it.

But….I don’t want to bite the hand that feeds me….so….I’ll keep my mouth quiet.

I don’t know if I’ll be able to film my last day.

It’ll be a lot more rural and a lot more chaotic than this guy’s route, though.

Hopefully, it’ll be a ways in the future, too.

We have accident reports in the morning where they tell us not to do dangerous things….and tell us all about the accidents that have happened out in the world….and…more often than not….it’s the LLVs like this guy drove that are runaways or slide into the lake or….whatever.

It’s mainly the vehicles that the post office maintains that go to heck and cause the problems.

I’m glad that I drive my own vehicle.

Good luck out in the world, Dude.