Food for thought.

Now who’d have thought that a seemingly innocent little comment about my own desire to stay away from this round of government and media recommended injections would bring about such a shit storm of responses?
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I would like to go on record to say that I am, like usual, on the fence about this one. Being raised in Nancy Reagan’s ‘just say no’ era, I find it endlessly fascinating that we are a culture who spends billions of dollars on the war on the bad drugs, while simultaneously being subjected to an equal amount worth of advertising touting the benefits of good ones.
The TV tells me that I can prevent pregnancy, high blood pressure, impotency, and insomnia with an assortment of magical pills, while at the same time telling me that if I get a vaccine that may or may not have profoundly detrimental effects on my health, everyone around me is doomed… or, I mean they are if I do take it.. No, no, I definitely mean if I don’t take it, until the following report comes out claiming the contrary.
At one time we watched cigarette ads on television, and now those have been banned and thankfully replaced with story lines of happy couples who, despite the fact that they have Herpes, can still go kayaking.
If you’re overweight, there’s a pill.
If you have a virus, there’s an antibiotic.
If you have a rash, there’s a creme.
If you have a cough, there’s a spray.
Being a member of Kaiser Permanente® for a few years, I was subject to prescription after prescription being written for anything I went to see a doctor about. Instead of being diagnosed with an appendicitis, for example, I was given prescriptions for painkillers, and Mylanta.
Not once, but three times.
For the same appendicitis.
I have never been of the opinion that not only the pharmaceutical companies, but the medical industry as well, are terribly interested in my best interests, and that experience only solidified my thoughts.
Is it any wonder that I have a distrust of these agencies?
And if I may, allow me to broach the subject of Chicken Pox. When I was young, getting Chicken Pox was a rite of passage, and a relief for the parents. Then when I was a little older I heard of parents having pox parties, so that all of the kids contract it and get it out of the way, but now? Nope, better get a shot for the little sucker so that we can avoid all of the unpleasantness of the bumps and the itching. One shot and it’s all taken care of.
Check, please.
I’m not telling you to forgo the entire barrage of inoculations for your children. I’m saying to try and see the big picture, and to make a decision based on well rounded information gathering, because unfortunately that’s what it boils down to for just about everything in this day and age.
Articles like this lengthy and informative one in Wired Magazine and this comprehensive site are excellent places to start.
I don’t ever claim to have the answers, except for when I do, and I certainly am not saying every inoculation of every sort is bad, but I think we as a culture need to take a look at what we consistently ingest and inject in the name of good health.
Like I say concerning just about everything, “all things in moderation, including moderation.”
Anyway, I expect that guy who barked at me to stick to bikes to be coming along any time now, so I may as well do what I’m told.
685 sent me a photo of what the Haverford Cycle Shoppe in DC looked like before they invented color;
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Graphic designer extraordinaire, Steve Anderson sent me an email packed full of good stuff, the first being an updated flyer for the Halloween leg of a local cross series that we’re smack dab in the middle of;
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He also sent me an artist’s rendition of what my new cüzies would look like if Budweiser and I teamed up and started producing the oft dreamt 72 ounce bottle of beer;
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“We attempted the beer hand down with a 72, but ended up killing most of the people standing along that particular stretch of the race course.”
By the way, and this is neither here nor there, but girls who race bikes in knee socks make my pants feel smaller.
There is a small and ever revolving group of people in MPLS who year after year loosely organize an event called The Homie Fall Fest. I’ve been to it a couple of times, and it’s a damn hoot. Sadly, I live in a world ruled by money, and I can’t get to it every single year, but my liver is probably better off that way.
I tried to do my part this year by doing a flyer for it, but it would appear as though someone a little sharper with a flyer maker than I, has done one that’s nicer;
homie2009.jpg
While we are touting (or doubting) my skill with a pen, I previously mentioned that you all had the opportunity to own a little slice of history and get my quick rendition of what the world’s first ever beer hand down looked like;
beerhanddownontheblock.jpg
I started the bidding off at $0.00, but Ryan came in out of nowhere and dropped a fat stack of pennies on the auction block with a bid of $6.66. Cary countered that offer with a bid of $15.00, to which Ryan aggressively responded with $16.66.
I suppose the bidding has to end at some point, but as long as I can eek one more burrito out of the deal, I may as well keep the good times rolling.
I will go one better and offer to frame said drawing in the finest that the thrift store has to offer;
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Now this isn’t to say that I will be able to find a homemade Wonder Woman frame.. I just typed ‘thrift store picture frame’ into Google for a visual aide, and this is what I found..
I’m afraid I just set the bar pretty high for myself.
Now on the tail end of this installment, we get a heads up from Revolution Bicycle(dot)com
“Bring your mullet wig and illegitimate children, we’ll make sure they have a good time, too.
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And just in case you’re worried you won’t get your fill of hillbilly action at the race, be in town Friday night for Hillstomp, even if they kinda suck when you’re not drunk/dancing.
Yeah. Cool.
– A-Train”

No offense, but I think that in wilds of Arcata, a mullet wig might be a tad bit unnecessary.
They do them for real up there.
Finally, I’ve been hearing murmurings about TCB’s business plan for some time, but it looks like they have finally stepped off into the abyss of self employment. When the times change, you gotta adapt or be ready to get left behind;

TCB Courier: Pizza + Candy from Joe Lumbroso on Vimeo.

“I need a box of condoms, an Elmo puppet and a bucket of fried chicken, STAT!”
Alright cats and kittens, that’s it for me. If you’re in the area, don’t forget about Art Crank SF this weekend. It promises to be a good time, and who don’t like good times?
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We’ll see you around the block.
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Spread this like it's sick

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42 Responses to “Food for thought.”

  1. cary October 22, 2009 at 8:15 pm #

    what is this fucking ebay? Sign it and I’ll go 26.66

  2. Chezedog October 22, 2009 at 8:55 pm #

    I still say, “Get a flu shot, you.”

  3. Chezedog October 22, 2009 at 9:44 pm #

    Antibiotics are for bacterial infections, not viral infections.
    Get a flu shot, you.

  4. Stevil October 22, 2009 at 9:51 pm #

    Exactly my point, and no.

  5. CheifRock October 23, 2009 at 12:00 am #

    I can’t wait for the days of the 72 oz but until then how about a coozie for my 40?
    p.s. flu shots are how the man injects his tracking devices.

  6. Broseph October 23, 2009 at 12:51 am #

    Hey Stevil and anyone else who reads this blog, I just saw Paranormal Activity at the 11pm show and WOW, it’s good. Scary. Do yourself a favor and see it at a packed theatre.
    Loved the inoculation rant. Bill Maher was also picking this fight on his last show. As for me, I haven;t had a flu shot since 2004. I’m healthy and active. I never get sick and this winter I’m going to wash my hands a lot and let my immune system do what it does.

  7. Jim October 23, 2009 at 4:38 am #

    Stevil, I think it’s probably safer for you to stick with discussing the widespread administration of the Hot Beef Injection. People seem to agree that’s a good thing, ~5% of the population notwithstanding.

  8. Teamfubar October 23, 2009 at 5:02 am #

    You know, it is pathetic that we HAVE to get chicken pox inoculations now for kids to go to school. No choice. Stupid. Did we ever have to get flu shots when we were kids? Nah, you had a fever, you felt like shit for a few days then you were Kool and the Gang.
    In this country it isn’t a “health care” system it is a “sick care” system. We’re AWESOME at taking care of someone once they are sick, not so good at keeping people from getting sick.

  9. Crank October 23, 2009 at 5:07 am #

    As Kurt Vonnegut so eloquently said in Breakfast of Champions, “And so on…..”

  10. hairygrump October 23, 2009 at 6:01 am #

    They make coozies for growlers, don’t they? And those are, what? 48oz?

  11. snombie October 23, 2009 at 6:17 am #

    And a fetish for Stevil appears…”sucking sweaty toes that have been encased in knee-high socks for long rides…” Scanned the web and found more sock porn
    for you. (Did you send that dude in the background doing the “cha-ching” gesture? HA!)
    More sticker ideas…
    “Go kayaking. Herpes couples welcome, AHTBM.”
    “First Annual Bring Your Mullet Wig and Illegitimate Children AHTBM Beer Hand Down Shindig’”
    “I need a box of condoms, an Elmo puppet and a bucket of fried chicken, STAT!”

  12. Rocky October 23, 2009 at 6:36 am #

    working in a bike shop would be different if we all still had to wear suits. actually, maybe that old pic was taken at a tri shop. those guys love wearing wacky shit to work.

  13. 3BIlls October 23, 2009 at 6:47 am #

    Now you’re cured! You can take the rest of the afternoon off for personal reflection, m’kay? Find your own constructive way to better yourself, m’kay?

  14. pedalman October 23, 2009 at 6:59 am #

    I see by your sketch that your rocking the new ‘top secret’ eliptical wheelset from mavic. Remember folks, you saw them here first!

  15. fantz crazznapper October 23, 2009 at 7:06 am #

    I bought the Curb Dogs video 25 years ago — 7th grade. I watched it a million times.
    The curb dog songs are the soundtrack to my life.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JM0GDsxzcdg

  16. Dav October 23, 2009 at 8:03 am #

    what was the bit after mmmmkay?

  17. j.w. October 23, 2009 at 8:07 am #

    i prefer my drugs to be of the illegal sort. jus sayin
    sniff sniff* knowhatimsayin

  18. Bianchi October 23, 2009 at 8:29 am #

    I love how there is a calander of a girl in bloomers front and center in that old shop (1920’s version of the Marzocchi girl posters). Suits or t-shirts, a shop is a shop is a shop…

  19. El Gato October 23, 2009 at 8:36 am #

    Stevil,
    Just to remind your readers that they DO NOT need to have herpes to enjoy the whitewater lifestyle. Also, the proper use of the spray skirt might have prevented the acquisition of herpes in the first place.
    Notice they didn’t use RAFTERS in the ad. They are certified vessels of pestilence in need of a vaccine.

  20. Monk October 23, 2009 at 8:57 am #

    I had a similar appendicitis experience. I went in to the ER with horrible abdominal pain. They main lined in some Demerol and asked me if I still hurt. I said “Hello Mayor McCheese” and I was on my way home. The next day I was under the knife with a now gangrenous dead appendix. Not many people can say they had gangrene these days. Awesome.

  21. Robert October 23, 2009 at 9:50 am #

    I with you and Bill Maher on this one, f the flu shot. Why is there mercury in it? I get worried when I keep hearing “how safe it is and everyone should get one”…
    Remember kids, they use to say DDT was totally safe as they blasted the beach (full of peeps) with it…

  22. Karl Hungus October 23, 2009 at 10:16 am #

    What he said.
    It’s the FLU people! Not the Ebola virus. You feel like crap for a couple days, watch a buttload of ESPN Classic and Northern Exposure on DVD (or whatever you like) and then go back to work. I had it in June and my wife had it in September. It’s a miracle we are still alive.

  23. Rachel October 23, 2009 at 1:55 pm #

    Teamfubar said “You know, it is pathetic that we HAVE to get chicken pox inoculations now for kids to go to school. No choice. Stupid”
    You can sign a waiver for personal beliefs…neither of my two are vaccinated in any way, and go to public school.

  24. reedstelljes October 23, 2009 at 2:23 pm #

    Sounds like they shoulda called it the Chicken Little
    Pox instead of the flu. Run for your lives! Stop Drop and Roll!…(another one just like the other one!) Or just live in fear, whatever. its the american dream!

  25. Bluenoser October 23, 2009 at 2:31 pm #

    Hey Stevil,
    I’m with you on the knee socks. All I can say is all I do is eat lots of dirt and lick things. I never get sick. My bid is 36.66
    -B

  26. Loudass, Esq. October 23, 2009 at 3:22 pm #

    Sir, I can assure you that if one is overweight -as I am often accused of being- there is no pill to remedy that, unless by “pill” you mean “eating less pizza.”

  27. Bjorn October 23, 2009 at 6:55 pm #

    Over here in Australia all the vaccines for “childhood illnessess” are now free of mercury. We gave the kids all the appropriate jabs but did delay starting the Hep. B course of shots untill they were 3 months old. It’s not like they’ll be fixin’ up in those early months.
    Rachael, I respect your decision, not vaccinating your kids is a personal choice. My concern is that as the pool of unvaccinated people rises, the diseases that have been eliminated in the West will find a fresh foothold.
    As for things like flu shots and fluride in the water, you can stick that unnecessary shit up someone elses arse.

  28. Anonymous October 23, 2009 at 8:18 pm #

    …and then there’s this doctor that my wife’s family has gone to for years. He’s a reflexologist that can diagnose health problems my wife and son have after doing a ‘reading’ and ‘treat’ them from two states away. They get better. What gives? still have to pay him, though.

  29. Chezedog October 23, 2009 at 9:13 pm #

    If you’re young and healthy and don’t mind getting the flu – that’s fine, but that ain’t the point. The idea is to stop the spread of the illness. If you have the flu, you’re gonna infect others, and if they happen to be elderly or have other health problems they could DIE. But hey, that’s their tough luck, Aye?

  30. Bjorn October 24, 2009 at 3:05 am #

    Chezedog, If you get sick, you can stay home in bed to avoid passing it on. Unless you really dislike the elderly, then you could call in sick and go and volunteer at the old folks home.
    Lets face it, none of us are that essential at work, despite what we may like to think.

  31. Stevil October 24, 2009 at 4:41 am #

    Chezedog is. I’ve seen it for myself. ‘Top 10 at 10’ is not gonna guess itself.

  32. Chezedog October 24, 2009 at 7:32 am #

    Aw, it just ain’t the same since Annalisa took it over…

  33. Rusty October 24, 2009 at 6:44 pm #

    I can’t wait for the “Shit, I got the swine flu” post.

  34. Bjorn October 25, 2009 at 12:53 pm #

    I heard a figure of 90% of flu cases in Victoria, Australia were expected to be Swine Flu after July this year. My wife, 3 kids and I all had flu in the later part of our winter and stangely, no one died. We didn’t go to the doctor, we didn’t go rushing off for anti-virals, we stayed home and got better. Maybe it was Swine Flu, maybe it wasn’t. If you eat well and live well, the majority of the time something like this will go through you, and your immune system will be all the stronger for it.
    For all of you who are too important or too scared to get sick, go get a flu shot. As long as the virus doesn’t mutate (as they do) too much, you’ll be right. After all it’s your own choice. As for me, I’m not sticking that shit in my body or my kids bodies.

  35. Stevil October 25, 2009 at 2:12 pm #

    I’d like to go on record and note that Bjorn’s comment was the 666th since I launched this blog 64 days ago.
    No specific point being made here.. It just makes me feel good.

  36. Bjorn October 26, 2009 at 1:16 am #

    Stevil,
    That’s good to know. I used to race under 666 years ago when I raced motorcycles. Also at the 2000 Australian Cycle Messenger Championships. By coincidence it’s also in my mobile number.

  37. Schorschi October 26, 2009 at 3:15 pm #

    Ok, but consider this: When I had chicken pox, I was totally wrecked, with a fever of 104 for 2 days. The docs said it was within a degree or two of giving me brain damage. Now I get regular occurrences of shingles, my trusty friend whenever I get stressed out.
    If I could go back in time and get immunized and avoid all that shit, I sure as hell would.

  38. Stevil October 26, 2009 at 3:45 pm #

    They say that when adults get Chicken Pox it can sometimes even be deadly. When kids get it, nothing but some itchy bumps. Thats why you want to get it when you’re a kid, so I’m curious when in life you came down with it. As an adult I would probably get immunized, but then again, as a child I’m pretty sure my folks would have guaranteed that I got the Pox to begin with.

  39. Angus October 27, 2009 at 1:35 pm #

    Yo Stevil
    …In reference to the drawing above…
    2 successful beer hand down completed at the USGP in Louisville on Sunday during the SS race. Still looking to possible picture confirmation.
    *side note* I got pulled from the race by a UCI offical for ‘race missconduct’ for the beer hand down…i figured he was just jelous cause I didnt hand it to him…

  40. Stevil October 27, 2009 at 1:39 pm #

    You might very well have the world’s first beer hand down DQ. Well done, though there is still no rule in the books preventing a rider from assisting the crowds..

  41. Duncan October 27, 2009 at 8:25 pm #

    “At one time we watched cigarette ads on television, and now those have been banned and thankfully replaced with story lines of happy couples who, despite the fact that they have Herpes, can still go kayaking.”
    Would it be admitting a not-so-eventful day if I told you this sentence was the highlight? And just where can I find a beautiful herpes-bearing babe to kayak with? It’s like Joe Jackson once told me:
    Happy loving couples make it look so easy
    Happy loving couples always talk so kind
    Until the time that I can do my dancing with a partner
    Those happy couples aint no friends of mine

  42. Mudrat November 11, 2009 at 3:26 pm #

    Ahh, Mr Stevil, Mr Bjorn unforntunately wasted your 666th comment, not by telling y’all about our wonderful country, but by telling you about our (free!) health care system but by neglecting to tell you that we do have 72oz beers here (well almost, they’re 2 litres so 69oz, but they used to be 2.25L – 77oz).
    http://supersizedmeals.com/food/article.php/20060918-Darwin_Stubby
    You can even buy them online but at $40 plus post, I’d just try and get some empties and home brew.
    Now there’s an idea……..
    AHTBM Bitter.