The sickness has fled the scene.

hitch-hiking.jpg


Or at least for the most part it has.
I still feel like I was repeatedly punched in the stomach by a bunch of angry former rollerbladers, but at this stage slight soreness is preferable to crippling pain, so I’ll take what I can get.
So much changes from one post to the next around here. Why, the last time we were here together the world was in the strangle hold of a madman, and now Team America has done the impossible and rid us of his evil forever.
From time to time I moonlight over on the Evil Cycling website, primarily because I can freely use whatever expletive I want there, and occasionally do to excess. In the wee hours of Tuesday morning I stopped through and penned an ode to what I see as a current peculiar gesture of patriotism;
People waving U.jpg
Or if you will;

As I stated in the comments section, I don’t see why the response to this event has to be black or white. Either you are wrapped in an American Flag driving around blaring Brooks and Dunn, or you are ignoring it completely.
Why can’t someone choose quiet remembrance? Noisily celebrating Bin Laden’s death seems no less obnoxious, and saddening to me than extremists celebrating September 11th to begin with.
A quote attributed to Martin Luther King Jr. has been floating round since this news broke, which though it wasn’t said by him, doesn’t make it any less poignant;
“I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy.”
I’ll buy that for a dollar.
Finally, Greg from Bike Monkey Magazine sent me the following article written by David Sirota which has basically the same sentiment as my Evil piece, but with fewer bad words, and a more concise point;
“USA! USA!” is the wrong response.”
As I concluded in the Evil piece, I simply wish people would keep their patriotic chants for when scientists, teachers, scholars, politicians, or even athletes do something great in the name of this country.
Then again, I was raised by Mizzou pacifists who prefer great feats of intellect and creativity over great feats of force, so I suppose it’s all relative..
Before the ‘you should stick to bikes’ guy pipes up, I will change topics.
From Murphy of esteemed Maximo Supremo residents PDW I get occasional bits and bites of randomness. Like this;
incrediblecoolnutz.jpg
Upon first glance It’s clear Cool Nutz is a performer, and ‘Incredible’ would be the name of his act, album, show, or what have you. In my heart however, I would like for this to just be a regular guy who is so enthralled with his cool nutz that he made flyers to let the neighborhood know.
I mean, God knows if I had cool nutz, I would. What intrigues me the most however is what he might be thinking about;
coolnutzthinkingaboutsweaters.jpg
My Photoshop skills know no boundaries, though as Murphy pointed out I maybe should have included The Golden Girls.
Shep thoughtfully sent on the heads up for a possible buster of blocks;
hesherscreenshot.jpg

I’ve never thought much of the folks who sleep in front of theaters in anticipation for opening night, but this movie could very well inspire me to become one of them.
Were it not for the film’s inclusion of Rainn Wilson, who I would like to say can eat a bowl of dick, this might possibly be my own personal ‘Star Wars’.
Continuing through the depths of the mailbag, Jamie got in touch with a pretty sweet project;
“Hi Stevil
this is jaime, from spanish textile brand peSeta.
I just wanted to share with you this short film we´ve made about our latest collaboration:
a series of bike caps made by a bicycle attached to a sewing machine for the New Museum of NYC shop…
we´re really excited about it and thought you might like it as well…

thank you very much and congrats for your wonderful site!
jaime”

Jamie called this site wonderful. Clearly those are words of someone high on textile fumes.
Moving on, Uke sent a response to a post from like, forever ago;
“Stevil – Wednesday’s post prompted me to open up the shoebox under my desk to find that old ticket from the first time I crossed paths with Superchunk. A memory worth holding onto. One of the best openers I’ve seen. Photographic proof and another random item you can appreciate. Glad I saved that one for the kids.
ukestreasures.jpg
AHTBM has become a reminder (or a slap) of the old and new – keep it up. The new tumblr gallery really put your heart out there (like most days), so keep it fearless. I’ll be listening.
Cheers,
Uke”

I should mention that this response was prompt, but like most everything in my life these days, it got neglected. I appreciate the contact and most especially the kind words.
Jessica came though with an email as well, letting me know that the Wizard Staff competition that Jeff Tiedeken and I engaged in during the SD custom bike show a few weeks ago inspired her and some friends to throw one of their own;
“Stevil-
I just wanted to say thanks for showing me such an awesome game!
jessicaandherstaff.jpg
I am going to put some type of weights in the bottom next time I play so maybe it will stand till the end.
Jessica”

Though I have to give Jeff credit for turning me on to the game, I will need to credit Jessica for her impending wizard staff counterweight technology.
It will surely revolutionize the game.
Danny B sent me the kind of email I like best;
“I thought of you instantly.”
“Last week, a wall that Teazer, Numskull and Roach had painted in Camperdown, was painted over by someone (owners, real estate agents, council….?) without the artists knowing. This was the response from an unknown person;
camperdownwall.jpg
It made our day. We’re not sure which one we like best…”

That sure did put a smile on my face.
Certainly at this point a smile on my face beats a hatchet welding hitchhiker in my stomach any day of the week.
newlittleskull.jpg

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18 Responses to “The sickness has fled the scene.”

  1. åaron May 4, 2011 at 7:03 am #

    “police and thieves” at teh end of the sewing machine / bike vid….very nice!

  2. Paul May 4, 2011 at 7:39 am #

    I don’t have a four-wheel ATV, I ride a Surly Cross-check.
    I don’t carry a handgun, but I do have a multi-tool on me at all times.
    I don’t wave around an oversized stars and stripes, but I have been known to sport a studded belt with a Captain America buckle.
    I am, however, glad that Bin Laden is dead. You gonna sneer at me too?

  3. Stevil May 4, 2011 at 7:50 am #

    Am I going to sneer at you? No. As I said in the post, which you may or may not have read, (the small symbols between the pictures and videos are words, and can sometimes convey an idea associated with said images) I don’t see why people cannot seem to realize that there can exist a middle ground between carrying on like a drunken frat boy at a Hooters restaurant, and completely ignoring the event all together. He was a dick, who had no good plans for anyone who lived outside his insane ideology. Am I glad he’s dead? Yes. Am I going to support someone’s right to drive around with a giant flag hanging out of their car blaring ‘Proud To Be An American’? Yes. Do I think that’s an obnoxious thing to do? Also, yes.

  4. Tony Bullard May 4, 2011 at 8:00 am #

    Hey Stevil,
    While I agree with you, I was wondering if you could elaborate on why you hate Rainn Wilson. I’m interested to hear your take on it.

  5. Stevil May 4, 2011 at 8:07 am #

    Besides just generally being a crappy actor, he’s known far and wide to not only dislike the bicycle machines, and those who ride them, but has gone so far to publicly encourage the idea of running over cyclists.

  6. Crank May 4, 2011 at 8:10 am #

    OK, Lets look at this another way, as warriors. One man masterminded the largest single strike against the US in history. We have killed more civilians, and soldiers in the pursuit of him than he took on “that day”. He evaded attempts against his life for more than a decade, but before that, who trained him? We did. The CIA trained Bin Laden as a soldier to combat the Russians when they attempted to overtake Afghanistan. It is history, look it up. We make our own destiny, and our karma as a country sucks buddha balls.

  7. Karl Hungus May 4, 2011 at 9:28 am #

    First off, to Crank…stop making sense.
    Secondly, Rainn Wilson is most likely stealing George Carlin’s bit and Carlin was a friggin genius, bike hater or not.
    Thirdly, that Salon article was spot on.

  8. Malcolm May 4, 2011 at 1:34 pm #

    Stevil, always enjoy the posts.
    Have you ever played wizard staff with tall boys? I would think that the longer cans would add a much needed structural rigidity to the mix. PS, Jessica = awesome.

  9. The Los May 4, 2011 at 2:40 pm #

    Rainn Wilson- Should he eat a bowl of dicks, or, as Louis C.K. reminisced from an automotive encounter, suck a bag of dicks?
    I appreciate you for bringing that Salon article to my attention. Oh and the Evil Cycling blog post. I personally woulda said “fuck” a few more times, however.

  10. ian c May 4, 2011 at 5:19 pm #

    did you already have that shootin’ vid when i sent it to you? because that would be weird.

  11. Paul May 4, 2011 at 5:26 pm #

    Dere wuz wordz? Ah onlee cum her for da picturz.
    But hey, Stevil, thanks for clearly elucidating that there is indeed a middle ground. For whatever it’s worth, I think you managed to articulate that sentiment more clearly in your response than the post itself.
    As you were. And thanks for not sneering.

  12. Devin May 4, 2011 at 6:55 pm #

    I missed That Show…Superchunk would be good.

  13. mattya May 4, 2011 at 7:41 pm #

    I love Mizzou Pacifists…

  14. T E May 4, 2011 at 7:52 pm #

    “Now it has cocks” Friggin awesome. I liked it so much, I decided to have “the talk” with my kindergardener early so she could enjoy the humor. You know, the talk about art.

  15. Track Cunt May 4, 2011 at 9:15 pm #

    Watching the world from afar via the TV, interweb, smartish-phone conveys to many Non-Americains that you all are cunts. Unintelligent ones at that.
    This wonderful website is a tri-weekly testament to the fact that good people remain in the USA, ones with brain, humour and good looks.
    For fucks sake, watch your backs. Hooray! You just killed the Queen Bee, now the whole nest will be angry.
    *TC

  16. mrg May 4, 2011 at 10:18 pm #

    no rainn in this forecast — it gets the same point across in 2 min:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZGa40Hl4zI

  17. Chezedog May 5, 2011 at 7:13 am #

    Some will use any excuse to go out in the street and be idiotic. The home team wins the SuperBowl, pretend like you give a fuck about Rodney King, whatever. It’s the same people, I bet.

  18. Vaeringjar May 5, 2011 at 3:07 pm #

    I like the joke, “I lost my wife in Tower 2–best thing that ever happened to me.”
    The cock wall is good fun.
    Fuck the USA.

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