Feb 2, 2013

For many years, I made a living as a bicycle messenger. It was a tough job, but in those days, the days before email became ubiquitous, it was one of the few jobs which afforded young proletariat adults a quasi-legal way to make a better-than-minimum wage. Winter was especially harsh, but due to a reduced number of messengers on the streets that time of year,...

Jun 15, 2012

On this spot, last week, another cyclist was killed by an automobile driver. His name was Nap Cantwell. I actually heard this collision take place, and I’ve been just sick about it ever since. It is why I purposely waited at least one week to mention it. Had I written about it the next day, I probably would have … well, let’s just say that I...

May 12, 2012

A 50-year-old woman riding a bike to the store wearing an Iggy and the Stooges jacket.

Dec 11, 2011

“License bicyclists!”, they scream on local news sites in a desperate attempt to divert attention from the real problem. The problem which is: The slaughter of our people at the hands of automobile drivers. Last week, a Kirkland bicyclist was killed at the hands of an intoxicated driver. Read the comment section of that article for absolute proof...

Oct 24, 2011

Let it never be said that the individual car driver in Seattle does not duly kick his/her own ass on a daily basis. They oppose bicyclists. They oppose mass transit. They oppose most anything that does not involve getting in a car and driving from Point A to Point B. Then, when construction of any kind is initiated to repair the infrastructure that they have...

Oct 12, 2011

When it comes to employment, I’ve been fortunate. For the majority of my life, I’ve been able to make a living while enjoying a great deal of autonomy. In my younger days, I was a musician who helped make ends meet by working as a bicycle messenger and photojournalist. I got out of those endeavors just in time to get into tech where I created a popular...

Sep 23, 2011

Sep 19, 2011

It’s been a rough summer for bicyclists. We’ve had three high-profile deaths over the last few months, and a few which have received a lessor amount of coverage. In each of these cases, newspaper and TV comment sections have lit up with people blaming the bicyclists for their own deaths. “We’re not getting the real story, I’m sure it was the...

Aug 18, 2011

I just got home from a trip down Pike Street, and I almost got taken out, ironically, in a manner very similar to that on Dexter Avenue two weeks ago. As I was sitting at the stoplight at Pike Street and Broadway, a straight-up Gangsta G in a silver BMW pulled up beside me in the right turn lane, blasting the shitty autotuned rap selection of the day. When the...

Aug 14, 2011

This is a short update on the Hit-and-Run of Michael Wang. The driver of the SUV has not yet been found, but a website has been set up to take leads from the general public, and to memorialize Mr. Wang. If you know anything, or can help in any way, please visit: http://fatalhitandrun.webs.com/ It’s very easy for us to forget about this, as our own...

Aug 7, 2011

Okay, I’ll admit it, the naked bike rides are getting a little played out. It was fascinating on Solstice Day, mildly interesting on Gay Pride Day, but now … well … now these folks are having trouble holding my attention. It’s still cool and all, but I feel like the horse has been duly beaten with a stick made from the remains of...

Aug 1, 2011

I’m standing beside Michael Wang’s memorial at Dexter & Thomas. It’s a beautiful and touching sight. The sign reads simply “A Bicyclist Was Killed Here”.

Jul 30, 2011

On Thursday, a man was hit and killed by an SUV as he was riding his bicycle through South Lake Union. That man’s name was Michael Wang, and he was hit by an SUV which did not bot her to stop. As a matter of fact, the driver has yet to be found. All we currently know is that the murderer was driving a brown SUV with tinted windows. On Friday, I wrote a post...

Jul 23, 2011

I just got back from the Capitol Hill Block Party environs. I wish I could say that I had a pleasant experience, but drama seems to follow me everywhere. I may expound on this later, but I’m trying a new technique where I cool off for 12 hours before firing up my text editor and offending everyone with yet another angry rant. Anyway, after crossing...

Jul 8, 2011

Yesterday, for the first time ever, I dialed 911 from my cellphone. I was riding through SoDo, behind a red Jeep, when I noticed a stop light ahead. I applied my brakes, but the Jeep did not. As I rolled to a stop, the Jeep smashed into a white van in front of us, totalling the Jeep and sending shards of debris flying. I ran up to both drivers, made sure they...

Jun 24, 2011

You know, if they wanted to, local news stations could really mess with me. They could send me out on one wild goose chase after another, and keep me chasing my tail indefinitely. Take this morning for instance. Q13 Fox, terrorist fighters extraordinaire, mentioned that Disney had a promo running. The studio was going to take to the streets of Downtown...

Jun 18, 2011

Fremont, Seattle. The self-proclaimed “Center of the Universe”. Home of Getty Images, Adobe Systems, a statue of Lenin, and Nirvana’s “Bleach” album. It’s also the location for one of the more unusual parades in the USA. Even though it was wet and a bit cold today, thousands of people turned out for the annual Fremont...

Jun 18, 2011

Below are live photos from the Fremont Solstice Festival and Parade. A video of The Fremont Solstice Cyclists is available here:...

Jun 9, 2011

I’ve been reading a great deal about the proposed Downtown Tunnel lately. I think it’s painfully obvious to anyone reading the debates that both sides tend to, how shall I say this … exaggerate.  I think it goes without saying that the deep-bore tunnel will neither destroy Seattle, nor will it solve all of its transportation woes.  Each side has...

May 28, 2011

Before getting attacked by fare-paying zombies yesterday, I hung out in Westlake Park to observe May’s Critical Mass. What is Critical Mass? It is a monthly gathering of bicyclists who take to the streets of Seattle on the last Friday of every month. Why do they do this? No specific reason. Some riders are bike advocates, some like to socialize, and some...

May 26, 2011

But … Remember this post? A couple of months ago, I mentioned my near annihilation by an automobile due to the glare of the sun. I also laid out in grave detail why sunshine is actually less healthy and less safe for the citizens of Seattle than are clouds. When I presented my findings to a local meteorologist, he informed me simply that he...

May 23, 2011

Well, it looks like the tunnel is headed for a vote, although it doesn’t really look like the vote is going to count. Yesterday, the City Council decided to proceed with a referendum which will determine whether or not the city can “give notice” to the state. If “yes”, such notice will allow them to go ahead with the construction phase of...

Apr 24, 2011

When I awoke yesterday morning, that was the forecast. Not only was it the forecast, but my Twitter feed lit up like a Christmas Tree as news stations across Seattle rushed to be the first news outlet to post 100 “the sun is out!” tweets. This, in turn, caused me to massively unfollow just about every news station in Seattle. As I have posted before, I am...

Apr 23, 2011

Live in Cal Anderson Park.

Apr 15, 2011

This morning, I went down to the waterfront so that I could check out the first cruise ship of the season. It was cool and I enjoyed it. After getting a few shots, I hopped on my Vino and headed north on Alaskan Way. As I was riding in the right lane, a Volvo Station Wagon to my left suddenly switched lanes directly into me. I had to swerve and then grab both...