Mental Junk Drawer

Fire drills at work still make me want a smoke. That's what a person does when forced outside for a fire drill. (I was a pack a day smoker, quit 13 years ago and have had minor struggles in recent years. I'm good now though).

 

When you go to the Library and don't really know what you feel like reading, you kind of have to read a book by its cover. (Quote by Rantwick girl the younger)

Why the hell does my phone send me a text message to tell me I have a voicemail? I DON'T UNDERSTAND. The phone already has voicemail notification thing. The text is redundant and annoying.

 

"... a Can not a Can't"? Really? So lame. Also, I hate it when companies try to brand their activities as some sort of thread in our National fabric. You're an Canadian oil company using "Canadian" tech to get the oil that's hard to get. Good for you. Combines? Snowblowers? The Last Spike? Good grief. http://youtu.be/j0vYTFve7tA

That's it. Have outstanding weekends, everybody!

 

 

 

 

Yer Pal,

R A N T W I C K

London Ontario Cyclist Profile: Beard Guy

Hey all! I've been riding my bicycle to work every day as usual here in London Ontario, but haven't felt creative about the blog lately. That appears to be changing a little. I am pleased to announce a whole new post series, London Ontario Cyclist Profile! In this series I will be presenting completely fictional interviews with some of the real cycling characters I meet on the bike path or street.

 

If one day you see yourself in this series, the only way to disabuse people of my outrageous notions regarding you and your life will be to contact me and answer the interview questions yourself. Or just ask me to take down my heinous guesses at your life story. Whichever. I like option one better though, don't you? Way funner. Yes, funner. Oh, you don't like that? Well, "more fun" then. Happy? Happy you dominated my writing style with your "proper" English uptightedness? Yes, uptightedness! You *hole... how could you? I thought we were friends!

Anyway, in this the first of what may be many London Ontario Cyclist Profiles, we feature a person who rides often, because I ride often and I often see him. Like, often. In my mind I just call him "Beard Guy":

 

 

Interview Time!

 

 

RW: Hey, Beard Guy! What's your real name?

 

BG: Otis MacGregor!

 

RW: Wow, great name. Any relation to the inventor of the "Safety Elevator"?

 

BG: Otis is my first name, you idiot. Elisha Otis has nothing to do with me or my family.

 

RW: Beg pardon, really. I suffer from a speaking before thinking thing. Tell me, how long did it take you to grow that awesome red beard?

 

BG: I don't know. A while.

 

RW: Well, it is pretty damn nice. May I touch it?

 

BG: No way, you freak! Interview over, weirdo.

 

RW: Wait! Wait... I'll stop with the beard fixation, I promise. Tell me, have you always been a big bike rider?

 

BG: No, not any more than most. As a kid I always loved to ride my bike, but it is only in the last couple years that I stopped driving my Monster Truck (GuzzleMageddon II) and started taking my vintage 10 Speed to work and back. I really like it.

 

RW: I'll bet! Cycling rocks. Hey! Any hobbies?

 

BG: Lemme think... I like growing cacti. The more painful to the touch the better. Also I'm an amateur awesome bike path photo model.

 

 click pic for big version

 

RW: Hey, you're very good at that! Job?

 

BG: I am a physics professor at UWO. No tenure or anything like that, of course; I'm still young. I'm hoping to publish soon, a study on "darquarks" that might win me the Nobel. Dark Matter Quarks, man. Its enough to blow anyone's mind.

 

RW: Huh? You lost me there.

 

BG: Don't worry, I get that a lot.

 

RW: Tell me one more thing about yourself, something that nobody would ever guess.

 

BG: Hang on, let me think. Sh*t, I don't know, man. I'm a pretty open book. Maybe that I once saw a meteor hit the earth? I think I did, anyway. I was pretty high on those tiny cinnamon flavoured hearts at the time. I must have eaten like 300 of those things.

 

RW: OK then! Otis, thank you for talking to me today. I hope I continue to see you out riding that bike!

 

BG: Oh, you will. Riding my bike is the like the best thing I do now. I would go totally mental without that daily ride, you know?

 

RW: Believe me, I know. I really really do. Thanks again!

 

-- end of fake interview --

 

 

 

Mwahh ha ha haaaa! I am going to totally enjoy doing more of these. Remember, the above interview is totally fake and for stupidity purposes only. If you are "Beard Guy", aka Otis MacGregor, drop me a line! It would be awesome to hear from the real you!

 

 

Yer Pal,

R A N T W I C K

Holy Snap I'm Slow. And a big LIAR!

Remember how I did this tree contest thing forever ago and some people won prizes and stuff? I finally put together the packages and they're ready to ship. The prizes are not as promised, however. I am a stinking liar. The best syrup I could come up with this year was good old Medium. The breadcrumbs I promised turned out to have expired and were thrown out. At least I made good on the crappy homemodified trophy...

 

 

 

 

Congrats again to Josh, with an honourable mention for RCT. On May 8, 2013, my 2012 Autumn Tree Smackdown is finally over. It took me so long it has given me pause about doing 4ARATS, the 4th Annual Rantwick Autumn Tree Smackdown. I know myself, however. Come Fall I will begin checking on the King of Autumn and begin wondering how your trees are looking, and God Help Me, I'll have to do it again.

 

Yer Procrastinational Pal,

R A N T W I C K

PS - Procrastinational is not a real word (I don't think). I have unilaterally decided to stop caring what words are real and use any I feel like. That may drive some of you crazy, but you'll just have to find your inner relaxitude.

Blog Spaz

Lately some of my efforts, those directed at this blog included, have been less than coordinated. I wish I was writing more... once again I stand in awe of those who manage to do it nearly every day. I find myself instead jerkily moving from one almost random task to the next. Not moving like a jerk (I don't think), but rather with rapid, clumsy activity rather than well planned productivity. I have long been kind of ADD that way (I lost the H somewhere in my 30s), but it has seemed worse to me lately. Now it would seem my nervous system is getting in on the act:

A few days ago my hand just didn't follow commands and did this jerky clunk thing. It couldn't have taken more than a tenth of a second, but oh, the carnage! You see, I was scooping ground coffee into a coffee machine at  the time...

When I decided to write this post about this little calamity, all I could think of to call myself was a spaz. Does anyone say "spaz" anymore? If so, should they? I mean, it is based on the word spastic... I worked for and became very close friends with a young man who was "spastic quadriplegic" many years ago; leaves me feeling a little bit guilty when I use it now.

I remain hopeful that I will start updating this blog more often again, with better content than stupid snapshots of my minor failures and too frequent whining about how little time I have to write. Wish me luck for your own sake, you awesome oft-suffering reader of mine.

Yer Spaz,

R A N T W I C K

When I Do Boring, People Find It Interesting.

There is a curious phenomenon that has recurred. When I stop trying to be funny or entertaining or whatever, online people like me better.

Case in point: I made a video about a speedy mail truck that I posted on Monday. At the same time, I posted a boring "tutorial" about how I guessed the vehicle speeds in that video.

The first video I thought people might enjoy has had 56 views and has received 1 "Like" at time of writing. The second video I thought only nerds would have an interest in has had 132 views and 6 "Likes". I didn't post that video here, so in theory fewer eyes should have seen it on initial posting.

Since it would seem I have no idea what people might like, I present for your amusement the second video, which includes riveting stuff including some math!

Yer Pal,

R A N T W I C K

PS - I've been sick as a dog with a cold the past couple of days, so if I don't respond to a comment or whatever, it is because I'm in bed 1)sleeping 2)wishing I was sleeping 3)wishing for some merciful end to the ugly sniveling and sniffling thing that I have become. Pam!

Express Post - Fast Delivery Guaranteed

Sorry, less than no time to write anything today, but here's a video I did over the weekend...

Yer Pal,

R A N T W I C K

Things People Say Fridays #10 - D O P E .

"The teens" are right into my middle-aged weirdo bike commuter video thing. I knew it. KNEW IT!

Yer Pal,

R A N T W I C K

Have You Seen This? The Invisible Bike Helmet

Is this old news? Maybe, but I just saw it. Thanks again to one of my brothers who sent me the link:

http://vimeo.com/43038579

I would like to hear what all you smart cyclists think of this thing. For myself I've got a couple of small reservations, but overall I'm impressed!

Yer Pal,

R A N T W I C K

I Can't Leave WTF Alone

When I showed Mrs. Rantwick my Screen Savior video from last week, she asked, "so it's not a real screensaver"? She should have known what would happen. Perhaps she did know... anyway:

 

 

 

 

Click Here to visit the download Page for a real,

working, installable version of my "Screen Savior".

 

Please note: While I am a reasonably spiritual person, I have not been born again or anything like that, in case you were wondering. I have a great deal of trouble seeing my religion as being more or less "true" a faith than any other, yet many seem to demand this. The appearance of Jesus on this blog has everything to do with a WTF moment and pretty much nothing to do with me expressing my religious beliefs, which is something I have no interest in doing online, by the way.

 

Back to bikes and stuff next time, I promise.

 

Yer Pal,

R A N T W I C K

When WTF Gets Jesus

Word To Form syndrome is a strange ride to have to take, let me tell you. Check the sidebar for "WTF Attacks" if you don't believe me. The latest mental image that wouldn't let me go involves two new angles for me though; Jesus Christ and video!

The other day Rantwick Jr. accidentally said "screen saviour" instead of "screen saver". A simple slip of the tongue. No big deal. Unless you're me and suffer from WTF. The mental image of a "screen saviour" stayed with me, taking shape in my brain and refusing to leave. So here it is, for better or worse:

This thing is way better viewed full-screen, you know, 'cause it is a "screen saver".

Bet You Didn't See That Coming! I Sure Didn't!

R A N T W I C K

Frozen.

Activity on this blog will be sparse for a while longer, I think. Life, work, blah blah blah. You know the drill.

 

One of my brothers sent me some pictures he saw in the Winnipeg paper (Free Press, I'm guessing, but he didn't say) recently because he thought I would like 'em. I did, and I thought you might too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spring is Coming. I swear.

R A N T W I C K

A Thousand Words

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yer Pal,
 

R A N T W I C K

Passing. On Liebster.

Steve A of DFW Point-to-Point was kind enough to nominate me for a Liebster award, a kind of "I really enjoy your blog" chain letter post thing that bloggers give one another. I really appreciate the thought, but there is a problem.

 

Most of the blogs I would "nominate" have already been listed for Liebsters by others before me. Plus, one of the things you have to do is list 11 facts about yourself. Then, you're supposed to answer 11 questions supplied by the nominating blogger. Also, you're supposed to produce a list of questions for your nominees to answer.

 

When I tried to get started, this is what happened:

 

11 facts about me:

 

1) I am lazy.

2) I am selfish.

3) Ach du lieber Liebster, I don't feel like doing any more.

 

I sure hope I'm not hurting Steve's feelings by being like this; he has been reading my stuff ever since I started, or close to it. I like reading his stuff too. But I'm lazy. And selfish.

 

Yer Buzz Killin`Pal,

R A N T W I C K

PS - I am quite fascinated by how bad this post is making me feel. That`s the creepy power of the personally relevant chain letter, man. Crazy. I`m gonna publish before I lose my nerve...

RANTWiiCK, or CustoMiization

About a week ago I got home after work and a tiring but fun bike commute. I plopped down on the couch for a second while still in my cycling gear. For some reason I had stretched my legs out straight and was waving them around; I think I may have been imitating a crying baby while talking to the kids about something. Anyway, as I did that I noticed my too-round belly and black stretchy pants and said, "holy cow, I look like a Mii"! My kids agreed.

I had Mrs. Rantwick take a picture of me immediately of course, because documenting such important discoveries is just the right thing to do.

As you can see, I wasn't entirely crazy. Here is that photo compared to the Mii I use at home:

I kept this photo fairly small, because I really don't like how I look in it. Man, I have got some weight to lose. I'm working on it. You know what would totally suck about being a Mii? Sphere hands. I mean, I don't mind having a spherical head, but sphere hands would be terribly frustrating:

I don't mind using a bigger picture now that I'm wearing my more handsome face. Maybe I should post unflattering pictures of myself more often... I'm finding looking at the gut in that picture very motivating... but I wouldn't do that to you. I'll just refer back to these when I need a little push.

You know, once you have carefully cut out a photo of yourself, pasted on your blogging alter-ego head and given yourself pink sphere hands, it is hard to just walk away without using that image a little more, don't you find? I sure do. So here, I did this just for you!

original (background) pic source

Aren't you glad I'm back?
Yer Pal,

R A N T W I C K

Sappy Valentine's Day Wishes of Love - PART 2!

I wrote a while back that my Mom was moving into a retirement place here in London Ontario, Waverley Mansion. I also mentioned that the residents were something of a youtube sensation.

 

At the time, my Mother hadn't been in any of the videos, but now she has! I am not going to identify the Mother of Rantwick. Or maybe I will sometime. I don't know. Here's the video:

 

I was told they were going to use it on some NBC morning show today, but I have no idea if that happened. If you saw it on TV this morning, let me know!

 

Feelin' the love,

R A N T W I C K

PS - Ok, alright... my Mom is the cute one.

Sappy Valentine's Day Wishes of Love

Lasting, real love is something nobody has a recipe for, yet is still something that finds many.

Psych! This post isn't really about Valentine's Day. I (and my wife) think Valentine's Day is nonsense. Love, of course, is the opposite of nonsense: it is all, near as I can tell, but has nothing to do with a single calendar day.

Now, here's a cyclist pulling a "psych!" on a motorist. I don't know if they were drunk or what, but it sure looked silly:

Best not to pull that kind of thing on your lovey dovey... they will just run you over.

Yer Pal,

R A N T W I C K

The Things I Bring To Work!

There are worse things than having Wan Ming follow me to work. This time I managed to grab a long sleeve RANTWICK shirt of my wife's thinking it was a t-shirt of my own. No undershirt for me today. I prefer to wear an undershirt, so that is a minor annoyance.

 

Next, I discovered a pair of girl's underpants on my office floor. They had a pretty little bow on the waist and everything. Must have fallen off the shirt when I pulled it out of the pannier. Great. Thank you, static cling... what if I hadn't seen them? What if the next visitor to my office had found them instead? Gah!

 

At least I successfully brought a pair of my own undies this time. Someday I will leave the house in an organized, unhurried fashion. Someday.

 

Yer Pal,

R A N T W I C K

Preaching to the Choir

I read things and sometimes those things line up really well with what I think. Eliot Landrum has posted such a thing on iamtraffic.org. In it, he says crazy radical stuff like, "The solution for today, right now, is driving my bicycle on roads that are comfortable for my skill level." 

 

It may seem like I'm mocking, but I'm not. Simple ideas like that are often missing from discussions about cycling these days.

 

This article is among the most sensible I've seen in a long time, espousing a reasonable alternative to relying solely on this kind of stuff:

 

 

(picture stolen from article)



 

Check out the article "Of Reality and Dreams". If you have any interest in what I think about cycling advocacy stuff, this is a perfect case of "like he said".

 

If you have ZERO interest in such things, that's cool too. I won't pull a Wan Ming on you or anything.

 

Yer Pal,

R A N T W I C K

Things People Say Fridays #9 - I Am Wan Ming! Do Not Ignore!

People say the darndest things. Which is why this particular series of blog posts exists. The ramifications of shtuff you hear can reach deeply into your life, you know. More on that soon. Right now, let's meet a couple of friendly, high-spirited young men:

I showed this video to my wife, laughed a little, and decided to do a "Things People Say Fridays" post on it (YOU ARE HERE). That should have been the end of it, but it wasn't. It became kind of stuck in my mind. Later I wrote the new catchy phrase next to a cartoon face one of the kids drew on our whiteboard:

______________________________________________

Next thing I knew I was using it in conversation (at home only, of course) when I felt that I was not being heard. Try it yourself! Say it with me: I am Wan Ming! Do Not Ignore!

Feels good, right? I mean, don't we all need to feel like Wan Ming, the powerful dude with the bigass bamboo stick once in a while? Using the phrase at home was working for me, stopping cross-talk and getting me the attention I required. It might have helped that I was yelling and had perfected the "Wan Ming crazy eyes"...

Anyway, this new phrase and the very temporary but very powerful alter-ego that went with it was working for me, so much so that I tried using it at work in a joking way. People liked it a lot. They snickered and looked sideways at each other and fidgeted around and said stuff like, "you are one super weird dude". It was awesome. None of my jokes had ever worked before.

With the phrase being so successful in all parts of my life excluding the professional, it was only a matter of time before I tried it out in a more formal setting. Have you ever been required to participate in a conference call? For those of you who have not, a conference call often takes the form of a group of people with a conference (fancy speaker) phone talking to other groups or individuals about something they all have a mutual interest in.

original pic source

http://www.flixya.com/photo/904942/Conference-Call-Etiquette

In the many conference calls I have participated in, it is common and almost unavoidable that you feel "talked over" sometimes. This is sometimes because one or more parties on the call are using conventional office half-duplex speaker phones (the fancy conference phones are full duplex*, meaning they can transmit and receive simultaneously) and can't hear your attempts to interject because they are talking at the time. Or, the speaker is just a jerk who won't stop spouting their BS sales jargon, or an egomaniac who can't get enough of her own voice or just a good old rambler who won't shut up. In any case, I was feeling "talked over", and Wan Ming made an appearance.

Of course, everybody else stopped talking. I said what I wanted to say and waited for a response. There was none! It was almost like the other people on the call were sort of stunned and didn't know what to do. I needed to shock them into action and called upon the Grumbear. I figured the combination of the Grumbear and Wan Ming would be impossible to ignore!

I was right, it was impossible to ignore. Sadly, most of the people just took off or hung up and then called my boss. Now I'm in trouble at work. Turns out, my employer doesn't think it is acceptable to take some weird shtuff a kid said, fixate upon it until you create an angry but powerful character in your mind and then try to use it during a business conference call while channeling a construction paper and wool bear who is filled with insane ursine rage. 

I chalk it up to a lack of vision on their part.

R A N T W I C K

* please forgive this little foray into complete nerd land. I couldn't help it. I wish more of us who end up on conference calls understood it. If your workplace has real conference phones, use them and encourage the people you are talking to to use them as well if they can. Huge difference. Much better comm.

PS - Just in case you're new here and are taking me seriously, almost none of the above narrative is true. To see where I crossed from the somewhat true to the completely fictional, find the blue line _______________ above.

I Am A Disappointment

Many people are going through a big snow day today. London Ontario got it pretty good (but could have been way worse) too. I drove to work. Strangely, the people who tell me I'm crazy for riding in winter are a little crestfallen when they find out.

 

I used to take days like this as a personal challenge and would ride come hell or high water, but with the new winter bike and its narrower tires, I felt it would take too long. That bike, by the way, is working out beautifully and is probably my best winter ride so far. It just isn't quite as good for big snows, when I need some floatation from the front wheel. Fat Bike yearnings! ARG! NOT... PRACTICAL...TOO...EXPENSIVE... n+1!

 

It is bugging me some... a fellow winter rider I know cycled past my house and called "Hi Patrick!" from his big MTB as he went by. I was clearing snow off the car. Me sad now. Guess I should just grow up and shrug it off as the small thing it is, but it's hard for me. Nobody likes feeling like a disappointment, y'know?

 

Yer Pal,

R A N T W I C K

How Are You With Heights?

Sometimes I just have share things that have nothing to do with this blog's usual content of bikes and trees and the odd rant. Get a load of this. If you are not good with heights, don't watch. I mean it.

  

 

 

 

 

Yer Pal,

R A N T W I C K

Fun and Stupid

You know how when you were young you did things that were really fun that in hindsight were really stupid and kind of dangerous? It would seem I've still got the knack at 43.

I am a father of two and a husband of one. Even if the odds of something bad happening were slim, I'm too old to take such silly risks. And even if there wasn't much risk, what the hell kind of example was that? If my kids went anywhere near that river in that condition I would have flipped out on them. I have no good excuse. I got carried away with the fun and challenge of it all.

Next time I see some idiot on the news who ended up in a jam (or worse) because they didn't seem to have any common sense, I will think back to this and cut them a little slack. Meantime, I'm not gonna be foolish like that again. Some other way, I bet, but not like that.

Yer Pal,

R A N T W I C K

MEC Ghost Bikes

Call me crazy, but don't you think the makers of "Ghost" bicycles and their Canadian reseller, MEC, might want to do a little re-branding? I mean, would you buy a Ghost brand bike? I'm not normally superstitious, but I suspect that there is a certain amount of "punitive irony" in the cosmos with my name on it.

 

Buying a Ghost bike seems like a surefire way to test that belief. Not gonna do it. Uh uh. Just sayin'.

 

Of course, most consumers of bicycles don't feed on a steady diet of bike stuff off the Internet and elsewhere and thus would not know that the white-painted memorials to fallen cyclists are also called "ghost bikes".

 

I did a little googlifying and it would seem MEC is fully aware of the unfortunate name but has to live with it or drop this supplier of what they consider good stuff from Germany, which they aren't planning on.

 

Article with MECs "response" here.

 

They say the brand has not been affected in Europe, but still, who's to know? The company's web site didn't say when they were founded, but I wikipediafied that the company was founded in 1993, which I am pretty sure pre-dates the "ghost bike" memorial movement. It would seem they are the victims of chance on this one. I'll bet they're none too happy, but don't want to abandon the brand recognition they have achieved.

 

Damn it, I started this post wanting to poke fun at the unfortunate name, but instead what has happened is that now I'm feeling sorry for the company and jonesing for a nice modern mountain bike. I haven't owned one in a long time and the bikes I just saw have me all worked up. Damn Ghosts! Get out of my mind!

 

Yer Pal,

R A N T W I C K
 

Encounters with Rantwick, episode Twenty Two: Taxi Driving Trash

The video says it all...

I can't recall ever having a problem with a taxi cab on the road. I also know a few people who drive (or drove) cab and they are all good people, so if you came here expecting me to say mean things about taxi drivers, you came to the wrong place. Of course my title made it seem like that might be the deal. What can I say? I enjoy misleading and disappointing people. Please come again! 

Yer Pal,

R A N T W I C K

TARATS Finale!

Apologies for the glitches and sometimes poor timings in this video. I have HAD IT with my video editor pgm. I spent hours getting everything perfect and it plays beautifully in the editor, but the final output ends up like this. GAH!

 

 

Anyway, thanks to all who entered my contest; I look forward to doing it again in the Fall.

 

 

 

 

 

Congrats Josh! I will email you for a mailing address soon. You too RCT.

 

Yer Pal,

R A N T W I C K

-18 C , -0.4 F: At Least It's Winter

Coldest day so far this winter for me here in London Ontario. The ride in was great, but I overheated a bit, having been a little too enthusiastic in dressing for the first real cold day of the year.

 

I am jealous of those experiencing colder temps, mostly because I would like to break my record of -23 C. That isn't very cold compared to what some Canadians and Alaskans and others do quite regularly, but hey, a personal record is a personal record, right?

 

Mutant Winter IV is performing really well. Needs a rinse though. The bike thaws out and drips dry indoors when I am at work, but I really should rinse that salt and dirt away. I am, as always, being lazy. I drenched the whole bike  (especially the components, bolt heads and spoke nipples) with Boeshield before the snow flew and it is showing no signs of suffering at my lazy hands so far. I'm sure there is a limit to what it can take, though.

 

This is one of those days when coworkers see me in my bike stuff and instantly proclaim "you are CRAZY". I like that very much. I think I'll just keep it up.

 

I am working on the TARATS video, but it is slow going. Thank you, entrants, for submitting your votes. The winner shall be revealed as soon as I can finish the thing. Stay tuned and enjoy the weather, wherever you are... all weather is fun, when you make a game of beating it.

Hey, I have discovered a pretty damned good page (and web site) on winter cycling for those who have an interest: Winter Cycling 101 . This was authored by a fellow Canuck who rides in Edmonton, Alberta. That is hard core compared to me, for sure, and this dude has a good overview written up.

 

 

Yer Pal,

R A N T W I C K

Pretty Morning and Crazy Dog

As many of you are already aware, I have a helmet cam and I take video of most of my commutes. Over time I have developed a system for dealing with lots of mostly boring footage.

 

When processing video files it is easier if they aren't too big, so I stop and start the camera as I ride to avoid massive files. The thing is, I often couldn't remember if there was anything good on the cam when I hooked it up to the computer, and was stuck either deleting files because I couldn't remember or wasting precious time watching the clips from beginning to end.

 

What I do now is this: If I've ridden for a while with nothing interesting happening, I will reach up and block the lens with my hand for a few seconds before stopping the cam. If I have seen something I want to keep, I don't block the lens and sometimes I say something to describe what is on the clip. That way when I'm at home I just skip to the end of the clip to see whether I should delete it (blocked lens) or review it.

 

Believe it or not, all of the preceding stuff is only there to explain my comments at the very end of this unedited clip from this very morning. It was the first "cold" day in a while (-10 C) and I left early enough to stretch out my ride. It was a really great commute about 45 minutes long. The clip I'm posting here will give you a taste of how nice it was...

 

 

 

  

When I compare this kind of thing to driving to work, well, um, there is no comparison at all. If you drive a car every day, you gotta try this if you can. Really. 

Have Great Weekends, All!
 Yer Pal,

R A N T W I C K

Waverley Mansion, Rantwick's Mother's Style?

I have been away without taking my leave. I know it has left all who read this blog depressed and curious whether I have died, or at least I like to think it has. I have every intention of resuming regular posts soon, but I have been busy with something very important: moving my Mother into a retirement place here in London.

A Thunder Bay resident for the last 55 years or so, this is a big deal for my Mom, and she's embracing it as best she can. I am pleased and proud and generally emotional right now, which is another reason not to write things here, since my few readers have become accustomed to my diamond hard, analytical mind of super scientific exactitude. I can say, without tearing up, that I am super happy that my Mom is now in the same city as my family and that of my sister's.

She is moving into a place that is about 4 blocks from my house and has recently gained some youtube notoriety, Waverley Mansion.


There's the Christmas Song:

And what started all the kooky fame, "Call Me Maybe":

Or their latest release, "Gangnam Style":

My Mom is in none of the preceding videos, being a new arrival, but has expressed an interest in being in the next one. I never ever ever ever would have predicted that. Which is awesome.

Rock On, Mom.

R A N T W I C K

The Return of the How's My Driving? Sign

I've been reading some old posts on this blog and I think I'm gonna try the "How's My Driving?" sign again for a while.

I have 3 main reasons:

1) I have never tried it in winter. The fact that I'm out in the snow and ice might spur more people to comment. We shall see.

2) My URL is way more simple... (rantwick.com) people may remember and use it more easily. Plus, there are way more smartphones out there than when I tried it the first time. I hope and pray it is the passenger responding, though!

3) That sign kept me really honest when it came to riding responsibly. Having it displayed makes me ride better / more safely.

IMPORTANT NOTE: As before, the sign may draw comment trolls and other honestly angry or rude people to this blog. Engage if you like, but follow my lead and kill them with kindness and utter civility. If you can't do that, do not comment. This is about a hopefully useful discussion between me and the motorists who see me, not name-calling or finger-pointing or any of the other nonsense that plagues comments about cycling all over the Internet. 

Yer Pal,

R A N T W I C K