Y'er Birthday Rant OH12

I Thought I'd do a little picture ranting , along with the usual complaining about getting another year older.  I also thought I'd throw some fall foliage here. Not a whole lot of color this year, least not around here.
 Still have to be thankful we have had several good rains including a three day version of post hurricane Irene. 

     

  Just like this we have a floodwall in the city and aparently some pretty decent artist's who paint it and paint it and paint it.
 



    on to Y'er birthday rant , or mine really, normally it's just another day in the life, lately the happy day is the one before the birthday, and the one after.
  The one before because it's celebrating the last day you will be that old.  the one after because well its over.
     Even though I still have a few days  before left , I got my birthday present early this year.   And I must say it so far has been undeniably the second best birthday present ever. The kayak was my present to myself , picked out by myself, even paid for in cash by myself.
         I like you hate to get hooked up in possessions but I already really like this thing, even knowing it's totally non-essential, it could be handy to have. I always try to justify almost everything I buy. Usually money is tight so I don't really have the choice I then try to live by the old folks way, "If you can't afford to buy it, then do without it.
     When this comes down to essentials, and with me it does , almost always with my living bills , I divide my money towards which is the closest to being a real problem. Worrying the gas or electric man, or worse the landlord will be knocking at the front door   is a pretty usual way of life for me.  I almost habitually pick up my phone to see if it's still turned on, I still get freaked out on the few days of the year they actually shut the power off, thats when it becomes a real problem.
         When it really hurts most is when I could of paid them like a week or so before , because I lose big , with all kinds of penalties and recconect fees. For you newbies out there , paying the bills on time is okay specially if You have it to spare .
    After you do it awhile you kind of realize the futility of paying on time. To me it came the day I had wrote a few checks to pay some bills and was on my way to mail them thinking alright paid all my bills before they were due I'm a free man. Then I looked at my mailbox and there was another pile of bills already waiting for me.
      They never stop , so I kind of took to paying as I felt it. There's some rules of course , getting to know just how long each bill will wait , and even how much will it really take?    It's hardcore but my state has laws about when the power guys can not shut you off. Mostly they have rules on the temperatures , can't shut you off when it's too cold or too hot.
    Always check for yourself but here this means global warming aside there are only a few months a year the gas or electric company can shut you off. If you pay them some like the month before your pretty much safe. During the warm periods send them small payments and in the winter spend the money on more important stuff, like the landlord.
     Now if you are getting ready to move  then yes pay them off or down as far as you can, so they will give you power in your next place. now if you own? get your own power .   Grow your own .
            That's some pretty bad advice and I hope you never have to take it.Not the growing your own of course , it's the only thing that makes sense.

         
     Looks like a good spot to remanence on the latest happenings both pro and con for an Oh12 event.      Somehow the timing isn't quite right.  While it could be an event of kablowie or a sudden big thing. Or as the The south American locals are saying  , time to get a life, and a new calender.
   Sure we have fireball meteors, one of the big signs that would coincide with a planet X Nibiru situation. I would think there would be much more evidence by now.
  It;s quite possible we are missing most of it, I have heard two or three reports of strange occurrences on our neighboring rocks.  Mostly a large meteor or comet strike on I think Jupiter that astrologers didn't see coming until it hit. Then a large storm on both Mars and Saturn.
     If there is proof that what is happening on earth is not Just man-made climet change/warming it would lie in the other planet's.   Even there we still would have to prove that it is also not the sun in maximus.
     So I still will not give up hope on planet X my little dark horse of the apocalypse.

I throw this one on for me.  I actually just bought a new 30 year old bike.    this is more for a record , because I plan on replacing almost everything.     We'll see but all I wanted was a frame, I think I will keep the rims too.   Shocking it's a Schwinn road bike 12 speed with the original shifters handle bars maybe brakes gears .   I guess I'll start at the top and replace the seat first.   I  was dreaming I'd start with a frame and paint it I kind of like the paint job, might just leave the paint on.
        I might have to put it on a different page , but I used to blog my bike rides , big shock I took a lot of video.   That was for the show back when, Still I liked writing about riding and think I'll diarize turning this bike into the one that get's me over the hundred mile ride hurdle.  A semi life goal for me is to do a 100 mile ride then a 200 kilometer.
      It wont kill me either way if it doesnt happen , or I'll be having bigger worries than being lazy.  It will be piece at a time , but I' have till spring ,  Considering of course. And right now I feel it's worth considering there will be.
     I want to concentrate on three things mostly, as my next years goals. The bike and the ride is always a goal , for the record I have done 92.6 miles on road , and 82 I think on the Katy trail a pea gravel trail .  Of all I wrote and lost over the years the post I did on this ride was My favorite. In fact my hundred miler would probably just stretch the original ride out another 8 miles.
        An aside when I did the ride I knew I was close to a hundred, and I still had gas in the tank, could of easily finished it then. Could of should of , still we are talking an incredible ride in some really nice places.Including crossing the Mississippi twice and a ferry ride . plus crossing a drawbridge over the Illinois. Through towns so small you could miss them even on a bike.   very nice places and some of the reason I so like living where I am.   This was one of the great days of my life Sadly maybe but I could see heaven as the same kind of day.

    I see the bike ride as a physical challenge while it will take some will power most of the hard work is done by the body. Before I spent the summer doing longer rides that was to build to getting up to a hundred.
   This was my fourth ride over 60 miles , which was a huge leap from the usual thirty milers I thought were tough.
     To me a big part of it was time on my bike I could average from 9 to 13 miles on average depending on terrain.
      so I spent nine hours on a bike. That's not bad but if I had a faster bike I could one cut the time on seat down so If I can get this bike into the upper teen's miles wise it could cut my time in half. Not to mention if I get that far I should be able to take on the big boys maybe enter a ride or race.
  That would be fun the skinny little geiser on the bike older than most of the riders at least making them sweat. maybe even for a second or two showing some rear tire as were going downhill. We will see, anyway the bike didn't break me or won't no matter how much I spend on it considering what A real road bike cost's.

      It takes discipline  and a lot of time to do most worthy life goals.     While this goal fits that there is my next Want to Do for my next year of life.   This one involves one day and will last an hour or less.    Remember the Kayak?   Well I have always wanted to kayak the Chain of Rocks. It's been done for sure but its scary when you get up close.   Around here if you'r not from around here you can appreciate who ever slaps the names on the places. The Chain of Rocks is a row of rocks, big rocks that the corp of engineer placed all the way across the Mississippi river.

     The Chain of Rocks bridge from above was the northern border for the city of Saint Louis, Mo.
      The rocks are there to raise the water level enough to operate the canal that goes around the river at this point.    The canal is there because this part of the river is was unnavigable due to a massive crack that runs across the river at this point. When it cracked it fell at an angle where the eastern side is about six to eight feet lower than the Missouri side.
    In the olden days the barges would of been mule train pulled up and through this area followed by coal powered trains and crains.  This was one of the worst stretches of riverboat travel , with no telling how many sunk boats are still out there not to mention the ghost's in the river.  Still though this place has a magic , it's own power that makes it unique in  the world. I'm sure the folks in Niagara know what I mean.

   There's an old gieser saying " You can never look at the same river twice" At this spot you can really feel the truth of that statement. 
   One day I might tell the story of this place including some of my stories that go from the top of that bridge to the little buildings in the middle of the river, what are called the pump house's. And yes you guessed it they at least used to pump water to the cities water plant which is the other side of the river. There are tunnels from the water plant that goes to the pump houses. Seen it but didn't go that deep.  Another missed opportunity , or another trip at least. I was pretty pleased just to get onto and then into the place . We once tried lowering ourselves down the bridge column to float out on a raft then climb into it. I say that ended in the success that nobody died. While you couldn't do it now when the river is high enough you can get a boat up it which is what we did years later.
        another story would be the top of the bridge I think that was one of the biggest test's of my invincibility that I can tell you that me and a friend sat on that highest point . The bridge is now a bike walk trail connecting the bike trails in St. L with the miles of trails in Illinois.   when I get some better shot's I'll give some history on the bridge , very cool stuff if you like useless knowledge.
    I was there last weekend so there is some fresh footage , it's scary low as for doing the rocks , however just in case the world as we know it does end I want to get this one in.  Hopefully they'ed get some rain up north or the lock and dam above it will let some water through, the higher it is the better. 
       From here I can see myself paddling out from the barrels on the right upstream singing the Pink Floyd song Fearless psyching myself up    I think a good reason I will make it is prechoosing the spot I'm going to take through the rocks.
  I feel that you should always challenge yourself to bigger and better, and never let fear get the final decision. If it's not the right day and time I won't do it. Not because I'm chicken ****. If and when I do this the plan would include someone filming so you'll know if I do.
        Then one more thing this is the mental challenge.   Stupid as it sounds I want to at least write a movie. At least write the screen play along with a storyboard this winter. I would like to even get some footage down of What I'm for now calling Son of CHUD.
  I've already started collecting the story putting it together in my mind to get down on type.  I'll  probably do that in my own Words and then post it on here occasionally. I think the story is within reach of being doable. One of the cheapest movies to make is a zombie film so I decided to start from there.
  If you read on this blog you'll notice I have written abit on the CHDU  cannabalistic humanoid underground dwellers, which is basically zombies. Its from an 80's movie , an actually pretty good movie.   Night of the living dead with a sense of humor.
    I'd like to do something similar only adding what I think are some good twists and almost inadvertant social messages.  since the story line is that the chud feed off the homeless it would be easy to highlight the real fear these people face, not just from being eaten , the real facts that they have no one to protect them.  I would love to give the whole story now but this post is long enough, specially for another birthday. To be Honest another good goal is to get to do another one of these.
      Will keep posting these as I get the pictures ,
                                          and will update the progress on the year goals. Peace B.