photos

Today I'm going to post pictures. I still haven't gotten pictures of my commute, but I hope to at some point. Every time I look through pictures to post, I find that my middle son is by far the most photogenic. So I've got three pictures of Sixpence, and one of the Mugwump and Jaguar.

The first photo is of the Mugwump coming down the slide at the playground outside our new apartment. Sixpence is also in the photo, but I'm not sure whether there was a collision at the bottom of the slide or whether the Mugwump was sitting on Sixpence's head the entire way down the slide. In either case, the Mugwump looks happy and Sixpence... Well, if he's sad you can't tell.

Then we have a picture of the little one. This is a picture of him at the park, but when we went to open a new bank account, he single handedly entertained about 8 female employees for a half hour or more. I can only imagine how much money he wasted as people who were supposed to be working were playing peek-a-boo, making faces or talking in baby talk to him.

Going with the park theme, this is Sixpence posing for a picture. From what I've seen (in the dead of winter) this should not be called 'The Bluegrass State', but rather 'The Browngrass State'.

I think this is a wonderful picture of Sixpence. He was extremely tired, but check out that hair! We really like his hair longer instead of short, but we don't know how to cut it without buzzing it. So we let it grow. At some point he'll start looking like a girl and we'll have to do something, but for now I think this kid has the coolest hair ever.
I really hope to get pictures of my commute. I honestly can't think of a prettier ride and I'm excited to brag a little about the ride that I get to take on a regular basis (except tomorrow, it's currently raining/snowing and tomorrow's high is supposed to be 27).

If this works, I'm also going to put in a video of each kid here at the bottom. Excuse the pornographic images.

I'm "one of them"

We've moved. I love my new job, I love the Lexington area, and I love the people. So far this has been a wonderful move for me and my family. I anticipate that it will remain a good move, but I have not been in the least bit disappointed.

OK, I've been a little disappointed, but it all revolves around my cycling. I have a great commute through some of the most spectacular scenery you could imagine, but I have only done it once in the last two weeks. I've had pretty good excuses most of the time. I drove on my first day because it was the first day and my family proceeded to tour the city while I was at work. I drove on the second day because my dad had a flight and he refused to ride with his luggage on my handlebars.

Wednesday and Thursday of last week was cold and snowy. I don't mind riding in the cold and snow, but not on unfamiliar roads. This week has either been really cold or I started early. If I'm supposed to be at work at 6 and it takes an hour and a half to ride it and I like to give myself a little extra time in case I get a flat or something. Suddenly I was going to have to wake up while the first number on the clock was a 3. I'm a morning person, but that's too early.

I've also struggled with logistics. There are no lockers at work that can be used overnight. That means that I have to pack everything in and out of work in my bag which is doable, but inconvenient. I don't like walking through buildings in my cycling shoes because I'm afraid they're going to eat up the flooring (or I'm going to fall on my butt and look like an idiot).

Today I decided it was too cold because I have been unable to find my cycling glasses with the clear lenses. With the temperature in the single digits, it's a recipe for frostbite, so that's a bad idea.

I've become a car commuter, "one of them". I'm unworthy of this blog and the title that it carries. I'm trying to change my ways, but I've become a car commuter with an excuse for every situation. I'm ashamed.

To make matters worse, as we look at houses I have been considering a permanent motorized commute. My wife and I have both dreamed of a house with a little land where we could have chickens, maybe a goat and a large garden that would provide much of our family's food. We can afford the house and land in the area, but it would be 20-25 miles from my work. If I'm going to have a garden, chickens, a goat and still see my family, I can't commute 3-4 hours a day by bike.

20-25 miles on a motorcycle or in an economy car could allow us to have our little piece of land that we've wanted. Then there's the thing with sprawl. I've taken urban planning and I understand principles of development and land management. Moving a little out of town for lower house prices and more room has been the downfall of MANY big cities in the US. I'm looking to be "one of them", part of the problem that I recognize and that is so preventable.

There are some smaller communities around here where we may be able to find a house on a little land that is within walking distance to what we need, within riding distance to work and still within our price range. My fear is that it will take four years to find that house and prices will have gone back up and interest rates will be approaching 10% so that we can't afford anything (I don't really think that housing prices or interest rates will go up that fast, but anything is possible in this economic climate).

I'm torn between what I really believe to be the way the world should be and what I want. Someone once asked me how I don't want things. I think that will be my next post. Either that or I'll find some pictures to post. I've been intending to do that for some time now.

The environmental movement

I was walking through Krogers today (for you Westerners, that's a grocery store) and I saw a lady with a shopping cart containing about a dozen reusable grocery bags. I was excited and nearly invited her to be my friend on the spot, but figured that would be weird since we hadn't ever spoken.

Anyway, we ended up being on a similar route through the store, so we crossed paths many times. While I was excited by her evident understanding for the need to reduce the number of plastic bags entering landfills, I was disappointed by what she was putting in her cart.

While she probably didn't use a single plastic bag, I watched her put a box of Capri Sun in her cart. That was a plastic wrap surrounding a cardboard container that housed a half dozen disposable drink containers (along with the disposable straw that I can never get through that hole). Somewhere, I think she missed the point of the reusable bags in her cart.

The point is to minimize waste. Waste doesn't only come from plastic grocery bags.

I don't want this to come off the wrong way. I'm sure that she was a wonderful woman who had great intentions and may have even had a special occassion that necessitated Capri Sun. I know that we didn't take our reusable bags because we are out of garbage bags, so we reuse grocery bags for the purpose. Am I a hipocrite? Sure, but the point that I'm trying to make is that we can take far more action than the popular actions.

I hope to start posting a little more soon, but I've got a struggle. You see, I am struggling to ride to work regularly. First off, it's a long ways and the beginning of the year in a fitness field is a busy time. It's especially busy when you're new to the position, so I haven't quite settled into normal hours yet.

The problem is that I have a blog that goes by the title, "Sans Auto" meaning without car. I have always had a car, but I could say that I was without a car because my wife used it 90% of the time while I found other ways. Now, with the weather being cold and snowy and the route being long, unfamiliar and dark, I drive far more than I would like to. As we look for a house to buy, a reasonable bike commute is important. I think my next post will be about what we're looking for in our next house.

Small town

We have safely arrived in Kentucky. I love my new job and all is well. The thing I'm most excited to post is a picture from my commute, it is spectacular. I haven't taken a camera along for the ride, so instead I'm going to post about a town in Wyoming.

We opted to take I-80 out of SLC because I-70 was getting hammered with a snow storm. It turned out to be an excellent decision. The weather was really pretty good as soon as we got out of Utah.

Of course everyone knows that weather is sort of a weird word to use for what happens in Wyoming. Sure, it snows and rains in Wyoming, but that is really seldom. I'd say that 90% of Wyoming's weather is wind. Is wind weather? Yes, but it's different.

We got out of the snow of Utah and got into the wind of Wyoming. Wind shouldn't influence driving conditions, but in Wyoming it does. As everyone knows, it only snows once year in Wyoming, the rest of the year it just blows the snow from one side of the state to the other.

So we were driving along and it was approaching white-out conditions due to the wind in Wyoming. I was driving the monstrosity truck and my wife was following in the minivan with the boys. I couldn't see much, so I decided to stop at the next exit. (My wife could see fine, she was just following an enormous yellow truck).

We pulled into a gas station in Elk Mountain Wyoming. We asked when the wind would die down so it would be easier to see. They said April. We hung out for about a half hour and ate lunch while we wandered around a really small dingy gas station.

There are about 150 people in Elk Mountain and 800 or so in another small town that wasn't too far away. Evidently there was a mine nearby and then the stores that supported the small mining town. Oh and the guys who plowed the roads, they also lived in these towns.

While there, I was able to overhear some conversation of the towns folk. The guy who plows the local roads came in and was talking about the job he had just applied for (you know, the only job opening in town). He had heard that 25 other people had applied for the job. He proceeded to name them and consider their qualifications one at a time. Some of the applicants evidently lived too far away and would have to move if they were given the job. The conversation then turned to where the new employee would live, if hired since there was just one place in the area that was available for rent, and that was up for argument.

As these guys talked I wondered about the small town life. It sure seems like you wouldn't have any privacy. Everyone seems to know everything about the rest of the town. I thought more about it and all these people are still here. Sure, it's economically difficult to move, but if it's that bad, there is a way to get out. And people don't seem to leave those small towns.

I think that it could be nice to live in a really small town. It could be a tight knit community where everyone is your friend. I think people like it. Knowing everyone around you could really offer some comfort. We're not moving to a small town anytime soon, but I think it has the potential of being a good thing.

The future's so bright...

I'm still home. I'm in Denver. I have never lived in Denver, but I'm familiar with the area so I still feel like I'm home. I have lived in Washington, Oregon, Utah and Colorado. Since I've traveled from state to state, I have also spent a bunch of time in Wyoming and Idaho.

As we were leaving Utah yesterday someone asked if I had a map with me. No, I'm going to Denver. It's just like being home, I don't need a map. I could have used better weather, but a map wouldn't have fixed that. The roads were awful in Salt Lake City and then cleared up over the first pass. Then the roads were fine except for some icy spots and blowing snow in Wyoming. It was a little like 'home' was trying to hold us in.

We're spending a couple of days with my dad in Denver before we leave. When we leave, we'll be heading East. I've never really been East. The future lies in the East. I am excited to explore a new area. As I've been looking at the weather for our drive, it looks like it's going to be warm and sunny the entire way. I hope that's a good representation of the future.

Family traditions

I made brief mention in my last post of family traditions that I like during the Christmas season. My favorite is our stockings. I would take a picture and show you (and I still may at some point), but the wire to connect the camera to the computer has been packed and is currently in no-man's land.

The tradition is simple. Each member of the family has an inexpensive stocking. Each year we sew something on the stocking that we feel represents the year. My wife and I started this tradition the first Christmas we were married and it's fun to see the space on the stocking changing from plain red to a variety of symbols that represent our lives.

My stocking has several symbols of college (because that has been a big part of my life for several years). I think my favorite symbol is the slug that I put on in 2005. The slug was the symbol from my first real attempt at gardening. I was living on the Oregon coast and we had a SERIOUS slug problem. I would go out every morning with a spray bottle full of ammonia and shoot the slugs. I counted on an typical morning and I shot well over 100 slugs with ammonia (ammonia kills slugs like salt, but it is better for the garden than salt). I also tried containers of beer to drown the slugs (it works, but yeast and water work just as well). Enough about slugs. To make the symbol, I cut a slug out of a piece of fabric (not an easy task). Most of the time we just find a picture on an old t-shirt or something so it takes minimal artistic ability, but in 2005 I cut the slug from an old shirt that my grandfather had given me because that was the year that he passed away. No, I do not associate my grandfather with slugs, but I truly enjoy the memories of my Christmas stocking.

This year I put a bike gear on my stocking. It was a simple iron-on decal that I ironed onto a toilet cloth (as a symbol of the importance of the environment in my life and my efforts to take action).

My wife sewed on a walking stick because she had some back problems and got around with this old nasty walking stick for some time this year. We called the stick a 'Nancy stick' in fond memory of a neighbor in our last house.

The mugwump (5 year old son) sewed on a plus sign because he started school and he enjoys math. Actually I think he enjoys reading and history more, but we already have a book on there from last year.

Six-Pence (3 year old) decided to have a puzzle piece sewn onto his stocking because he loves to do puzzles. I don't know that puzzles are the most monumental thing in this 3-year old's life, but that is what he wanted to put on there, so we did.

Jaguar (the 10 month old) obviously didn't have much say in what went on his stocking, but we decided to put a musical note because when music starts, he really likes to dance. Of my three sons, the youngest has by far the best rhythm.

So what are your favorite holiday traditions?

Pagan Holidays

I don't usually write about religion on my blog, but today happens to be my favorite holiday (If I've said that before it is because I have several favorites). Today is the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year. One of the reasons that I like today as a holiday is that Halmark hasn't figured it out yet (and I would really prefer to keep it that way).

Today is my favorite holiday due to the symbolism. I'm going to be honest, I know very little about paganism and I don't know completely my church's thoughts on my celebration of this pagan holiday. I'm OK with that because the symbolism surrounding today brings me closer to things that are extremely important to me.

When we talk about the Christmas story we say that it's the day of Christ's birth and then we talk about the shepherds in the fields. Ummm... if the flocks were in the field during Christ's birth then it wasn't the dead of winter, it was likely spring. So why do we celebrate Christmas in the dead of winter? I think it is because most Pagan groups celebrate today, the shortest day of the year. After today the days will get longer and longer (until June 21). The Christians of old didn't know the day Christ was born, but the Pagans in the neigborhood had a 'dead of winter' celebration and they wanted something at the same time. (You will find that in the Bible in the book of Sans)

So I like my Pagan 'dead of winter' celebration.

The reason that I really like this day is because it is the returning of light. Think of light for just a moment. Put yourself in the shoes of an ancient civilization that doesn't live in an equitorial region. What does light mean to you? What does light bring to the world?

Light brings heat. Light also allows photosynthetic plants to do their thing and grow. Plants are sort of important in the world that we live in. We rely heavily on plants for food, and even if you have succumbed to the ills known as the Atkin's Diet you rely on plants to feed the flesh that you eat. So we all rely on light for food.

Oh and something about photosynthesis and the use of carbon dioxide and production of oxygen. Without plants, that wouldn't happen and we wouldn't be able to breath. So without light we would have no food to eat or oxygen to breath. That makes light important for our existance. So I think it's important to celebrate light and what it brings to the world.

More importantly, on this date, this Pagan season for celebrating light, the Christian world has chosen to celebrate the birth of Christ. Christ is the light and life of this world. While I think the early Christians missed the mark by four days, that's OK, today is the real day of Christmas. Today is the day to celebrate not only the return of sunlight, but also the the light and life of the world, Jesus Christ. Like the sunlight that is returning brings all life to the earth, Christ, through his life and death brought life to all who live on the earth.

So today is my Halmark free celebration of light. A day for meditation and reflection of the lights in my life. Obviously I've spoken of nature and Jesus, but also those things that make my life enjoyable like my wife and kids, the oportunities to learn and experience life, and my family and friends that I love and appreciate.

I'm not a big fan of Christmas because I feel that consumerism is working hard to destroy it (although I very much enjoy the traditions my family have), so I want to wish you all (or should I say both of you?) a very merry Pagan celebration of light. Take time to reflect on what light does in your life as well as the sources of light.