Clik here to view.
Ask a Grammar Lover
Dear Grammar Lover,When is it okay to correct someone’s grammar? I feel this should be welcomed, but it seems like so often it’s not.Emily D, Madison, WIDear Emily,Alas, correcting someone’s grammar is...
View ArticleClik here to view.
More Q&A With a Grammar Lover
Dear Grammar Lover,A friend put it to me that “fuck” is the most elastic word in the English language, since it can be a noun, adjective, verb, etc. I’m guessing it’s not truly unique in this, but I...
View ArticleClik here to view.
I’ll Drink to COVID - the Pandemic Beck'sts
IntroductionI feel like we’re finally far enough along in our nationwide recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic that we can start reflecting on it instead of just reacting to it. Of course the virus is...
View ArticleClik here to view.
From the Archives - Bike Tour Journal Part II
IntroductionTwenty-eight years ago, my wife and I did a cross-country bike tour. As the journey unfolded, we kept friends and family apprised of our exploits via email. This digital correspondence...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Exercise & the Gumption Trap
IntroductionWhen it comes to exercise, I’m a disciplined person. Last quarter, I managed some kind of physical activity for 89 out of 90 days, and I rode my bike 51 times (that is, four times a week)....
View ArticleClik here to view.
Biased Blow-By-Blow - 2022 Tour de France Stage 14
IntroductionI like to give a blow-by-blow report of major bike races, but so far none of the weekend stages of this year’s Tour de France have been the exciting mountain stages I favor. Today’s isn’t a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Observations on the 2022 Tour de France
IntroductionThe 2022 Tour de France ended today, and what an exciting Tour it was … easily the best in years. And yet, I only got to do a blow-by-blow report of one stage, since all the exciting ones...
View ArticleClik here to view.
From the Archives - Bike Tour Journal Part III
IntroductionTwenty-eight years ago, my wife and I did a cross-country bike tour. We kept friends and family apprised of our exploits via email, which was a new technology then, and a very slow one over...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Three Toasters
IntroductionThis is a tale of three toasters. Any resemblance of any characters to real-life persons is, like, duh! Because everything below is true.The SunbeamThe Sunbeam was probably not the first...
View ArticleClik here to view.
10 Reasons Keurigs Are Annoying
IntroductionWhen I’m staying in a motel and they have a Keurig machine, my first reaction is positive—as in, oh good, it’s not going to be one of those terrible little no-name coffee packets that’s...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Ask an Empty Nester
Dear Empty Nester,I’m about to send my youngest off to college, and the way she’s talking, I doubt I’ll even see her over the summers. It seems she’s gone for good, which I guess is the whole idea. My...
View ArticleClik here to view.
From the Archives - Journal for my Younger Daughter
IntroductionAround the time Lindsay, my second daughter, was born, I started keeping a journal about her life. (I did the same for her older sister, and you can see an excerpt here.) My journal project...
View ArticleClik here to view.
What’s Wrong With Shimano?
IntroductionSome weeks ago, a cycling pal emailed around this articleconcerning the new Shimano 105 electronic (aka Di2) groupset. I suppose the new 105 release was just a hook, to make the article...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Wine Tasting - Castello di Amorosa
IntroductionOh, shit! I just realized I’ve got only 45 minutes to write up my freelance article for Wine Spectator magazine, about my visit to the Castello di Amorosa winery! I better get right to...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Biketronics II
IntroductionThis post is notabout e-bikes (i.e., battery-assisted bicycles). I have a lot to say on that topic, actually, but that’s for another day. This also isn’t about electronic shifting; I cover...
View ArticleClik here to view.
From the Archives - Book Review: Bill Bryson’s “Lost Continent”
IntroductionDid I really write a book review, for practically no audience, all the way back in 1994? Yes, I just now stumbled across it. This review was within a letter to my brother, who’d recommended...
View ArticleClik here to view.
What Hurts?
IntroductionThis post is about what hurts right now: physically, emotionally, existentially. I guess it’s also about what doesn’t hurt.Scrapes and scratchesI have some new scrapes and scratches from a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The albertnet Tier Lists
IntroductionMy older daughter suggested this post. She says tier lists are insanely popular. I can’t figure out what the attraction is, but I don’t exactly have my finger on the pulse of … well,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Ride Report - Steepest Mile in CA
IntroductionEvery few years I get together with my friend Peter for a few days of epic bike riding. We shoot for something brutal and long and, if the weather cooperates (which it didn’t in 2016), we...
View ArticleClik here to view.
From the Archives - Bike Team Grammar Lesson
IntroductionThis is a bit of a hybrid post: about half of it is from my archives, and the other half from memory. (Yes, memory is an archive of sorts, but writing down your recollections is more...
View Article