patrick schneider

…going to try to ping weblogs.com.

Ever since the election, I’ve had this nagging feeling that I couldn’t quite put my finger on. This morning it came to me: I’ve been wanting to research Alaska’s policy on marijuana because during the election, I heard a blurb about doobie legalization in that state. It didn’t take long to track down the information; remembering that I wanted to track it down in the first place was the difficult part.

At any rate, “Alaska courts have ruled that the possession and use of up to four ounces of marijuana by adults 21 and older in the privacy of their home is legal. The statewide Alaska court of appeals reaffirmed this in August 2003.” Wow. The problem is that it’s illegal to sell. I guess they’ll have to grow their own? But how do you do that if you can’t possess more than 4 ounces? Perhaps Canada sells weed…? I guess I should research their drug laws too.

I’m amazed that this kind of news hasn’t received more billing in the mainstream media. It seems so radical in light of the “War on Drugs” that we hear so much about. I say legalize ‘em all. I’m not a particular fan of any drugs besides alcohol for personal use, but big-daddy-Fed needs to shove off and let people do with their bodies as they will.

Here’s a great article regarding the drug-related events of this past election: http://www.alternet.org/drugreporter/20526/. Pay close attention to the moolah involved here and how the Feds have squandered our tax dollars on ridiculous “so-called anti-drug advertising.” (Hint: they have a $200 million annual budget.) Enjoy, man. Like woah.

It’s nearing eggnog time again. I could put up a fairly decent argument that it’s already here. Holy crap. Delicious! If you have any good recipes, let me know; tradition dictates that at least one batch for the holiday is homemade

NOAA is the best place to get your weather information.

Veteran’s Day: Partly cloudy, with a high near 67. North northwest wind around 20 mph.

Tonight: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 47. North wind around 15 mph.

Usually the best weather predictions come by looking out of your own window, but NOAA seems to be second best. It’s good for when I need bicycle commuting information. I didn’t ride this morning because I’ve been getting back into the groove of working out. Couple that with normal judo practice and the ride to judo I did yesterday, and I’m beat down. Need time to adjust… the sleeping in this morning helped a lot…

Recap of the past few days:

• Friday: judo, sleep.
• Saturday: breakfast, Chris & Lizzy came in town midday, beer and burgers at Boulevard, Robin’s place for some random football, The Tavern for more football and beer, Kristen calls with an extra ticket to the Longhorns game, I go for the first half, leave at halftime and miss the greatest comeback in UT history, Trudy’s, sleep.
• Sunday: Trianon coffee, Honey Nut Cheerios for breakfast, Academy to buy golf balls, golf @ HRC w/Jeff and Jessica, Freebirds w/Jeff, Robin picked me up and we shopped for awhile… got some new socks. They’re gray.
• Monday: work, judo
• Today: work, lunch with Moser (!), home, workout, going to head to the local watering hole tonight… meeting Robin and Moser there.

PBS is a good channel. Watched Frontline tonight. Interesting things about “The Persuaders” (i.e. the new marketing and advertising gurus). You should check out acxiom and be very afraid. They have banks and banks of servers with information about you. I promise. Of course they will use it for good. Good like marketing to you effectively. Reduce the junk mail. Only get what you interested in.

::Dire Straits - Walk of Life::

If you are in need of inexpensive CD duplication (or inexpensive DVD duplication), my friend Jared has started a company just for you. From what I know, they are extremely fast, reliable, and quality-focused. Send me a note and I’ll hook you up with him. In the meantime, I’ll see if I can find direct contact information for them (website, etc.).

…today. I wound my way through downtown, through some residential areas, over on Lamar, up through some more residential areas, then up the Shoal Creek corridor. If you take a look at the Austin Bicycle Map, find Route 31, and you’ll have a good idea of my journey.

Today’s bicycle commuting stats:

• Miles: Approximately 14
• Time: 1 hr. 25 minutes
• Avg. Speed: need a computer
• Max Speed: need a computer

Hopefully I’ll be able to get better statistics when I invest in a computer. Anyway, I feel great and am ready to tackle the workday…

The ride from the office to campus was incredible. I took Shoal Creek Blvd. south; it covers nearly the entire route. On 38th & Lamar (a very busy intersection), I stopped and pulled out the Austin Bicycle Map because I was trying to stay on designated bike routes the whole time. It must have been pretty amusing to passersby. Or maybe not. Anyway, the commute took right at an hour with two stops. (The other stop was to fix the trunk which had fallen off.)

So about 3/4 of the way through judo, I hear my cell phone going nuts; one call after another. On the fourth set, I get annoyed, stop randori, and answer. Robin’s battery is dead. Glad I answered. Coached her through how to get back to my car and get me. Let the healing begin. I’m moderately impressed with the Jeep battery holder. Perhaps after years of working on the ‘85 Landcruiser, a taste of modern engineering…

So, no ride to work this morning. I did haul the Raleigh up in the back of the LC though; if the weather stays this gorgeous, I’ll definitely be riding home.

::Beck - Sea Change::

…testing out BloGTK 1.0 after changing my password.

…another test to see if I can edit previous posts.

Well, with the rising cost of gasoline and my very fuel inefficient FJ60, I’ve decided to commute via bicycle as much as I am able. The ride varies from 15 to 20 miles, depending on the route. The 15 mile commute is residential and extraordinarily hilly, while the 20 mile commute happens mainly on a highway shoulder with a gradual incline.

At this point, I’ve only done the complete journey once (to work, in the morning). I’ve been riding elsewhere (to the store, to Robin’s apartment, etc.), though, to help build confidence while cycling in traffic. Today I drove to work, but I plan on cycling to campus for judo, home afterward, then back up to work in the morning. I’ll leave the LC at the office (it’s covered!).

I’ll follow up tomorrow with news on how the bicycle commuting is going. Hopefully I can add a section of the site (perhaps under DIY) on how my commuting venture is going.

Oh, currently I’m riding an ‘02 or ‘03 Raleigh M20. My dad won it as some kind of prize at one of the birding conventions he attended. The bike is nice enough (for being free!), but it’s undersized and under-capable for my purposes… I’m currently researching better options and plan on purchasing something new within a few months. Hopefully I can leave notes on that as well.