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Today Oil prices jumped over $10 a barrel, although I really don’t know how big that is but according to the New York Times it is the BIGGEST JUMP EVER. Just Frakking Great.

How did I know something was up, I noticed the stock market was taking a nose dive. So now everyone’s savings, 401K, [Read more →]

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Don’t answer too fast… and read the links below.

It isn’t often that I get behind the wheel to drive on the roads, but every time I do I ask myself the same question…. “is it time for a new car”.

I don’t really have much in the way of driving. I cruise around Denver by foot, cruiser bike, by my ages old mountain bike, by bus, by light rail, by cab, and by scooter. I rarely drive my automobile (make that, my giant SUV). What drives me to get behind the wheel (get it) is usually a trip to the mountains which may or not have some bad snow conditions or carrying alot of stuff. [Read more →]

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The first time I took my new Electra Cruiser Bike on a ride I dang near wiped out. I was coming up to my first intersection and started grasping for the hand brakes.

There are no hand brakes on a cruise bike. It is far simpler than that. You pedal forward, you move forward. You pedal backwards, you stop. But it is taking my brain a little time to let go of all the years of using hand brakes on scooters, bikes, mountain bikes and pretty much anything on two wheels.

But other than that.. I love my new Cruiser bike. And here is the scoop on where to find them. [Read more →]

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For the past few months the newest green movement has been to stop buying the individual water bottles that are sold by the millions over the counter and ending up in trash cans everywhere. The solution is to reuse higher quality bottles like Nalgene or to just drink out of the tap (Which most water is anyway).

This is old news. But people still don’t listen so it is worth repeating. Go by a Nalgene for Pete’s sake. Buy two or three and keep rotating them in the dishwasher so you never have an excuse. I’ll even think of a fun logo for this site and make my own if it helps…. hmmmmm not a bad idea. But anyway, the point is about the Air Grocery Bag.
The New News (redundant) that I wanted to focus on is about a great environmentally friendly solution to grocery bags. If you thought that water bottles were an issue just think of how many plastic grocery bags walk out of Whole Foods and every other grocery store every day. The answer is FAR TOO MANY.

This past weekend I bought a solution for me. A company called Granite Gear is selling a product called an Air Grocery Bag. Awesome and compact this is a wonderful solution that you can use over, and over, and over, and over. And it fits in my scooter or glove box with almost no space taken up. Cool.
So go buy one. Now. Stop using throw away bags.

Actually, every little bit helps so I just like to share with everyone all the ideas out there. Do what you can, maybe even a bit more. You don’t have to be perfect (I certainly am not) but every little bit does make a difference.

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Since I have my scooter now and am searching for excuses to use it (ie “sure I’ll go pick up lunch” or “lets get carry out, I’ll fly”) I thought it might be a fun time to try and find the best breakfast pastries, breads, etc. in Denver. So every morning before work I jump on my scooter and cruise out to search out something I can bring back and share with the office.

Not exactly Magellan setting out for the new world, but a good enough of an excuse to cruise around as any. Plus I get to share my finds with others so maybe there is some good karma there as well.

The ground rules are easy. I don’t want to get in my car so the distance shouldn’t be too great (not that I wouldn’t scoot far, I just don’t have that much time before work) and any pastry could work. Bagels, croissants, donuts, etc. Just as long as it counts as breakfast fare.

Day one I scooted up through the Highlands. I remembered seeing a number of bakeries around the 32nd street area. Sure enough, just past Duo I saw a familiar sign for a bakery. It was Rosales Mexican Bakery located at 2636 W. 32nd Ave. I parked my scooter and shot inside.

First of all, the bakery looks like a wonderful spot for great authentic cookies, sugary breads, and other sweet delights. For breakfast fare the options were equally as sweet. Already prepared were a number of sugared donuts, Pan Dulce, and other tempting items.

I asked about other donuts they might have and they said they were about to slather up a number of fresh donuts with some Mexican chocolate sauce. That works for me.

Minutes later I am headed out the door with a dozen donuts under my arm. 6 sugar coated and 6 smothered in chocolate. Not exactly a health breakfast but a little indulgence now and then is good for the soul.

I brought the first day’s bounty back and they got quickly snatched up. The most popular… the chocolate. The donuts themselves had an even richer, more sugary texture than most donuts. Perhaps a characteristic of the Mexican Bakery technique.

And there you have day one of the pastry quest.

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Is too much of our life about the money?

The New York Times this past Sunday had an article about how the millionaires out in silicon valley just don’t feel rich anymore. Apparently, once you make $2 million, or $5 million, or even $10 million you still feel the need to work 60, 70, 80 hour weeks to make sure that you can keep up.

For some folks the money goes into bigger, and bigger, and bigger houses. Or faster cars, expensive gems, boats, trips, etc.

Basically, you will always spend what you make and need to make more.

That is so sad. And yet I seem to be spending what I make. I make more than I did when I was just out of college, but I don’t seem to have a great deal of extra. Isn’t it amazing that people just keep finding new things they “need” that they would never dream of years ago under a different tax bracket.

I have to wonder why it is that we just keep buying more and more instead of saving more and more. Are material items really that much more important than our free time, our ability to travel perhaps for a year and see the world? Do we really need the 10,000 sf house and the six figure car if our budgets grow. Is it keeping up with the jones.

Don’t get me wrong, I have my toys that I buy with extra money. But I don’t mind having a new scooter when my car has been paid off for a year. I really don’t feel the need to have the newest and greatest automobile. I do, however, want the coolest blue tooth ear bud for my iphone.

But given the opportunity to have a couple million in income I don’t believe any amount of peer pressure would make me choose to burn through it as quick as I could. I would like to think I would buy more time. More free time, more flexibility, and more freedom.

Check out the article and let me know what you think. Do you believe you will always be spending what you earn, regardless of how high that income goes? If you say you wouldn’t, let me ask you this…. are you currently making more than you made 5 or 10 years ago and are you spending it all? If so, what makes you think it would change?

Perhaps it was meant to be a sob story, but it is a bit more of a reality check. Here is my advice for you future millionaires who might get trapped into working 80 hours a week. Stop buying stuff.

Duh, and yet not the easiest thing to do. What does that say about our culture.

Here is that NYT article [Read more →]

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Nope, this isn’t a continuation of the scooter story saying I only go 10 mph. This is about a movie being done by some Denverites called 10 mph that will be playing here starting August 9th and going through the 12th.

The story is based upon a documentary by a couple guys who, basically, decided not to give up on their artistic ambitions for a regular paycheck. So they did what so many aspire to do and quit their jobs to go hit the road. Their method of hitting the road, however, may not be what many of you aspire to.

These two adventurous spirits set out to conquer the world, from coast to coast, on a segway. You heard me right (or read me right) that these two friends, Josh Caldwell and Hunter Weeks, carried on this quest at a mere 10 mph. They had a crew following them the entire way, sought out sponsors, and had both good and bad run ins with local law enforcement. From Seattle to Boston, their 200+ hour trip was documented and the best 90 minutes or so is making to a screen for your entertainment.
They claim that the movie will make you want to quit your jobs so maybe you should see the movie on a Friday night to give yourself time to reflect. Or not, its really up to you. Either way, it looks like a great story.

One point they make is that we just need to SLOW DOWN. Since we now cruise across the country at 70 mph in our steel boxes we have lost touch not only to the feel of our surroundings but even to the enjoyment of the details. I agree. Even just going from my car to my scooter or bicycle I suddenly notice more about everything. I see the neighborhood better, the little restaurants, shops, people. Everything. I also notice the person on the cell phone who almost runs me over but that is a different detail. It’s a good point that is based upon the premise that with the very first travelers across America their average speed was 10 mph and it was a better speed for living and, at that speed, for smelling the roses.

Hunter Weeks and Josh Caldwell met in college while studying abroad in Indonesia. This exotic adventure served as a precursor to the exploratory path the two friends would lead as business partners and eventually co-producers of 10 MPH, a feature-length independent documentary and their debut as filmmakers.

They began their entrepreneurial journey in Tucson, Arizona with the launch of a non-profit organization aspiring to explore the world through a web-based interactive experience rich with multi-media content including audio interviews, video, photography and writing. Throughout the next few years, they realized several periods of growth and transition until the time came for them to leave their nine-to-five web marketing jobs to pursue careers in film and multimedia.

They moved to Denver, Colorado to launch their production company, Spinning Blue, and soon after began production on a documentary following a whirlwind coast-to-coast 10 mph road trip that would solidify their passion for that thing they knew they were meant to do: filmmaking.

Their previous professional endeavors armed Hunter and Josh with the business knowledge, strategic sense and logic they needed to successfully undertake a feature-length production. Their sense of adventure, curiosity and passion for telling stories gave them the courage they needed to dive in head-first.

With virtually no connections in the film industry, no formal training and no financial backing from investors, Hunter and Josh whole-heartedly embraced the independent nature of this first production. Taking a grassroots approach to building a web of supporters throughout communities across the country, Hunter and Josh were able to create a qualified film while defying conventional means to filmmaking.

They used one Sony PD-150 with a 16:9 lens as well as some additional microphones during production, logging 180 hours of footage after an intense 100-day period of principal photography. They rallied a small post-production team, soliciting help from the Denver film community for special effects, sound engineering, and other postproduction needs. They edited the film using Final Cut Pro.

Interested in tickets, check out the film site at the Denver Film Society.

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This past weekend and today I took a small step forward in reducing my carbon footprint. As of this morning I am an officially licensed motorcycle licensed scooter driver.

How does this reduce my carbon footprint? Well so far whenever I had to get somewhere quick or without the time or the convenience of jumping on my bike I would pull out my keys and jump into that gigantic SUV I bought back in 2000 to travel across town. I keep the beast because (1) it is paid for and (2) I have a 125 lb pup along with tons of gear that I need to carry between Denver and Vail whenever I get a chance to enjoy the mountains. [Read more →]

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Today I am picking up my scooter. Lets face it, if I have to go somewhere not on foot or bike at least I can use as little fuel as possible. And the zippy things can be fun. I won’t tell you what I picked out, but I will tell you [Read more →]

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