bicyclemark

Can’t Afford the Pod

OK… I hope you’re sittin down and buckled in. Not only is there an audioblog, being that today is sunday, but I have upped the “anti” by making my

first REAL podcast (mp3)

using my new MP3 recorder and Audacity (audio software). It’s 6 minutes long, recorded in 56kbps 22,050 mhz (as recommended by someone at Whole Wheat Radio)I had lots of fun doing it, and even mixed in music tracks. (Taxi Europe by Stephan Eicher and then Rio by Vinicious Cantuaria and David Bryne)

While I wish I could do this every sunday, due to my modest site host plan, I would run out of space sometime in June, and I can’t afford that. But I was psyched to do this and there’s so much info on ipodder.org, it was great. I should also mention that I was bigtime inspired by this podcast from Tokyo Calling, thanks for the help Scott! So here’s the first one, and most likely, one of the few I’ll ever do this way.

(just a bit more nerd talk — for those of you who use Blogger.com’s audio blog phonenumber, that’s a great option cause the files are hosted on their server, not YOURS. Only shit is… you gotta be on the phone.. and Im friggin Holland!)

Family Ties

So it’s sunday… and that’s podcasting day on the communiqu?, as you well know. But before I get to that, I just got one of the coolest emails related to this here blog.

You’ve heard of people blogging just to get it all out. Or the one’s who do it to be part of a community. Lots of us make friends through blogging, kickass friends. It certainly helps to keep old friends in touch as well. Then you’ve got those who actually get sweet lovin’ thanks to their blog, even meet their life partner. Hell some even raise money to buy ipods! But what I had never thought about, nor read about, was that a blog might help LONG LOST FAMILY FIND FAMILY.

A member of the bicyclemark family (who’s likely to be reading this right now – hello) happened to be browsing google to see what the latest results were for his family name. Though he was born in Jersey and was also Portuguese from the same town, he knew there were a few families with the same last name that may not be related. But he noticed the communiqu? and so he emailed me to find out — are we related?

Through the wonders of email, we swapped stories and family details. Turns out… he had somehow seen a Season’s Greetings photo featuring a baby that resembled the photos of A-Ren in my blog. He began to spit out fuzzy details about a cousin with my father’s first name, only those details were a mix of things about my uncle and my father. Indeed my uncle did work for the Portuguese Airline and yes, we had a Portuguese radio show on the AM dial til I was 12 years old. So now it’s become clear — he is most definitely my cousin. HOW COOL! Blogs reunite families! We’ll now swap photos and I’ll send my maezinha and paizinho the cool news. Together we’ll fill in the blanks about my family’s genealogy. Can’t wait to here about the bicyclemarkians who migrated from Portugal to Jersey and then… to Cali? Not bad blogosphere… NOT BAD.

Today’s Sounds: Eddie Izzard – Definate Article

Back on the Scene

What? You heeeeard? Turn my headphones up! I’m back in Amsterdamage baby, and got back into the swing of things today. Saturday things that is. What are these typical saturday things, you may ask?:

In other news I read about how, 40 years later, the Mississippi burning case is finally going to court. You remember that movie? No not the one where Samuel L. shouts “YES THEY DESERVE TO DIE AND I HOPE THEY BURN IN HELL.” This movie was the one with Gene ‘THE HACK’ Hackman and Willem DeFoam running around like feds while southerners make them feel unwelcome. Exciting stuff… this unswift justice.

Today’s Sounds: XTX’s Audioblog.. over and over..

Jetlag Brings This

I smell. I’m hungry. I can’t keep my eyes opened. Some random dude has been crashing at the Spaniard’s place next door, and he obviously cares nothing for my strict bathroom cleanliness. A brotha goes away for a few weeks and suddenly all of Amsterdam comes over to aim badly at his toilet.

I digress. It’s grey, cool, and windy. Bikes speed past my window and ring their bells. Dutch high speed internet flows through my veins again. I HAVE ARRIVED, all over this city.

I’m too jetlagged to tell you about the nicey-nice Minnesota Femenina who sat next to me for one leg of the trip. We were like travelling peas and carrots.. both carrying our own bags of dried fruit and both working in random European Cities. (she chose Bar?alouca!) Turns out, life in Bar?a is fun, but salaries suck and prices are high. More inspiration never to leave budget life here in the Netherworlds.

Having stopped in two European countries today and read up their newspapers, I thought I would mention that they keep pointing out how many people each country has lost in South-East Asia. They also keep breakin down who donated what. I thought it was odd that the US comes in after Australia, Germany, and Japan. And I think it’s cool that individual countries give money and then the EU as a whole throws a chunk of change. That makes for lots of aid. Imagine individual US states did that… talk about lots of loot!

I spoke to Anti the other night, while in Jersey. I call him Antee, if you must know. And we had a hootenany of a AIM conversation.

And just to get back into my normal inkkernet routine, I chatted quickly with BITCHPHD who seems to be on the verge of big changes, including CHANGING HER BLOG NAME!

Today’s Sounds: Kings of Convenience – Quiet is the New Loud

Packing with A-Ren

My nephew A-Ren is in charge of packing my bags, as I’m off to the ‘dam via Lisbon in a few hours. He’s taking extra care that each item goes in his mouth, which I’m convinced is his personal x-ray machine, to ensure my safety before packing. He’s also been extra generous by giving me extra drool on my shirt… for the road. Once the my hip new pilot’s bag is closed, le petit prince will be sure to bang both hands against it and drum me the latest beat from the Portuguese-American toddler underground scene.

In the background we listen to the next Attourney General on the radio, getting his anus licked by the US’s poor excuse for a congress. These wealthy senior citizens sound like mini versions of W Bush….. they talk like him.. they use his broken sentences and his pseudo-words. The only highlight has been that Biden guy, who at once point said “I love you guy… but you haven’t answered any questions today.” At least he’s honest about what an ass-kissing session this really is. Who the hell are these robots?

Barbara Boxer rocks the house. Literally. Not only does she have a cool name when you’re in the business of fighting the bastards, but she stands as the only person willing to say some ill shit went on in Ohio. You kalipornians are pretty lucky to have her… compared to what the rest of us get.

Ugh.. if I have to hear one more time about how “we live in the greatest democracy in the world” … it almost seems like they’re trying to convince themselves… just keep repeating it.

So I’m leavin… on a jetplane.. don’t know when I’ll be back again. I did want to hand out some thank you’s: Vegan Mike, Davey Darko, Cathy VanGogh, Syles, and Kenshu, who made my last night in New Jersey a nice one.

Pays-Bas… I’m comin home!

Today’s Sounds: Barbara Boxer’s Testimony on WBAI NYC

The Baron of Bass

Today is Mingus Day.. recognized by only a few of the world’s cities and of course – this here communiqu?. Therefore I’m happy to welcome from the great beyond, in the second installment of “I See Dead Historical Figures”, musician, composer, activist, Pithecanthropus Erectus, Mr. Charles Mingus!

BM: Welcome to what I assume is your first ever blog appearance mr. charles, I’m really honored to have you here.

Mingus: Well thank you son… while I know nothing of your abilities as a musician.. it looked like a fun thing to do. Plus.. I’m dead, so this is excitement at its finest. Oh what the hell is a blog?

BM: Let me explain. No.. it’s too much… lemme sum up: this is a blog and I am blogging. That being said, let’s start from your death in 1979, why spread your ashes over the Ganges River in India?

Mingus: Why not. It’s beautiful. Can you imagine my ass being sprinkled over the East River? Nowadays they’d probably call it a terrorist attack and throw my wife in Guantanamo.

BM: So I take it you’ve been following current events over the past decades? Whats your take on this tsunami disaster?

Mingus: Right away I have a problem with your question… you didn’t ask me what I think about the suffering on the streets of the US, the death and destruction in the Congo, or the crippling poverty all over the world. People are dying at this very moment as victims of violence… yet somehow this isn’t considered a distaster.

BM: I suppose in the case of this Tsunami, its all the attention it gets in the media and the scale…

Mingus: Whatever it is… it should be unacceptable. I was an outspoken critic of racial segregation in my time, and it angers me the way the world acts like everything is fine now, as if the struggle is over. You wanna bet if that thing had happened in the first world, you would have been more prepared and suffer hardly casualties.

BM: I started you on politics, but I’m in fact a big fan of your music, even the tracks where you seem to just yell and mumble shit.

Mingus: Who the hell are you anyway? You don’t really know shit about my work, do you? You’re just a hack trying to look cultured. I suppose you travel Europe and speak languages too… [takes a swing at me]

BM: Hey now.. there’s that infamous temper. I once saw a video of you in your New York City apartment, what a dump. And you had a rifle and kept shooting at random spots.

Mingus: I wish I had that gun write now, I can tell you that.

BM: Well… I guess we should say goodbye… thanks alot for being here.. sir?

Mingus: [Walks off before the interview is over, new tune on his mind]

Today’s Sounds: Mingus Big Band – Que Viva