Tag Archives: health

Et puis ?a

Yesterday’s cliffhanger about dinner with Texan students actually concluded swimmingly. I found that they handled indonesian food with healthy curiosity, i guess they appreciate good eatin’. There were in fact no political debates, and I’ll admit I was seeking to avoid them if they weren’t necessary. At some point I mentioned Condi Rice, but when I did it I put my napkin in front of my mouth and I was leaning close to the one guy who was actually from NY state. We were discussing her academic career for whatever reason, I thought it was ironic that in a group of non-northeasterners with one exception, I spend most of the evening talking to the exception. He was in fact an immigrant, so we understood each other right away. (thats how it works with me) I even recommended that he take his upcoming date to my favorite eclectic restaurant that serves up a mean veggie couscous.

How did the evening’s conversation carry on, you might wonder. Well, in fact I do have something in common with texans. I guess most of the world has this now: an encyclopedic knowledge of Seinfeld and the need to quote it verbatim. Annoying? Not to me. Though if I heard a recording of the evening I’d probably kick my own ass.

My most lovely and dynamic dinner company asked me one of those “make you think later” questions tonight. We were polishing off a big plate of Ethiopian… fingers sticky from all the alecha scooped with scraps of injera, when she asked “what do you think you’ll be doing.. five years from now.” Classic no? But I hadn’t thought about it in a while. My answer?: Finished with my PHD and looking for a teaching gig somewhere interesting. Of course always keeping my home base as the ‘dam.

What I forgot to mention? Raising chitlens, riding in my own faux tour de france, and starting my world-wide bicyclemark speaking tour. Which in fact has already begun, details demain. Hooray for podcasting sunday.

Today’s Sounds: RFI – La Radio du Monde

The Stars at Night

*clap-clap-clap-clap* Deep in the heaaaaaart of Texas.

I ain’t never been to texas, and I’m aware that some of my readers are located there (howdy)but I admit I’m fretting my dinner with a group of young University youngins from some prominent school in that state. They’ve been on a study-visit to the u of amsterdam and this here fishtank of mine. I got a heads up that they had never before left the country and were potentially quite conservative, so I tried to tread lightly and let them figure out the world for themselves during their time out here. Last thing they need is a heathen like me telling them whats up. I must admit I was really shocked when they almost unanimously stated they had voted for GWB. The truth is, you just never run into such a large group of “them” in this town. (note my new stereotype.. you’re either with us or against “them” )

But tonight I’m slated to be at dinner with them; free food and some good potential conversation, healthy debate is good too. RocknRoll Aim will be there will me, I’ve renamed her that bytheway. Together we’ve promised ourselves to embrace the impending conversations about legislating morality and the rule of gawd, which apparently has been all the rage during their visit.

Its probably better to go to dinner with what’s left of my open mind, so I’ll stop talkin smack now. Besides, i already found my ice-breaker, the whole lot seems interested in Fantasy Basketball, and I can just keep joking about my crap team in the busblog league. I’m currently in dead last, if you’re curious. Long story and a boring one, but basically my puerto rican wonder is getting traded and my philly hero is walking wounded. Wow, I sound like a guy.

I listened to so many podcasts in the last 24 hours, putting in extra time in the ‘tank. One of the neatest was Contentious, who podcasted from a cabin in the mountains of Colorado. You get to hear the sounds of her cabin, including her putting another log on the fire, and her plans to grow old in a rocking chair with a shotgun in her lap; in case the gubment comes around. I’m recognizing my favorite uses for podcasting (audioblogging) hearing sounds of places I’ve never been or just simply am curious about. Trouble is, where the hell do I get a cheap hosting plan with lots of space for mp3’s – Liberated Syn?

ps- I brought the Beef yesterday, and as a vegetarian, I think I did a good job.

Today’s Sounds: Tracks up a Tree Podcast, latest podcast.

On Death

Human memory is an amazing thing. I attended a wake this evening for an old friend. By old friend, I mean someone I knew throughout high school, and hadn’t spoken to in 6 years. Still I think we had fond memories of one another and both knew bits and pieces about each other’s recent life-adventures, as information gets around in NJ suburbs.

As I stood in line… one of the longest lines I’ve ever seen as these things, I kept scanning the crowd. Suddenly, areas of my memory which had been long packed up in grey matter, were reactivated. I looked at photo collages and remembered that high school actually happened. I looked at faces that I couldn’t give names to anymore, people who smiled at me, and somehow, I couldn’t remember. Basically, I hugged and kissed anyone who looked like they deserved it… which was mildly entertaining in such an excessively somber occasion. Sometimes I wish people would spent less time mourning the dead and more time celebratin’ them… for the great people they were.

At dinner I asked my parents, quite seriously, that if I ever die young, they should make sure to have a big party with lots of good ska/jazz/punk/80’s/world music. They can take all the money some people spend on flowers and whatnot, buy some healthy exotic foods, and fly in my favorite people from around the world (who maybe can’t afford it). Everyone will be required to tell a story relating to me, and someone should record those stories on mp3 to pass onto to future generations who will look at MP3’s the same way I look at A-Tracs. Photo-collages are encouraged, and beautiful ladies saying things like “I was secretly in love with him” will also be appreciated. Hell, the men can say it too, that’s flattering. And for fucks sakes, its my death party, so no images relating to religion and keep your prayers to yourself, cause I worship the golden calf and she’s all I need. Oh and of course, everyone should blog about it… I want a blog shrine dammit.

Anyway, my original point- lots of respect and love for all those loved ones we’ve lost recently, especially my old friend.

Tomorrow, perhaps ironically, a new installment of “I See Dead Historical Figures”, featuring Jazz Bassist and Statesman Charles Mingus.

Today’s Sounds: Billy Joel – Greatest Hits Disc. 1 (found it behind some boxes)

Eve Bonus

Thinking about the end of the year and bloggers I have quietly enjoyed in 2004… I got this from mr. hugh ~

Three names you go by:

BM, Bicyclemark, Meep

Three screennames you have:

bicyclemark; variations on that theme

Three things you like about yourself:

I’m linguistically able

I’m fit as a fiddle

I good at keeping old friendships alive

Three things you dislike/hate about yourself:

I spread myself too thin

Can’t say no

I treat friends better than lovers

Three parts of your heritage:

Well… looking past my 100%Portuguese-ness; Moroccan and Celtic

Three things that scare you:

Going quietly into that good night

Urban sprawl

I’m afraid of Americans

Three of your everyday essentials:

Soymilk with healthy cereal

blog-stylee

morning exercise regime

Three things you are wearing right now:

House slippers

running woosh-woosh pants

William Paterson U (plug!) longsleeve

Three of your favorite bands/artists:

Bill Frisell

The Clash

Caetano Veloso

Three of your favorite songs at present:

23 – Jimmy Eat World

Homesick – Kings of Convenience

Which Way – Nick Drake

Three things you want to try in the next twelve months:

SWEDEN!

Tango LEssons

Starting up a Ska-jazz ensemble (The ‘Dam Allstars)

Three things you want in a relationship (love is a given):

A linguistical melange

Someone certifiably insane

The last thing would involve a nine-iron, some ice cubes, and a cattle prod.

Two truths and a lie:

I often wake up and have no idea what country im in

I’m in love with Amsterdam… bigtime.

There are WMD’s in Iraq.

Three physical things about the opposite sex (or same sex) that appeal to you:

How about one thing – the small of the back… that part that shows as they ride their bikes around town. I want to setup camp on that part of a women. Press my face against it and keep it warm. That… and maybe the vajayjay. hahaha.

Three things you just can’t do:

Move back to the US

Call everyone Im supposed to when I come home

go 3 days without the inkkernet.

Three of your favorite hobbies:

Blogging, obviously

Horn Playing (french please)

Giving random strangers tours of Amsterdam

Three things you want to do really badly right now:

Mat? (i left it in the NL)

Hang Out With D-Rock

Go to Philly

Three careers you’re considering:

Professor, Jazz Musician, UN Civil Servant

Three places you want to go on vacation:

Stockholm, Sweden ( to see marty mcfly)

Buenos Aries, Argentina (to chase ch?)

Tripoli, Libya (best kept secret in North Africa?)

Three kids names:

George, Dick, and Donald

Three things you want to do before you die:

Ride the railroad that cuts through the heart of Australia

knit a blanket

Find inner peace

-Well I sort of enjoyed that.

Today’s Sounds: Specials – Guilty until proven innocent

Home Work

One of the wackiest things about going home to be with your family during the festivuses is the things that we do around the house. As the next generation, and generally speaking, the younger/healthier/technologically saavy-ier, we bring home our big brains filled with knowledge about fighting the war against spyware, viruses, disfunctional computer components, and lest we not forget – wireless internet.

For their part the elders have tried to keep up in our absence. They’ve spent the loot to buy a few of the latest toys they’ve heard the kids are using. Or they’ve waited with loot in hand for our arrival to go shopping for the latest in personal-pod-computing-beep beep beep-publishing equipment.

And so I face a somewhat similar fate as so many are recounting via blogs. I remember an article in some magazine about this. And then I saw Karisa’s email on busblog, which reflected my fate with the parental units computer stuff. I am the chosen one… I am a jedi… I will fix it.

Of course not all ye bloggers are fixing stuff. Some are just hanging at home like the dude, takin ‘er easy for all of us sinners. One of my most favorite home-for-the-holidays blogging has been coming from Bunny Mac.

On a more serious note, it’s the anniversary of that nightmare earthquake in Bam, Iran. One year ago… the communiqu? remembers.

Today’s Sounds: Blind Melon – Nico Blue (diggin through my cd archives)

25 and still alive

The following is a very me-centered post, so new readers should be horrified at the shallowness.

Through careful ethnographic research I gathered the following information about myself at birth:

As far as I know, I was born on this day 25 years ago, at 15h EST, at some holy hospital in the Portuguese colony of the Ironbound, Newark.

I was a boy.

I was healthy except for the fact that I have two different ears. (one is pointy, the other is folded… just like A-Ren!)

My parents expected a girl, my name was to be “Tammy” which I suppose is short for Tamara. Just imagine visiting BicycleTammy.org to read my blog.

Big Daddy J, one of NJ’s finest delinquent bloggers, at the time 4 years old- was excited at the prospect of a playmate. He wanted my name to be Barney Rubble.. or Fred… something fintstonish.

I believe mine was the first birth that my father, also known as the king of portugal (in exile), actually witnessed first hand. After which he was so horrified he told my mom, no more children; he never wanted to see her go through that again.

They eventually named me bicycemark, in an elaborate ceremony written by Alex Haley, where my dad raised my naked baby-bum up to the heavens and shouted in Portuguese: “bicycle-mark… behold the only thing greater than yourself.” And of course this was Newark, so there was a lampost over us, and ever since I have a great respect for nudity under bright city lights.

Shortly after birth I started blogging. My parents were so proud. They bought a home-personal computer that took up the entire room. And well, for the sake of today’s post, the rest is history.

I meant to do lots of things with my birthday post, but instead I produced this digital poop-post. Should have made a list of what I have never done, like the world-reknown radiohumper. Ah well.

One of the coolest things about being me on this day is all the blog-comments and emails that I got today. What an honor to be honored in blog posts here, here, and who knows- maybe somewhere else. Did you see what my favorite blog mistress xtx’y wrote about moi!! *Blushin.* All I can say is, you guys rock the hiz-ous and meeting all of you thru this here bloggy was the best part of 24… that and the hookers.

Today’s Sounds: Mates of State – Team Boo (a couple from S.F.!)