Tired

Everyone seemed to be tired today. A long weekend. And another long one coming up. A visiting friend coming in from the east coast. Or Cleveland actually. So it looks like a trip to Vancouver is in the works, along with myriad other things to do out and about in Bellingham.

The picture was taken yesterday where we parked. And here is another video coming back home up SR11 - Chuckanut Drive, a windy road that wraps along the Chuckanuts with the Puget Sound falling away to the west.

This was probably the last big ride of the season. I put around a thousand miles on it this year and now it's back to the bicycle (in all honesty my preferred mode of transportation versus the motorbike). We never made it to Victoria, but there is always next year. Not much more happening other than the crashing of the stock market. I hate to be smug, but this was inevitably predicted as far back as 2006 by many of us 'alarmists'. Good thing I bailed from large-cap equities a few months back. And rocky times still await. I wonder what impact this will have on two of Bellingham's largest high-tech industries: retirees and development. (Are they even industries?)

Oyster Run 2008

So here is a brief picture of what the 2008 Oyster Run looks like. Now I am not a big fan of large groups of people, nor am I a big fan of noisy Harley Davidsons. But considering it was an hour away and the largest biker event in the Pacific Northwest (thousands and thousands of bikes), I figured it was something worth seeing. But my air-cooled motorbike is built for the open road, not sitting in traffic, which was somewhat unnerving when a few drips of oil fell on the ground underneath the overheated crankcase.

But we went in for oyster shooters and drinks (me, a diet coke) and then took a spontaneous (sort of) turn south to LaConner, a town from where Tom Robbins hails. We had a late lunch at a pretty nice restaurant and (you guessed it) I had an oyster burger. All in all, a good day. And boy did I have bad luck with the law in the dinky town of Edison, Washington. Twice. But that's a story for another time. Thankfully I walk the straight and narrow these days.

And oddly enough we had another BMW airhead I knew from Bellingham pulled up beside us (while stopped for an accident on SR20 and we actually got off the motorbike and went over an talked to him and his wife for a few minutes in the stopped traffic - weird), and another friend we know from volunteering at the food bank. Fun.

Oysters

There is an oyster party that we shall be attending this evening in Sudden Valley, then tomorrow is the Oyster Run to Anacortes. Although I didn't eat any meat for ten years or so, I am glad that I eat seafood again. Living here would be torture if one was not able to enjoy the local bounty of the sea, caught fresh right off shore. And yes, most of the ecosystems in the Puget Sound are distressed and declining, arguably mostly due to development. But when development is Bellingham's largest industry, there is not much you can do to stop 'progress'.

Speaking of which, a few more condo projects went on the block here in Bellingham. The fifteen-storey condo downtown (see left) that has been nothing more than a hole in the ground since I've lived here. How could this be? I thought Bellingham had a limitless supply of retirees seeking our seven months of dismal weather?

But today I got the BMW motorbike back in working order, although there were a few hiccups. And one involved leaking gasoline all over the garage floor (ecoterrorist that I am). Not much. Maybe a cupful. But enough to make one realize the potency of this horrific and many-faceted liquid. But the R60/6 was back on the road. I fueled her (with my thirteen dollars of gasoline for the last two months) and took a jaunt around Bellingham. It will be a fun time tomorrow. And hopefully safe, as there always seems to be a mishap among the thousands of riders - many times even involving death. I am sure that pictures and movies will follow.

Pockets

So my search for decent pants has hopefully come to an end. What was most discouraging was all the pockets that most of these pants come with. I'd feel like Napoleon Dynamite wearing pants with all the pockets that most outdoor activewear have.
"Napolean, give me some 'tots."

But I stumbled upon some Gramicci pants online. I've never purchased them, but I am not too enamored by the quality of the really pricey gear. I will try to see the quality of these. North Face is great, Patagonia and Kavu are okay, so we'll see what happens with the Gramicci.

A stressful work week ended on a good note. And tomorrow is a day to get the motorbike ready for the trip to Anacortes on Sunday. I am sure you'll see pictures. Here is a picture taken in the spring of the side of the house.

Debt

The Outstanding Public Debt as of 26 Sep 2008 at 04:49:35 AM GMT (8:49 Pacific) is: $9,790,849,740,457.10

The estimated population of the United States is 304,795,998, so each citizen's share of this debt is $32,122.63.

The National Debt has continued to increase an average of $2.16 billion per day since September 28, 2007. (From this site).

So what’s another $700 billion? It’s only $2,300 for every man woman or child – working, elderly or in diapers – to magically solve what woes our economy. Coming from an administration so highly effective at winning wars, rebuilding cities, and being fiscally responsible, I highly doubt he’ll do much for the Average Joe. And a society so effectively dumbed down and not really caring deserves what it gets anyway.

But on a brighter note, the Oyser Run, a big biker rally, is in town this weekend - the biggest in the Northwest. The weather is supposed to be great, and something like 10,000 bikes converge up on the town of Anacortes, a beautiful one hour ride. So today I replaced some fuel filters and worked on the leaking carb. Possibly something with the floats.

Socialization

Why is socialization so bad when it helps the common person, but accepted by republicans when it benefits the corporate elite? Never mind, I just answered my own question.

The State of Washington can be construed by most as socialist: myriad benefits to its citizens, the highest minimum wage in the country, sales tax among the highest in the country, liberal workers' rights, strict environmental regulation, etc. Then I wonder why Washington state has one of the strongest economies in the nation?I guess socialism in this country is only supposed to work when it benefits the ultra wealthy, not the other 275 million or so of us common people. Capitalism is all but dead in this country. So sad.

I really hope I awaken and find that this presidency was a really bad dream. What else can this guy f*ck up? I know I shouldn't make that statement, as there is still the October surprise. Sorry about the rant, I just shake my head when I think about it though. This will cost ten thousand bucks (at least) for every family in this country that will do virtually nothing to loosen credit to those that drive the economy: small business. (I read a statistic somewhere that since 1990, small businesses added 16m jobs in this country; the companies comprising the S&P 500 shed 15m jobs.) Believe me, lending for the small and emerging business is entirely non existent. That's not an exaggeration, as I've worked with many over the past decade.

And on a positive note, here is an article about yesterday's ceremony. And another. Raising capital for this company during an economic meltdown will no doubt be the greatest achievement of my career. What a rush this life is.

Drying

Although this is not the actual seed dryer, this is what one looks like. Today was a day of meeting dignitaries and forward thinking people of Snohomish County where this dryer was commissioned.

Here's how it works: Methane gas is produced by virtually all landfills - lots of it. In most instances, it is burned off into the atmosphere. In our application it is used to power a seed dryer, which in turn allows the dried seed to be stored. Some oilseed will later be crushed into oil and meal: the former for biodiesel; the latter for animal feed. Their project helps local farmers, the county, and our company that produces biodiesel sourced from local feedstock. Virtually all of the Snohomish County vehicles will be powered on the oil generated from 1,000 acres of seed on a 20% biodiesel (ie, B20) blend. Pretty exciting to be solving a tiny piece of the massive energy puzzle.

Ideally, we can replicate this model around the state or country with private and public partnerships. We'll see!