[johnbryanpeters]

I've had a handful of other experiences that were as fun for me personally, for example my first date with my wife lasted 48 hours, or before that, taking my employer's smoking hot 20 year old daughter in my boat to Sag Harbor for her 21st birthday, but those experiences just don't have all the same funny story elements to build on.

I'll flesh out the Hopi story a little bit more, then leave the thread to interbike. That Gary Fisher I rode out from the wilderness on was 3 or 4 sizes too small, and I racked my nuts horribly on the stem at one point, and was left in the fetal position in the dirt, but it sealed the deal in addicting me to mountain biking. Shortly after those events, I switched majors and schools to ASU and used most of my student loan one semester to buy a Marin hardtail. I'm on GG these days, so there isn't much room left for improvement. I think there is understated genius to your work, particularly the GGDH.

While we were partying, a couple of the Hopi guys had asked me if I would go with them and do a cactus/sweat lodge ceremony. Of course I was all in on the idea, but one other Hopi guy got really angry and started arguing with them in Native language. They didn't walk back the invite, so I wouldn't lose face, but I had the feeling the angry guy had convinced them. It was gradually explained to me that a handful of the elders were very old fashioned, and that they would feel deeply disrespected by my being at such a ceremony. Of course I would not want to disrespect the elders by putting them in such a situation, so I thanked everyone sincerely for the invitation but said I would decline to go. Once I said that, the angry guy very visibly relaxed. I'm guessing Sharlene took her cue from this interaction.

At one point in the conversation, Sharlene brought up the idea of extreme Deja-vu. Nothing monumental like power ball numbers, but little mundane things. She gave me an example of a dream she had of driving, that she was on the highway, and got passed by a car with a basketball and a mets hat on the rear windshield deck. She said when it happened in "real life" some months later, it blew her away, and she almost went off the road. When she told me that story, something clicked in my little crustacean brain. I had been trying to wrap my mind around Einstein's relativity and had picked up a copy. It basically boils down to "special relativity" and "general relativity" with the special case being a very much simplified and easier to understand case. The preamble to special relativity that starts the book is a thought experiment, with trains and train tracks to let your mind ponder that some things we perceive to be linear, consistent, and understood really are not - things like time and distance in this case. Believe it or not, they are not absolute.

I told Sharlene even though I was a pretty rational math/science type lobster, I didn't automatically disbelieve things like her deja-vu, and with a stick in the dirt, walked her through E's thought experiment with the train. That seemed to work really well, and she started leaning against me more often than not while we were standing around the fire. That thought experiment is well within reach of most of the monkeys here, if you guys want to try it at the bar some night.

I tried to look up my old room mate Paul a few years ago on the internet. I don't know for sure, its remotely possible that there were two guys about the same age with his first and last name from the tiny town on the res he came from, but I found information that he had been arrested, and later killed. I couldn't find any details or reason why. I remembered him vividly, while writing my story here, and felt he was alive again, for a few more minutes at least.

In closing, if you ever get the chance to experience the Hopi on their own terms, they are an amazing and generous people. I miss them.

You have a novel or three in you, and the skill to write them.

 

[Jm_]

I've had a handful of other experiences that were as fun for me personally, for example my first date with my wife lasted 48 hours, or before that, taking my employer's smoking hot 20 year old daughter in my boat to Sag Harbor for her 21st birthday, but those experiences just don't have all the same funny story elements to build on.

I'll flesh out the Hopi story a little bit more, then leave the thread to interbike. That Gary Fisher I rode out from the wilderness on was 3 or 4 sizes too small, and I racked my nuts horribly on the stem at one point, and was left in the fetal position in the dirt, but it sealed the deal in addicting me to mountain biking. Shortly after those events, I switched majors and schools to ASU and used most of my student loan one semester to buy a Marin hardtail. I'm on GG these days, so there isn't much room left for improvement. I think there is understated genius to your work, particularly the GGDH.

While we were partying, a couple of the Hopi guys had asked me if I would go with them and do a cactus/sweat lodge ceremony. Of course I was all in on the idea, but one other Hopi guy got really angry and started arguing with them in Native language. They didn't walk back the invite, so I wouldn't lose face, but I had the feeling the angry guy had convinced them. It was gradually explained to me that a handful of the elders were very old fashioned, and that they would feel deeply disrespected by my being at such a ceremony. Of course I would not want to disrespect the elders by putting them in such a situation, so I thanked everyone sincerely for the invitation but said I would decline to go. Once I said that, the angry guy very visibly relaxed. I'm guessing Sharlene took her cue from this interaction.

At one point in the conversation, Sharlene brought up the idea of extreme Deja-vu. Nothing monumental like power ball numbers, but little mundane things. She gave me an example of a dream she had of driving, that she was on the highway, and got passed by a car with a basketball and a mets hat on the rear windshield deck. She said when it happened in "real life" some months later, it blew her away, and she almost went off the road. When she told me that story, something clicked in my little crustacean brain. I had been trying to wrap my mind around Einstein's relativity and had picked up a copy. It basically boils down to "special relativity" and "general relativity" with the special case being a very much simplified and easier to understand case. The preamble to special relativity that starts the book is a thought experiment, with trains and train tracks to let your mind ponder that some things we perceive to be linear, consistent, and understood really are not - things like time and distance in this case. Believe it or not, they are not absolute.

I told Sharlene even though I was a pretty rational math/science type lobster, I didn't automatically disbelieve things like her deja-vu, and with a stick in the dirt, walked her through E's thought experiment with the train. That seemed to work really well, and she started leaning against me more often than not while we were standing around the fire. That thought experiment is well within reach of most of the monkeys here, if you guys want to try it at the bar some night.

I tried to look up my old room mate Paul a few years ago on the internet. I don't know for sure, its remotely possible that there were two guys about the same age with his first and last name from the tiny town on the res he came from, but I found information that he had been arrested, and later killed. I couldn't find any details or reason why. I remembered him vividly, while writing my story here, and felt he was alive again, for a few more minutes at least.

In closing, if you ever get the chance to experience the Hopi on their own terms, they are an amazing and generous people. I miss them.

We have a very similar vibe in many of the villages I go to here, not to mention I took some classes at NAU on the Navajo area and learned a bunch about it that way.

There are still sweat-lodge opportunities in Sedona if you are interested!

 

[boostindoubles]

It was probably better to kill Interbike before it fully morphed into E-Interbike.

 

[gonefirefightin]

What is this "interbike" you speak of?

 

[chuffer]

cool sex, drugs and math stories and a @gonefirefightin appearance. the last time I bumped into that guy was in the toyota forum on pirate....

 

[ianjenn]

View attachment 131807

Haven't been to Interbike in about 10 years. I would guess that image is at least 90% accurate.

 

[Pegboy]

Uhhm..Is LobsterCT actually Pinkshirt?! (or whatever the hell his name was) Too much peyote grown from goat shit.

 

[jonKranked]

Uhhm..Is LobsterCT actually Pinkshirt?! (or whatever the hell his name was) Too much peyote grown from goat shit.

definitely not. I've met PSP, who's actually not a bad dude. just spent too much time with recreational hallucinogens and it shows. lobsterCT is way more coherent.

 

[roflbox]

I would much rather see companies spend money on keeping demo vans going around than spending it all on a large trade show.

 

[lobsterCT]

definitely not. I've met PSP, who's actually not a bad dude. just spent too much time with recreational hallucinogens and it shows. lobsterCT is way more coherent.

Confirmed - Not Pinkshirt or PSP. Not in the industry at all other than to give it money for its services. I don't know Doc Brown, although I would like to ride his bike if he ever hits VT, Mass, NH. Kingdom trails or something like that seems like it would have a natural customer base. I wanted to go to Thunder in the Berkshires the weekend he was there, but I had to attend a wedding instead and couldn't make it.

I crudely garage built an aluminum FS bike like 20 years ago, and when I got it heat treated, it had some drooping issues. A lot of the problem seemed to age harden out, but never totally. I'm currently trying to garage build a Clydesdale sized front triangle for my downhill bike, and I reached out to Doc, who was kind enough to walk me through some of the pragmatic aspects of heat treating. Fingers crossed it works better this time.

The DH forum at this place seemed most like the site's conger eel forum.

 

[KenW449]

But I want people to ride my bikes. Going to a place where a lot of people go to try bikes on awesome trails makes sense.

If you ever decide to bring demos to Tucson, i know i can get a lot of people to attend.

on a side note, I've been in Tucson for 3 years now, and it seems i am missing some amazing opportunities up North.