Andy Skelton's Backup Journal

Unwistfulness at JFK

Andy Skelton — Sat, 18 Aug 2007 06:58:52 +0000

Where does the time come from?

Glenn Gould plays Bach and hums

Andy Skelton — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 17:14:08 +0000

I bought two CDs of Glenn Gould playing Johann Sebastian Bach: Goldberg Variations (1981) and The Art of the Fugue. He’s a brilliant pianist and he really rocks the Johann Sebastian Bach but I sometimes wish he had shut up during the recording sessions. I don’t hear it during the organ fugues but his off-tune humming comes through on many of the piano tracks. In some places it’s cute but mostly it evokes jittery images of Frankenstein hunched over his work in one of his mad genius fits. Excellent albums.

Beauty Smashed

Andy Skelton — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 21:08:36 +0000

I wonder whether any of the pairs of butterflies on my windshield climaxed.

Wind Party

Andy Skelton — Sun, 17 Jun 2007 20:58:33 +0000

It whips you even as you lean on it.
Put it behind you to smooth your ride.
There’s a wind party on the highway.
Bring your own wind.

Nearly Impenetrable Thought

Andy Skelton — Sun, 17 Jun 2007 20:45:46 +0000

I would not have liked to do everything I would like to have done.

Less Whim, More Plan

Andy Skelton — Sat, 09 Jun 2007 19:52:16 +0000

Buy a motorcycle: check. I bought a 1985 Honda Shadow 500cc cruiser (a.k.a. VT 500c, VT500C) with about 3,400 miles. It’s perfectly smooth at 80mph with me, a backpack, and a large bag fastened to the tank with magnets.

Sell my furniture and move in with my grandparents: not so fast. We decided one week would be a good amount of time to spend together.

WordCamp 2007 is in San Francisco in July so I’m planning a 7,000-mile road trip (calendar, map). The map shows stops approximately 500 miles apart. I will ride each of those intervals in 1-2 days, taking detours through state/national parks when possible and stopping frequently to stretch and get online. I will be photographing and blogging the trip.

The bike runs very well and gets 55mpg but it needs a few things before a cross-country ride: clean the gas tank and carburetors, replace the fork seals, change the oil.

Lodging is up in the air; motels and couch-surfing are my main options as I’m not going to buy camping gear. If you live near the route and would like to host me for a night and/or join me for part of the ride, please leave a comment. It would be wonderful to ride into San Francisco with a WordCamp posse! The route on the map linked above is tentative; I’ll change it if it makes lodging or touring more convenient.

Whim/Plan

Andy Skelton — Wed, 30 May 2007 05:35:58 +0000

I think I’ll sell all my furniture, buy a motorcycle and move in with my grandparents.

Andy Skelton .com

Andy Skelton — Wed, 30 May 2007 05:34:57 +0000

I’ve owned my vanity domain for a while and done nothing with it. Now it’s at least something. Behold: AndySkelton.com!

Seventy-five Course Meal

Andy Skelton — Wed, 09 May 2007 23:05:36 +0000

The proof is in the pudding and though I have tried, God won’t let me eat dessert first.

Two great words

Andy Skelton — Sun, 06 May 2007 07:24:05 +0000

“Adios, counselor.”