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October, 2009:

My 5 Scariest Robots Ever – A Halloween Special

Oct 31st, 2009
by WanderingJustin.
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In honor of Halloween, I’m skipping the travel stuff today. Instead, I’m naming my 5 Scariest Movie Robots of all Time. They are:
Maximilian – The big red robot from “The Black Hole” was freakin’ awesome, just floating there with that glowing red eye. Being from the creepy spaceship Cygnus also helped, because that thing just looked like a spacegoing mad scientist’s lab.
The Original Stripped-to-the-Metal Terminator – Obviously. He was big, strong, unstoppable, implacable. And those glowing red eyes!
The Robot Gunslinger – Yul Brynner’s character in “Westworld” scared the hell out of me, especially when he was shown without his faceplate. There was just something so creepy and so plausible about it. Revolting. Though a cowboy with a Teutonic accent is just a bit funny. Who was in charge of casting?
Interrogator Droid – The one that helped Darth Vader question Princess Leia. It just floated there, making that noise, laden with dripping needles. I would’ve squealed the location of the rebel base like a tattling first grader.
Al Gore – What? You don’t see it?
Honorable Mention – I’m a little old to be too scared of a robot, but those Cylon Centurions from the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica (which I consider among the finest TV series ever!) certainly make me nervous. By your command! (I wish they still said that now and then)

The Best Museum Meal Ever – Mitsitam Café in Washington, D.C.

Oct 28th, 2009
by WanderingJustin.
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Let’s face it – nobody goes to a museum to find a good meal. You’re bound to get either over-priced fast food or something more amibitious that’s been bungled, burned and left to dessicate under a heat lamp.
But then you have the Mitsitam Café at the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C. The contents of the museum itself didn’t do much for me. But it’s an amazing building. And even better, if I lived in D.C., I’d make regular visits for lunch.
The cafe is broken into several themed sections. Each section represents a different region of indiginous people from the Americas, such as Northern Woodlands, South America, the Northwest Coast, Meso America and the Great Plains. In each section, you’ll find items using ingredients that people from that region would’ve used in their cooking. That yields some really unusual items such as a quinoa-type grain with blueberries, smoked eel, braised rabbit and nopales (a type of pad cactus). I managed to find some sort of dish using chilled beets and potatoes, and it was tasty enough for me to try making it at home. I’d love to see a complete list of the cafe’s menu somewhere so I can do a little research and duplication here in Arizona.
Now let’s say you’re not quite up for eel, or you have kids. They can take a small step over to the wild side with pupusas, a nice corn-based flatbread sort of thing that’s usually stuffed with meat or cheese. [...]

2 Bikes for My Next Epic Ride – Which to Choose?

Oct 26th, 2009
by WanderingJustin.
2 comments

I have a little problem here. My Gary Fisher Cake 2 DLX and I have never gotten along. And I’m about to get back into long-distance mountain biking again, since I’ve been roped into joining the duo team “Lost Nuts” in the 24 Hours of Old Pueblo.
The Gary Fisher has just never fit me well. It’s always been a bit too long in the travel department for me, and I’ve just never felt comfortable on it. So I think it’s finally, really, truly New Bike Time for me. I’m an Arizona rider, so that means a lot of rocky madness.
Here’s what I’m considering:
1. Curtlo Advanced Mountaineer – A custom-made steel hardtail. Some of you tyros may never have ridden a steel hardtail. You might think I’m crazy. But a quality steel hardtail is light, rugged, low-maintenance and snappy. Take care of it, and it will keep riding after the flavor-of-the-month carbon wonder machine is delaminating in the landfill. Doug Curtiss, according to his site, builds these to suit each individual rider’s body, preferences and riding conditions – making the already-great steel hardtail even better with attention to detail.
2. Santa Cruz Superlight – A simple, rugged full suspension bike. It’s a proven winner – I’ve owned two bikes from Santa Cruz, and both delighted me with super fit and killer ride quality. They’re also reasonably price and handle snappy as all get-out. You can spend a lot more money on a full-suspension bike – but you can’t get all that much better.
I’m leaning toward [...]

Three Great Blogs That I Highly Recommend

Oct 25th, 2009
by WanderingJustin.
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I’m working on some substantial and fun new posts for ya’ll over here. I promise you’ll like them.
In the meantime, let me offer you some other reading.
Let’s say you’re a coffee fan. I’m not talking a Frappucino swiller, but someone who likes espresso, French press or Clover done right. You should check out Tom’s Coffee in Arizona blog. It’s very new, so there are just a few posts. But stand by. It’ll get bigger and even more fun. The only thing that’s kind of a bummer about it is that you have to join the blogging service to leave a comment. His latest post, Snotty Baristas and Barista Commandments, should be required reading at every indie coffeehouse.
Okay, now let’s say you fancy some sci-fi. Fiction blogs seem to be the minority. In most cases, that’s probably a good thing. But Transmissions from Omicron Persei VIII is quite interesting. The premise? A dude gets abducted by aliens. But this is no gray-aliens-probing-the-butt-the-truth-is-out-there, Scully sort of abduction. And the aliens are really us, but separated by eons and astronomical units! Explaining more will spoil the fun. You give it a look.
If you’re a mountain biker, check out the Adventures of Mountain Biking Girl. She’s pretty much a regular Joe (or Jill) mountain biker from Canada. But for a burnt-out rider like me, it’s motivating to see someone enthused about the sport. It reminds me of how I used to be before too much schlepping, fixing too many beater bikers and too many [...]

2 Highly Annoying Habits of Some Pet Owners

Oct 24th, 2009
by WanderingJustin.
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I love dogs. I grew up with ‘em in all sizes. So I can understand where some over-zealous pet owners are coming from. But these are two habits that push far past my boundary of being a good dog owner.
1. Riding a bike with your dog on a leash – I just saw a grand example of this during my road ride this morning: A woman on a hybrid with a rambunctious dog. Cars are whizzing past as the dog scuttles around the tires, nearly jerking the rider into traffic. Riding with a leashed dog is unsafe for the rider. It’s unsafe for other cyclist. Most importantly, it’s unsafe to the one who has no voice in the matter – namely, the dog. Pet owners have a responsibility to do the best for their pets.  If your walking speed is too slow to exercise the dog, put down the donuts and learn to run with your dog. Or take it to the dog park.
2. Driving with your dog on your lap – Seriously, are some people really that co-dependent? It’s not like putting the dog in the back seat or in a pet carrier is going to kill it. Or you – seriously, you need to drive, not pet your dog. Really, maybe the dog would also like to relax instead of being your plaything constantly. My Akitas used to love the car – I’d open the window, they’d happily sniff the air for awhile, and then they’d collapse out [...]

Riding Your Bike? Leave the iPod at Home

Oct 21st, 2009
by WanderingJustin.
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Cell Bikes, an Australian bike shop, friended me on Twitter. They asked followers if they listen to tunes while riding. And if so, what?
I never listen to tunes while I ride. Off-road, the bike has way too much to tell me:
-Tires make a certain sound when they’re about to break loose in a corner.
-There’s a tingtingting sound spokes make when they’re hitting a bent derailleur. Failing to hear that sound can cause you problems. Lots of them.
-I can always hear a flat a split second before it happens, which lets me prepare to right the ship and get ready for problems.
-I can hear sundry other bike noises, all of which are good pre-indicators of potential bike problems.
-Arizona has rattlesnakes. More than once, a hiss or a rattle has given me a nice warning. Just try that with earbuds stuffed into your gulliver.
And then there’s road riding. Who doesn’t want to hear all the cars bearing down?
I often do get tunes stuck in my head. This is one of the more surprising ones I’ve had stick, and it kept popping into my head for several rides. Odd since it’s so slow and mellow, though the second and third chorus are freakin’ huge. It might have to do with learning to play it on the guitar, I suppose. Maybe I should learn Aces High, because that would be a killer riding tune.
Part of me also wonders why people can’t remove themselves from the teat of technology for just a spell, too. The [...]

My Phoenix-Area Craft Brew Rankings – Plus a Preview of Two to Come

Oct 19th, 2009
by WanderingJustin.
3 comments

Want to know about some of the Phoenix area’s breweries? Find out here.

Hansen Beverages Takes Aim at Vermont Craft Brewer

Oct 15th, 2009
by WanderingJustin.
2 comments

There’s yet another reason not to like Monster energy drinks. You know the ones – they come in huge cans slathered in busy graphics, promising more energy to pimply basement dwellers so they can frag each other while playing Halo better.
Hansen, uber-manufacturer of this concoction of mysterious and noxious ingredients, is taking aim at Rock Art, a Vermont-based craft brewer. That’s because Rock Art, before Monster oozed out of the primordial marketing sludge of Corporate America, had the audacity to create a brew and name it Vermonster.
“Oh, noes!” shrieked the suits at Hansen. “It has the word ‘monster’ in it! Heaven forfend! How will we possibly afford more yachts now?”
And thus they let slip the dogs of law, who ran barking to Rock Art to order its brewer (Matt Nedeau) to quit brewing, selling and promoting with the name Vermonster. Here’s a great, succinct synopsis. I’ve read in several stories that legal counsel believes Rock Art would prevail in court – if they can afford to fight it out. In other words, Hansen can bully them in the pocketbook, regardless of the letter of the law. That’s an outrage and a travesty, a complete perversion of the way justice should work.
This bit of heinousness reminds me of a similar incident between Arizona Ice Tea (which has nothing to do with Arizona) and Four Peaks Brewing (which isn’t near Four Peaks, but is at least in Arizona). Apparently, Arizona Ice Tea was so convinced there would be confusion in the market [...]

My Top 4 Female Mountain Bike Icons

Oct 14th, 2009
by WanderingJustin.
2 comments

I name my four favorite female mountain bike-racing icons. See who they are, and and your favorites!

6 Impressions of Boston – Plus 3 Great Restaurants

Oct 13th, 2009
by WanderingJustin.
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Generally, I avoid the eastern United States. It’s just not my sort of place. Up north, it’s cold. Down south, it’s humid and flat.
But since my sister-in-law is studying law at Boston University, the wife decided it was time to visit her and maybe see some Boston landmarks. Boston intrigued me. I’d never been there, and it has a lot of history. I also have some Internet buddies living there. So I could think of worse places to go. We wound up staying at a HoJo near Fenway Park. It was grossly overpriced, as were all of the hotels I found. But it was a nice location near Berklee College of Music, BU, Harvard and even MIT. And near this great running path near the Chahls* River.
Here are six things that really stick out about Boston, plus three awesome restaurants and the best-ever pop culture reference to Beantown. As you’ll see, I really liked Boston overall with one big quibble.

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