Kenny Smith | A remarkable thing happens …

adventures / cycling / Indiana / Monday / photo — Comments Off
22
Mar 21

And how will this week be any different?

I took this photo on Saturday evening, to sorta prove a point about one of my favorite aspects of this area. It’s 8:10 p.m., and this is looking south-southwest. Because we’re in the Eastern Time Zone, but so far west relative to most of that region, we get long spring and summer days like this.

In a few months it’ll still be bright enough outside to read at about 9:30 p.m. And that’s the nice thing about living 50 miles from the far border of the clocking changing.

It’s one of the best features about the place.

And spring finally showed up this weekend. Fake spring, anyway. We’ve still got another cold snap or two coming our way. Always verify your meteorological impressions, friends, that’s the lesson revisited upon a great many of us this time of year. Anyway, sunny skies and slightly warmer weather — it was in the 50s — meant I put my bike on roads for the first time this year.

First time in 99 days, in fact. December 11th was unnaturally warm, about 62 degrees, so we did some time trialing.

My first ride last year was March 8. So, in the outdoor sense, I am behind. But, because of the smart trainer my lovely bride gave me for Christmas and birthday this year, I was 676 miles ahead of last year’s curve before putting my helmet on. No pictures from the actual ride. I have a tradition of not taking any shots on the first one, because I feel I should concentrate complete. And I have a further tradition of not taking photos while wearing that vest. It has no back pocket, meaning I’d have to wrestle my way under the gilet, to get to the shirt pockets, and who wants to do that, when you can get a kiss at the end of your ride, anyway?

It felt like a nice mid-season ride. I passed seven other bicyclists. Sure, some of them were children, and none of them knew we were racing as such, but these issues are hardly my problem.

Strange sensation, having a tiny little bit of form to start the year. Let’s see how long before I mess that up.

We went on a spontaneous 16-mile ride this evening, because the weather was practically perfect. I think it made us even go a little faster.

The cats are doing great! Except when they are misbehaving. Phoebe, who is almost always a good girl — and we tell her this so as to try to coax her brother into being less of a troublemaker — is seen here being a bad girl.

She knows she’s not supposed to be on this ledge, and she’s just doing it for spite.

Poseidon is doing this for comfort. He’s on one pillow, and under another pillow. It was a challenging day for him.

Something caught their attention outside simultaneously, and I just happened to be in the right spot.

It’s unnerving when they’re both doing the same random thing, except for the times when they’re being cute about it.

Friday / IU / television / video — Comments Off
19
Mar 21

Let’s all get to the weekend

My day started in the studio at about 9 a.m., with a show I can share with you on Monday. And it ended in the studio at almost 7 p.m. with another show that will see the light of day at some point in the next week or so. In between, many calls, many meetings.

Here are the shows the sports guys shot last night. Highlights, highlight and highlights:

And here’s the talk show. It’s March, it’s Indiana, they’re talking March Madness.

That show has added extra graphics and, this week, extra panelists. I am encouraging both for all sorts of reasons. The graphics, I know, will stick around. And hopefully the extra talking people will make some timely returns as well.

Tomorrow we’re returning to riding bikes outside. It’ll be the first time since December 11th. Ninety-eight days. There will also be Chick-fil-A, and chatting with some friends. And that’s not a bad half of a weekend. I’ll tell you about it Monday. Until then, have a great weekend yourself.

food / IU / photo / television / Thursday / video — Comments Off
18
Mar 21

More of the same, and some more besides

I’ve been on something of a streak with clothes pictures for no particular reason. May as well push that out one more day. It’s the content I know purveyors of this site aren’t really here for at all, but, like I said Monday, it’s a light week.

Today, I decided to try encouraging this spring to be an actual honest-to-goodness spring with some light pastel colors.

It did not work. Other forces in the universe are more powerful than my pocket squares. I am just as surprised as anyone.

And there’s been a lot of food here lately, which is odd considering this is in no way a food blog. But, again, Mellow Mushroom’s pizza is important. And when we have occasion to be near their nearest — and too far away store — we get takeout, and plenty of it. For the leftovers, like tonight.

Seventy-six miles is far too far to have to travel to get good pizza, but here we are. And here they are not. Thus far my social media campaign for them to establish a new store in this college town hasn’t been successful. But it’s gaining momentum.

What we’ve not done this week is show you any shows. Shame on me.

Here’s the late night show they shot last week. See it takes place at a bar. Which is a TV set. An always changing and never-completed set.

We’ve got your news here:

And your pop culture — and bagels! — right here:

We’ll have some sports tomorrow. And some more stuff, too. That oughta keep you coming back! See you then.

cycling / food / photo / Wednesday — Comments Off
17
Mar 21

Tonight we are Mellow

Tonight I had the good fortune to join a ride with the many Major Taylor bicycling clubs across the country. So I wore my Major Taylor kit.

He won the world championship in 1899, set almost three-dozen world records in his career and had to deal with all sorts of racism and violence. He didn’t hang on to it, though, and explained why and how in his autobiography, which is a fine sports read.

So I’m on this group ride on Zwift, and I should point out this was in no way a race. Because I don’t race. Because I am not fast. But, somehow, despite that, I found myself off the front for about 25 minutes.

To not see anyone in front of you for that long is pretty wild. And then the really fast guys went by. It was a sight to behold.

But, for a while, my nose was in the wind and I was riding almost all alone. I celebrated with pizza.

Nah. I was going to enjoy that pizza anyway. The Yankee picked up Mellow Mushroom on an errand-trip to Indianapolis and so we are eating right tonight, and tomorrow! Mellow Mushroom really needs a store here. It’s a college town with woefully inferior pizza selections. Mellow would be a huge hit.

music / photo / Tuesday / video — Comments Off
16
Mar 21

Happy Jesus on the Radio day

It’s March 16th, and I only get to wear this shirt on this one day of the year, so it will last forever, and that’s a nice thing.

And as much as Guster inspired the day, Tom T. Hall deserves a mention. (He always deserves a mention.)

Jamie Kimmett has an entirely different song that shows up with that name.

Neither Kimmett’s nor Hall’s song is about today, but they both have their charms. Though the new fan-driven supercut remains the choice version.

I’m so glad the pasta percussion family made it into that version of the song. They were one of the first viral covers of the original, after all.

In a crowd — remember those? — it is a singalong.

Well, despite the lyric, if you looked back you saw this: a first for the year, owing to the changing seasons and the springing forward clocks.

The late sun is a lovely gift. Being just about as far west as you can be in the eastern time zone gives you this perk for a good chunk of the year. It’s repayment for the days and days and endless when you see nothing but gray. We were very excited to see it leaving the studio at 7:30 tonight. It’s a little thing. It’s an important thing.