Arizona is just being it's own stupid usual self with their immigration law----just like no daylight savings time or no Martin Luther King day----the sun bakes their brains. If Arizona was a music CD it would be titled "The best of Stupid White People"..................

This week has been well bad...there is so much media spin on the state of the economy---It appears as if they believe that if they tell us often enough that things are looking up economically that it will actually happen. Our real unemployment numbers are at 21%------1 in 7 homeowners are in foreclosure status one way or another....The wall street journal did an article on 19 locations in the US that will not be coming back online no matter what happens to the economy-------------- Greece has gone bankrupt. The weird thing about Greece is they collapsed at 100% debt vs. GNP we in the US are at 90% debt vs. GNP. we and the Greeks may have to share space under the overpass--and they are a hairy and smelly people. Let's not even speak of drill baby drill you know? it's way too depressing to speak of the BP spill---what a foul species we are soiling everything with our touch.

I solved the hubcap problem and all is well...i had to determine a new method of securing the salt flats covers to the standard plastic beauty rings. 5 days of commuting-- car wash--and no babying over potholes---they are still there. the problem seems to be solved and best of all my mileage weekly average increased from 50.6 mpg to 51.0 mpg. right off the bat. Well worth the previous effort. Solving this has also made me feel better about my projects......that it may take me numerous attempts---i still may be successful. I have repair parts in route for the Rovio----maybe my luck will continue.

I will explain the reasoning behind this in several future blogs but i am in the pre-launch stages of becoming a bicyclist.

I recently ordered a Montague Swiss folding Paratrooper mountain Bicycle shown below. Of course I had to order a ton of accessories to go on it--bags, water bottle etc. Accessorizing------------- better to do on the initial order rather than the death by a thousand cuts later.

This was the bicycle selected to replace the Swiss standard infantry bicycle which had been in continuous service for 70 years. OD green, 29 pounds, built like a brick shithouse....you can pull the specs up at the website if you like.

My wife JoJo has a state of the art recumbent tricycle...it is star wars quality. I wanted to start riding with her for those reasons to be explained later...but of course i had to find just the right Bicycle with just the right weird factor. The Montague has it......so strange how pleased i am to be looking forward to bike riding...of course there is the added Peak Oil factor of having a durable, collapsible bicycle for the end of oil times. I'll post pictures of my actual bike and bike rides in the future.

http://www.montaguebikes.com/paratrooper-folding-military-bike.html

Years ago I had a pair of actual issued French Foreign Legion desert boots. They were incredible and I loved them...lightweight-----cool on the feet---amazingly comfortable. They of course disappeared in one of the divorces never to be seen again. Many a time i bemoaned the loss of these boots---

I was forced to await the arrival of the Internet to find these boots once again-------------------- Palladiums. I surfed I found I ordered.

The following is a description of the history from the Palladium website:

Palladium was founded in 1920 to make tires for the

fledgling aviation industry. Tires were made by layering

canvas bands underneath vulcanized rubber.

Palladium’s expertise was so advanced that soon the

majority of Europe’s aircraft were using Palladium tires.

After World War II, with aircraft manufacturing screeching

to a halt, the demand for tires decreased dramatically.

Palladium decided to open a plant in Pont De Cheruy, France

, to start producing footwear that was as hard wearing as their tires.

In 1947 the legendary Pampa boot was born, and the functionality,

comfort and durability were so outstanding that the

French Foreign Legion adopted it for their use.

The Foreign Legion put the boot to the test in the harsh desert

conditions of North Africa, and throughout

the rugged terrain of the Atlas Mountains.

http://www.palladiumboots.com/

I am completely beside myself over relocating a supply of these boots...in my wildest dreams i never considered that they were still being produced. This is the reason I love the French and their products---it matters not to them that a boot has been produced for 60 years in the identical style and quality---there is no reason to the French mind not to continue the totally unchanged production of something that really works in the exact same building in the same village.

This boot has a utilitarian--Maoist---dependable----French---- visual quality. A sincerely different visual vibe compared to say the Viet Nam jungle boot or any available commercial hiking boot. French military surplus that's me all over

The way you think, the way you behave, the way you eat, can influence your life by 30 to 50 years.
Deepak Chopra