Posted On Thursday, January 15th, 2009 By David Veatch
Slightly off-topic post today, but this is, or could be, a rather pressing matter, and I’d like both to record the timing of it, and submit a request for thoughts and ideas. I took The Squanto to the vet yesterday, and found out that he’s 20lbs. On a 16lbs dog frame, that’s a lot of extra weight. It’ll dramatically increase his chances of having all manner of internal organ problems, including his heart and lungs, increase his risk of cancer, and very likely give him premature joint issues, such as arthritis, and could be the cause of his coughing as the extra weight compresses his trachea. I’d like to keep him around for a while, and given Schipperke’s lifetimes, that could be another 8 years or so. That means he has to lose that weight I’ve been aware of this for some time, and to maintain his weight at the healthy 15-17lbs, I’ve had him on a pretty strict diet of 1/2 cup dry dog food, given to him twice daily. In spite of that, he’s still been gaining. There is only one possible reason: The neighbors. I knew the neighbors fed him treats every now and again, but didn’t more »
Posted On Wednesday, June 18th, 2008 By David Veatch
Just what the title says. If I understand it correctly, it’s just like flex dollars applied towards health benefits, but applied towards bike commuting expenses. Furthermore, I don’t think it’s a mandatory program. Anyone care to clarify? On a related note, I wrote an e’mail to my insurance agent months ago to ask if there were any discounts or benefits that could be applied due to my bike commuting. I haven’t heard back yet. Huh.
Posted On Wednesday, May 14th, 2008 By David Veatch
Understanding. Empathy. More than skill, I think that’s what’s lacking on the roads. People don’t understand the rules and laws, and (to the point of this post), more importantly, they don’t understand what it’s like for other drivers of different vehicles. Bear in mind that I include myself wholeheartedly in this group, which also, I propose, includes each and every one of you. The typical car driver doesn’t understand what it’s like to be a bicyclist on the road. The typical bicyclist doesn’t understand what it’s like to drive a semi. How many of us understand what it’s like to drive a bus? Some, to be sure, but not most. What about a garbage truck? 30′ moving vans? Fully laden cement mixers? As I spend more time as one of the smaller, more vulnerable users of the road, I spend more time thinking about such things. I’m coming to believe that in order to operate a vehicle on todays roads, we should be required to have a deeper understanding of what it’s like to operate a wide variety of vehicles. That means licensing. What prompted this line of thinking was the many times drivers, in vehicles of all sizes, display more »
Posted On Friday, May 9th, 2008 By David Veatch
Tank is the GF’s dog. Not long after she moved in with me, we started looking into local BSL, and as it turns out, Pit Bull’s are banned in our neck of the woods. I won’t go into how ridiculous I think such bans are, aside from saying I think banning a breed (or, as in the case of Pits, a group of dogs with similar characteristics) is ridiculous. The point of this is to mark the day we found out that Tank is not, in fact, a bully breed, but a Rott/Boxer mix. They can’t take him away for being a Pit, we have the papers to prove he’s not! Happy day!
Posted On Wednesday, November 7th, 2007 By David Veatch
I’ve been bandying about thoughts on responsibility lately, in a lot of areas, but especially as they relate to using the public road system. Towards what end, I’m not sure, but there’s something there I intend to explore. So as to not keep you in suspense, I can sum up my position quite simply: as long as you’re not the bottom of the food chain, you have a responsibility to those beneath you. Trucks need to be careful of cars. Cars need to be careful of motorcycles and bicycles. Motorcycles and Bicycles need to be careful of pedestrians. We all, in turn, need to be careful of ourselves, because it’s not a perfect world. That said… The idea of “great power brings great responsibility” is so ingrained in our society that when it’s actually spoken aloud, it sounds strange. But bear with me and think about it, I do have a point… The nuclear warhead and the pellet gun are both weapons, but with vastly different damage potential. Compare how easy it is to get the one vs. the other, and how much you’ll have to pay to do so. Ease of use and ease of acquisition are directly related more »
Posted On Wednesday, October 24th, 2007 By David Veatch
Check out the thread here… I put my $0.02 in as well. My brother commutes to work by bicycle in Portland, and so I have a vested interest in the police out there doing their job and doing it right. I’d like to meet Steven Resnick. My favorite bit from him is Yes there are bad drivers out there too, but the bicyclist are one more distraction that takes people’s minds off the road and not being able to pay attention to what’s actually going on in front of them. (quoted without permission) Nevermind the fact that cyclists are PART of what’s going on in front of drivers. All the other distractions are, I guess, OK, b/c driving is a right and can be taken for granted. But nooo…. Not cyclists. That’s just too much. B/c he is driving a car, it’s apparent that this irresponsible miscreant believes that he doesn’t have to give the level of attention he demands of cyclists. Crossing the street get off the bike and cross in a crosswalk, ride single file, if you see a stop sign, stop don’t run right through it and also get off your bike and cross the street with more »