These folks explored an abandoned hospital in L.A. and found this awesome sign:

Sarah Palin Halloween Costume

If you had bought $1,000.00 of Nortel stock one year ago, it would now be worth $49.00.

With Enron, you would have $16.50 of the original $1,000.00.

With MCI/Worldcom, you would have less than $5.00 left.

If you had bought $1,000.00 worth of Miller Genuine Draft (the beer, not the stock) one year ago,
drunk all the beer then turned in the cans for the 10-cent deposit, you would have $214.00.

Based on the above, 401KegPlan.com’s current investment advice is to take that $5.00 you have left over
And drink lots and lots of beer and recycle.

http://401kegplan.com/keg/

Of course not everything turned out great but considering the small amount of time and resources we put into this experiment we’re very pleased.  Our carrots were eaten by slugs or some other random creature within minutes of sprouting.  The lettuce was not very enthusiastic about the container we planted it in.  But the zucchini is doing well, we’ll have a small pile of jalapenos, 10,000,000 tomatoes, and lots of fresh herbs.  Next year I’m looking foward to adding potatoes, onions, squash, thai basil, and who knows what else…

To help prepare for next year I’m reading a book called The Urban Homestead: Your Guide to Self-sufficient Living in the Heart of the City.  The folks who wrote it have a blog where they document their experience living and growing their own in the heart of L.A.  Even though the book suffers from a serious lack of proof-reading, the information in it is well organized and very accessible to noobs like me.  They prove that growing your own food can be cheaper, easier, more beautiful, and more satisfying than maintaining a traditionally manicured yard.  Say no to lawns and yes to edible landscapes.  Sell your lawn mower and buy a compost tumbler!  Disconnect your downspouts and install a rain barrel.  Hang a 400w HPS light in your closet and grow tomatoes & herbs year round!  (well, maybe that’s a bit extreme…  you get the point.)

Anyway, Hollie managed to post her pictures from the party before me. For some reason the only part of the party documented was the amazingly entertaining pinata smash:

I’m pretty happy with how it is turning out so far.  I’ve switched out the Brooks B17 saddle for a wider B68.  I’m still experimenting with different handlebars.  Originally I planned to use nashbar trekking bars but they were not a good fit for me.  The flats on the them are too straight and I need them angled a bit.  Titec h-bars were interesting but not right either.  I settled on On-One mary bars and so far they’re the best angle but are too wide.  Oh well, the hunt continues.

So, here’s the spec list and of course some pictures:
frame/fork: – thorn sherpa
bars: – on-one mary
brake levers:     –     avid sd7
brakes front: – avid sd7 v-brake
brakes rear: – avid sd7 v-brake
shifters: – SRAM x.9headset: – FSA Orbit XL
pedals: – crappy used generic
saddle: – B68
seatpost: – thorn
tires: – Panaracer Pasela Tourguard
wheels: – sun rhyno lite rims & deore LX hubs
front derailleur: – shimano deore xt rd771
rear derailleur: – Sram X-9 Rear Derailleur (Long-cage)
cassette: – shimano CS-M580 LX 11-34
crankset: – sugina xd500 24-36-48
chain: – SRAM pc-951
bottom bracket: – Shimano BB-UN54 English 68 x 115 mm
rear rack: – Blackburn mt-1

For those of you not yet in the know, listen to a few tracks and I’m sure you’ll be hooked:

• Beat
• Swimming Pools

not enough? need more thao? ok, here ya go:

• thao studio sessions & interview on opb
• thao at st00pid myspace

Mark’s Life Koan:   How Should I Receive Something I Don’t Like?

Traditional Case Koan from The Gateless Gate, Case 13, Tokusan Carries His Bowls:
One day Tokusan came down to the dining room, carrying his bowls. Seppo the cook called out to him, “Old Master, where are you going with your bowls when the bell has not rung and the drum has not sounded?” Tokusan turned at once and went back to his own room. Seppo told this occurrence to Ganto, who remarked: “Great master though he is, Tokusan has not yet grasped the last word of Zen”. Hearing of this, Tokusan sent his attendant to summon Ganto, and said to him, “Do you not approve of me?” Ganto leaned over and whispered his reply to him. Tokusan said nothing further. The next day, in his teisho, Tokusan was different from usual. Ganto, going towards the front of the hall, clapping his hands and laughing, said, “What a happy thing! The old man has now grasped the last word of Zen. From now on nobody will be able to get the better of him!”

more lebowski wisdom at:  http://dude.zenpeacemakers.org