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Lupe Fiasco: Lasers
Mar 13th
I purchased Lupe Fiasco’s Lasers album this week, and I’m definitely into it. There’s been a bit of discussion about the album because of the controversy associated with its release. And it wasn’t met with much critical acclaim, receiving a Metacritic score of just 59.
I’m drawn to the album primarily because it’s unabashedly positive. It’s a bit clichéd and definitely pop, and probably the only song that’s distinctively Lupe musically is “I’m Beamin”, which didn’t even make it onto the album release except as a bonus track. But it’s polished from cover to cover and easy to listen to. In interviews, Lupe said that he was hoping for a bit of a Trojan Horse, to get into people’s playlists with something fun to listen to, then get into their head with a positive message. I think it takes a lot of courage to put yourself out there and speak of all the things that are valuable to you and try to build something that you believe in. It’s much more difficult than hiding behind a front of being “hard” and tearing down the work of others.
It may not be completely revolutionary, and it’s not without flaws. And after his first two albums, perhaps the expectations for something groundbreaking were too high. But sometimes, you make progress not with leaps but with smaller steps, and I think that “Lasers” is a step in the right direction. And I look forward to what he does next.
Triumph
Oct 23rd
I bought my current motorcycle, a Triumph Street Triple 675, brand new about a year and a half ago on my birthday in 2008. In that time, I’ve put over 11,000 miles on it. That’s twice as many as I’ve put on my car in the same period. If riding were a full time job, I’d have spent 1 month (160 hours) of every year on the bike.
The purchase was admittedly irresponsible. At the time, I was doing my best to be frugal and save diligently towards the purchase of a house. I was debt free, and almost half of my paycheck each month went directly to savings. But I was tired of saving for a goal that seemed so far off, and decided to divert some of that savings towards some two-wheeled instant gratification.
I’ve had no regrets. I’ve found few things as easily enjoyable as heading out on the motorcycle for a few hours, without a plan or destination. The bike is stripped to its bare essentials, and leaning forward over the tank, it disappears from view. With the wind rushing by, it’s almost like flight. And the rush of acceleration and frenetic howl as the engine presses towards the 13,000 RPM redline is a sensation like few others.
So, it may have been slightly irresponsible. But perhaps the point of being responsible most of the time is so that we can be a little bit irresponsible some of the time.
Risk
Oct 16th
Coming down the Lair of the Bear trail today, on the stairway that I always chicken out on and walk down, our group came upon a rider who had bailed and found a hard object on the way down. He was in obvious pain, and suspected that his hip was either dislocated or broken. We paused for a bit, Markus lent him a jacket to keep him warm, and then we moved on because the EMTs were on their way up the trail and we’d just get in the way. It reminded me how much it sucks to get hurt.
There was a shift in my cycling about 3 years ago, after a crash at a mountain bike race in Winter Park. My shoulder still hurts from that crash, and I still can’t sleep on my right side. I’ve realized that, as good as my body is at repairing itself, there are some things you never fully recover from. I’ve also realized that without single-minded focus on riding, I could never be good enough at racing to really enjoy it.
So my cycling has slowed down to make room for other things (see this article). I don’t train 20 hours a week, and I don’t get hurt bombing down a downhill. I enjoy spending time at home with my wife. I enjoy riding my motorcycle and flying model airplanes. And I enjoy the challenge of my work. There’s no more room in my life for single minded dedication. Each thing I do has to make room for a whole bunch of other things.
So despite the fact that I greatly admire people who can devote themselves to a single thing they love, and who can risk their safety to pursue it (props to E and Pat), I’ve found that my happiness is greater when I can find a balance. I may never be the greatest at any one thing, but I can be satisfied.
A Fresh Start
Oct 10th
Welcome to version 2.0 of my website (or is it 3.0? 4.0?). Sitting here in October 2010, I realized that my website had fallen into disuse, with the most recent update mentioning how great it was in 2005. There’s nothing wrong with capturing yourself in a moment in time, but publishing it to everyone else wasn’t the best use of bandwidth.
So, here’s another try. I’ve moved almost entirely to the weblog format in a new WordPress install, eschewing the topical format my site had clinged to previously. The content will probably be more or less the same as my old weblog, only with the cobwebs cleaned from the corners and a bit of modern technology sprinkled in.
But why? Admittedly, it was a bit of restlessness on a rainy Sunday. But I also want to write down some of the things that cross my mind occasionally. For my present self, my future self, and for others who know me.
