Wade Patton Velo

[datas_brother]

Yeah, heck yeah--deerskin cycling gloves!

I wear size M.

[WadePatton]

I wear size M.

Well Kevin, you gotta hate that. Because the first several pairs will be "grande" (as mine mitts are such). If we (that's me the dogs and my houndcat) offer them commercially, then we'll need a trace of your hands and some flexibility measures to ensure proper fitment and performance. I expect them to be available in any color of the rainbow, provided that you're looking at a tanned deerskin rainbow. And i'm not real sure about the crocheted part...might just use old fish netting for that (gloves stink anyway right?). Micro-fibre thumb for sure.

Hey, Joni Taylor (Campy Sportswear) named my cat "Kevin". Now I can nickname him "PolyT". He's genuinely disinterested in English, but can be down right boisterous with his Feline Vocalizations.

Back to leather. It'll be really interesting to see how this works out. The primary objective is deerskin jacket/coat to memorialize the big buck and the others who have found their way to my larder. I'll be chatting it up with Ray-of Handlebra fame-at NAHBS for sure.

OH MY 50 degrees F today--- YEEHAW! (i better go get some more wood)

[datas_brother]

Try neon green lycra. That's real retro-80s. PolyT sounds like me. Nobody knows what I'm on about either.

[WadePatton]

"neon green lycra" is too long for a nickname for a cat named Kevin atwo.

remember back when i said it was 50F? well it's about 3F with 10" of snow out there now. no big whoop for most of the country, but slows life down a little here in the Southland.

this leather takes a long while to make. 3 months minimum in the bark solutions--longer for elk and moose and buffalo they say.

When my fork jig arrives, I'll make a bender and stick some fork parts together...

[WadePatton]

A small sample of the Anvil Bikeworks product line is on the big brown goodie truck headed to WPV right now. The dogs are real excited about that. The cat gives the universal cat shrug of indifference. I'd better go get all that other crap out of the way.

unusually early and cold snowfall the other day. this is _on_ the porch and after multiple sweepings.

[WadePatton]

the snow melted and I rode today. yippee. spring may be here as early as may.

[WadePatton]

I "stepped" out for a few weeks there. First the hunting and then I revived my amateur radio station and have been refreshing myself on the diddy dit dah dah's that make up the original digital _and_ the original wireless communications methods used by this iteration of mankind. Still a lot of folks using those modes for fun and sometimes emergencies.

I met a guy last year who got a radio license _for the sole purpose_ of helping us support cycling events. He is neither rider nor into radio for any of the other aspects. My point is, if you hold an event and don't already have amateur radio support, you just have to ask. Most ham groups are experienced doing this sort of thing and will jump for a t-shirt or some food to support your event. Their/our equipment works where phones don't and we are practiced in efficient/orderly passing of "traffic" (messages) no matter the level of emergency. Our huge slices of the radio-frequency spectrum are "paid for" by our readiness and willingness to effectively assist in emergency situations. While there may be some stress in working a bike event, it's always a lot less stressful than tornado and hurricane work. So we jump at the chance.

I always work (radio comm+sag) my club century. I'm getting the locals together with the DSG race this year. Another group works the big RR on the same weekend, and we even put an eye in the sky. A local pilot donates his time, the organizers pay for the fuel, and Freddy worked on his radio setup for two years to make it sound right and be effective from that noisy little buzzbox with wings. Don't be afraid to ask--or let me know and I'll find the folks to talk to in -your- community.

+++++++++++++++

Shop improvements underway. The drive has had 2 small loads of gravel smeared around upon it. (I used a butter knife). My last overhaul/upgrade jobbie was paid with insulation for my ceiling--but someone hassta install it. All fingers point to self.

Now is the time we ride.

(W1ADE is my advanced-class amateur callsign-yes it's a "vanity" call, a program started by the FCC in the 90's. Most calls spell nothing, but all domestic calls start with either A, K, N, or W. Call prefixes designate country, call numerics indicate region of country except for the case of vanity calls. IOW I live in "4-land" even though I have a Maine/VT number "1".)

[edoz]

My dad was an amateur radio operator for years. There was all kinds of radio and electronic stuff all over the house when I was growing up. Everything had his call sign stenciled on it (w0jrx, probably someone else's by now) It's a shame I didn't learn more of that stuff when I was young, but getting into a parent's hobbies wasn't cool enough back then.

[WadePatton]

quickie as i head out the door--that call is available. you could actually get it through the vanity system, but first you hassta take a test. CW (morse code) testing has been eliminated for all license classes. the rest of the test is RF theory, circuits, RF safety, FCC rules, stuff like that.

a lot of kids get started before they figger out that dad ain't cool, or they have friends their age on the air...I came in the "backwards way" from CB as an adult. Never knew a ham before I became one.

ciao

[WadePatton]

I dug out a little hole in my shop where i'd become disracted and dragged a bunch of winter's doings first in this way and then over the other way and then pushed over there for to get around the mess.

but

today i rooted out a little hole, an enlarging vortex of semi-unclutteredness completely different than my writing style of this very moment.

and

played with the dropouts on my road bike, most of the pics up here in FNL 99, one or two more at Wade Patton Velo on FB. going to ride it tomorrow with the one clean dropout and the other painted. i'll be self-conscious about it. some. not much. i'd bet money nobody notices.

[WadePatton]

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look for shift of focus message here when i return from the shop in an hour or two.

btw, i will be at NAHBS with my good friend Glenn of Daltex Custom Frames. We will be representing his work.

Dew Drop IN.

[Chauncey Matthews]

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look for shift of focus message here when i return from the shop in an hour or two.

btw, i will be at NAHBS with my good friend Glenn of Daltex Custom Frames. We will be representing his work. Dew Drop IN.

This have anything to do with a machine shop perhaps?

[WadePatton]

This have anything to do with a machine shop perhaps?

in a way, but not the "best" way yet. you full recovered?

++++++++++++

And back to the schtory. This may take a while or I may nip it down to brass tacks. I'll follow the flow.

Here is a concise synopsis for the short attention span folks:

In order to retain my sanity and to get this thing moving in some real fashion, I must seek outside employment. I have long since consumed my resources and am now operating on "life support" only mode. I have been operating at this level for far too long. It is impossible to buy materials with which to develop/refine my technique. So I am now seeking a day job. WPV will continue to function as suitable opportunities arise, but as a second-to-my-other-shift when employment happens. I'm a straightforward by nature and feel better with this whole thing in the wide-open. Thank you for your support. [end synopsis]


For those who'd like to read more, I'll ramble for a bit:

Folks may have noticed that things have been a bit slow here, that I disappeared for a little while. Things may become clearer now.

Chauncey is referring to my new efforts to get a job at the nearby machine shop. OH how I wish I'd thought of that sooner. They're "not hiring" right now, but I've yet to talk to the big boss. It's a 20-person shop located 5 miles out past me and I'm 6-miles from town. I rarely go by there, there are no signs, had to look in the yellow pages to find the name. Rumor is about all I was going on. Now that I've been there and talked to a neighbor who used to work there, I'm quite set on getting in.

Problem is I don't have school or trade experience on most of their equipment. I have "jack of all" ability and experience, so I've got to figger out what would be best to stress about my background-wherever I apply. I'm ready and willing and eager to sweep floors to get into that particular joint. It's shaping metal and that's my kink.

/shift/

In the shop today:

Speaking of making my own swinging dropouts, I spent another session massaging the stainless dropouts on my roadie tonight. In my newbie ineptitude I did not get them shined up before we (Rody) painted it. That won't happen again-it sure won't, nope, nyet, nada, noway jose. It's a genuine hassle to protect the paint and a genuine bugger to get the fully-cured paint off. Except for that one little effin' flake (off) in the wrong effing place so I had to strip the small panel that would normally remain painted. Then, once the paint is off, begins the shaping of the metal with the files, then the many grades of paper. Might not go to full polish, but the lines have to be good--and dammit I'm picky. I made some progress pics, but will get 'er shined up gooder before posting.

/unshift/


Career Counseling Session

Mommas tell your children not to do the things I've done... Don't go to school. Yes I said it. Don't go to school (unless it's free-the time counts against you regardless) until you have a really good idea of what-in-hell you should be doing with your life. Find your talents and utilize them. Seek career counseling (from the best, like Dan Miller) and set goals and re-examine those goals and re-examine those career choices each year until there IS NO QUESTION EXTANT in your mind about said career choices. Once the question is answered, re-set your agenda to achieve those goals. If it requires three degrees, then by-God get them. If it requires relentless physical training then do it. If it requires an apprenticeship or tech-school training, then make it happen. DO NOT pick some vague notion of a career and amble semi-aimlessly towards it. Do not confuse ability with talent.

That is what I did and now am at that mid-life crisis point of life with no career to shift as I never launched the first one. The reserves are dwindling and the real-estate is tanked. The good news is that I'm not dragging a family through the mess and there's no debt on my head (but there's more to that story).

I still have the _ability_ to be a lawyer (if I wanted to burn another year or two to pass the bar and then 10 to build a practice.) but I have no desire to do so. I was 18 when I ticked "pre-law" to select a major field of study. 14 years later, I figured out that I had made that decision in haste and error. My whole line of thought (remember I was 18) was to pick a high-paying career, make a lot of money (snag a pretty lady), then retire early to do the things that I wanted to do. See the error?! I was going for the buck and was looking at the career as a stepping stone to "do the things I wanted to do". Wrong wrong wrong.

The proper career is making money doing something you'd do if they weren't paying you to do it. No not your silly flights of fancy, but the thing you could do for years on end. Now I know that we, the bulk of our VS aren't young folks, but I'm sharing this in order that you folks can help your kids/grandkids or any kid who'll listen to you to choose a better path. It's the first place I go to when I develop a rapport with high-school and college age folks these days.

Allrighty then. This thread is now going to become where I rant and rave a little about everything and keep yall informed about me and WPV of course. I like to write and sometimes really have fun with the language. I hope some of yous guys dig that too. (that's my yankee/hippie impersonation) But I got to put the quill down at this point tonight I'm out of lamp black.

I feel better now, but it could be the tiny bubbles.

Feedback? Cheers!

[WadePatton]

Well?

I have more to say but ain't going to stand on the stump and speak to myself. Give me a direction (please).

Was this obvious as hell? Do I sound stupid or ignorant or foolish or misguided? Is there no interest whatsoever? Should I spice it up like a reality show? Is it _too_ real and painful to watch?

I'll still be at NAHBS, I bought the plane ticket long ago--and when I can't make NAHBS, I'll just shoot myself.

So say something.

(yeah, it's not fully dark yet--I gotta get back outside for a minute or two).

cheers.

possible tragedy in the shop today. I left my bike in the vice. came back this eve an found it in the floor. took pics ftr. haven't looked yet.

[edoz]

I don't think it's obvious, the whole "just pick something go to college for" deal is pretty common. Parents and counselors push kids to college whether a white collar job suits them or not. It's too widely assumed that a career isn't worth pursuing if it doesn't require a degree. Some jobs don't need a degree, but the employers require one in something whether it relates to the field or not. I don't want to sound like I'm saying college is over-rated, but more that NOT going to college is under-rated.

[WadePatton]

I don't think it's obvious, the whole "just pick something go to college for" deal is pretty common. Parents and counselors push kids to college whether a white collar job suits them or not. It's too widely assumed that a career isn't worth pursuing if it doesn't require a degree. Some jobs don't need a degree, but the employers require one in something whether it relates to the field or not. I don't want to sound like I'm saying college is over-rated, but more that NOT going to college is under-rated.

Agreed. Methinks that unnecessary educational requirements are thrown out there just to reduce the pool of applicants for some jobs-to give the personnel dept a break.

Travel is underrated and was, just a few hundred years ago, considered absolutely essential to becoming an "educated" person. Methinks it's time for a return to such ideas, but that flies in the face of the indoctrination process that is now "education". Having a degree means nothing if it doesn't propel one further down his/her area of natural skills. Travel is cheaper and easier and safer than ever, and will teach one things from a "real" (not to be confused with the modern usage of "reality") format. Maturation is part of education. Education is good. I'm not against that-when appropriate. I'm against the wasted energy and years and money pissed away when kid rocknroll knows not what he/she should/could do.

I though I was lucky that it was no sweat for my parents to pay for my college. I now see that i would have been better for me to have worked FIRST and saved money and THEN payed for college. My parents didn't know. They didn't go to college. I don't fault them or me for that. We didn't effing know. If anyone is at fault, it would be the "got to college regardless undercurrent of modern society". This should be tempered to be most effective. Hindsight yo.

[Chauncey Matthews]

Hey Wade,
Rehab is...well, getting there I guess. Still a bit of pain, but I have plenty to build so I ain't bitchin (too loud).

The college thing is lamentable I suppose but you gotta think it also helped put you where you are now- not the plan you had I know, but it's still what happened. Who's to say where you would have ended up without it?
I do agree that some kids need to be made aware they don't have to go to college to be successful...or maybe some parents!

[WadePatton]

Well only sorta. Yes in that it helped pass time to mature mentally and that's where I learned to ride a bikes as an adult... oh and also here's a skill I use daily--touch typing! It was an elective and I took the ONLY section taught on pc's (now that's hilarious)--we used 5.25" floppies to save our work!!!

That and the English and Philosophy and some of the Political Science I don't really regret--but I could have done more with less and would give a zillion lottery jackpots to have some of that time and monies back--to pursue this.

I'm jamming up the craigslist now offering my services and studying the CDL tests. Maybe I'll get a captain's license too. Test taking is sooo easy.


My friend Christina Ott had this to say wrt post #93, via Facebook:

I just read your blog about career counseling and I couldn't have said it as well myself!

ooh, just got a Craigslist job hit. God I hope it's not a date...

[edoz]

ooh, just got a Craigslist job hit. God I hope it's not a date...

You didn't post it in the "services" section did ya?

[WadePatton]

You didn't post it in the "services" section did ya?

ooh what the hell. what's the going rate for manwhores?