..........................................................................................................................................................................................................
surplus to requirements
a common and remarkably useful drum rudiment is that of the paradiddle. this takes the form of rlrr then lrll, where r=right stick and l=left stick. to prove just how useful a rudiment it is, the drum pattern played by steve gadd for paul simon's 50 ways to leave your lover is based entirely on paradiddles played between snare drum and hi-hat. for those who could care less, for a drummer, rudiments are the equivalent of learning scales on the piano or guitar. frequently, the paradiddle is played with an accent (louder) on the first stroke, which, once mastered, can be extended by moving the accent back by one note each time the rudiment is played. and having achieved that with consummate control, it's possible, with a bit of a struggle and a great deal of concentration, to play a flam on the first note of each, before subsequently moving that along the sticking.
for those who are still awake, a flam consists of a grace note before the main note, the former played in lighter fashion than the principal note; the audible effect ought to sound like a thickening of the principal beat. for more years than i care to admit, i have continued to practice the latter effect of shifting the flam back by one note on each repetition of the paradiddle. obviously, this would be a great deal simpler to demonstrate than it is to describe, but even if you don't quite grasp that which i've explained, it may still be obvious that practicing either of the foregoing, ultimately leads to a (hopefully) controlled complexity. however, what you may possibly be asking yourself 'is there actually any point to all this?', the answer to which is 'probably not'. but more often than you'd hope, drumming has become endlessly more complex for no real good reason.
dave king, drummer with jazz trio the bad plus, offers an excellent series of youtube videos to assist those of lesser ability to improve, and one of those videos, posted around four years ago, is entitled 'useless independence' which concerns yet another aspect of the drummer's metier that often gives cause for legitimate consternation. in this context, independence relates to the ability to play different parts with different limbs; for example, and solely to add a further level of incomprehension, playing the latin cascara pattern, generally on the shell of a timbale with one hand, while playing rhumba clavé with the other. in latin music, there is a practicality to so doing, but in many cases, it's simply to demonstrate that you're a clever sod. in the aforementioned video, dave king addresses the dubious point of learning independence skills that, in fact, you are rarely, if ever, likely to need. in other words, learning for its own sake, despite there being no perceivable need.
and i wonder if that has inveigled its way into the realm of cyclocross?
though not featured in every cyclocross event, there can often be seen at least a pair of what are frequently referred to as 'planks', over which the riders need to pass on each lap in the pursuit of victory. traditionally, the approach was always to dismount on the approach, shoulder or carry the bicycle, and jump over these 'planks' before remounting. to further complicate matters, there is a maximum height prescribed for the planks, but there seems to be no particular consensus on specific height between the organisers of each event. should the planks be of maximum height, it's possible that both men and women will dismount and carry their bicycles, but if of lower construction, the men in particular have become likely to bunny-hop, subverting any need to dismount.
the main contention would be that bunny-hopping offers a speedier means of traversing these planks, but even in the light of this more recent technique, riders such as lars van der haar are more likely still to dismount and carry. observation would tend to suggest that, in point of fact, dismounting is not necessarily any slower than hopping, perhaps indicating that spending time learning to bunny-hop might be less necessitous than the top riders are convinced it to be. there are, of course, disadvantages and advantages to both methods, however, the top women riders seem far more inclined to dismount than the men, so it's possibly more of a macho thing, rather than a means of achieving victory.
that said, it's always interesting to watch the male of the species resorting to the dismount method if attempting to guarantee victory, or if coming a tad unstuck on the previous lap.
pointless? who can tell?
monday 18 november 2024
..........................................................................................................................................................................................................lost in translation
though i'd be fibbing if i said i could remember the precise time of year, islay's motor club regularly advertises its annual drive it day, always taking place on a sunday, and travelling from port mòr on the outskirts of port charlotte, to the square in bowmore, where all park in an orderly fashion, and invite the civilian population to admire the range of vehicles. though every year i'm guilty of making the same pointed remark, that surely every day is drive it day? in mitigation, members of the motor club are not to be found guilty of driving their kias, hyundais or fords in this orderly procession, but predominantly vintage cars and tractors (when tractors were of normal size). additionally, they are in the habit of holding a tombola or raffle at journey's end to raise money for local charities.
however, my repetitive annual remark, does, for the large part, hold true. there is not a day goes by on any day in western (so-called) civilisation, when the motor car does not practise drive it day, even if the distance to be driven can be measured in a few hundred metres. so inured are the majority to the ease, comfort and convenience of driving literally anywhere, that the thought of using any alternative means of travel is rarely, if ever, given a second thought. and while certain corners of society may regard it as bizarre behaviour to spend the bulk of a sunday morning cycling in circles to no particular end, observation has encountered even more oddities displayed by those who would scarcely bat an eyelid, were they to be described as motorists.
by way of example, my late neighbour, when on downtime from his offshore employment, would walk a few kilometres each morning "to keep fit", before climbing into his car and driving to the nearby averagemarket to purchase a daily newspaper. and many a morning has passed when i have waved in greeting to a teacher walking her dog, only to learn, later that same day, she has driven her gti a matter of forty or fifty metres to the school car park. and while i'm disparaging the teaching profession, another who lives in a housing scheme featuring a short path running between sports fields, and leading directly to the local secondary school, a distance of less than 500 metres. yet he drives to school. and another, who stays a few hundred metres from the primary school, drives to work each day, despite the knowledge that the car park on the other side of the school building is almost equidistant, thus negating any point in driving such an embarrassingly short distance in the first place.
i'd be inclined to categorise that as bizarre behaviour, despite its apparent acceptance indicating otherwise.
to be honest, none of the foregoing would ultimately demand use of a bicycle, making it even more iniquitous to involve a motor vehicle. but such behaviour probably plays a large part in explaining why halfords has recently announced a 25% decrease in cycle-related profits, and citing "significantly worse than expected" cycling performance. though halfords posted a similar decline in 2023, there was contention afoot that suggested such declines were as a result of being compared to the covid boom years, when cycle shops were selling virtually every bicycle of which they could get hold. however, these latest numbers are apparently 30% below pre-covid levels, graphically describing the bottom in the process of falling out of the market.
while many of us may scoff at the very thought of visiting halfords to purchase any bicycle, it would be hard to argue against the retailer's profile being particularly high amongst those who would scarcely describe themselves as 'cycling enthusiasts'. if we're willing to accept the premise that it is the high-end of the market that continues to prosper, that would surely point in the direction of you and i, those of us who know for what it is we are looking, and comprehend the merits of purchasing quality. you would be correct, however, to point out that halfords is not only a retailer of bicycles and accessories, but heavily involved in the car world too. could it not be that the latter is faring no better? that, of course, is false hope; according to halfords, the best performing sector, once again, being their autocentre car servicing, contributing substantially towards their £36.1 million profit, albeit 18% lower than 2023.
so what can be done? were i party to the answer, i have no doubt that i would have a remunerative career as an industry analyst/consultant, but i think it probably safe to say that, despite the rising costs of motoring, it seems that the great majority are willing (and able) to pay the price of driving desperately short distances, when walking, cycling or bus travel would offer more sensible solutions.
though not exactly constituting responsibility for halfords growing cycling predicament, and with no knowledge of cycling clubs elsewhere in the land, the local velo club has added only one new member in the past year, and only one other in the year before that, not quite offsetting those who did not return after covid. on the other hand, the islay motor club has, since its inception, featured a consistently larger membership. sadly, unless there is a sea change in economics, perceptions or appreciation for active travel, there is little chance of matters changing. presently, it is remarkably easy to afford a motor car, parking is essentially free, paid for by even those who do not own a motor vehicle, and tv advertising is infested with car adverts (when was the last time you saw an advert for any bicycle on primetime tv?).
surveys continually cite a pent-up enthusiasm for cycling, if only government would implement a network of cycling facilties. that, however, is likely a red herring; i might refer you to the examples of driving behaviour mentioned above, where the ease of walking and/or cycling could not be simpler. i have no doubt that there are those who genuinely wish to use the bicycle for transport, yet are prevented from doing so over fears for their safety amidst perpetually increasing motor traffic. but there are also many too many who persist in using the motor car to cover disturbingly short distances, both in and out of town. and plainly, those individuals are not visiting the cycling floor in halfords, no matter how many reputedly sincere platitudes are offered by local and national government. perhaps if they spent as much on cycling facilities as they do on roads and motorways, things would be different.
plainly put, more people need to cycle farther and more often. and not necessarily to bail halfords out of a profit decline.
sunday 17 november 2024
..........................................................................................................................................................................................................global positioning
bowmore post office used to sit just round the corner from the croft, a place i passed each weekday morning en-route to the office, and a building that subsequently experienced changing fortunes. the woman who owns the building opted to retire as postmistress and sublet it to a younger incumbent, who remodelled the interior to include items from a gift shop formerly operated by her sister. however, she very soon tired of running the post office and signalled her intention to cease and move onto a different career path. this resulted in an enforced haitus, whereby the island's principal village found itself without a post office, meaning residents undertook either a trip of ten miles to the south or three miles north to avail themselves of post office facilities. meanwhile due to the building no longer housing the aforesaid services, the post box was moved from the top of main street to the foot of main street, just outside the only remaining bank. it's still there.
ironically, a matter of a few months past, the three mile trip north was completely undermined by the closure of bridgend post office.
meanwhile, the oft-maligned (frequently with good cause) islay development initiative took on the village post office franchise and inserted it in a building in shore street, a building with no nearby parking, and no disabled access. however, once again, bowmore had a post office, though now renamed the refillery, sporting as it does, bulk containers of certain dried products that can be purchased to fill recycled containers owned by the customer.
the former post office, meanwhile, sat mostly empty, while the converted post office garage became the munchie box, a food outlet selling the likes of bacon rolls, coffees, sandwiches and the like. this business was subsequently sold to the chef at islay house hotel, when the latter became less of an hotel and more of a very large and very empty building. he took on the mantle of the munchie box, including the name, while converting the adjacent post office building into a bakery, selling a wide range of artisinal breads, rolls, and cakes, including a short-lived foray into focaccia. however, as is the nature of many such entrepreneurial ventures, it lasted only a short time, before he, his wife and newborn baby, departed the isle, leaving the building empty once more.
salvation, however, arrived from the neighbouring isle of jura, when the couple who had taken on the antlers restaurant franchise in craighouse, applied to add to their portfolio, by acquiring the lease for former post office building. intially they moved into the munchie box premises, in the process renaming it the deli den, and serving home-made pies, fish and chips and a wide range of delicatessen fillings for rolls, sandwiches and the like. since its inception at the beginning of this year, it has proven remarkably popular, and they appear to have experienced no problems in running the restaurant on jura alongside their islay venture.
however, the longer-term plan seems to have been the implementation of a proper fish and chip shop in the old post office building, a venture that, several months late, is about to open this coming monday. it would appear that no expense has been spared, kitting out not only a state-of-the-art fryer room, but the installation of the very stainless steel counter, with glass-fronted, top-lit, heated storage units and a tiled rear wall, that you'd expect in the archetypal chip shop (as seen in episodes of vera and other tv programmes). named islay's plaice (see what they did there?), its proximity to the croft bodes well for the occasional (or even common) teatime indulgence.
when first we moved to the hebrides, there was no chinese or indian restaurant, but eventually a fish and chip van, installed in a retired mobile library van, which randomly visited bowmore once per week on thursday evenings. the reason provided for the initial absence of all three was the lack of population and a complete absence of evening transport between the island's villages. almost forty years later, neither of those factors has actually changed, so it will be interesting to see which proves correct.
such a factor may well have played its own, significant part in the demise of the once common local bike shop an aspect of modern retail that seems not to have fared particularly well since the boom period during covid lockdown. of course, there are several factors which may have caused the untimely demise of several, but awareness of such matters seems not to have prevented garmin, ubiquitous in the velocipedinal realm for providing bar-mounted gps devices to the pelotonese, from following in the retail footsteps of apple in opening their first garmin store. it is an emporium in which very few hebrideans, or even scots, will be likely to find themselves, given its location in southampton. i would imagine, however, that garmin have their corporate eye on adding to this single outlet, if all proves as successful as their forecasters have doubtless promised.
of course, garmin do not restrict themselves to offering trinkets to the velocipedinally inclined; the store will feature the full range of gps devices aimed at cyclists, golfers, motorists and sailors, along with more generic consumer devices. they may have been inspired not only from the rise and rise of apple, but the notion that the likes of specialized and trek feature bona-fide retail outlets of their very own. and southampton seems likely to fare a tad better on the population front, being home to not far short of 100 times that of my particular corner of the hebrides. but you do have to wonder if, amongst those 284,000 people, there are enough invested (or interested) in the need or demand for garmin's products? should that prove to be the case, it could be an expensive mistake. the cycle industry is undoubtedly experiencing a high-profile downturn, but garmin's product range stretches a great deal wider than just bikes.
perhaps, however, the opportunity to learn more about the operation of the various cycling gps devices, whether bar or wrist-mounted, will outshine the usual need to take it on chance, via online ordering. it worked for apple; it'll be interesting to see if it works for garmin.
meanwhile, i'm off for a pizza-crunch supper, purely for medicinal purposes. at least, that's what i'm telling you.
saturday 16 november 2024
..........................................................................................................................................................................................................tyred
though i may well have misunderstood some of the technical niceties, from my understanding, tyres intended for road bike use do not require any deeply detailed tread patterns due to the speeds achievable by the majority. when attending the start of the tour of britain some considerable number of years ago, i queried one the continental tyres technicians as to why i couldn't purchase the bobble tread pattern seen on their competition tubulars on a set of road clinchers. his reply placed all in an intriguing perspective; according to him, the professionals were likely to ride whatever the team mechanics fitted to his/her wheels. exotic tread patterns were of little concern. however, you and i, apparently, like to see new treads every now and again, either for aesthetic reasons, or as purported signs of technological development.
there are tyres that feature no tread pattern whatsoever, based on the premise that the more rubber in contact with a road surface, the better the grip and traction available. though car tyres generally sport deep, channeled treads, these are designed to remove water that might exist between tyre and road. apparently, bicycles rarely reach the sort of speeds and momentum likey to contribute to aquaplaning, where the tyre loses grip through an inability to disperse any water quickly enough. thus, according to my (perhaps misplaced) comprehension of such matters, there is considerably less time and research spent upon tread design - we're discounting cyclocross and mountain bike tyres; they're an entirely different bucket of wheelspin - with the world's major tyre companies concentrating more upon carcass design, sidewall flexibility, and overall reliability. for that, i believe, we should be eternally thankful.
as the road seasons roll past, bringing record speeds in almost all strands of road competition, it may be that tyre design has created its own problem. though rider training and nutrition has improved by leaps and bounds, augmented by continual frame and component development, it does not seem out of the ordinary to consider that tyre design might also have contributed to those increased velocities. in the right hands (tadej, mathieu, wout and jonas, for example) these incremental improvements can add up to become greater than the sum of their parts. accepting that to be the case, it would not be unseemly to expect the world's tyre manufacturers to seek to facilitate both further increases in speed, while consolidating those already being achieved.
no doubt the above, at least in part, explains why vittoria have opted to launch vittorialabs, a state-of-the-art research and development centre '...to enhance the future of cycling performance.' according to reports, vittoria already has just such a lab in operation in thailand, and soon to open two more in italy. the report continues to state that 'cutting edge' testing will be the primary concern, leading to betterment in 'performance, safety and sustainability'. all this is extremely laudable, though it would be naive to consider that their peers are not also doing likewise. however, is it possible that our wheels are about to become the subject of overkill?
over the years, there have been many so-called innovations in the cycle tyre industry, from solid tyres, to tubeless, to foam inserts for tubeless and various means of attaching those to standard and proprietary wheels systems. but the bicycle has existed for well over 100 years, and if i may briefly return to my professed naivety, isn't it just possible that tyres of all sorts are about as good as it's possible to get? like many, i have my favoured brands, but i also have my favourite money; if reputedly comparable tyres are available at a discount or lower price, there's every possibility i will not hold back from reaching for the paypal button. if we're being brutally honest, that's precisely why i have a pair of 28mm vittoria corsas on the ritchey, even as we converse.
and currently, as has been the case with previously fitted tyres, i find that the corsa's minimal radial tread pattern is prone to splitting around the circumference, long before tread wear looks like a potential problem. that said, even in the days when i was able to ride faster than is presently the case, i rarely found there to be any notable problems, safety or otherwise on whatever brand of tyres i was to be found riding. and if we add up all the professional cyclists capable of racing in the grand tours, one day classics, juniors, women's, pro-continental and continental, in the grand scheme of things, it's a very small number, one that, i would contend, scarcely justifies the opening of three technology labs by one principal manufacturer.
obviously, vittoria know their market considerably more intensively than a has-been cyclist domiciled in the scottish inner-hebrides. but i can't help thinking that i've missed a chapter somewhere along the line. if the cycling market is to grow, not only for the commercial benefit of the industry, but as a means of solving many of the world's transport problems, high-performance (depending on how you wish to define that phrase), is likely to be well down the pecking order. i tend to think that, for the great majority, the current standard and quality of bicycle tyres is as good as it needs to be, as long as they agree to ditch tubeless and return to tubes and clinchers.
that is all.
friday 15 november 2024
..........................................................................................................................................................................................................irrelevant
today's monologue features an arguably more narcissistic look at a single point within the bicycle industry, one that perhaps has wider connotations, but ultimately is probably of very little interest to anyone in particular. however, keen to vary the content of these black and yellow pixels while remaining at least tangentially related to velocipedinal matters in the first place, i'll continue nonetheless. it may, of course, simply highlight a substantial difference in vocational philosophy that, in truth, has no connection to cycling whatsoever.
at one time, predominantly through my own efforts to improve the wider relevance of thewashingmachinepost, i had cultivated friendships throughout the industry, whether that be company founders, memebers of various marketing departments, or just brilliant people whose genius had inadvertently crossed my path. it's fairly easy to maintain a cloistered existence in the hebrides in the face of the big, wide world out there. i am generally a contented individual without the internal push to acquire the possibilities of extrovert behaviour, preferring to err on the side of remaining somewhat introverted. if you'd spent over half your life living on an island of around three thousand individuals, domiciled in a village featuring a third of that number, the prospect of spending any extended amount of time in a city such as london, would probably give you cause for second thoughts too.
but it is reputedly beneficial to undertake such moves for their own merit, excluding any perceived need to do so in order to further the relevance and interest in a cycling blog that seem almost accidentally to have achieved an existence outwith its original remit.
i'm sure the majority who have continued to read this far will have little difficulty in grasping the substantial differences between life and work on a hebridean island, and the capital city of the united kingdom. many of those i befriended in the big smoke, seemed to hold a philosophy of changing employment after a loosely defined period of time, whether or not their current position offered satisfaction on both the personal and financial front. do not misunderstand me; i have met one or two up here in the far west who also felt that a period of around five years was the ideal point to look elsewhere, but they were few and far between, and with no disrespect intended, rarely individuals who originated in the region.
i never quite figured out whether i admired those who changed employment as a matter of course, compared to my own situation, where i have remained with the same employer for almost thirty years, and only recently undertaken greater responsibility as a matter of necessity. barring any unforeseen circumstances, it seems highly likely that i will remain doing what it is i do until retirement beckons. disappointingly, when observed from a specific point, my encroaching reluctance not only to stay put employment-wise has been augmented by a similar, self-imposed restraint on travel off the island. however, could it be that i simply exhibit greater staying power than those working in the far south? could it be them, and not me?
this internal philosophising, you may or may not be pleased to learn, does in fact have a specific starting point.
since deliberately extricating myself from the constant round of product reviews in recent years, in order to continue my daily ritual of composing these occasionally (?) narcissistic monologues, i require (demand?) some form of inspiration. this is frequently the result of personal observation, but almost as commonly the result of external prodding. like many an industry, the world of the bicycle also supports daily trade sources, reporting on the machinations of the occasionally unpredictable universe in which we possibly place too much personal investment. therefore probably way too often, these pixels reflect a sideways glance at sections of the industry that seem less than familiar with the other sections. and just like blogs of any description, these trade sources require journalists and editors either to search out the juciest of stories, or simply make sense of the endless stream of press releases.
one such source is that of bikebiz, one that i have occasionally credited should their news stream form the greater part of my writings.
but, if i briefly return to the fact that i have worked for the same community publication for twenty-eight years, and which i have edited for the past four, you can perhaps imagine my thinly concealed disappointment that the editor of bikebiz has opted to move on after only a year and a bit in the job. granted, the implication is that the experience gained has allowed him to take up a more remunerative and prestigious position, one that he either actively sought, or was thrust upon him by an impressed prospective employer (a posiiton apparently not related to bicycles). in truth, i know not. obviously enough, journalistic opportunities are likely to be considerably greater in a city of over twelve million people, than on an island of 3000. but bear in mind that there are currently twelve working single-malt whisky distilleries on islay, all of which offer relatively remunerative employment, presumably approachable by an individual such as myself with the cumulative knowledge and experience that 28 years of journalism and graphic design provides, to say nothing of thewashingmachinepost.
yet i doggedly continued in my accidental vocation.
so while i wish the outgoing editor of bikebiz all the very best in his future endeavours, and confirmation that i will continue to peruse the pages of its online presence, a little bit of me hopes that his successor has the tenacity to remain in place for longer than twelve months. [erhaps cycling just wasn't quite his thing.
wednesday 13 november 2024
..........................................................................................................................................................................................................mixing it up
i feel i should make it clear from the outset, that the following is gleaned not from personal experience, but purely from casual observation. and i feel it only right and proper that i begin by insulting the majority of the world's cyclists, including, in certain cases, the professional classes. though we're all inured to the relativity that is pain and suffering, in certain aspects, we are sadly lacking. take tennis for instance, a sport in which it necessary to demonstrate skills both north and south of the waist. forehands, backhands, up and overs, running, stretching, lightning quick reactions. when was the last time you found it necessary to exploit all of those on the sunday ride towards the coffee stop?
swimming is reckoned to be the finest of exercise regimes, given that, while the water supports your weight, gliding or splashing through the water demands upper body strength augmented by a leg strength only slightly less muscular than that we'd expect on the bicycle. while i doubt i'd go so far as to espouse the reputed virtues of triathlon, if solely for its inclusion of three specific disciplines, it does seem to have at least a few things going for it. what undermines anything in the way of commendation appears to rest upon the observable fact that few triathletes seem to be able to ride a bicycle in a straight line.
one of our temporary new recruits over the weekend had his saddle set too high, resulting in exaggerate side-to-side motion that is eventually not going to end well. with one or two exceptions, cycling relies on extraordinary leg strength; competent cyclists can be identified by the lack of upper body movement when riding on the flat, something considered a point in our favour. it effectively explains why most of us have the upper body strength of a twelve year-old girl. let's face it, if we had bulging biceps, a six-pack and barrel chest, it would simply constitute greater weight to lug up the steepest of inclines, yet prove of little physical benefit.
unless, of course, we tick the cyclocross box.
having watched both men's and women's races from neil in belgium yesterday, it was particularly impressive to watch the running, dismounting, climbing and bike carrying skills of both sexes, skills that would put the majority of us wimps to shame. granted, mathieu, wout and tom have such abilities in spades, but the world tour's grimpeurs are probably too stick-like to last more than a lap or two in any belgian or dutch cyclocross event. and the ability to run quickly and efficiently can actually win races, as opposed to simply being a more expedient means of getting through thick gloopy mud without wearing a facial mud-pack as a result of the inevitable face-plant from the saddle.
and watching cyclocross has clearly shown that there is many an occasion when dismounting and running (or even walking very quickly) can prove quicker and more efficient than engaging the biggest sprocket you own and making contorted faces as you pedal. but what of those of us who would be hard-pressed to run the length of ourselves? thewashingmachinepost bike shed is only a few metres from the back door of the croft, yet i fear i might need to rest a few moments were i to run to extricate the bicycle on a sunday morning. and when we approach the col du rspb leading from aoradh farm, i have a premonition that, sooner or later, it will truly be quicker if i dismount and run.
granted, the latter would only apply if we assume the rider in question is shod with offroad shoes (he is) and recessed spd cleats. i surely can't be the only one who has fallen flat even when climbing the stairs to the loo at ardbeg distillery, wearing look cleats on the soles of my quoc road shoes? at least two of the velo club sunday morning peloton are also avid runners, but in this case it's a sporting discipline that a) looks way too hard and uncomfortable, and b) is treated as an entirely separate activity. so far, i have seen no evidence that the individuals concerned have made any attempt to apportion their running skills in the service of their cycling.
according to marty mcdonald and helen wyman, some of the more prominent cyclocross teams have drafted in running coaches, given the importance that such a skill can achieve in specific events within the various trofee series. as mentioned above, though i am all but obsessed with cyclocross, enthusaistically watching each and every race that eurosport/discovery+ choose to broadcast, that's sort of where it all ends. i put every effort into riding my 'cross bike through the grass on saturdays, but i can't dismount very well, i can't remount in the desired fashion at all, and, as advertised, i can't run the length of myself.
perhaps i ought to do something about that.
tuesday 12 november 2024
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