Fallin' madly in lava

"I don’t know where I’m a-gonna go when the volcano blows."

—Jimmy Buffett

Just to keep things spicy during the dark months, we now have three volcanoes listed at yellow on the “Current Level of Concern” chart, and two of 'em in are in Cook Inlet—including Mount Spurr, which is right across the water from Anchorage. Mount Augustine down in Jill’s neck of the woods is the most likely one to put on a show. To me, volcanoes are like hurricanes: very fun to watch. From a distance.

I had the chance to spend a few days on Augustine with some volcanologists a few years ago, so it’s fun to watch the reports and check out the aerial photos to see what’s happening in the areas where I camped and hiked. If lived a bit farther south, I might be checking prices on dust masks about now.

Quick clarification on my previous post. If it sounded like I'm against people riding electric bikes, it shouldn't have. I think they're silly, but I'd rather see people riding them than driving cars. I just don't think very many people want to ride them, which is why I think they're a bad idea to produce. They've been marketed for years and how often do you see anybody riding one? There's probably a reason that the easiest place to find one is at an RV dealership.

The biking has been slow the past week or so. First we had the Big Thaw, which turned everything to icy slop. Now we have snow but my schedule hasn't been conducive to bike commuting. Gotta get back on track in the morning. Most importantly, I'll remember to ride with pants.

Wasn't that a graceful transition? Yeah, I don't have much to post tonight, so I'm just gonna share some stories I found interesting. Your trip here won't be wasted. Seriously. It'll be more fun than working.

As mentioned in previous posts, my wife recently gave me an iPod nano. The first time my mother sees me use it, I'm sure she'll tell me that loud music is going to make me deaf. She has been telling me that since the '70s—especially after the time in high school when I backed my car out of the driveway with a metal garbage can rolling under my rear bumper. I pushed that sucker across the street and into the neighbor's ditch and never heard a thing.

And yeah, I had my windows rolled down. So what? I had the tunes crankin' baby! Ted Nugent, wherever you are, it's your damned fault that my kids roll their eyes when I say, "Huh? What? Stop mumblin' and speak up!"

And before anyone posts a comment about Ted Nugent, just remember it was the late '70s and I was a teenager in the Midwest. I was a Butthead before there was a Beavis. Like you don't have any skeletons in your closet.

Now they sell us iPods and Alabama 3 music. It's a conspiracy. Really. They're even encouraging us listen in our underwear. Is that an iPod in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?

Which reminds me, if you happen to get in the Christmas spirit and build a big snow unit in your front yard, don't forget to put up a sign telling the cops to stay the hell off your property.

Just because I've mean meaning to link to it, I'll mention that I don't always understand what I see there, but I always enjoy checking out the astronomy picture of the day. My daughter and I sometimes wade through the archives to see a couple of weeks worth of photos at a time. Shots like this composite image of Europe at night make the site worth regular visits.

That's about it, other than nominating Bretton Barber as Teenager of the Week for his knowledge of the First Amendment, standing up to The Man and being a good judge of bad character.