Bike News

Not too much going on lately when it comes to biking about in Athens. Me and the Marlin have been spending plenty of time together, especially on the road, commuting to and from school as always and riding for fun almost daily as well. Not much time hitting the mtn trails since I've had my first month at school, largely because my car wasn't in shape to go to some of the trails a bit further from town. Even such, I've discovered some new areas in Athens and have had a good time putting in road miles.



What has really been news lately on my end has been my recent discovery of the work of John Steinbeck. Beautiful tales about aching poverty that occurs in the fertile and gorgeous california countryside.



"Then I'll be around in the dark. Ill be ever'where - wherever you look. Wherever theres a fight so hungry people can eat, I'll be there. Wherever there's a cop beatin' up a guy, I'll be there... I'll be in the ways guys yell when they 're mad an' - I'll be in the way kids laugh when they're hungry and they know supper's ready. An' when out folk eat the stuff they raise an' live in the houses they build - why, I'll be there."
-Tom Joad

I got really excited about The Grapes of Wrath as I worked through it. It's a 600+ page book, just like Steinbeck's East of Eden. The book wasn't quite as good as EoE, but the dialogue that was written in dialect of the time was rich and beautiful.

Before reading Grapes, I read Steinbeck's Cannery Row. This short novel tells the story of a bayside community in Monterey. It's really beautiful, and follows poignant characters. I would recommened it to anyone, especially because it's so short, perfect for a flight or a road trip. Right now I'm reading the sequel to Cannery Row, Sweet Thursday. Just can't get enough of John Steinbeck and the classics.

I also picked up some Theoreau at the library, and plan on reading A Week On the Concord and Merrimack Rivers this week. Walden should be after that. Picking up these books from the library has made me think back on a point from a lecture in sociology. Despite efforts to make reading more and more digital, it seems that many people have accepted the book as the perfect, terminal level of technology for it's purpose. It's cheap, simple, easy to use and durable. Unless you're a heavy traveler or a gadget fan, you probably don't have a comparably expensive, fragile e-reading device. There's just nothing like the feeling of a good old fashioned book.