Rock and Roll Will Never Die

And neither will this blog.

Goldsmith5 has just been on vacation. And stuff.

Actually, the reasoning behind the lack of blogs has nothing to do with laziness as it has to do with the fact that we are having technical difficulties. You see, Callum dropped our camera on the driveway a while back, and lately, it just wont work. It is like a 70 year old woman in the fact that you have to work really, really hard just to turn it on, and even then, it doesnt last long. The battery goes out fast. So, that being said, we have no way to show any of the great pictures we have been taking lately--we had a great weekend down in Mass with my parents, we spent a week in Rangeley, Maine with the Willards, and we've just been doing some neat stuff.

So pictures have been holding me back. But I guess it is still "something" to write what we have been doing--even if we cant post pictures right now. So there.

For a guy who HATES summer, I have to say this has been one of extraordinary circumstances: It has been the LONGEST vacation I have ever had, and I cannot simply underscore the blessing it has been to be home with Callum all summer (and Amanda too two days per week!). With a season pass to Lake George, a canoe, a bike, a bike trailer, and constant visits to the library (at least once per week) it has been an amazing ride. School starts Monday and, although I love my job to death, it is a bittersweet starting for me, because I fear this may be my last year teaching English at WInslow High School for a while. I have neither the time nor the energy to go into detail--and I havent really written anything about it on here at all--but needless to say it is going to be difficult to put my heart into things this year. I am praying for the best and that all will work out.

Here's something funny: At dinner the other night at Cacciatore's, the waitress comes over and asks what we want to drink. Amanda says "water" and I say the same. The waitress says "okay then, waters all around," pointing to Callum too. Callum responds with a lucid "I want a beer." Good times.

I promise to be more upstanding with this blog.

As a closing, I dont know how many of you out of stater's are aware, but Maine just passed a law banning loud exhausts on motorcycles. This is my all time favorite law. Thus, the fat leatherphiles have come out in full force, complaining how the law "oppresses" them, makes no sense, is unfair, and "puts them in danger," as their mantra has become "loud pipes save lives." Their convoluted thinking has led them to truly believe that their loud exhausts act as a safety measure, since cars are more likely to hear them if they are loud. This is so silly on so many levels, since, for one, everyone knows they just like loud pipes to compensate for the fact that they are insecure with their manhood. Which is why I spend 30% of my life in spandex biker shorts. Anyway, I am sick of reading their straw man arguments in the paper, so I decided to write my own letter, which appeared yesterday. I leave you with it.

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August 25

Motorcyclists concerned about safety; wear helmets

I am getting so tired of reading the same whiny letters from motorcycle riders, complaining about the new laws and their loud bikes. Get over it.

And the argument about "loud pipes save lives" is absolutely hilarious. If these folks are so concerned about safety, then why don't they first lobby for all their compatriots to wear helmets. Then, maybe their severely flawed argument about "loud pipes are safer" would be considered.

I find it so contradictory that half of the motorcyclists I see don't wear helmets in Maine, yet the police are going to ticket me for not wearing a seatbelt?

Finally, where are all the bicyclists whining and complaining? I ride about 80 miles per week on busy, backcountry roads with horrible shoulders. My road bike is beautifully silent, and I can enjoy nature.

Should I get something on my bike that makes noise? Oh. That's right. I ride responsibly. And I wear a helmet.

Jared Goldsmith

Fairfield