12/18/24
November 16, 2004
***SPOFI LOCKER ROOM INTERVIEW #23*** dusted: "Sure, fire away!" I'm firing my interview engines for photographer and long-distance motorcyclist extraordinaire, dusted!
posted by worldcup2002 to navel gazing at 05:39 PM - 82 comments
wow, dude. what a trip. i'm envious beyond my normal threshold of envy.
posted by garfield at 05:58 PM on November 16, 2004
I've tried a lot of individual sports and I seem to consistently: 1. not train very hard, 2. have a good time, and 3. place very poorly. I think #1 and #3 are related somehow. My best sport by far is swimming. I raced on my college team (100 and 200 Breaststroke, 200 and *gah* 400 Individual Medley). I loved every minute of it, but I never won a race. Even doing masters swimming now, where the level of competition ranges from barracudas to beer bellys, I still haven't won. But I'm an optimist - it's going to happen one of these days! Probably if I ever decide to get out of bed and in the pool on a regular basis. So "dusted" is fitting with my athletics career to this point.
posted by dusted at 06:37 PM on November 16, 2004
I'm envious, too garfield. I'm sitting in an office wishing I was back out there!
posted by dusted at 06:37 PM on November 16, 2004
I thought it had something to do with your real name. Dusty Davis, that is your name, no? Well, whatever it is, Dusty is pretty cool. And especially appropriate when you're on long bike rides.
posted by worldcup2002 at 06:55 PM on November 16, 2004
Q2. But speaking of bike rides, why did you do it?
posted by worldcup2002 at 06:57 PM on November 16, 2004
I thought it had something to do with your real name. I knew I was forgetting something.
posted by dusted at 07:32 PM on November 16, 2004
I thought it had something to do with your real name. It's not about the, you know, drugs? Come on!
posted by billsaysthis at 07:43 PM on November 16, 2004
Why he did it: So I'm going on a ride. I mean, it's right there on the top of his homepage. Boy oh boy.
posted by billsaysthis at 07:44 PM on November 16, 2004
As billy (relax, man...) caught, I've written a little bit about my motivations, but it basically came down to "I want to see America." I have a sister that lives in Alabama, and I've flown out there a couple of times, but besides that I had never been out of the western states. I'd been to Europe many times (Swiss girlfriend) and visited parts of Canada, but I'd never seen my own country. The dollar sucks against other currencies right now, so that makes international travel very expensive. Going cross-country is something I've wanted to do since reading "Travels with Charley" by John Steinbeck. A lot of things added up to make me think it was the perfect time to do it. As far as riding a motorcycle: I rode my old bike up to Vancouver and back about four years ago, and I've been addicted to motorcycle touring since. It's very different from traveling in a car. You're IN the landscape rather than looking AT it. If it's cold, you're cold; if it's hot, you sweat. When I got back, I drove a car for the first time in over a month and I said "how do you SEE out of this thing?!" People react different if you're on a bike: they'll come up and talk to you every time you stop). My bike gets about 45 mpg, so that's also nice. It's a fun way to travel. And the helmet hair makes you handsome, uhh... interesting.
posted by dusted at 07:58 PM on November 16, 2004
Oh, and unless you want to waste a few evenings of your life reading one of the funniest and best-written ride reports ever, don't click this link. Someone needs to offer that guy a book deal. The rest of the website is full of stories from people that ride motorcycles all over the world having great adventures.
posted by dusted at 08:08 PM on November 16, 2004
dusted, I just read the stories and looked through the photos of your trip. Amazing. I'm awed and envious.
posted by 86 at 08:27 PM on November 16, 2004
Great pictures of your trip, dusted. Sorry to hear about the bad experience in Ontario. I would have loved to have seen some stuff from Quebec, too...
posted by sauril at 09:26 PM on November 16, 2004
Thanks, sauril. Wow. I justed looked in iPhoto and realized that I didn't take a single shot in Quebec. It was raining and I was still shell-shocked from the bear visit, but that still suprises me. I visited Quebec last summer, flying into Montreal for a week, then taking a bus to Quebec (City) and some of the smaller towns around Chicoutimi. Sainte-Rose-du-Nord was my favorite - I really loved it. I was surprised at the animosity toward the French that I encountered on this trip through Ontario. Any time I'd mention that I was heading toward Quebec, I'd get some truck driver saying racist crap. I thought only we did that kind of stuff. It's particularly disappointing because I had such high expectations going in.. I'll have to visit again sometime to erase the bad impression. Here's a photo from outside Montreal last year: 
"Aromatherapy for men."
posted by dusted at 10:43 PM on November 16, 2004
Come on, what about the drugs already?
posted by billsaysthis at 10:56 PM on November 16, 2004
How can you not like the French with a billboard like that?
posted by smithers at 11:04 PM on November 16, 2004
Aromatherapy for Homies? Is this finally the signalling of Tupac's Bath and BodyWorks line? *steps in line for Colt .45 moisturizer*
posted by Ufez Jones at 12:33 AM on November 17, 2004
Q3. What's more interesting is: What kind of job, boss or company would give you the time off to do this?
posted by worldcup2002 at 12:45 AM on November 17, 2004
That's an amazing journey you took on there dusted. I'm slightly in awe. Just slightly.
posted by squealy at 07:20 AM on November 17, 2004
I'm a graphic designer... I've taken a month of vacation every summer for the last six years, and I've worked for several companies in that time. The first time I did it, I had never taken a vacation - ever. I was totally burnt out and got a last-second opportunity to go to Europe for a month. I told my boss "I'm leaving in a week, and I'll understand if I don't have a job when I come back." He told me "nah, you could use a break - see you when you get back." I went backpacking all over western Europe, and I've been doing the long vacations ever since. Half of it is unpaid, and it damn near bankrupts me every time, but it's worth it. I don't really relax until two weeks in, and then I can really enjoy myself. Each time I've mentioned it to a new employer they flip out, but after the first time it's easy. I've been working for this company for four years, and now my boss just asks "what month are you taking off?"
posted by dusted at 10:39 AM on November 17, 2004
Thanks, squealy. I'd like to ride around the UK some day (like when the dollar is worth more than the paper it's printed on).
posted by dusted at 10:42 AM on November 17, 2004
That's a great idea, dusted. I've always tried to negotiate for longer vacations. Here in Canada at least the minimum is 2 weeks a year, but I've always stuck to 4. That way I can take a few week long vacations, or one big one. re: Quebec. There is serious hostility between some English Canadians and French Canadians. The anglos see Quebecers as getting special treatment for everything, and the francos see their culture being eroded. it's tricky. Having lived in both Quebec and Ontario, it's safe to say that there are idiots on both sides.
posted by sauril at 12:08 PM on November 17, 2004
dusted, I think you are making us more envious the more you talk about your trip and the attitude, thinking, job that allows you to do these wonderful trips.
posted by worldcup2002 at 12:30 PM on November 17, 2004
Q4. Well, it figures that you're a graphic designer. Your site sure looks nice. But the photos are especially beautiful (in particular, Sorry Bird). What photog training do you have? What equipment did you use on the trip?
posted by worldcup2002 at 12:34 PM on November 17, 2004
The site design is the Blogger template Minima, created by Douglas Bowman, with a few minor tweaks. I graduated from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo's Art and Design program a few years ago, where I took several photography classes. The dead pheasant photos were taken in absolutely perfect light, which is why the color is so vibrant. I used a Canon S500 digital camera, connected to an 12" iBook G4 using iPhoto for organizing and Photoshop for optimizing. I ended up taking about 2300 photos, and I've put the best 75 or so on the site. I've never taken photography seriously, and I didn't go out expecting to make great pictures... I just wanted to document the trip for my family and friends. Every once in a while I'd see something so beautiful that I'd just hit the brakes and start shooting. I had a lot of luck, like the cloud hanging out behind Mt. Shasta. Man, that's a bunch of links.
posted by dusted at 01:07 PM on November 17, 2004
Having lived in both Quebec and Ontario, it's safe to say that there are idiots on both sides. There usually are. I'd like to find out more about the history of Canadian politics. It seems (from this outsider anyway) like the country is dominated by Toronto. Population, culture, wealth, etc. - it would be like having the White House in New York City.
posted by dusted at 01:19 PM on November 17, 2004
Man, I'm really jealous of that bike trip as well. I got 2 of the pre-requisites for a trip like this, a bike and a job that would allow me to do such a thing. However, there are two mitigating factors that are trumping those, a girlfriend who probably wouldn't want me doing this and lack of moolah. I will say, though, that I'm happy that others are able to do this and that they document it. Thanks for sharing your story.
posted by NoMich at 01:32 PM on November 17, 2004
The pictures are kickass. That is all. Continue.
posted by yerfatma at 01:40 PM on November 17, 2004
Well if you ever make that trip over here dusted be sure to drop in on me in little old Nottingham. I'll buy you a few pints of warm English ale (I'll be drinking ice cold lager though).
posted by squealy at 01:53 PM on November 17, 2004
It seems (from this outsider anyway) like the country is dominated by Toronto. Population, culture, wealth, etc. - it would be like having the White House in New York City. That's what Torontonians want you to think. If you talk to people from Montreal, BC, Alberta, the east, or the praries, they'll have different stories. Culturally, until about 15 years ago, Toronto was a curtural backwater, and in some ways it still is. The capital is actually in Ottawa, so it's kinda like Wahington / New York. I could talk for hours and hours about Canadian politics, so don't get me started here. I'd be happy to answer any questions in email, though, so feel free.
posted by sauril at 01:57 PM on November 17, 2004
The capital is actually in Ottawa Ignorance exposed, again.
posted by dusted at 02:06 PM on November 17, 2004
Toronto was recently named most multi-cultural city in the world, was it not?
posted by garfield at 02:09 PM on November 17, 2004
a few pints of warm English ale Is that one of the local flavors that the locals actually drink, or is it a tourist drink?
posted by dusted at 02:14 PM on November 17, 2004
"multi-cultural" is another word for boring. Living in Madison has convinced me of this.
posted by rocketman at 02:18 PM on November 17, 2004
It's not actually warm, despite what American tourists often claim, it just isn't as ice cold as the beer they're used to at home. Bitter, mild and stout are supposed to be served less cold than lager to keep the flavour. Loads of Brits drink these beers, they ain't just for tourists.
posted by squealy at 02:21 PM on November 17, 2004
whoa. somebody comparing Toronto and Madison? Toronto is a great city. There is a difference between Canadian multiculturalism and melting pot multiculturalism (which may or may not apply in Madison). Toronto was AWASH in flags during the World Cup in 2002, pretty much every nation in the tournament had a corner of the city where supporters could gather. Caribana. The Danforth. I'd never consider the international flavour of Toronto boring. Never.
posted by gspm at 02:34 PM on November 17, 2004
I was joking. Madison is often described as "multi-cultural", which as far as I can tell means we have lots of freaky white people and a strong gay population. And that one good Mexican grocery with the huge pork rinds hanging in the back.
posted by rocketman at 02:49 PM on November 17, 2004
My own ambivalence to Toronto's "culture dominance" aside, the place *is* extremely multicultural, in a distinctly non-boring way. There's lots to see in that town. Sauril is correct, though. I'm in Montreal now, and the attitude here is "Toronto who?", and not just in that knee-jerk big city hating way. Toronto only feels like the Centre of the Universe when you're in Toronto.
posted by Succa at 03:10 PM on November 17, 2004
I agree that Toronto's international flavour is pretty cool as you go from neighbourhood to neighbourhood, but I would agree with sauril that I don't think the city as a whole can hold a candle to Montreal or Vancouver, or even Edmonton, in terms of an overall cultural aesthetic.......but back to the interview.
posted by smithers at 03:14 PM on November 17, 2004
I remember a song that the montreal comedy/musical group Bowser and Blue would do about Toronto: "come to Toronto, come to Toronto, you can have a ball, whoops! to late last call!" That's changed recently, but the Protestant work ethic / puritanism of Toronto was much maligned in Montreal when I was growing up. ok, enough toronto talk from me...
posted by sauril at 04:24 PM on November 17, 2004
NoMich, my girlfriend wasn't happy about it, either. This was the first time we've taken separate vacations. Just tell her that absence really does make the heart grow fonder. Or, if you're mean like me, just tell her you'll get all the infidelity out of your system on one trip. ;) As far as money goes, well... like I said, it bankrupts me. I won't be a rich retiree, but I'll have already done a lot of the stuff people save for retirement. Why is everyone whispering about Toronto?
posted by dusted at 04:27 PM on November 17, 2004
'cause it's your interview.....
posted by smithers at 04:31 PM on November 17, 2004
I won't be a rich retiree, but I'll have already done a lot of the stuff people save for retirement Amen, brother, amen. Tell it like it is. I just came back from the funeral of a friend who died unexpectedly. So that statement is a little more poignant today. I think the envy may not be so much of your trip, but of your thinking and they way you live it out. Sniff.
posted by worldcup2002 at 04:41 PM on November 17, 2004
Q5. Ahem. So tell us about your ride. I thought it was a BMW. Man, Yamaha has started making some sexy bikes. And did you manage to sell the old bike?
posted by worldcup2002 at 04:43 PM on November 17, 2004
You wouldn't believe how many times my bike gets mistaken for a BWM. I take it as a compliment if you're thinking of this, but not if you're thinking this. It's a 2004 Yamaha FJR1300, which is something between a sport bike and a touring beast. It's comfortable enough to do a long trip and has built-in luggage, but it's still fun and fast. Very, very fast. Plus, when I loaded down the back of it with all my camping gear and other stuff, it was a lot easier to wheelie. I've still got my old bike, a 1986 Yamaha FZ750. Oddly enough, there's not much of a market for 18-year-old sportbikes with 130,000 miles.
posted by dusted at 05:18 PM on November 17, 2004
Uhh, I meant BMW. Stupid dyslexia.
posted by dusted at 05:36 PM on November 17, 2004
Wow. Great trip, and amazing photos.
posted by kirkaracha at 06:15 PM on November 17, 2004
I'm really sorry to hear about your friend, WC.
posted by dusted at 08:16 PM on November 17, 2004
Thanks. I'm just thinking "Life is too short." Q6. What do you do for fun, when you're away from the bike?
posted by worldcup2002 at 08:35 PM on November 17, 2004
Speaking of beautiful BMW bikes: wow! /proud owner of a 1972 R75/5
posted by NoMich at 09:19 PM on November 17, 2004
That's a sweet bike, NoMich. Sweet.
posted by worldcup2002 at 11:19 PM on November 17, 2004
unrelated, i think the interviews should have roman numerals. this one would be XXIII. which looks kind of cool and super bowly. yeah, maybe life is too short. why did i waste time posting that?
posted by gspm at 06:51 AM on November 18, 2004
my condolences, of course, wc2k2. Is that a drive shaft, NoMich? Didn't know that idea has been around for so long? dusted, how far up the speedometer did you get your ride?
posted by garfield at 08:07 AM on November 18, 2004
I was about to ask gspm "what's 'bowly'?" But then I got it. heh heh heh.
posted by lil_brown_bat at 08:20 AM on November 18, 2004
Yeah, BMW has been making shaft drive bikes for generations. And just in case people are thinking that the picture I linked to is *my* bike, all I have to say is, "I fucking wish!" That bike is from the 1920s. This one is mine. Not nearly as pretty as the 1920s bike that I linked to, but it is a beaut in its own right. And yeah, Dusted, don't try to tell us that you didn't wind that sucker up on the desolate roads. How fast did you get it going?
posted by NoMich at 09:05 AM on November 18, 2004
unrelated, i think the interviews should have roman numerals. this one would be XXIII. which looks kind of cool and super bowly. Rad. I'd've been the triumph of Joe Namath's wild hair.
posted by Ufez Jones at 10:35 AM on November 18, 2004
Hell, I typed up a big response, and then lost it when I clicked a link in an email. I do a bunch of things for fun, but they seem to come and go pretty quickly. In the last year I've started vegetable gardening, painted (paintings), played wayyy too much fantasy sports, swam and ran with a masters team, and watched pro basketball and football at the pizza place down the street. I disconnected my cable three months ago to see if I could stop watching so much TV. I definitely watch less, but now I just spend more time in bars watching TV and downloading TV shows off bittorrent. Ah, addictions. RE: gardening. I went to Home Depot last weekend to buy some manure to rototill into the soil. I came up with a few hundred variations of "What did you buy?" and "oh, just some old shit" on the drive home. I've been a near shut-in the last few weeks since the daylight savings time change. I really don't see how any daylight was "saved" - it's dark when I come home and it wasn't before. Who cares about the morning people, anyway? They want to get up that early, let them do it in the dark. I've been hiking on my lunch breaks just to get some sun... I was starting to get a little gloomy from the short days.
posted by dusted at 11:54 AM on November 18, 2004
And yeah, Dusted, don't try to tell us that you didn't wind that sucker up on the desolate roads. How fast did you get it going? Actually, I never got going really fast on this trip. Every time I got it moving in some deserted place, I'd think about how bad it would be if I crashed there. There were a few places (central South Dakota and northern Ontario) where you might not see another person for hours, and forget about a cell signal. I was probably going around 95 or 100 when I hit the bird, and that shook me up enough that I slowed down after that. When I got closer to home on the way back, going through the Mojave Desert, I did a couple of WFO runs.
posted by dusted at 12:02 PM on November 18, 2004
Q7. What's a WFO? What vegetables are in your garden? What do you eat with those vegetables? What do you use to wash it all down?
posted by worldcup2002 at 01:48 PM on November 18, 2004
WFO: wide fucking open. Right now I have snap peas, leeks, carrots, a few different kinds of lettuce, celery, parsley, spinach, radish, chard, plus a few others. I'm still planting. I keep threatening to grow a few "other" herbs, but I'll need a more tucked-away garden for that. You know the line in Pulp Fiction where Jules says: Well, if you like hamburgers give 'em a try sometime. Me, I can't usually eat 'em 'cause my girlfriend's a vegetarian. Which more or less makes me a vegetarian, but I sure love the taste of a good burger. That's me - a default vegetarian because of my girlfriend. I eat an odd mix of super-healthy vegetarian food at breakfast and dinner, and burgers, steaks or chicken for lunch. Every once in a while I'll make a gut bomb breakfast of eggs, bacon, sausage and thick toast, with lots of butter and salt and it's kind of funny seeing her freak out about it. It probably has as much fat as she eats in an entire week. I like to drink Hefeweizen or Corona if I'm drinking a beer (love the lemon/lime), and Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon if I'm drinking wine. I've designed a few websites and labels for local wineries, and it's nice to know some of my favorites were made in small batches just over the hill.
posted by dusted at 02:48 PM on November 18, 2004
I was starting to get a little gloomy from the short days. Full spectrum light boxes are your winter/SAD friend!
posted by billsaysthis at 04:33 PM on November 18, 2004
Q8. Back to the road trip. What was the best part? What was the worst? What would you do differently? What revelations did you have during those long hours of thinking?
posted by worldcup2002 at 08:05 PM on November 18, 2004
OK, the worst was definitely getting a visit from a bear while camping. The rest I'll have to think about...
posted by dusted at 08:12 PM on November 18, 2004
The best part was meeting people, and that happened constantly during the entire trip. I particularly enjoyed meeting people in non-touristy places... I went through some parts of Mississippi where the kids chased after me like I was Peter Pan. There's not many travelers going through there! If there were highlights, I'd choose the energy in New York City, the subtle beauty of Yellowstone, and the incredibly friendly and open people in met in Arkansas. I honestly wouldn't do much differently. I'd be more careful with my food when camping in bear country, of course. I'd probably stay in the U.S., since I've never seen the heart of the midwest - Ohio, Illinois, etc. It seems kind of crazy to go all the way across the country and miss the heartland! What revelations did you have during those long hours of thinking? Well, I didn't turn into a communist revolutionary (I just saw the Motorcycle Diaries last night). Everyone kept saying "you have to see this, since you just did the same thing." The sense of adventure was the same, but not much else. When I was out in the middle of nowhere, I felt like I was slowing down, literally and mentally. If I was moving slow, just enjoying the road, I knew it was a good day. When I caught myself speeding along, worrying about making time, I knew it was time to stop and relax. I thought a lot about my grandmother, who passed away last year. I'm not a religious person, but I did meditate on the meaning of life and the short window we have. The traveling takes planning, but riding the bike frees you from distractions. There's no radio, cell phone, people - there's no one but yourself. My mind wandered all over the place.
posted by dusted at 11:12 AM on November 19, 2004
My mind wandered all over the place. Poetic.
posted by worldcup2002 at 11:21 AM on November 19, 2004
Q9. Notice we haven't talked about sports during this interview. Let's change that a little. How did you make it to SpoFi? What keeps you here?
posted by worldcup2002 at 11:22 AM on November 19, 2004
My mind wandered all over the place. Isn't it odd that in a so-called "knowledge economy", we take so little time to just think?
posted by smithers at 12:09 PM on November 19, 2004
I came here after seeing the site mentioned on Metafilter. I like the way everything is more tongue-in-cheek and less predictable than Mefi. There's also a nice sense of community from the interviews and fanasy sports stuff. I keep coming back because this is the only place I've found where sport is discussed well and doesn't sound like "OMG! Who Saw that LeBron dunk???????????" It's OK to have strong opinions as long as you argue them well, and it's OK to screw around, too. Nobody jumps down your throat... except in a few religion threads like Yankees-Sox. I also like the international flavor and the way EPL Fantasy threads seem to go over 100 comments every damn week.
posted by dusted at 01:34 PM on November 19, 2004
we take so little time to just think? Most of us don't have enough time in our schedule to do all the stuff we want - who has time to think?
posted by dusted at 01:35 PM on November 19, 2004
Less thinking, more dunking, please.
posted by Samsonov14 at 01:57 PM on November 19, 2004
OMG!!! OMG!
posted by dusted at 02:04 PM on November 19, 2004
I've never really spent alot of time team/sport message-boarding, and now I know why. Perhaps there is a new spofi feature lurking: worst/easiest to mock/best/etc message board thread of the week/month/etc????
posted by garfield at 02:48 PM on November 19, 2004
LOL! AFK. ROTFLMAO. WTF. KBYE.
posted by worldcup2002 at 03:28 PM on November 19, 2004
A/S/L??!!11one! NE1 4 H4WtTuBB? J0|n M3 n #uf3z!!!11!one!1
posted by Ufez Jones at 03:30 PM on November 19, 2004
Q10. Yeah. A final deep thought please. What media make you think? What specific books, mags, papers, shows, movies, etc., make you think?
posted by worldcup2002 at 03:44 PM on November 19, 2004
And you're up next, sauril. Next week.
posted by worldcup2002 at 03:44 PM on November 19, 2004
sounds good to me, I'm stepping away from the computer this weekend after 19 straight days of work.
posted by sauril at 03:50 PM on November 19, 2004
Good gawd. Talk about taking time to stop and think. Have a good rest, sauril.
posted by worldcup2002 at 03:59 PM on November 19, 2004
Here's an off-topic bit - sorry for being late. Ahem. Toronto lacks culture in comparison to Edmonton?? You have got to be kidding me. Hey, everyone knows Montreal kicks ass and Vancouver has had a chip on its shoulder for decades, but Edmonton?? Dear god, I know y'all can't stand my town, but that is ridiculous. Ah, the price of being the biggest place with the most money. What the fuck do you mean by culture anyway? 'I do not think the word means what you think it means'. Whew.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 05:20 PM on November 19, 2004
Sorry for the delay - I went fishing this weekend and only checked in to see how the basketbrawl arguments were going. Online reading material: I read a lot of blogs. Of that list, sportsBabel, by our very own smithers, makes me go "hmmmmmmmm..." quite a bit. Books: I discovered Pete Dexter's book Train on our very own Fat Buddha's blog, and I'm reading another book by Dexter now (Paris Trout). He writes about characters that are out of sync with the society around them - I'm starting to wonder why I can relate with them so well... TV and movies: I don't know if they make me think, but I'm enjoying catching up with all the Sopranos episodes on DVD. Films I enjoy: anything by the Coen brothers, and especially The Big Lebowski and Fargo. I also like lot of the latest movies either made or set in Mexico, like Amores Perros and Traffic. Thanks for interviewing me!
posted by dusted at 11:51 AM on November 22, 2004
And thanks for making it so easy. Cheers, dusted. Keep on ridin'!
posted by worldcup2002 at 12:20 PM on November 23, 2004
Let's get the formalities out of the way. Q1. What's up with the nickname?