On December 14, 1996, I went to see the Smashing Pumpkins at the Cow Palace, in San Francisco, California.  Opening acts were Cake from nearby Sacramento and Garbage, from wherever Garbage was from. I went with Debbie {redacted}. After 19 years am I still expected to have memories of the show? I recall that it was a fine show, but my only lasting memory is that Cake had a song “Going the Distance” or something that because it was on the radio and had a 'race car' theme that there were lots of little kids there.  It’s interesting as I left the Bay Area in 1998, and since then have seen Debbie {redacted} three times, but you know in my mind she is still young and beautiful, but her birthday was a couple days ago and she’s 49 years old now.  Holy Fuck! If somehow I was to become single again, and she said 'oh I’m single too we should get together'.  I would think about the good times we had together, and then would think 'Holy fuck lady, you’re just too old'.  I’m no Judge Roy Moore or anything, but if I was too look for a new wife it would probably be a large breasted 26 year old from Indonesia.  And by large, I mean a decent size, that stand out, rather than drift down.

So I have very specific ideas about navigation while bicycle touring.  Number one is to keep to as small as road as possible.  In Thailand this works out OK, as there is just a plethora of roads, and by taking a smaller road, it normally doesn’t add a significant number of kilometers as opposed to the main road. For example I cycled to Dannok today, mostly on smaller roads, and it came out to 83.5 km.  If I had used the main road it would have been 60-65. I navigate using Google Maps, usually the walking route option. The system I use is to break the ride into three or four pieces, today my first piece was 23 km, my second 32, my third 31. After completing each section I recalibrate and set the next sections route.  This works good as you can more easily keep off the main roads.  To add to this system, and maybe make things interesting, I listen to music when I ride.  I have a JBL speaker and will put on an album and listen to the entire thing, and while listening I navigate by pure instinct and once the album is finished, I look where I am and then recalibrate.  This system works best when you have an early start, and an average 80 km day planned.  If the km go higher, it’s not much of an issue.  

On October 23, 1995, the band The Smashing Pumpkins released their most ambitious work, Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. At release it went to the #1 spot on Billboards top 200 chart.  It received great reviews, even though it was a double album and sprawled out of control for 28 songs.  Last week I read that the Smashing Pumpkins were reforming we’re going to release a new CD and go on tour. I felt nostalgic.  I went over to the Pirate Bay, and download this album and one others of theirs.  Today, I didn’t listen to music for a while.  The JBL speaker is loud, but I didn’t feel like  blasting it to barely hear it above the traffic noise of leaving Hat Yai.  I put the aforementioned CD on a couple hours into the ride.  The album starts out very, very strong, with iconic song after iconic song. After the first hour or so, it starts to drag.  Possibly, because I am perennially sad, listening to Billy Corrigan sing of his saddnesses for two hours became a test of endurance much more demanding than today's ride.  By the time Billy finished singing of his sadness, I was well off course and 1 km off the main highway.  I finished up the ride, cycling down the main highway listening to Vampire Weekend, and was in a much less depressed mood as I pulled into the ever so depressing Dannok.

Heart

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