August 27th, 2007
Don’t worry, I’m still not ready to let you know my personal feelings about “Revolution”, I mean, political revolution, not now and maybe not in the so near future (but I’m working on it).
A couple of weeks ago I read this good article about Jack London’s memoir “The Road” and its relation with the more famous Kerouac’s Road. The article is a “preview” of the following Jonah Raskin’s anthlogy, “The Radical Jack London: Writings on War and Revolution” which it will be published next year. I did’t read much of London, probably something when I was a kid, you know some of “The Call of the Wild”, “White Fang”, that kind of stories. In my mind London’s been for many years a writer of “children stories” and even during college I did’t had the chance to go into his works. I think that, thanks to Raskin’s next book I’d eventually hit the road to London.
August 18th, 2007
If you want to eat the best apple pie, then go to Col du Lautaret on the French Alps. I don’t know what’s their secret ingredient, but everytime I stop there I couldn’t help buying this awesome pie. They also have other great pies, one filled with blueberry jam (homemade) and another one made of dry fruits topped with honey. If you are in the area or if you think to pass through the col in the future , don’t miss those pies: once reached the col it’s not difficult to find them ‘couse there’s only one shop who sells pies (and other regional products such as cheese and hams).
Tomorrow I’ll be back at home. (I’m currently writing from Montgenevre). I spent a great week in the mountains, training for my probably last race of the year, next september. I rode almost 500 kms with more than 10.000 metres of ascent, climbing new cols and lowering my personal best on the Alpe D’Huez, now set at 53min 55sec.
day 1: Montgenevre – Briancon – Col du Lautaret – Bourg d’Oisans – Alpe D’Huez (2 cols, 92km, 1950m ascent).
day 2: Alpe D’Huez – Alpe D’Huez (1 col, 42km, 1150m ascent).
day 3: Alpe D’Huez – Barrage du Verney – Col de la Croix de Fer – Pont de Belleville – Col du Mollard – S. Jean de Maurienne – S.Michel de Maurienne – Col du Telegraphe – Valloire – Col du Galibier – Bourg d’Oisans – Alpe D’Huez (5 Cols, 205km, 5300m ascent).
day 4: Briancon – Guillestre – Col d’Izoard – Briancon – Montgenevre (2 Cols, 102km, 2360m ascent).
August 7th, 2007
We’ve officialy entered the Jack Kerouac Awareness Month as it’s been named today by a nytimes reviewer. It’s the 50th anniversary of the publication of “On The Road”, released the first time on Sept 5th, 1957; a new edition of Kerouac’s most famous book will be published to commemorate the anniversary on August 16th : “On The Road: The Original Scroll”, a must have for every Kerouac die-hard readers (including myself, of course). Alongside this new edition, a couple of other books are going to be released, Jack Leland’s “Why Kerouac Matters” and another memoir, Kerouac’s first wife Edie Kerouac-Parker “You’ll be Ok: My Life With Jack Kerouac”, both out on August 16th, too. I pre-ordered the first two, but honestly I don’t need another memoir, even if it’s from Kerouac’s wife.
In the meanwhile a nice article from The Guardian:
America’s First King of The Road
