"like a cross between a hardcore bearded Texan and a pirate"

I'm dressed like Michael Pare from "Eddie & The Cruisers" today because I'm wearing a black sleeveless tee and trying to look tough and pained. "Sad But True" takes me up the escalator to the 33rd St. exit at 8th Ave. When you haven't heard it in a long time, Metallica's Black Album is practically succinct. I skip "Unforgiven" because it just doesn't do anything for me but everything else on it taps in to an energy that is good for a bike ride. I think a lot of people heard me singing the chorus going up 33rd toward 9th and making the left. There had been the massive "Inception" poster/billboard at that corner and it's been replaced by a mob-based video game. What a load of junk. Since the poster is atop a tall mixed-use building, the art on it -- a bunch of guys have already dropped some poor shlub off the rafter and he's mid-air -- is effective but it shows how dumb our nation's gamers are getting.

Approaching the highway, "The Creed" by MD 45 comes on. I bought this one 2 years ago pretty inexpensively on the internet brand new but it had Lee Ving's vox and not Mustaine's. I heard the remastered version on the now defunct lala.com and posted a review comparing the remaster and the former. This song is better with Ving's vocals because he's actually hitting the notes. I have no idea what he looks like but I imagine he looks like a cross between a hardcore bearded Texan and a pirate. I sing along shortly afterward to "Runnin' Wild" by Airbourne.

The sky is a blueish-gray today but not menacing enough to produce any rain. I'm sure it will later but not in the next few hours and I'd like to park the bike outside since I'm going to run during lunch again. ("Supercharger Heaven" - White Zombie)

"Can't Stop Rock & Roll" by AC/DC comes on at the WFCs and there aren't many tourists but of course there is one guy with a blonde crew cut taking a photo of WTC rebuilding effort and I yelled out a swear-free sarcastic comment about getting the shot in focus. My only gripe about Stiff Upper Lip is the tone/sound quality of the album as a whole. There's a major difference/improvement between the drum sound on Black Ice and if the band ever remasters Stiff (or have they?) I think it'd sound great.

I made the light over by Albany Street but the DOT really needs to smooth out the ground on the West Side of the Street. I decided to park the bike on the Nassau Street side of the building for later, which is the only reason why I'll include that "Hellfire" by Airbourne came and went too quickly for me to enjoy.

Thank you for reading.