My wife never bought into what I thought was a clever nickname for our big bike. Karate Donkey seemed like a natural winner to me, given its cross pedigree as a Surly Karate Monkey and an Xtracycle beast of burden. And Ruby’s a big Shrek fan, so it gave me the opportunity to do a little, “Donkehhhh? DONKEH!” for her. Good match, eh?

But it gets better. A couple friends, D&M from NYC, came down to visit, and I introduced D, via the internet, to the sublime Soma “Morning Rush” Bicycle Coffee Holder. There’s two reasons I love this guy:

• He agreed that I absolutely need a Morning Rush coffee holder and mug. Maybe two.
• He caught a connection between the bike and the commuter mug, and introduced me, via the internet, to Highteen Boogie.

So who’s Highteen Boogie? Why, they’re a power punk trio of Japanese women, out of New York. And what’ve they got to do with the Karate Donkey, and the Morning Rush?

I’m glad you asked.

Coffee Donkey! Coffee Donkey!

But the esteemed Mrs. Higgins is still not budging, and she’s also let it be known in no uncertain terms that I do not have the go-ahead to order my new favorite commuter mug. Or two of them. So, what would you name a black Karate Monkey, with Big Apples, and a black double kid’s seat. Oh, and there’s Pearl sparkle vinyl involved, that’s coming soon. Any ideas?

Better still, know any irrefutable arguments as to why I can’t live without the coffee cup and holder?

Okay, so this doesn’t have anything to do with Twin Peaks, but it is about a coop.

Via SurlyBlog, check out these photos from Eastside Egg Co-op at Zenger Farm of Portland, Oregon. This beautiful portable chicken coop is outfitted with a heavy heavy bad-ass Surly wheelset (Surly hubs, Large Marge rims and Endomorph tires), mounted to ISO-558-74 Chicken Coop Forks (fabricated by Sacha White of Vanilla Cycles).

Sustainable farming, pastured chickens, human powered farm equipment, bike geek participation… that right there’s a vision of a future that doesn’t suck, folks. Big salute to everyone involved, nice work, and great pics!

Mmmm eggs. And flour, lard, and sugar. And cherries. And coffee.