[ExI] happy birthday robert pirsig

[spike]

I was on a weekend camping trip, so I didn't get a chance to post this on
the actual day which was yesterday, Robert Pirsig's 80th birthday.  

A few months ago, I and another fan of Pirsig formed an internet group which
tried to get possession the bike Pirsig rode in the story Zen and the Art of
Motorcycle Maintenance.  I was hoping to arrange for that bike to reside in
the DeYoung Museum, or some other museum in San Francisco, but Pirsig being
the true Zen master has zero interest in money and did not wish to sell or
even donate the bike.  

After our failure, we thought of various strategies, such as having someone
knock on the front door, and while Pirsig was distracted, we would sneak
around back and steal the bike.  Being as our group had no actual
experienced burglars, we eventually fell back to the next best resort, which
is to inform his daughter Nell that should she inherit the machine (and may
it be many many years hence) the bike is an extremely valuable literary
artifact.  Altho the fair market value of a similar model is a few hundred
dollars, this particular example is likely somewhere in the six digit range,
right up there with Steinbeck's Rocinante (which resides in a local museum
and in front of which I have worshipped humbly.)

Our own literary giant Damien Broderick could create a similar artifact
himself, should he decide to purchase any old creaky Detroit.  Yes I know he
doesn't drive due to eye problems, but any rust bucket would become
extremely valuable simply by having his name on the title.  The sale of such
a machine would more than cover the cost of cryonic suspension methinks.

spike