Thursday, August 21, 2008

I'd like a menu and a bucket to throw up in


How much is too much?

When do you know you've reached the point in collecting things that you've got what you want, or that you have the right amount to proceed, or even that you have all that you could ever need, or use, at any time.

For Igor Kenk, the known remained unknown to him.



The Toronto bike shop owner was arrested and charged with the theft, and possession, which makes the story interesting, of 2,396 bicycles.

Now I've got a bunch of bikes. I actually try to ride them all, from time to time, but only once or twice have my bike totals ever reached double digits.

2,396. How do you get to that point. Is it OCD? Is it mental illness? Is it a compulsion to cleanse the streets of bikes? Is it some sort of conspiracy by the auto industry, or the public transit folks?

According to the New York Times, Kenk worked closely with a number of street people, and would clip locks, take the bikes, and then place them in one of several storage sites he had across town. Folks knew to look first for their stolen bikes at Kenk's but that seemed to matter little to him, until he was caught in a sting. A bicycle sting of all things. Perhaps I'll post another time about how low crime must be in Toronto for the authorities to put together a sting operation for a bike thief.

But here's the kicker, and what either explains all of this, or is just a good coda. Also according to the Times, and I'll quote here, "As the police gathered the mounds of bikes, they also found cocaine, crack cocaine, about 15 pounds of marijuana and a stolen bronze sculpture of a centaur and a snake in battle."

Some guys. They just can't control themselves. Still, this guy must have had some crazy parties.

No comments: