Flat Stanley

The tradition continues.
I never had a Flat Stanley as a kid,
but he makes even the most redundant events
a little more eventful,
I suppose.

Stanley and I went out for a good ride,
pictures for the cousin's 'Stanley's Vacation'.
All documented.
He's a pretty good guy to ride with.
Just sits in the bag with nothing to say.
Sometimes you need that on a ride.

Boston

Boston for a few days.
Plenty of things on the 'to see & do' list,
but we'll see what I do.

Updates to follow.
Maybe.

Can't see it.

before the projects start
the shop bench needs to get cleaned off.
parts need sorting.
but first the lights need to be replaced.

I jumped into the middle of things
and realized,
I can't even see around the work bench.
something that will be my home away from home...
away from home through the winter months.

and since we jumped right into the REALLY cold
at the start of December...
it looks to be a long winter.

But the project list has begun.
And I said no more art shows for a while
(feeling VERY UN-inspired)
that didn't last long,
as I'm scrambling to drop for another show...
today.

There seems to be so many pots on the stove,
that I've resorted to tossing cans of crap
all over my figurative kitchen.

more to follow...

Check Lists

"Last Call" @ The Marketplace Gallery.
My final show for the year.
I'm running on fumes at this point.

Strange though,
the satisfaction of 'checking goals off'
isn't there.
It was the satisfaction of doing the tasks.
I'll expand on that later...
but it just occured to me as I was sorting out the noise,
the noise in my head of all the things still not completed.

One of my latest POSTS at the Times Union.

And...

This ONE.

Like inviting a few friends over for 'a drink'
this last part of the year has really gotten away from me!

Two months of multiple art shows,
the tail end of the cyclocross race season,
and all the day to day activities
of everyday life.

I started looking at this blog
and realized nothing has been updated
or maintained...

The dreaded FB is such an easy distraction,
I guess it's similar to a bag of chips
versus cooking an actual meal.

Quick and easy,
but never satisfying.

You, my little neglected electronic child,
will get more attention.
I hope.

All Saints Day!

dia de los Muertos!
Sadly there will be no candy skull tattoos for me today.
But I'll make up for that later, trust me!

Today will be an entire day of sorting,
and sitting in front of the computer.

The Mrs. pulled off a great Halloween party on Saturday night.
So good,
that I skipped my self imposed pre race bedtime,
and stayed up all night drinking by the fire pit.
THAT resulted in an awesome race six hours later.
So there's some photos from the Vermont Wicked Creepy race.
And some really bummed out guys that couldn't beat an old,
fat, very hung over guy.
Goal of NOT getting last, achieved!

That's really pathetic, actually.
So I think it was 30th out of 34 or 31st out of 36,
pretty bottom of the barrel.

So I shot masters, single speed, 3/4 and womens.
Then headed out.
Out where, you ask?
To shoot the best wedding ever!

My tattoo artist & friend.
A great mix of Halloween, rock 'n roll, and tattoo convention.
Complete with a bride in a hearse!
And today is my final day to prep for my first solo show,
opening this Friday @ The Wine Bar & Bistro!
PSYCHED!!!

Gems on the intra-net

"In her radio show, Dr Laura Schlesinger said that, as an observant Orthodox Jew, homosexuality is an abomination according to Leviticus 18:22, and cannot be condoned under any circumstance. The following response is an open letter to Dr. Laura, written by a US man, and posted on the Internet. It's funny, as well as informative:

Dear Dr. Laura:

Thank you for doing so much to educate people regarding God's
Law. I have learned a great deal from your show, and try to share that
knowledge with as many people as I can. When someone tries to defend
the homosexual lifestyle, for example, I simply remind them that
Leviticus 18:22 clearly states it to be an abomination ... End of
debate.

I do need some advice from you, however, regarding some other
elements of God's Laws and how to follow them.

1. Leviticus 25:44 states that I may possess slaves, both male
and female, provided they are purchased from neighboring nations. A
friend of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans, but not
Canadians. Can you clarify? Why can't I own Canadians?

2. I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as sanctioned
in Exodus 21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a
fair price for her?

3. I know that I am allowed no contact with a woman while she is
in her period of Menstrual uncleanliness - Lev.15: 19-24. The problem
is how do I tell? I have tried asking, but most women take offense.

4. When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it
creates a pleasing odor for the Lord - Lev.1:9. The problem is my
neighbors. They claim the odor is not pleasing to them. Should I
smite them?

5. I have a neighbor who insists on working on the Sabbath.
Exodus 35:2 clearly states he should be put to death. Am I morally
obligated to kill him myself, or should I ask the police to do it?

6. A friend of mine feels that even though eating shellfish is
an abomination, Lev. 11:10, it is a lesser abomination than
homosexuality. I don't agree. Can you settle this? Are there
'degrees' of abomination?

7. Lev. 21:20 states that I may not approach the altar of God if
I have a defect in my sight. I have to admit that I wear reading
glasses. Does my vision have to be 20/20, or is there some
wiggle-room here?

8. Most of my male friends get their hair trimmed, including the
hair around their temples, even though this is expressly forbidden by
Lev. 19:27. How should they die?

9. I know from Lev. 11:6-8 that touching the skin of a dead pig
makes me unclean, but may I still play football if I wear gloves?

10. My uncle has a farm. He violates Lev.19:19 by planting two
different crops in the same field, as does his wife by wearing
garments made of two different kinds of thread (cotton/polyester
blend). He also tends to curse and blaspheme a lot. Is it really
necessary that we go to all the trouble of getting the whole town
together to stone them? Lev.24:10-16. Couldn't we just burn them to
death at a private family affair, like we do with people who sleep
with their in-laws? (Lev. 20:14)

I know you have studied these things extensively and thus enjoy
considerable expertise in such matters, so I'm confident you can help.

Thank you again for reminding us that God's word is eternal and
unchanging.

Your adoring fan.
James M. Kauffman,
Ed.D. Professor Emeritus,
Dept. Of Curriculum, Instruction, and Special Education
University of Virginia

PS (It would be a damn shame if we couldn't own a Canadian)"

I'ld like more projects please!

After BIKE MONTH I had a little loss of motivation.
By little I mean total.
One part of a mass realization was:
"what am I doing with this blog?"
It's not always bike focused.
It's actually just posts on the randomness of my life,
and a part of my life is that I ride a bike.

So if it's not 100% bike,
who's gonna read it.

So I let it sit for a month.
And I concluded,
who cares?

Liberty on Bikes! is nothing more than the obvious
that being on a bike
gives you liberty.

And this blog is the online diary
of a guy randomly stumbling through life.
Nothing more, maybe alot less.



So after six or seven years,
I finally made some progress in building 'the' ramp.
and it's slowly taking shape.

We have two foster dogs with us.
Yeah, that's nothing new or shocking.
But one reminds us of Pig,
our dog who passed after fourteen years,
and the best dog ever
(everyone uses that, but in this case it's true).

I finally got around to getting a domain name,
and started to build a page for my work,
since that's the first thing I get asked.

Still unsure what to do with the bicycle coalition.
Can't find the motivation or inspiration to make things happen.
I have no dream, therefore no plan.

Broke the phone, but now we're operational.
So the best use of time is to do mobile posts (quality huh?).

And there we go.
It's been a week out from the last post.
I feel like a chef who is making six pots of mac & cheese,
nothing quality & tasty, just time consuming....

self imposed exile...

Much like quitting your job,
then realized,
it's not gonna' get any better.
It's another version of the same.

At the heart of "it",
I think I tried to shed the identity of "being a cyclist".
I spent a month borrowing the car to go to work.
Even the camera took some time off.
Painted.
Visited the skate shop, not the bike shop.
Drove to the galleries,
and realized it takes twenty more minutes to find a parking spot,
than to ride my bike there.

Blew off the yearly charity ride,
that has been a staple for the last four years.

MAYBE YOU ALWAYS RODE.
YOU NEVER GAVE UP THE BIKE.

MOST OF US GAVE UP THE BIKE.
Then "rediscovered" it.
Then gave it up again.
And picked it back up again.
The neglected girlfriend that will always take you back.

Everything's OK, right?

on vacation. forever?

Sorry to all of those people who check in-
to a non-updated blog,
just sitting here idle,
let's just finish this thing off for good.

Where do you begin?
There are so many tangents.

THERE IS A SHIFT.

I have become quite comfortable.
In my scheduled T.U. post,
my easy commute job,
the quick meaningless Facebook posts,
the monthly submission to the Gallery,
the local bicycle coalition,
the random opinionated posts I leave here,
all of it.




I'm going nowhere fast.
It's been a year and I still haven't built my site,
my photos are not easy to see,
my art work is not developing,
my free time is not free,
while I get productivity squeezed from me at work,
I come home and flop onto my couch,
and mindlessly exist in front of the tv for hours.



I frantically tried to gather art for a different gallery.
I realized I'm still addicted to cars,
despite how much I loath the thought of them.
I didn't ride my bike for a week.
I didn't post on the T.U. site.
I didn't do anything yet for bike month.....
Should I have a bike focused blog?
Who cares?
Maybe my effort should be more focused,



TITLES:
Hate them, or ignore them, or live by them.
My first title is a father,
and there lies that struggle of:
sacrificing dreams in order to provide
and
realizing THIS is your life that you must LIVE (now) -
to it's fullest.
I am still trying to figure that process out,
every day.

I am also a cyclist,
but not a racer,
or for fitness.

It started for fitness,
then was misguided for awhile,
then rebeled against the car driven culture,
and eventually reconnected with the childhood -
fun of simply riding a bike.

And with support of the art community,
I finally feel comfortable with the implied label-
artist.




So,
Liberty on Bikes!?
What's that?
I don't know.
A thought.
A statement.
A domain name search I could own.
But for the limited time I don't have control of,
and the focus needed,
I think LoB is going on vacation,
while I retool/reconfigure my life.



Similar to an escape plan....

Poet's Night Out (is more)

As mentioned previously,
and previously again,
Jason from Rocbike.com contacted me to do originally
a photograph for his first book of poetry.
I was feeling not-so-inspired.
Lucky for both of us,
he really liked a random painting I recently did.
And that was it.
I met my obligation, moving on to the next thing.
So I thought.

As with everything Jason does,
there's another, farther reaching dynamic.
I'm now painting and carrying a camera.
My third showwith a painting is in a week.
And with this particular painting,
at first I thought Jason deserved to own it,
since in a roundabout way I'm now published,
thanks to him.

Then, in the back of my mind, I worried,
"what if it's my lucky painting"
"what if it's the only successful painting"
maybe I should hold on to it.

This last week Jason asked to purchase it.
Well, in a way it's already his, I thought.
With his book debute at a local tavern,
it's only proper that the painting also be there.
I can paint another,
something just as good,
off I went for canvas and paint.
And we agreed on a price.

On a cold and raining night,
little Wednesday Addams and I headed out to the tavern.
It was open mic night.
Several people read.
Some held my interest, others not.
Jason got up to read from his book with the painting in hand.
He explained the story of the cover.
I had forgotten.
That it's the only book that publisher has printed,
with no print on the cover,
as to not take away from the artwork.
Jason then went into a poem
that had me humming a Johnny Cash song.

Then I noticed it.
This little guy to the side of the stage.
Waiting.
Observing.
To many it's nothing that shocking.
But it's the subtle careful pathlike steps.
Something, that as a father and a son,
hit me.

The inspiration we have on those little people running around us.

Following his father's footsteps?
Maybe.

Yellow

playing catch up,
submissions are due for the next show,
tonight!

Battenkill UCI invitational is Sunday!

Still haven't gone through all of the photos.

BikeBike! NorthEast is next weekend!

May is the all consuming Bike Month!

Along with the family activities,
and spring cleaning,
I'm doomed.....

need to take time

a realization of the temporary
we already have disposable products,
now we have disposable communications.

It's so quick and easy.
But there's little quality within.

And I'm waist deep in it.
With FB and an iphone,
continually posting random photos
and little quips.

At the end of Sunday's activities
I took some time on the way home.

Plans were in place earlier.
Tripod already loaded,
found my camera remote that is always lost,
actually there's two that are 'lost'.
And took some time...

Thank You!

I appreciate the support.
Sometimes I link a post into that addictive FB,
and was surprised that people actually check into this blog.

Suppose maybe It'ld see more traffic
if I paid more attention to it?

Then I realize
it's actually self therapy.
Something for me,
and maybe once in awhile
someone will relate.

Thanks.

why?

why do I bother?
why even make the effort?
I wasn't even expecting the funk since spring is here...

Maybe it's my long lingering cold,
that leaves me with no energy by the evening time.

Or the six day work weeks,
and the stress of doing other people's jobs,
in addition to mine.

This blog.
The Times Union blog.
Wasting time on Facebook.
The Bicycle Coalition (and upcoming Bike Month).
The Bicycle Rescue.
Painting.
Photography.
Monthly gallery shows.
Trying to network and expand into new galleries.
Trying to work with other photographers,
(portrait & wedding) to grow.
Attempting to assemble a new website,
and photo site for that all important self promotion.

All that falls behind:
caring for the kids.
house repairs.
yard work.
cleaning the house.
taking care of the dogs (and cats).
Dr. and vet appointments.
packing lunches in the morning.
doing dishes and laundry in between all of the above,

and not having the appropriate response
when someone asks...
why I couldn't do a task that only takes five minutes.

I'm spent!
I needed to put together a movie night at the local theater.
And I said FUCK IT.
Who cares if I spend what little free time I have,
to give them something to decide to NOT show up to.

And after NEVER missing a bicycle coalition meeting,
I almost didn't go (I did call out sick to the Bicycle Rescue one).
Who cares if I go?
What difference does it make?
I'll never seriously race.
I question if conditions for cyclists will ever improve.
I'm just some guy who is content riding his bike to work,
and riding around town.

Then I thought,
"maybe I should start saving for a car"
what would I get?
And I spent the last day tooling around online.
(what I found will be tomorrow's post).
And I found myself thinking
"I should just give up on biking"
"I should just focus on photography"
"why waste my time on the blogs, no one reads this"

but it started settling in last night on my ride home from work,
as I meandered around potholes,
and hopped over manholes, sorry,
personhole covers.
I ride simply because it's fun.

And as I sat at the Bicycle Coalition meeting tonight,
I sat at a table of people who have been hurt by cars,
who lost their rights as citizens of the city,
simply because they choose to ride a bike.
We all share the same fire.
My kids deserve the right to be safe and respected while on a bike,
(and off).

FUCK IT,
guess there's gonna be a Bike Movie night this year.

HELL

still like this song,
no matter how much it played that one year
that they 'broke out',
get some beers, turn it up & hang out

spring is here?

this was less than two weeks ago....
I rode home i a tshirt last NIGHT.
it's the little things though...

as I rode to work I didn't see it,
but on the way home,
the grass was turning green everywhere!

that inbetween of winter white and spring blooms
is the most uneventful part EVER.
May as well just pack up the camera for those weeks.

life... lately

Oh the distractions!
It's getting to critical mass point,
and not the bike rally.
Just WAY too many things on my plate,
and I'm spilling as I walk across the floor...

To top it off, I've had this nasty virus thing lingering around
for the last two weeks! It's draining.
As soon as I get home I just crash, exhausted.
So this poor little blog has been ignored,
along with alot of other things.

So I just need to get back on track,
sorry,
more posts to come!

ConTEXT show! April 2010

Made it in.
This last month felt like a wierd fluke,
this next submission I had a plan, and it came out close.
And it's accepted!
No photographs, just one painting.
We'll see if it sells though.....

in the works...

it all comes rolling in.
But I've always learned to not count ahead,
and I'll go more into detail as things become official,
but the last two weeks have seen alot:
- my first three paintings were accepted into the next gallery show
- the fourth painting has been selected for an upcoming book cover
- 400 posts here
- number 10 post for the Times Union should have my first interview
- eagerly awaiting my first press/photo pass to a large race
- April will see two art shows on the same night
- the possibility of being part of a regional bike conference
- I'm hosting the now 2nd Annual Bike Night movie, hopefully.
- starting the process of self branding, or becoming my own business

not to mention the birthdays and family events
that will fill in the rest of the two months.

Getting booked up!

changes

there will always be change.
Yes, I know that's a given.
But with everything going on in life,
it'ld be nice if some things could just be drama free.
For over two years all I've wanted is to just show up to work,
do my job,
and go home afterwards.
I never saw saw 'hostile work environment',
or 'must endure inappropriate comments' in the job description.

Now my joke has been,
I'm going to get a job as a heavy duty mechanic,
since I spend so much time under a bus.
(the bus I constantly get thrown under, get it?)

Sarcastically speaking, it's AWESOME that the economy is so bad,
the prevailing attitude is "if you don't like it, then leave".

So it was an awakening of sorts,
time to look at my life,
and figure out what options exist.
It has also helped keep things in check,
like the wanting of a new bike,
or more like - what can we do for a family vacation this year?
Where are we at with our bills?
Do we really need THAT, or THIS?
What things can we do without?

With both art and bikes,
my April and May are already getting booked full.
But with each event,
I'm trying to look at the possibility of growth,
networking,
'baby steps',
a backup plan,
or plan B.

As uncomfortable as change may be,
it should be welcomed.

It's just draining.