Apologies! Oh, how apologies are in order for not being such a frequent writer on this http. I tip my hat and bid you my sincerest apologies for sitting out recent gun fights and pedal battles. For some reason I thought having a structured outlet for writing would allow me to pound out more entries and tales but some stories are better kept in journals and traced in pen. Anyone can hammer out words on a keyboard and label it into something they desire. Right?
Well, back to the drawing board once more.
To The Regulators
For fucks sake I have a god damn mural with our logo on it, let's fill up that garage with broken bottles and laughter once more! I know we all have been hectic with school, work and life but never hesitant to phone a sister up for a quick ride to the bar for catch up. I love every single one of you and damn proud to call you my friends. Speaking of Regulators, our fearless leader Kevin Nadeau has some prints out. Hit up Limit Six Sixty-Six and sport yourself one of these fly prints! Everyone at the party will just love you and almost everyone will want to fuck you. If not for supporting a local artist at least do it for your sex life.
Promises of beefing up this blog will be followed threw. With bike prom, couples alley cat race, and tons of events it easy to see why my heart & bicycle are infatuated with the streets.
"So now I'd like to say, people can change anything they want to and that means anything in the world. People are running about following their little tracks and I am one of them. But we've all got to stop just following our own little mouse trail. People can do anything, this is something I am beginning to learn. People are out there doing bad things to each other, it's because they are being de-humanised. It's time to take the humanity back into the centre of the ring and follow that for a time. Greed really ain't going anywhere, they should have that in a big billboard across Time Square. Without people you are nothing, that's my spiel."
This is my tribute to you, tomorrow will be a celebration of what you're words gave my life.
My leg muscles are starting to mold and shape themselves into monstrous steroidic structures.
It's gotten to the point that I'm afraid to flex or even stand-up, due to the fear of a muscle bursting out of my leg!
Well, alright lets not get that extreme but the feeling is something to be pleased about. Though, as of lately the feeling has been drenched away due to car collusions and getting stuck between metro rail tracks.
Truth being, this bandit is feeling a bit crumbled and defective. There is no greater ache in my heart, then the one provided by not being able to freely jump on my own saddle. With the annoying cramped pain shooting in my right foot to the swollen knee on the left it's difficult to take pleasure in the thing you love. This has been one of the main reasons for my lack of ability to pound out a descent entry in the past month. The punches seem to keep on rolling and after temporarily getting knocked out this weekend, and once the blood and vomit washed away the ache. It was back to the drawing board. What exactly fits and what needs to be erased away immediately? The placement and storage of these things is being organized in my head daily. Labeling and boxing away the unnecessary clutter that does nothing more but take up valuable space. Removing the beastly weeds to allow only the beautiful things to grow. Let's hope that I can keep a great distance from hospital rooms and x-ray technicians. Most importantly to keep my bicycle in tip-top shape. Once more, East Side Peddle Pushers won over my heart. Thanks again for getting the thing I love most back on track for me guys. I'll be sure to spread the good word !
More Regulators, Red Bud Park, and especially more out of town trips that involve tenting under the stars. If you know of any great routes to take to get some fresh air, shoot them my way.
. That dude that patches your tube under freeways at one thirty in the morning... The one that buys you helmets and brings you bread when you don't have a dollar to you're name... He's also the one that does the best interpretation of Curtis Blow I've heard in a while. Who reads you, childrens barn animals book while you lay in the e.r. People tend to call him "The Professor" because he's a smart ass.
The Bandit is in such joy that twenty seven years ago your mother & father decided to do the dirty thing, side ways and freestyle. Pushing pedals wouldn't be so fun without you by my side.
Asking myself this very question as the paramedics lifted me up on to the stretcher. It seems that cars and I have a very complicated relationship. Well, there really isn't much of complication when laying bloody, disoriented, and adrenaline rushed on the pavement. The picture speaks for itself.
"It could have been worse" seemed to to be the phrase of the day as I made my way from the pavement, ambulance, and emergency room. Laying covered in abrasions and my head still intact made me realize just how lucky I just was. In less then a year I've been involved in a "door" accident and now a side swipe collusion with a Benz. This must be a calling from the helmet gods to get my act together and protect my precious noggin.
For those of you that don't know the full story, on my way to the good 'ol cookie factory Tuesday morning a valet driver in a Mercedes Benz (decided that right turn signals weren't very vital to other's who share the road) took a right into the very bike lane I was rolling straight on and next thing you know, SLAM!
If anything the whole production was more bark then bite seeing as how I did more damage to the Benz then it did to me. Must thank the Canteras for such strong thick bones! I hopped away with a pretty banged up body and a temporary scare of the roads.
I will say, the police officer that was handling my report was more than attentive in dealing & reporting the whole accident. Plus, he also mentioned how not wearing a helmet was reportedly going to be against the law soon? Does anyone have any insight on this or was he trying to scare the trick or treater from not taking unwrapped candy from strangers?
Look, Drivers! You pack more steel then my 160 body and frame provide. Signal, be aware of you're surroundings. Then I won't have to deal with going threw two insurance companies and police stations for Christ sake.
My father, who was a dedicated cyclist (as you can tell by his rad shirt below) that is until the last run in he had with a car left him for "dead" in a ditch after a horrible hit and run. Knowing first hand how dangerous it is for cyclist he called me as soon as he heard about my run in with vehicle. His message was as follows, "I really wish you would stop biking Jen, it's too scary out there for you and I don't want anything to happen."
Life without my bicycle would not be a life worth living, I'd rather take the chance and die on something I love then spend the rest of it missing out on that feeling of flying, of freedom. That's the risk we take daily, every second we spend pedaling. I wouldn't give that up for anything. No big bad Benz can scare me of the streets I ride.
Now to my original post some days back before car's were involved...
Prostitute cats, shot gunning watermelon flavored slurpees, Spelling tar and pit in east side playgrounds, dumping sweaty heads into buckets of water and shampoo causing temporary blindness, to pulling monopoly like cash from shirtless biking boys pants. The photo's and videos are up and running and doing races such as this one is always a blast for those participating and volunteering. This was our route...
Maybe it was due to the fact that I feel asleep and floated into yet another eleven hour dream coma listening to Bill Hick's words drift into my external auditory canal that I woke up a little cranky this morning. It might also be due to the fact that
Kayne West seems to just love to hang out in my dreams.
It's so hard not to act reckless, but If I have one more dream where Kayne is rapping to me on my death bed I just might actually kill myself. Rolling out of bed and trying to tame the Monchichi look I've mastered, there was a bit of aggravation this morning while riding to work. So what better way to get rid of the road pet peeves by spewing 'em out.
Spit number one Traffic and Misdemeanor fines for cyclist, which I do understand and respect to some certain extent but enforcing such rules and then you YOURSELF as a person of law turn your back on them. As though somehow the gun in your holster dismisses you from obeying the law's you enforce? Working downtown gives me the wonderful privilege to witness first hand how much APD loves riding all over the city sidewalks. For Christ sake an officer on two wheels almost ran into an elderly women coming around the corner this morning!
Not to mention the fact that bicyclist with no lights get a $147 fine (come on bike ninjas get some light on those things) But there has been more then a few occasion when I've been riding down Duval only to see numerous Police patrol cars missing one headlight. The peeve-o-meter is off the charts with the displays the Police department is setting for our lovely cycling community.
Spat Number 2
Cyclist going down the wrong one way. The joy that seems to fill my heart when I have to avoid hitting another cyclist who chooses that going down the wrong one way would be the best route to take. It's not, so stop doing it. The last thing I want is to have a head on accident with another fellow cyclist. If we expect cars to treat us with respect we should do the same and obey critical laws that concern our safety.
Number 3 The Yellow monsters of the road, I like to call them. We all have our own story or two to tell about these yellow hornets zipping threw and clipping cyclist without any concern. In my opinion, they are worse then cops. Especially when they seem to think that the "bike lane" means "cab lane". Hot headed monster's behind the wheel, and this isn't an rant on all drivers but you know who you are. Having them out there in the road is like having a postpartum mother in charge of 5 babies and giving her a huge bucket of water. It's an awful scary thought.
Phew, rant over. I can feel the road calling my name now!
