A Dollar a Delivery, L I G

I linked over to the NPR story on Bike Messenger'ing in Kabul Afghanistan as reported by Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson after looking at the HB(thanks for sharing). Have a listen by clicking, it is worth it. The 5 minute audio is quite interesting and caused me to form a mental list of the positives and negatives of having the coolest job in the world in Afghanistan, a country location that Time Magazine dubbed "The Right War". Here are a few:


Positives
-1 dollar a job is the bill rate, the courier gets 50 cents or like 40'ish rupees
-no jackass bucket heads running around in Lexus SUV's on their way to the Toon to deal with
-the Panthers never play in Kabul Stadium
-the local coffee house gives hook ups to the messenger brethren(which could be also a negative because the cafe is usually a target for IED's and suicide bombers)
-no Speed Week NASCAR hoopla in Afghanistan, yet anyways
-security is way more relaxed
-there are plenty of dirt roads in the city!
-real mountains are close by
-US Military Troops usually have Marlboro Reds
-as the man said he would rather die than to beg
-late thought-the winters would be real!


Negatives
-1 dollar a job is the bill rate, the courier gets 50 cents or like 40'ish rupees
-An explosion from either the good guys or the bad guys(which I think are the same) could cause unnecessary flat tires or end life without warning
-the potholes from falling ordinance create obstacles that can break bikes in half
-the bike shops don't carry Trek
-it is very hard to come by an Aerospoke wheel
-because of the constant perpetual curfew no post work Alley Cats every really manifest
-you may see any of your co-workers at any second get blown up

Sponsored by Skoal

My boy Rondal sent me this image that someone took of us in the parking lot at Poplar Tent back not quite but almost in the awesome 80's( I think the fall of 93). Come to think of it maybe it was Swanny who took the pic who joined us after we had already gone around once. This was a training ride for the newly formed Team Skoal which never really got off the ground, most of the riders usually puked before they could complete a single lap on any course. As you can see my proud cheek and gum dip apparent that I am not signaling for world peace which will never happen anyways(sorry Bono, believe me I know you are trying), instead I am identifying the 2 times that I hurled projectile vomit while riding around the trail. Smokeless Tobacco on the trail will do that to you and I highly recommend never doing it unless of course you are sponsored by a tobacco company in which case go for it, wear it on your sleeve or full scary tobacco kit as if it were a Hilfiger collared shirt because at least you are getting paid to ride and getting a bunch of free shit which is what life is really all about, just ask any kewl bike messenger and they will tell you.

Weekend Effort\Blog News-Side Bar Expansion

This past Saturday I had the honor of taking pictures during the nuptials of my friends Jen and Chris. It was an easy day of work because of not only their natural beauty but they were also very comfortable in their wedding environment surrounded by their friends and the pastoral setting of a 25 acre wooded peninsula on the lake. I made over 450 digital images, 28-35mm chrome slides and 10-two and a quarter inch chrome positives. Congrats you guys, thanks for allowing me to be part of the first day of the rest of your life together.

Green links You.

My side bar has been expanding, have a peek when you can.

First order of business is Smoot's Blog aka Ilan Paltrow who has been tolerating me rummaging through the bins of death at his bike stores since the day he arrived. I guess he has owned this blog site as long as he has www.singlespeeds.com but most recently he decided to actually update it. Scroll down to InterBike Part 1 and look at the amazing post mortem photo he made of none other than Lance Armstrong himself, classic. Then in today's post you will see the girl named Josie who was in a similar race but wound up not quite so dead looking. Check in on Smoot, his brilliant thoughts, pictures and whatever it is he is up to because what ever that may be it is always fun, witty and may involve physical challenge.

Rachel Van Slyke who dropped by earlier in the summer while headed north on her 4,100 mile music bike tour which ended recently now has a bloggy that you can read here. She is an extraordinary musician as well as an experienced long haul cyclist who can carry a 100lb load. I had the chance to talk to her early last week, she was in up state New York and was feeling like maybe heading south again soon this time to find that place in the country. The only hold up may be what ever comes from to the powerful force that is changing the direction of this fine nation which all of us who are paying attention can feel and hear is coming.

Last but not least, however just born the furthest away on the continent known as Australia is one of Charlotte's most talented film(that's right still shooting in the real then converting to the light blips) photographers, Chris Radok. Radok, backwards for Kodar, something to do with Kodak formulas related to certain film discovery in the 50's. At any rate Radok's work is an extraordinary comprehensive portfolio of the faces of Charlotte and those who have stopped by to have a look see in the Jar. I met Radok years ago when he was assigned to take our pictures because the Loafing was doing a story on how cool we messengers really are but pretend not to be, maybe that is the other way around. Read Sam Boykin's story and see Radok's pics HERE. Radok's professional attention to detail is obvious, to see just have a look inside and get ready to be moved. Great work Chris!

6 Feline Fosters\3 Weeks 3 Days

Priscilla and her 5 kittens that we received for a 3 and a half week foster when they were just 6 days old. This brilliant mom is claw less, completely independent and needs a home very soon for her kids will be adopted out in seconds. If you can help please give the Charlotte Humane Society a call, they do not need much but they do need you..... It is tiring to be that small.

Smokey Foster aka Yoda

Pants Foster

Dottie Foster

Spooky Foster

Mustache Foster

Seeing Red all Over

Since the end of last week or the begging of time it is the color of the liquid flowing into the desert floor of Mesopotamia right now, a means for our great life and directly related to all that is coming our way which no one really, truly likes to give mental consideration to let alone have a discussion about over coffee. Blood. Strangers, 350 million American strangers, actively not thinking about it, it is too much to handle, life is too good while the red still flows in far away places so that the ticker can fall red concerning themselves a bit more now seeing their In God We Trust Units are at stake but still not wanting to talk about the direct connection in the cosmos to give and get back. The alliance of the free, free what, food, ignorance, greed? Fill in the blank. For those of us who have adapted the bike to their day to day lives not just as a representation of how cool we actually are be paying attention, these poop stains behind the wheel are freaking loosing it with red aggression, it is in their eyes. I have had 2 serious encounters with the auto viper since Monday and they are both connected separately to the end of what they have come to know as the good life. No Gas, transfer, 'that little fuck on the bike deserves to die', 'look at him riding around like he has done for a third of his life like he is free or something.' The first one was involving a red striped white pick up truck owned by the Charlotte Mecklenberg Fire Department which was being driven by the huge crew cut guy behind the dark shades and tucked in collared shirt logo-CFD saves lives. My policy affective immediately last week when I first witnessed uncontrolled anger at the pump has been, "No More Mr. Nice Guy" After he came way to close to give me his message of being jealous of the way I flew thru the intersection I told him that he could have always just went ahead and run me over, his point would have been better well served by that action. I jumped out in front of those big wheels and slowed him down. Hands in the air, I'm innocent of being at your dispense to extend the power of your failing system, you fool. All he could do was get on the radio and lie.

Next Small car, big guy, infamous sexy goatee(a trend that I personally started in the 90's but abandoned once I realized it actually caught on)frustrated in that he is trapped behind the wheel

and he cannot find gas. He is running on E but I'm not and so he yelled some shit right at my right ear on an uphill 4 abreast auto viper one way Ave while I was maintaining my spin in the shit gutter where I belong. As soon as I told him how stupid he was and that he really wanted to be me but couldn't because he was obviously too weak he swerved the car jerk left basically missing contact by less than a foot. Oh, you red neck go ahead, hit me with your car, the extension of how great your pitiful life really is, send me on my light transfer it will be just like killing those kids in Pakistan except here you will be able to at least see your tax dollars at work. He swerved again, feigned getting out of the car ahead of me, maybe to shoot, maybe to spit, maybe to piss his pants when I take him out in defense of my American freedom to protect myself from the harm of the truth. Yes I am free.

Breathing, I have been taught by one of the best around the time October 2005. An amazing experience without it being as cool as going to yoga but way more personal and I can practice this any place or time I want to. Scott taught me to sit with a Clock(second hand necessary) and take in a 10 second breath, transfer, exhale the same 10 seconds, transfer, take in 15 second breath, transfer, exhale the same 15 seconds....keep repeating this upping the breath in and out in 5 second increments until you get to the 60 second mark and you will find a complete awareness of not only the physical shape and size of your diaphragm but you will discover places in your lungs that you had never known about. Anyways back then and occasionally since in times of quiet non book discovery of my meditative state I had practice this technique and always felt good about it. Since Sunday through today It is happening to me involuntarily. While awake for 4 days now about every 30 minutes or so that deep breathing exercise has taken over, sometimes starting with a 30 second inhale, 5 deep breaths in and out staring at myself in the mirror of the elevator wondering what the hell my intuitive mechanism is actually trying to tell me right this instant. That is right, I feel strongly that my intuition is actually working over drive right now. You can hear it as well if you listen, something around the time of Sunday a few days past has changed the cosmic direction of what tomorrow will bring. This ain't no joke and I'm not joking.

October 1, 2008

U2 Live in Berlin-1981

New Stunt at Sherman Branch

This was how I saw it, a little dizzy and sweaty on approach Side View

Clean Approach

Reverse Angle

After an interesting Day 2 of the Apocalypse at work running around like a chicken with my head cut off waiting for the sky to fall over perhaps the last jobs ever available on my bike in the Jar I broke away for the homeward bound Stay Alive commute with the intent to change gear and get out to Sherman Branch for a late afternoon pastoral experience. Pastoral it was. At the trail head by 1640hrs, saw Jerry and then out chasing yellow shirt and his friend black shirt who left 8 minutes before me while I was fiddling with my kid's MP3 player trying to find the old U2 and new Beirut that I had buried amongst the Hanah Montana and Jonas Brothers.

The Desert Storm Mt. Zion felt fast, it was nice to be on the trail on a week night eve. October came over the ear phones and into my head, 'october when kingdoms rise and kingdoms fall'. At the end of the roller coaster I passed black shirt and then on the main in the middle came behind yellow shirt. We rode for a bit then he down shifted and let me by. Not far up from there I came to the straight away with the log ride on the left and to my surprise there was a new stunt right there in front of me. I went right at it not slowing, I stood up as tall as I could at the approach to visually make sure there was not a huge life\I-9 ending drop on the back side and pedaled right up. At the apex of the first whoop I clipped my right pedal, for a flash of a second thought I was dead and then over down up a whoop again, down then off. Fun, Scary at the beginning and refreshingly new in a familiar spot.

Yellow Shirt came up while I was taking some pictures of the new infrastructure and he tacitly decided not to ride it so he kept on, I never saw him again.

When I rolled away I wondered how long the new wood work had been there, did I have the scoop on the new? Whatever that means I must have been feeling something because when I got home Jerry called me after getting my number from Dicky and wanted to know how I felt it rode. I laughed uncontrollably into the phone so loud in response that Jerry(who I had never talked to on the phone-I don't think) must have held the phone back. Of course I rode it. It was brilliant. Thanks Mr Murray and Jerry for taking the time to improve what is already perfect on my home course.