Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Faster than the Speed of Life

Twenty-two years old
walked like an old man
good leg pulling the bad

life is quick
when that cage
has your name on it

he could limp
and he could fly
flying is faster

mangled flesh
and mangled steel
broken and empty

he left flying
and he won't have to limp
no more

flying is faster
when that cage
has your name on it

flying is faster
faster than the cage
faster than the speed of life

I'm still playing catch up on the blog posts, so pardon my tardiness in dedicating one to Orin. About two months after my crash, and a couple miles south on the same road, one of my co-workers had a worse accident while road testing a bike.

I miss him.

CRASH!

Yup.
I hate to report that one of the reasons my posting has been so sparse lately is that Quell was totaled a little over two months ago.
Fortunately, I was pretty much unscathed. The incident occurred at low speed, and I was wearing good gear.
At the instant of initial impact until I had pushed the scooter out of the middle of the road, every curse word I know, and a few I made up on the spot, went through my head. By the time I'd
secured the scene, I'd realized that I was OK, and with a new born at home, that's what mattered most.

I'd been making a right into the parking lot of Weir Farm National Park, and the driver of the Jeep behind me looked away at the wrong moment. This indiscretion aside, the driver was a stand-up guy, he admitted his mistake to the cops, and showed genuine concern over my well-being.

Luckily, my insurance company paid current value for the Vespa, which turned out to be about three times what I paid for it just two years ago... Unluckily... well that's another post...

Monday, October 27, 2008

Notes from the Dragon's Cave

Yes, I realize I've fallen off the face of the earth.
It has been a crazy Summer, what with Zoe being born, and working at a scooter dealership during the busiest year of scooter sales in American history. There have been some other developments in last couple months which I'll catch y'all up in due time.
I've managed to squeeze a couple minor creative projects into my schedule, and I hope to posting some images of those soon as well.
The first couple of months with Zoe were pretty intense. We had some periods of extreme colic, which pretty much meant that I was spending most of my free time bouncing our little bugaboo, so that Jes could have at least a few hours every day with lessened screaming. There is no way for me to describe the daily lessons I have been subjected to on unconditional love.
I really don't want this blog to become a baby-blog. But parenthood, combined with the realization that the big 40 is sneaking up on me, has caused me to be more introspective in my few private moments, and I would like to share some of those meditations eventually.

So anyway, more to come soon.

Friday, October 10, 2008

Bike commuter haven offers storage and showers - Oct. 10, 2008

Bike commuter haven offers storage and showers - Oct. 10, 2008

An idea whose time has come.

The Freewheel Midtown Bike Center, where riders can take a shower, access lockers, lock up their bikes, and enjoy discounts on tune-ups and rentals.

A shower costs $3 per day, or cyclists can shell out $110 to join the Commuter Club, which covers all costs and gives them priority access to lockers and showers, as well as 24-hour bike-storage benefits.