A message in a bottle.

message in a bottle (1)

Lately I’ve been thinking about the transferral of information.

Primarily (and I suppose naturally) it’s been regarding this site, because it’s the focus of my nearly every waking hour, and since its revamp I’m still crash coursing my way around it. Have I gotten control of this beast and am using it to transmit to people far and wide, or is my proverbial bottle simply bobbing aimlessly, and I’m just talking to myself?

Ordinarily I wouldn’t care so much, since talking to myself is what I do all day, every day anyway. Just the same, I would once again like to extend my appreciation to the readership for your patience.

However with this topic on my mind, it was appropriate that I should come across the story of a woman named Vivian Maier;
Vivian Maier self portrait

Her story is fairly reminiscent of an artist we’ve discussed previously here on the site on a few occasions named Henry Darger;
Henry Darger
And because I’m the kind of fan of artist’s creative spaces that I am, it’s only right that I include a shot of his as well;
Henry Darger's House
There’s something incredibly compelling, and even to a degree- romantic to me about an individual (or in this case, individuals) who have so much talent and vision, and are satisfied toiling away in obscurity, comfortable with the idea that their work is satisfying and necessary for themselves and themselves alone.

I wish I was cut from that cloth, but I suppose the narcissist in me occasionally craves the affirmation. Just the same, their personal commitment to the creative process for almost (so it seems to me) mediative reasons is an admirable one indeed, and certainly something I could stand to take a page from.

Now, with that bit of schlock off the table, we’ll get into some matters that depending on your perspective, may or may not matter.

Firstly, from Heidi I got a heads up about what some women are getting into in the green and misty environs of the Pacific Northwest, or to be more exact, Washington State;

Hey yo! Here’s my spiel….if u dig it..or if ya don’t, maybe it can at least help fill in some blog space.

Thanks Stevil!

Heidi here, Director of Communications for the Muddbunnies Riding Club!
Hoping to get the word out to all the radical lady shredders in Seattle and surrounding area.

Who We Are: Muddbunnies is a women’s focused riding club offering guided group rides for all levels of mountain biking.

We offer a positive and encouraging environment for those who want to get their two-wheeled fun on!

What We Do: Muddbunnies is about much more than taking other women out to explore trails.

We get women on their bikes for the first time.
We improve confidence levels of all riders.
We connect women with their local bike shops.
We educate on riding skills as well as trail etiquette, advocacy and maintenance.
We grow women’s involvement in the awesome sport of mountain biking.
Angela and Katie dig
Get Into Mountain Biking;
The fun, low-stress way of discovering the camaraderie that comes with being a part of
a group of like-minded women who are all out there riding for the fun of it!
Mud Bunnies
So, basically we are a kick ass bunch of women that love to get together, ride and most likely grab a beer afterwards. What could be better?

Not to mention the Muddbunnies Sponsors that give us super sweet deals. Ryders Eyewear, Element Cycles, Stevens Pass Bike Park & 192 Brewing Company to name a few! See the
complete listing of all the rad perks, and join in on the fun here!

So then… If you are the sort of individual to whom Heidi’s speil might appeal, makey with the contact, or forever hold your peas.

From my perspective, as Y chromosomeie (or is that X?) as it is, I think it sounds like a pretty awesome thing.

Finally from Gypsy, we get a correspondence in which he waxes poetic, as he sometimes do;

Rode the single speed through the neighborhood towards dirt.

Got passed by a 70ish year old lady named Mary. She was on a steel Colnago, and training for her second cross country bike tour. She rode the northern route last time, and is planning on doing San Diego to Miami next year.

Hit the trail. Whooped. Hollered. Took pictures. Broke my chain.
Gypsys commute one
Fixed it.

Whooped and hollered some more.

Saw a Mojave rattlesnake.
Gypsys commute five
Sliced a side wall so bad that all the gel packets, boot kits and spare tubes in the world couldn’t fix it.

Started walking. Was offered help by every mountain biker I saw.
Gypsys commute four
Ducked off trail into a neighborhood of million dollar homes.

Was offered help by a man and wife riding cargo bikes.

Was not offered help by the 7,000 triathletes sporting aero helmets.

Was greeted by a guy sitting in a lawn chair under a tree. He offered me a beer and a spare tire. I accepted the beer and politely declined the tire. It was a beautiful morning, and I was in no hurry to get to work.

Had another beer.

Took a tour of the guy’s garage and admired his immaculate collection of carbon whiz bang bikes.

Had another beer.

Thanked the guy again, and finished my walk to work.

Took a picture of my shadow on the sidewalk, and said, “Know what, Gypsy’s shadow? A bad commute to work is still better than not getting to ride at all.”

My shadow did not answer.
Gypsys commute three
Thought about you, and wrote this email. You’ll be back in the saddle and having “bad rides” sooner than you think.

Punk rock is as punk rock does,

Gypsy

Here is to all of us having those kinds “bad rides” sooner than later, and more often than not.

Of all of the various bottled messages I could hope to receive, that one, and certainly its finishing thought is the best I could hope for.
newlittleskull

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10 Responses to “A message in a bottle.”

  1. G-man June 17, 2015 at 6:27 am #

    3 beers on the commute to work…where do I apply?!?! whoot

    • Gypsy June 17, 2015 at 8:10 am #

      I am a professional…

      …hack.

  2. Brendan June 17, 2015 at 6:56 am #

    Your new site looks good. But on my tiny iPhone (it’s all I have for surfing these days) I used to be able to pinch zoom on the photos and can’t in the new format… Which sucks for me cause aging eyes and tiny phone. Not sure if this is a big enough issue for most readers, but figured you might care. Or not.

    • Stevil June 17, 2015 at 7:24 am #

      Thanks very much. I noticed that what you mentioned yesterday. I’m not really feeling that either, so it’s on the list.

  3. Gypsy June 17, 2015 at 8:05 am #

    That Vivian Maier video was the squirrel’s nuts. If you need me, I’ll be rolling down that rabbit hole for a while.

  4. Doug June 17, 2015 at 8:53 am #

    You are not alone. Well, actually, maybe you are. I’m just peekin in the window like some sort of pervert to see what you’ve made.

  5. Svea June 17, 2015 at 9:14 am #

    I was really enjoying learning about the genius that was Vivian Maier until I saw the interviews with a few of the people that she nannied, especially the one that she choked. Brilliant photographer, very bad nanny.

    • Michael June 22, 2015 at 10:08 am #

      Perhaps bear in mind that dead women tell no tales.

  6. grippy June 17, 2015 at 10:56 am #

    Awesome!!

  7. JoshRVA June 17, 2015 at 7:31 pm #

    Hmm mostly I like the redesign, images are a bit weird in terms of loading but that might be the Chromebook that I’m working with. Otherwise, solid content as always.