Dear 2015,

Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.
VkOZP6Y - Imgur

Optimism doesn’t come naturally to me… Or at least it hasn’t in a long time.

Somewhere around my twelfth year of life, the wonderment and constant joyousness of my character was wiped clean. Maybe it was puberty. Maybe it was just the simple fact that it was around then that I began recognizing the horrors of the world around me. Maybe it was knocked out of me by a carelessly released saloon door… Whatever the case, that wide-eyed little tyke that I once was, was beaten into submission;
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I’ve long been aware of all of this, and longed for the days when I didn’t feel so goddamned jaded.

Last winter I began seeing a woman up in Petaluma (just around the corner from Soulcraft Bicycles’ headquarters) named Jeannie Kerrigan. She’s a body worker who happens to have a son who is a pro snowboarder, which has allowed her to become proficient in treating the sorts of aches and pains that are my constant companions. Besides that, she specializes in Somatic healing, and energy work. So besides helping me with those aforementioned aches and pains, she kinda hit the reset button on my entire body by focusing attention on my Ganglion nerve bundle, which effectively is the thing that controls your mood, digestion, nervous system, etc. It’s found up under your tail bone, which in my case (naturally) was broken.

She worked on my head, my heart, my wrists, and finally, when I crashed in March, my knee with some regularity as well, and I’ll be damned if I didn’t see a change in my perspective, and certainly my emotional response in basically watching, (in as far as any physical activity went), an entire year of my life get shelved. Previously a dark cloud would have moved in to stay. After working with her, I certainly had a few bouts with bummerdom, but nothing that lasted for long, and to her I owe all the credit.

So all of this is to say that thanks to Jeannie, I can look at this most recent setback with humility, and a tinge of humor. To paraphrase the great German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, “that which does not kill us, makes us hungry.

Having said all of that, let’s get on with the meat of today.

A couple of weeks ago, Sean from Maximo Supremo residents Knog got in touch with a bit of news regarding shining light where before there was none;

G’day Stevil,

It’s been a long time.

Just wanted to send you through a link to this new video we’ve just finished;

It’s for the new Knog Blinder MOB lights and is a little bit of a quirky take on the standard instructional video. If you enjoy it then feel free to share on AHTBM.

We’ve arranged to send you through a couple of the new lights for you to have a play with and I have attached the PR to this email for your reference. These lights will be with you soon.

Have a great day.
Sean

And I’ll be damned if Sean isn’t a bloke of his word;
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Gone are the days of the Knog ‘Hipster Cyst’. The new MOB lights are way snappyer;
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The POP duo on the left is battery powered, and the Mob Four Eye front and rear are USB rechargeable for all your illumination needs.

Though I’ve long contended that it’s better to ride lightless because drunk people can’t hit what they can’t see, there’s no scientific proof behind it. If by chance you might be in the market for some new bright things, take a look-see at what Knog has available. Eventually I’ll be able to put them to practical use, but for now they just will be used to see what’s going under the blanket that I’ll be hiding.

In news of AHTBM related business, last night a sweaty UPS man arrived to my front door, and with him he brought a great big box of the extremely snuggly, and stocking stuffable AHTBM Black Sole sock;
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These are wool, and they are comfy, and on top of it all, are fairly reasonably priced, and I have to sell as many as I can in order to cover my recent emergency room visits.

Clearly it’s gonna take a lot of PT to get my leg right.

In closing, and moving from friends Down Under to friends over there, (unless you live in New England, in which case it would just be friends there), Chip made with the contact regarding a whole lotta recent chaos in his camp;

Stevil!!!

I hope you are on the mend my friend. Sorry to see your wound got infected. I hope all is on the right track. Tell me if you need anything. A kidney. A leg. Although I have stubs for legs so that may not really work. All kidding aside I hope you are healing up.

In the interim for your entertainment I submit this little hot mess to you for your viewing pleasure. I like to think your spirit was with us through this mayhem;
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Your Rat Fink inspired art set the tone for this whole season.

Thanks my friend,
CB

I’m happy to live vicariously through what kinda hijinx the New Englanders brought to the table this season, and I thank the HUP family for keeping me, and by extension, this here readership in the loop. They look to have a really fantastic time with one another, which fills me with fuzzies of the warm variety. Their antics have consistently brought a smile to my face over these last many, and occasionally dreary months.

Finally- in conclusion, and as I again reflect on those dreary months, as well as with all of that aforementioned newfound optimism aside, as the clock ticks down on the remaining days of this year, I remain unashamed when I declare that I hope the door knocks the shit out of it.
newlittleskull

Spread this like it's sick

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4 Responses to “Dear 2015,”

  1. Nived December 18, 2015 at 4:44 am #

    Glad to see that you have the strength to place some words on the internet,,, the picture of you and your dad is awesome… He looks like a young Lance Mountain…

    This life of Pain and getting old is well Getting old,, Between Rollerboarding and Bicycle Like activities body seems to be in a constant amount of hurting.. Need to make that right..

    I gave up stretching for lent last year and I am not even Catholic.. Maybe I should start again..

    Enjoy the Weakend..

  2. doubt December 18, 2015 at 6:27 am #

    I own several pairs of Stevil’s socks, including two pairs of the above Black Sole variety. I can personally attest that not only are they the comfiest socks I own for riding and also for lounging, but they are also extremely good looking. I only get compliments from strangers about my AHTBM socks. If you don’t already own pairs of these socks I highly recommend you buy some and get a slick matching cap while your at it.

  3. Sergio December 18, 2015 at 8:08 am #

    This year has been a bastardized ride from hell. I feel like I’ve been smacked by a 1000 saloon doors. It’s also had high points seeing my kids grow and prosper. Highs and lows, highs and lows! Get well and cheers to the new year and keep up the writing!

  4. Colin M December 21, 2015 at 6:01 pm #

    The turn in perspective speaks to me. I struggle with the surly attitude and am glad to have friends and activities that get me feeling lighthearted and young. That Knog video was funny fo sho.