Not every post here is to promote and/or whore my products or services, and not every post has to do specifically with bicycles. For example, this post has to do with a recent, and very unexpected 13 hour long ride in a rental car during the night to the Jersey Shore. The circumstances that demanded such were grim, and I do not want to go into details here other than to say it was an incident that eventually led to the death of a much loved individual. That individual actually went into the big sleep earlier today. My most sincere and heart felt condolences go out to the loved ones who are now experiencing the loss that "Little Miss Morte" always brings with her.
That being said, I promise that the rest of this post will not be so heavy. I just wanted to set up the scenario and circumstances that surrounded this impromptu road trip. Everyone involved, my GF, her Mother and myself knew from the onset that this was not going to be a fun family vacation. The only one involved in this road trip that was unaware of the circumstances was my little furry friend Fawn. She is my GF's chihuahua and my BFFF and is usually pretty unaware of the workings of the world around her other than activity of squirrels. I had enough time to pack a bag of dirty clothes and DL a couple of good audio-books for the long ride.
The adventure started off to be as miserable as I had envisioned. Numb asses, Gas station snacks passing as meals and the joy of relieving yourself in seedy rest stops along the way. I have to tip my hat towards S, my GF's Mother, for being a friggin' soldier behind the wheel for the entire 13 hour drive. Damned that is Trucker hard core! As I was saying, the drive was pretty much torture on everyone. Well except for Fawn, who did amazingly well the whole trip and spent the majority of the car ride sleeping in my hoodie. I was so glad that I had downloaded that Stephen King novel and could escape into that world that was so far away from my aching and cramped body.
I would like to mention how surreal it was to be traversin g over old roads from my distant past with these people, and puppy, that I have come to think of as my pack. The forgotten family found anew. It brought up faded and dusty memories that had all but been lost in the passing of time. Some good times, a few very bad times but both being experienced in the company of people that would surely seem alien and threatening to these nice people that I now traveled with. It is a strange feeling of displacement, of being somewhere that you did not belong but were there by invitation none the less. I often feel that way among the everyday "normal" people, but this time with these people it felt... okay.
Anyway back to the road trip. We eventually arrived on the Barrier Island and I had the opportunity to meet my GF's Grampa'. I didn't mind that, I usually adore the company of older folks. They often have so many stories to tell. Grampa' was no weaver of tales however. That first night was actually spent at Grampa's house. Bedtime was around 6PM in the evening. Grampa' does not allow smoking, of any kind, in the house. That was NOT a good night for me. I did a little flip out about how ridiculous the situation was to my GF. I felt like such an emo selfish and inconsiderate shit for flipping out when these poor girls were down here to visit a very close loved one of theirs. One of the many things that makes me an asshole. Evidently my GF carried the gist of my little flip out on to her Mother, because we spent the remainder of the week in a sweet little bed and breakfast. I still feel bad for being such a dick that first night, but let me tell you that I did not feel bad as I slept and showered in a nice comfortable Inn that was still close enough to walk to the beach to enjoy a good smoke. The weather for the first couple of days was not very nice, but with all the house visits and hospital visits there really wasn't much time left for walking along the beach.
All in all, considering the less than joyous reason for the trip, it went much smoother over all than I had imagined at the outset. I loved the look on Fawns face when she saw the ocean for the first time. Unfortunately I didn't take a picture but I got that memory stored deep. I was not surprised to discover that Fawn also loathes the beach scene. The huge moving, and seemingly aggressive, tide scares her. So once again, she spent a lot of time hiding in my hoodie from the ocean. I think it was just too over whelming for her tiny senses. Eventually I did manage to convince her that it was safe on the sand as long as we were well away from that roaring surf. Even then she refused to go potty on the sand. It was wacked. She would lead me all the way back up the beach until we came to a patch of grass before she would go. Just as well I guess. But it still made me smile at the silliness of it all.
All of us did manage to make time on a few occasions to go walk along the beach and just take a break from the hectic and emotional days. It was these times spent with these good people, and doggy, that I love so much that made what should have been an absolute miserable experience into a "good" time. I don't mean good as in fun, but as in a good time to remember.
I discovered some things about the people with me that endeared them to me even more. I think that it is in such heavy situations and during the darkest times that people become the most raw selves. It is when daily masks slip from the faces and people become REAL. That thought has always struck me as beautiful and horrible at the same time. I also exhumed things buried in my own life that I thought that I had "moved on" from and found that whether it is for the good or for the bad, the dead are not lost to us. In discovering these things about others in my life, in being inadvertently forced to face my own darkness and the things not lost in that darkness, I hope that in time I will discover some things about myself as well
In closing I would like to mention that the bike scene on the Barrier Island. is surprisingly large. It was great to finally see people that were riding "beach cruisers" were actually doing so on the beach. You know that I couldn't finish a post without mentioning something in reference to bicycles.
All in all in was a positive experience on the levels where it really counts. I was honored that my GF and her Mother brought me along to share time with them at a place that has been such a huge part of their lives and means so much to them.
Oh wait a minute. There was one glorious high light for me personally on this trip. It gave me the opportunity to pull a little wingnut mission of my own off. For a number of years my GF made me suffer through watching Mtv's "The Jersey Shore" with her. I mean we did so pretty much on the reg. Smoke, get heady and watch the antics of these horrible cheesy people fuck, fight and get smashed drunk on national television. I don't know how many of you reading this, all three or four of you, have seen the show, but it is torture to endure. So I figure since I am being called away on this less than pleasant quest to the Jersey Shore that I might as well represent while I am there. So I snooked away (no pun on Snookie intended) from those good and upstanding people with my partner in crime hidden well within the lining of my hoodie and we delved into the shadows of the boardwalk and made our way to the actual Mtv, "Jersey Shore" house that I had been forced to witness so many atrocities being committed in by those vile kids over so many years. I slapped a big fat wingnut right up on the front of the place for all to see. Then they will know that I, the wingnut of Wingnut Bike Works had been there among them during the darkness of the night, and I have my revenge and have left my mark upon there graven temples!
To those three individuals who might take the time to read this, I thank you for your time and apologize for wasting it with this crap. Pedal on people!
After a long period of transitioning during which it seemed that the The Bloomington Community Bike Project hardly ever opened the shop to the public, it seems that they are once again opening the shop door to the community.
Over the past year I have repeatedly reached out to The Bloomington Community Bike Project by donating parts and at one point I designed some flyers for them free of charge as well. I really like the idea that I thought the BCBP supposedly stands for, a volunteer ran bike garage/co-op. Over the past 10 years I have donated bikes and parts and gotten a number of parts from The Bloomington Community Bike Project and up until the past few years it was always a fun and pleasant experience. Recently however that was no longer the case in my experiences in dealing with The Bloomington Community Bike Project. The shop itself became more exclusive and privatized in my opinion. It no longer seemed casual and relaxing but more like a "normal business". Every time I went there to find parts the shop was "closed to the public" and was for "volunteers only", even though their web site stated that the shop would be open during those hours. As my own unique bicycle oriented business grew I was hoping to volunteer my time and skills to something local like The Bloomington Community Bike Project, but when I went to ask about volunteering I was met by a rather dour expression and felt as if my asking about volunteering my time was an inconvenience for the young lady that had shown up late to open the shop and was moping around in the shadows of it's interior. She shoved a bike at me and offered no further advice or assistance. I no longer feel welcomed there by the people who are key holding "volunteers". The Bloomington Community Bike Project used to be a cool spot to hang out with friends and work on or build bikes, now it seems like they focus more on selling bikes to the community. Don't let my shitty experience ruin it for you, go check them out. If the are actually going to open there doors to the community once again.
