See, as Ive expressed before to a nearly painful extent, I tend to be a bit of a luddite. I can barely wrap my mind around technological advances on a good day, but in a bolt of inspiration, I at long last think I just may understand how to take digital photos that only marginally suck.

Lucky for you.

Anyhow, over this past three day weekend, M.A., The Stick, 6'7" and I all got out on a spin for a piece, during which time, much to my compatriots dismay, was constantly held up so that I could shoot off a few pics for documentaries sake.
Rest assured, this newly retained skill will only serve to make the visual quality The Bummer Life that much better. Maybe.

You know- a couple of folks who have no problem taking the good photos are Jeff and Brad of Urban Velo who have just put their ninth issue to bed, all of which can be seen in its unadulterated glory right here.

I do love the pulp.

Also.. speaking of which and at the risk of jinxing the whole damn project, there have been a few murmurings floating around concerning the possibility of compiling the best of How to Avoid The Bummer Life in some sort of book thats either suitable for sitting atop a coffee table, or holding up the wobbly leg of one.
Personally, the idea of 'the best of the bummer life' strikes me as being oddly similar to 'the tastiest piece of raw sewage', or 'the most enjoyable Keanu Reeves movie', but thats neither here nor there.
The fact of the matter is if, for example, Courtney Love can go from looking like this to looking like this, then we should have no problem polishing this turd into something presentable.

While Im on the topic of shiftless derelicts tricking the status quo into buying into their own published work, as previously mentioned, our friend Joe has written a book which is now released and begging for folks to pick up a copy.

While there are copies literally flying off the shelf at Amazon(dot)com, you can just cut out the middle man, if you wish by stopping by Velo Press and nicking a copy for yourself.

As far as the 'Dog in a Hat' celebratory ride that The Little Jewford conceived, thats most definitely still in the works, however our hero recently got into a bit of throwdown with a very menacing and ornery stretch of sidewalk and buggered up his right hand.
So with that being said, until hes able to join in on the fun, the ride is on the back burner, but you can rest assured when it does happen, it will include obscene amounts of beer, pork and mayonnaise.

Obscene that is unless your name happens to be Loudass, in which case it would just be referred to as 'breakfast'.

Alrighty then.. On to other news. Recently Craig sent me an email containing a single, solitary shot that just happens to be one of my most favorite things ever;

Im not entirely sure what the hell is going on here, but I think its safe to say that Id get along with these guys famously.

How would you all like a mid-week burst of art that doesnt suck? I came across this dames paintings at a recent installation at Manifesto Bicycles in Oakland and was immediately taken with her work.

Everybody, throw up your hands in appreciation for Ms. Jessica Serran.

Would you all like a breakdown of some bicycle related events that are coming up that may or may not be happening in your very own backyards?
Of course you would.
Now in no particular order, here they are;

And heres one for a particular disapline of cycling that is very near and dear to our hearts;

All youve got to do is do it.
And for the love of God, wont someone take some photos and keep us in the loop about whatever mayhem ensues?
Think of me as your shut-in uncle who really would like to come out and play, but cant because I weigh like, 800 pounds and am trapped in bed under the weight of my own girth and dozens of pizza boxes.
Let me live vicariously through those involved.
I beg you.

Now then, Evan contacted us concerning doing something that really matters. He writes;

"Hey Stevil,
Any chance you could help me reach the masses? I'm doing the MS150, it's about 160 miles in two days. To make it more fun I'm doing it on a fixie, which I'm still fixing but it will be a Cadillac when I'm finished. Any donations would be very helpful. A great tip o' the tallboy to you, I hope you're healing nicely...

I'm registered and ready to go (I think)!! I'm putting the finishing touches on the new bike this week and it should be road-ready, let's just hope my legs are! I was up to about 80-100 miles a week before the rainy season+ TS Fay hit, but I've got a few weeks to get my numbers back up. Thank you for anything you may give. It means alot to me and to whomever may receive it... (Forward this as much as you want/can without being annoying.)
evan

See link below to donate via my personal page, or to send a donation, mail to:
Evan Mathis
8210 Green Parrot Rd #304
Jacksonville, FL 32256-3299
Make all checks payable to: National MS Society"

More information about Evans undertaking can be found here.

and another one from Rotten Thomas;

"Stevil...

Seeing your picture from Worlds made me a little sad that I missed the event. I had to skip it as I promised I'd ride the liveSTRONG century out here in Philly. It's common knowledge that I'm not a huge Lance Armstrong fan. That aside, he's been an incredible advocate for cancer survivors - something that means a lot to me watching my girlfriend battle lung cancer.

She's 28, never touched a cig, and is now missing 2/3s of her right lung. This weekend, I rode beside her as she completed her first century - in the middle of chemo. She's one Tough Cookie and she makes me feel like the lazy slacker that I am. It was a powerful moment helping cheer her along, watching her push through the pain to complete something most people with 2 lungs and a clean blood stream will never do.

Anyway, check out her her blog.
Lance fan or not, consider doing a liveSTRONG event, or donating.
If you're lucky, you might even get a lucky number.

thanks
Rotten."

We here at Swobo wish you all the best of luck with your undertaking as well as the battle that all of the people that youre riding for are in the middle of.
I know these wishes probably seem hollow within the confines of the sterility of the interweb, but they come from the heart, as do our thanks for fighting the good fight.

And with that, weve come to the end of another post instructing us of several ways to avoid a bummer life. Its Wednesday and if I know you like I think I know you, more bummer life avoidence is just a few hours away.

Wash, rinse, repeat.