I have had several conversations with folks the last few months concerning this here web log, and one point that they all have made consistently is that they don't know where I find the time to do it, and secondarily, how I continue coming up with topics of any interest.

I'm reluctant to call them 'note worthy', cause lets face facts here-
Steve Perry shaving his moustache off;

young nugs with hil-orrible tattoos;

oddly stimulating children's drawings;

or 98.75% of any of the other topics I've broached here in no way, shape, or form could be considered noteworthy.
Anyway, my response has always been from the start, 'it just comes to me'. It's like Jerry Seinfeld's television show idea, which of course as you know was a show about nothing.
I just set a few dominos up, and the rotation of the planet does the rest.
But truth be told, I recently have been feeling a little taxed.

'Maybe a few days off will rejuvenate me' I sometimes think, but my return to the grind inevitably stresses me out more than if I'd just stayed put.

I've not done a single drawing or painting since my return from New York, which part of me thinks is ok, because in effect I've shifted the creative process from one medium to another, but the nagging voice in the back of my head is getting louder when it tells me writing for a web log is as creative as seeing shapes in the clouds, and as the days go by, I'm beginning to believe that to be true.

The long and the short of it is that at this point it's starting to feel as if I'm no longer capable of maintaining the schedule I keep here on HTATBL, plus ride bikes, plus my daily 9 to 5, which these days is more along the lines of 7 to 6, plus make art, plus periodically remind the woman I live with who I am, and what my relationship with her is...
Once the days get a little longer, I can't imagine that I won't be able to shift back into high gear, but for now, we're possibly going to make a move to our winter schedule, and sometimes open a day less a week.

Or maybe I just have to start concentrating on shorter posts...

Either way, I hope that you all understand my predicament, and will continue to come and visit us here just the same.

But you know, as any individual of the world understands, part of ensuring one's own well being is to not only allow for personal time, but to invest wisely, and judging by recent developments, the investment I made last Spring looks like it might soon be paying off.
Sir Richard Branson and I will be partying on our own private islands, and you're all invited to come.

So I'm sure by now you all have seen Dubbya almost get tagged with the shoe, right?

I'm not ashamed to admit that I was impressed with how fast he moved. I dislike nearly all that the man stands for, but I gotta give him props for the deftness with which he avoided getting a kick to the dome.

Well, the week is already almost half way over. I like the sound of that alot, but with this past weekend still fresh in my mind, I'd like to show you a picture of what I got into when JMac and Tina B got to town.
We made chili and stacked stuff on Vinnie;

Playing cat Jenga is not nearly as much fun as playing drunk-guy Jenga, but still not as expensive as actually buying a regulation Jenga set, so at least it's got that going for it.

Now we are going to make the swift shift from stacking things on cats to helping a friend in need. Anybody worth their weight in mitered steel tubing knows who Steve Rex is;

Well it turns out that Steve was recently involved in an extremely serious accident and his family and friends are coming out in force to help him with his mounting medical bills. All of the pertinent information was recently emailed to me in a tidy little attachment, which I'll lay out for you now;

"Steve Rex and his family are long-time residents of Sacramento and very active in the local cycling community and in the American River Parkway Foundation. In mid-November, Steve had a very bad cycling crash. He broke his hip, femur, and elbow. He had two surgeries and possibly faces more in the future. To add to the family’s concerns, Steve’s teenage daughter received second degree burns over most of one arm and part of the other arm last week. The doctors are deciding if she will need skin grafts.

Steve is a custom bicycle frame builder and the owner of Rex Cycles located in Downtown Sacramento. He has a national reputation for his craftsmanship. Steve will be unable to work and build frames for a while. As a small way to help Steve and his family get through this difficult time, a custom bicycle frame raffle is being held.

Even if you don’t ride, you probably know someone that does, and helping out is a nice thing to do!

What: $2,500.00 credit for merchandise or a custom frame from Rex Cycles. Proceeds in excess of $2,500.00 will go directly to the Rex Family.

How much: $10 tickets. Buy as many as you want.

How to pay: Send me a check made out to Steve Rex or cash or stop by the shop. My address is below.

When: The drawing will be held on December 20 at 2:00 pm at Steve’s shop located at 1811 E Street in Sacramento. You need not be present to win.

Contact: Dave Burke (916) 439-2194.
1021 Los Molinos Way, Sacramento, CA 95864
dmburke@winfirst.com"

I've had the pleasure of spending a bit of time with Steve in his shop, and the guy is truly a class act, and as down to earth an individual as you'd ever want to meet.
All of us at Swobo are wishing Steve a speedy recovery as well as sending our best thoughts to his daughter.

Please, ten bucks is a small price to pay to help out, and even if you don't walk away with the most kick ass bike you could ever hope to dream of, you'll at least rest easy at night knowing that you are helping out some folks who are in the clan, as it were, and right now are in fairly desperate need.

Last but not least, here's a shot Joe took of what Satan uses to capture all of his family's fondest vacation memories;

I lied. Last but not least for reals is the Periodic Table of Awesoments that Chris sent;

Although I don't think that video games or Bob Saget have any business being on here.

So on that note, It's hump day, it's hump day, wear your hair like Donald Trump day.