The pictures today? The first one was taken yesterday of my bubble glass by the kitchen window. I love having a kitchen window with bubble glass in it. It is very healing for me. The second picture halfway through the blog is my friend DJ living the good life at Lake Mead. Waking up to go hike around the lake. So here's a few quickies.1) Billy Lane in prison. I know Billy. I remember when I first met him. Sitting against the wall at an Easyriders show. I think he was showing a long chopper. One of first CI bikes. He came out of Florida like a hurricane and smacked the custom bike scene in the face. No one had ever seen anything like him. It was the year my ex's bike won best display. Probably 2001? He was so out of box from anyone else that was out there. He was young, brash, cutting edge. He had his entourage of like minded kids with him. It was the first view into what was happening in next in the custom bike world. A world now represented by Cycle Source's Limpnickie Lot, guys like Pat Patterson and Tabor Nash. But Billy was the first. Him and his entourage were like a tribe. He was different and talented enough to get the attention of Hugh King and the Discovery Channel. I won't get into that whole thing as I could really do a severe rant about them. Billy went on a wild ride. Up and up until he had no control. Maybe he thought he was beyond anything bad happening to him, that he could live life without repercussions. That it was all like on tv. Not real. It all ended on that horrible day. 2 months before the accident, after he hit a BMW while doing an impromtu bike stunt in a parking lot, a friend of his commented to me, "He's an accident waiting for a place to happen."
Does he deserve prison? I don't know. I'm pretty flawed myself. I'm glad I'm not the one who makes those decisions. He'll do his 6 years and run Choppers Inc from inside. He'll get out and start his life again, building bikes that grab attention. Maybe he'll write another book about his wild ride. Maybe he'll be more famous than before. I think success in business is in the cards for him no matter what. But what about the whole being happy thing? Where was happiness in all this? Was it ever there? What is success if you're not happy?
2) Went to pick out a faucet last night with PB and his boy. Something so simple that most people take for granted. Walking around the store with your spouse and a child. We dreamed in the appliance and kitchen sections. We also found a nice light fixture for over the kitchen island for a future purchase. Redesigning our kitchen one step at a time. A dream for me. Things I used dream of. Like Burnadette Peter's said in "The Slaves of NY," "I aspire to the middle class." A normal life. And as of now I'm successful at that goal and enjoying each precious moment of it.
A life of living on the edge is not all its cracked up to be. But you have to get on the other side of it, past it, to see. Yeah, but there were fun moments. But were they worth the horrible moments?
3) Got to finish a writing/photo project today and burn it to disc. Answer emails for future work. I started a pot of beef stew in the crock pot last night. Gotta figure out what to make for breakfast. Get ready for a full work week after 3 lazy weeks off. PB and I are gonna go to his family's property at Lake Norman lake next weekend. Ride the bikes up and camp. So I want to get alot of work done during the week.
A simple life. I know I'm just a flesh and bone creature living a very limited exsistence on a very fragile world. And I know what is real to me. I know exactly what I want. And I have it. And it is enough for me. Anything beyond that pure gravy. Was that Billy's problem? Did he know what he wanted? What was important to him? What was real?
I bet it sure feels real now.
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