Stupid Hurts….trust me I know!

So I am done with the Mark8 bag for now ,and odds are it will be a bit before I make a new bag. The unfortunate thing about bag making is you really don’t know what you did wrong as far as ergonomics go until you are done with the bag and have weight in it. There are some things that just work and some things that just don’t and those you can tell on paper. But when you are trying new things, well, you takes your chances.

Well 8 generations and somewhere around 17 bags later I am coming up on a concrete design I finally like. The Mark8 has the shape of my all time favorite bag, but it is built like the 1 of the most durable bags I ever made. Plus I tried a few new tricks.

In the end I combined this shape.

	the outer flap of the twin arrows bag

But I built it like this one. That shape is also a lot easier to embroider, but a bit harder to assemble. But bags made from this shape tend to last longer

	the stripped bag laid out

So I ended up with this

	the flap on the mark8

	the inside of the mark8

This time I also tried a fabric that I haven’t used before called Sunbrella. It is a waterproof canvas that’s worlds cheaper than Cordura. But it lacks that nice shine Cordura has. It was a just a little hard on the knuckles to, but over all I am a pleased with the results over all.

I also made shoulder pads for this bag that where separate. That was a new thing for me.

	all the pieces before I put it together

	Two completed shoulder straps

My Letter to VirginAmerica Airlines Regarding Bicycles as Baggage. I have sent it to a few other airlines to.

Hello,

It seems that you all are trying to create a different kind of airline that exceeds customers’ expectations. For all the folks out there that are trying to live a green lifestyle and minimize their use of cars, bringing your bike with you when you travel is ideal. However, most airlines — yours included — charge $50-60 each way to check a bicycle. In contrast, checking oversized ski equipment is often free. Bicycles are primary modes of transportation for many people particularly people with limited means, whereas skis are a luxury item.

Please consider allowing cyclists to check bicycles onto your planes for free, or for a reduced price such as $10 each way, which would be comparable to what trains and buses charge. You would immediately win the loyalty of all the cyclists and green-living folks out there and would likely get a lot more money in ticket sales from those types of travelers.

Thanks for listening!

…I encourage every cyclist to write a similar letter to any and all airlines. Email VirginAmerica about this, you can copy and paste my text if that helps.

virgin customer service

Flying with any of my bikes has always been a hassle. Since I almost never check any other baggage. and I have to assume they bent my wheels.

I would like to say it has been a slow news week and that’s why I haven’t updated the site, but honestly it hasn’t. Most of the time I have just been juggling more things than usual. Mostly lawyers, case workers, and medical issues right now.

Last night I walked into a bar where I used to work but I still drink for free so I could eat dinner and hang out for a bit and speak to a few people I knew. The owner saw me and asked me if I was working tonight. I looked at him with a raised eyebrow and pointed out the fact I don’t work there anymore. He looked at me unphased and asked if I wanted a new job. I had been trying to figure out how to repair my bicycles so I went ahead and took it.

Lets see how that goes.

Well, today I am helping mom getting prepared for Play-on con She found today that she is teaching a class on costuming in only a few hours. She is pretty exciting about it and, through that we were both offered work positions at Dragon*con. Looks like I get to go for free this year.

For the second time I had a seizure while diving into a swimming pool. I managed to get myself out of the water both times which is fortunate I guess.

While walking into the device support center for my cell phone I knew this was going to be interesting. Luckily our exchange was brief, but I could tell the agent was trying his best to stifle a smile the entire time as he handed me my a new phone.

Earlier that day I dropped my phone off for repair due to a short it had in when I made calls. Right after I walked out of the device support center, I remembered the video clip of a chick getting a Ecstasy pill shoved of her ass, a friend of mind sent me, and the very graphic drunk text I recently got, I recently got from an ex.

Seeing as they both goth transferred over to the new phone. I can only assumed at least the video got watched. This then reminded me of my associate who works at a local camera store who usually has awesome stories and copies of pictures he assumed people forgot they had on the roll.

	sometimes it's the destination

Speaking of which I made it a point to take a few minutes to get out and take a few pictures. This is the second time I have gotten out to shoot recently, but I lost the entire first batch because my ISO settings where incorrect for the lighting conditions. I think once I get back into the habit of shooting on a regular basis I will be less likely to make such a simple mistake.

I was talking to Sarah a few nights ago and I pointed out the fact that it has been a year since I started having seizures, and ended up in the hospital. We also came to the conclusion it has been a pretty long year and me getting sick was a catalyst for a hell of a lot things at once. Unfortunately or fortunately, I haven’t really figured out which yet, every time I tried to properly feel sorry for myself I ended up having to deal with some new issue. I keep getting told hold I am handling my issues really well. I’m not really, I just don’t talk about it too much.

I also realized last night that I have been to the Emergency room enough times in a short enough of time span to lose count. Scary no? I know I have been more than 6 times since I got to Atlanta, and more than 6 times before I left Birmingham. I don’t always blog about it, sometimes I walk out, or they happen so close together; (like on my birthday ,and the day before when I went to two different E.R’s). My real thought is if everyone knew how often I crashed, I doubt they would continue to allow me my personal privacy or freedom. It is only the last time where I near destroyed my fixed gear and got hurt that I was really forced to cut back.

Lastly I was told recently “When trouble arises and things look bad, there is always one individual who perceives a solution and is willing to take command. Usually, that individual is crazy. ” Considering I have been commended for my ability to take control of situations when things get out of control, and I have also had three separate doctors recommend therapy or a psychologist. Maybe there is a connection.

I have basically been home sick for the past four days, that is part of the reason there really hasn’t been much going on in my world or on the site lately. I did make it out to Food not Bombs to help cook and feed people. But most of the nights this week my arms have draped over my toilet while I lamented how much I hate my life. Luckily I feel much better now, and hopefully this will last a while.

One of the more useful things I got done this was to re-write my Tour de Stupidity. I had been putting it off for some time, but honesty it was pretty embarrassing. So I took the time to take care of grammatical errors, make it much clearer, and add pictures.

	The endorphins have kicked in

Walking out of the train station I was a just little pissed. I had just found out there would be a 30 some odd minute delay until they would be unloading luggage from the train. Which meant I would have to wait to get my bicycle back. This is why when I travel, I normally never check anything.

I was calling Bobby to change our initial meeting plans when I passed a girl who sounding frustrated as she talked and waved at her cell phone in a language I didn’t catch on my first pass as I walked towards the corner. On my way back I over heard her conversation now with a taxi driver, and found out she and a friend were headed to the youth hostel. Assuming she was a backpacker from Europe and remember how well everyone took care of me when I was over there. I stopped and asked if she needed helped.

It turned out she did. They didn’t know where the youth hostel was, and the taxi driver was attempting to charge them $20 dollars for a half mile rile. Since my plans for the evening were pretty much only meeting up with Bobby who is also a backpacker and going to a bar to complain about women for, I figured we should try and help them out.

	Me bobby and joanne at wendys

We took the girls to their first Wendy’s restaurant for milkshakes and talking about their trip so far before delivering them to the youth hostel. Turns out they just recently gotten out of school in Amsterdam, Holland, and they are taking a train/bus trip all the way around the Untied States. Their pictures can be found here. The next morning I went with both girls to the Martin Luther King jr. memorial before they caught their next train to Savannah, Georgia.

	me with Joanne and Merel