The last of 1990

Tonight I came home and needed to take a few moments to let the stresses of the day fall away. The sun was setting and the backyard had fallen into darkness. I stepped outside with full hands and cats darting between my legs. Sitting in my chair I lit my pipe and enjoyed the last of the 1990 Dalwhinnie single malt. The smoke from my pipe rose slowly and the cats lounged exhibiting no cares as cats often do. 1990 was a year like most others with ups and downs and events of note as well as all the things that seem important at the time but are quickly forgotten. The Simpsons premiered in 1990 starting a run that continues to this day. The first McDonalds opened in Moscow with promise of a changing Russia but I am not so sure that promise came to fruition. Nelson Mandela was granted his freedom after twenty seven years. I heard he went on to great things. Eddie Lawson was crowned the 500cc Motorcycle Grand Prix champion. I still road my Yamaha RZ350 almost every day. Back in the present my pipe warmed my hand and the scotch warmed my belly as the wind blew leaves across the yard. The cats watched the leaves but seemed unable to get up the enthusiasm to chase them as they usually do. I sipped and smoked and watched the moon rise through the trees. I worked with the person who would end up giving me my present job in 2004. Small moments recalled and stress dealt with I think it is time to prepare dinner.

Text © Crownedstoat – All rights reserved Dalwinnie 1990 Distillers Edition photo courtesy of Whiskyforevereryone.Blogspot.com Moonrise photo Courtesy of http://kat-lifeisbeautiful.blogspot.com/

Thanksgiving's Toll on Turkeys

Manly men doing manly things

This month is the fortieth anniversary of the publication of James Dickey's book "Deliverance". A book that explores men challenging themselves both physically and mentally. Then of course they encounter the darkness of other men and discover the depths of their own baser nature. Men traveling into the wild has become well covered in the nonfiction market with books such as "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer or "A Perfect Storm" by Sebastian Junger however, in fiction this type of tale has gone out of fashion. The road map to manhood seems to somehow have become lost today.
I am happy to see that being a man no longer seems to require the clubbing to death of another man or the destruction of some beautiful part of nature but then I never believed that these things were the mark of a man. Something is missing though and I believe a part of what is missing is an exceptance of the dark, violent, nature in the recesses of each of our being. There is also missing the love of the natural enviroment and the sublime beauty found in art, music, creation. Men are a wild combination of destruction and creation but both sides of that nature seem to be derided today. A man needs to explore and understand all aspects of his nature to truly be complete and many men seem to be missing that oppurtunity today.







Text © Crownedstoat – All rights reserved
Nez-Perces war club courtesy of the United States Federal Goveremnt, Nec-Perces National Historic Park, Wikicommons - Public Domain

The Power of a Word

I rarely consider the power of a single words but recently I was reminded how powerful an impact they can make. Consider the simple utterance "please". Context is everything and "please" in context can be joyful, painful, humiliating, laughable and a myriad of other possibilities. A single word spoken with conviction in the right circumstance can bring you to your knees, lift your heart to the heavens or leave you breathless with anticipation. A single word whispered can make your heart beat faster and shouted can bring you to your feet. A single word can be the difference between success and failure, hope and despair, life and death. A single world can change everything. A single word recently changed everything for me. Three letters, one syllable, simple but so very powerful. She said, "yes".




Text © Crownedstoat – All rights reserved

The pleasures of moonlight

Last night I saw the moonlight. It danced over the beautiful landscape and the images still lingers in my mind.The way the light played over the landscape was mesmerizing. Shadows of complete blackness, highlights of stark, beautiful white and the dappled effect as the two met echo even now hours later. The colors were muted and few but that didn't matter because somehow the textures seemed more intense. Edges seemed as sharp as daggers and when the clouds obscured the light everything became softly rounded and out of focus like an impressionistic painting. It is an endless fascination that I come back to explore again and again. The night falls and the moon shines and another world awaits. I await for the evening to come.







Text © Crownedstoat – All rights reserved
Clifton Suspension Bridge with a full moon in the background photo courtesy of Wikicommons - Cako

Happy to be back

After many work and personal interruptions blogging will resume. Thoughts and musings on motorcycles, film, traffic, asshattery and other compelling topics will follow at a more frequent pace. No guarantees either explicit or implied are offered on the quality of these future post. Future comments coming soon.


Rubber Ducky Photo and Text © Crownedstoat – All rights reserved

11,000 times a minute

Eleven thousand times a minute the crank goes around and around. Eleven thousand times a minute the pistons go up and down. Suck, squeeze, bang, blow is the sequence that makes the Blue Meanie go. A gasp of air comes in and goes out. Over and over again the process repeats itself. Almost three thousand liters of air and a few drops of fuel mixed to perfection and used all up. Every minute this goes on as I ride past the people in their wheeled boxes. I hear the sound of the wind, feel the warmth of the sun, smell the tortillas cooking at the bakery. There is no radio, no cell phone calls, nothing to distract me from the world around me. There is speed and motion, sunlight and warmth. I feel the pitch, yaw and roll and I am focused. I am focused on the imminent dangers and the unparalleled pleasures around me. Eleven thousand times a minute the crank goes around as I ride.


Text © Crownedstoat – All rights reserved
Crankshaft photo courtesy of Wikicommons - Alex Kovach