The pleasures of low horsepower

I have been riding motorcycles for about twenty-five years and have enjoyed everyone I've ever ridden. I road raced for about seven years and rode everything from four cylinder, 1000cc unlimited superbikes to single cylinder, 50cc miniracers. I learned more on the low horsepower small engined racers than I ever learned on the hyperbikes. When you have massive horsepower at the twist of your wrist you can forget that the secret to speed is momentum conservation. The goddess has dreamed of a Vespa for a very long time and a few months ago she finally purchased a dragon red LX50 model. It is a beautiful piece of machinery that does what it is designed to do very well. It has plenty of storage, automatic transmission, comfortable ergonomics and zippy handling make for a lovely tool. As the goddess is sensitive to cold she doesn't ride in the winter and having recently had a minor, low speed crash she is a little hesitent to ride so I have been keeping the Vespa exercised. My current bike a Triumph Daytona 955i has 149 horsepower and hardcore roadracing ergonomics which provide a constant temptation to engage in behavior that will get me incarcerated or worse. I can never pull the trigger on the Big Blue Meanie as it is the definition of the nuclear option. When I ride to work and come to a small clearing in freeway traffic I always try to top the ton if only briefly and that 100 MPH blast isn't tapping the beast potential at all. It is like having an exciting, amazing, beautiful, girlfriend who constantly challenges you to rob banks. The Vespa looks like the fun, clever, cute, girlfriend who wants to take slow walks in the park and eat a healthy vegan picnic with her. There is a secret to the little red dragon though beneath her mild exterior beats the heart of a wild woman. The Vespa whispers pin my throttle, never slow down, dive into turns with crazy speed and pass everything on the road. Sure the big boxes will pass you in again on the straights but as their drivers text, eat, and genereal do not engage in driving that is a different and very removed experience from riding the hell out of the little red dragon. I ride as hard and fast as I prudiently or almost prudiently can ride every time I climb aboard the Vespa. I ride harder than is sanely possible on or in any other vehicle I have ever owned. I also never see more than 50 mph. It is a wild, good time and almost no one is the wiser. I also am unlikely to need to call the goddess to come bail me out of the local constabularies accommodations. A secret wild ride in plain sight has become my current addiction. I can't recommend it highly enough.

Photo provided with permission by http://kat-lifeisbeautiful.blogspot.com/

Infrastructure investment and filmmaking

This past weekend I was on a film location for the current independant film I am producing and had a chance to revel in the joys that city investment in infrastructure bring about. We were shooting at Elizabeth Baldwin Park. Until a few years ago Baldwin park was virtually abandoned by the city and had become a haven for the homeless and drug dealers. It was located in a neighborhood that the city had stopped maintaining and investing in years before. The streets were crumbled and businesses were shuttered. The city more than a decade ago with the help of a federal grant started investing in the area again. It started with water and sewer line replacement followed by street and street light repair. This attracted a few brave businesses and pioneering home owners. Which in turn attracted more businesses. Which led to developers building townhomes and revitalizing existing buildings. Today the midtown section of houston is revitalized and becoming a safer and healthier neighborhood. There are cost associated with this change to the families and homeless that had lived in this neighborhood prior to its gentrification. This city has done little to address those cost and that is unfortunate but as I enjoyed the beauty of the refurbished park and watched kids playing and people walking their dogs on a sunday morning I couldn't help but smile.I believe that most cities, states and the country as a whole have been ignoring the crumbling state our parks, streets, civic buildings and services are in for far to long. I think we can make our cities more liveable in a number of ways. check out Baldwin park and read about its namesake. http://www.houstontx.gov/parks/baldwinpark.html

Photo provided with permission Wikimedia Commons, Whisper to me.