Live Alive

A toast to my son

When we dropped off our toddler at daycare, we worried if they would take good care of him.
When we watched our little boy get on his first school bus, we worried that they would get him there safely.
We worried about the bullies at school, the grades he made, the friends he hung out with.
We worried about the transitions from one grade to the next, from one school to the next.
We couldn’t wait until he grew up so we could stop worrying.
But then our young man moved out of our house, and we worried that he would never return.
There is a lot that can happen in life, and a lot of things for parents to worry about,
But there is also a lot to be sure about, like when we first set out on our own to find the world, to find the love of our life and reach for our dreams. Even when our parents worried about us, we had the world at our feet and the power to make it all work out.
We discovered that life’s not always easy and things don’t always work out as planned. But the love we find in life makes all the difference in the world. When we have someone to share the struggles and the joys with, our lives seem just that much more meaningful. Love enriches our lives. It makes us happy. When we look at this grown man and think about the love he has in his life now, and what that really means for his life, we don’t have to worry any more.

Velo-Trike-Car experiment

The other day I picked up an electric motor and battery from an old, non-working Razor skateboard/scooter. It probably won't work for my trike experiment, but we'll see. I can probably salvage the throttle if nothing else. The motor says it can work for up to 100 pounds max.
So as soon as I learn how to weld, I get started on making my own recumbent trike, electric assist for commuting longer distances and hauling loads. Wheel see how it goes.

Unheard Voices

For all of the voices that are heard, there are so many that are not. Thoughts that go unrecognized, creative energy that seemingly vaporizes without a trace. But energy like that cannot just vaporize, it's bound to flow. And into the pool of unconcious existance it goes. A voice unheard becomes my inspiration. It is your voice, your thoughts that inspire the world!

Castles in Castles in Castles

Why do we build castles? And rows upon rows of castles inside of our castles. With gates and moats and walls to defend against the neighboring castles, we create our kingdoms in the sand. I do it too, but forget why.

Transportation Alternatives

Walking is an alternative form of transportation that's been around for centuries. Many people have the ability to walk without additional equipment or training. That we learn at a very young age.
It's a viable form of transportation that works. It carry me from my living room to the kitchen to refuel. It can carry me from the kitchen to my car, about 30-40 paces. It can magically carry me from my car to my office cubicle, another hundred or so paces because I have to park farther away. Walking doesn't have to carry me to the bank anymore because it's all done electronically now.
Lets look at my alternatives.
A. I can drive my car to work
B. I can ride in a car with other people to work
B. I can ride in several busses to work
C. I can ride a bike to work
D. I can walk to work
E. I can combine any of the above
To drive a car to and from work takes me about 50 minutes each day
To ride bussess to and from work takes me about 3 hours each day
To bike to and from work takes about 2 hours and twenty minutes each day
To walk to and from work takes, um, well, I only walked home once, late at night when the busses stopped running. Around midnight my wife got angry with me for walking alone in the dark through a 'troubled' part of town so came and picked me up in a car. Another fourty five minutes and I would have been home on my own two legs.
But walking is probably the cheapest form of transportation overall. The most affordable, requiring very little extra equipment. I'd need the same stuff to walk from my house to the car in the dead of winter. And I don't need to pay for mandatory liability insurance in case I hit someone, or something, with my body while walking. There are many other hidden costs, the larger and more complex the moving machine is. As with many things in life, simpler is less expensive and healthier.
Of course, I can't carry much with me while walking. It gets tiring after a while! I might need a cart or one of those super-light modern baby strollers to haul my stuff around. And there is the cold and the ice. It gets harsh being out in the elements in our winter. But I can do it. If I put enough on and cover all exposed skin.
It's no wonder we love our cars in this country. They have afforded me all kinds of possibilities and opportunities I would not have had without fast, comfortable, powerful transportation.
But sadly, A look at the recent auto shows where car manufacturers unveiled all of their modern fuel-alternatives cars and SUV's, shows that there is really nothing new there. All they have done is upped the fuel efficiency by a micron. Many of the vehicles are smaller, but the prices of these modern wonders aren't getting more affordable with less vehicle. It is simple math though to figure that the less weight you carry around the more fuel efficient you are. Thus the invention of carbon fiber bikes. For racing it makes sense. For exercise it means you have to ride farther to get the same workout. But lighter bikes are more fun when going up steep hills. Gravity works.
So, the thoughts are brewing around in my head to create my own affordable alternative form of transportation that protects me from the elements and allows me to get around faster than I can on foot. My goal would be to get me to and from work and other places faster than I could on a bicycle, but maybe slower than a point to point drive in a car. I could trade off a little time if I had to.
My ideas are not new either though. But maybe the time is right to bring back some old ideas, like velo cars. This one was created in 1938.

In Minnesota an enclosed tricycle sounds like just the thing to keep me from getting frostbite in the sub-zero weather and keep me from falling over on the ice. Mine would be electric assist so I don't get as tired and so I could haul bigger loads.
Something like this modern velocar looks more comfortable than the 1938 version. Still the same concept.
What do you think? Do any of you have a velo car and want to chat about the pros and cons? I would especially love to hear about ideas that would improve on this idea as I contemplate designing and building something for myself. Anyone have a used one for sale?

Gaelic Storm

As a special treat, my mom, dad, sister, a friend and I went out on St. Patties day to see a band called Gaelic Storm at the Guthrie. It was a really nice time and the band was lively and entertaining. This group looked layed back and relaxed when they walked on stage but their performance was powerful and professional. Top musicians. I'd go see them again, given the opportunity.

Boycotting the Olympics

I am boycotting everything to do with the olympics in China. I won't even watch it on TV. When it comes to Tibet, China is a typical bully who took something by force and claims the victim is the terrorist.
So, basically I think the Chinese government has no real character. They are hollow and full of lies. Let them pretend to others that can't see what they have done.

Sibley Bike Depot Open House

We recently moved the non-profit, community-based bicycling center to it's new home at 712 University Avenue and are planning on starting some new programs, including bike recycling, maintenance classes, after school programs, and Earn-a-bike schemes. WE WANT YOUR INPUT! Come see what it's all about, learn how you can contribute, and tell us what you think!

Thursday, March 6th, 7:00pm

NEW LOCATION:

712 University Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55104

All New/Used Wheels Half Price! (we need to make space)

email sandyrobson@gmail.com with questions or just to say, HEY, cool!
You will really dig our new space: Hint, it's heated! and has great lighting inside!

Hope to see you there! If you do come to this and are one of the people who read this blog, be sure to mention it to me. I'd love to meet you.

John

A cup of coffee, a cat on the monitor

What a simple, peaceful, quiet time it is to sip on a cup of coffee in the early morning, the cat laying on top of the monitor while reading and typing. The only problem is when the cat decides to jump off the montor onto the keyboard to get to my lap. Then this happens lsdfna;sdvn alvk 'andvpbja9bj aldsgjadfob n 09u4t0
She has five toes you know. but sometimes she hits the delete key.
What a beautiful thing it is to have a cat sitting in your lap while reading and sipping on coffee.

A new skill, a new bag

Over the past month I've been learning a little how to sew things on our sewing machine. It's really an amazing machine. whoever invented this is a genius!
My first project was a simple pocket bag with the top edges folded over and sewn so there are no ragged edges. I used some old scrap flannel material. Now I keep my art cards in there.
My second project was another bag made from a portion of an old curtain. It has a draw string to one side and a loop at the top back to hook onto a belt or something. The loop was already on there to hang on the rod. So I basically folded the material over, creating a bag around that one loop. Call it creative reuse or something.
And my third sewing project is the grandest bag of all.

I sewed this bag with a double draw-string and gray-colored liner, with no raw edges showing. Basically its a bag inside of a bag. That was tough trying to figure out which side to sew together and which order to do it all in. But it worked and it's very cool.
Now I'm having dillusions of grandeur and thinking I that it's possible for me to sew my own clothes! Hats, costumes or something, someday, with a little more practice.
Sewing is fun! And it has tangible, useful results.

Inspiration does not always lead to the vision

Last night I went to a writer's workshop and was really inspired. So when I got home I was all energized and wanted to create something. I decided I would finish a small art project I had started a while ago. And it was looking pretty cool until I applied the last two steps in the process, which could not be undone! The vision I had for this picture was not at all what it turned out like. So basically I ruined the art project. Now I have to put the creative process to work and figure out how to turn it into something else that does work.
This experience should teach me a lesson about this particular art technique. And I conclude that experience and knowledge are the partners of Inspiration in achieving a vision.

How do I find time to write and what motivates me?

I think these questions were easier to answer during NaNoWriMo. For me I had to put a lot of other things on hold to do it. It took up a lot of time I normally would have been doing other things. But I did NaNoWriMo to see if I could do it. And I accomplished the goal.

Asking myself how I find time to write and be motivated is like asking myself what makes me tick. But I don't confuse the issue of being a writer with finding time and motivation. I don't even question whether I am a writer or not. That really is not the subject for me. I don't really care if I'm called a writer or not. I know this sounds strange to those who are dedicated to becoming a writer or who want to be known as a writer or who are published writers and proud of it. I can't say I don't have pride, but it's different for me. I discovered I liked getting my ideas down on paper and I like telling stories that I make up. I like reading my own stories. I like the creative process of making a story, whatever the inspriation. So I am not motivated to write by the idea of becoming or being a writer. I don't even really care about the definition of 'writer.' But I do care about the motives I have for doing anything and going through the processes involved in accomplishing something.

In my case motivation is what drives or sets things into motion. If I want to write, it comes from some motivation. (In NaNoWriMo's case, it was a motivation to see if I could stretch my known limitations and actually do this too. I think I will need a new motivation next year if I do it again.) It's the same with painting. It's the same with practicing music. If I have the motivation I'll do it. If not motivated, I won't.

Here are some of my motivations:

I love to create: I love the creative process which is filled with troubleshooting and experimentation. It's full of energy. I generally try to focus on the creative process - problem solving. The end product usually amazes me and I like it, but then I move on. The object created doesn't really hold the same meaning for me as the process. I focus on how do I create this? How do I make it better? How do I finish this story? etc.

I love to try new things: Experiment, learn, experience something new. Again it's full of energy. I tend to lose interest after I've experienced something. So then I tend to look for new ways to experience something familiar. I tried writing flash or nano fiction of exactly 100 words for each story. The rules are simple: 100 words containing all the elements of a story: At least one character, a setting, a beginning, middle and end. I don't think I've mastered this yet, but I did create 19 stories that meet the criteria so far.

I love Accomplishment: Getting something done is a reward for me. I get crabby when I leave projects undone. I have one painting in my closet I started and never finished because I could not get myself to settle on the writing to use on it, or practice the caligraphy required to carry it out. That's on hold, but not forgotten. I just pulled all of my calligraphy stuff together and started practicing again. I love to try new things, and to be creative but I also like to get things done. Be finished.
I discovered I don't really like editing my NaNoWriMo book and my end of the month deadline is slipping but I'm still working on it because I almost need to get this first draft done. Just to get it done. And I've discovered, accomplishment rarely happens without goals and then discipline to do whatever is necessary to reach them.

I have to keep busy with something: Most of the time it comes down to my choices. When I start to beat myself up over not finishing a project or not keeping to a planned schedule, or whatever, I have to remind myself that I only have a limited number of hours in a day and I am making choices all day long to do whatever it is I am doing. I do know that I don't like doing nothing. I would rather be actively involved in something. So I generally have more activities than I can really do. And since I can't do nothing, I have a few project ideas and story ideas and things I have wanted to work on for a while that I keep in reserve when I'm looking for things to choose to do. That is one reason I love learning languages also - there is no limit to how much learning there is and I can pick it up at any moment when I don't know what else to do with myself. Then I'm always busy accomplishing, trying new things, creating.

So when I think I should be writing more or practicing music more, or doing more artwork or focusing more on my job or my relationships, I have to look at the root of those desires, at what choices I'm making and why. Then I can choose to make one or the other a higher priority. By the way, this month I'm doing everything I put on hold last month and editing really is lowest on my list. So as a consequence, I may finish the first draft by next weekend or by the following weekend.
I've also started working on the plot for my next novel which will be the same length, but written over the course of this year and it's going to use the same characters. If I don't hurry up and set my goals for writing this, I may end up planning until next November, then write it because I have to, haha. But I don't want that to happen either. That's why I have to get back to editing now.

Have a great new year!

A spoon is carved

Last night I carved, decorated and varnished an entire old-world-style Love Spoon. I was up until 2:30am working on it. This project reminded me how the creative process works sometimes. What I finished with is not at all what I had in mind when I started.
The other thing I noticed is that creativity works much better for me when working obsessively until it's done, as opposed to a little bit of work here and there. I don't like interupting the flow of problem solving thoughts. Unless of course I'm stuck creatively, then I need to step back and away from the project.
Last week I did a Ukranian Easter Egg and the egg kept looking worse and worse until something happened and the tides turned. Then everything started looking better and better until it was varnished. I gave that one away already to my teacher.
Last week she told me that her eyesight was going out and she could become blind this next year. For someone who has been creating Pysanki for so long, what would that do to her? Her house is full of beautiful eggs on display. It's a very visual experience being in her house.
Now back to the workshop. I'm going to try a Romanian-Style painted egg today. For that I have a failed egg that I just couldn't bring myself to throwing away, mainly because of the cool-robin-blue color it has as a base. It's a chicken egg, but the sequence of dipping in dyes and cleaning, etc left it this way. The dye will no longer stick to this egg, so something else has to be done with it. We'll see what happens.

Flash Fiction Number 19 - I, Dog

I, DOG

I am thinking. Therefore I am. These are deep thoughts for a dog suddenly aware of being a dog.
My new thoughts run away from instincts and desire to please, to what the fuck am I thinking? When you left me, cold, outside all night, with no food, I learned to hate. Does your mind think like mine?
Now I just want to go back to the old dog, who always wants to see you. At least then I did not know what I did not know. Now I do not want to know the dog I know as I.

God only knows what I'd be without you...

I found this cool book called, 50 Philosophy Ideas you really need to know, by Ben Dupre'
This is must read for anyone interested in this kind of thing. And God only knows what I'd be without my mind. Thank you Beach Boys.