Diversified Connectivity

It sounds scientific, almost smart...

And that's what I was thinking about on my way to ride East Setauket on LI, the hardest trail out there, although that's not saying too much. It is very twisty with hundreds of tight trees you have to squeeze between and the faster you go, the greater the potential danger. Sounds like fun huh....it is. I always think about the time the Sos got hurt there when his brake lever plunged into his leg and we had to take him to the hospital. That was not fun. See: http://toliveandrideinnyc.blogspot.com/2010/06/sospital-leg-meets-brake-lever-blade.html

Press Play Now...

Sugar Minott - Hard Time Pressure


Anyway, I was jamming Sugar Minott tunes all the way to the trail and thinking......and thinking can get me into trouble quite often. Maybe I had an epiphany, or at least I thought I did. I was thinking about Sugar. I was thinking about riding trails that I don't go to enough. I was thinking about riding my Flash Carbon 29er which was on the roof and I don't ride it enough, off road. And I was thinking about connecting with people. The human connection, and how good it makes you feel when you meet someone that you feel a connection with, for whatever reason.

Diversify – to give variety to; vary; to spread out. Connectivity - The ability to make and maintain a connection. The quality or condition of being connected or connective.

Sugar is the main link to this thought process of mine. He passed away at the young age of 54 in 2010 and what a loss to this world. He was special. He was gifted. He was able to cross over and master multiple styles within reggae unlike just about any other artist. Roots. Lovers Rock. Dancehall. He was a pioneer, an originator. He stretched out musically and touched more people with his dynamic range. If you loved dancehall, you loved Sugar. If you loved roots reggae, you loved Sugar...and so on. He connected with people, and made them happy. He enriched their lives with his music. I knew Sugar, from when I was a reggae radio DJ in a galaxy far far away. I did shows with him. I knew his family. I interviewed him live on the radio. He even slept over at my house one night with the whole band...that's another story.

So, I want to diversify my connectivity, and I'm doing it. And it feels good. I need to spread out and ride more trails and more bikes. I was thinking (yeah, I know) that when I'm riding, bikes or boards, I'm moving along the boundaries of the earth assisted by gravity and centrifugal forces that help to connect me....to the earth.

I rode as fast as I could. It felt great. Mid 60s after Thanksgiving? And I connected....with a tree. I was thinking during the ride, and that's when it happened. My handlebar clipped a tree on the right side and threw me into a tree. Right shoulder to tree, right knee to handlebar/shifter. Yes, it hurt and I didn't know if I could continue...but I did.

And I realized something during the ride. I didn't feel like I was burning the evils and negativity out of my system. I was burning positive aggression. It felt like clean burning fuel. Rocket fuel. And my Flash 29er, Domino, is the rocket.

Sugar Live In JA
Extra Classic!

Domino Day

Post Ride Wound Inspection

This is an amazing oral history of reggae!
Sugar Minott Studio One Story

I Met A Lady From Greece

That sounds (and looks) like a strange title.....even to me, and I wrote it. I did, meet a Greek lady, and her daughter. They were really nice! The lady, the Mom, said to me "I never met a bike I didn't like!". It was an awesome statement. I loved it. She referenced the feeling of freedom. Free to go most anywhere anytime - Prince. That's it.

Live Audio.....starts at 1:18

Giving Thanks

What a day! It was a nippy morning in the 30's as I rolled out of the EV and headed to Ringwood for the annual Thanksgiving ride. I was thinking about the Beres Hammond song Giving Thanks as I drove up the FDR....



I was not feeling as optimistic as usual. I was thinking about the things that I feel thankful for....being able to afford food, having a job that I like, good health and fitness, a place to live, my bikes, great friends....I could keep going. I was also thinking about things that I don't have that I'm thankful for....health problems, lack of self confidence, lack of goals or motivation. There are things that I had, that were bad, that I don't have any more. Give thanks. Sometimes you've dodged a bullet and haven't realized it. Give thanks. Anyway, today I'm really giving thanks for an amazing ride that made me feel great! Paul got the Go Pro camera running even though we didn't have any of the right mounts for some reason... We did have tape! Paul, Gil, and I running our Ringwood loop....and we ran into our old pal Alberto on the trail and he joined us for the ride. 15 miles of pleasure and pain. The change in my state of mind from pre-ride to post-ride was astonishing. Dopamine and adrenaline flowing through me. And the feast that we had up in the Boogie Down Bronx at Sky's place was incredible. Two turkeys, one smoked, and pernil ala DR. Give thanks. Be glad for what you got.

More Beres, live. What a voice...

Paul and Gil Mounting the Go Pro camera
to Paul's bike with packing tape. Yep, it worked.

Gil and Paul on the trail

LW.....Happy

The Feast, post-destruction

The landing where I took a nap after dinner....
Maybe it was the brownies?

Cutting Room Floor / Don't Come Around Here No More

The end of last week was turbulent. I thought I might explode. Life can sometimes get the best of you, if you let it. Which reminds me of my favorite Cheap Trick song, Everything Works If You Let It. Anyway, the weather forecast said low 60's for Sunday and I knew that if I could hold out, and survive til' then, a mountain bike ride would fix me up. The bloodletting at the end of my week hurt. So many ideas, feelings, emotions....the human mind is powerful. Thoughts...productive and destructive. It's a fine balance. Trying not to stumble and get in the way of your own progress. Your emotions, make you a monster (DK's). When I saw Oisin recently from MrNorth, we discussed the meanings of many of the songs on the new album Everything. Cutting Room Floor is exactly what it appears to be....it's about all the scenes that don't make it in the movie. Even if it cost a lot to create those scenes, and I don't mean just US dollars. They are left on the cutting room floor of your life. Your movie, my movie. We all make choices, and we have to live with those choices. It goes like this....Goodbye.....Goodbye, Honey.......Buddy... Listen here: http://www.amazon.com/Cutting-Room-Floor/dp/B004ZNIYDS And somehow I managed to merge Cutting Room Floor with Tom Petty's Don't Come Around Here No More? Quite fitting, I know. Thinking can be dangerous. I need to do less thinking and more riding. So Paul and I met out on LI at Glacier Ridge yesterday and the weather was indeed picture perfect. The windmill was turning, the sun was shining, the weather was sweet. Paul had never been there before. His bike was a little overkill for the tight, twisty trail, but he rocked it. My Spot....in flight as usual.

Cheap Trick....

Paul Getting Ready

Dark Side Of The Moon

The English Beat goes on....

That's right....
Dave Wakeling and The English Beat are still rocking. We went to see them last night and they did not disappoint. Dave's voice is amazing and the songs are timeless! Mirror In The Bathroom, Twist & Crawl, Tears Of A Clown, I Confess, even Tenderness. The music is uplifting and the band is killer. They've still got it, and Dave looks like he can go on forever. Go see them play in a town near you. You'll be glad you did.

Liberation

I met a poet. The poet invited me to a poetry reading. It was raining, hard. I rode through the rain. I wasn't sure what to expect. At the reading, I met some other poets, each one interesting and interested. All three of the poets who read were different. Different topically. Different perspectives. Looking at the world through different lenses. I sat with all the poets. They asked me if I was a poet too, or a writer. I told one poet that I wrote, every day, but that I'm not really a writer. I told her that I write this blog, and it's about riding, bikes mostly. She was intrigued. She thought it was a great idea to express. She said that learning to ride a bike is that moment in a child's life when they experience that first freedom, the liberation of being able to go where you want to go. Freedom. And that conversation struck a deep chord in me. I've been thinking about it ever since we spoke. It inspired me to write this entry, and it inspired me to seek out that feeling more and more. The feeling of Freedom. The feeling of Liberation. And not only through riding, but in all things. I'm Free. Free Fallin'. I've been listening to Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers a lot lately. As a matter of fact, it's been a Tom Petty Chanukah this week as I sought out some vintage TP collectibles and spread them around to some friends that I care about. Tom Petty is an American poet of rock & roll. He's been writing and singing about freedom since he began rockin' in his hometown of Gainesville, Florida. Thanks Tom, and thanks to the poet(s) who reminded me of that feeling of freedom & liberation. I want to have it every day. You can too.

Here's a good one....

A fresh start with my new mug

Transformation

It must be the leaves? The colors that are so amazing. Changes. I could feel it yesterday. Rode Stillwell on LI with The Sos. The weather was stunning. 60's in November. I'd have to be hospitalized to keep me off the trails on a day like that. Really. Perfect conditions. I took Domino out for a spin, my Cannondale Flash Carbon 29er. The bike is awesome. Very racy, very light, very fast. The Dubmobile was transformed from Summer Cruiser to Winter Storm Chaser, also. Ominous looking with the black Winter wheels. I like it. Last night closed a great day with a ride over to DUMBO for some fresh beers with new friends. Doors close, doors open. The changing of seasons, turning pages to the next chapter, on to the next episode, wrapping the second film of this threequel and moving on to the third film in the series? Let's see what today brings... It's gonna be good.

The Sos with his weapon of choice...The Bruja

Your narrator....LW

Dubmobile Summer

Dubmobile Winter