22-12-30

 

22-12-29

 

22-12-28

 

22-12-27

 

22-12-26

 I went for a walk today. A ClarkWalk. 

22-12-25

 Merry Christmas. Etc.

22-12-24

 

22-12-23

 I think I have a photo somewhere. I'll come back here if I do. 

22-12-22

 

22-12-21

22-12-20

 This time of year there could be another bird picture every day. It would get tired. But I wouldn't get tired of taking the pictures.

22-12-19

 The snow sets in.

22-12-18

 New bike. New pedals. These are the better part of 20 years old. New Old Stock. 

I'm excited about the new bike. And it snowed today. It's been almost two years. These pedals have waited 20. What's another couple of days? Right? Still....

22-12-17

 When I had a bike shop I would sometimes stay after hours and build a bike. I'd buy some wine and drink it out of a coffee cup, dim the lights, put on some John Coltrane, and start with building the wheels. It's just about the only part about owning a bike shop that I miss. 

Tonight I built 2 wheels. King hubs, which are way too expensive, Sapim butted spokes, because Wheelsmith doesn't make spokes anymore, and Velocity rims. Disc brakes. On a road bike. It's a Brave New World. 

I'd forgotten how much I liked building wheels. I'd do it and nothing else. It's zen. When building a wheel it requires just enough of your attention that you can't think about anything else, but when you've built over 1800 wheels, it doesn't require much attention. It's the closest I ever get to silencing the voices in my head. I would build wheels all day. 

I've taken up meditating. It's good. But not as good as building wheels. 

The smell of linseed oil is full of memory retrieval cues. The DT Tensio was like an old friend in my hands. I don't print out many photographs but I'll print out this photo of the spokes. It's peaceful, and soulful. It's a place I go to forget. And to remember. 

I should build more wheels. 

22-12-16

 Almost 2 years ago I ordered a new bike. It arrived yesterday. I still need to build the wheels. First new bike in over a decade. I built up a road bike recently but it was a work in progress for several years and all the parts were last in production in 2008 and had been saved off other bikes over the years. I used to have 3 or 4 new bikes a year, sometimes more. They would get flipped and replaced. Some stuck around longer than others. Those days were long ago. 

First new bike in a long time. Maybe my last? Maybe my last. 

22-12-15

 

Power cycling access control boards. Makes me think I could disarm a bomb.

22-12-14

 Vancouver's iconic "W". Everyone has seen it, but most don't get to see it from this vantage point.

22-12-13

 Some bunch of years ago on a random road trip to Calgary of all places, long after I had settled in Vancouver, I went into The Camera Shop and bought this lens. It was more than I could afford but I had a credit card and it was touted at the next best thing to a Zeiss or a Nikkor top shelf lens. It was well made. The graphics were subtle, clean, efficient. f/1.4 fast. It was a good trip. The lens has spent more time on my camera than any other I own. Pennies a photo by now, I'm certain, maybe even less than a penny per photo. 

Mirrorless is slowly taking over and my camera is getting old. 6 years old. Which doesn't seem old but in the world of electronic crap, and technology, and batteries etc, it's getting old. The lens is older than that. I can get an adaptor to put this lens on a new body but is that the right approach? Is that what one does? Should I not buy the appropriate lens for the new camera? 

I'm not done with this lens yet. I'd do it all over again.

22-12-12

 

22-12-11

 

22-12-10

 

22-12-9

 

22-12-8

 

22-12-7

 

22-12-6

 

22-12-5

 I find this far more amusing than I should. How is Brittany going to call you if you have her phone? 

I know, I know; she can borrow one. But still, it got a chuckle out of me. 

22-12-4

 I can sew better than this (though not much better). I have sewn better than this. But I kind of like how this looks. I have grey thread. I like the red. 

22-12-3

 It's Ozzy Osbourne's birthday today. I'd have taken a photograph were Ozzy around. I didn't see him. No picture. 

22-12-2

 Different. But I was thinking about it when I took this photograph. There isn't too much racism in neon in Vancouver. It's here, but hidden. Bowling alleys are easier to find because of the neon. 

22-12-1

 Post parent-teacher interviews burgers. The kid approved. 

22-11-30

 Short days and cold nights. The days will get shorter still, the nights colder. 

22-1-29

 A theme. Lit windows at night. Half stories, or no story at all. It's cold. It snowed. It feels like it might stay for a while.