Founder of the Social Media Escape Club
I am joyously filling up this space, this site, this blog.
I’m writing freely here, as nothing gets sent to anyone (I’m pretty sure). Apologies to those who may read via RSS.
Moving photos from Flickr has been fun, too. Revisiting so many memories from my time living in New York City.
And to think I have these images and brief bits of text dating back to 2004. Freaking 20 years of writing, and photos, and adventures.
This site covers nearly half my life. That doesn’t even make sense.
Going back to 2004 on my Flickr account has thrown me for a loop. I mean, between that time period and the tens of thousands of photos I have in my Photos app, it just made me realize how consistent I’ve kept with photography. Not in a grand way, by any means, but I’ve always messed around with cameras.
In the 90s I remember shooting shows with my little point and click Kodak (got one on eBay last year). During my Bike Nerd days I had a Canon PowerShot SD940IS and Canon PowerShot S95 (see ’em here).
Got a Nikon Z30 because I’ve wanted to make videos but found I’m loving taking photos with it even more. Even the iPhone 14 Plus has me shooting more, and being more mindful when out and about.
Thought this photo was fun just because of the wall of green ends so abruptly with that blue sky.
An almost 10 minute video of exploring abandoned ski resorts and breathtaking scenery. Exactly the sort of video that makes me want to sell everything and travel the world.
In 2010 I left my apartment in Williamsburg, Brooklyn with my bike and what I carried in my bag. I rode my single speed bike up the GW Bridge, and made my way to Rutherford, NJ to crash with a friend.
I miss that shit.
(thx, Norah)
WordPress is telling me I’ve published 1,000 posts.
A few hundred people a month read things I write here.
No likes, no comments, no “engagement.” Just me posting for the sake of posting. It’s a digital journal of sorts, I guess.
I’ve been publishing things on the internet since 1995 or so, which is about my earliest memories of the “commercial web.”
I had a Packard-Bell computer that I bought at Sears on credit, and it was about $3,000. Had Windows 3.1, and I think I had mIRC on there.
Met a lot of people via #pasxe.
We’d find out about shows like that back in the day. We’d make plans there to hang out and meet at diners. Then AOL Instant Messenger came along and fucked everything up.
I’m so frustrated by all the platforms these days. The tie-in. Streaming music services where you rent music. My Photos app has over 300GB of photos, and my new laptop has just a 512GB HD. I moved my photo library to my external HD, but now it won’t do the iCloud Photos thing.
This is why I go for walks. Today I walked about six miles, spread across three jaunts. “When in doubt, go for a walk” is my mantra for 2024.
I knew I had to finish today’s newsletter, but also knew I needed to get outside for a walk first. Like
Dan Blank said today, “the real magic comes slowly,” and moments like this keep me going.
It’s the first big snow in a while, so I went out for a night walk!
The next morning I went out in search of a the perfect spot to sit and watch the snowy world pass on by.
Tell me you prioritize automobile traffic over pedestrian safety without telling me you prioritize automobile traffic over pedestrian safety.
Started my New Year’s Day hike in the dark with some good people.
There was no sun, but there was lots of spooky fog and a bit of snow. I can’t believe I got to witness this view. There was no snow where we parked our cars, and there was just a dusting as we neared the top. But this sight, of all the snow on the trees… it was magical.
The fog made it extra special, too. A delightfully spooky way to start the new year.
Just about two months out from the Pride 5K, founded by total bad ass Nikki Hiltz.
Posting this here because not everyone is on Instagram, and so maybe they wouldn’t see this otherwise.
Register here, knowing that you’re helping support the mission of Point of Pride.
Point of Pride is a nonprofit organization that provides financial aid and direct support to trans folks in need of health and wellness care. Their mission is to provide access to gender-affirming resources such as chest binders, breast forms, and other essential items to those who may not have the means to acquire them. Besides simply donating money to Point of Pride, our goal is to make sure that every transgender person knows that there is an entire community of runners who love and support them and believe they belong everywhere they decide to be.
And if you don’t think you can run 3.1 miles, I bet you can walk it, and that counts, especially when the money is going to such a good cause.
From A Quick Brown Fox program direct and bike racer Ayesha Mcgowan, re: banning trans athletes from competition:
Don’t @ me pretending to be a scientist, a member of the peloton, or even a savior for women’s sports. Women athletes are underpaid (if at all), under-supported, underestimated, and face a world of very real problems in the present that actually need solving. Banning transgender athletes is not helping us in any way. It’s cruel and sad and wrong. If you really want to save women’s sports, learn ways to help solve the problems we are actually facing.
Some wise words from Coach Bennett from Nike Run about running in the hot weather:
“You don’t get fit by getting heat stroke. You don’t get stronger by being dehydrated. You don’t build endurance by getting sun burned. You don’t get faster by getting hyperthermia. And you don’t earn my respect by putting yourself in dangerous conditions that you are unprepared for. You lose it. Maybe that doesn’t matter to you. But I hope you know that you’ll never run as well as you can by hurting yourself. And that’s what prolonged exercise in extreme temperatures does. It hurts you. It doesn’t make you better. It doesn’t make you stronger. Be smart. be safe. Take care of yourself like you’d take care of someone you care about. Remember that sometimes the best run is no run. If you can do all those things then you’ll be one day closer to running that best run of yours.”
