2010 Goals

It's trite this time of year to create some sort of list about "resolutions" or "predictions" for the upcoming Gregorian cycle, but what the heck:

1) Racing. Law school and the associated lack of time and money forced a temporary retirement from my racing exploits. I've already taken a small step in that direction last year, after getting my BMW 330. I had to take it and give it a spin in the autocross, but I'm not big on "racing" my daily driver b/c you always have to worry if you break something, how are you going to get to work the next day? So, most likely, I will be getting my YZ250F back into running shape (motor needs a rebuild, among other things). Whether or not I compete in a proper motocross "race" is another issue. As much as I love it, MX is extraordinarily physical and considerably dangerous, given, particularly, the jumps involved. I've been a pretty lucky and pretty safe rider, but even so over 5 years of riding I suffered a broken collar bone, torn soleus muscle, and fractured wrist as "major" injuries. While those caused difficulties going to class in high school and college, it's another thing when you're in the professional world.

2) Photography. Last year started off well, but photography quickly took a back seat to law school finals, graduation, and studying for the Bar exam. Obviously, the new blocker is work. Wasting away all that daylight stuck in an office is frustrating. Nonetheless, I hope to make more time to shoot photos because I truly do love it. And maybe do some more people shots... we'll see.

3) Job. Speaking of work... finding a real job would be nice. There are a few prospects out there, so here's hoping that happens sooner rather than later.

Odds are bad, but certain

Man time has flown by. I realized earlier today it was only 2 weeks to Christmas. Which also means it's nearly 2010. That's an interesting issue considering the state of things... black hole comes to mind. Lots of things fly by, fly in... nothing comes out of it. It just sits there, spinning, going nowhere, sucking down time (or maybe speeding it up, depending on how, exactly, space-time theory works). Anyway, depending on the point of view, that's good or bad; maybe it's both. Inconclusive is a good word and quite appropriate.

The frustration is the anticipation of a result which may be good, maybe not, but the bottom line is that it's not up to you. Sorta like sending 120 film off for processing. You may have taken 12 shots, and of those, if you're lucky (or good? both?), maybe one is great. Usually just alright - sometimes, a couple that are respectable - if you took your time, planned, well composed. Even so, though, usually the best shots are made up of elements entirely out of your control. You just have to be there, at the right time, with the right equipment, and the right skills to take advantage.

At least, that's what keeps photographers going. To date, I've shot 19,081 photos over 21 months. I keep a folder called "Best Shots" that contains what I consider my absolute best shots over that time. It has 53 photos in it. That means, on average, .2777% of my shots are "great." Or, in other words, for every 360 photos I take, 1 of them is a keeper.

It's been 210 days, hopefully it won't take another 150. But at least we're on the upswing.

Oh, and 19,081? It was a good one.

Turkey Bowl 2009, "In the Huddle"

Barber Vintage Festival

Last weekend was Barber's Vintage Motorcycle Festival, which is in my opinion perhaps the best event they have at Barber Motorsports Park. There's road racing, cross country, motocross, the Wall of Death, bike shows, a swap meet, an air show... etc. Unfortunately the weather wasn't great this year, but fortunately it cleared into very nice afternoon on Sunday. Here's a few pics.

Air show low pass (haze provided by lingering smoke)


Straight out of WWII


Beautiful old Vincent


Very cool Yamaha chopper


Interesting combo...


The oval piston Honda NR750 - one of the rarest modern race bikes!


An RM ridden by former World Champion Roger DeCoster


The weather cleared up for a perfect afternoon at Barber


The Honda Dream


The Wall of Death - an absolutely perfect place for the fisheye!


They brought go karts this year


Two bikes at once!


Click here to see the full album

End of Summer

Yeah, so I know I haven't updated in a while. Law school graduation and studying for the Bar exam dominated my summer months. But I wasn't totally dormant. Check out my Facebook albums for more work - in the mean time, I'll work on getting some of the better art shots up on RedBubble. Enjoy!

Mat Mladin Blogs?!

6-time AMA Superbike Champion, all around wise guy, and forever speaker of his mind, Mat Mladin has just started his own blog. If you like motorcycles, racing, or dry Australian sarcasm, I guarantee you will be well entertained.

http://matmladin.blogspot.com/



Left: Mat Mladin at Barber Motorsports Park, circa 2005.