Accepting the challenge

This week has been a horrendous week for all forms of powered racing. Three pilots killed in Reno and Collin McCrae dies in a helicopter crash near his house. My thoughts go to the families of all involved.
A pictorial tribute...
In August of 2006, McRae and co-driver Nicky Grist competed for Subaru in the first live televised American rally in Los Angeles and finished second despite rolling his car

However one must remember all of them were doing something they loved and I am borrowing a poem from Scully at Skywritings to illustrate this.
And shouldn't I have,
knowing that this might be the last,
raced my craft around the sky once more,
just to feel the stick clasp my hand back,
joined in the thrall,
dancing with the wind
waltzing with the blue
knowing that never after should I feel so free,
so sure in risk, so sure in this, my calling
taming this sky with the pride of experience.
my future just a glint in the horizons
I hurl myself up to meet my fate---
"scully" 2007

I feel the same when I get on my bike, I know it has it's dangers, I am still in plaster from the last minor miscalculation, but the feeling of freedom and being able to give my thoughts wings as I wind my way down a twisty mountain pass is something I always want to be able to do. Actually I ache to do it, before the accident I would find any excuse to rather use the bike than the car. Now I can hardly wait for me to take it for a spin again. I am sure they also felt the same way about flying and racing.
People who pass from this mortal coil pursuing their dream and passion are fortunate in a sense... second only to those that give their lives protecting others. So I am sad at their passing but salute their lives as they were living their dreams and showing us all how to really live... You will be missed.
"Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom. Mastering others is strength; mastering yourself is true power." - Lao-Tzu

Amica donna mia

The title means "My lady friend" in Italian, to me the most romantic language to listen to in song, as I do not speak it or French for that matter I suppose it is a silly statement, but I have always found Italian songs more comfortable on the ear than French. Francisco Napoli, Eros Ramazzotti, Zuchero, Pavarotti, Andrea Bocelli and the list goes on, all favourites of mine and all speak to my heart better than most French singers, the exception being Francoise Hardy... I had a schoolboy crush on her when her song Only You Can Do It (Je veux qu'il revienne) was a hit in the mid sixties and the pictures of her helped too...
I remember this one... sellotaped to my door...
My image of the quintessential Biker Chick... maybe she started me thinking about bikes?
Francois today... still good looking but not my type anymore... but I still like her music. In any case this is going slightly off track here, I wanted to focus on the Italian singers and the way they carry the passion of the song through their voices.

The song in question by Eros Ramazotti will always hold a special place in my heart as it reminds me of KatieB, when I hear it I picture her on the stand at the track, score sheet in hand, watching the bikes going over the finish jump while the song plays over the PA. I suppose I should have been focused on the race but I could not help stealing a glance her way and noticing how enthralled she was with the race. I think I feel the same way when I look at her, I see someone that is willing to put up with this crazy guy that loves motorbikes and dirt racing then I realize it is more than that... she actually shares my passions, how great is that? So to my Amica donna mia I want to say you stole my heart again that day... I hope to lose it each time we have an adventure or spend time together. Can one lose your heart to a friend? I believe so... I had better stop before I cause another Tsunami...

Just like a month ago when I went and blurted out my feelings over coffee and muffins... not that they have changed much. I have just learned to take each day at a time and be the person that she feels safe with, it is a learning curve for both of us I suppose but every day I realize this is a precious thing that has been given to us and we should treat it as such and nurture it like a special plant in a garden, too much water and it drowns, too much fertiliser and it wilts, too much pruning and it dies back. What I want to say is that I will always be your friend my Amica donna mia...

So here is my verse set to the same title:
Ere there was a time I was alone like the sands on the shore,
One amongst a billion, unseen unnoticed, unwitnessed,
Then my eyes were opened,
My soul was touched,
My life became reality,
You became my witness and I became yours,
You showed me that my dreams had purpose,
You became a lighthouse in my storms,
My arms became stronger,
Walls came tumbling down,
Friendship forged through adventure shared,
Amica donna mia forever.

Zen and the art of collaboration

KatieB has some excellent pictures up from yesterday's racing, much better than I take for sure.
We have a new vision for the club and maybe a new name... I suggested Central Dirt Racers... hope it sticks. I just hope all these plans get implemented and that the people making all the suggestions have the guts to persevere and not once again leave it up to the few die hard's to carry the load. It would be great to have a place where dirt racing is the passion of all concerned. I know for one that come what may it is now ingrained in my skin and soul... The smell of wet dirt as a bike comes through a berm followed by the smell of expended racing fuel is like a sweet incense. How this became a passion is a mystery to me but since I get so much satisfaction in being involved I do not try and dissect it at all, I just accept it as another gift of love from God. I have always loved motorcycles but dirt bikes and the races have become a part of me. I will always be involved in some way or another.
I also enjoy getting things done as a team and we have such a bunch of willing people that love the sport as much as I do, I just hope that the new direction does not turn into a bureaucratic nightmare but with a good set of rules this will be avoided. So the quote is most fitting... MX riders lick gravity regularly...
Now to bed, it was a long meeting and a glorious ride home on Shrek... I did not even feel the chill! The streets are rather quite on a Monday night at 23:50... much safer than weekends at that time...
"We can lick gravity, but sometimes the paperwork is overwhelming." Wernher von Braun (1912 - 1977)

Plumbtucker

I feel like a beaver that has just completed a huge dam wall... tired but satisfied with a job well done... Thanks KatieB your team was great! Anton, the track was awesome. The medics were top notch! The riders that pitched up were great sports. All in all a MX race of note... the ones that were not there are the poorer for not going to the trouble to race. I hope the word goes out that the race was Megalicious! Hope KatieB posts some pictures as I was just too busy.
Since KatieB enjoyed the song so much from "Sabbatical" here are the words to Here With Me by Dido;

I didn't hear you leave, I wonder how am I still here,
I don't want to move a thing, it might change my memory
Oh I am what I am, I'll do what I want, but I can't hide
I won't go, I won't sleep, I can't breathe, until you're resting here with me
I won't leave, I can't hide, I cannot be, until you're resting here with me
I don't want to call my friends, they might wake me from this dream
And I can't leave this bed, risk forgetting all that's been
Oh I am what I am, I'll do what I want but I can't hide
I won't go, I won't sleep, I can't breathe until you're resting here with me
I won't leave, I can't hide, I cannot be, until you're resting here with me.
The afforementioned playlist is rather long, so tonight I am dispensing with posting it, maybe as a post of it's own.
So to bed I go... satisfied with life and the Universe as it is... Thankful to my Creator that He willed it so...

"The enemy came. He was beaten. I am tired. Goodnight." Vicomte Turenne, Message sent after the battle of Dunen, 658

Backblogging

Should one backblog? that is when you blog about something after the fact so to speak but make the date correct for the subject. I do sometimes and have been doing so for my 12 Days with Shrek journal. I do not think it is cheating but it does show a chink of procrastination I suppose.
Anyway... I will be backblogging sometime about Bill Flynn, my favourite South African actor. I see his memorial service will be on the 23rd July... hamba gashle Bill. I bet the Angels are in hysterics at present with your tales. Maybe God needed some cheering up.
I have a motorsport meeting later that I am not looking forward to... I am not good in confrontation, especially with numbskull's.
6 hours later...
The meeting actually went well... there were no fisticuffs and some good points were raised... but I have this deja vu feeling that this has been said and done before... now to see if the words will become deeds. We all want to promote dirt racing in it's various forms.
The only thing I regret is that I had to turn KatieB down for coffee, I would have rather done that than a stressful meeting. The quote sort of sums up my feeling about my love for being involved with dirt racing and the club affairs. I just detest the politics involved...
That is why I like adventureing with Katieb... there is no hidden agenda or facade... we are who we are... I love it that way...
"Play: Work that you enjoy doing for nothing." Evan Esar (1899 - 1995), Esar's Comic Dictionary

Wannna speeen?

This must be good for tyre sales... At least they are not doing it on the street like illegal drag racing, although I think the atmosphere may get a tad unbreatheable what with all that burning rubber. I must say this type of tyre burning is a lot more friendly than in the '80's and heaps of fun for all concerned...
Come to think of it so is drifting...
There is this great montage of some Japanese guys doing their thing set to some ATB and Paul van Dyk tracks... pretty awesome, I always play it at our MX meets, when we have a big screen it would look awesome.
I found them here, my favourite is driftworks2, click the links...
http://www.superhonda.com/video/driftworks.wmv
http://www.superhonda.com/video/driftworks2.wmv
http://www.superhonda.com/video/driftworks3.wmv

Happy spinning!

Never shake the bucket of nuts before you're tied to the yak rope

BBC NEWS World South Asia Asia's newest sport - yak skiing This quote was so funny I just had to use it as a blog. Seems like Yak Skiing may be fun... not much diffrent than Bungee jumping or Snowboarding down a glacier, I may just add it to my todo list! Speaking of latest sport, this weekend we have our first MotoQuad races, I hope it goes down well and everyone has a good dose of dirt racing fun. mmm Sometimes Quads remind me of a Yak let loose and just as unpredictable. Personally I prefer two wheels... much more predictable when one parts company in a moment of error...
PREDICTABLE - Delta Goodrem
I smile
You say I take your breathe away
You say you love me and you make
All the right promises to break

And when I turn around you're always there
Like that's the proof you really care
But I see right through you and
I think To myself

You're just so predictable
In every way
I want you to know I know your game
It's so unbelievable
how you never change
you won't get away
with loving me
you're just so predictable

I run
You say you won't give up the chase
You say you'll follow me anyplace
So you can make the same mistakes

You know just what to do
And how to use the best of you
To try and change my mind
But my eyes are opening this time
And I read you

You're just so predictable
In every way
I want you to know I know your game
It's so unbelievable
how you never change
you won't get away
with loving me
you're just so predictable

Now that I know your every move
How you gonna hide baby what you gonna do
Now that somebody knows the truth
About you and how you're just so

You're just so predictable
In every way I want you to know
I know your game
It's so unbelievable
how you never change
you won't get away
with loving me
you're just so predictable

"Never shake the bucket of nuts before you're tied to the yak rope." Peter Dorje (Yak skiing expert from Manali, India)

Dazzle

An amazing little image. Fractal art in minature.
Now to more serious matters... after a dazzling season the Cheetahs lost the final game but not without clawing back magnificently... ah, well next year!
At least I have music to cheer me up. Here is some played today, Paul van Dyk - Tell me why, Armin van Buuren - Burned with desire, Modern Talking - You are not alone...
This song by The Stranglers seems to sum up my feelings of my favourite rugby team losing the final:
Always The Sun - The Stranglers
How many times have you woken up and prayed for the rain?
How many times have you seen the papers apportion the blame?
Who gets to say, who gets the work and gets to play?
I was always told at school, everybody should get the same
How many times have you been told, if you don't ask you don't get?
How many liars have taken your money, your mother said you shouldn'tbet?
Who has the fun, is it always the man with the gun?
Someone must have told him, if you work too hard you can sweat
There's always the sun
There's always the sun
Always, always, always the sun
How many times have the weathermen told you stories that made you laugh?
Y'know it's not unlike the politician and the leaders when they do things by half
Who gets the job, of pushing the knob
That sort of responsibility you draw straws for, if you're mad enough
There's always the sun
There's always the sun
Always, always, always the sun.
"Sure, winning isn't everything. It's the only thing." Harry Sanders, in Sports Illustrated, Dec. 26, 1955