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Accepting the truth

chrome toy web cam
the many faces of Valerie, courtesy of WebcamToy for google chrome

 

I feel like the universe has been teaching me a lesson this past year or so. You can have it all, just not all at the same time. For me, I can’t even have some of it, I can barely hang on to 2-3 ITs. Last summer what I could have was work and my health. I super focused on slimming down and losing almost 40lbs and was working super extra hard to get a specialist role and promotion nearly in the same month which paid off- at the cost of this blog and my photography.  When school started in January and my new position got crazier at work my health fell by the wayside and blogging or photographing anything was the last thing on my mind. I’ve now gained a few pounds back and school is nearing its end for the summer and I couldn’t be happier that I get to have part of my life back, if only for a few months. I really do wonder how some people ‘have it all’ even though I know they probably don’t or there’s something in their life they are missing out on. I wish I could be hyper-focused on a million things at once but I’ve learned to just accept myself the way I am, this is me. This is how I roll. Id probably have a million panic attacks or be homicidal if i tried juggling any more than I can handle now. For now I’m content with rotating priorities in my life. Health, Photography, School, Work.

So long story short, hi. I’m back for now and its bike month which for my morbid self means I’m super inspired to shoot some ghost bikes and bring awareness to road sharing safely. See you around!

 

Ps. Its also burger month and I plan on eating many of those, protein style please.  :)

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Favorite things pt3: Ghost Bikes

taken by Brian Eyler

I know, I know…how morbid, she likes stuff revolving around death…but its not all about the death part, its about remembering them and raising awareness.  Ghostbikes.org is a website that I came across a couple years ago that serves as a directory to a rising trend in white painted memorial bikes stationed where cyclists have been killed on the road.

Maybe its just me, but there’s something artistic coming out of these tragedies and I don’t know about you, but I love this kind of stuff.  Yes, its extremely sad why its happening, but its raising awareness that more cyclists are dying on the road due to negligence behind the wheel (and cyclist overconfidence in some instances) than we may realize.  They can be found in cities all over the world, some are taken down some stay up.  Sacramento had one when a biker was killed on L street near the Downtown Plaza by a bus.  These roadside memorials serve as  reminder to share the road, and to always be careful when riding or driving.


Ghost Bike, taken by Barbara Monroe

Maybe I love these ghost bikes because they remind me of what I’m working on for my book project.  They are very similar in theory.  A memorial to a lost loved one on the road.