DELAY!

Whoa!

It's been a minute. I know you've all been eagerly awaiting this moment, so wait no more! Here it is.

First and foremost, why haven't I written in so long? Well, mainly because I went to visit my parents for a week in Michigan. I thought about writing a post while I was there, but I was far too busy reliving all of my high school rides on my slightly more modern whip:




Ahh Holdrige Lakes, how I missed you. And what's this next picturesque landscape?




Why that's a lovely view of Pontiac Lake in gorgeous Oakland county, MI from some of the best singletrack in the area. Needless to say, it was nice to be home and be able to revisit a few trails that I hadn't been on in at least four or five years. The great thing was how familiar they still were after all this time. I guess riding them weekly for much of my adolescence really hammered the lines in there. Between the old trails, a couple old friends, and spending a bunch of time just hanging out with my parents, it was a great trip. Though I must say, it's good to be back in the city.

Another funny thing happened while I was out of town. As some of you may have noticed...

I made it!

My film project exceeded its funding goal by more than $200! I was completely overwhelmed. Before you go getting your knickers bunched with excitement over my impending film though, I have to say, It's gonna be a while... It'll be a couple weeks before all of the cash is processed through my Amazon account. Then I've got to get the camera. Then I start the countdown; 365 days of filming/editing. I'll keep you all posted on how the project is coming, and for those who pledged and are waiting on their pledge gifts, you'll be hearing from me soon!

Staying on topic, I came across something that got me worked up in a much less awesome way recently, check this out. Apparently, because this dude manages money for a bunch of folks with a shit ton of money, he gets reduced charges for a hit and run with a cyclist. Now don't get me wrong, I've got nothing against folks with shit tons of money. That's not what this is about at all. The outrageous, egregious, error of the DA in this case is his motivation. HIS motivation is the money!

The DA is lowering the charges because if money manager dude gets charged with a felony, he'll have to report it. If he reports it, he'll likely lose a BUNCH of wealthy, right-minded clients. If he loses his clients, he can't pay any "restitution" for his crime. According to the DA “When you're talking about restitution, you don't want to take away his ability to pay.” Alright, I get that, but since when does someone's ability to pay MONETARILY have anything to do with justice? If the victim's hospital bills are the concern, I'm sure this guy might have some non-liquid assets he could spare (a black, slightly dented Mercedes perhaps). The excuse that the driver didn't know he had hit anyone almost makes it worse! He was so fricking (you're welcome Mom) oblivious that he didn't even know what he had hit! He just kept rolling until he found somewhere that he could pull off and call for a tow! He could have hit anything from a deer to a child and he would have had no idea. So homeboy is bombing around Colorado and not even looking out his windshield, and that's why it's ok to drop the charges... Brilliant.

Obviously situations like these get me a little heated. Sometimes I have a bit of a tendency to get worked up into a bit of a "get the hell off my lawn dammit!" fervor, and this is just the sort of thing about which I can't help but sound off. But rather than continue ranting on and on about it, I'll just recommend that you all go sign this petition and if you have a minute, send this guy a note:

Judicial District Attorney's Office
Mr. Mark Hurlbert, District Attorney
955 Chambers Rd.,
P.O. Box 295 Eagle, CO. 81631
(970) 328-6947; (970) 328- 1016 fax

Big ups to Stevil at All Hail the Black Market for spreading the word.

Anyway, I hope everyone has a great week. I'll leave you with this because it's awesome.