Cat found Jesus and rubberbanded it just so around about 20 years ago. As seen here on her handlebars at 1201. When I say Jesus, I mean a Jesus fish auto emblem you might find at your local WalMart. Or maybe you’ll find one on Third Avenue in a go-back-for-it ground-score sort of kind of way. This photo kicks about in the photographic memory. It resurfaced recently when I texted Cat…
…several days later Cat sent me this shot proving she found Jesus. Again.
Now it’s going full-circle-upcycle recycled on a phantom nostalgia postcard that’s making its way to California. Texts are cool, they’re quick and direct. But you can’t hold a text message in a tactile way. You can’t fold it. You can’t tack it on the wall. You can’t smell it. You can’t notarize a text message. A postcard is hands-on. A postcard is real. Sincerely for real. Really.
Another day. Another phantom nostalgia postcard. This one is on its way to Jeffrey L. Kidder PhD in DeKalb, IL where he’s a sociology professor at Northern Illinois University. Nothing says "happy new year" like a snapshot from yesteryear. Kidder was a bike messenger in Seattle when I took this shot at 1001 of his bike mirrored by 93’s bike just so. Oh so 20 years ago give or take here or there now and then left and right.
If you want to know 'bout the mad punk rockers If you want to know how to play guitar If you want to know 'bout any other suckers You can read it in the Sunday papers Read it in the Sunday papers
Portrait of the artist as a personalized lock screen on a desktop in the breakroom at the mothership. Non dairy creamer added to show scale. A photo of a Todd Galaher photo of Matt Case rolling by City Grind oh so 27 years ago bro.
City Grind still exists in the lobby of City Hall. Just a stone’s throw south of its OG location. There’s also a City Grind within the Henry Art Gallery. I deliver the Henry’s mail everyday and I visit the Henry’s galleries quite often. I will get coffee at City Grind occasionally, depending on where I’m rolling within the academic calendar. It’s very popular with the undergrads and the line sometimes snakes out the door.
The connection is not lost on me and my coffee history. It’s a tenuous connection stretching from the 98104 all the way up to the 98195 but it does exist. Staring at the exact same coffee cup sticker 27 years later brings up some messenger memories. I’ve emailed a few of these photos to Jon the OG owner and Riley the Henry Grind co-owner. They appreciate the history.
I stumbled upon this photo of Peter’s bike. I took it after he let me ride that Serotta for a bit on the Burke-Gilman on our way home from Mad Fiber HQ in 2011. We paused at this point so he could get his bike back because it’s where I would dogleg left-right on up to the U Bridge and roll south. While he continued east on the Burke.
A Mad Fiber commute passed this point twice a day.
These photos were taken right where 7th Ave NE plows into the Burke Gilman, between the Benjamin Hall Interdisciplinary Research building and the Publication Services Building aka the Mailing Services’ Mothership (that’s where I work these days)
Those are 27" wheels on my Shogun singlespeed. As heavy and slow as the day is long. I'll be riding them home tonight, slowly, uphill, in the rain, in the dark.
Those are Mad Fiber tubulars on Peter's Serotta. Light and responsive and rather expensive. They're probably in a landfill somewhere as we speak.
14.583 years ago feels like a really long time ago, a couple-three lifetimes in carbon fiber years...
