Author: Steve Briscoe

Excerpt from, “Solitary – Without The Confinement”

A short excerpt from my soon to be published book, “Solitary-Without The Confinement”

…There is a memory in my head that is as clear as if it happened this morning. When the grandparent’s house was filled with grandkids it was a special treat to be the one who got to sleep on the couch in the living room. On one particular weekend I was fortunate enough to be the recipient of that treat. I was quite young, perhaps seven or eight years old. I woke up very early one morning before sunrise and saw my Grandfather sitting in his chair looking out the window. There was no radio playing, no lights were on and the small black and white TV was turned off. The only light in the room came from the glow of his pipe as he smoked it.

As he put the pipe to his mouth the increased glow of the pipe illuminated his face and gave it an uncanny glow; highlighting the lines and features of his face. It was apparent to me, at this young age, that his mind was intently engaged, but I had no idea what he was thinking about. I laid there and watched him for a time then drifted back to sleep; to this day I wonder what he was thinking.

I miss them both and regret the times I could have spent with them but did not because of some event I felt was more important; like spending time with friends. The sad truth here is I can’t remember the names of most of these “friends” now. Little did I know I had missed an opportunity of a lifetime; an opportunity that is gone now and can never be reclaimed…

Hope you enjoyed this little tidbit… more to follow, but not much more, just some teasers. You’ll have to buy the book to get the whole story. Anticipate the book hitting the streets around the middle of January.

My book is illustrated by Lacey King; an up and coming graphic artist.

2014-11-18
The Bumper Sticker Epidemic

It is not my intent to insult, but evidence points to a drastic problem in our society. When I write a BLOG it automatically posts to Facebook. My BLOGs range from 500 to 1000 words which, based on what I have seen, is rather common for a BLOG. I believe, albeit a biased assessment, my BLOGs have worth and make a statement. So it saddens me when only a few (if any) make a comment or click the “like” button. This tells me few if any take the time to read them.

If I post a 5 word comment or a picture that really has no value in the grand scheme of things I will get multiple likes and several comments. Everyone is looking for an answer that will fit on a bumper sticker and that is not going to happen. If you want the truth you will have to work for it; you will have to read more than a bumper sticker.

Do yourself a favor and work for it, get the truth, don’t rely on the cute little posters that are so prevalent on Facebook. Find the answers for yourself and don’t rely on someone else’s bumper sticker. More often than not a bumper sticker is designed to hide the truth, not proclaim it.

2014-11-17
Words Speak Louder Than Action

Wait, that’s not right. I can say anything, but if my actions do not bear witness to my words then my words mean nothing. Sadly, sometimes our words paint us into a corner and we fail. Our words out-maneuver our intent. Other times we accept the words of others as truth without first verifying their intent and we fall prey to foolishness.

Let’s talk about a few words and see how they play out:

Integrity – Does not mean you never make a mistake. But what it does mean is if you make a mistake you claim responsibility for that mistake and act proportionality to correct it.

Endurance – Many claim to possess it, very few actually do and even fewer still put it to the test.

Honor – Has nothing to do with words. But has everything to do with actions.

Wisdom – Has nothing to do with how many big words you know. But has everything to do with how you act in a difficult situation that words have created.

Compassion – Has very little to do with how you think, but that’s where it starts. Compassion with no action is pity.

Strength – Has nothing to do with holding 100 pounds over your head for long periods. But what it does mean is an ability and desire to help a friend hold that 100 pounds.

Kindness – Has everything to do with a kind and charitable act… so long as you don’t expect anything in return.

Purity – None can claim it, but many do.

Courage – Is not being fearless, but acting even though you are scared to death.

Leadership – The ability to win the trust of people around you to such an extent that they want to follow you. Forced leadership is not leadership; it’s tyranny.

Verbally claiming these traits is contrary to the trait being claimed. These traits are assigned to us by those who know us best.

2014-11-16
That Whisper of a Smoldering Thought

I suspect this happens to us all. During the night, in the fringe between sleep and awake where you are only slightly conscious, a thought will come to you. It may be something about work, a product or process solution that has been in the works for weeks; an answer that has eluded you to the point of total frustration. Or it might be just a random thought that you felt was overly profound and you decided to remember that thought and write it down first thing in the morning. Well, morning comes and for the life of your best friend you cannot remember what it was. A whisper of smoke from the smoldering ashes of your thought is all that lingers.

Try as hard as you might you cannot formulate that thought into words. This happens to me all the time.

I was told by a friend to keep a pad and paper beside the bed and when a thought comes to mind make the conscious effort to grab your pen and paper and write it down. Sound advice and I did that once and it works, except the next morning I couldn’t read what I wrote.

I guess I am stuck with what comes to mind while I am fully conscious. Unfortunately so are you if you expend the time to read what I write. Some who read my lame excuse for literature tell me I should write more; so I will. Perhaps, after a while, they will see the errors associated with that recommendation.

As I come up with thoughts I often write them down if I am able. Often a thought will come to mind while riding that endless road and by the time I stop for gas the thought is gone leaving only a faint footprint of its existence. Thoughts range from the mundane to the profound; at least I think them profound. There is neither rhyme nor reason to my patterns of thought while riding, but I do not think I am the only one can claim that trait.

Maybe someday a profound thought will come to me while I’m putting gas in the bike.

2014-11-15
What Riding Can Do For You – Proof Provided

The riding community is a combination of every walk of life, every gender (there are two if you are unsure), every race, nationality and creed. We all ride for different and multiple reasons. The one reason that spans all walks of life is, “for the fun of it.”

I’m not an overly intelligent person so I’m not able to adequately describe, or put into eloquent words, why it’s fun; it just is.

There are others reasons as well; economics, availability of parking spaces at work and possibly because you can afford a bike, but not a car. Regardless, we ride.

Over the past 30 years I’ve conducted a number of study groups using thousands of paid subjects and numerous computer programs and post-graduate students to calculate the results and… wait, that’s a lie. I’ve not done any of that. I did read a book on it once, but since there were very few pictures in the book I never finished it.

But here is a truth. Riding is good for the overall well-being of the rider (unless acted on by a texting cager). Here is the proof…

This is a picture of people who do not ride…

Here is a picture of people who do ride…

As you can see the riders appear much happier than the non-riders. I take this as proof that everyone should ride; the world would be a better place if we did.

2014-11-13
Solitary – Without the Confinement

What is this all about? Everyone knows what “solitary confinement” is.

But what is solitary without the confinement?

I guess you can put any definition you like to that, but here is how I explain it when asked. Solitary without the confinement is a condition in which we place ourselves with intent. There are those who enjoy solitude and seek ways to facilitate that condition. There are some who dislike being alone and work diligently to always be in close proximity to others; I am not one of those. I’m not saying one is better than the other, just stating a fact.

Any avid rider knows when we ride we are alone; even if riding in a group. While riding our iron horse we are secluded from the world. Our ride takes us away from the troubles of life. No so far that we evade our troubles but far enough away that we can think though them clearly. If you do not like being alone then I suspect long distance riding is not your forte. To enjoy the solitude of riding you must first and foremost be comfortable with yourself. But, on the other side of the coin, if you are not comfortable with yourself I would submit a series of long rides would open the door to understanding who you are and hopefully, with that knowledge, change in such a way where you are comfortable with yourself. If you are not content with yourself you will never be content with another person. You will always yearn for something just outside of your reach.

The book “Solitary – Without the Confinement” is a narrative of what permeated my thoughts while out there alone, riding that 8000 mile endurance challenge. I will not say it will be a number 1 best seller, but, considering this is the first book I have written, I can attest to the fact it is the best book I have ever written. But I digress a bit…

This BLOG touches on riding and what befalls the rider. Perhaps a better way to explain it is, “This BLOG reaches for the real purpose of riding.” Numerous articles, books, notes and BLOGs are out there about riding and each makes an attempt at helping non-riders understand. But words alone cannot explain it. Avid riders already know the purpose so there is no need to explain it. But there’s more…

I will not confine (no pun intended) this BLOG to the book’s intent. A rider, like any person, has outside interests and thoughts not associated with riding. So, considering this is my BLOG, I choose to write on many topics. My hope is you enjoy them all, but understand some you will like and others you will not. Don’t dump me based on a single article you do not like or disagree with. Feel free to comment about your disagreement; I have very thick skin and you will not offend.

2014-11-13
Why BLOG

I’ve been reading a number of BLOGs lately for no other reason than to get some ideas. I enjoy writing, but, more often than not, I have little to write about. I’m a bit of a Neanderthal which, in this particular instance, means I believe reading the instructions is a sign of weakness. My grammar and spelling are atrocious and I rely mainly on the red, green and blue squiggly lines provided by MS Word to tell me something is amiss. I read a considerable amount but would not say I am a vicarious reader. Most of the items I read are work related which are often technical or directive in nature.

Sentence structure is a foreign language to me. I know what a noun is and a verb, but not so sure I can point out an adverb. I know what an adjective is but often get them confused with words that are probably not adjectives. I know when a sentence does not look right, but lack the wherewithal to correct it without some outside assistance. In fact, for the sake of curiosity, I just went to www.grammar.ccc.commnet.edu and took a short Sentence Body Quiz. There were seven questions of which I failed five and the two I got right were purely guess-work.

Don’t ask me what a “simple subject” is or an “adverb clause” and if you ask me what a “dangling participle” is I will assume you have a runny nose. Here’s another bit of information I feel I should share. I just looked up the definition of an adjective on the same website and learned what I thought was an adjective is not. Apparently book learnin’ is not my strong suit. So, we have undoubtedly determined sentence structure is not my area of expertise.

Punctuation is another area of understanding that eludes me. If you are a scholar in this area, and you are reading this, I’m sure you have found numerous punctuation errors and are at this very minute getting ready to send this article to some friends so they too can get a chuckle. That’s OK, I take no offense.

So why would an undereducated Neanderthal want to write a BLOG? Well, the answer is simple; because I want to get better. I recently started the process of self-publishing a book and while writing the effort I felt I was doing well based on my own understanding. I submitted the final draft and should not have been surprised to learn my writing skills were reminiscent of paintings on a stone wall.

If you read my BLOGs (I suspect my audience is in the single digits) and see glaring errors fell free to leave a comment and point out my errors. I believe we learn most from errors made. I will not take offense. I take constructive criticism very well; unless it comes from a family member, friend, acquaintance, co-worker, associate or a stranger.

I started reading a BLOG by Michelle W who is a “professional writer, editor, napper and dog-snorgler who has the ability to leap tall buildings with only minimal mechanical assistance…” Her BLOG (or at least one of her BLOGs) is titled “Blogging 101 and I believe it may help in my efforts.

We’ll see.

2014-11-12
Zen – Part 3

In part three of “Zen and The Art of Group Riding” we will discuss the cager.

A cager is not your friend, not necessarily by design or intentional, but the fact remains. It’s hard enough to outmaneuver a cager when riding single, but riding in a group only means the cagers will find themselves in a target rich environment. While riding single the cager must take calculated aim and cater the approach to ensure a hazardous interaction. In a group all they need to do is change lanes and they are going to hit someone without even trying. We all know what the first words spoken by the survivor of such encounters are, “But Officer, I DIDN’T SEE THEM!!!” Of course they don’t mention the fact they were texting or taking a picture or looking for their favorite CD just about the time they made contact with the rider.

I’m not privy to the statistic showing the percentage of riders hit by cagers verses rider only accidents but I feel safe in saying the cagers are leading the pack in kill ratio. The driving habits of cagers is probably one of the specific reasons authorities will not allow us to carry a gun. Were it my call not only would we have direct fire capability in the group we would have the ability to call for in-direct fire as well as air cover for tactical support. Sadly, even the occasional direct fire intervention seems to bring about unwanted attention. Not sure why. So, suffice it to say we must keep our eyes on them and maintain situational awareness of all cagers in our vicinity. Take your eyes off of them for one second and they will put you in the ditch.

As far as 18-wheelers are concerned, I will sum that up in a very short sentence. While passing an 18-wheeler consider yourself knocked down a few notches on the food chain. An 18-wheeler transporting livestock carries its own set of hazards; hazards which should be avoided at all costs.

2014-11-04
Master Your Ride

Being the master of your ride is all about skill… or is it? Every rider, even the newest rider, knows how to apply the brakes and slow down or come to a complete stop, they can shift gears and twist the throttle one way or another to add speed or facilitate a slight reduction in speed. Now, doing all this with finesse and making it seamless comes with repeated use resulting in a familiarity with these actions and how it affects your bike.

I have been riding off and on since 1972 and I’ve faced a significant number of “tests” and thus far have survived them all. That does not mean I am a super-rider with extraordinary abilities far beyond those of mortal men; it means I’ve been lucky. I will admit some (perhaps many) of those “tests” were put before me for no other reason than a result of my being distracted by some insignificant thing, arrogance, pushing the envelope and/or just plain stupidity.

I consider myself a competent rider meaning I have the skills to ride my bike safely. However, sometimes my mental functions and my level of competency fail to work hand in hand with a common goal in mind; that goal being the safe operation of my ride and remain accident or incident free. Granted, some accidents are truly unavoidable. Tooling down the dark country road toward your favorite hangout, obeying the speed limit restrictions, vigilant eye out for danger and a deer comes out of nowhere and plows into the side of you. You never saw it coming; no amount of skill or mental clarity can avoid this. However, avoidable accidents are just that; avoidable. Meaning, on many occasions whether we crash or not depends on our actions.

Mental function and/or clarity are just as important, maybe even more important than skill. Your attitude while riding is paramount. Many avoidable accidents happen because of something you do, or fail to do, right before impact. We all speed, if you say you don’t then not only do you speed you also lie. Speeding on an open road is one thing, speeding in town amongst traffic is surely another. Doing a “hole-shot” and pulling the front wheel off the ground is cool, but what value will it add to your life if your rear tire blows while the front wheel is 2 feet off the ground or a distracted driver changes lanes? We all know what happens right after we say, “Hey, watch this!”

The coefficient of friction (or traction) is one thing that keeps the shiny side up and our rides in a satisfactorily linear position between the ditches. The other thing is our mental attitude while we ride. If your mental attitude (or lack thereof) outweighs your skill then all the skill in the world is not going to save you. A rider may be so familiar with a particular curve in the road they know exactly how fast they can go, how far they can lean and tell by the tone of the scrapping peg where the limit is. Would that same rider take an unfamiliar ride on an unfamiliar curve and apply the same set of variables? I would submit a prudent rider would not, but therein resides the discussion. At what point do we no longer act prudently, when do we willingly set aside a deliberate mental attitude toward riding and exceed our limitations?

Mastery of our riding skills is important, but it is not enough. It is the mastery of your mental attitude while riding that will prolong your life so you can enhance your skills or the lack of that mastery will place you in a situation where no amount of skill will get you out of what you just got yourself into.

2014-10-30
Maybe A Bit Bogus

Last night I wrote a short bit for this blog and was going to post it but lost connectivity at the house. Sadly that happens all too often as I live in the quiet solitude of the country and connectivity comes from a satellite dish.

I think I am glad I did not post it because it gave me time to realize that, in reality, parts of the edition were bogus. Here is a portion of what I wrote:

*****

…but for the most part, I do not write for others. I write for myself. Call it therapy or call it self-indulgence… Call it what you will and I will take no offense. I have very thick skin; so much so that I have to remove a layer or two to figure out people are making fun of me.

I have written a few short fictional stories and couple of short articles based on what I have seen or how I perceive things. It is really not my intent to be published…

*****

Now, here’s the bogus part. To say I do not write for others and do so with little care of whether someone likes it or not, or that I care not if I am published, is really a bit of a lie. Nobody wants to expend energy writing articles that are never read; total waste of time. In truth I would enjoy the knowledge that people appreciate what I write and take it to heart because it is (usually) the heart from whence it comes. How many of us make a comment on Facebook and go back 5 minutes later to see who commented and what they said? We, although we may not admit it, are hurt if nobody replies. We want to be noticed, we want to be appreciated and we want to be people of worth.

If my book, “Solitary – Without The Confinement” sells only a few copies I am sure I will be hurt as I have wasted all that time writing, editing, re-writing and we won’t even mention the amount of money spent getting it published. I did not have enough faith in my efforts to have my book picked up by a publisher so I opted to go with the self-publish approach; which is not cheap. I know my book will sell at least 100 copies because that is the amount of books I plan to buy once it hits the streets. But purchasing my own book will not pay on my investment.

Bottom line… I want my book to sell because I believe it has something to say. I believe it has a message for those who may be wandering. I truly hope you buy a copy for two reasons. One, I think you will enjoy reading it. Two, I think it may help some find a path that may have eluded them… plus, I want my money back… OK, that was three. Hey, it’s my BLOG I can say what I want.

2014-10-28