Not at all what I expected!

As I sit here tonight on my leather couch, ass sweating and my nuts cooking from having the note book resting on my lap, I began to reflect on my recent past, I am blown away with the direction that my life has gone and the changes that have taken place.  Things are so very strange these days.  I met a guy a few years back and thought this prick is one of the most miserable bastards that I have ever met.  Now I talk to that prick constantly and he has become one of the dearest friends that I have ever had....  maybe you know the mean ass bastard that I am speaking of.  He is one of the most talented painters that I have ever met.  He is also the subject of one of my favorite shots that I captured last year while riding across the desert.  Do you know the guy in that picture above?  If you don't, perhaps you should..... if you can get past his wall!

It seems that just when you think that you have figured it all out and know exactly what you want, what you need and where you are heading, you end up with some thing completely different, don't need what you thought and find yourself standing in a place that you could never imagine.  I am standing in that very spot right this moment.  I was lucky enough to have some amazing people come in to my life and I guess with hindsight being 20/20, lucky enough to have some not so amazing people leave it.  The person in the above photo is some one that I thought I would never again give the time of day to and he is now my family and the flip side of that coin is that there are people that I considered to be family that turned out to have wiped us from their lives like you would wipe shit off of your shoe on the curb.  I will forever be confused with people's ability to just use people up and spit them out.  The thought of treating some one like that is just plain inconceivable to me.  I have learned to look at that as a blessing though because each time some one like that does that to us, it makes room for some one to fill that void and perhaps that some one holds a missing piece of life's puzzle.  Does that sound crazy to you guys?  Perhaps the universe whispers in the ear of that scumbag and says, "hey, why don't you fuck Jack and Diane over real good today" and they listen to the universe and do it.  Then the universe whispers in my ear, "Jack, why don't you give that grumpy bastard a chance and let him in" and I listen to the universe and I do it!  As only the universe would know, it was the right decision!  I have listened to the universe and I have given up on trying to figure out the "evil that men do" and just face each day knowing that I have never fucked any one over and never will!  Knowing that you never have to second guess yourself or look back and wonder if what you did was wrong is liberating and it allows you to open your heart. 

Once you have gotten past all that "wondering why someone would do what they did" you are free to just live your life and take it as it comes at you.  I won't lie to you and tell you that when some one hurts us that we don't feel it or that when some one cuts us, we don't bleed because we do.  It's just that I have learned to grin and bear the pain and I have learned how to quickly put pressure on the wound to stop the bleeding!  Life can be a son of a bitch and if you allow yourself to dwell on the bad, you will never see the good coming your way and it will pass you while your back is turned.  All things for a reason is what Diane always tells me!  No matter what we face, no matter what happens, no matter how horrible, she just looks me in the eye and says "baby, all things for a reason"!  Over the last 25 years, I have come to know that she is almost always right.  I say almost because there is no damn way that I am going to say she is always right because you can bet your ass that she is not!  Now I don't want you to think that because I posted GTP's pics at the top of this post that the punch line is going to be that he screwed us over..... far from it!  The reason I posted his ugly ass up at the top of this blog is because it was a phone call from him yesterday that got me to thinking about all this shit and I give credit where credit is due!  Usually George just makes you think of different ways that you want to mess with him, or different ways that you know you can light his fuse but two days ago that miserable old prick got me to thinking about life and the people that I surround myself with.... who would have done thunk it?  GTP an inspiration to more than a Denny's waitress.... that is an inside joke that maybe one day if you know George, he will tell you about or maybe one day when he finishes that damn book he is writing you can read about and cringe as I did! 

I've come to grips with each day that passes that I have one less day to make a difference in the world!  With each day that I face I wonder if today is a day that I will?  This post began because I was looking at a shit ton of pics from the last 18 months or so.  I was going to do a quick post and fill it with pics of some of the sickest scoots and hot rods that I have seen over that time period and I have some great shots too, but as I sat down, picked up the notebook and once again began to broil my balls, the post took on a life of it's own.  I realized that I had hung up on my friend Adam and told him that I would call him right back because the girls were watching American Idol and I was annoying them on the phone.  Then I realized that I had forgotten to call him back and then I realized that I forgot to call George back last night.  I started writing what I thought would be a brief intro in to a photo filled post but couldn't shake the thought of George's last phone call and this is where I ended up.  I never have any idea of what I am going to write when I begin and nearly every time I finish, I realize that it has virtually nothing to do with what my original idea was.... and here is the perfect example. 

All that I can say to you is what my next tattoo across my chest is going to say, CARPE DIEM, SEIZE THE DAY!  Let life happen without having to worry if it is going as planned because as my amazing wife always says "all things for a reason".  We may not know what the reason is, but fuck it folks, just roll with it and see where it takes you.  It has taken me to amazing places, like right here, right now!  Well my balls are nearly done now, I have to take the notebook off and let them cool a bit before serving them so I will say goodbye for now!  Until we see each other on the road,

Keep the wind in your face,
Tits in your back
and The Man off your ass!

Your friend,
Jack Shit