Free Consonants With Purchase of Vowel.

For some time now, I've felt that the name "Open Window Soap Works" is lackluster.  Being unsure how to go about changing it in the legal/bureaucratic/red tape sort of fashion, I never bothered to try. Well, I'm still not sure, but I'm ready. It's going to take some time with things like my packaging, website, business cards, logo, etsy, the LLC, but today I took one important step and I filed for a trademark.  Actually, I think I just bought a word for $275 from the US Government, or applied to buy it anyway.  This name change may come as no shock to you, my lovely readers, but from this day forth, Open Window Soap Works will gradually be known as Sudstress!

...and bears, oh my!

I rode my bike with two friends today through three mountain gaps of North Georgia.  The air started out thick and heavy going up Woody Gap, where at the top, we came upon three guys that had hiked 22 miles of the Appalachian Trail and run out of water since the streams are but a trickle.  I emptied my water bottle into one of theirs since the gas station with the water spout was a short, cool ride down the nicely repaved road between Woody and Wolf Pen Gap.  Just before the steep part of Wolf Pen, we took a tiny detour on a park road where we saw a BIG ASS PILEATED WOODPECKER.   Later we also saw a BIG ASS OWL which was probably a screech owl, since it was gray and they are pretty common, but I don't know for sure as we only caught a glimpse of it flying. 

Heading up Wolf Pen was not as bad as I remember.  It's a bunch of short steep curves for about a mile and a half.  Earlier, Matt's derailleur got jammed on the way up Woody, so when I heard him stop and say something, I turned around but saw him still pedaling, so I kept pushing forward for only a second before I saw a BIG ASS BLACK BEAR step out onto the road about thirty feet in front of me, at which point I quietly stated: "holyfuckit'sabear" as I turned around and rode a little ways back.  Thankfully he surprised me more than I surprised him, so I turned around again and made my way up the rest of Wolf Pen.  It may have been the adrenaline rush, or the fact that I could hear him running alongside me in the woods, but I made it up this gap faster than any other time I've ridden it.  I'm not sure why I thought I'd ride downhill since I know black bears don't usually attack humans, but I also know that they can run over 30 mph and I believe the fastest I've gone downhill was about 37 mph.  

We made it down Wolf Pen and immediately started up Neel's Gap which is when I started to feel my quads working at the outer top half of my thighs, a spot that doesn't usually burn, although I was pushing it harder than usual up Neel's.  I believe it's only about two miles up Neel's in this direction, but it felt like about two days.  Up at the top I felt a couple rain drops and we sped the whole way down and through a bunch of junk miles back to Rock Pile where we parked.  The wind was blowing pretty hard and it took my front wheel to the side a few times on the way down and it rained on us half way back to the car, but we made it.  Sadly, the only victim of the ride was the BIG ASS DRAGON FLY (at least that's what it looked like at 35 mph) that hit me seemingly in slow motion right  between the eyes and perished upon my sweet fox sunglasses that I wore to protect my eyes (and totally did not pay $100 for them) from rain drops, leaves and sticks that were flying around.

We made it back to the car safe from the storm and on the way home, my friend who rode 3 gap for the first time kept complaining of feeling nauseated.  The heat was pretty bad at first, but Matt and I told her she needed food and that would make her feel better.  Apparently the gallon of vomit she barfed up in a walmart bag did the trick half way home and she was laughing along with us after that.  Strangely enough, hearing the barf bubble noises she was making made me a little queasy.  I made it home without throwing up and believe it or not, craving a hot meal.  It's hard to get good food at 11 p.m. so I ended up with some leftover fruit from lunch, a soggy left over half sandwich and about 5 clementines.  I rarely cook for only myself, so I was pretty short on supplies and motivation.  Subletting from ol' Mother Hubbard is a bitch, yo.

Submission and Acceptance

I'm going to ride three gap today, backwards, and even though I'm not leaving until about 12:30; a chain saw, a jackhammer and a solicitous phone call have all conspired to not let me sleep in. I guess I've done enough sleeping this week while I was sick, anyway, so I figured now is as good a time as any to update.

The other day I received an email inviting me to consider consigning my soaps and scrubs at Youngblood Gallery & Boutique. Coincidentally, I had sent an email to the person I thought was in charge of artist submissions that same day unbeknownst to the aforementioned sender. I think that qualified as automatic acceptance! So yesterday I brought samples by their new location on North Highland Avenue to see which items they'd like to carry. As a side note, I used to set up a table every so often at their previous Grant Park location for Kraftworks which took place on the first Thursday of every month. Any local artist/crafter was welcomed to come and set up a table to socialize and peddle their wares in an indie/urban art environment. I have been told that kraftworks may be reinstated at the new location, which would be great. Also, an extremely talented artist and friend of mine ;jimiyo has done some work for them, I believe.

I will be delivering the goods next Tuesday and I imagine from there, it won't be but a day or so before they're on display for all to see, sniff and purchase. One of the best things for me about their new location is that it's right down the road from where I work, so when people ask me where they can get my soap, instead of giving them a website, I can send them two blocks south where instant gratification awaits. Available on the shelves at Youngblood will be nine different varieties of soap, all three 'flavors' of soap cake and two different sugar scrubs. I am very excited.

Sympathy Ploy

I'm sick.

I don't think I've ever had a cold in the summer, let alone one this bad.  I started feeling it late Friday night.  Saturday, it was all in my nose and throat and felt like I could still function for the most part.  I figured I'd rest all day Sunday and be better by Monday.  Apparently this bug didn't have the same plans as I did and I've been laid up all day and have plans only to rest tomorrow.  

Fortunately, this comes after my wholesale orders were shipped to Nature's Nook and Anne Pliska Parfum.  Anne Pliska is set to open a gallery in the Santiago Art District in Santa Ana, California.  I'm excited about the opportunity for my soap to be exposed to new people and places.  Speaking of which...  I have a couple of shows coming up: 

Fool's Gold Mountain Bike Race & Festival

Grant Park Summer Shade Festival

Now I'm going to take some Nyquil and go back to sleep.

Freedom Isn't Free.. Don't Tell Canada

I've been feeling the need for change.  I've been talking to my brother this past year about joining him and his wife in Boulder/Denver area, where their plan to move this summer was delayed after his accident last year to the summer of 2009.  When I moved to Atlanta in 1998, it was not really toward anything, but rather to get away from where I grew up and the bad patterns I'd established there.  Ironically, the minute I set foot in Atlanta, I knew I wouldn't stay here for the rest of my life.  I have no regrets, as it was an amazing learning experience.  I've always been independent, but this was a whole new lesson in capability.  Planting myself right in the middle of a city that I'd never been to, hadn't known anyone and re-establishing my identity was challenging to say the least.  I decided all those years ago, that the next time I decide to reinvent my life in a new city, it'll be a move forward, towards something.  I've already established the fact that I'm terrible at making plans, but I think I can spend the next year or two or maybe five, who knows, visiting and researching new cities while prioritizing what is important to have in a city I call home.  I'd really like to love where I'm living.  

There are a lot of things that I love about Atlanta, but there are also some important ones that I don't.  Atlanta may be a big city, but it's still pretty deep in the south.  There is definitely an underlying current of racism.  I know it doesn't disappear as you move about the country, but its roots here are deep.  Also, it's one of the worst cities for biking and as you may or may not know, I really like to ride my bike.  

Today I went out to Newnan, about 45 minutes southwest of Atlanta, to do a road ride called Silk Sheets for a change of pace from the normal routes.  I took my camera, but it wasn't particularly scenic.  There were three things that caught my attention, however, and they just happen to illustrate my earlier sentiment.  

Having the childish sense of humor that I do, I stopped to take a picture of this sign because of the name:  Soggy Bottom Farm (not the best at picture taking today - must've been sweat in my eyeballs)

THEN, I looked to the left and saw something I'd only seen in old cartoons in film classes - go ahead, click on it and look at the detail:

I wonder what sort of statement these people were trying to make.  Now, I'm pretty sure that black people have eyelids, but I'll give 'em the benefit of the doubt.  Maybe this particular figurine had hyperthyroid and was a smoker - hence the bulging eyes.  Then I looked closer at the picture I took and noticed how the little black boy is all busted up, as is his seating.  Is this a statement from the owners or was it vandalism?  Crispin and I joked about their stance on race relations having this display in their front yard, but I wish I was more clever and witty because I can see several jokes here somewhere, I just can't put them together.

After witnessing that display, I came upon this "Freedom Isn't Free" sign:

...which TOTALLY reminded me of the following David Cross bit.  If you're easily offended by swearing, or a "W" supporter.. it's just going to piss you off..

So, I think I'll start my list with:

Large network of bike lanes.

Politically progressive towards alternative transportation.

and of course - Nice weather.  (nice according to my definition)

I'm tired.  This whole entry might read horribly, but that's the chance I'm taking in publishing it now...