jonko
Well-known member
This is me living; this is me dying
Apologies, google changed up their sh@t and direct links don't seem to work. You can see the album
here
After more than a year of stability, it seems that the chemo regiment I have been on is starting to fail. Fallback options at this point seems to me to be, frankly, not very promising. I always knew that this would come, but there was that little part of me which had hope. I guess that's the danger of it. I don't know how much time I have left, but I am here, and there is still a bit more life for me to live.
I have just recently returned from my trip to Italy. I got a chance to ride at Mugello and spend some time in Florence, the Tuscany region, and Rome. It was a good trip, and gave me time to reflect. I started in Mugello with a three day track event. It is a gorgeous track with great flowing corners, and elevation changes.
It was hot, and since it was 3 days of riding, I concentrated on relaxing, focusing on proper form, and conserving energy. It was great that I was able to get faster every day. But everyone there was even faster. It seems people don't really show up at a track like Mugello as a first time track rider. I hung out in the lower half of the slow group. I met a cool bunch of British guys that travel to the continent for motorcycle holidays. Seems like this should be a thing for American riders too.
I guess people wonder why we do this, and whether we simply don't value our lives. But I love life and being on the track is what makes me feel the most intensely alive. On the track I am most aware of the fragility of it all, and the value of each moment.
Next stop was in Florence and Tuscany. We made day trips to Siena, and Cinque Terre. All these places were beautiful and I am grateful for the opportunity to see each of them. This was the birthplace of the Renaissance, and it exuded a sense of history and purpose. I have a great admiration for all the Renaissance men and their legacy. As for my own life, besides for a few close friends and my family, I will leave very little behind. But I am at peace with this. I guess it's just a matter of perspective. In the grand scheme of things, what really lasts?
Some of the more famous of Michelangelo's works. I don't have much background in art or history, but I tried my best to just experience them and to feel what they have to offer. The last piece is Michelangelo's Pieta. The pieta is a common theme in christian art depicting Mary holding her dead son Jesus. This was a very powerful piece for me as evokes thoughts of my own mother and what she must go through. No mother should have to bury her son. I rage against the injustice of it all.
Pictures from Siena, a really picturesque Tuscan town.
The first of the Cinque Terre's. I'm glad to have experienced it.
Rome was another place with great history. I spent alot of time in churches immersed in Catholic iconography. It was hard not to get caught up with their obsession with death and redemption. How will it end? Did I live a worthwhile life? What was the meaning of it all?
I feel like I've rambled quite a bit in this post, if so, I apologize. I guess in the end, you start disconnecting from everyday things, and start thinking more about things like this. I'm signed up for Spain in November. It might happen, it might not. I just don't know, but I will continue to fight.
Apologies, google changed up their sh@t and direct links don't seem to work. You can see the album
here
After more than a year of stability, it seems that the chemo regiment I have been on is starting to fail. Fallback options at this point seems to me to be, frankly, not very promising. I always knew that this would come, but there was that little part of me which had hope. I guess that's the danger of it. I don't know how much time I have left, but I am here, and there is still a bit more life for me to live.
I have just recently returned from my trip to Italy. I got a chance to ride at Mugello and spend some time in Florence, the Tuscany region, and Rome. It was a good trip, and gave me time to reflect. I started in Mugello with a three day track event. It is a gorgeous track with great flowing corners, and elevation changes.
It was hot, and since it was 3 days of riding, I concentrated on relaxing, focusing on proper form, and conserving energy. It was great that I was able to get faster every day. But everyone there was even faster. It seems people don't really show up at a track like Mugello as a first time track rider. I hung out in the lower half of the slow group. I met a cool bunch of British guys that travel to the continent for motorcycle holidays. Seems like this should be a thing for American riders too.
I guess people wonder why we do this, and whether we simply don't value our lives. But I love life and being on the track is what makes me feel the most intensely alive. On the track I am most aware of the fragility of it all, and the value of each moment.
Next stop was in Florence and Tuscany. We made day trips to Siena, and Cinque Terre. All these places were beautiful and I am grateful for the opportunity to see each of them. This was the birthplace of the Renaissance, and it exuded a sense of history and purpose. I have a great admiration for all the Renaissance men and their legacy. As for my own life, besides for a few close friends and my family, I will leave very little behind. But I am at peace with this. I guess it's just a matter of perspective. In the grand scheme of things, what really lasts?
Some of the more famous of Michelangelo's works. I don't have much background in art or history, but I tried my best to just experience them and to feel what they have to offer. The last piece is Michelangelo's Pieta. The pieta is a common theme in christian art depicting Mary holding her dead son Jesus. This was a very powerful piece for me as evokes thoughts of my own mother and what she must go through. No mother should have to bury her son. I rage against the injustice of it all.
Pictures from Siena, a really picturesque Tuscan town.
The first of the Cinque Terre's. I'm glad to have experienced it.
Rome was another place with great history. I spent alot of time in churches immersed in Catholic iconography. It was hard not to get caught up with their obsession with death and redemption. How will it end? Did I live a worthwhile life? What was the meaning of it all?
I feel like I've rambled quite a bit in this post, if so, I apologize. I guess in the end, you start disconnecting from everyday things, and start thinking more about things like this. I'm signed up for Spain in November. It might happen, it might not. I just don't know, but I will continue to fight.
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