Unemployed

I had time to sit. Time to sit and watch fall. Fall was a season I hated every year, it meant  time to return to school. Last year was the first fall that I was not in school, I had time to enjoy it. This year, I knew what to expect. I was laid off from my job and I didn't really want another. I had time to think, time to read. No one was expecting much from me. When I had a job i would always bust my ass, but today I sat on my parents back porch. I watched dead leaves dangle from the trees. The wind blew them in every direction. They were hanging from the smallest of fibers and could drift away at any moment. I sat on the wood deck with my legs bent and in front of me. My elbows rest on my knee caps, my hands cradled a pellet rifle. I picked a far off leaf and studied it, it's broad face would catch the wind and it would twirl. One side green, the other brown and the edges curled. I set my crosshairs on it. When the wind picked up the  leaf would move violently to the left and spin, then relax. My right index finger tensed. I was waiting for the brown side of the leaf to turn my way for just a second.

it's all in the clamps

IMG_1900 a photo by HunterPinnell on Flickr.

30''x144'' walnut top. The second one is in the background.

wood patina

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Originally uploaded by HunterPinnell

finishing an oak table

Fearless

"Folks will laugh, but the truth is I have very little ambition. I got into this framebuilding gig by complete serendipity. I was unprepared for the task. When Peter and I were asked to make Witcomb USA frames in Connecticut because the family in London was unable to supply our boss with product, I felt unprepared for the task. When I got fed up with my boss and set up my business in late 1975, I was unprepared for the task. Before too long, I was taking orders and making bicycles and never, ever felt as if I had the complete and proper training. So much of what I do is seat of the pants and intuitive. I’ve never seen anyone else make frames from end to end since I left England in 1973. And by the time I got up a head of steam as a commercial framebuilder, nothing – not a single task – resembled what I saw or did abroad. I am routinely confounded by the process. The lack of confidence or the deeply rooted feeling that, since I am self-taught, something is missing – this is an emotion that envelopes every working day I have and every frame I build. Because of this simple fact that I am never completely content with what passes as a finished bicycle, I continue to come in every Monday to see if I can redeem myself for all my past gaffes, miscues, and blunders. It sounds so drama queen-esque typing out these words, but this is how I feel. If it ever changes, maybe the word “retire” can be used in a sentence. For now, I have 7 years worth of work in which to see if I can possibly get it nailed."
-Richard Sachs

When I read this quote I think of Bob Ross. It's kind of insane to relate Bob Ross to...well anyone but he had a thing for making mistakes. As in he never made them, he didn't believe in mistakes when he was painting. I remember watching episodes of his show where he would paint a black line right down the center of the canvas and make a beautiful scene look like shit, but only for a few minutes. In no time it was "a pretty little tree, a happy tree". Richard Sachs may take mistakes more seriously, as well he should given his medium of creating, but there has to be a fearless approach to making mistakes in there somewhere. I think that is what takes a creator/artist to the next level. The ability to relax enough to let your own work take form.

the hole shot from my fire escape

IMG_0974
Originally uploaded by HunterPinnell

oh my god i blogged

I really hate updating a blog. it's way too much commitment for a twenty two year old. But I will bite the bullet and go through with it.
I was talking with my friend at the bar about music and he suggested I listen to The Black Keys. So far so good. I'm digging the heavy blues and classic rock influence. I grew up listening to classic rock and The Black Keys are tapping into my heritage.
Work has been...work, but occasionally i get to do something that gets me really excited. Like this repair. He got charged a creative convenience fee for removing the seat post he turned upside down and hammered in. I got to spend about 20 minutes drilling it and hammering it back out. But the good news is his vintage mountain bike is undamaged and the shop made a few extra bucks off of his handy work.
I've been mountain biking about 4-5 times a week and have been having a great time. I'm getting used to the rigid fork and its quick steering. It really is time for a lighter bike though. I'm torn between the major brands of XC 29ers or saving money for a lifetime investment into titanium.

It's my party and I'll cry if I want to

America was founded passive aggressively. We had a “tea party”. What the fuck? A tea party, why is that so monumental? In other countries revolutions start when a Molotov cocktail shatters the windshield of the dictator’s car. We turned a harbor into a salty british afternoon treat because of taxes. I guess it was the right thing to do back then, but how pretentiously ignorant is it to have one today? We seriously do not care about the taxes on tea anymore. And you might say its a symbolic gesture, but so is giving the finger. It doesn't really do anything it just pisses people off. There’s a bumper sticker that I see around Richmond that says “stop bitching start a revolution.” well I am not afraid to say that the most ignorant and patriotic people in America do not want a revolution, they want to bitch and have someone else do things for them, just like they remember it...you know slaves and what not.