The Traffic Cone Bag Mark II

THANK YOU to everyone who has already requested one of my signature Traffic Cone Bags (ordering details are on that link).

I'd hoped the first batch would be ready for slipping down chimneys for Xmas 2008 (black side out of course), but on receiving the first sample I noticed a couple of things that could be improved, and I couldn't resist incorporating them. As many of you know am very particular about form flattering function.

Perhaps you can instead order them as "New Year's Resolution to Cycle Safely By Day and Look Drop Dead Stylish by Night" gifts. They should be ready early January now - when it's too cold for many of you to ride anyway unless you're headed for Australia, Hawaii or Texas. I hope to have some available for sale at Arizona Camp in March.

I raffled off a prototype at the 5 Borough Bike Club Christmas Party in NY. It was won by an official at Bike New York, Beth Katz. She called me the following morning and said she was off to a meeting so the bag was in 'black mode', nicely toting her manila folder - just as intended!

If the item works well - Bike Friday may sell it in their store as they do my DVD's and book.

Another reason for the delay is that my sewer Jean suddenly had to care for her gravely ill mother of 76 in hospital over this December period. Like many of us will experience, caring for our parents will fall heavily on some of us.

"It's hard, I always knew that it may fall on me, but you have to take care of your mom," she said, simply.

If we're fortunate, we'll have someone around to be there for us when our time comes. For single adventurous misfits like me, I'm hoping there'll be a readily available form of blissful euthanasia when my time comes and if things ever get that tough ...

My songwriter friend Greg Macainsh downunder sent me this get-a-lifing article, Happiness, unlike money, can't be banked so live a little by his former law professor Mirko Bagaric, an "authority on happiness". Greg, who founded one of Australia's greatest and most original pop groups, Skyhooks, then later went on to become an intellectual property lawyer, clearly wastes no time jogging on the spot of life. I can take credit for 0.5% of it - believe I inspired him to sell his old Merc coupe and buy a bicycle - which he still rides!

"Life is immediate and present, cycling tends to remind one of that at certain times!" he wrote. Amen.

The article begins, "HAPPINESS, unlike money, can't be banked so, if you want to live a more pleasurable life, stop over-playing the deferred happiness card. And there's no better time to start this than a new year" and proceeds to recount the popular image of overworked, security-seeking Americans - only with the word "Australia" substituted. Well, They Inc. have talked about Australia being "the 51st state of America."

I read the article out to a friend here in 'merica, who lifted his sleeve to expose his golden handcuffs and said, "He [the author] is a lawyer, he can afford to talk like that."

Aye, true, money can't buy happiness, but as my ex said, it can get you into a lot of places looking for it.

For my recessionary NY's Eve, I'm staying in. Here's what I sent to my friends in New York:

I'm 99% sure that unlike me, you've all got NY Eve invites galore, but in case you don't, read on ....

I thought I'd have a handful of friends over to David's pad on 19th St in Chelsea to just relax, shoot the breeze, eat some food, watch a new DVD that my South African friend and customer Leon van Zweel sent me called "Jerusalema" - all about "the push and pull that exists in my country", he says. Looks interesting. We may go to the Cuban Diner around the corner and eat a $2.50 tamal or $4 bowl of sopa de Pollo (chicken soup) or $9 Cuban roast chicken dinner while I optionally serenade you with a chapter from my book The Handsomest Man in Cuba. Riveting impromptu stuff like that. So for a relatively quiet but warm and friendly interlude feel free to drop by on the way to/from other NYEve's. My cell is 541-513-7711. Yammering about everything and nothing with friends is probably my favorite adventure of all.

Happy New Year!

Thanks so much for your interest in my Traffic Cone Bag, in looking after your mom/mum, in living life with an attitude of gratitude, and riding our bikes (if you're a customer).