Screens 'N' Spokes 2008

Three is often cited as a magic number. In this case, we've got:

1. Bike Ridin',
2. Art Makin', and
3. Livin' with MS.

That last item may seem off topic, but it's not so much. I used to shy away from charity rides, but no more. Back when I was racing, I got annoyed when people said, "I'm doing a bike race next month..." Charity rides, event rides, whatever you call them, they're not races. I was never a very good racer, so I had to be a little snooty to maintain credibility.

Then, being hyped up on sustainable transportation, I thought it was silly to drive to ride. I still think it's fairly silly to drive to ride, but I view the riding component of charity events as somewhat incidental. These events are primarily about building awareness and community, empowering people and raising money. Bikes are just vehicles, literally, and in this case figuratively too.

Now, I'm practicing RUTHLESS PRAGMATISM, and here's what I've got:

• I need to get in shape, mentally and physically,
• I have a hard time creating structure for myself,
• Riding bikes makes me happier and healthier,
• I like art, but don't have lots of money to throw around, and
• My aunt, mother, and cousin all have multiple sclerosis (MS).

So I've signed up to ride the Bike MS City to Shore Ride, in September 2008. This will:

• Provide some structure, helping me get into mental and physical shape,
• Raise some money for the National MS Society, I set a goal of $1000,
• and allow me I've joined a team called Screens 'N' Spokes, which is associated with neat project of the same name that is leveraging the cause to create some great artwork, or leveraging some great artwork to raise funds for the cause, whichever way you want to dig it, and supporting a growing community of low-key printmakers. Check it out here:

Screens 'n' Spokes Blog, with previews of the 2008 prints

Screens 'n' Spokes at Bike MS: City to Shore Ride, 2008

Screens 'N' Spokes 2007 prints for sale on Etsy

If you dig it like I do, you could come along, or buy a print, or attend one of the gallery shows/auctions in the greater Philly area, or even become a Preferred Buyer. If you're not totally into it, you could donate some money to the MS Society, to help me acheive my goal of raising $1000, and more importantly to help support people living with MS and promote research to mitigate, cure, and even prevent MS:

Bike MS Donation Form for friends of David Moskovitz

Thanks for reading this long-winded message.--d