mark welch is a friend to me, and a friend to me is a friend indeed. mark and i met on craigslist; he is my cycling significant other - you know the one. in the bike realm, he is that guy that you bounce things off to see what you get back. in the friend realm, he is that guy that always has an ear, and offers his criticism most only when prompted. although he usually sides with my significant lover, i appreciate the way we rarely see eye to eye.
that dimension is a major staple of our relationship, and our communion as bike partners. though mark is no more fond of the term 'partner' then 'trademark,' he and i define attractive in entirely different ways. thats what i like about mark: a genuineness not aimed at being agreeable for the sake of amiability. mark has a set of shoulders of his own on which to rest his head and the perspectives that comprise his humble personality.
to me, he's the best right hand guy you can have, as long as you are left handed. you want that person who seeks a similar end, but approaches the recipe with different means. that end is the relationship with the bicycle we respectively call our own. for those of you who need the recipe, i'll give you a hint: it involves freedom, trust, and fresh air. mark personifies this.
mark is in town now, in milwaukee, and having him here/around constantly (as was the case in chicago this summer) quenches a nostalgia for the aforementioned kinsmanship. his initial impression of milwaukee earlier this year wasn't a terribly inviting one. that changed this weekend, and i am about to explain why:
friday = a blustery winter ride to comet for a late lunch and the beermergency happy hour; outside to see a sexy track bike; across the street to koppa's where the cashier lauded his laughter; back on the saddle downtown to the swinging door; messengers were outspoken in their welcoming nature; tj maxx for the last two balaclavas; split a pair of smart wools socks for our drive side legs; 1.50 pbrs and corner bar stools + free shots from a probate judge; a christmas story based alleycat in a new town; numb feet tickling themselves back to life with more pbr's and strangers turning into friends; outside to see more sexy track bikes free locked if at all; brisk enduring ride home alas in riverwest.
saturday = a good morning's rest; awake to the mke collective to dig up some spokes; super nice radial wheel find; invitation from 'pops' to come back and volunteer + a recommendation for mark to find local work; home to lace up nothing but mavics (should be noted mark would rather build a wheel than make out with a hot hipster girl); finally a midnight skirt steak snack.
sunday = the 2nd annual bike swap; ran into ron and carene from lugs, all the way up from chicago; represented bikeith with 4 bicycles and a pastiche of parts; round two of the social competition to give away the most stickers; a free 32h sun rim + pair of armadillos for $5; plenty of bike junkies to schmooze with; familiar faces from friday at the door; reading/crying out loud to the book 'stuff white people like' + the movie bottle rocket; big delicious pasta dinner and sauvignon at carol's; 700c tires found on the way home.
having never done an alleycat, the co-op, or the swap here, it was about time. if i wanted to make a case for mark to come back soon, these last three days could not have played themselves out in a better way - we can say for sure we experienced milwaukee's best this weekend.
here's a shot of (trade)mark wearing sunglasses at night, a scene at the door, december the fourth.
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