Of course there is an element of sarcasm in my post titles. Today it’s more like the “pains” of too many projects.

What I mean is, if you study how my brain works, you’ll find I can’t seem to stay with any one project at a time, because I need a multitude of projects, the more complex the better, to keep my life interesting.

   Take for instance our house remodel. Never mind that it’s a full time job for four people, and, no we don’t have them, it’s just Marjorie and me. But add to that, the aforementioned random abstract quirk, and you have me forever disappearing into the garage to get a tool, during which time I see a task needing done on my motorcycle.

Yes, there are several motorcycles, all in various stages of completion, so my brain is intensely, you might even say laser-focused on whatever task is at hand for that ten minutes.

And, when hands have gotten their various instructions and are working smoothly, brain, without supervision, wanders to some other task. Undisciplined brain! My wife says no–just the nature of this beast’s brain style.

Given that the hands have talent, and the brain wanders, one might imagine a lack of organizational structure. Yet, the work marches on and eventually, always, finishes…just not on any set schedule for the sequential-types.

The house is nearing completion in very large part due to Marjorie’s loving encouragement of next steps. No, literally–she wants steps by the new side door to the mud-laundry room. Something about giving me access to a room with a sink, that is not the kitchen, in my egress from my motorcycle work in the garage.   

I will finish the first floor work–weekend projects to finish bedroom, master bath, and walk-in closet.The tools and materials I need are close so there’s no reason, no excuse, no escape. Not to worry. I like to work on the house, and it does get done. Further, I love seeing the progress of where we’ll live, how we’ll live.

Alas, motorcycles are a different story. I’m pushing small tasks that can be accomplished in 30 minutes or less, while knowing that the garage is unfinished, and is on the remodel list as well. Motorcycles will have to wait their turn. Even blogging about their progress, varied as they are, suffers the same fate.

  Interesting motorcycle projects at hand in the queue: a ‘68 Honda CL450, this one just needs a seat; my daily rider, an XS650 Yamaha is heavily-modified (and will appear in a future post); Suzuki Marauder needs fuel injection and turbo charger; lastly, a basket Triumph Bonneville, of which the bits are all there, but which elicit me shaking my head, sighing, and feeling a little overwhelmed, even for random brain–there is so much to do.

The benefits of this brain are that creativity hasn’t found limits even in my advancing years. As problems arise, they’re solved, which in their turn, trigger new ideas of innovation, form, color, function, and in this advancing state of my particular art, new techniques are developed in an odd combination of concepts that somehow work well together. Just as I’ve never been accused of being normal, my motorcycles are definitely, Miles Beyond Ordinary.

I hope your project pains are as interesting as mine! Please leave me a note to let me know about what you’re doing.