Starting 2009 off right!

Looking back, I'm truly saddened to see the date of my last travel blog post. I even had some amazing trips in 2008, including a one month stay in the Mediterranean and Italian countryside! However, the biggest trip I took was that of writing my first book. It's called Photoshop CS4: The Missing Manual and weighs in at a hefty 800+ pages. This endeavor consumed five months of my life, kept me off my beloved F800ST (aka Saphira), and away from most every human I love. 

What is worth it, you might ask? Folks say it will be, though it just hit the shelves last week. Admittedly I get a huge sense of accomplishment as I look at its telephone-book size footprint on the coffee table. Wow. Did I really write all that?!? Holy Thor.

Nevertheless, I started 2009 off right: By trolling the Int'l. Motorcycle Show in New York and straddling each two-wheeled beauty that caught my eye. The winner is the new Yamaha R1 with Valentino Rossi tank/decal kit (pictured below). She'd make a perfect track bike, and I even met the good folks at Vanson's Leathers who are ready to outfit me with racing gear. Oh the temptation! Did I mentioned I also trekked to Tavulia, Italy to join Rossi's official fan club? That was big, big fun :)

So yeah, I need those book royalties to start pouring in. If you want to give 'em a nudge, click here to learn more about the book and to get a 40% discount. It's a great buy and I'm really proud of how it turned out. It's the only Photoshop book written in plain English that's filled with beautiful imagery of motorcycles, armadillos, cowboys, and belly dancers. You can't go wrong with a combo like that.