there’s a part of Indiana that refuses to observe daylight savings time and even though i only really think of our eastern neighbor when i’m stuck behind one of its many infuriatingly clueless drivers in traffic here in Chicago, i admire the audacity of that Hoosier slice. i applaud their ability to display their grubby, corn-husking middle fingers in defiance and stand up to the clock Nazis in Washington.

at least that’s what i did until today when i discovered that the entire state of Indiana has been observing daylight savings time since April 2, 2006.

ciao, Marco.

these last couple of days have been slow going as Beka and i are still coming to grips with the tragic loss of Marco Simoncelli yesterday. unfortunately, October 23rd also happens to be our anniversary and even though neither of us were really in the mood to celebrate, we decided to go out to dinner anyway.

i wore my San Carlo Honda Gresini shirt, of course.

shock. i was shocked when i turned on the computer to watch today’s MotoGP race in Sepang, Malaysia and found out that rising star Marco Simoncelli had died at 16:56 local time from injuries sustained during a collision with Colin Edwards and Valentino Rossi on lap two.

it seems so outrageous that elite MotoGP riders can still die racing in this day and age but Simoncelli’s passing has made it a staggering two in two years with Moto2 star Shoya Tomizawa having lost his life at the San Marino Grand Prix last September. to give you some context, the last on-track fatality before Tomizawa was his fellow countryman Daijiro Kato during the 2003 Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka.

as Beka and i remember one of our favorite riders, our thoughts and prayers go out to Marco’s family and friends. Rest in peace, Super Sic.

went to check out the Cars on Route 66 classic car show in Lawndale today where i met some fantastic people and got to see a bunch of crazy gas guzzlers. stay tuned as a few photos will trickle through my photoblog and a few cars will be featured on my ongoing interesting/rare/vintage cars series.

British magazine Motorcycle Racer just did a feature on my brother‘s book American Superbike X in their most recent issue. check it out!

today was the San Marino Grand Prix at Misano and tomorrow is the first anniversary of Shoya Tomizawa’s death which resulted from injuries sustained at last year’s Moto2 race. somewhat fittingly, his old bike was ridden today by fellow countryman Tomoyoshi Koyama who took the checkered flag in his memory. rest in peace.

it came as a shock to me this morning that i haven’t plugged my brother’s new photography book American Superbike X on my blog yet. many of you know that my brother Dan of Corner Speed Photo is an accomplished motorsport photographer but what you perhaps didn’t know is that he once crescent kicked someone so hard that the sprinklers went off.

at its core, American Superbike X is a photographic documentary of the 2010 AMA Pro Racing season, the first after an era of total domination at the hands of Ben Spies and Mat Mladin. with the the pressure off, there are more winners, the competition is much fiercer and the races are more action-packed, breathing new life into a storied series that has recently been in decline.

if you’re a fan of AMA Pro Racing, motorcycle road racing in general or even just good photography, be sure to check out my brother’s book at www.AmericanSuperbikeX.com.

with a list like this, you might expect my Sundays to be packed full of racing and you’d be right most of the time. not today, though. today is one of those rare Sundays during the middle of the season when i have nothing to watch. it’s weird but i think i’m so desperate, i might even watch Formula One.

OH WAIT, I ALREADY FOUND OUT WHO WON THE SPANISH GRAND PRIX BECAUSE THE BBC POSTS SPOILERS IN THEIR HEADLINES.

a few weeks ago, i was stuck in South Loop traffic behind a silver SUV with the name and URL of an art gallery on the rear window. well, i met with the owners yesterday to discuss what i do and the overall marketability of my work and the response was pretty positive. that said, i think we’re going to try and get my first proper show up and running sometime this summer, the proceeds from which will go towards funding my work as a humanitarian photographer.

that’s all i have to report for now but i’ll be sure to keep my blog updated as things gradually unfold :)