Transition meets the flow of time ( and You Tube)

September 26, 2011

To initiate a transition in midlife is not easy though drastic changes in live are sometimes inevitable. Sometimes changes are involuntarily and sometimes more than voluntary. In my case it was both. If my brain wouldn’t have been burnt out so radically in 2007 maybe I still could have found a tad bit of fun in what I was doing and the willingness and strength to pull myself together to hang in there for another 20 years. Many people never get to this point and therefore there is no need to think about current set ups in life especially when life is more than comfortable.

In my case it was the most drastic development I ever could have imagined and of course it opened the door for me to see myself again the way I always was and the realization that this person somehow got lost. I had to make the decision, no matter how hard or how difficult this transition will be, I had no choice in the matter, I had to go forward to look for alternatives. I started my journey first in 2007 and then once again for good in 2009. And now ( 2011) I can feel the same awareness of life again I had when I was racing motorcycles, riding along the highways in many travels and perceived the world as a beautiful playground. Now I feel this strong sense of inner peace and happiness.

All of this does not come without a price. I went back to the basics, back to the bare minimum in many things. I fell into a business I love and I spend a lot of time with. I bought an additional business and try to make that work as well. Time is of the essence – but then time never has an end. There is a continuous and endless flow of time. We only feel time in the aging of our physical bodies. Time is also changing our perception of the world or of the people around us and how we fit into the world.

There is one thing which is beautiful on the road of transition. I have met so many new people. I connected with many people I have lost touch with or didn’t remember anymore (but they remembered me), I encountered many helping hands and unconditional support for all my endeavors and I have to say – I could not do all this without you. THANK YOU!

I truly appreciate your compassion. And so I would like to share a slide show a friend put together just for fun. I really like it and this little song (unfortunately in German) is more than appropriate for the situation. Someday I will translate the lyrics someday. Honestly, I will.

This slide show is the teaser flick to the new To Drink the Wild Air book trailer clip which will air soon. More about that in the next couple of weeks! Just enjoy this little clip in this very moment.

Birgit on Locations

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The Wild Air of the Bay Area

September 19, 2011

The road of transition can be exhausting especially when survival knocks on the door ever day. Courage opens the door and looks into the eyes of survival and pokes on survival’s shoulder with perseverance and hope. This week I catered to survival most of the time but on Sunday I took a day off and spent the afternoon on a sail boat. It was a beautiful day and even the sun joined us. Here are some pictures of the Bay with some beautiful views.

Alcatraz, dolphins, playful seals and a floating purse was on the agenda. The purse was rescued.It is never a good feeling when you see your whole life floating away in the Bay towards the Golden Gate Bridge sucked in by the open ocean….. it was not my purse – don’t carry one these days , have exchanged the purse for a backpack and nail polish and flip flops for boots. That’s the price of motorcycling , and it is well worth it.

1 Comment | Life transition | Tagged: Bay Area, Life transition, Sailing in the Bay Area, San Francisco, the Wild Air of the Bay Area, To Drink the Wild Air | Permalink
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Book Review from myshelf.com

September 3, 2011

Shortly after my speedy trip to Sacramento for my quick guest appearance in the morning show Sacramento & Company I have received via Google alerts a book review I have not even anticipated.

Here is the link http://www.myshelf.com/reviews.htm

“To Drink the Wild Air” was reviewed and featured in the Adult Non Fiction section right beneath Christopher Hitchens’ “Hitch22″and Stacy Schiff’s “Cleopatra”.

I take it as an honor to receive a book review from an established book review site like myshelf.com.

Here it is:

Another Review at MyShelf.Com

To Drink the Wild Air
One Women’s Quest to Touch the Horizon
Birgit Soyka

Parendum Books
November 2010/ ISBN 978-0-9830398-0-8
Non-Fiction / Sports / Bio
Amazon

Reviewed by Justin Feller

This inspirational memoir forced many personal questions I didn’t necessarily know that I had about how I’m choosing to live this life. Reading any book that causes as much self-reflection as this book does cannot be described as anything except excellent. Trying to be the first serious female competitor in a completely male dominated Californian motorcycle scene would be a lofty goal in itself, but over coming everything from career burnout, serious injury, isolation and even deportation makes this achievement completely inspirational. As you follow Birgit Soyka on her life journey you will without a doubt find yourself developing a closeness with this brutally honest, charismatic and often comical author that is rarely found in many books today. If you have recently been pondering that age old question, “Is this all there is to life?” then you will find this book nearly impossible to put down.

Reviewed 2011

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Sacramento & Company News 10 abc

August 27, 2011

Entrenched up to my eyeballs with transitional issues, time sensitive projects, business set-up and the occasional Happy hour I always have to expect the unexpected. And so it was this morning at 8 AM. While sipping my hot tea I am checking my mails minding my own business, expecting the usual and only the usual.

The first mail was an unusual one. The text read: Birgit, sorry for such short notice but there is an opportunity to be a guest on the Sacramento and Company morning show on Monday August 29 at 9.00 AM in Sacramento. Are you available?

Flexibility is the spice of live…. of course I am available. Is it possible for me to switch from survival business mode into an inspiring and informative TV morning show guest talking about the “To Drink the Wild Air” story?

I don’t know but we will find out. On Monday morning at 9 AM on this live link. Sacramento & Co morning show News 10

There was no time for any advertisement or Marketing. It just dropped onto my calendar out of the blue sky.

The show will be archived and can also be watched later.

I am off to Sacramento tomorrow afternoon breathing the Wild Air !

2 Comments | Book, Inspirational | Tagged: Birgit Soyka, Inspiration, Interview., News 10 abc, Sacramento & Co morning show, To Drink the Wild Air, transition | Permalink
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Inspiration by focus

August 14, 2011

or focused inspiration ?

This Saturday was my first ride out. I needed to see what Rrramonn can do. How fast I could go….

Where is the fear barometer these days? Where are my limits? Are there any limits? Do I trust the bike as I always did? There are still some open questions in this quest of return. Questions ready to be explored . Questions that cannot be ignored.

But before I go on please refer to the sidebar to see my technical sponsors. Names you will hear quite frequently in the future. OKP Precision Works ( no existing logo) , Waterfront Automobili INC, ( check out the You Tube when hovering over the Ferrari) , Motion Pro Quality tools , Lindemann Race Suspension and Tech Shop where I can go and build my dreams ( as soon as I have time) all people with an open mind and dreams for their own.

Ok – back to Rrramonn. Since I have the bike I never left the city and now it was time to conquer the windy back roads off the beaten path (so to speak) to really test the bike and my own audacity.

All the emotions and excitement I had experienced in my first ride a couple of month ago with a borrowed bike was now 100 times amplified and sensitively electrified. There was no fear. After the first set of wild, crazy windy roads I had to come to the conclusion that I MUST BE CRAZY!!!!! But it is a good CRAZY. Focus, acceleration, top gear, full throttle, top speed, your only friend in this moment – FOCUS. If only one little thing goes wrong – everything goes wrong.

What was the conclusion to this four hour afternoon ride in the sweltering sun of the East Bay?

Rrramonn is a little screaming rocket. There is real power in this 600 cc engine. There is agility in this 17 year old body. His spirit complements my own. There is a mutual understanding. We are a perfect fit.

OKP – the rear suspension is a problem. As I have feared from the beginning.

Lindemann Engineering – the front suspension is a jewel. Also the front end is perfectly set up, smooth and responsive.

Motion Pro – the clutch cable is a gift. No effort on my part with the clutch hand.

Physically – my butt hurt after the ride and it became somewhat uncomfortable. Who would care after such an adrenaline rush?

And the final conclusion was: There is NO FEAR and there are NO LIMITS!!!

2 Comments | Inspirational | Tagged: Honda CBR 600, inspirational focus, Lindemann race suspension, Motion Pro, To Drink the Wild Air, Waterfront Automobili INC | Permalink
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Bikeminded – back to where I came from

August 7, 2011

Is there anyone out there who, after many years, took up a hobby or a lifestyle again they had left a long time ago? How was the journey of the return for you?

End of June I decided to take a summer vacation during July. Now my “vacation” and summer (as it looks like) is over. The deception of summer is only due to my geographical position in San Francisco were July and August are the most friendly hosts for heavy fog and rain. Thank God this is only in the city and always gives a good reason to leave town. But life did go on – also in July.

I did prepare for my second half of 2011. First things first – I needed two wheels again and I got them.

Meet “Rrramonn” a 1995 Honda CBR 600.

Thanks to the expertise and many hours of work at OKP Precision Works a run down, crashed and technically neglected bike was turned into a reliable piece of machinery again. A piece of machinery which will be part of all upcoming events. Thanks to the magical support of the Ferrari Doctor himself from Waterfront Automobile in San Francisco the bike also sparkles like new and volunteered as the photographer.

A come back in sports which require extensive equipment seems more cumbersome and difficult in oppose to sports where there is only a bathing suit or running shorts involved.

17 years can be a long time. I still have some “Birgit the Circuit” memorabilia stored which almost has disintegrated into dust. I had to throw out a 20 year old helmet because its interior crumbled like nicely aged blue cheese. My old gloves are only good to be pinned to a wall as a portrait of the good old times. My ex race leathers which are not so smooth anymore and far too small for my current size lie crumbled in the closet. Equipment of old materials long rendered useless and insufficient. Equipment out of style. But now the equipment question is solved. It took me some time but I am up to date again. The bike was the last piece missing in this puzzle.

Let’s see about the timeline according to the story in “To Drink the Wild Air”:

1978 - first bike

1983 - first race

1991 - last race

1995 - last bike ( approximately 250.000 miles and a fairly big number of (race) crashes later)

2011 - first bike ( “Rrramonn” a Honda CBR 600)

How is the feeling you might ask???

It is as good as it always was. I have to hone a number of technical riding skills but I haven’t forgotten. I haven’t lost the touch!

There are many things in store for me and Rrramonn. It will be another great ride.

Follow me.

2 Comments | Inspirational | Tagged: Honda CBR 600 year 1995, Inspiration, motorcycles, return to sport or lifestyle, San Francisco, To Drink the Wild Air, Waterfront Automobile | Permalink
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Exposure,Exposure,Exposure

June 21, 2011

Not to say that Location, Location, Location doesn’t matter. It does! Exposure in the right location is most ideal.

I can talk about a busy and eventful weekend. With summer coming into full swing I also had to take advantage of the rare sunshine blessing us. Who knows how long it is going to last. Hence that’s the reason for the delay.

Last Saturday I was part of a very dynamic group of authors who gathered at the San Mateo County Fair / Literary Arts event to introduce their books. It was interesting to see the passion of each author about their accomplishment. These are the moments when it is most important to recognize the fact that a book made out of paper, pages, covers is something special. It is a different world and we only can hope that books will never fade away.

In the evening of the same day I went to our group launch party from the San Francisco Writers Community. By the time I arrived there was already a crowd. We had ten participants reading from their published books and spent the rest of the evening with good conversations and socializing. Also here I met again interesting people although I have joined the group already 2 years ago. This is the beauty in the Writers community. The constant flux of likeminded souls looking to bring their thoughts to paper to share their writing with the world.

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Book Shop West Portal June 28 2011

June 11, 2011

This week I had to begin with preparing all the appearances of this month. The last event this month will be held at the Book Shop West Portal in San Francisco.

I visited the book store last week and the moment I set foot into the store I immediately got lost in the world of books. Needless to say I didn’t leave the store without buying a book and I am looking forward to be part of the program on Tuesday June 28 7 PM

West Portal Book Shop at 80 West Portal Ave, San Francisco, CA

The program is organized by the WNBA (Women National Book Association) where I am helping out with organizing future book readings and book introductions at West Portal and/or other independent book stores in San Francisco.

The shrinking number of independent book stores need our support so please join us for this first event where two of our WNBA authors present their work as per below invitation. We will have a little wine reception and short readings with following Q& A sessions. I would be happy to see some familiar faces in the store. It will be fun and inspirational.

See you there.

For more info please check out the links:

WNBA San Francisco Chapter Book event

West Portal Book Shop reception

WNBA PRESENTS
Birgit Soyka and Teresa LeYung-Ryan
Tuesday, June 28 at 7 PM

Women’s National Book Association (WNBA) celebrates “Rebuild Your Life Month” with a wine reception and a special reading.

Birgit Soyka will read from To Drink the Wild Air: One Woman’s Quest to Touch the Horizon, her account of being the only female breaking into the male dominated sport of motorcycle racing in California, winning a championship against all odds and encountering injuries, destitution, homelessness, and the threat of deportation.

Teresa LeYung-Ryan will read from Love Made of Heart, a novel that explores the life of Ruby Lin, an adult child of mentally ill parents. The author will discuss ways to speak openly about mental illness stigmas and how to access resources for affected families. She is also the author of Build Your Writer’s Platform & Fanbase in 22 Days.

Leave a Comment » | Book, Uncategorized | Tagged: Book Shop West Portal, Love made of Heart, Teresa Le Yeung-Ryan, To Drink the Wild Air, WBNA | Permalink
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Birgit the Circuit

May 23, 2011

Once an adrenaline junkie, always an adrenaline junkie!

The attentive reader of “To Drink the Wild Air” does know that I have sold my last street bike back in 1995 after I blew up the engine of my Kawasaki KLR 650 and shortly before I moved to Mexico City. There was no need for a bike in Mexico City and I had to concentrate on different things down there as it turned out. Mainly to make sure that my stuff didn’t get stolen left and right.

I never rode a bike ever since again until 2010 when I took a test ride on a Kawasaki KLR 650. Already then I jumped on that bike and rode it like I never took a break. That ride was only a short one on the streets in the city and of course the bike’s characteristics can be compared to a tractor rather than to a slick race bike. Nevertheless it was a bike and I rode it.

Yesterday Sunday May 22 2011 was the day when “Birgit the Circuit” awoke again. I was invited by friends to go on a bike ride, riding a sports bike and we had reserved the whole day.

My fascination for bikes never had disappeared and there was never any doubt in my mind that I would forget how to ride a bike. Yesterday morning I sat on this Ducati 888, turned on the engine, threw in first gear and rode. The moment we hit US 1 it was like always. The same feeling, the same control, the instinct, the know-how and the knowledge of how a bike of this caliber will behave and how much power there is to control. We went fairly fast into the first batch of windy roads in the back country. A slight adjustment to the bike was necessary. When the roads got twisty and fast I rode fluid but not flawless. Mis-shifting , losing power coming out of the turns, breaking too late or too early going into the turns ( both can lead into scary situations), and the simple adjustment to the bike. The feeling of riding was the same like a long time ago on the race track. The necessary focus, the excitement and the fun. It was great !

On our way home we switched bikes and I rode the Aprilia RSV 100 to the end of our ride. What power house that engine is. The fusion of improved materials, perfect geometry, an incredible power band and acceleration showed me the improvements of 16 years I literally was missing in action in terms of street bike riding and my even longer absence off the race track.

Who says it cannot be done???? Not that I want to get back to the racing scene but I think it would be nice to take some laps on a racetrack again to realize that time is a relative thing. Some people might have lost their instinct for riding a bike over time but in my case it just went into hibernation and now it is back again!!!!! What I will do with it will be the question. It will be important to find a healthy balance and combination. To be able to fuse the more settled side of me with the wild side but still live a responsible and “normal” life.

1 Comment | Inspirational | Tagged: Birgit Soyka, Birgit the Circuit, Inspirational, Life transition, To Drink the Wild Air | Permalink
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Post launch-party

May 16, 2011

Post launch-party. I took a breather and I was distracted by other issues like the Bird Hotel and the challenge to attract more feathered guests with effective Marketing. Any suggestion is highly appreciated.

Post launch-party. My efforts to re-connect with the local biker scene took shape and I had a good start with this venture at the the open house event at Scuderia West in April. Through people I have met there I ended up yesterday at the female riders appreciation day at the BMW Motorrad dealership in San Francisco. In the past never a true BMW fan now I was impressed by the new BMW bikes. The temptation to sit on one of them and to ride was great. The way things shape up I not only re-connect with the crowd itself but also might get the chance to taste the slick new combustion engine technology. These new BMW bikes are hot – to say the least.

Post launch-party. The most important thing in development though is that there will be another book reading/signing event at the West Portal Book shop on June 28 2011 at 7PM. This will be a short presentation but a good opportunity for all the people who missed the actual launch party. More details about the event once the date comes closer.

Book Shop West Portal

And so my New Life remains unpredictable and exciting. I never know what a new day will bring until it happens and the situation brings new challenges, decisions and situations which have to be adapted according to current circumstances. New Life also can be exhausting – but I embrace it every day and go with the flow.