Evolution is a Bitch
Question: “Where the fuck have you been?”
Answer: “Living my life.”
Question: “So are you done with KidRacer-X?”
Answer: “Nope! But its a ‘lil different now. Read on…”
THE PAST
A couple years ago, I received a huge pay cut at my previous job. I stuck it out, hoping things would improve, but the bad economy affected my ability to do my job in marketing and advertising. I could also tell that it wasn’t going to get better soon, and for many it hasn’t. I used credit cards, tapped into my line of credit, and scrounged to survive. To everyone struggling, I do understand more than you know.
During this time, my interests had to shift and I had to focus on keeping a roof over my head and food on the table. Maybe I handled it wrong, maybe I could have done better, but ultimately, it was all up to me and I had to do things I was capable of in the way I knew how. I really had to focus on finances which meant my full time job and working after hours. For a long time, my full time job in the motorcycle industry required 10 hour shifts, and if I took a lunch, it was an 11 hour day and I was home that much later. I rarely got home before dark.
Then, when I got home, I was promoting myself in advertising and marketing, taking on side clients in the powersports industry, developing motocross ads, graphic materials, and e-commerce websites for motorcycle dealers. I even had a chance to work with with the Navy Seals! Honest!
Through it all, it was hard to keep my passion going for KidRacer-X. I simply couldn’t put a smile on every day or crank out new photos or videos, or pretend to be enthusiastic when I was far from it. I wasn’t interested and couldn’t keep up with the demands that were more important, so I pulled away for a while. Between working so hard and the banks closing subscriptions on my site, KRX simply wasn’t important. (By the way, there is a “fix” to getting your subscription, but you have to email me and ask).
However, in early 2011, I was offered a job in San Luis Obispo, located at the Central Coast of California next to Pismo Beach and just over an hour north of Santa Barbara. This was the job I was offered a couple years ago that fell through at the last minute. But, during the few trips up here now to negotiate a deal and find a place, everything started to come together. The job offer was simply too promising with enormous opportunity and I couldn’t refuse. It’s what every guy in advertising craves — a business that believes in marketing.
With literally pennies in my pocket, I packed up everything and took a chance and moved up the coast, leaving family and friends in Southern California. To this day, I have no fucking clue how I made it here. I was broke, had no cash reserves to fall back on, no money for first and last month’s rent, no money for new utilities, no money for anything. But somehow, through careful planning and the grace of God, I made it here. I’m not kidding. I have no idea how I managed to scrape up the funds to do it. I’m still in awe. I was scared shitless the whole time! I guess I need to move more often to toughen up my skin.
Before arriving, though, I was looking for a place to live up here. It was a struggle because I didn’t know the area and I could only come up on weekends to search for an apartment. Money was tight and I was running out of options. But, for a few weekends in a row, one property kept coming up and kept staying available. I finally got the keys from the property management company and got to go inside. I instantly knew this was the place. It’s very deceiving from the outside.
Inside, it was huge, clean, open, well lit, comfortable, and offered tons of storage. (A gear guy has to have room for leather race suits, you know!) Rather than bore you more, I’ll simply say I was relieved to find a place I could afford that offered twice as much as I was living in down in Southern California.
So, here we are — a considerable time later, I’m in my new job and loving it. The hours are incredible. I’m working 9-5:00 which INCLUDES lunch. I’m finally home while the sun is up. The pay is great. My townhouse is great. I’m a half-mile from the beach. For the first time in at least 3 or 4 years, things are turning around dramatically for me, and I can honestly say, I’m finally, finally beginning to breathe again.
Through all the chaos, while I was sort of “off the radar” from everyone, I took the time to move all my websites to new servers to reduce expenses. Let me tell you, that is no small task. Simple websites are easy, but complex sites like KidRacer-X and several others I manage that rely on databases to manage subscriptions, forms, chat boxes, streaming media, means entirely re-mapping files to their new server address. If you stumble on anything that doesn’t seem quite right, please let me know, but I think everything’s back the way it should be!
Here’s the worst part about being KidRacer-X… I can’t always get back to everyone who emails me. At least, that’s how it USED to be. I won’t bore you with details except to say that my email management sucked. My fault. I should have had all my accounts set up another way where everything was synced. Instead, inboxes, outboxes, messages, drafts and other emails were piling up on each other for a few years. Mind you, no duplicates, just volumes of email that was unmanageable. Before editing this post, my email box had over 8500 emails in it – mostly fan mail, thankfully. However, to get KidRacer-X up and running again I had to get the emails sorted and cleaned up. I dumped the old stuff, merged accounts, and got it working the way it should. I couldn’t do anything until this was properly managed. I feel like I got an 800 pound gorilla off my back. And no, I’m not into 800 pound gorillas.
Next on the list, for those who have followed my site for years, you know that because of the extreme situations depicted in my photo series, I’ve had banks cancel my subscription processing abilities time and time again.
So, to start separating my fetish site from my mainstream efforts, I built a new website for my line of motorcycle gear and apparel. Although it’s about gear with an “alternative” motive, the site was specifically built to keep the banks happy by keeping photos, wording, and videos to an acceptable standard. After a year of work, the new site is up and ready to take orders. And — new gear is in development now and will be available shortly! When you can, please, check out the website shown here.
THE PRESENT
Now that you know all that, you’re probably wondering what’s happening with KidRacer-X. To be honest, I’m wondering too. First of all, I’m not living near a major gay metropolis. This has been a blessing in disguise, allowing me to focus on other personal areas. But, finding local friends to help on a photo shoot hasn’t happened yet and is highly unlikely up here. In time, I suspect as I get settled, make new friends and other friends come out to visit, some content will be put together. But for now, it looks like solo videos and some art-style projects will come first. I have some abstract things I want to shoot and explore that aren’t necessarily “hard-core”. While I have some down-time getting settled and making friends, it’s a good opportunity to explore those art projects and see what happens. And to be honest, I’m not trying to come back in “full force”. Please don’t expect great things in great volume at a rapid pace. I’m still focusing on other areas of my life that need to take precedent. It’s just that in the year I’ve laid low, so many of you kept staying with me and wanting the site to stay that I just can’t leave it.
I’m grateful for everyone allowing me the time I need right now to back off of things and focus on what really matters. I can’t sell my soul for porn, sacrifice sleep, work full time, and secure side business and be at me best. However, as I said above, I’m not walking away, I’m settling in, things are better, and there’s new stuff in the works. After all, I am KidRacer-X and you can’t change who you are inside.
THE FUTURE
Click here to read about the new digital series coming soon…
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I empathise with you Cody on this story. I’ve been there a number of times and in the end have come through it. I won’t belabor you with the details of my story here.
I want to wish you well and just offer this comment. As you are seeing for yourself, you’re making it just fine in spite of the fear of moving to some place new. You are and will always be a surviver. What hapened to you here shows you that.
I’ve been there before a number of times as well and everything has worked out in spite of my fears. As you can see in this your situation, it’s working and you’re going to make it happen.
Congratulations on the new job. I’m glad you made the decision and took the opportunity to make the move.
Just a couple of things about me. I also made a move that generated fear; I moved to LA because of a job transfer in 1967. Unfortunately for me I didn’t bring my bike.
My home base was and still is Chicago. I didn’t bring my bike with me and ended up selling it because I didn’t want to ship it to LA. Severalmonths before I was laid off I bought a brandnew GSXR 1000. When my construction project ended at LAX, I got laid off (also during the height of this recession). Trying to find a new job during in LA during the height of the depression didn’t work. I returned to my home base in Chicago where I own a home and was also just surviving any way I could make it happen.
Strangely enough the biggest construction project in the world is happening right in my home town at a place I used to work. I got an offer I couldn’t refuse and it’s right here. I live in a Lake Michigan beach front community where I can walk tothe beach. I’ve always loved living here and it’s gotten better over the years in spite of my living everywhere but here.
I’ve never met you; I wish I had the opportunity to meet and get to know you while I lived in LA. I know of you through the gay sport bike group out there.
Again congratulations on your new opportunities and my well wishes for the new challenges and for making things work in your life.
Karl
GREAT STORY, I Have always followed you, bought some of your gear, and wondered what happened. What do the new suits look like? Welcome to the next part of yuur life . CHEERS LG
Good to hear that you’re in a good place. Hugs.
Glad to see you back online I support you and your work and I would love it if we can meet sometime and do a little role play as you being the kidnapper and I as the hostage and therefore telling me what to wear so that it can be a turn-on for you not just for myself. Hope that you get your rocks off, I know I will meeting you in person.
Yay, you’re alive. I did remember you having problems with banks and site hosts and was afraid that they did finally get you down, or you did resign. It’s really a relief to know that you not only have an interest in KidRacer-X but you’ve also got yourself the stability and comfort of secure life too ! I’m happy for you Cody.