I hate getting hugs from people I don't know. But I like seeing people I don't know getting hugs.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Friday, April 24, 2009
In Praise of Helmets
Good thing for helmets, this was a perilous week for my skull.
As I rode to work the other morning, I spotted a plastic cup flying around in the drafts from traffic. I was briefly reminded of the flying plastic bag in "American Beauty." Seconds later, it flew up into the air and smacked me in the face. A plastic cup at 70+ miles per hour, incidentally, makes quite an impact. I was glad for full-face protection.
Moving on, this morning I rolled to a stop for a red light just a little bit a white cargo van in the next lane. The passenger window was down. Seconds later, I heard a dog barking at head level. I ignored it as well as I could, though I had a bit of a headache and "yapping dog" isn't my favorite sound when I feel like the helmet is the only thing keeping my head from popping.
Then the driver of the van pulled up a bit so his damn barking dog was right next to my head. I gave the driver my best "do you really want to fuck with a biker before he's had his coffee?" look, and scooted forward a bit so his frickin' labradoodle or whatever it was wouldn't rupture my eardrums.
One of the advantages of riding a motorcycle is that the rider isn't looking through a window at the scene - he or she is right in it. Sometimes, though, that's not really the greatest thing.
It's all just part of the adventure.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Another Short Observation
There are no cool ringtones.
Seriously. All of them are annoying. The ringtone I use on my phone is the least annoying one I could find, but it's still annoying. Because of this, I keep my phone on vibrate 99% of the time.
Seriously. All of them are annoying. The ringtone I use on my phone is the least annoying one I could find, but it's still annoying. Because of this, I keep my phone on vibrate 99% of the time.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Procrastination Saves the Day!
The temperature on my commute to work yesterday was warm enough for me to think "I really ought to dig out my summer riding jacket."
Happily, I forgot all about doing so and thus had to wear my winter jacket again. Today, the temperature on my commute was apparently above freezing, though I couldn't really tell.
So, although it was a chilly ride, it could have been a lot worse if I'd remembered to wear my summer gear.
Phew.
Happily, I forgot all about doing so and thus had to wear my winter jacket again. Today, the temperature on my commute was apparently above freezing, though I couldn't really tell.
So, although it was a chilly ride, it could have been a lot worse if I'd remembered to wear my summer gear.
Phew.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Slowbies Everywhere
Over the last couple of days, I've noticed a new scourge in downtown traffic: slowbie pedestrians in crosswalks.
I don't expect people to run across the street, but a little hustle never hurt anyone. Especially when that someone is blocking my left turn in a busy intersection.
This behavior baffles and annoys me. Excluding the massive inconsideration, do you really want to be in the way of a bunch of under-caffeinated, cell-phone distracted drivers?
And just so we're clear, these people are not simply walking at a "normal" pace. This is super, super slow walking. Step... (paint dries) Step... (grass grows) Step... (tectonic plates shift)
Moseying is for sidewalks and trails. Hustling is for crosswalks. These are facts I learned in grade school.
I don't expect people to run across the street, but a little hustle never hurt anyone. Especially when that someone is blocking my left turn in a busy intersection.
This behavior baffles and annoys me. Excluding the massive inconsideration, do you really want to be in the way of a bunch of under-caffeinated, cell-phone distracted drivers?
And just so we're clear, these people are not simply walking at a "normal" pace. This is super, super slow walking. Step... (paint dries) Step... (grass grows) Step... (tectonic plates shift)
Moseying is for sidewalks and trails. Hustling is for crosswalks. These are facts I learned in grade school.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Excitement and Adventure
I have got a splitting headache, so if this ends up incoherent, blame the skull-crushing pain.
Lady Luck and I left work early Friday afternoon. Our plan was to sneak out of town before traffic got too nuts.
In the time we've lived here, the I-17 has always been under some sort of construction just on the edge of Phoenix. On a busy weekend rush out of town, one can spend a whole lot of time sitting in slow-moving traffic.
Anyway, traffic wasn't as bad as it could have been, but it was far from speedy. After twenty minutes of stop and go, traffic loosened up.
About 30 miles later, we heard a funny noise come from under the hood. Then we noticed the temperature gauge was pinned to HOT. We pulled over right away, and I popped the hood to see what the deal was.
There was coolant EVERYWHERE.
I also noticed the radiator fan was not running. I checked the fuses, just in case. They were all fine.
We waited a few minutes to let the motor cool, then I put down the hood again and we tried to drive on. The temperature started rising again right away.
We got off the freeway at the next exit, in Black Canyon City. We stopped at a restaurant just before the darn thing started boiling over, and called a tow truck. The truck showed up within fifteen minutes - I was amazed.
So, we got the car loaded on to the truck and rode the 60 miles home again. The driver was a pretty good guy. We arrived at the mechanic's shop in Mesa about an hour later. By this time, we were in a bit of a rush, as we didn't want to keep the mechanic. He was trying to close up his shop. We also wanted to get a rental car before the rental offices closed.
The tow truck driver had a bunch of problems with the paperwork. He gave up halfway through in order to unload the car so we could get it into the garage. Once the car was off the truck, the mechanic drove it in to the garage. Then the tow-truck driver and I went back to the truck to finish up the various forms and payment, while Lady Luck and a friend of ours went to pick up a rental car.
I was waiting for the driver to finish up when my phone rang. It was the mechanic, asking if I had the keys to the car. I didn't, so I called Lady Luck. She had taken them by mistake. She came back as quickly as she could.
In the meantime, the mechanic had been searching for OUR keys, and accidentally locked himself out of the shop. His keys and phone were both inside.
He managed to break back in to the garage, just in time for Lady Luck to arrive with the keys to the Mustang.
By this point I was giggling a bit at the bizarre evening I was having.
Anyway, we got rolling again, this time in a rental car (A Kia Rondo. Although reasonably comfy, the Rondo does not accelerate or turn like a car should.). We reached the spot where we'd been picked up again about four hours after we'd called the tow-truck.
Our perserverance was rewarded the next morning, when we woke up in Flagstaff and everything was covered with a couple inches of fresh snow. By that afternoon, it had all melted, so it was like a special treat just for us. That night we had pizza at Fratelli's. In all, a good day.
Lady Luck and I left work early Friday afternoon. Our plan was to sneak out of town before traffic got too nuts.
In the time we've lived here, the I-17 has always been under some sort of construction just on the edge of Phoenix. On a busy weekend rush out of town, one can spend a whole lot of time sitting in slow-moving traffic.
Anyway, traffic wasn't as bad as it could have been, but it was far from speedy. After twenty minutes of stop and go, traffic loosened up.
About 30 miles later, we heard a funny noise come from under the hood. Then we noticed the temperature gauge was pinned to HOT. We pulled over right away, and I popped the hood to see what the deal was.
There was coolant EVERYWHERE.
I also noticed the radiator fan was not running. I checked the fuses, just in case. They were all fine.
We waited a few minutes to let the motor cool, then I put down the hood again and we tried to drive on. The temperature started rising again right away.
We got off the freeway at the next exit, in Black Canyon City. We stopped at a restaurant just before the darn thing started boiling over, and called a tow truck. The truck showed up within fifteen minutes - I was amazed.
So, we got the car loaded on to the truck and rode the 60 miles home again. The driver was a pretty good guy. We arrived at the mechanic's shop in Mesa about an hour later. By this time, we were in a bit of a rush, as we didn't want to keep the mechanic. He was trying to close up his shop. We also wanted to get a rental car before the rental offices closed.
The tow truck driver had a bunch of problems with the paperwork. He gave up halfway through in order to unload the car so we could get it into the garage. Once the car was off the truck, the mechanic drove it in to the garage. Then the tow-truck driver and I went back to the truck to finish up the various forms and payment, while Lady Luck and a friend of ours went to pick up a rental car.
I was waiting for the driver to finish up when my phone rang. It was the mechanic, asking if I had the keys to the car. I didn't, so I called Lady Luck. She had taken them by mistake. She came back as quickly as she could.
In the meantime, the mechanic had been searching for OUR keys, and accidentally locked himself out of the shop. His keys and phone were both inside.
He managed to break back in to the garage, just in time for Lady Luck to arrive with the keys to the Mustang.
By this point I was giggling a bit at the bizarre evening I was having.
Anyway, we got rolling again, this time in a rental car (A Kia Rondo. Although reasonably comfy, the Rondo does not accelerate or turn like a car should.). We reached the spot where we'd been picked up again about four hours after we'd called the tow-truck.
Our perserverance was rewarded the next morning, when we woke up in Flagstaff and everything was covered with a couple inches of fresh snow. By that afternoon, it had all melted, so it was like a special treat just for us. That night we had pizza at Fratelli's. In all, a good day.
Monday, April 13, 2009
A Suitable Cage...
OK, I think I've mentioned before that I want a van for those times when four-wheeled transport is required. Vans are awesome for so many reasons it would take me a whole post just to cover them.
This is not that post.
On Friday night, Lady Luck and I had an experience that, temporarily, made me think "time for a new cage."
Lady Luck wants a lifted 4x4 pick-'em-up. If I can't get a van, I want a shiny black muscle car.
I spent a few minutes looking at the new bitchin' Camaros, and decided I still like the new Dodge Challenger better. Sorry Chevy.
So, I spent a few minutes configuring a Challenger of my very own on Dodge's site. I want the R/T, as there's really no point to a V-6 muscle car, and I can't even begin to rationalize the SRT8 model to myself.
Anyway, so I've got this nice, black, sexy Challenger configured to my liking, and see a handy link to find a car at a local dealership! And, by Crom's beard, a nearby dealer had the exact car with the exact specs I wanted in stock. Unbelievable!
So, I cruise out to their site, which had a handy payment calculator...
If I were to put down $20,000, I still couldn't afford the payments over 60 months.
A bummer.
Good thing we don't NEED a new Challenger...
This is not that post.
On Friday night, Lady Luck and I had an experience that, temporarily, made me think "time for a new cage."
Lady Luck wants a lifted 4x4 pick-'em-up. If I can't get a van, I want a shiny black muscle car.
I spent a few minutes looking at the new bitchin' Camaros, and decided I still like the new Dodge Challenger better. Sorry Chevy.
So, I spent a few minutes configuring a Challenger of my very own on Dodge's site. I want the R/T, as there's really no point to a V-6 muscle car, and I can't even begin to rationalize the SRT8 model to myself.
Anyway, so I've got this nice, black, sexy Challenger configured to my liking, and see a handy link to find a car at a local dealership! And, by Crom's beard, a nearby dealer had the exact car with the exact specs I wanted in stock. Unbelievable!
So, I cruise out to their site, which had a handy payment calculator...
If I were to put down $20,000, I still couldn't afford the payments over 60 months.
A bummer.
Good thing we don't NEED a new Challenger...
Monday, April 06, 2009
Special Kind of Person?
I recently read an article somewhere recently that said it takes a special kind of person and dedication to ride to work every day.
Really? I mean, OK, I guess having a job makes one special, and having a motorcycle at the same time makes one even more special, but using one to get to the other just seems natural to me. Personally, after the first time I rode to work, using some lesser form of transportation was not even a consideration, unless the bike was out of order (or if I was carpooling). Hell, I got rid of my Buick since I hadn't driven it for more than six months.
I gather, however, there are a lot of riders who don't ride to work come hell or high water. I don't really understand how that works, but there it is. I suppose, if one actually needs and uses their truck to haul tools and such, riding to work would be difficult. Personally, I'd say that means it's time to find a new job, but that's just me.
Maybe I don't think it takes a special kind of person because I AM that kind of person. I'll admit that when I like something, I can't comprehend how anyone else could NOT like it. It still baffles me when people tell me they don't like heavy metal music. What's not to like? I hope I never meet someone who dislikes pizza - I'll probably pass out from the shock.
Anyway, I guess I need to try and remember the fear and awe most folks have concerning motorcycles. The "awe" part keeps people glued to the media telling them how scary and dangerous these machines are, and the "fear" part keeps them off the bikes - which means there are more motorcycles for you and me.
So! Sheeples of the world - thank you, and stay scared of motorcycles! It takes a special kind of person to ride them.
Really? I mean, OK, I guess having a job makes one special, and having a motorcycle at the same time makes one even more special, but using one to get to the other just seems natural to me. Personally, after the first time I rode to work, using some lesser form of transportation was not even a consideration, unless the bike was out of order (or if I was carpooling). Hell, I got rid of my Buick since I hadn't driven it for more than six months.
I gather, however, there are a lot of riders who don't ride to work come hell or high water. I don't really understand how that works, but there it is. I suppose, if one actually needs and uses their truck to haul tools and such, riding to work would be difficult. Personally, I'd say that means it's time to find a new job, but that's just me.
Maybe I don't think it takes a special kind of person because I AM that kind of person. I'll admit that when I like something, I can't comprehend how anyone else could NOT like it. It still baffles me when people tell me they don't like heavy metal music. What's not to like? I hope I never meet someone who dislikes pizza - I'll probably pass out from the shock.
Anyway, I guess I need to try and remember the fear and awe most folks have concerning motorcycles. The "awe" part keeps people glued to the media telling them how scary and dangerous these machines are, and the "fear" part keeps them off the bikes - which means there are more motorcycles for you and me.
So! Sheeples of the world - thank you, and stay scared of motorcycles! It takes a special kind of person to ride them.
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