Today was a really good day - good enough that I started up the motorcycle and rode in to work.
It was a great morning until some arzl on my right put on his signal, looked at me in his mirror and then proceeded to move over into space that I was already occupying. Loud air horn got me a middle finger sign.
I did not shoot him. No pistol, and anyhow I know that that isn't a really good educational tool for such behavior, although it does tend to put a stop to it (at least for that one arzl - there are always more....) I thought a few unkind things things about his putative parentage, moved over, and went on my way - nothing will get my goat today, it is a lovely day, warm, the bike feels good, traffic is flowing and all is right with the world.
That lasted until I got to work and discovered that everything I had set up last week to run over the weekend failed to run. Crap - now I gotta figure out why that has to be that way..
Along the way, I discovered that our efforts to capitalize on our help desk personnel by borrowing them from sister organizations was somewhat less than satisfactory - apparently sister org teaches them to rigidly follow a procedure and ignore the caller's statements about what is going on. I managed not to become impolite, but I got pretty terse before he agreed to do what I had asked him 15 minutes earlier to do.
Soon, however, I get to go outside on the roof, get my jacket out, put on my gloves and motorcycle home - and I do look forward to it. Great weather at least for today. Gotta get those last rides in. On the weekend I need to get Big Suzi over to Jack to get checked out, and then think about getting her sold. I really don't want all that badly to ride anything that heavy any more.
The year is winding down - less than 45 days before I start writing checks with the wrong year on them again - or until I would be doing that if I wrote checks any more, which I do not. Along the way, I noted some of my classmates have been married longer than I have (I was a late starter) and some are even older, but still alive. All too many no longer live - a consequence of the aging process, I know, but the table at the last reunion with deceased's pictures was entirely too full to suit me - some good folks that are no longer have with us.
Tomorrow I gotta get serious about recovering something that has disappeared on me (again) - to see if I can convince it to come back to life. It seems some stuff about which I had no knowledge depends on the stuff I can no longer pull down from elsewhere, so I gotta reverse-engineer what I can find and get it working again. Life is never dull.
Things at the home of the newlywed daughter are going ell - Big Ronnie is back to work, Little Ronnie is doing well at school, and Jessica seems to be doing well. Once in a while things do go better than one has a right to hope. I'll talk more about that whole circumstance at a later date - but it has been interesting to watch it grow - and I am well pleased at this point.
Once in a while, my dreams take me to strange places - back to Germany, back to an earlier day and an old flame, back to school, etc. The past week has been full of this - someone's trying to tell me something, but I cannot imagine what it is. If I figure it out, I guess I'll just have to write about it. Meanwhile, I have phone calls to make to check on a few folks about whom I still care.
Over my lifetime so far, I've missed out on good things because of my own insecurities and perceived limitations, and screwed up in more ways than I could have imagined existed. For all of that, life is a good place, and the regrets I have, while many, are not great enough to make me do more than occasionally wish to hunt someone down an deliver an apology that I believe to be owed. It is always good to call some people that I've not seen in years and catch up - whatever I might happen to be I owe at least part to others that I have met, experiences we have shared, and answers to questions that I would never have been able to make by myself alone. The most valuable things are often not really mine, but things shared with another.
I think it is time for me to pack it up and to go home. Y'all take care.
Showing posts with label motorcycles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label motorcycles. Show all posts
Monday, November 18, 2013
Monday, November 4, 2013
Monday Morning at zero dark 30
I should be asleep, but here's what's not happening - sleep.
The week has been productive, mostly - couple of good motorcycle days, and progress on a messy bug. I'm pretty well satisfied with results, and am headed into a week with neither medical nor other sorts of interruptions. Possible schedule alterations, but not much else.
Today I took off this afternoon to take the a ride. It was brisk, but not really cold, and I cracked off about 80 miles without stopping except for lights and such. Great ride, albeit different - I took a route I haven't take on the new bike yet, and it was really a fun run. I ended up in Pennsylvania (no I did not take my helmet off!) and rode by to salute Susan's blue heron on the way home. Altogether pleasant except for the fact that the sun was in my eyes. It might be time to fashion some kind of a visor for this helmet.
This entire weekend was peaceful. Jessica and both Ronnies were over, and Big Ronnie cleaned out Jessica's car, during which process he found stuff that the previous owner had lost, and gave Jessica a fit for not having ever cleaned it out. Doubtless he'd've been giving me a fit had he been cleaning my car, but so far my car retains it's very own personality, unmarred by neat freaks.
Ronnie seems really good - fate is throwing crap at him, and not making his return to the fold easy or pleasant but he is weathering the storm(s) and rolling with it. I do not envy him some of what must be learned and experienced, but I know he'll be OK eventually. Jessica is over the moon - the family is finally complete, and Little Ronnie is loving life - his deportment at school is improving as well as his attention to his work. Looks to me like a win-win for all of us.
Last weekend in Las Vegas I met someone with whom I have been in touch for several years but had never met. Through various online groups I meet people this way, and it was very good to meet the actual person and family - I had a great time, wish I had had more time, but they were headed into a really busy time in a different state. It is really good to be able to put faces and places together with the names (or 'nyms) with whom I have been in contact over the years. At least this person stayed alive - another died before we ever had a chance to meet, and it really bothered me at the time.
Someone in Las Vegas asked me when I would retire, and I thought about ti, and decided maybe sometime before I reach 80, which isn't as far a way as I might wish. Naturally, I am interested in pensions (not that mine will amount to all that much unless I can last more than 10-15 years) but I also really enjoy what I do, and as long as someone is willing to pay me to do things I like, why should I stop doing them?
Seeing all my family members last weekend was really good - while my parents were Pittsburgh kids, many of my relatives have moved to places like Los Angeles, Texas, South Carolina and Florida - and getting together is no longer as frequent or as easy as it once was, and I find that I miss all these folks. We are all getting older, and one day they'll not be there to miss any more (along with myself, who also one day will be gone) so I rather cherish any opportunity to be with them.
One thing about Las Vegas, though - everything is to big and too far apart for old fat guys with sore knees and legs! I actually lost weight in Las Vegas!
Well, I am hoping for motorcycle weather when I ariise - right now, it's late and if I don't soon get to bed it will be time to arise!
Be well, y'all....
The week has been productive, mostly - couple of good motorcycle days, and progress on a messy bug. I'm pretty well satisfied with results, and am headed into a week with neither medical nor other sorts of interruptions. Possible schedule alterations, but not much else.
Today I took off this afternoon to take the a ride. It was brisk, but not really cold, and I cracked off about 80 miles without stopping except for lights and such. Great ride, albeit different - I took a route I haven't take on the new bike yet, and it was really a fun run. I ended up in Pennsylvania (no I did not take my helmet off!) and rode by to salute Susan's blue heron on the way home. Altogether pleasant except for the fact that the sun was in my eyes. It might be time to fashion some kind of a visor for this helmet.
This entire weekend was peaceful. Jessica and both Ronnies were over, and Big Ronnie cleaned out Jessica's car, during which process he found stuff that the previous owner had lost, and gave Jessica a fit for not having ever cleaned it out. Doubtless he'd've been giving me a fit had he been cleaning my car, but so far my car retains it's very own personality, unmarred by neat freaks.
Ronnie seems really good - fate is throwing crap at him, and not making his return to the fold easy or pleasant but he is weathering the storm(s) and rolling with it. I do not envy him some of what must be learned and experienced, but I know he'll be OK eventually. Jessica is over the moon - the family is finally complete, and Little Ronnie is loving life - his deportment at school is improving as well as his attention to his work. Looks to me like a win-win for all of us.
Last weekend in Las Vegas I met someone with whom I have been in touch for several years but had never met. Through various online groups I meet people this way, and it was very good to meet the actual person and family - I had a great time, wish I had had more time, but they were headed into a really busy time in a different state. It is really good to be able to put faces and places together with the names (or 'nyms) with whom I have been in contact over the years. At least this person stayed alive - another died before we ever had a chance to meet, and it really bothered me at the time.
Someone in Las Vegas asked me when I would retire, and I thought about ti, and decided maybe sometime before I reach 80, which isn't as far a way as I might wish. Naturally, I am interested in pensions (not that mine will amount to all that much unless I can last more than 10-15 years) but I also really enjoy what I do, and as long as someone is willing to pay me to do things I like, why should I stop doing them?
Seeing all my family members last weekend was really good - while my parents were Pittsburgh kids, many of my relatives have moved to places like Los Angeles, Texas, South Carolina and Florida - and getting together is no longer as frequent or as easy as it once was, and I find that I miss all these folks. We are all getting older, and one day they'll not be there to miss any more (along with myself, who also one day will be gone) so I rather cherish any opportunity to be with them.
One thing about Las Vegas, though - everything is to big and too far apart for old fat guys with sore knees and legs! I actually lost weight in Las Vegas!
Well, I am hoping for motorcycle weather when I ariise - right now, it's late and if I don't soon get to bed it will be time to arise!
Be well, y'all....
Thursday, October 31, 2013
Hallowe'en day
This morning was a little foggy, but otherwise nice enough to uncover the Guzzi and ride it to work.
Our weather seems to be confused - by now, in normal times (which all occurred before I was half the age I am now) we would have had snow by now. Instead, it was over 60 when I left for work and a bit foggy but not really all that damn - it felt good to start the Guzzi and get on it to head for work.
I didn't take a back way - just down 795, around 695 and down 83 and it took less than 40 minutes, which is pretty good time for heading in in the morning - I never get it that quick in the old Volvo.
There's something about riding a really good motorcycle that energizes me - the Guzzi likes to have its gearbox stirred, and doesn't produce all that much power below about 2500 RPM - and really likes t be run above 3000. Since 4000 in fifth is about 75, that gives plenty of gears for maneuvering around traffic, and backing down for entering a curve. Stirring them can be a lot of fun....
Everything was just right this morning - cool enough to make me alert and make the mixture to the engine great, traffic never stopped (unusual in the morning) and it was just a joy to be out there in the air chasing things.
Everyone should at least one good motorcycle for a time in their lives.
Otherwise not a whole lot to relate - choir rehearsal was good last night and I think I might have finally caught up on time zone changes and lost sleep in aircraft.
So on that positive note, have a wonderful Hallowe'en!
Our weather seems to be confused - by now, in normal times (which all occurred before I was half the age I am now) we would have had snow by now. Instead, it was over 60 when I left for work and a bit foggy but not really all that damn - it felt good to start the Guzzi and get on it to head for work.
I didn't take a back way - just down 795, around 695 and down 83 and it took less than 40 minutes, which is pretty good time for heading in in the morning - I never get it that quick in the old Volvo.
There's something about riding a really good motorcycle that energizes me - the Guzzi likes to have its gearbox stirred, and doesn't produce all that much power below about 2500 RPM - and really likes t be run above 3000. Since 4000 in fifth is about 75, that gives plenty of gears for maneuvering around traffic, and backing down for entering a curve. Stirring them can be a lot of fun....
Everything was just right this morning - cool enough to make me alert and make the mixture to the engine great, traffic never stopped (unusual in the morning) and it was just a joy to be out there in the air chasing things.
Everyone should at least one good motorcycle for a time in their lives.
Otherwise not a whole lot to relate - choir rehearsal was good last night and I think I might have finally caught up on time zone changes and lost sleep in aircraft.
So on that positive note, have a wonderful Hallowe'en!
Monday, October 21, 2013
Moto Guzzi, redux
Well, yesterday I took the new (to me) motorcycle on a trip with some other riders who I know from the Baltimore Ramblers Motorcycle Club, a club of which I am a member.
It was an eclectic mix - a Triumph, my Guzzi, a BMW, a Suzuki Burgmann superscooter, a Harley Trike and about 5 Harley 2-wheelers. The route was set by Jeff Hutchins, the club president, and was a really pleasant back road tour to see the leaves (although I spent more time looking down the road to see what I had to do than looking around) and included some rough roads, some twisty roads, and some turns that were not easy to make. I was somewhere in the middle of the group, and managed everything pretty well, although I did go wide at one intersection and ride up on the grass. Happily all I got for it was a muddy boot.
The day before, a group had gone on a ride that covered about 300 miles. What I learned yesterday is that my arse isn't good for much over 100 miles, and I run out of strength soon after the 100 mark is hit. I don't actually collapse, but my skill erodes to the point that I really need to get off the bike and into a car if I am traveling farther.
Getting old is really a bummer - I used to think nothing at all of 300 and 400 mile days - now I don't even think about them because I am not strong enough to manage them, although there is hope if I get more weight off and finish healing this leg that I broke that it will become easier. My fear is that I'll have to get my knees done first - and that is something I don't really look forward to. I keep telling myself if I could get off another 60-70 pounds, my knees might stop yelling at me. Then again, they might not.
But the Guzzi is one of the most pleasant bikes I have ever ridden. It is right up there with my old BMW's as nimble, and I don't exactly get on it and ride it - it's more like I pull it on and wear it. Lean angles are (or seem to me to be) easy; very little requirement for counter-steer; no flex laid over in a fast curve, flexible power (although the engine does prefer to be kept over 3000 RPM,) good power delivery from the fuel-injected engine, and even decent mileage. I'm slowly getting used to the brakes (the right hand lever controls one disk on the front - the other disk and the back disk are actuated by the rear brake pedal, and the proportioning valve is apparently set up very well.) The pedal placement is not ideal after riding the Big Suzi, but I think I can get used to it (or change it if needed). The shifter is the same, but the weakness of my knees and upper legs make the problem a lot worse than it has to be - maybe I'll get more strength back in the coming months....
But riding it is a real giggle - it doesn't need muscled - it seems as if all I have to do is drop a hint what I want to do, and it satisfies. Hands-off it tracks straight and true for as long as I am that silly, and it even has a steering damper that it doesn't need. No shakes at all, no temperment at all - a wholly friendly ride.
This lack of strength is beginning to bug me. It isn't apparent in the car (of course, the car isn't as much work to drive) but it sure makes itself known on the bike. The commute ride is OK at 25 miles each way, and there's plenty of recovery time, but spending a couple of hours in the saddle wears me out to the point that I begin to scare myself (and possibly the folks around me, although they don't say anything....) and I am not happy about that. Motorcycles have been a part of my life for so long now I hate to think that the day will come that I can only look at them and drool...
However, within my own limits, I am enjoying the Moto Guzzi a whole bunch, and the weather has been cooperating enough that it hasn't yet come to the time to put it up.
Anyone out there need a big Suzuki (VL1500, 2004?)
Until later - I'll have more to say about family changes as time goes by - right now, we are all feeling very positive, and thankful that we feel that way.
It was an eclectic mix - a Triumph, my Guzzi, a BMW, a Suzuki Burgmann superscooter, a Harley Trike and about 5 Harley 2-wheelers. The route was set by Jeff Hutchins, the club president, and was a really pleasant back road tour to see the leaves (although I spent more time looking down the road to see what I had to do than looking around) and included some rough roads, some twisty roads, and some turns that were not easy to make. I was somewhere in the middle of the group, and managed everything pretty well, although I did go wide at one intersection and ride up on the grass. Happily all I got for it was a muddy boot.
The day before, a group had gone on a ride that covered about 300 miles. What I learned yesterday is that my arse isn't good for much over 100 miles, and I run out of strength soon after the 100 mark is hit. I don't actually collapse, but my skill erodes to the point that I really need to get off the bike and into a car if I am traveling farther.
Getting old is really a bummer - I used to think nothing at all of 300 and 400 mile days - now I don't even think about them because I am not strong enough to manage them, although there is hope if I get more weight off and finish healing this leg that I broke that it will become easier. My fear is that I'll have to get my knees done first - and that is something I don't really look forward to. I keep telling myself if I could get off another 60-70 pounds, my knees might stop yelling at me. Then again, they might not.
But the Guzzi is one of the most pleasant bikes I have ever ridden. It is right up there with my old BMW's as nimble, and I don't exactly get on it and ride it - it's more like I pull it on and wear it. Lean angles are (or seem to me to be) easy; very little requirement for counter-steer; no flex laid over in a fast curve, flexible power (although the engine does prefer to be kept over 3000 RPM,) good power delivery from the fuel-injected engine, and even decent mileage. I'm slowly getting used to the brakes (the right hand lever controls one disk on the front - the other disk and the back disk are actuated by the rear brake pedal, and the proportioning valve is apparently set up very well.) The pedal placement is not ideal after riding the Big Suzi, but I think I can get used to it (or change it if needed). The shifter is the same, but the weakness of my knees and upper legs make the problem a lot worse than it has to be - maybe I'll get more strength back in the coming months....
But riding it is a real giggle - it doesn't need muscled - it seems as if all I have to do is drop a hint what I want to do, and it satisfies. Hands-off it tracks straight and true for as long as I am that silly, and it even has a steering damper that it doesn't need. No shakes at all, no temperment at all - a wholly friendly ride.
This lack of strength is beginning to bug me. It isn't apparent in the car (of course, the car isn't as much work to drive) but it sure makes itself known on the bike. The commute ride is OK at 25 miles each way, and there's plenty of recovery time, but spending a couple of hours in the saddle wears me out to the point that I begin to scare myself (and possibly the folks around me, although they don't say anything....) and I am not happy about that. Motorcycles have been a part of my life for so long now I hate to think that the day will come that I can only look at them and drool...
However, within my own limits, I am enjoying the Moto Guzzi a whole bunch, and the weather has been cooperating enough that it hasn't yet come to the time to put it up.
Anyone out there need a big Suzuki (VL1500, 2004?)
Until later - I'll have more to say about family changes as time goes by - right now, we are all feeling very positive, and thankful that we feel that way.
Friday, October 11, 2013
TGIF Day!
Well, Friday has arrived, and started off with a visit to my physician. He's a good guy, and we have known him for probably 30 years or so. His MA took my blood pressure and found it elevated. He took it and found it low (for me) - so we both reassured the MA that she's still got 'it.' I hope he doesn't have to explain it later today - she's a newbie and might not know about old standing jokes. She managed to give me a B12 shot without giving me any pain, and we set up an appointment to come back in 6 weeks. He also reminded me that I need to get an upper endoscopy to see if I still have ulcers or something. You all have to know how much I look forward to endoscopies.....
So I was a little late. Rain was all over today, and we have a couple of small lakes in the back yard. The motorcycles got wet (only a little) and getting the newspaper this morning was an adventure, running (actually walking slowly) between raindrops was the order of the day. I got a little wet, but dried off before leaving to go to the doctor, where I got wet, and dried off before getting to work. I parked inside today, so I didn't get wet any more. Fridays around here are pretty quiet, particularly before a 3-day weekend.
I finished up (again) the project for that outside consultant, logging on late last night to ship him the latest data - all 1.02 gigabytes of it (actually compressed down to 113,996 kb using WinRAR, a really useful tool) via my Google drive - which reminds me I need to clean that one up!
Something messed with my Chrome apps - I need to rebuild that. Happily I remember what I use, mostly. I have been amazed at how useful a lot of the apps and extensions for Google's Chrome have become - there are some I have come to depend on, and I hadn't given much credence to Google's approach. Looks to me as if they got a lot right!
I fear there won't be much done today that is mission-oriented - too many other things that can be cleaned up. Next week I have to start cleaning up to Clarion apps that I still have active, killing off the ones that aren't used, and upgrading at least to Version 8 anything that isn't already there. I have Version 9 installed, but haven't had a chance to mess with it much. I also need to purge off a bunch of unused .bat files, SQL scripts and FTP scripts - there is so much that was put out there and has fallen into disuse that if I don't do this soon I'll be breaking more stuff than I fix.... I need to get all this stuff into a book somehow, and some of it needs major cleanup and simplification. Always time to screw with it, never time to get it right - story of my life....
On another topic, has anyone that reads this ever heard of Heather Rigdon? I ask because some nice person at the office gave me some of her MP3s and I am enjoying them a whole lot. I also discovered that the Beth Nielsen Chapman collection I thought I had lost just got hidden on a damaged drive on the big server, and I was able to recover all of it, which made me pretty happy. Now I have to transfer some of it over here, for use on the days I can make noise and not get bitched at by folks with tin ears.
In going through some old jump drives I have found some music that I had thought was lost - including a bit by Steve Miller at the end of a live concert that merged All Blues with C. C. Rider and some original lyrics to create a long track that was really great, very jazzy and funny, too. If anyone wants anything that I might have, leave a comment and I'll see what I can do for you.
Having discovered that by BluRay player is internet-smart, and that there are all kinds of movies available, I am thinking of killing off most of my movie collections and reclaiming some server space so maybe I won't have to buy drives so damned often to keep everything happy. I am continually amazed at what can be found on YouTube as well as some of the other services just kicking the BuRay box around a bit. I had built a whole media player desktop, and find I don't use it at all - I can do everything media-wise I ever want to do just using the BluRay player. Now I have to get it away from where it is and take it somewhere where it will be useful - like down into the family room, maybe....
My watch must be busted - it sure is taking a long time to get this day over. I'll be in Sunday and Monday (both scheduled days off) to cover a 3-11 shift that would otherwise be uncovered, because I am such a Nice Person - and because it will supply the comp time I need to take that weekend in Las Vegas in a week or two and not use any precious annual leave.
I'm trying hard to stay away from politics because some of what is going on makes me angry (and profane) and I don't want any nastiness to leak into this - so I'll save it for a time I want to show just how damn nasty I am capable of being when profoundly irritated. But not today - I don't have the energy.
What I really need is a day that is about 32 hours long - then I could get lots done and still sleep for 9 or so hours. As it is, I get to bed usually between 1 and 2 (my physician says older adults need bedtimes, too - but nobody can stay up around our house long enough to see that I observe any established bedtime.) and wake up at 7:45 when my phone says it is time to get up, make coffee, and do Other Things to get ready for the day. What I should do is get up an hour earlier and walk around the block a time or two. No point taking any bets on when this will start, as I don't think it will any time soon.
I really hate this time of year, when I come home in the darn - it removes from me any desire to do anything after I eat something - anything, that is, besides park my arse in the chair read and/or watch the TeeVee. I don't lose a whole lot of weight that way....
While I was off doing some real work a moment ago, my mind wandered into the place where the various ladies I have known over the last 70+ years have been stored, and I remembered a funny thing or two about a couple of them. Then I seemed to wake up and realized where I was - and decided it wasn't time to visit those spaces. Usually I visit them late at night when nobody is around to watch my face. Maybe one day I'll talk about them, too. But not today.
I've been reading Augusten Burroughs, a brother to John Elder Robison, whose stuff I have also been reading. Robison has Aspergers (which has, if I recall aright, been rendered no-longer-a word by the folks who decide such things) and is a most interesting person to read and to hear. I'm not going to say more - if you are curious, read something from either or both - if you are Kindle-smart I might even loan you some of mine if there is a legal way to do that (and I think that there is.)
Any more, I do a log of my reading with my tablet using a Kindle app, or on one of my Windows machines using a Kindle app for Chrome, the browser. Kindle is set up such that it remembers where you are when you bot a 'book' down. Turn off the computer you were using, go home (or elsewhere) and get out your laptop (or tablet or Android phone) and fire up the Kindle app, and when it opens,m there is the page you were reading when you put it down. Most thoughtful - and you can carry a hell of a big library with you, since e-books don't take up much room, and the Chrome app does everything from the Cloud (whateverthehell that means...) If you hadn't noticed, I'm much impressed by Kindle - particularly by the fact that you don't have to buy one - anything you own can be a Kindle if you need it to be.
I think I've had enough fun, so I'm going to close up shop and go home and see where my lovely wife wants to go for dinner this evening. Be well, y'all.
So I was a little late. Rain was all over today, and we have a couple of small lakes in the back yard. The motorcycles got wet (only a little) and getting the newspaper this morning was an adventure, running (actually walking slowly) between raindrops was the order of the day. I got a little wet, but dried off before leaving to go to the doctor, where I got wet, and dried off before getting to work. I parked inside today, so I didn't get wet any more. Fridays around here are pretty quiet, particularly before a 3-day weekend.
I finished up (again) the project for that outside consultant, logging on late last night to ship him the latest data - all 1.02 gigabytes of it (actually compressed down to 113,996 kb using WinRAR, a really useful tool) via my Google drive - which reminds me I need to clean that one up!
Something messed with my Chrome apps - I need to rebuild that. Happily I remember what I use, mostly. I have been amazed at how useful a lot of the apps and extensions for Google's Chrome have become - there are some I have come to depend on, and I hadn't given much credence to Google's approach. Looks to me as if they got a lot right!
I fear there won't be much done today that is mission-oriented - too many other things that can be cleaned up. Next week I have to start cleaning up to Clarion apps that I still have active, killing off the ones that aren't used, and upgrading at least to Version 8 anything that isn't already there. I have Version 9 installed, but haven't had a chance to mess with it much. I also need to purge off a bunch of unused .bat files, SQL scripts and FTP scripts - there is so much that was put out there and has fallen into disuse that if I don't do this soon I'll be breaking more stuff than I fix.... I need to get all this stuff into a book somehow, and some of it needs major cleanup and simplification. Always time to screw with it, never time to get it right - story of my life....
On another topic, has anyone that reads this ever heard of Heather Rigdon? I ask because some nice person at the office gave me some of her MP3s and I am enjoying them a whole lot. I also discovered that the Beth Nielsen Chapman collection I thought I had lost just got hidden on a damaged drive on the big server, and I was able to recover all of it, which made me pretty happy. Now I have to transfer some of it over here, for use on the days I can make noise and not get bitched at by folks with tin ears.
In going through some old jump drives I have found some music that I had thought was lost - including a bit by Steve Miller at the end of a live concert that merged All Blues with C. C. Rider and some original lyrics to create a long track that was really great, very jazzy and funny, too. If anyone wants anything that I might have, leave a comment and I'll see what I can do for you.
Having discovered that by BluRay player is internet-smart, and that there are all kinds of movies available, I am thinking of killing off most of my movie collections and reclaiming some server space so maybe I won't have to buy drives so damned often to keep everything happy. I am continually amazed at what can be found on YouTube as well as some of the other services just kicking the BuRay box around a bit. I had built a whole media player desktop, and find I don't use it at all - I can do everything media-wise I ever want to do just using the BluRay player. Now I have to get it away from where it is and take it somewhere where it will be useful - like down into the family room, maybe....
My watch must be busted - it sure is taking a long time to get this day over. I'll be in Sunday and Monday (both scheduled days off) to cover a 3-11 shift that would otherwise be uncovered, because I am such a Nice Person - and because it will supply the comp time I need to take that weekend in Las Vegas in a week or two and not use any precious annual leave.
I'm trying hard to stay away from politics because some of what is going on makes me angry (and profane) and I don't want any nastiness to leak into this - so I'll save it for a time I want to show just how damn nasty I am capable of being when profoundly irritated. But not today - I don't have the energy.
What I really need is a day that is about 32 hours long - then I could get lots done and still sleep for 9 or so hours. As it is, I get to bed usually between 1 and 2 (my physician says older adults need bedtimes, too - but nobody can stay up around our house long enough to see that I observe any established bedtime.) and wake up at 7:45 when my phone says it is time to get up, make coffee, and do Other Things to get ready for the day. What I should do is get up an hour earlier and walk around the block a time or two. No point taking any bets on when this will start, as I don't think it will any time soon.
I really hate this time of year, when I come home in the darn - it removes from me any desire to do anything after I eat something - anything, that is, besides park my arse in the chair read and/or watch the TeeVee. I don't lose a whole lot of weight that way....
While I was off doing some real work a moment ago, my mind wandered into the place where the various ladies I have known over the last 70+ years have been stored, and I remembered a funny thing or two about a couple of them. Then I seemed to wake up and realized where I was - and decided it wasn't time to visit those spaces. Usually I visit them late at night when nobody is around to watch my face. Maybe one day I'll talk about them, too. But not today.
I've been reading Augusten Burroughs, a brother to John Elder Robison, whose stuff I have also been reading. Robison has Aspergers (which has, if I recall aright, been rendered no-longer-a word by the folks who decide such things) and is a most interesting person to read and to hear. I'm not going to say more - if you are curious, read something from either or both - if you are Kindle-smart I might even loan you some of mine if there is a legal way to do that (and I think that there is.)
Any more, I do a log of my reading with my tablet using a Kindle app, or on one of my Windows machines using a Kindle app for Chrome, the browser. Kindle is set up such that it remembers where you are when you bot a 'book' down. Turn off the computer you were using, go home (or elsewhere) and get out your laptop (or tablet or Android phone) and fire up the Kindle app, and when it opens,m there is the page you were reading when you put it down. Most thoughtful - and you can carry a hell of a big library with you, since e-books don't take up much room, and the Chrome app does everything from the Cloud (whateverthehell that means...) If you hadn't noticed, I'm much impressed by Kindle - particularly by the fact that you don't have to buy one - anything you own can be a Kindle if you need it to be.
I think I've had enough fun, so I'm going to close up shop and go home and see where my lovely wife wants to go for dinner this evening. Be well, y'all.
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Tuesday. It sucked.
This has been a Tuesday that was a Monday in all normal respects.
It started out decently - I rode the Guzzi to work, and enjoyed every minute of the trip. I had quite forgot how good it felt to ride a motorcycle that is so much a part of you that you almost put it on and wear it rather than do something so mundane as to get on its back and tell it what to do.
I left late for work and got there a little bit early - a perfect trip in.
It turned to poo when it was time to go home.
I went out on the roof to my motorcycle and out the key in, unlocked the steering, got out my jacket and gloves and put them on and stowed my tablet bag, climbed on, and started it up.
That is, I turned the key and pushed the button.
No lights. No noise. Deader than last year's news.
I said a word, then remembered it won't start with the sidestand down, so I put the sidestand up. Wouldn't start with it up, either, dammit!
I rolled it down into the garage, and started to think about getting it a hotshot - we have hotshot boxes all over the place. The battery is under the seat. Bear in mind, the motorcycle is Italian, so anything you thought you knew about where things are normally located will only confuse you.
But the battery, as I knew, was under the seat, so I started to take the seat off. I started to look around and see what I had to make loose to get the seat off. I took off some side covers that didn't need to come off. I found nothing pertaining to the seat under the covers, so I put them back on. The seat still won't come off. I look in the user manual, and can find nothing about removing the seat. I look some more - still nothing. I look all over the motorcycle - and find nothing. The seat won't budge, there are no bolts - nothing to be seen.
I read the manual end to end, and under helmet lock there is the information I need. Effing Italians, hiding the seat lock by combining it with the helmet lock - where's the logic in that? Now the seat's off, and a couple of guys bring me a hotshot box, and it starts. I shut it down, put the seat back on, and start it up again.
Or try to start it up again. No go. Hotshot box, seat off, apply and restart. This time block at high idle for about 8 minutes while I find helmet, gloves, leather jacket, get dressed, and head for home. About ten minutes later, the get gas light comes on. Bear in mind I haven't had this so long that I know how far it will go with that little light on, and I have this feeling tonight ain't the night to risk it - so I get off the highway to a gas station, fill it back up, and start it again. Or try - the damn thing just clicks at me and won't turn....
Push it out of the way, set the sidestand, and call the motor club for a hotshot. They say in 35 minutes - the guy actually shows in 20, and I'm so happy, I get on the bike to set the center stand, and promptly fall over on the left side. Allstate Guy helps me pick it up and get it on the center stand, and it starts right up - with a hotshot box. I start heading home the rest of the way, secure in the knowledge that I have enough gas. The rest of the trip is a dream. I really do love the Guzzi.
So I get home, ride up into the carport and set up to park next to the big Suzuki - and promptly fall over onto the other side from the side I fell over onto when the Allstate guy come. While I'm laying there on the ground, my cell phone rings - it is my lovely wife, wondering if I am home yet. She detects that I am not really thrilled and asks me what has happened. I tell her I just dropped the damned motorcycle and can't pick it up and probably mumble some profanities just to spice it up.
She offers to call someone to help me pick it up, and I thank her and then hang up so maybe I can breathe again and get my BP under control.
Damon shows up and helps me (actually does most of the work) pick it up, and I scurry around and set the sidestand. Then Phyllis shows up, and I decide to move the bike to where it should be parked, so I pop the sidestand up and start it - or at least try to start it. It won't start. By this time, I am beyond pissed! I push it into place and resolve to get a replacement battery - and drive the Volvo tomorrow, on what will be a wonderful motorycle day. The rest of the week, of course, after I have a chance to get a battery, will be rain - including the Saturday that I had planned to go on a ride with the club.
See what I mean about imperfect Tuesdays?
I came inside, got something to eat, and fired up the Toshiba laptop intending to read email and go to bed. Instead I wrote this.
Tomorrow will be better.
Tomorrow will be better.
Tomorrow will dammit be better!
I think it is time to get some sleep, and hope I don't hurt in the morning.
I surely hope that this isn't a Sign that I am supposed to get a toy with more wheels....
G'night, y'all.
It started out decently - I rode the Guzzi to work, and enjoyed every minute of the trip. I had quite forgot how good it felt to ride a motorcycle that is so much a part of you that you almost put it on and wear it rather than do something so mundane as to get on its back and tell it what to do.
I left late for work and got there a little bit early - a perfect trip in.
It turned to poo when it was time to go home.
I went out on the roof to my motorcycle and out the key in, unlocked the steering, got out my jacket and gloves and put them on and stowed my tablet bag, climbed on, and started it up.
That is, I turned the key and pushed the button.
No lights. No noise. Deader than last year's news.
I said a word, then remembered it won't start with the sidestand down, so I put the sidestand up. Wouldn't start with it up, either, dammit!
I rolled it down into the garage, and started to think about getting it a hotshot - we have hotshot boxes all over the place. The battery is under the seat. Bear in mind, the motorcycle is Italian, so anything you thought you knew about where things are normally located will only confuse you.
But the battery, as I knew, was under the seat, so I started to take the seat off. I started to look around and see what I had to make loose to get the seat off. I took off some side covers that didn't need to come off. I found nothing pertaining to the seat under the covers, so I put them back on. The seat still won't come off. I look in the user manual, and can find nothing about removing the seat. I look some more - still nothing. I look all over the motorcycle - and find nothing. The seat won't budge, there are no bolts - nothing to be seen.
I read the manual end to end, and under helmet lock there is the information I need. Effing Italians, hiding the seat lock by combining it with the helmet lock - where's the logic in that? Now the seat's off, and a couple of guys bring me a hotshot box, and it starts. I shut it down, put the seat back on, and start it up again.
Or try to start it up again. No go. Hotshot box, seat off, apply and restart. This time block at high idle for about 8 minutes while I find helmet, gloves, leather jacket, get dressed, and head for home. About ten minutes later, the get gas light comes on. Bear in mind I haven't had this so long that I know how far it will go with that little light on, and I have this feeling tonight ain't the night to risk it - so I get off the highway to a gas station, fill it back up, and start it again. Or try - the damn thing just clicks at me and won't turn....
Push it out of the way, set the sidestand, and call the motor club for a hotshot. They say in 35 minutes - the guy actually shows in 20, and I'm so happy, I get on the bike to set the center stand, and promptly fall over on the left side. Allstate Guy helps me pick it up and get it on the center stand, and it starts right up - with a hotshot box. I start heading home the rest of the way, secure in the knowledge that I have enough gas. The rest of the trip is a dream. I really do love the Guzzi.
So I get home, ride up into the carport and set up to park next to the big Suzuki - and promptly fall over onto the other side from the side I fell over onto when the Allstate guy come. While I'm laying there on the ground, my cell phone rings - it is my lovely wife, wondering if I am home yet. She detects that I am not really thrilled and asks me what has happened. I tell her I just dropped the damned motorcycle and can't pick it up and probably mumble some profanities just to spice it up.
She offers to call someone to help me pick it up, and I thank her and then hang up so maybe I can breathe again and get my BP under control.
Damon shows up and helps me (actually does most of the work) pick it up, and I scurry around and set the sidestand. Then Phyllis shows up, and I decide to move the bike to where it should be parked, so I pop the sidestand up and start it - or at least try to start it. It won't start. By this time, I am beyond pissed! I push it into place and resolve to get a replacement battery - and drive the Volvo tomorrow, on what will be a wonderful motorycle day. The rest of the week, of course, after I have a chance to get a battery, will be rain - including the Saturday that I had planned to go on a ride with the club.
See what I mean about imperfect Tuesdays?
I came inside, got something to eat, and fired up the Toshiba laptop intending to read email and go to bed. Instead I wrote this.
Tomorrow will be better.
Tomorrow will be better.
Tomorrow will dammit be better!
I think it is time to get some sleep, and hope I don't hurt in the morning.
I surely hope that this isn't a Sign that I am supposed to get a toy with more wheels....
G'night, y'all.
Monday, October 7, 2013
Monday Again....
It is Monday again. It seems like it was Monday just yesterday (or maybe it only felt like a Monday.)
I know yesterday was Sunday, but for me it was a profoundly stupid day. As I get older I seem to have more of these days. Yesterday I came to work, secure in the knowledge I had offered to cover an uncovered 3-11 shift Sunday and Monday. Well, I was part right - about the Saturday and Sunday part, but picked the wrong Sunday to start - it is next weekend that it starts. So, since I was already here I made a few programming changes that I had had on my to-do list for a while, then went home and proceded to arrange for my wife of 45 years to misunderstand something that I thought I had said.
Communication is something magical when it works. However, when it does not work, it leads to misunderstandings and cases of the grumps. Happily it no longer leads to a week or more of the deadly quiet times.
When I got back home, I had intended to go motorcycling, but did not do so, Instead, I sat down to start writing this entry (which never even got to opening the app as I got distracted by something else....) and we talked briefly about something we had kinda planned for the evening and agreed (I thought) to pass it and go to dinner somewhere else later. That's what I heard, anyhow.My wife heard something else, and when she reappeared, she had decided I probably wasn't going to get hungry and so she was going over to church to work a bit and would get something to eat on the way. I of course was flummoxed, but I seem to spend a lot of time in that state. Somehow later on in the evening we discovered each what the other had meant (and had heard) and learned something we have learned times without number - our assumptions about what is meant by what is unsaid usually are dead wrong.
So off she want, a little bit irritated, and I decided to go for a motorcycle ride....
By the way, if you follow you know that I have supplanted Big Suzi with a Moto Guzzi (as yet unnamed) that is a couple hundred pounds lighter (at Phyllis's suggestion) (so maybe next time I drop a motorcycle it won't break my leg on the way down) and much easier to ride than Big Suzi, which is heavy, ponderous, comfortable, and a gas to ride except when I find it laying on my legs.
Anyhow, the Moto Guzzi (a V11 EV from 1999) looks like this:
except instead of a windshield it has a small fairing. It is labeled a cruiser, but it handles like a sport bike, and is a blast to ride. There are some quirks about it that are similar to some BMW quirks, but that's OK - I already know about them, and it is thoroughly happy once the quirks are noted.
It is also vastly cheaper to feed than Big Suzi, although it does demand high-test gasoline, and is fuel-injected, which makes it a great deal nicer to manage when things are not all warmed up. The long and short of it is that I love the thing, and wish I had found it sooner. I've always been fond of the Moto Guzzi, and the folks I have known that have had them swear by them.
One thing I didn't know is that Moto Guzzi is the second oldest manufacturer of motorcycles in the world, having produced motorcycles of varying sized and descriptions since 1921. The current design involves a V-twin (what's new) but it is a 90 degree V, which is far better balanced than the other 'normal' V-twin angles, and is mounted tranverse in the frame, using a shaft drive to the rear wheel. - nice and clean and stone-reliable. The engine design itself is probably 40+ years old, but has had detail improvements throughout the years, and has appeared in sizes from 350cc to 1500cc - and typically will run 100,000 miles if you change the oil as it requires. I like things that don't require fiddling (one of the reasons for my love of Japanese motorcycles - they just work, kinda like a kitchen sink or something) and the Moto Guzzi is atypical among Italian machines in that it is appliance-like (at least in the touring models.)
Probably enough about motorcycles....
Today's political circus reminds me of a story about a small southern town with two churches. The town was so small that it could not adequately support one church, so strangers who passed through were often spurred to ask "Why in this tiny place are there two churches? Would you not be better served if they would consolidate?" to which a handy native will always reply "They disagree on something fundamental - this church says ' there ain't no hell' and t'other says 'the hell there ain't!'"
It would appear, if you listen to the President, Harry Reid or John Boehner individually (before they get excited) as if all are the souls of reason and the other(s) is(are) one way sonsofbitches.
I guess it all depends on your worldview.
I do think closing open air parks that do not have a guard staff and are intended to be available 24/7 is pety and vindictive. I also think WW-II vets ought not to be messed with - all of us who were born afterwards owe them a debt, and as a veteran myself (of a far less interesting period in history) I have an understanding of the commitment involved in military service - something not well understood in todays "I've got mine, Jack" social environment.
ACA is something that I just don't believe in, the president having assured all of us about a number of things proving not to be true, leaving me wondering what else we haven't yet discovered that is also not true. My personal physicians are being required to ask questions that have nothing to do with my treatment, and are having to complete revamp the way they do business to accommodate the demand for more and more information to be shared that used to be sacrosanct. Questions like "Are there guns in your house" are none of anyone's business but mine unless and until I do something proscribed with one of them - and I refuse to give the government information to keep in a database that would let them render me helpless in the guise of making everyone else safer, which we all know, by looking at (among others) England and Australia is not the outcome. For further proof, we might consider looking at Switzerland.
Being required to report depression (and probably ADHD or anything else that would involve psychotropic but not anti-psychotic medications) is also a bit much. I work around cops - and if they had to turn in their guns for either depression or ADHD we'd be down to half strength or less in no time at all.
On other fronts, I'm headed for Sin City (also known as Lost Wages) for the first time in more than 40 years - the child of one of my cousins is getting married there, and I am representing the Reisterstown Rudolphs as Phyllis is unable to get free from her duties for that weekend. It should be an interesting time. I thought about renting a motorcycle instead of a car, but then thought maybe a car would be smarter. I have heard that Blue Man Group is in town there - maybe I can score some tickets for that. Coming home on a redeye Monday Night onto Tuesday Morning - saved almost $100 that way. Airline fares are a flaming nightmare!
Not much else to report - there's a major family change coming, but I am sworn to secrecy, so I'll talk about it after it happens.
Have a great day, y'all - the weather here is sucky, but it is outside - and I am inside, so it is all good!
I know yesterday was Sunday, but for me it was a profoundly stupid day. As I get older I seem to have more of these days. Yesterday I came to work, secure in the knowledge I had offered to cover an uncovered 3-11 shift Sunday and Monday. Well, I was part right - about the Saturday and Sunday part, but picked the wrong Sunday to start - it is next weekend that it starts. So, since I was already here I made a few programming changes that I had had on my to-do list for a while, then went home and proceded to arrange for my wife of 45 years to misunderstand something that I thought I had said.
Communication is something magical when it works. However, when it does not work, it leads to misunderstandings and cases of the grumps. Happily it no longer leads to a week or more of the deadly quiet times.
When I got back home, I had intended to go motorcycling, but did not do so, Instead, I sat down to start writing this entry (which never even got to opening the app as I got distracted by something else....) and we talked briefly about something we had kinda planned for the evening and agreed (I thought) to pass it and go to dinner somewhere else later. That's what I heard, anyhow.My wife heard something else, and when she reappeared, she had decided I probably wasn't going to get hungry and so she was going over to church to work a bit and would get something to eat on the way. I of course was flummoxed, but I seem to spend a lot of time in that state. Somehow later on in the evening we discovered each what the other had meant (and had heard) and learned something we have learned times without number - our assumptions about what is meant by what is unsaid usually are dead wrong.
So off she want, a little bit irritated, and I decided to go for a motorcycle ride....
By the way, if you follow you know that I have supplanted Big Suzi with a Moto Guzzi (as yet unnamed) that is a couple hundred pounds lighter (at Phyllis's suggestion) (so maybe next time I drop a motorcycle it won't break my leg on the way down) and much easier to ride than Big Suzi, which is heavy, ponderous, comfortable, and a gas to ride except when I find it laying on my legs.
Anyhow, the Moto Guzzi (a V11 EV from 1999) looks like this:
except instead of a windshield it has a small fairing. It is labeled a cruiser, but it handles like a sport bike, and is a blast to ride. There are some quirks about it that are similar to some BMW quirks, but that's OK - I already know about them, and it is thoroughly happy once the quirks are noted.
It is also vastly cheaper to feed than Big Suzi, although it does demand high-test gasoline, and is fuel-injected, which makes it a great deal nicer to manage when things are not all warmed up. The long and short of it is that I love the thing, and wish I had found it sooner. I've always been fond of the Moto Guzzi, and the folks I have known that have had them swear by them.
One thing I didn't know is that Moto Guzzi is the second oldest manufacturer of motorcycles in the world, having produced motorcycles of varying sized and descriptions since 1921. The current design involves a V-twin (what's new) but it is a 90 degree V, which is far better balanced than the other 'normal' V-twin angles, and is mounted tranverse in the frame, using a shaft drive to the rear wheel. - nice and clean and stone-reliable. The engine design itself is probably 40+ years old, but has had detail improvements throughout the years, and has appeared in sizes from 350cc to 1500cc - and typically will run 100,000 miles if you change the oil as it requires. I like things that don't require fiddling (one of the reasons for my love of Japanese motorcycles - they just work, kinda like a kitchen sink or something) and the Moto Guzzi is atypical among Italian machines in that it is appliance-like (at least in the touring models.)
Probably enough about motorcycles....
Today's political circus reminds me of a story about a small southern town with two churches. The town was so small that it could not adequately support one church, so strangers who passed through were often spurred to ask "Why in this tiny place are there two churches? Would you not be better served if they would consolidate?" to which a handy native will always reply "They disagree on something fundamental - this church says ' there ain't no hell' and t'other says 'the hell there ain't!'"
It would appear, if you listen to the President, Harry Reid or John Boehner individually (before they get excited) as if all are the souls of reason and the other(s) is(are) one way sonsofbitches.
I guess it all depends on your worldview.
I do think closing open air parks that do not have a guard staff and are intended to be available 24/7 is pety and vindictive. I also think WW-II vets ought not to be messed with - all of us who were born afterwards owe them a debt, and as a veteran myself (of a far less interesting period in history) I have an understanding of the commitment involved in military service - something not well understood in todays "I've got mine, Jack" social environment.
ACA is something that I just don't believe in, the president having assured all of us about a number of things proving not to be true, leaving me wondering what else we haven't yet discovered that is also not true. My personal physicians are being required to ask questions that have nothing to do with my treatment, and are having to complete revamp the way they do business to accommodate the demand for more and more information to be shared that used to be sacrosanct. Questions like "Are there guns in your house" are none of anyone's business but mine unless and until I do something proscribed with one of them - and I refuse to give the government information to keep in a database that would let them render me helpless in the guise of making everyone else safer, which we all know, by looking at (among others) England and Australia is not the outcome. For further proof, we might consider looking at Switzerland.
Being required to report depression (and probably ADHD or anything else that would involve psychotropic but not anti-psychotic medications) is also a bit much. I work around cops - and if they had to turn in their guns for either depression or ADHD we'd be down to half strength or less in no time at all.
On other fronts, I'm headed for Sin City (also known as Lost Wages) for the first time in more than 40 years - the child of one of my cousins is getting married there, and I am representing the Reisterstown Rudolphs as Phyllis is unable to get free from her duties for that weekend. It should be an interesting time. I thought about renting a motorcycle instead of a car, but then thought maybe a car would be smarter. I have heard that Blue Man Group is in town there - maybe I can score some tickets for that. Coming home on a redeye Monday Night onto Tuesday Morning - saved almost $100 that way. Airline fares are a flaming nightmare!
Not much else to report - there's a major family change coming, but I am sworn to secrecy, so I'll talk about it after it happens.
Have a great day, y'all - the weather here is sucky, but it is outside - and I am inside, so it is all good!
Thursday, October 3, 2013
New Things
It is Thursday and while all is not right in the world, all is pretty OK by me.
I had a really good time at the Stammtisch meeting on Monday - maybe I already talked about that.
Tuesday, the Moto Guzzi motorcycle I got via eBay arrived at home via uShip just as it should have, on time and in good condition. The culmination of a week of waiting and wondering, but as of today, it is all good.
It took a lot of Wednesday to get the inspection, insurance, tags and request for new title accomplished and it wasn't cheap - but when Wednesday was over, there were tags on the motorcycle, I had ridden it enough to know I was going to like it, and I even rode it to a pretty good choir rehearsal, after which I came home and died. Apparently I moved around more on Wednesday taking care of Bike Things than I usually do and wore myself out. It is becoming apparent that the healing from the broken leg and perforated ulcer is not anywhere near complete. I had allowed half a day to get that all done, and it took almost the whole day, but now it is done.
Bu now everyone knows that, between Congress and the President are doing their best to make their little pissing contest affect everyone. I can't believe that they would close a park that is open space and needs no guards, but apparently everyone is going to get hammered while congress and the president come to grips with the fact that they won't always get what they want.
Meanwhile, a judge n Maryland used a specious circumstance to get petulant with folks that are concerned about the gradual dilution of the Second Amendment, and denied a request for an unreasonable reason, thus falling in like with King-wannabe Marty.
I suspect that most folks who wander by here know what I think about guns, gun control, and folks who would tell me what I need, and why I should bow to their imagined possibilities of this'n'that - and probably also know that I don't have a whole lot of patience with those who harbor an irrational fear of an object that without a human to operate it mostly just stays where it is put. If anyone doesn't know, I would suggest starting with the essay(s) found here: http://lneilsmith.org/
I do own a motorcycle or two, a gun or two, a television or two, a computer or two and an automobile or two. It is my opinion that just how many of each of these items I own is between myself and my wife and should be of profound indifference to anyone else.
Likewise if someone should ask why I need more than one gun I shall point out that if I were in charge of what folks need, well, nobody would have more than 1 car, 1 television, 1 house - you get the idea. If it gets as far as my daughter's shoes, well, I'll have to move to a new universe to get out of the way of invective that will surely be coming my way.
I did not intend this to turn into a polemic, but it looks like it might. Those easily offended would be well advised to go and watch The Price is Right or some similar twaddle on the TeeVee.
Speaking of TeeVee, Amazon had a hell of a sale a while back on TV Series, and I picked up Firefly, which has to be about the best show aside from maybe Roswell, NCIS, Eureka and the early Law & Order. One of the few benefits of having a broken leg is that folks will leave you alone about parking yr arse in front of the TeeVee and watching all the episodes of a show in one sitting. Firefly is just great!
I just heard someone tried to drive a car through the white house gate - wonder what that was about, and how that person missed knowing that there were no tours....
Someone's looking for me, so I really need to go and do something useful. Y'all come back, y'hear?
I had a really good time at the Stammtisch meeting on Monday - maybe I already talked about that.
Tuesday, the Moto Guzzi motorcycle I got via eBay arrived at home via uShip just as it should have, on time and in good condition. The culmination of a week of waiting and wondering, but as of today, it is all good.
It took a lot of Wednesday to get the inspection, insurance, tags and request for new title accomplished and it wasn't cheap - but when Wednesday was over, there were tags on the motorcycle, I had ridden it enough to know I was going to like it, and I even rode it to a pretty good choir rehearsal, after which I came home and died. Apparently I moved around more on Wednesday taking care of Bike Things than I usually do and wore myself out. It is becoming apparent that the healing from the broken leg and perforated ulcer is not anywhere near complete. I had allowed half a day to get that all done, and it took almost the whole day, but now it is done.
Bu now everyone knows that, between Congress and the President are doing their best to make their little pissing contest affect everyone. I can't believe that they would close a park that is open space and needs no guards, but apparently everyone is going to get hammered while congress and the president come to grips with the fact that they won't always get what they want.
Meanwhile, a judge n Maryland used a specious circumstance to get petulant with folks that are concerned about the gradual dilution of the Second Amendment, and denied a request for an unreasonable reason, thus falling in like with King-wannabe Marty.
I suspect that most folks who wander by here know what I think about guns, gun control, and folks who would tell me what I need, and why I should bow to their imagined possibilities of this'n'that - and probably also know that I don't have a whole lot of patience with those who harbor an irrational fear of an object that without a human to operate it mostly just stays where it is put. If anyone doesn't know, I would suggest starting with the essay(s) found here: http://lneilsmith.org/
I do own a motorcycle or two, a gun or two, a television or two, a computer or two and an automobile or two. It is my opinion that just how many of each of these items I own is between myself and my wife and should be of profound indifference to anyone else.
Likewise if someone should ask why I need more than one gun I shall point out that if I were in charge of what folks need, well, nobody would have more than 1 car, 1 television, 1 house - you get the idea. If it gets as far as my daughter's shoes, well, I'll have to move to a new universe to get out of the way of invective that will surely be coming my way.
I did not intend this to turn into a polemic, but it looks like it might. Those easily offended would be well advised to go and watch The Price is Right or some similar twaddle on the TeeVee.
Speaking of TeeVee, Amazon had a hell of a sale a while back on TV Series, and I picked up Firefly, which has to be about the best show aside from maybe Roswell, NCIS, Eureka and the early Law & Order. One of the few benefits of having a broken leg is that folks will leave you alone about parking yr arse in front of the TeeVee and watching all the episodes of a show in one sitting. Firefly is just great!
I just heard someone tried to drive a car through the white house gate - wonder what that was about, and how that person missed knowing that there were no tours....
Someone's looking for me, so I really need to go and do something useful. Y'all come back, y'hear?
Friday, September 27, 2013
TGIF Day
It has been an interesting day.
I got my beloved Volvo back after a radiator transplant - and it didn't cost (quite) a kilobuck. It is one miserable job, what with all the shrouding, the air-to-air intercooler for the turbo, the air conditioning plumbing and (for all I know) the miniature septic tank which must be removed before the radiator can be seen, let alone removed. And, of course, because of aluminum in various things, normal coolant can't be used, it must be a special blend.
I'm really glad I don't do this stuff any more - it would have taken me a couple of days, busted fingers, and all kinds of other marks, bruises and cuts and it would not have been done as well. Of course, I would have had to go parts-hustling instead of picking up a phone. It's good to have folks you know that do these things....
I ended up winning the bid on that Moto Guzzi V-11E I had been looking at, and spent this morning securing shipping for it. It will be delivered to me at home on Tuesday Evening of next week - good timing,for all of me. I got a shipper through uShip (see shipping wars on TeeVee) and found the process interesting, and the way it integrates with eBay and eBay's PayPal really fascinating. It took only a couple of hours to secure a deal that I thought was worth the cost, would happen as soon as I could get it (new toys, don't you know....) and at times that were good both for me and the previous owner of the bike.
The way eBay and uShip work online is interesting - the software is pretty intuitive, the explains are good, and the phone help is really great. I was able to establish an account, communicate with several shippers (some of whom have a really significant history with uShip) come to a point where I had everything that suited me, and then stop dealing with it because all I have to do is receive the bike Tuesday evening, and then tell uShip to pay the guy - and he'll get his money from my PayPal account! This all happens seamlessly through the magic of theInterNet.
Other than that, I got to redo some work with some data a consultant is using and in the process of filtering the output found a couple of better ways to do what was needed and get a little more detail, so it was a productive and happy day for me. I will have to leave something running and check in when I get home, but it should be done before the end of the evening, so I can check in remote, see the results and if they are as good as I think they should be and if they are, package them up and send them on so the guy will have stuff to work with when he starts on Monday.
I think I've had enough fun. I have added back my ADD meds and while they are working well to keep me focused, I tend not to notice that I should eat for too long, so I have to work on that again and get it intothe routine.
I have been having fun with the Google calendar, and wonder just how long it will take to convince my wife to use it....
I've had enough fun - I should have left work more than an hour ago, so I am going now.
Have fun, y'all.
I got my beloved Volvo back after a radiator transplant - and it didn't cost (quite) a kilobuck. It is one miserable job, what with all the shrouding, the air-to-air intercooler for the turbo, the air conditioning plumbing and (for all I know) the miniature septic tank which must be removed before the radiator can be seen, let alone removed. And, of course, because of aluminum in various things, normal coolant can't be used, it must be a special blend.
I'm really glad I don't do this stuff any more - it would have taken me a couple of days, busted fingers, and all kinds of other marks, bruises and cuts and it would not have been done as well. Of course, I would have had to go parts-hustling instead of picking up a phone. It's good to have folks you know that do these things....
I ended up winning the bid on that Moto Guzzi V-11E I had been looking at, and spent this morning securing shipping for it. It will be delivered to me at home on Tuesday Evening of next week - good timing,for all of me. I got a shipper through uShip (see shipping wars on TeeVee) and found the process interesting, and the way it integrates with eBay and eBay's PayPal really fascinating. It took only a couple of hours to secure a deal that I thought was worth the cost, would happen as soon as I could get it (new toys, don't you know....) and at times that were good both for me and the previous owner of the bike.
The way eBay and uShip work online is interesting - the software is pretty intuitive, the explains are good, and the phone help is really great. I was able to establish an account, communicate with several shippers (some of whom have a really significant history with uShip) come to a point where I had everything that suited me, and then stop dealing with it because all I have to do is receive the bike Tuesday evening, and then tell uShip to pay the guy - and he'll get his money from my PayPal account! This all happens seamlessly through the magic of theInterNet.
Other than that, I got to redo some work with some data a consultant is using and in the process of filtering the output found a couple of better ways to do what was needed and get a little more detail, so it was a productive and happy day for me. I will have to leave something running and check in when I get home, but it should be done before the end of the evening, so I can check in remote, see the results and if they are as good as I think they should be and if they are, package them up and send them on so the guy will have stuff to work with when he starts on Monday.
I think I've had enough fun. I have added back my ADD meds and while they are working well to keep me focused, I tend not to notice that I should eat for too long, so I have to work on that again and get it intothe routine.
I have been having fun with the Google calendar, and wonder just how long it will take to convince my wife to use it....
I've had enough fun - I should have left work more than an hour ago, so I am going now.
Have fun, y'all.
Thursday, September 26, 2013
Thursday at the Salt Mines....
Today is pretty much like any other day - you know, wake up, get up, make coffee, take coffee to wife, get breakfast, get newspaper, get in car and go to work, stop at 7-11 in Hampden for Washington Times and morning coffee - a pretty typical morning, and apparently a better morning than yesterday was.
Yesterday, I left my old Volvo at the shop for a radiator. It has been loosing coolant, not a lot at a time, but Volvos have an annunciator panel that Tells You Things - and one of the more disconcerting messages will occasionally appear right after the engine is started. The message says, 'COOLANT LOW - STOP ENGINE' which is a little disturbing. It tends to make you think that the the next message will be something like 'ENGINE BROKEN - SHOULD HAVE SHUT IT OFF!' or something similarly expensive.
At any rate, I stopped in where I have things done to the cars one morning and asked them to check it before I drove to work. They took it back, and heated it up, then pressurized it, then took off some shrouds, then did some other stuff, and after an hour or so found a drip leak in the radiator itself - and suggested replacement. I went into the shop and looked, and it was not a fast leak, just a drop at a time, so it would not even leave a mark where it was parked - but knowing that Murphy lives here, I decided to get it replaced.
They checked the price and called me a few days later. I choked for a bit, but decided it was better to have it done than for it to leave me in snow or something, so I arranged to take it in yesterday morning. When I arrived they had a loaner car for me, and I left it and went to work.
In my Volvo, the headlights are tied to the ignition switch - they go off with the engine. I learned last night when I went to get the car to go home that the loaner didn't work that way - and I had left the lights on. You don't really need to know what I said to myself about this discovery, but it wasn't nice. I did have the good fortune, however, that there was still someone in the motor pool who would bring me a hotshot box, and I got the car going and headed home. Wednesday evening is choir rehearsal and I don't like to be late, because I live with the choir director, so I skipped a minimal dinner and went straight to rehearsal, then headed home, famished, and stayed up too late cleaning off the DVR.
This morning I stopped by the place, and my car isn't ready. Maybe tomorrow morning and oh, by the way, we didn't get any surprises when we got into it, but the job is labor-intensive - the book allows 7 hours so figure on spending just north of a kilobuck.
I'm old enough to remember when it seemed like everything cost $100 - and have lived long enough that that number has increased to $1000. I make more damn money than I have ever seen before in my life - but I don't see as much as we seemed to have when we were newlyweds. Something is wrong with that right there.
The day yesterday finished with my buying another motorcycle - a 1999 Moto Guzzi V-11 EV. I had about decided that someone else could bid higher and my bid wouldn't change, and I'd lose it - only nobody was bidding so I got it. Now I gotta figure out how to get it here.... It only has just under 19,000 miles on it - a truly trivial amount for a big V-twin from Italy. I have known a bunch of Guzzi riders, and they all loved their bikes, so the worst that can happen is I'll end up selling it. Now I have to get it registered and insured and get busy selling Big Suzi because I have this feeling that my wife will surely point out before long that I can ride only one at a time....
But this will be interesting - I have never owned a Moto Guzzi before....
I'm not going to talk about Our Governor and his current pissin' contest with Our Mayor - He created the problem when he was mayor, but as with all things involving large bodies, it didn't catch up with him - it fell on the next incumbent. Marty thinks he can run anything, and does quite a job of insinuating his personal toadies into any organization subordinate that he thinks he can run better (or will bring him glory.)
I shouldn't be unkind about our governor - but I am not being unkind, merely dispassionate and truthful.
Looks like the Guzzi will be showing up next Thursday evening. Or maybe earlier (that would be cool!) It is coming via uShip (ever watch Shipping Wars?) and I'll have to decide by tomorrow which of the bidders gets the business.
I've been here at work watching something run most of the day. Some of the work I am doing for a particular consultant involves hue amounts of data, and there's just no way to make an elderly PC breathe fire (at least not without using a BIG torch!) This iteration (hopefully the last) has been running for te last hour and 40 minutes and looks like it will probably run another 5 to 6 hours. Happily I don't have to stay and watch it - it can do this all on its own, and I'll look at it from home late on into the night.
It i a beautiful day outside. If I had anything resembling an excuse, I'd bail out and go home and start up Big Suzi and go for a ride - but, alas, I don't have the excuse, so I guess I will stay here and work a bit.
Just heard from the guys that have my Volvo - I can have it tonight or tomorrow morning - and it didn't cost quite the kilobuck that we expected - came in at about 2% under that. Will wonders never cease?
I have no further rants for today - maybe tomorrow, we shall see.
Be well, y'all.
Yesterday, I left my old Volvo at the shop for a radiator. It has been loosing coolant, not a lot at a time, but Volvos have an annunciator panel that Tells You Things - and one of the more disconcerting messages will occasionally appear right after the engine is started. The message says, 'COOLANT LOW - STOP ENGINE' which is a little disturbing. It tends to make you think that the the next message will be something like 'ENGINE BROKEN - SHOULD HAVE SHUT IT OFF!' or something similarly expensive.
At any rate, I stopped in where I have things done to the cars one morning and asked them to check it before I drove to work. They took it back, and heated it up, then pressurized it, then took off some shrouds, then did some other stuff, and after an hour or so found a drip leak in the radiator itself - and suggested replacement. I went into the shop and looked, and it was not a fast leak, just a drop at a time, so it would not even leave a mark where it was parked - but knowing that Murphy lives here, I decided to get it replaced.
They checked the price and called me a few days later. I choked for a bit, but decided it was better to have it done than for it to leave me in snow or something, so I arranged to take it in yesterday morning. When I arrived they had a loaner car for me, and I left it and went to work.
In my Volvo, the headlights are tied to the ignition switch - they go off with the engine. I learned last night when I went to get the car to go home that the loaner didn't work that way - and I had left the lights on. You don't really need to know what I said to myself about this discovery, but it wasn't nice. I did have the good fortune, however, that there was still someone in the motor pool who would bring me a hotshot box, and I got the car going and headed home. Wednesday evening is choir rehearsal and I don't like to be late, because I live with the choir director, so I skipped a minimal dinner and went straight to rehearsal, then headed home, famished, and stayed up too late cleaning off the DVR.
This morning I stopped by the place, and my car isn't ready. Maybe tomorrow morning and oh, by the way, we didn't get any surprises when we got into it, but the job is labor-intensive - the book allows 7 hours so figure on spending just north of a kilobuck.
I'm old enough to remember when it seemed like everything cost $100 - and have lived long enough that that number has increased to $1000. I make more damn money than I have ever seen before in my life - but I don't see as much as we seemed to have when we were newlyweds. Something is wrong with that right there.
The day yesterday finished with my buying another motorcycle - a 1999 Moto Guzzi V-11 EV. I had about decided that someone else could bid higher and my bid wouldn't change, and I'd lose it - only nobody was bidding so I got it. Now I gotta figure out how to get it here.... It only has just under 19,000 miles on it - a truly trivial amount for a big V-twin from Italy. I have known a bunch of Guzzi riders, and they all loved their bikes, so the worst that can happen is I'll end up selling it. Now I have to get it registered and insured and get busy selling Big Suzi because I have this feeling that my wife will surely point out before long that I can ride only one at a time....
But this will be interesting - I have never owned a Moto Guzzi before....
I'm not going to talk about Our Governor and his current pissin' contest with Our Mayor - He created the problem when he was mayor, but as with all things involving large bodies, it didn't catch up with him - it fell on the next incumbent. Marty thinks he can run anything, and does quite a job of insinuating his personal toadies into any organization subordinate that he thinks he can run better (or will bring him glory.)
I shouldn't be unkind about our governor - but I am not being unkind, merely dispassionate and truthful.
Looks like the Guzzi will be showing up next Thursday evening. Or maybe earlier (that would be cool!) It is coming via uShip (ever watch Shipping Wars?) and I'll have to decide by tomorrow which of the bidders gets the business.
I've been here at work watching something run most of the day. Some of the work I am doing for a particular consultant involves hue amounts of data, and there's just no way to make an elderly PC breathe fire (at least not without using a BIG torch!) This iteration (hopefully the last) has been running for te last hour and 40 minutes and looks like it will probably run another 5 to 6 hours. Happily I don't have to stay and watch it - it can do this all on its own, and I'll look at it from home late on into the night.
It i a beautiful day outside. If I had anything resembling an excuse, I'd bail out and go home and start up Big Suzi and go for a ride - but, alas, I don't have the excuse, so I guess I will stay here and work a bit.
Just heard from the guys that have my Volvo - I can have it tonight or tomorrow morning - and it didn't cost quite the kilobuck that we expected - came in at about 2% under that. Will wonders never cease?
I have no further rants for today - maybe tomorrow, we shall see.
Be well, y'all.
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Tuesday mutterings....
It is almost Wednesday - just another four minutes or so and it will be.
I lost out on a BMW motorcycle I wanted, but heard from the seller - he thinks the buyer is hinky and wants me to consider the purchase if the winner falls out. Meanwhile, I bid on a Moto Guzzi that looks pretty nice.
If Murphy is alive and well (and awake) I could end up with two motorcycles (in addition to Big Suzi) instead of just one. Maybe it won't happen - if it does I am certain to lose points with my lovely wofe, who thinks I should be doing this next spring.
I started out looking at sidecar rigs, but didn't see anything (for under about $14,000 for something at least 14 years old) that I really wanted. Sidecars are odd beasts, and can be really dangerous - but a properly rigged sidecar is a joy to push around, and really scary fun to watch. If you've never seen sidecar racing, you're in for a real treat, since sidecars are raced by a driver and a passenger - and it is the passenger (he's called a monkey, and if you ever watch a race you'll understand why) who moves around to place his weight where it will keep the sidecar wheel on the ground - and this sometimes means hanging out in the air over the sidecar wheel with his arse around 4 inches off the ground!
I guess I am probably a little long in the tooth for that sort of excitement on any but a voyeuristic basis - but it really is cool to watch.
My lovely wife thinks I need a lighter motorcycle - Big Suzi at over 800 pounds really hurts when she lays down on my leg. I am happy that it was not suggested that I either add wheels or learn to love my car - a motorcycle a couple hundred pounds lighter would be a bit more nimble - and BMW twins are lighter by at least 200 pounds, and I have always liked them. The Guzzi I bid on was more a lark than anything else - I like them, and unlike other Italian motorcycles they seem to be devoid of anything resembling temperament. A V-twin sitting crosswise is strange enough but it seems to work really well - and a 90 degree V-twin has perfect balance so it is not inclined to shake at all. All in all, I think the Guzzi might be a lot of fun - if I can get it without having too many motorcycles.
On another topic, I managed to piss myself off this evening. I have had a DVR around here that I have been paying for that has not been used. Well one DVR got flaky so I resolved to replace it with this other one that I have never used. In the process I discovered that the sound was out on the TeeVee that had been on the unit downstairs, and I thought it was the DVR. I was wrong - it appears to be in the set itself. I think what I will do is grab a speaker set off the downstairs PC that isn't being used and see if I can convince the DVR to drive it so I won't have to replace the TeeVee right now.
Work this week has been interesting, and I just got another set of data to produce for a special project that has kinda been back-burnered for a time - but it will be fun, and I should be able to finish it early.
Tomorrow, I have to give my beloved Volvo up for a couple of days - it needs a radiator - not urgently, it's just a drip, but that Murphy bastard seems to have settled in Reisterstown, so I figured that it would be best not to wait for the leak to become a gusher. By Friday I know I'm gonna be more than a kilobuck lighter, but with vehicles you might just as well do it right the first time - 'cause if you don't the aggregate of do-overs will cost a hell of a lot more! Don't even ask how I know this....
Soon I have to go to bed - after I seal up the package that has to go into the car to be given to the Post Office or UPS to send back to Verizon some stiff I no longer need to have here - one cranky DVR and two set top boxes for Standard Definition Teevee, which I no longer allow in my house.
So I'm going to sleep. Tomorrow is gonna be a really good day!
I lost out on a BMW motorcycle I wanted, but heard from the seller - he thinks the buyer is hinky and wants me to consider the purchase if the winner falls out. Meanwhile, I bid on a Moto Guzzi that looks pretty nice.
If Murphy is alive and well (and awake) I could end up with two motorcycles (in addition to Big Suzi) instead of just one. Maybe it won't happen - if it does I am certain to lose points with my lovely wofe, who thinks I should be doing this next spring.
I started out looking at sidecar rigs, but didn't see anything (for under about $14,000 for something at least 14 years old) that I really wanted. Sidecars are odd beasts, and can be really dangerous - but a properly rigged sidecar is a joy to push around, and really scary fun to watch. If you've never seen sidecar racing, you're in for a real treat, since sidecars are raced by a driver and a passenger - and it is the passenger (he's called a monkey, and if you ever watch a race you'll understand why) who moves around to place his weight where it will keep the sidecar wheel on the ground - and this sometimes means hanging out in the air over the sidecar wheel with his arse around 4 inches off the ground!
I guess I am probably a little long in the tooth for that sort of excitement on any but a voyeuristic basis - but it really is cool to watch.
My lovely wife thinks I need a lighter motorcycle - Big Suzi at over 800 pounds really hurts when she lays down on my leg. I am happy that it was not suggested that I either add wheels or learn to love my car - a motorcycle a couple hundred pounds lighter would be a bit more nimble - and BMW twins are lighter by at least 200 pounds, and I have always liked them. The Guzzi I bid on was more a lark than anything else - I like them, and unlike other Italian motorcycles they seem to be devoid of anything resembling temperament. A V-twin sitting crosswise is strange enough but it seems to work really well - and a 90 degree V-twin has perfect balance so it is not inclined to shake at all. All in all, I think the Guzzi might be a lot of fun - if I can get it without having too many motorcycles.
On another topic, I managed to piss myself off this evening. I have had a DVR around here that I have been paying for that has not been used. Well one DVR got flaky so I resolved to replace it with this other one that I have never used. In the process I discovered that the sound was out on the TeeVee that had been on the unit downstairs, and I thought it was the DVR. I was wrong - it appears to be in the set itself. I think what I will do is grab a speaker set off the downstairs PC that isn't being used and see if I can convince the DVR to drive it so I won't have to replace the TeeVee right now.
Work this week has been interesting, and I just got another set of data to produce for a special project that has kinda been back-burnered for a time - but it will be fun, and I should be able to finish it early.
Tomorrow, I have to give my beloved Volvo up for a couple of days - it needs a radiator - not urgently, it's just a drip, but that Murphy bastard seems to have settled in Reisterstown, so I figured that it would be best not to wait for the leak to become a gusher. By Friday I know I'm gonna be more than a kilobuck lighter, but with vehicles you might just as well do it right the first time - 'cause if you don't the aggregate of do-overs will cost a hell of a lot more! Don't even ask how I know this....
Soon I have to go to bed - after I seal up the package that has to go into the car to be given to the Post Office or UPS to send back to Verizon some stiff I no longer need to have here - one cranky DVR and two set top boxes for Standard Definition Teevee, which I no longer allow in my house.
So I'm going to sleep. Tomorrow is gonna be a really good day!
Thursday, September 19, 2013
Thursday Morning
It's a lot like almost any other morning. I woke up 15 minutes before the alarm woke me up, did the morning things, and drove to work (where I am right now.) On the way to work I thought a bit about yesterday. It was a good day as days go - I got away from work a little late, but got to choir rehearsal on time.
It's nice to be back to choir - I missed it during my period of enforced idleness. I know I'm feeling beter because I feel like doing some solo work again. I still don't do steps well, or long walks, but things are improving, slowly but surely.
Also, I started the motorcycle last night to ride it to choir rehearsal - and this weekend the Ramblers are having an Open House at the clubhouse, which I plan to attend and probably hang out for most of the day. Should be interesting to see who shows up and if we can harvest a few new members. I cannot usually get to meetings during the school year - a conflict between choir rehearsal and motorcycle club meetings will usually be won by choir, particularly because I sleep with the choir director, and she has Certain Expectations. I guess I should note that I've been married to the very same choir director for nearly 46 years, so it is all good - no secrets here.
I'm still shopping for motorcycles. I missed a very nice Honda PC-800 Pacific Coast, and am still looking at BMW R and K models, as well as the odd Honda ST model and the Moto Guzzi's that are around. I need to have some work done on Big Suzi, but it will probably wait a couple more weeks.... Never enough time, and too much to get done.
The Big Server is eating yet another 4 TB hard drive - that is a total of 3 Seagate 4 TB drives gone south within a couple of months of installation. I have drives 20 years old that still work, so I have to say that anything over 2 TB is really shaky right now - maybe in another year, but to date I have bought far too many of the big guys - might have to consider going back to the Old Faithful WD 2TB drives.
Right now, however, I have to get back to work on Off The Street and On The Street processing.
Have a great Thursday, y'all....
It's nice to be back to choir - I missed it during my period of enforced idleness. I know I'm feeling beter because I feel like doing some solo work again. I still don't do steps well, or long walks, but things are improving, slowly but surely.
Also, I started the motorcycle last night to ride it to choir rehearsal - and this weekend the Ramblers are having an Open House at the clubhouse, which I plan to attend and probably hang out for most of the day. Should be interesting to see who shows up and if we can harvest a few new members. I cannot usually get to meetings during the school year - a conflict between choir rehearsal and motorcycle club meetings will usually be won by choir, particularly because I sleep with the choir director, and she has Certain Expectations. I guess I should note that I've been married to the very same choir director for nearly 46 years, so it is all good - no secrets here.
I'm still shopping for motorcycles. I missed a very nice Honda PC-800 Pacific Coast, and am still looking at BMW R and K models, as well as the odd Honda ST model and the Moto Guzzi's that are around. I need to have some work done on Big Suzi, but it will probably wait a couple more weeks.... Never enough time, and too much to get done.
The Big Server is eating yet another 4 TB hard drive - that is a total of 3 Seagate 4 TB drives gone south within a couple of months of installation. I have drives 20 years old that still work, so I have to say that anything over 2 TB is really shaky right now - maybe in another year, but to date I have bought far too many of the big guys - might have to consider going back to the Old Faithful WD 2TB drives.
Right now, however, I have to get back to work on Off The Street and On The Street processing.
Have a great Thursday, y'all....
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
Tuesday Evening
It was a good day at work today - I got some stuff done, some stuff cleaned up, and had a chance to visit with the new boss before leaving. I also got to test some stuff with my Android phone and tablet, and helpful. I am looking forward to doing Exciting Things with these tiny devices.
The best part, however, came after the impromptu meeting - I joined a small group at a local saloon for conversation and something to eat. It is a rather special group - all the folks there speak German of one sort or another, some better than others - but it was a chance to see how much I could remember, and to recall how much fun it could be to sit around a table and just talk about this 'n' that without having to prove anything to anyone.
I had been to one other meeting about nine weeks back - then I broke my leg and developed a hold in my alimentary canal somewhere, and was off the street for a while, so instead of meeting them all again in two weeks it was more like two months - but it was good to see familiar faces and to hear familiar accents - and to meet someone new.
It's an interesting group - the first meeting I attended I was not the oldest; this one I was, and the youngest were probably early 30's or so. A good time was had by all and a lot of time was spent discussing the biggest train layout in the world, the Miniatur Wonderland in Hamburg, Germany. They have a web site with video clips of the various parts in operation - and it is worth the time to visit and view the operation.
I guess I don't have a bunch more - it was a good day at work, a pleasant evening among friends, and I'm pretty tired.
Tomorrow brings new opportunities to excel at work and to do Interesting Things for Cops.
Tomorrow I will find out if I am the proud new owner of a Honda PC-800 Pacific Coast motorcycle. I have wanted one for a while, it is a good commuter, and probably as much as 300 pounds lighter than Big Suzi - and right now, Lighter is a Good Thing. It should also be a lot cheaper to feed.
If that sale doesn't go, I'm still looking for a BMW Twin....
I have had enough fun for today - y'all have a good evening.
The best part, however, came after the impromptu meeting - I joined a small group at a local saloon for conversation and something to eat. It is a rather special group - all the folks there speak German of one sort or another, some better than others - but it was a chance to see how much I could remember, and to recall how much fun it could be to sit around a table and just talk about this 'n' that without having to prove anything to anyone.
I had been to one other meeting about nine weeks back - then I broke my leg and developed a hold in my alimentary canal somewhere, and was off the street for a while, so instead of meeting them all again in two weeks it was more like two months - but it was good to see familiar faces and to hear familiar accents - and to meet someone new.
It's an interesting group - the first meeting I attended I was not the oldest; this one I was, and the youngest were probably early 30's or so. A good time was had by all and a lot of time was spent discussing the biggest train layout in the world, the Miniatur Wonderland in Hamburg, Germany. They have a web site with video clips of the various parts in operation - and it is worth the time to visit and view the operation.
I guess I don't have a bunch more - it was a good day at work, a pleasant evening among friends, and I'm pretty tired.
Tomorrow brings new opportunities to excel at work and to do Interesting Things for Cops.
Tomorrow I will find out if I am the proud new owner of a Honda PC-800 Pacific Coast motorcycle. I have wanted one for a while, it is a good commuter, and probably as much as 300 pounds lighter than Big Suzi - and right now, Lighter is a Good Thing. It should also be a lot cheaper to feed.
If that sale doesn't go, I'm still looking for a BMW Twin....
I have had enough fun for today - y'all have a good evening.
Monday, September 16, 2013
Monday Evening
The Monday I started this morning is slowly drawing to a close.
I did take those two lab slips to a lab this morning and bled profusely for the phlebotomists there. Happily, they looked at both slips and were able to combine them - otherwise I might have had to have as many as 30 vials drawn. Thinking about that many vials makes me a little queasy. But we got through those we needed to do - then I could go home and get my medications and some breakfast. It seems that some of these labs have to be done after at least an 8 hour fast.
Work was an atypical Monday - some folks who did not know I was back got surprised, and the yelling was minimal. I started an onerous task and made good progress, and had a few thoughts of better ways to do a few things - so I should be in good shape for the next 10 days or so.
A couple of friends sent me a couple of real howlers that I had to pass along to around 40 or so other folks - good comic relief, and I got a load of spam at work in languages I could not even recognize. We have some pretty good filters, but the spammers get more clever (or lucky) each day. It becomes annoying when 25 people want to help me with a problem I do not have.
I've been looking at motorcycles lighter than Big Suzi, and am concluding that a BMW twin or a 4 might be nice at least 10 and maybe as much as 20 years old. saw a couple of nice Moto Guzzi's, and then I found a Honda Pacific Coast. At 800 CCs it ought to be big enough, as well as cheap to feed, and it's a classic. For the time being, I think no sidecar - maybe in a couple of years but for now a middleweight might be a better choice. The heavy bike is perhaps better suited to a trip to California, but somehow I think I am not going to be doing that for a while - and when it does come, a train or motorhome would be a better vehicle.
Unless you live in a cave, you know about what happened in DC today - another crazy used a gun-free zone as a way to assure a bunch of defenseless victims. Nobody seems to have anything resembling a reason for this - but some of it lays at Bill Clinton's feet - it was he who determined that military personnel on base would be disarmed.
I think maybe this rant should be elsewhere, so I'm gonna shut up.
Tomorrow is Tuesday, and there is a meeting of the German Speaker's Association, which meets about every two weeks. I had been to another meeting just before I broke my leg, and look forward to a second. If I am careful, I won't hurt the dietary requirements, and it should be a pleasant evening. I look forward to it! I met a bunch of interesting people at the last one, and it should be a real giggle just trying to converse in a language that I used to use all the time.
I'll have more to say about that after the meeting.
This weekend has the Ramblers holding an open house, and I plan to be there at least for a time, although whether I'll compete in the scavenger hunt is questionable to the point of unlikely.
I just heard Phyllis come in, so I k I'll chat wither for a while, and let y'all rest.
Have a gold evening and a better day tomorrow.
I know someone's reading this - it would interest me to have feed back on relevance, reason, etc. If you don't want to comment in a place others can read it, send me email rar1942@verizon.net.
Good night.
I did take those two lab slips to a lab this morning and bled profusely for the phlebotomists there. Happily, they looked at both slips and were able to combine them - otherwise I might have had to have as many as 30 vials drawn. Thinking about that many vials makes me a little queasy. But we got through those we needed to do - then I could go home and get my medications and some breakfast. It seems that some of these labs have to be done after at least an 8 hour fast.
Work was an atypical Monday - some folks who did not know I was back got surprised, and the yelling was minimal. I started an onerous task and made good progress, and had a few thoughts of better ways to do a few things - so I should be in good shape for the next 10 days or so.
A couple of friends sent me a couple of real howlers that I had to pass along to around 40 or so other folks - good comic relief, and I got a load of spam at work in languages I could not even recognize. We have some pretty good filters, but the spammers get more clever (or lucky) each day. It becomes annoying when 25 people want to help me with a problem I do not have.
I've been looking at motorcycles lighter than Big Suzi, and am concluding that a BMW twin or a 4 might be nice at least 10 and maybe as much as 20 years old. saw a couple of nice Moto Guzzi's, and then I found a Honda Pacific Coast. At 800 CCs it ought to be big enough, as well as cheap to feed, and it's a classic. For the time being, I think no sidecar - maybe in a couple of years but for now a middleweight might be a better choice. The heavy bike is perhaps better suited to a trip to California, but somehow I think I am not going to be doing that for a while - and when it does come, a train or motorhome would be a better vehicle.
Unless you live in a cave, you know about what happened in DC today - another crazy used a gun-free zone as a way to assure a bunch of defenseless victims. Nobody seems to have anything resembling a reason for this - but some of it lays at Bill Clinton's feet - it was he who determined that military personnel on base would be disarmed.
I think maybe this rant should be elsewhere, so I'm gonna shut up.
Tomorrow is Tuesday, and there is a meeting of the German Speaker's Association, which meets about every two weeks. I had been to another meeting just before I broke my leg, and look forward to a second. If I am careful, I won't hurt the dietary requirements, and it should be a pleasant evening. I look forward to it! I met a bunch of interesting people at the last one, and it should be a real giggle just trying to converse in a language that I used to use all the time.
I'll have more to say about that after the meeting.
This weekend has the Ramblers holding an open house, and I plan to be there at least for a time, although whether I'll compete in the scavenger hunt is questionable to the point of unlikely.
I just heard Phyllis come in, so I k I'll chat wither for a while, and let y'all rest.
Have a gold evening and a better day tomorrow.
I know someone's reading this - it would interest me to have feed back on relevance, reason, etc. If you don't want to comment in a place others can read it, send me email rar1942@verizon.net.
Good night.
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
Back to work!
This is the first day I have been to work since July 24. It seems like a year. During the period of down time I probably worked more at home than I usually do at work, just to stay sane.
This enforced hiatus has taught me more than a couple things:
This enforced hiatus has taught me more than a couple things:
- Daytime TeeVee really sucks - and even with NetFlix and internet onnectivity, there are only so many hours that one can stand to watch without becoming a little crazy.
- Perforating ulcers are no fun, particularly when they, without warning, perforate.
- We have some good hospitals around here - but being home is still better.
- Liquid diets are no fun.
- Pureed diets are even less fun (glass of pizza anyone?)
- Soft food diets can be disgusting.
- Laporoscopic surgery is the best possible way to have things in your belly examined - if they need examined. Better is not to need anything looked at that closely.
Leading up to the hiatus, I was reminded that if a motorcycle is falling over and you are on it, get out of the way! If you don't do that, you could get your leg broken - which is where this all started on July 24th.
It was good to get back to work. I did not get as much done as I might have wished, but I got something done, got what I needed for several other somethings, and was pleased at the end of the day.
Now I can go back tomorrow and be truly productive.
Work is good.
Now I have to find another motorcycle that is a couple hundred pounds lighter than Big Suzi....
Monday, September 9, 2013
Monday Morning at Zero Dark Thirty
It's Monday Morning (again - seems to happen weekly around here....) and I am still up - couldn't stay awake about two hours ago and now I am wide awake and not at all interested in going to bed.
This morning I have a visit with an orthopod who will, I hope, tell me I don't have to wear this fracture boot any more and can go back to work. I wish I thought he'd tell me it was OK to ride my motorcycle again, but he's one of those folks that think that motorcycles are the creation of a hateful being, and have only one purpose - to supply organ donors.
I'm sure he never had a motorcycle, and if he ever got on one, it was to sit behind an asshole determined to scare him to death!
At any rate, that is what I am hoping for this morning. I still have three weeks of restricted diet (soft foods only, and all the water I want) before I see my bariatric surgeon again, and before that I have to go and bleed at the lab, and by the look of the lab sheet, it will take about 17 vials of blood for all the tests he wants done.
Then, I'll have to get another upper GI endoscopy, not one of my favorite ways to spend a day. He wants to see if the ulcers are better, worse, still the same or gone. Based on what he sees, my diet and working permissions may well get changed again. This getting old stuff really is a PITA.
I'e steered clear of the news for a couple of days just to be sure I don't become outraged and create a new ulcer. I don't know if it works, but at this point if it means that I'll have a smaller chance of repeating the last few weeks, I'll take it.
I've been watching eBay again, looking at motorcycles, both sidecar rigs and lighter (than what I have) solo bikes. I'd really kinda like to have another BMW - R or K model, not sure which - and some are aailable at reasonable prices, although they have more than a little age on them. The BMWs I have had before were all ancient by any normal measure, and they stood up to anything I cared to give out. Maybe it is time for another BMW.
Of course, my lovely wife knows I am looking, but can ignore it until I have to ask her to borrow a couple of thousand bucks for a motorcycle. If I am permitted to live, all will be well and I'll have a much lighter motorcycle to pick up, hopefully less regularly.
But then again, a sidecar rig could be a real giggle.
I think I'm ready to get some sleep.
Be well, y'all - II'll have more to say after I see the orthopod.
This morning I have a visit with an orthopod who will, I hope, tell me I don't have to wear this fracture boot any more and can go back to work. I wish I thought he'd tell me it was OK to ride my motorcycle again, but he's one of those folks that think that motorcycles are the creation of a hateful being, and have only one purpose - to supply organ donors.
I'm sure he never had a motorcycle, and if he ever got on one, it was to sit behind an asshole determined to scare him to death!
At any rate, that is what I am hoping for this morning. I still have three weeks of restricted diet (soft foods only, and all the water I want) before I see my bariatric surgeon again, and before that I have to go and bleed at the lab, and by the look of the lab sheet, it will take about 17 vials of blood for all the tests he wants done.
Then, I'll have to get another upper GI endoscopy, not one of my favorite ways to spend a day. He wants to see if the ulcers are better, worse, still the same or gone. Based on what he sees, my diet and working permissions may well get changed again. This getting old stuff really is a PITA.
I'e steered clear of the news for a couple of days just to be sure I don't become outraged and create a new ulcer. I don't know if it works, but at this point if it means that I'll have a smaller chance of repeating the last few weeks, I'll take it.
I've been watching eBay again, looking at motorcycles, both sidecar rigs and lighter (than what I have) solo bikes. I'd really kinda like to have another BMW - R or K model, not sure which - and some are aailable at reasonable prices, although they have more than a little age on them. The BMWs I have had before were all ancient by any normal measure, and they stood up to anything I cared to give out. Maybe it is time for another BMW.
Of course, my lovely wife knows I am looking, but can ignore it until I have to ask her to borrow a couple of thousand bucks for a motorcycle. If I am permitted to live, all will be well and I'll have a much lighter motorcycle to pick up, hopefully less regularly.
But then again, a sidecar rig could be a real giggle.
I think I'm ready to get some sleep.
Be well, y'all - II'll have more to say after I see the orthopod.
Saturday, September 7, 2013
Motorcycles
After the most recent fall, I am starting to believe that my beloved Big Suzi is just too big for someone my age to manage. It goes a little over 800 pounds and is getting harder to pick up.
At first, I thought about a sidecar rig - I don't want a trike, particularly - and Bombardier wants too much money for their reversed trikes and they are too new for there to be a used market. So a sidecar, maybe. I started looking for them, and found not many.
Then I thought well, something that weighed only 575-600 might be better enough that I wouldn't need the extra wheel(s) and I started looking at BMW's (again.) I have always been partial to the BMW twins, and the newer 4-cylinders are looking pretty good, so I'm shopping now. I am shopping used, of course - new bikes cost as much as new cars, and I don't buy new cars (although my wife does.) Maybe there's a BMW twin in my future?
I am sufficiently perverse that a good sidecar rig would be a blast, and I could use it in the winter, but I don't know if I can find one that is suitable - a couple got past me a few weeks ago, but they are still pretty rare. The rigs I have seen that I have wanted are hard-core - refitted with link front ends and shod with automobile tires on all three corners - that would be the way to go, but the owners all seem to have been the builders so they know how much it cost to make and don't want to lose a dime on the whole transaction. Really great rigs seem to have really large prices.
Just have to wait and see, I guess. I'll keep y'all posted.
At first, I thought about a sidecar rig - I don't want a trike, particularly - and Bombardier wants too much money for their reversed trikes and they are too new for there to be a used market. So a sidecar, maybe. I started looking for them, and found not many.
Then I thought well, something that weighed only 575-600 might be better enough that I wouldn't need the extra wheel(s) and I started looking at BMW's (again.) I have always been partial to the BMW twins, and the newer 4-cylinders are looking pretty good, so I'm shopping now. I am shopping used, of course - new bikes cost as much as new cars, and I don't buy new cars (although my wife does.) Maybe there's a BMW twin in my future?
I am sufficiently perverse that a good sidecar rig would be a blast, and I could use it in the winter, but I don't know if I can find one that is suitable - a couple got past me a few weeks ago, but they are still pretty rare. The rigs I have seen that I have wanted are hard-core - refitted with link front ends and shod with automobile tires on all three corners - that would be the way to go, but the owners all seem to have been the builders so they know how much it cost to make and don't want to lose a dime on the whole transaction. Really great rigs seem to have really large prices.
Just have to wait and see, I guess. I'll keep y'all posted.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
New Motorcycles
Well, my Kawasaki spit me off one a few weeks back (actually, I ran out of road, truth be known) and hurt me a bit - and while I was off it a friend bought a BMW K1200 (at which time I turned green with envy of course) - but his wife apparently thought they needed only one motorcycle, so his Suzuki Cruiser went up for sale, and I bought it - and sold the Kawasaki within 48 hours, which tells me that I probably should have asked more money for it.
Cruisers are nominally V-twins, large, heavy, not terribly nimble but comfortable. It is amazing just how much difference can appear within those specs without making the appearance different. From a distance, any cruiser looks like any other cruiser - the engine is in the same place, etc. A V-twin is a V-Twin - the V angle may differ, but you wouldn't think it would change the character of a motorcycle that much.
I learned something - it can make a big difference. I'm still getting used to the big Suzuki (but loving it all the same) and finding that there are lots of ways to make an engine. The Kawasaki and the Suzuki are both 1500's - but that's about all that is the same. The Kawasaki was a 60 degree V-twin with a balance shaft to smooth it out. The Suzki is a 45 degree V-twin with offset crankpins, so both pistons are at TDC at the same time - making it fire like an old vertical twin Triumph. Different sound, different vibration - and without balance shafts, it does vibrate, but not terribly - not enough for me to wish I had the Kawasaki back.
Other differences include where the gas tank really is as opposed to where it looks like it is, among others - much different balance because of weight location, etc.
I'm loving the Suzuki, but it will be a while before I am as at home on it as I was on the Kawasaki.
Maybe that's a good thing - maybe it'll take a while before I get so used to it that I fall off.
LOVE those motorcycles!
Cruisers are nominally V-twins, large, heavy, not terribly nimble but comfortable. It is amazing just how much difference can appear within those specs without making the appearance different. From a distance, any cruiser looks like any other cruiser - the engine is in the same place, etc. A V-twin is a V-Twin - the V angle may differ, but you wouldn't think it would change the character of a motorcycle that much.
I learned something - it can make a big difference. I'm still getting used to the big Suzuki (but loving it all the same) and finding that there are lots of ways to make an engine. The Kawasaki and the Suzuki are both 1500's - but that's about all that is the same. The Kawasaki was a 60 degree V-twin with a balance shaft to smooth it out. The Suzki is a 45 degree V-twin with offset crankpins, so both pistons are at TDC at the same time - making it fire like an old vertical twin Triumph. Different sound, different vibration - and without balance shafts, it does vibrate, but not terribly - not enough for me to wish I had the Kawasaki back.
Other differences include where the gas tank really is as opposed to where it looks like it is, among others - much different balance because of weight location, etc.
I'm loving the Suzuki, but it will be a while before I am as at home on it as I was on the Kawasaki.
Maybe that's a good thing - maybe it'll take a while before I get so used to it that I fall off.
LOVE those motorcycles!
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Motorcycles
Just heard a guy on TeeVee say "Motorcycling is the most fun you'll ever have" - and he didn't even add "with your clothes on."
And I agree with him. I rode to work today - and grinned all the way in! I can see so much more, have what feels like so much more space to maneuver, and it seems like I'm less rushed. I don't mind moving over to let a nose-to-tail string of cagers (people who travel inside steel cages) pass me at illegal velocities - I just chug along and enjoy the view. It's far less stressful than being in the car, although it might well have been cooler in the car.
The bike I ride is a good commute vehicle - stable, a little heavy but not bad, smooth and has power and torque enough to pass just about anything I want to pass. It isn't a crotch rocket - it's more a cruiser - slow-turning V-twin, single carb, shaft drive - as close to maintenance-free as it gets. It always starts, and doesn't stall easily.
My daily ride to work is 50 miles the round trip. I have route choices, but none has any advantage in terms of time - it takes as long as it takes, and in the morning I stop a few minutes shy of the office for a giant cup of 7-11 coffee with amaretto creamer, a sandwich and a yogurt - which is what gets me through a work day. If I do everything right, the coffee stays upright until I get parked at work - if I don't do everything right, instead of a big cup of coffee I have a plastic bag of coffee - not my favorite thing!
At the end of the day, I go back outside, start the bike, and reverse the process, with a little less pressure as regards time since nobody at home looks at what time I get back in. In the evening I am likely to take short detours and try different heretofore untried routes - mornings are pretty much set on one of three routes, because of the need to be on time.
But the days I ride are typically easier days for me - I arrive more relaxed than on other days, and generally concentrate better. I seem to have more time to think about things before I arrive when I ride in - in the car, more of me is occupied with traffic, planning when I want to make a lane change, looking ahead for traffic chokepoints and such.
Of course, I'm not fond of riding in the rain. Cold is not as bad as rain, and I ride pretty late into the year. Snow is a nono - that should go without saying, although if I were to add a side car, I'd probably ride year-round. I am healthier when I ride when it is cold, and generally don't mind a cold run if it doesn't get to be more than 50 miles or so.
I have been riding now more than 50 years, and don't think I'm likely to give it up any time soon. It's a cheap pleasure, a good mood freshener, and even cheaper than driving the car!
Anyone who wants to sample it should find a Motorcycle Safety Foundation course to take. The courses have motorcycles so you don't have to spend a bunch of money that you might later regret, the instructors are pros who don't have the bad habits that folks like me may have who learned to ride by doing - and you can start on a bike that is a good size for learning, well maintained and not at all finicky.
Motorcycling is fun, it is only dangerous if you let it be, and will make you cheerful.
Try it - you'll like it!
And I agree with him. I rode to work today - and grinned all the way in! I can see so much more, have what feels like so much more space to maneuver, and it seems like I'm less rushed. I don't mind moving over to let a nose-to-tail string of cagers (people who travel inside steel cages) pass me at illegal velocities - I just chug along and enjoy the view. It's far less stressful than being in the car, although it might well have been cooler in the car.
The bike I ride is a good commute vehicle - stable, a little heavy but not bad, smooth and has power and torque enough to pass just about anything I want to pass. It isn't a crotch rocket - it's more a cruiser - slow-turning V-twin, single carb, shaft drive - as close to maintenance-free as it gets. It always starts, and doesn't stall easily.
My daily ride to work is 50 miles the round trip. I have route choices, but none has any advantage in terms of time - it takes as long as it takes, and in the morning I stop a few minutes shy of the office for a giant cup of 7-11 coffee with amaretto creamer, a sandwich and a yogurt - which is what gets me through a work day. If I do everything right, the coffee stays upright until I get parked at work - if I don't do everything right, instead of a big cup of coffee I have a plastic bag of coffee - not my favorite thing!
At the end of the day, I go back outside, start the bike, and reverse the process, with a little less pressure as regards time since nobody at home looks at what time I get back in. In the evening I am likely to take short detours and try different heretofore untried routes - mornings are pretty much set on one of three routes, because of the need to be on time.
But the days I ride are typically easier days for me - I arrive more relaxed than on other days, and generally concentrate better. I seem to have more time to think about things before I arrive when I ride in - in the car, more of me is occupied with traffic, planning when I want to make a lane change, looking ahead for traffic chokepoints and such.
Of course, I'm not fond of riding in the rain. Cold is not as bad as rain, and I ride pretty late into the year. Snow is a nono - that should go without saying, although if I were to add a side car, I'd probably ride year-round. I am healthier when I ride when it is cold, and generally don't mind a cold run if it doesn't get to be more than 50 miles or so.
I have been riding now more than 50 years, and don't think I'm likely to give it up any time soon. It's a cheap pleasure, a good mood freshener, and even cheaper than driving the car!
Anyone who wants to sample it should find a Motorcycle Safety Foundation course to take. The courses have motorcycles so you don't have to spend a bunch of money that you might later regret, the instructors are pros who don't have the bad habits that folks like me may have who learned to ride by doing - and you can start on a bike that is a good size for learning, well maintained and not at all finicky.
Motorcycling is fun, it is only dangerous if you let it be, and will make you cheerful.
Try it - you'll like it!
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Zero dark thirty
When I was in the Air Force, that was the time we had to get up for certain shifts, and I always hated being up before the sun. For many years I have worked 10 to 6, 11 to 7 or similar hours during the day, giving me plenty of time to wake up in the light, have breakfast with my wife, have some extra coffee, and arrive at work reasonably awake. It even gave the folks around me time to determine which problems were theirs, so I could start right away on real problems, and not misoperations.
Well, I just changed to work 7 to 3 - and I hate getting up around 5 AM. Maybe I can change it back in a couple of months. I hope so.
It's cold around here right now - global warming seems to have gone into hibernation. I thought all along it was crap, and some purloined emails (and the fact that the global temperature has been static for almost ten years) only served to underline that belief.
But it is even too cold to think about starting the motorcycles, let alone riding one of them for more than about three minutes, and it is my personal rule (be kind to engines or some such bull) that I never start one up if I am not going to ride it for at least 20 minutes. Usually I ride to work when I can, but not when it asks for frostbite before even getting on the highway. We did have one day the weekend before Christmas that it was really nice, and I rode over to visit our then-pregnant daughter, and really enjoyed the ride - it was cool, but not really cold.
I gotta write some emails - I owe one to a friend in Germany, and a couple more. Maybe I'll do that tomorrow as soon as I get to work; right now I gotta get some sleep - 0 darh 30 approaches!
Well, I just changed to work 7 to 3 - and I hate getting up around 5 AM. Maybe I can change it back in a couple of months. I hope so.
It's cold around here right now - global warming seems to have gone into hibernation. I thought all along it was crap, and some purloined emails (and the fact that the global temperature has been static for almost ten years) only served to underline that belief.
But it is even too cold to think about starting the motorcycles, let alone riding one of them for more than about three minutes, and it is my personal rule (be kind to engines or some such bull) that I never start one up if I am not going to ride it for at least 20 minutes. Usually I ride to work when I can, but not when it asks for frostbite before even getting on the highway. We did have one day the weekend before Christmas that it was really nice, and I rode over to visit our then-pregnant daughter, and really enjoyed the ride - it was cool, but not really cold.
I gotta write some emails - I owe one to a friend in Germany, and a couple more. Maybe I'll do that tomorrow as soon as I get to work; right now I gotta get some sleep - 0 darh 30 approaches!
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