Better Late Than Never

Well it's been quite awhile since I have posted to this blog. I know I know I have disappointed all 2 of my readers. My apologies. I guess I just haven't been in the mood. I have no excuses, other than being distracted by things like work, WoW, riding my motorcycle and other things I can say to try and make it better. Well hopefully I'm back. I make no promises, but hopefully there will be something interesting for all 2 of you to read coming up.

Happy Mother's Day - A Day Late

Yesterday like so many I paid a visit to my mom to wish her Happy Mother’s Day. Now I hadn’t seen in three months. I’m sure it is the same for many people of this world. I bet some didn’t even go visit they just made a phone call, or sent a card. There are even some that didn’t visit, didn’t call or even send a card. We forget sometimes in this busy world we live in what is truly important.

So yesterday I drove over to visit mom. It had been a long time since I had been there. It was February 20. That was the last time I was there. I pulled in and drove the windy roads and parked. Walked through the field and stopped. I looked down at her tombstone. I tried to remember her voice. Her words of encouragement while growing up. The long talks we would have on the phone as I was driving home from work. The advice she used to give me is definitely missed. She was the rock that held our family together. And her absence has left a hole in our family that cannot be healed.

For those of you who are too busy to go see your mom, stop and think for a moment what it would be like not to have her around. It’s a reality my family and I have to live with every single day. You won’t have a chance to go back and undo the mistakes. You will miss out on important time. I know Mother’s Day has come and gone. But that doesn’t mean you can’t pick up a phone, drive across town or even send a card. Something to let her know you are thinking about her. It’s the least you can do for the woman that gave you life and cared for you while growing up. You owe her that. And if you do, I guarantee you won’t regret the time you get with her.

Gaming Versus Television

I was sitting here today thinking about people who watch television versus people who play computer games. Now the general feeling in society these days is that people who play computer games are antisocial lazy people sitting in their mom's basement playing all the time instead of getting out and doing things in the world. But nothing is ever said about the television addicts. It's obvious to me that society thinks better of the t.v. addicts and less of the gamers. So let's have a look at each group and maybe we can see who really is lazy and antisocial.

T.V. Watchers



According to A.C. Nielson, the average American watches more than 4 hours of T.V. per day or 28 hours a week. Basically, they spend 2 months of a year watching television. Now I'm not T.V. watching expert, but during that time they aren't "being productive" unless you are including giving their couch a purpose for being in the house being productive. During this time they are sitting staring at a glowing screen not socializing with others. They are watching in some sort of trance a screen with beautiful colors on it. They aren't working on the house, cleaning up, playing with kids or dogs or even talking to whoever they live with. They are focused on that magical box. By the time this person is 65 they will have spent 9 years of their life watching the television. Talk about a time sink.

Computer Gamers



According to the Entertainment Software Association, the average American woman plays 7.4 hours a week and the average man plays 7.6 hours a week. These same people spend 23.4 hours per week on other activities such as exercising, volunteering, playing sports, etc. Of course these are averages and there are the extremes on both sides for computer gamers. Also, it seems to me that while these people game, many of them are interacting with others in the multiplayer games. So it would seem they are more social than their television counterparts. It also seems to me that computer gamers seem to do more than the average television fanatic. So which ones are lazy?

Maybe it's time for the some of the stereotypes of gamers to change. It seems to me that hiding in a basement applies more to the television fanatics than it does to the computer gamers. The ironic thing is it's the ones watching all the television that say these things about computer gamers. Of course it's much easier for them to say these things than it is for them to peel themselves off their couch that has molded with their bodies.

Sources
If you would like to read more about the statistics please visit The SourceBook for Teaching Science by clicking here or visit the ESA site by clicking here.

Funny Quotes

I was surfing the web this morning for a few minutes and I found this site. It's full of funny quotes and pictures. Check it out if you get a chance by clicking here.

Here are a few of my favorites:

Son, if you really want something in this life, you have to work for it. Now quiet! They're about to announce the lottery numbers. - Homer Simpson

You laugh because I'm different...........I laugh cause I just farted!

What are the three words guaranteed to humiliate men everywhere?'Hold my purse.'

Girls are like phones. We love to be held, talked too but if you press the wrong button you'll be disconnected!

What you call dog with no legs? Don't matter what you call him, he ain't gonna come.

Energizer Bunny arrested, charged with battery.

When you are courting a nice girl an hour seems like a second. When you sit on a red-hot cinder a second seems like an hour. That's relativity. - Albert Einstein

Everyone needs believe in something. I believe I'll have another beer.

A computer once beat me at chess, but it was no match for me at kick boxing.

Guys: No Shirt, No Service - Gals: No Shirt, No Charge

If love is blind, why is lingerie so popular?

"Duct tape is like the force. It has a light side, a dark side, and it holds the world together."

After twelve years of therapy my psychiatrist said something that brought tears to my eyes. He said, "No hablo ingles."

"One of the great things about books is sometimes there are some fantastic pictures." -George W. Bush

Is it good if a vacuum really sucks?

Sexy Unix Commands: date; unzip; touch; strip; finger; mount; gasp; yes; uptime;

Shopping Trip

Well today I plan on heading to one of my favorite stores. Where you ask? Well where would any guy be in heaven outside of a strip club or an all you can eat buffet? Best Buy of course. Yes one of the many gadget junky heavens. Many many many many many square feet of electronic cocaine. Hey every guy knows what I'm talking about. We love gadgets and tools and movies etc. etc. I'm not sure why. Maybe its the blinking lights.

The reason I'm going there? My wireless router is starting to go bad. So naturally it's time for a new one. Now when you go to Best Buy you can't JUST look at what you are going for. You have to make the rounds through the televisions, software, stereos, computers and DVD sections as well. So who knows what I will end up with today. Methinks my wallet is worried.

My First Ride

Well yesterday I finally had the time to take my new ride out for a spin around the neighborhood to get used to it. The first thing I noticed about it was the size difference from those little bikes we rode. I guess I bought big. Of course there is a difference though. My bike is over 1000cc's larger than the bikes in the class. The weight took a few minutes to get used to as well.

So I fired it up. The sound of the engine was like music to my ears. While the bike warmed up I took a minute to get adjusted to the feel of the bike. After a few minutes I disengaged the choke, through it into first gear and used the clutch to get a feel for it until the end of my driveway. Then I took off. Faster than I expected. This bike has a lot of power. I adjusted my throttle and settled into the seat. Time to ride the neighborhood to get a good feel of my bike.

I started out slow. No faster than second gear. Stearing around curves, taking left and right turns, just going around and around the blocks. After a couple of times around I started getting more comfortable. So I sped up just a little and shifted into third gear. I was taking the curves and turns faster now. Not fast but normal road speed. I expanded my route to cover more of the area of my neighborhood. I even managed to deal with cars pulling out of driveways, driving on the road with me and 4 way stops with ease. I was feeling good. I was finally riding like I always wanted.

Then it happened. Well a few things happened. Nothing major and I didn't fall or anything like that but normal things that happen while driving. A squirrel ran out in my path and I had to dodge him. Then a few minutes later I caught the attention of a dog that thought it would be fun to chase me. Boy I'm glad they covered this one in the class. I varied my speed like I was taught and made the dog miss me. And then the biggest one happened...a car decided it would be a good idea to drive on MY side of the road. That one was enough to startle me and really get the blood pumping. We came close to hitting but I swerved and missed them. It's amazing to me how little people pay attention on the roads. At that point over an hour had passed and I was a little shaken so I drove the bike home for a rest.

All in all a fun first ride. No I didn't do anything crazy or complicated. It was just your basic normal driving. But that's what I need. Lots of practice. I am actually glad I had those three incidents while I was on the road because they taught me to always stay alert when riding a motorcycle. It also made me know the training I had the week before worked. It stuck in my brain even after a week had passed. If you are rider, always be prepared for what could happen, then relax and enjoy your ride. But be prepared. The roads are full of people in cages asleep at the wheel.

Two Wheel Terrors

Well that's what I liked to call my class of 20. All of us were there for one thing, to learn how to ride a motorcycle. The class was made up of people from all walks of life. There were police detectives, computer geeks, truckers, retirees, and soccer moms just to name a few. Some had riding experience, others didn't. Some already bought a bike (myself included) and others were there just to learn. It was definitely an eclectic bunch.

The class started last Friday night and the instructors began by having us mingle for a few minutes to meet each other and then we introduced each other to the class. Overall a nice way to loosen things up a bit. Then began a 3 hour long video talking about the motorcycle and motorcycle safety. They took short breaks in between to talk about each part. Basically saying the same things twice. Boring! But informative. We finished the night by stepping outside and going over one of the instructors bikes followed by a rules briefing for the next day when they actually put us on bikes. Probably the best part of the night.

And so the day finally came. Saturday - the day we all got to climb onto our first hogs and finally learn how to ride them. Ok so they weren't really hogs, not even pot bellied pigs but they were two wheels with a motor and that was more than most of us had ever ridden. Basically the bikes were leftover trash that had been donated by bike shops or people. They had small 250cc engines and weighed about the same. They began the morning by having us go over each part of the bike to learn what everything did. Kind of a repeat of the end of Friday night only this time we were doing it on our bikes. Then began the real fun. We pushed the bikes into position for the first exercise. For the first exercise we were to use the clutch with the bike in first gear to pull the bike ahead and "power walk" the bike as they called it to the other side of the course. Then we were to turn around and do it again. Now this was my first time balance something on two wheels in years. So at first it was a little awkward. But as the saying goes, it's like a riding a bike. Only this time almost literally. Pretty soon we were all up and riding in a straight line down and back, down and back. Now they started getting fancier, each exercise adding a turn here, a curve there or maybe a swerve around some cones. Shift to second, then to third, now downshift to make a sharp turn. I remember the first turn I took, I wasn't prepared for what it would take to turn the heavier motorcycle so I went way wide. But each time around I got better and better until I was hitting it each time and having a blast doing it. Finally the last exercise for the day, quick breaking. Basically, speed up then stop the bike as fast as you can without locking the breaks. All the while gearing down and putting the correct foot down first.

Now it was lunch time and our time was finished on the course. It was back to the classroom. Boring! But needed. After a few more hours of the same stuff as Friday night we took our tests. Now I aced the test. Perfect score. Of course a blind monkey could have gotten a perfect score on this test. After the test they sent us home, tired and sore to get ready for another day on the course on Sunday, and a drivers test.

We started Sunday with the one thing I had heard about the classes that made me nervous. The figure 8. Not just any figure 8. It was in a tight box about as big as 2 parking spaces next to each other. Not a way for me to start my day. We must have run through that exercise 10 times and I never once could stay in the box or not put my foot down. Very discouraging. But things got better after that. We switched to doing sharp curves and swerves which was a lot of fun. After awhile they sent us through a practice round for our test. And what is the first part of the test...the figure 8. Oh know! So I tried again. And again. No success. All the other parts of the test I had mastered but not this one.

Then it happened. They stopped all of us. It was time for the driver test. But I still hadn't mastered the figure 8. And that is the FIRST part. I took a deep breath and relaxed. Just do the best you can I told myself. Finally it was my turn. I shifted into first gear, let the cluth out, gave it a little gas and off I went into what has become my least favorite number. To my surprise, I did it! Well mostly. On the second turn I went just a little wide but no big deal that only cost me a point. The tough part was done. Next was the swerve and then the quick stop. I passed through them perfectly. And last but not least, a steep curve. I breezed through all the other tests without a problem. Relieved I parked my bike and headed in for our short graduation.

Now I can be licensed to ride. Overall, the class was a great experience and I'm glad I took the time to actually take it. I can't imagine ever riding a motorcycle without taking the class. I'm not sure why people would want to. I know I have learned several valuable lessons that could perhaps save my life on the road. If any of you are thinking about taking the class, stop thinking about it. Just do it. It's worth the money you spend to do it and it will teach you valuable lessons for riding on the road. Everyone in my class enjoyed the experience and all plan on riding more. Some are even more enthusiastic about it than they were before. So ride on Two Wheel Terrors. Ride hard or stay home.