Buff or Balaclava

 On a cold day I frequently fight a cold neck. I have a balaclava that I have frequently used to protect my head from cold winds. At times I have also used a bandanna.

But now I have a new weapon. It's called a buff. They come in a wide variety of colors, styles and materials. I got a couple from REI and tried one out this morning.

Cold weather weapons laid out on Max as he warmed up this morning.

The buff is quite versatile. It can be worn in various ways and has many uses. 

This is how I wore it this morning. Keeps the ears and neck nice and warm. I discovered that the chin was slightly exposed, but only slightly

I pronounce the Buff as one of my newest favorite accessories.

Ride On and Carpe Diem, my friends

Warming Up

The weatherman this morning said that at this time last year we had already had 8 days with a high temp in the 80's (F). We did it for the first time this year yesterday.

He also said that all of last year we only received about 11 inches of rainfall. We have already gotten 8 inches this year so far. The drought isn't over, but its getting better.

I decided it was time to break out my favorite gloves, the Aerostich Hot Weather Vegans. I've written about these before. They are fantastic, but they have been stored in a little bag in the garage for the past few months. I broke them out of their confinement this morning.

My infamous Hot Weather Vegans. I've only ever purchased a very few items from Aerostich, but these gloves are the "Bees Knees"!

I thought about putting away the winter gloves, but there might still be a few cool mornings to come, you know, those days with a cold weather glove on for the morning ride, the hot weather gloves for the afternoon ride home. So I left the winter gloves on the bike. I'll put them away soon though. I did put away the glove liners and balaclava and all the liners are now out of my jacket and pants.

It was 62 degrees when I left the house this morning. Very warm. Felt good. It has been a cool spring. We actually had a little bit of snow just a few days ago. My wife's grandmother, who was one of those people that were very wise in the ways of the world, used to say that if it was a cool spring, then we would have a very good growing season. One of those little midwesterners sayings that somehow always turn out to be very true. We'll see, but I admit that things are really seeming to be greening up around here.

I have seen saw a lot more bikes out on the road the last few days.

.

Yep, it's warming up!

.

Ride On, and Carpe Diem, my friends!

.

Mandatory ATGATT ? Whaddya Think?

But I wear gloves, and I ride a scooter!

http://news.motorbiker.org/blogs.nsf/dx/france-atgatt-shortly-mandatory.htm

I wish I would have....

The early morning television weatherman said it was about 40 degrees at 6:30 am when I got up to feed the dogs.

The "Weatherbug" app on my iPhone said it was 42 degrees when I arrived at work (about 8:30am). Not unbearably cold at all, but probably the coldest ride in to downtown Wichita that I had experienced yet this Fall.

I wish I had gotten out the warmer gloves. No, dummy me, I still had the Aerostich Hot Weather Vegans in the top case. I know where my other gloves are, but just didn't take the time to dig them out. My summer gloves are mightily perforated and not worth a damn in cold weather, but, well you know, they are my favorite gloves, and....  Not to worry, fingers a little cool when I arrived downtown, but tolerable for a 15 minute ride.

I wish that I had grabbed my balaclava on the way out the door. Oh, it wasn't bad, but my neck got chilly on the way in. I had at least remembered to close up the vents on my helmet after the last time I had ridden. Gotta be proud of myself for that. I actually have a new (last year) balaclava that I haven't yet worn while riding. I'm not actually sure it will fit because my helmet fits pretty tightly. But it would definitely keep my neck warmer. I have another older balaclava that I have ridden with many times. It is nylon and fits fine in the helmet, but it's sort of an obnoxious blue/purple color. Just not the image I want to convey. Oh, the vanity of it all.

I didn't put the heavy liner in my pants, and I can't really say I wish I had. I was plenty warm in the leg department. If it had been a longer ride, I would have put the liner in.

I also didn't put the heavy liner in my denim jacket, nor, again, would I have wished that I had done so. Just didn't need it. Again, though, if it had been a longer ride......

I had my boots on. My laptop was bungeed to the seat in front of the topcase, but just behind my butt as I rode. Nothing on the "Man Bag Hook", but plan to stop by a couple of stores on the way home this evening for a few groceries. Will need the hook then.

I think Max likes running in cooler weather. He started and ran flawlessly, without a hitch, like he usually does.

Expecting the temperature to be in the upper 60's for the ride home. Ought to be a glorious experience.

I wish every day could be like today!
.
Ride on, and Carpe Diem, my friends,
.

Storm Troopers and Tuesday Thoughts While Riding

I was listening to the television before I left for work today and they said that gas prices dropped overnight to roughly $3.45 per gallon. I thought, "Good for me", Max needs gas. Well, wouldn't you know, the price dropped everywhere in town, except where I got gas this morning. But the good news is that I only took 1.6 gallons, so I don't think I was overcharged too much. I was thinking that Max (the scooter) gets about 3 times the gas mileage that Monty (the Subaru) gets, and the Subaru is pretty good at 25mpg. Both beat the hell out of a lot of the soccer-mom Suburbans and other monster SUV's that everyone seems to own around here. Our family must be crazy to not want to spend more $ on just plain old gasoline. We have a neighbor with a big F-250 pickup that starts it up each morning and lets it warm up for 5 minutes before he even gets into it and drives off.

It is getting to be that time of year when the outside temperature is nice and cool in the morning, but warm (in the 80's) in the afternoon. It can be a bit of a dilemma as far as gear. My jean jacket can get hot, but I like wearing it more than my mesh jacket. The day will come this summer when the jean jacket will be put away until fall arrives, but not yet. I love riding when the temperature is in the 50's. It can be brisk when the wind chill effect hits you as you ride, but not so cold to be a bother.

I took a different route downtown today, East Douglas Avenue. I wrote about that street last summer while I was relegated to riding a bicycle. Its an interesting route, not too heavily traveled, and with a few interesting things to look at on the way. There are 2 school zones at 20 mph on the way. In a couple of weeks school will be out and the speed zone lights will not be flashing. I always reduce speed in these school zones, many other drivers only half-heartedly observe the rules. A Ford Mustang sort of blasted by me this morning in one of the zones. Alas, maybe he had a pill to take.

Sometimes its surprising what kinds of thoughts enter your head when you are riding. There is a particular topic that I have always wanted to write a blog post about, but have never gotten around to. It would take a little tech expertise to accomplish because it might involve a video taken while riding, or at least the assistance of another person. I thought about how to do this post while I rode this morning. Maybe someday I'll pull it off.

Sometimes I think about work while I ride, but am always a little afraid that my mind will not be attentive enough to the hazards of the road, i.e. other damn drivers on cell phones. On a morning like today, I am traveling west and I know that east travelers have to battle the low sun in the sky. I'll see someone approach the street from a side street and have to look into the sun as they decide on a spot to enter traffic. I hope to hell they aren't talking or texting on a phone at the same time.

As I rode I thought about the absolutely fantastic Mother's Day we had last Sunday. The kids fixed us lunch and afterwards we went to a local public garden know as the Botanica. The flowers were amazing and I got a few good pictures. Our son in law wasn't able to be with us (he was doing something for his mother), so it was just the 4 of us, sort of back together again, like old times. And we did really miss the son in law, but it had been a long time since it was just the 4 of us, and we had a great time.

Also,  as I rode this morning, for a few moments, I watched my shadow on the road in front of me.  The sun was behind me and my shadow was long enough to get a really good outline of Max and me on the pavement. I even practiced a few "waves" to see what they might look like to an approaching motorcyclist, and chuckled to myself as I was doing this. What a silly thing to do.

Watching my shadow, with the gear and helmet on, its easy to imagine that I look a little like a Storm Trooper from the old Star Wars movies or a football player riding a motorcycle. Kind of beefy in the shoulders, you know. So I though I would end up this post with this picture stolen from George Takei's (Sulu, on Star Trek) Facebook page. I don't think he will mind because I imagine he stole it from someplace else, from someone who stole it from someplace else, who stole............................... etc.

Less Formally Attired

It's a good thing that I wore less dressy pants today. The cargo pants will go well with my boots today.

They'll have to. I left the shoe bag on the kitchen counter when I left home this morning.

Today I get to ride a few extra miles. I have an eye doctor appointment this afternoon on the west side of town. I may not even go back to the office afterward. 

Damn!    :)

Its Thursday Morning.

3 1/2 commuting trips down ; 1 1/2 to go for this week!

Taking Out The Liners & A Very Strange Cow

 How Humid Was It?......

Well, Let Me Tell You.....

The weatherman said that the temperature at 7:00 am was 61 degrees
                                       the dew point was 60 degrees
                                       the relative humidity was 97%
He said if there wasn't a 15 mph breeze from the south, It'd be Foggy As Hell!

(Well, maybe he didn't say "hell")

There was no way I was leaving the liners in my gear. My pants have a fleece and a waterproof liner. Out they came.

My jacket has just a fleece liner (a waterproof liner in a denim jacket is nonsense)., But out it came, too.

The next step was to change gloves. The old Aerostich Summer Vegan (my favorites) were patiently hanging in the garage for over a year. I didn't put the winter gloves away just yet. Might still need them.

80 degrees in March! Are you kidding me?

On the way to work today, I had a mission to stop by the Grand Opening of the new "Chick fil A" not too far from my house. Yes, we didn't have one in Wichita. We have lead a deprived life. The restaurant opened up at 6:00 am today and people had camped out since yesterday to be one of the first 100 customers. Seems that the first hundred would get a free sandwich every day for a year, or something like that.

I was not one of the campers. But I did stop by to get a couple of pics.

At this one in the parking lot, if you make the proper left turn you can enter the "two lane drive thru".

Ahh,, what they won't think of next.

And, of course there was a radio station with their DJ blasting music and this guy....

I regret that I didn't stop and buy anything. Guess I don't get too excited about new restaurants, especially fast food ones. Although, from what I hear, their food is pretty good. I am unable to judge it, though, having never tried it. Maybe someday.

Burley

 Yeah, It's spelled right. It's the name of an excellent company that manufactures bicycle trailers among other things.


When our kids were young we used to have one. It was expensive, but it was well worth it. Put a helmet on the kid, slap them into the trailer, fasten the seat belts (yes, it has seat belts) and go for a ride.

We got a few years of use with our Burley and when our kids got too big, we gave it to a relative that had younger kids than we did and it got even more years of service. We occasionally used to take it to the grocery store as well because you could fit a lot of groceries into it.


On a recent Friday morning, I had a couple of errands to perform. We had closed the office that day and I decided to take the bicycle out to do the errands. The first stop was to a local hardware store to return a little plumbing part that didn't work out. That done I headed north with a particular destination in mind. On the way though I noticed a sign for a rummage sale and bake sale at a nearby Episcopal church. (Didn't Robin Williams once refer to that as 'Catholic Light'?)

Now, in past years, I have been known to visit garage sales in our neighborhood. I rarely bought "stuff", but sometimes did and was always fascinated with other people's "stuff" and what they might want to discard from their lives. After seeing the sign for the rummage sale, and having plenty of time, and not a particular need to really have to go to my original destination, I decided to head towards the church.

Sometimes a large sale like this can be more interesting because of better selection. So many garage sales have just things like the dreaded piles of baby clothing that I just frankly don't have much interest in anymore. At one garage sale, however, I came across a complete set of Playboy magazines from 1962 to 1973, but the owner wanted too much and would only sell it as a complete set. Alas, not for me that day. But this sale looked sort of promising even if there would probably not be any Playboy magazines there.


Then I saw it! Right there by the front door. A piece of masking tape identified the price at $20. (Don't they know these things are like $250 new?) Upon closer inspection, it was a little dirty, the tires were flat, but it appeared to be nearly identical to the one we owned very many years ago. Should I get it? Do I really need it? Probably not. But it looked to be in good shape even if it needed a couple of new tire tubes and a lot of cleaning.

I was a bit excited and asked one of the 'church ladies' if there had been any interest yet in the bicycle trailer. (Now don't get me wrong! I don't use the term 'church ladies' in a demeaning way. I just have very fond memories of the old SNL routines (wasn't it Dana Carvey?) about the 'church lady', and the ladies running the sale were definitely from that mold.) She said she would make me a helluva deal on that trailer (though she might not have used the word hell). I said I might be back. (You know, make 'em sweat a bit)

Home was only half a mile away, and I only had $13 on me, so I rode home to tell Jayna about it and see if she was even a bit interested. She immediately asked why I hadn't purchased it on the spot and brought it home. So we raided her purse (she almost always has little hidden stores of cash), and I hopped back on the bike to make the purchase.


I walked right in and promptly and proudly laid my $20 bill down on the table to the same 'church lady' I had spoken to just a little while earlier. She was ecstatic to have made the sale. Well maybe just sort of pleased. Another $20 going to a good cause, don't you know. And I was sincerely proud to help out in my own little way.

Of course the task then turned out to be "How to get it home". But I had faith! I had faith that my new hand held frame pump attached to "Bruiser" (that I had never used) would work. I had faith that the tubes in the tires would take and hold at least a little air, long enough to get me home.




The senior pastor (priest?) was there to watch me attempt to pump up the tires. We struck up a brief conversation. The pump worked and the tires seemed to hold the air! The trailer attaches to the bicycle by way of a rather interesting mechanism that attaches to the bicycle frame just ahead of the rear axle. It works amazingly well in that it is secure and works on just about any bicycle. It attached to "Bruiser" flawlessly.

I put my helmet back on (ATGATT for the head, don'tcha know) and rode off. I was delighted to see that the trailer rolled smoothly, the wheels seemed to be true and was just as light and fun as I remember our old trailer to be.


I actually stopped by a store on the way home and made a small purchase and put my sack in the trailer for the ride home. Worked great! I rode home and Jayna and I spent numerous minutes looking it over and recalling all the good times we had with our first trailer. And there are many very good memories.

The next task was figuring out a place to store the trailer. Mind you, our garage is fairly full, two cars, a scooter, a table saw and woodworking tools. I actually hang up "Bruiser" on a hook in what we call the shed so he doesn't take up a lot of space. But I did find a way to hang the Burley right next to "Bruiser" and I think it will work very well.

What a find! What a lot of great memories! Perhaps a future grandchild will ride in this trailer. Certainly groceries are an occasional possibility. Perhaps I will revive my interest in garage sale-ing and take the trailer to hold my new "stuff".

The Doctor Said: "Don't Sell the Scooter!"

I'm not supposed to be driving but I recently violated my driving restriction. Well, maybe just a little bit. I am guilty of backing the car out of the garage a few days ago and parking it on the other side of the driveway. Never even left the driveway. You should have seen it though. With precision I expertly engaged the clutch pedal while carefully managing the complicated steering maneuver. Forward and reverse movements were a work of art, if I don't say so myself, and the whole process was, shall we say, breath-taking.

Later that day I repeated the maneuver, albeit in reverse, as I moved the car back into the garage. I didn't hit anything either. I guess I still remember how to drive.

Unfortunately, it now appears that it might be mid-August before the doctors feel comfortable in removing my driving restrictions. It turns out that a 6 month moratorium from operating a motor vehicle is, sort of, standard procedure for someone like me.

The reasons for the restrictions from driving are a bit complicated. Frankly, texting or talking on a cell phone while driving are just as much or more dangerous than my circumstance, in my humble opinion. But I recognize and understand the reasons for my restriction and have agreed to abide by them.

This, however, has caused some changes in my own personal methods of transportation.

First, I have been catching a lot of rides with other people particularly with my wife, but I am now well known to try and bum rides off of other people as well. I still do this a lot, but others have become tired of me, especially my wife. I don't blame them. And they never want to go where I want to go when I want to go. Friction is frequently the result. We don't want that.

Second, I have resorted to taking the city bus back and forth to work. This method of transportation has actually worked out quite well for me. The city's bus system is not world renowned for its convenience to residents. For instance, one day I tried to figure out how I cold get from my home to my doctor's office on the west side of town, maybe 12 miles away. Best I could tell, after two transfers, I could do it as long as I left home 3 hours before my appointment.

The building where I work as viewed from the 18th floor of a building just down the street

But actually, for my usual bus ride from home to downtown where I work, it is very convenient. I can get off and on the bus a block away from my office. On the home side of the trip I need to walk about a half mile, but that is actually a very good thing, as long as the weather is not crappy. It forces me to get a little walking exercise which pleases my doctors and is very good for my heart.

This was and still may be the tallest building in Kansas. Don't laugh! I think it's about 21 stories.

Third is becoming my favorite method of getting around, just because it involves 2 wheels instead of 4. I have restored my old mountain bike (his name is "Bruiser") to working condition and he is going to be very helpful to me in getting around in the next few months. The doctors have actually encouraged this. The exercise is good for me and it gives me even more of a feeling of independence to go where I want to go when I want to go.

I haven't been riding a lot yet. I just haven't felt strong enough until recently. And I don't anticipate long rides for awhile, but short rides of a few miles will be easy to do.

I thought that maybe a little comparison would be in order, scooter vs bicycle.

Model:                        Scooter:      SYM "HD200"                       
                                     Bicycle:       Specialized "Rockhopper"

Brand New Grips, the old ones were falling off from disintegration

Year:                          Scooter:      2008

                                   Bicycle:       Not certain, 92-96?

Country of origin:       Scooter:      Taiwan

                                    Bicycle:       Taiwan

Proof of Taiwan Origin, sort of like Barack Obama's birth certificate

Weight:                      Scooter:      approx 289 lbs

                                   Bicycle:       approx 29 lbs?

Horsepower:              Scooter:      15 bhp

                                   Bicycle:        hmmmm  <1

Transmission:            Scooter:       Automatic CVT

                                    Bicycle:       3 chain rings, 7 gears at rear,
                                                       21 possible combinations,
                                                       only really use 10 or 12

Helmets:                     Scooter:      Scorpion EXO700 full face,
                                                       very small vents
                                    Bicycle:       Specialized fancy styrofoam thingie,
                                                       lots of big vents

I always wear a helmet!

Gloves:                       Scooter:      Aerostich Hot Weather Vegan

                                    Bicycle:       Specialized palm padded fingerless

Hairy Arms

Don't Laugh! The padding works, plus I look "Cool"!

Tires:                         Scooter:      16 in, (tubeless)

                                   Bicycle:       26 x 1.95 in knobbies (tubes)

These are the original tires. Currently 50 psi, plenty hard. Road bikes generally have over 100 psi

Tool kit:                     Scooter:       Yes

                                   Bicycle:        Yes

An assortment of tools for the road

Tachometer:              Scooter:       None

                                   Bicycle:        None

Accessories:              Scooter:       man bag hook, Shad top case

                                    Bicycle:       bottle cage, Cannondale rear rack bag

Bad pic of bottle cage and frame pump

I carry a couple of extra tubes and have room for even more crap

Seats:                         Scooter:       comfortable for many hours
                                    Bicycle:        comfortable for about two minutes


Top speed:                  Scooter:       approx 70-75 mph
                                    Bicycle:        Unlimited?!
                                                        Let's say 20 mph downhill
                                                        with wind behind you.
                                                        (Not geared for speed)

Possible FARKLE:     Scooter:      Heated grips, luggage,
                                                        Blaupunkt Stereo System
                                     Bicycle:       speedo w/ heart rate monitor,
                                                        another bottle cage,
                                                        Blaupunkt Stereo System


There you have it!



Now I do wish to finish up with an apology to readers of this blog.

It has been a bit difficult for me recently to keep up with posts to this blog. In addition, I haven't been able to keep up with reading other blogs as much as I would like.

There are a couple of reasons, first being my health as I recover from the heart attack and sudden cardiac arrests I had earlier this year. Let it be known I am doing very well, it's just a very slow recovery. Secondly, tax season was a bit of a bear, I am still only working part time, but everybody else worked their asses off and we made it through. But finally, and probably most important is just merely that I haven't been riding and don't have a lot to write about. I am hoping that will change eventually, but be advised that posts to this blog may be irregular and infrequent.

In essence this blog may get "parked" for awhile.



But also know that .......



I'm Not Selling the Scooter!



Have a Nice Day "Bub"!

As I finished my banking transactions on a cold Friday afternoon, the teller sent the receipts back to me and said: "Have a Nice Day, Bub!" Now I have to say that I can't recall the last time someone called me "Bub". He was genuinely trying to be friendly. And he wasn't obnoxious like the tellers at Bank Of Ameri-something who seem to always say the same thing like they are some sort of slightly malfunctioning robots. Oh, they are friendly too, but I get tired of hearing the same worn out phrases spoken like they are forced to be sincere and really don't want to be. Was it the fact that I rode up on the scooter all decked out in my Denim Gear Jacket looking very cool? (If I don't say so myself) He didn't call me "Sir" or "Mister", just "Bub". I sensed that if I had been dressed differently, or arrived on 4 wheels, rather than 2, he wouldn't have called me "Bub". Did I look like a "Bub"? I don't mind being called "Bub". It's better than "Bubba" or even "Dumbass". I just went through the drive up rather than go inside. I like riding Max through the drive up. This bank is usually crazy busy on a Friday afternoon, but today I got right through. I was in a really good mood and was looking forward to dinner that evening with my wife. You see, it was our anniversary, 32 years no less. We went to a Japanese Hibachi restaurant that we hadn't been to for some time. The food is excellent, but not cheap. It's a fun place to go on a special occasion. Our chef was fast, good and very entertaining. Jayna ordered salmon and scallops with hot green tea. I had chicken and salmon with some extra veggies. I drank a Tsunami which was spiced rum and fruit juice. The chef kept trying to goad me into more drinks. I had two and Jayna drove home. One thing though, for some reason, the chef kept referring to me as "Big Daddy" whenever he would serve up some food on my plate. He repeated this 4 or 5 times. Other people at the table had steak and he went around the table making sure how much they wanted their steaks cooked, rare, well done, etc. Then he looked at me, with a little smirk on his face and asked me " How do you want your chicken cooked,,,,, "Big Daddy"? After 2 Tsunamis I wasn't quick enough with a witty comeback, just some laughter. So today I was referred to as "Jim"," Bub" and "Big Daddy". It wasn't my idea. It just happened that way. It didn't bother me, just made me ponder. What I'd really like is if Jayna would let me continue to be her "Big Daddy" for a long time to come. She's pretty special!

I Didn't Click "Purchase Now" because.....

Years ago I admit to being timid about purchasing "stuff" on the internet. I was leery of the security of giving out credit card information. For instance, if ordering clothes from LL Bean, one of my favorite stores, I'd look at the items on the internet, make my selection and then mail a check with the order form. It would take a few days more, because they would wait to ship until my check had cleared, but I didn't care. Nowadays, I seldom think twice about internet purchases. We buy lots of things from various internet sites and have almost never encountered any problem. We just continue to be careful about it. But the other day I was in the process of making an internet purchase from a well known online motorcycle clothing and accessory site. I won't name the site but I have a couple of sites that I have used in the past for buying scooter "stuff". It has been cold enough recently that I have experienced a bit of a cold neck while riding. The rest of me has stayed relatively warm, but I was considering buying a new balaclava. I found one that looked nice. It was priced at $18, maybe a little more than I wanted to spend, but then again, it wouldn't break the bank and I don't mind spending the money if the quality is good. There was no doubt that the quality would be good from this site. I really didn't need a new balaclava. I have a perfectly good nylon one from my prior bicycling days. It's not new, but not very used either. It works fine and I don't really need it that often. I use it when it is maybe 25-30 degrees and below. But part of the reason I was looking for a new one is that the old one is kind of ugly. It is a sort of blue/purple color and really not very attractive. The new one has a nice additional feature. The material for the neck area is thicker and almost like fur, while the top portion is thin, much like my old balaclava, so that it can fit nicely while wearing a tight fitting helmet. The new one is made specifically with motorcyclists in mind. The old one can be used by anybody. The new one is not a sickly sort of faded blue/purple color, just basic black. Now part of me says that if it keeps me warm, then what's it matter what the old one looks like. The vain person in me says this is not tolerable. It doesn't match anything else I wear color-wise. And it would be "cool" to say I got a new one from one of my favorite motorcycle web sites. (I am so bad, I keep a copy of that particular catalog in the bathroom so I can peruse and dream over all the "stuff" as I take care of some of my daily duties.) I also found a particular belt I wanted at the same site. I didn't really need it either, I just wanted it. Do you ever fight with yourself about stuff you "want" as opposed to stuff you really "need"? Anyway, I entered the two items, totaling less than $40, into the shopping cart on the web site and clicked the button to see what the shipping cost would be. $9.00 Nine friggin' Dollars !!!! I am sure that the two items could be shipped in a relatively small box. It can't weigh very much. And I wasn't interested in overnight or even two day fares. Just your basic normal shipping. $9.00? Are you really kidding me? The "shipping" was about 25% of the total purchase. I suppose I might have felt better if it had said "Shipping and Handling" rather than just "Shipping". Maybe I subconsciously don't mind paying for a little "handling". But I know for a fact that the shipping would not be more than a few bucks. Hell, you could parcel post it for almost next to nothing and I don't really care how it gets here, just so it does. So I never finished the transaction. Maybe I should have, but at that time, economy won out over vanity, and it sure seemed that the balaclava and belt just got a little more expensive than I felt comfortable with. Damn! Now I have to ride "ugly".

A Two Wheeler at the Tax Seminar

Thursday, December 9 I was putting on my gear while people were sort of chatting and milling around at the end of an all day tax seminar. One of the people saw me putting on my gear pants and commented to me that my ride home ought to be warmer than my ride that morning to the seminar. I said I was looking forward to the ride home, but the ride that morning really wasn't all that unpleasant. It was 33 degrees as I left the house this morning, about 50 degrees for the ride home. It was almost 15 degrees colder for the morning ride to work yesterday. Then the same person said "I don't know how you do it!" I wasn't all that sure how to respond, but said something about just being properly dressed and let it go at that. Then I wondered, am I really that weird to ride in cold weather? I don't see as many motorcycles out on the streets this time of year, but there are some and I know that I'm not the only one who rides at this time of year. I am sure of one thing though. I was the only person that arrived at the seminar that morning on two wheels. So maybe I am a bit unusual. Does that bother me? Naaaah! Let them think what they want to think. If they admire it, fine. If not, fine. I am mostly indifferent as to what they think. I just know how I feel about it. Maybe I am proud of being a bit "greener" than other people. After all, I probably got about 75 mpg getting to and from the seminar that day. Few others, if any, could claim that, and then only if they car-pooled. Maybe I like the challenge of riding in colder weather. Maybe I am secretly looking for admiration and respect from others. I do get a chuckle when I pull up next to someone in a car at a stoplight and they look over at me with this look on their face that tells me they are sure I am crazy. But that isn't it either. I just prefer not giving people the knowledge that one of the reasons I do it is because I enjoy the hell out of it. Now, as you might imagine, tax seminars for CPA's are not renowned for being very exciting. There was one sort of cool thing (I think) that happened that day. Most of the time we get a big notebook full of reference materials at these events. Sometimes there is a lot of paper and my office is full of old notebooks from past seminars I have attended. But just recently they started emailing the materials to us in a .pdf format. If we want to we can print off our own "book", or as an alternative bring a laptop or e-reader with the .pdf file already saved. I think this is a great idea. I brought the laptop and was able to read along as the instructor spoke. Some people brought I-pods, I-pads and other devices. A lot of CPA firms are going "paperless" and we will start that effort ourselves next year. We'll be trying to kill even fewer trees. The day was spent with much thought about changes in tax laws. I also thought about "green" things today. I barely even gave any thought to the temperatures today. The seminar was at a hotel on the opposite side of town. As a result, I had two really nice rides today.

A New Glove Set-up

A lot of people have told me that after I acquire my first set of heated gloves or grips, that I will want to kick myself for not having done so sooner. And No, I haven't done it (yet). My reasons, all with various levels of invalidity are as follows: 1) I am Cheap! The grips or gloves are expensive. 2) If I ask Jayna to spend more money on "scootering", she is liable to have a different idea or suggestion. And she is frequently right! 3) I am a bit afraid of messing with the electronics on Max. It would probably be fine, but I sure wouldn't want to screw something up. I am a firm believer in the adage, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it". 4) I really do not need them very often. I have survived quite well in temperatures down to freezing. Below that, I have had some issues. 5) My commute only takes me about 15 minutes. I figure I can stand cold fingers for at least that amount of time. The rest of me stays mostly comfortable. 6) I have a level of insecurity about fiddling with the electronics. I would want to do it very right the first time. Ideally, I would want a device where I might want to plug in various devices. Maybe heated grips, maybe heated clothing, maybe a GPS, maybe a Christmas tree, maybe a Blaupunkt. And I am certainly too cheap to pay someone to do this for me (reason #1). But recently I found an old pair of gloves with a fleece liner. I removed the liner and am now using the liner with my regular winter gloves and it has resulted in a vast improvement. It is sort of a tight fit, and maybe a little less feeling on the controls, but much better than what I was doing last winter. I laugh sometimes about the clothing and gear I used that first winter. It was a process of experimentation as I discovered what did and didn't work very well. The 2nd winter was better and the clothing and gear experiments are ongoing. Two years from now maybe I'll look back and think about what an idiot I must have been. Live and Learn, I guess. I keep telling myself that someday I'll be really smart.

A Day in The Life & That Damn Clock

I love a day where I have extra places to go. A day where there is more riding than just to and from work. I get to ride almost every day, but sometimes tire of the normal mundane route. This day was at least a little different.

Mini Max gets to go everywhere with me.

Today, my first stop was to the doctor's office. It's on the other side of town. I'm not complaining, means more riding for me. I have an annual physical later in the week and this day I was supposed to stop by and leave off some of my precious blood for the vampire at the doctor's office, so tests can be run to see if I am still alive. The primary purpose is to see what state my cholesterol is in. It has not always been good, but better than it used to be since I have lost some weight. The doctor will always have suggestions for me to lower it, all of which I will listen to, but some of which I will probably ignore. I almost steadfastly refuse to support the big drug companies and buy expensive cholesterol medications. Losing some weight, eating better and a little exercise have much better benefits than expensive drugs. (Rebel I am)

The sometimes pain in the ass clock on Max.

Why is it that my cell phone, my computers and other clocks automatically change when daylight savings time begins or ends, but the clock on Max does not? Can't they do something about that? OK, maybe I'm just lazy.

.

The clock on Max also gains a little time continuously, it has been almost 2 weeks since daylight savings time ended, and I hadn't gotten around to adjusting the clock on Max. Since daylight savings time started last Spring, Max has gained 7 minutes. No, lazy me, I never get around to adjusting it until I really need to. For instance, if I know I haven't adjusted the clock in awhile, then I know it is fast and take that into account.

.

The real pain regarding that clock is you have to find a pen or relatively narrow object to adjust the clock. For some reason it always takes me 2 or 3 attempts to get it set correctly. Maybe it is smarter than I am.

.

I was a little early for the doctor's office to open, so I stopped to kill a few minutes and decided that I should finally get the clock corrected.

The amazingly technical procedure to adjusting the clock on Max.

.

I did finally get the clock reset. I left my blood for the vampire and proceeded to the office for a day of fun and games in the accounting world.

.

This was also a day when I teach a class at night. Yippee, another diversion from the normal routine. The school is only a couple of miles from the office, so after work I boogie on over there, teach the class and get home about 9:00 that night. As I left the class and ventured over to Max, I noticed a lot of dew on Max and the other cars in the parking lot. A little wiping of the mirrors and guages was necessary, but at least it wasn't cold enough to freeze.

Max, all loaded up.

This is typical of what Max has to carry for me on a day where I have to teach. The backpack, full of papers and a textbook, is attached to the purse hook in front of the seat. The laptop is in a small briefcase bungeed (2 cords, in case one breaks) to the seat behind me. My "Man Bag" is in the topcase where the helmet would normally reside. Keep in mind, too, that there are tools, a rain jacket and other things under the seat. .

I used to bungee the backpack to the seat behind me, but it makes the bike a little top heavy, and handles better if I use the purse hook because the center of gravity is lower. Beats me why they have to make college textbooks so heavy, but most are ridiculous. I wish they would just replace them with CD Roms or something else.

.

Now I will have to make a claim that might anger some readers, but in my humble opinion (which arguably isn't worth a lot), I would say that a scooter has at least some advantage in being able to carry a bunch of "stuff", compared to a motorcycle. Okay, I may be full of crap, but that little purse hook and the shape of the frame makes the scooter pretty darn useful. Over time, I have carried a lot unusual items on Max. Pizza, chinese food, charcoal for the grill, various groceries, a coffee maker and crockpot and the list goes on. I'm not saying you can't do much the same on a motorcycle, but that little purse hook has some advantages.

.

Oh well, I do not mean to offend. It was just another day of commuting. And a fun one at that.

A Couple of Errands And the Changing Fall Colors

Last Saturday morning, I was drinking a little coffee and staring out the window of our kitchen and was greeted with the wonderful red colors of these two trees in our front yard. It had rained on Thursday and Friday and it seemed that the rain finally brought out some of the more vivid colors of Fall. These trees weren't this red the day before. It has been unseasonably warm here for the Fall season. That's been good because the riding weather has been great. We haven't even experienced a hard freeze yet, and it is already about 3 weeks beyond the normal date for our first freeze of the year. A couple of weeks ago I took a couple of pictures of leaves starting to change color. These leaves were just starting to change from green to yellow.

These were trying to change from green to red

It seems a little later this year for the leaves to change colors.

Now our front yard looks like this.

I had a couple of short errands to run today. It was the first Saturday that we have had in awhile that there wasn't some sort of wedding related task to accomplish. It was nice to sleep in a bit and not be rushed to get a bunch of things done. The errands were not far from home, nor would they take a long time and I took the camera along in order to try and get a few pictures of the finally changing colors of the trees.

I needed to stop by a couple of stores and they were both in the same shopping center. But first I rode around a bit looking for a place to get a picture or two.

I needed to stop by Barnes and Noble. I had just finished a book on my Nook, my electronic book reader. I have only the Wi-Fi version of the Nook, and I can't connect at home, so I sometimes stop by other places to shop for a new book where my Nook can connect to the Barnes and Noble website. It's easy for me just to go to the store itself since it is not real far from home. I sometimes get a cup of coffee and find an easy chair to sit in while shopping for another book.

The sun was bright after the rainy weather we had the past couple of days. It was cool when I left the house on Max, so I dressed fairly warmly. Heavy liner in the jacket, light liner in the pants, an old sweatshirt underneath the jacket. With the sun beating down, I found I was overdressed a bit.

I found a few different places to take pictures, some stops made very near the shopping center.

There were even some ducks on one of the ponds.

But for some reason I was more interested in the colors of the trees.

I stopped by Barnes and Noble and got a new book downloaded to the Nook.

My other stop was at a store called Backwoods that sells camping and hiking clothing and equipment. I don't ever spend a lot of money there, but it is a fun store with lots of interesting merchandise. I do have some long underwear from there that I sometimes wear while riding on a real cold day.

When they get you on their list, you give them your birthday, and they give you a little present each year. My birthday is coming up and I got a postcard that week that I could turn in for my present. It's usually nothing real fancy, but nice all the same, and the quality of their merchandise is always good. I picked up the present and headed for home.

As I rounded the curve to my street, which has a lot of trees, I noticed that we have the reddest trees on the block. There are lots of leaves in the street too, so have to watch out for them.

After I parked at the house, I opened up my birthday present to find a very nice little duffel bag. Not real big, but looks like I could easily strap or bungee it to Max and carry a few goodies with it.

My thanks to the Backwoods store. It was a lovely little ride.

Voting in Motorcycle Gear

When I went to vote this morning I didn't have to show any form of ID. Just gave them my name and address. They found me in the book and gave me a slip of paper to hand to the person that monitored the electronic voting machines. She was friendly and noticed my gear clothing. She asked me "Did you ride a motorcycle to the polling place?" I briefly recalled Mad Magazine's recurring articles about "Snappy answers to Stupid Questions", but I was nice, and didn't respond with a "snappy" answer, just merely said "Yes". Then she asked, "Isn't it cold for riding today?" (It was about 45 degrees) Again, Mad Magazine came to mind, but I resisted the temptation and said I was dressed pretty warmly and didn't mind the cool temperature. Then she led me to an unused voting machine, explained a couple of instructions, and I proceeded to cast my ballot. It only took me a minute or so, and I remembered that they usually give you an "I voted" sticker to wear as you leave the polling place, but as I was headed out the door I didn't see any of the polling workers nearby and thought that maybe I would not get a sticker today.

I was almost out the door when the same lady spotted me and asked me if I wanted a sticker. I said "Yes" and she walked over to me and firmly planted one on my chest. I said "Thanks" and asked her if I could have an extra sticker for the bike. She said "Sure", gave me a couple of them, and I proceeded out the door after thanking her again.

Sometimes, for example when I am in a grocery store with my gear on, people look at me a little funny. They might wonder what is the purpose of my clothing. There are times when a "snappy" answer to a question could come in handy, but I seldom seem to have a silly answer readily available in my mind.

Oh well, I am just glad that the lady at the polling place knew what the gear was all about.

Recent Bad News

One of the 11 riders that died apparently suffered a heart attack while riding. I think you can throw that one out as just plain weird. But the article goes on to say that all but two of these accidents were the fault of the motorcyclist. The paper went on to say that this is in sharp contrast to national statistics that indicate that 77% of fatal motorcycle accidents are the fault of automobile drivers.

Excessive speed was an issue in some of the accidents. Alcohol may have been a factor in some accidents as well as mistakes by automobile drivers. But, oddly enough, it appears that the rider's ability to safely negotiate a turn or a curve was the problem in some of these accidents and in many cases, no other vehicle was involved.

The reporter interviewed a local safety instructor, Joe Gattenby, that runs a company that offers training courses for the Motorcycle Safety Foundation. Joe is a great guy. I have spoken with him before and even had his wife in one of my accounting classes that I teach at a local college. It is hard to get in one of his classes as his courses are booked up well in advance.

Joe's analysis or explanation is that inexperience and lack of training may have played significant roles in a lot of these accidents. He stated that a lot of riders get their motorcycle licenses without taking a training course and that maybe some of those people are more interested in the fun aspect of riding and are not aware of, or ignore, the dangers involved. He went on to suggest that training should maybe be mandatory for getting a license.

Joe said you can't be just paying attention to what's immediately in front of you. You have to be driving a couple of blocks ahead and anticipating the worst of what could happen.

Joe had 3 suggestions that all motorcyclists should follow and be aware of:

1) Proper Gear and Clothing

2) Understand how to safely execute corners and curves

3) Understand and be proficient at various emergency maneuver techniques.

Ride Safe Out There!

Should I Break out The Winter Gloves Yet?

I am thinking about it, but have resisted it so far. Our summer here was a little hotter than normal (whatever normal is). The Aerostich Hot Weather Vegan gloves continue to serve me well. They are probably my favorite riding accessory. My mesh Tourmaster jacket and pants have also performed well this past summer. I have however, switched jackets and have been wearing the denim jacket I bought last spring. The denim jacket is not as cool in summer weather even with lots of zippered vents. Part of the reason, though, for changing jackets is that the weather isn't as hot now, plus I just look so damn cool in denim! LOL I suppose I should keep both pairs of gloves on Max, wear one set for the morning ride to work, the other in the afternoon. The cold weather gloves are safely being stored in the garage, but I may have to break them out soon. It was 46 degrees Monday morning when I left the house. My fingers were a bit cold by the time I got to the office, but I had those summer gloves on so I have only myself to blame. Then I will eventually reach a point in time when I will need to break out the glove liners as well, but that may be a few weeks away. I have some silk glove liners and some fleece liners, and sometimes I will wear them all at the same time. I have considered heated grips and other means to ward off the cold on the old fingers, but it only takes me about 15 minutes to get to and from work. I figure I can stand some cold fingers for that length of time. The weather this week has been very conducive for riding. Lows in the 50's and highs in the 70's to low 80's. The famous Canadian Suburu has stayed in the garage for well over a week now. Nice!

A Cooler Morning

Wednesday morning was very special! I was excited. Monday's high temperature was in the upper 90's. It had seemed like almost every day had been that way for the last 60 days. We hit 109 degrees one day a couple of weeks ago.

But a cold front came through Monday night, we got a couple of inches of much needed rain, and the prediction was for an overnight low of 58 degrees for Wednesday morning.

Absolute heaven!

We left the windows in the house open Tuesday night and slept like babies in the cooler air.

Part of the reason for the excitement though, was that I would be able to wear my relatively new denim jacket on my ride to work, rather than my mesh jacket that I had worn almost every day this summer.

Now, I love my mesh jacket. It has protected me in an accident, and is comfortable on hot days. It has 2 liners to enable me to wear it year round. But for some reason, I have grown a little tired of it. I actually bought the denim jacket a few months ago, but only worn it a few times. It is not a hot weather jacket. It is very nice to have 2 jackets, just for a little change of pace, if nothing else.

On Wednesday morning I donned the denim jacket and took off to work. The denim jacket has zippered vents, but I left them open. The cool air just felt so damn good as I rode. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of the ride.

I plan to use the denim jacket almost exclusively in cooler weather. It should be fantastic in the winter months. The denim material is heavy, yet soft and comfortable. As I rode to work on Wednesday morning, I started to imagine what it would be like on a colder day with its own heavy liner and maybe a sweater underneath. It seems like it has been a long time since I have ridden that way.

In a sort of tantalizing way, the ride to work on Wednesday felt a lot more like Autumn rather than Summer. I know there are a few more weeks to go until Autumn is officially here, but I, for one am looking forward with great anticipation to cooler weather. I love riding in cool, even cold, temperatures.