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Achievement Unlocked: Slacking Motorcycle Blogger!

Greetings from the land of absentee bloggers! I thought it was about time I brushed some of the cobwebs away and put up an update.

You missed me, didn’t you? ;)
Just go along with it even if you didn’t. It’s good for my battered self esteem.

In the couple of weeks since I last posted, I’ve actually ridden my motorcycle quite a lot. For some reason, I just haven’t taken the time to write about it.  That really goes against the whole premise of being a blogger, doesn’t it? I told you I like to live on the edge.

So, What’s New?

The Ural

Things on the Ural front are status quo. The 3-wheeled smile machine is still happily chugging along bringing sunshine to the masses. No problems with it, since some folks have asked. ::knocks wood:: 

I get it – but it always bugs me when people ask if anything has gone wrong with it. It’s just a little douchey. If something craps out on it, you guys will be the first to know.

I am still in awe with just how people react to the big orange girl. It is always met with a smile. And that… makes me happy.

The Tiger

My sick Tiger was all fixed up a few weeks ago.

Remember how the “thingy” had been wonky by the ignition? Well it turned out a wire inside had broken loose. Why? Who knows? And really, I don’t care. All I know is the Tiger and I were reunited and it feels so good.

That should cover your Peaches and Herb quota for the month.

The Berkshire Big Adventure

It’s almost time for the 2013 Berkshire Big Adventure ride – my favorite ride of the year. This year it is a two-day event so I’m all sorts of excited about that.

Berkshire Big Adventure
AMA National 2 Day Adventure Ride
May 18-19, 2013

Seeing as how I haven’t ridden my Husky offroad in months, I am expecting to be really rusty. Being rusty when you already suck at something… well, that should bring about some interesting results. Ah, what the hell. I’m hoping for the best!

You can find some old posts about the BBA here:

And our video from 2011 that I just love to recycle because it was so much fun:

 

The Minuteman 1000

I’ve had to withdraw from doing the Minuteman Rally because I still haven’t mastered being in 3 places at once. Oh well, whaddayagonnado?

Equinox to Equinox Rally

I’m still riding around taking pictures of things for the E2E Rally.

I’ve been trying to get off of the Island to pick up some points and leave the local stuff for when I have less time to get out.

The downside of this plan is that I fucking hate the Long Island Expressway at this point and am sick of making the hour long slog to get off this island. Cue violins. But, that’s the price I have to pay for living in paradise! Oh. Right. :P

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So – that’s what happening around here.

How About You?

Trips, events, rallies – what are you up to?

Now More Than Ever – Think Happy Thoughts

I have this sticker on my Givi box…

Most of the time I don’t need a reminder. But with my eyes and ears glued to the news lately, I can allow myself to get overwhelmed.

Even through all the sadness in the world, there are blessing and so many things to be happy about. Yesterday I asked my Facebook friends to share some of the good things in their day with me. With responses ranging from weddings, to the happiness of their children, to simply being alive – they were able to focus and share their happiness.

So, how about it? Tell me what’s good in your world.

Seeing Signs – Make Someone Happy

Do you ever feel like you stumble across things that were meant for you to see them? Their presence in your life has meaning that just seems too uncanny to be coincidence?

Over the weekend, I watched the movie Signs for the millionth time. There is a scene with Mel Gibson’s character, Graham that gets my brain a-burnin’ every time ~

People break down into two groups. When they experience something lucky, group number one sees it as more than luck, more than coincidence. They see it as a sign, evidence, that there is someone up there, watching out for them. Group number two sees it as just pure luck. Just a happy turn of chance.

I’m sure the people in group number two are looking at those fourteen lights in a very suspicious way. For them, the situation is a fifty-fifty. Could be bad, could be good. But deep down, they feel that whatever happens, they’re on their own. And that fills them with fear. Yeah, there are those people. But there’s a whole lot of people in group number one. When they see those fourteen lights, they’re looking at a miracle. And deep down, they feel that whatever’s going to happen, there will be someone there to help them. And that fills them with hope.

See what you have to ask yourself is what kind of person are you? Are you the kind that sees signs, that sees miracles? Or do you believe that people just get lucky? Or, look at the question this way: Is it possible that there are no coincidences?

-Graham Hess  – “Signs”

Which group do you find yourself in?

One Motorcycle, Please – Hold the Salt

Over the weekend I had a nice conversation with another motorcycle rider. He mentioned that he wasn’t riding because of the snow. That’s understandable – maybe he didn’t feel safe or didn’t have gear that would keep him comfortable enough. But as we talked some more, it sounded like he wasn’t fully sure he wanted to not be riding. I could hear the desire tugging at his heart.

During the conversation he also happened to mention the salt on the roads. I guess looking at my pants and boots illustrated the point that the roads were a mess. He asked me if I worried about it.

I guess I do and I don’t. Of course I don’t want my bike to be encrusted in the stuff. But, it is easy enough to wash it down when I get home. I can spend hours doing something I love and only have to put in 20 minutes worth of clean up? Not a bad trade, really.

I’m not a ‘hardcore’ motorcyclist. At all. I’m just… regular. I love to ride and try to squeeze that in where I can. Sometimes that means in conditions that are less than perfect but, eh, whattayagonnado? If you spend your life sitting around waiting for perfection you aren’t going to get a lot done.

“If you really want to do something, you’ll find a way. If you don’t, you’ll find an excuse.”
— JIM ROHN