Todays The Day

Around lunch time my son will be climbing into a shuttle van with
a handful of other potential recruits for the various branches
of the United States military.
He is hoping to be sworn into the delayed entry program by late
Friday afternoon.
They are all going to Philadelphia to be deposited in a Sheraton
for the night and very early Friday morning taken to MEPS, the
Military Entrance Processing Station for their initial processing.
His recruiter warned us that it's a long tough day.
If Austin passes all the various tests, including numerous medical
tests, he will meet with a job counselor and be told what jobs he
qualifies for. Hopefully it will be something he already has his
eye on.
Thankfully he scored quite well on the ASVAB test a few weeks ago.
Well enough that he is scheduled to take the challenging, Electronic
Data Processing Test while he is at MEPS.
If he scores high enough on that, well, other, more selective doors
will open for him if he wants to walk through them.
The Air Force wants him, and he whats the Air Force. I can only hope
as his mother, that if he gets in, and we have no reason to think
he won't, that he will continue to be happy.
Gee, I can't believe that around this time next year he'll be leaving
for basic training.
Drink up the time you have with your children. Because one day they
will grow up and fledge.
Leaving you with an empty nest.
....

I...

surrender.
It's no use to try to stay in bed, when I wake
up at 1:30am, or 2:30am or 3:30 am, thinking about
motorcycles.
Staying in bed, trying to go back to sleep until
the alarm goes off, doesn't work.
I've tried.
So many bikes, so many cc's, so many questions.
I shopped.
In person and on the Internet.
I stopped.
When I saw a bike for sale in someones yard.
There was a ceiling on what I could spend, and
I was pretty firm on the amount I had in mind.
It wasn't much.
Yesterday afternoon I went by to see the first
bike I'd looked at, with an appointment to see
another one later that evening. I'd visited this
one previously, once just to look, and once to
sit on it. This time after sitting on it again,
looking it over in greater detail, and hearing
it run,I made an offer. $300.- lower than the
original asking price.
When it was finally accepted, I put a deposit down.
So, by weeks end I'll be the owner of a 2002 Ninja
250.
No crotch rocket, though it looks like one, and not
a bike I'll be battling traffic with on RT. 78, but
a perfect size and weight for my build, and a great
place to start.
When I took the MSF course, it was to see if I was
interested, if I could learn, and if I would even
be comfortable on a motorcycle.
That question was answered in the affirmative, and
I had fun, along with some nervousness, during the
process of earning the "M" rating on my license.
Yet, at courses end, I knew it was only the barest
of a beginning.
There is a lot more to learn and the only place to
do it is on the road.
Hence the need for my own motorcycle.
Not sure when I'll get it home, I'm hoping Sunday
if I can get all the paper work done by then.
A few friends have offered to truck it home for me.
But I've decide I want to ride it there.
:)

Sunday

Well,I tried to pack in as much as I could on
my day off.
Slept in till 7:30, took care of the critters,
made myself some tea then got on the computer
since my son was still asleep, the only time I
have access to it.
Before long it was time to get dressed and head
off to the Haycock Bikefest being held the
Southern Lehigh Community Park in Coopersburg.
Wasn't sure what to expect from a "bikefest", but
my hope was to see a lot of motorcycles, and that
dream was fulfilled in spades.
Fifteen minutes after the gates opened I'd paid,
had my wrist band on and was leaning up against
a fence watching the bike after bike roll in and
park. First under a line of trees, and when that
area filled up, on the well maintained grass of
a baseball field.
There were hundreds of them!
A kaleidescope of every make, model, engine size,
and color, passed in front of my eyes, most shiny
and pristine, ridden by as colorful a selection of
human beings.
Male female, skinny and fat, one astride, or two up.
The were a few rough looking bikes and a few rough
looking individuals, but they were in the minority.
For 45 minutes I watched bike after bike roll in
and park. Then gave up my ring side location and
started walking up and down row after row of two
wheeled wonders..
Wow!
You name it, and it was there, to be seen in the
flesh, err..metal.
What a great way to spend a few hours. The weather
was fine, and the scenery was too.
But nothing lasts forever and it was time soon
enough to get home and have lunch before indoor
practice.

No doubt about it though,I'm in the doldrums.
Then again, as I now recall, I feel this way
every year when summer gets serious about drawing
to a close.
Indoor season is on my heels and we will be fully
engaged soon. It's already getting dark earlier
and earlier, and everything seems to be shrinking
in around me, choking off the pleasure I find in
life.
In other words I am miserable at the loss of summer..

I'll adjust eventually, I always do.
But it's a sad affair..

Whew..

There's no way I can be too old to work
six days a week, but it seems to be kicking
my butt at present.
By days end Saturday, I was drained.
Had a migraine that morning and it
had me half blind and feeling sick for
hours.
Thankfully taking 3 Aleve did the trick,
as it usually does, but the episode made
me wonder if I just have too much on my
plate.
Bottom line is, I'm not light hearted
and happy. my preferred state of being.
Instead I'm tired, not sleeping well and
the strain that causes, is showing up as
crankiness over small stuff, a sure fire
warning sign.
One I've regretted ignoring in the past
when I found myself in very similar
circumstances.
So.
What do I give up?

Cranky Pants

It hasn't been the best week.
Cause?
I've been cranky.
And tired.
Work has been extra busy, skating isn't
rocking my world at present and I've made
some decisions I now regret.
And, choosing a motorcycle, is tough.
I've been to various dealerships to sit on
bikes but I'm just not sure about the direction
I want to go in.
So many types, styles, and all out of my
price range.
Buy a 250 to learn on, buy a 500 because
you'll outgrow the 250 in three months.
Buy a 650 at least! You'll grow into it
and be sorry if you start smaller.
Everyone has an opinion.
What do I want?
Well, I know what I don't want. A heavy
bike that I'm afraid to take out of my
garage.
What I think I want, is to recapture
the joy I felt at sixteen riding my
Yamaha mini-enduro around the country
roads of Maryland.
Then, I didn't want to ride on the
interstate, or across country with
piles of friends. Then, I wanted to
zip around and see what was down this
road and the next, feeling the air flow
around my body. My bike and I working
and moving as one.
On my best days in a sailplane, that's
how it felt.
At one with the plane.
No thoughts, except what you were doing,
what was under you, and around you.
The wings were your arms, and "you" were
flying, not just a pilot at the "controls".
Skating is at it's best then.
No thinking, no worries if your doing
it right. I forget then about the boots
and wheels on my feet and just power forward.
When I get low and belt out a few fast
laps, that's when the joy seeps back in.

A Falling Off

Practice last night did not go as expected..
I was off my game.
Should have known things weren't going to
be easy for me when I had to make an effort
to keep up during our five warm up laps.
Hitting the hill loop next, well, I could
feel my body complain from the get go.
Where did the kids ahead of me get their
energy I thought?
Things got ugly quick.The only part of the
night that went fast for me.
Flailing arms, and no knee bend = poop.
Technique was no where to be seen.
Struggled to finish 5 on the hill, and I
mean struggled. When my group of three rolled
out I was toast.
My ears were freezing, I was working on a
headache and after only 2 laps of the small
track..I was history.
The rest of practice went on without me.
Sure,these things happen, but it's been quite
awhile since I've had to bail before practice
was officially over.
After packing up and getting home,I took a
bath and was in bed by nine.
Woke up in the wee hours of the morning with
a full blown, full face headache, and feeling
the way I do now I wonder if I'm coming down
with something.
Either that, or eating mostly junk for the
last week is taking a huge toll on me.

A Full Weekend

Working Saturdays isn't painful, but it sure takes
a hunk out of your weekend. I'll adapt, and the
extra income is welcome, and needed.
Late yesterday, which was Sunday, I passed the
Motorcycle Safety Foundation course I've been taking
for the past two weeks.
The hardest part of the class?
The slow speed figure 8 in a box, or two "U" turns
in a box, as the MSF likes to call it. For me it was
the most difficult skill to grasp.
Well, I'm challenged at slow speeds on my inline
skates too. LOL!
The second U turn, to the right, was awkward, to say
the least,and I'd messed it up badly in practice.
Around 6pm, when they lined us up to start our final
"evaluation", I found myself second in line.
This was the order we were to keep through out all
four portions of the test. We sat on our bikes, and
watched the classmate ahead of us go through what we
were about to go through.
This, was where everything you did counted.
As rider coach Bob Hunt said, "It's for all the
marbles".
It worked like this.
You accumulated points for each "error". The goal
being to have as few points as possible at the end
of your evaluation.
Zero was a perfect score.
The dreaded "box" was first.
Yikes!
Why couldn't I have been in the back of the line,
or even the middle?
Then I was waved forward..
Entering through 2 small orange cones, I shifted
my weight where I was supposed to, turned my head
to look where I was going, as if I was doing a
Linda Blair impersonation, turned the handlebars,
and executed both turns where I was supposed to.
It wasn't perfect, and I did go over the solid line
by a little twice, but I didn't put my foot down.
It was the best box I'd done all course :)
What a freaking relief to have that over with!!
I nailed the remaining portions of the test with
no problem.
Swerving around an obstacle, emergency stop,
90 degree turn at speed, and a 130 degree turn
at speed.
In the next 45 minutes two out of the ten of us
received perfect scores.
I was totally OK with the fact that I wasn't one
of them.
In 10 hours and perhaps 15 miles on a motorcycle,
I'd learned a lot and picked up valuable skills
that will serve me well on the road.
Next goal?
Get a bike of my own!

Changes

Not having the AC and fans running 24/7
is a welcome relief. One can only hope
that the cooler temps are here to stay
and that we will enjoy a long fall season.
Of course, I'd like to keep from having
to turn the heat on for as long as possible
too.
Having a break from cooling and heating
costs would be it's own blessing.

We've gone from only skating outside to
training indoor and outdoor, and I'm
enjoying both right now.
With after work daylight shrinking by
minutes as each day passes, our outdoor
season is winding down and the "NY Skate
Marathon/NY 100" September 29Th is the
last big event on the east coast.
Several members on my team having been
diligently training for it and I know
they will do very well.
Go Ray-Ray!
For myself, I'm thinking next year will
be the time for my own first 42k. A
distance I'd never even considered before.
I'm feeling positive about the direction
our coach is taking us in as a team, and
my development is moving forward month by
month.
I've finally learned how to push under
with my left foot and I have outdoor to
thank for that!
Last month, when I first stayed on the
back of the faster pack, a gap would open
between us on each corner.
To close it, I had to hustle, and it took
more effort to stay in then it needed to.
Observing the situation,coach Bob told
me to get lower, and cross deeper on the
corners. A mental picture of how deeply
Jeff Foster crosses when he races indoor,
popped into my mind and I tried to copy it.
I made a real effort to sink lower on each
corner and to bring my right foot further
across in front of me. I think my new found
left foot under push is the result.
Bringing it indoor had a huge benefit.
When we did our first 100 laps Tuesday night,
it was there, without any prodding on my part.
Like magic.
Keeping tight with the pack was easy.
Woo! Hoo! I thought as the lap count went up
and I wasn't having to work so hard.
I'm a "speed" skater!
LOL

MSF #2

Young and old, short and tall, male, female,
we were a mixed assortment of shapes and
abilities. Yet all of us arrived at the MSF
riding range, just across the street from the
Lehigh Valley Airport, well in advance of the
1:30pm start time.
Was anyone excited?
You bet!
A hot muggy afternoon, it looked odd to see
everyone dressed in long sleeved shirts, full
length jeans and over the ankle boots, most
black, several pairs of them obviously brand
new.
All the clothing was geared towards safety,
and a requirement to get on a MSF bike, as
were DOT approved helmets and full fingered
gloves.
Lucky me, I had a friend who loaned me a
helmet and another one who loaned me her
gloves.
I got my boots at the Thrift Store for $7.-
:)
Three quarters of the students had bikes
of their own,(one guy had been riding for
20 years), but two had been no further with
their rides than up and down their driveways
and were itching to get out on the road.
And, those who didn't already own a bike,
knew what they wanted when they got one,
all except me.
I didn't know anything, except that I liked
the simple looks of standards.
Crotch rockets are hot, but too hot for me
to start out on.
The rides we'd be using to learn on were
lined up neatly in four lines of three.
As I walked over to them with my class mates,
I realized they were not the mini bike type
I had been expecting to see.
Not giants to be sure, but they looked big
to me.
Eight Kawasaki 125 Eliminators, a single
Suzuki DR 200SE and a Yamaha Virago 250 sat
in the sun, awaiting us.
Short folks got the 125's and I picked the
sole black one.
Bob, our instructor from Friday, was joined
by Tom and after getting our clothing checked,
we started the process of learning how to
properly mount, and went over where all the
controls were.
The first surprising element was the weight
of the bike between my legs.
Sure, I mentally knew they were heavy, but
it wasn't until I was sitting on one that I
grasped what that meant, whoa!, and these
were "light" beginner bikes.
Both Bob and Tom knew their stuff and it
wasn't long before we had them started and
were all finding neutral.
After thoroughly going over what we would
be doing in the first drill, we walked while
straddling our machines, to another area
were we lined up right to left single file.
Bob then instructed us on how to rock the
bikes back and forth in first gear, using
the friction zone to inch ahead. Next we
rode forward, using our feet at a walking
pace, about 15ft, where we stopped. Then
we repeated the process again and again,
making our way across the wide expanse of
pavement.
In what seemed no time at all, we were riding
from one side of the parking lot to the other,
turning our bikes around, once again with our
feet, when we reached the end. It was a little
awkward to turn in neutral but it gave you a
good feel for moving the bike around with no
power from the engine.
Well, hours passed like magic, and we students
took several breaks to get something to drink,
while our dedicated instructors stayed out on
the course and set up different cone patterns
for the next series of drills.
And there were many of them.
Steady progress was made all afternoon. Those
that were tentative at the beginning class
noticeably moved further into a comfort zone.
Only one student dropped her bike. She'd been
unsteady from the start, yes it was a girl,
and a slightly built at that.
Coming in to line up with everyone else, I
think she just forgot to put her feet down.
No harm was done, Bob made light of it, and
we moved on to the next thing.
There was a lot of information to absorb!
And I did get confused on at least one drill.
There was so much to remember driving around
the course. In here, around that, slow there,
down that lane, slow down, speed up, stop.
That was ok. I was there to learn after all.
Some things I took to like a duck on water,
and some I didn't.
Slow tight turns and weaving in and out of
tight cones challenged me. As they do on
speed skates..
Thankfully the tight cone weave thing isn't
on the test, the tight corner is, but I'm
sure with more practice I can get that down.
By 5pm I was emergency stopping on cue,
leaning into the corners, swerving and
feeling very positive that I had a future
on a motorcycle.
There is no doubt in my mind that I can be
a competent rider, with more time in the
saddle :)
This Sunday we have 5 more hours on the bikes
and then, last but not least, our evaluation.
You pass, you get your "M" endorsement.
Unless I drop my bike, I'm certain I can do
it.

MSF

Stands for the Motorcycle Safety Foundation,
and it's through this group that I'm learning
to pilot my first real sized motorcycle.
I don't think the Yamaha Mini Enduro I had as
a 15-16 yr. old counts towards my current
training.
Besides, that experience, which was outrageously
fun, and a high lite of my youth, was so long
ago, I have forgotten the color of the bike.
Yet, I'll never forget the thrill, or sense of
freedom that little machine gave me.
Now, it's doubtful, at my age, I'll return to
riding mile after mile of undulating power line
trails, out in the middle of no where, like I
did back then.
These days, I'm thinking more of weekends and
evenings cruising the two lane blacktop that
follows the path of the Delaware river.
Our great state of Pennsylvania, which I am proud
to call home, offers this 15 hour course, free,
to all hard working tax payers. The desk portion
is held at the local community college, and being
very popular, spaces fill quickly. When I went to
sign up, the Friday/Sunday class I wanted was full.
Rats!, but I took a chance, signed up as an alternate,
and kept my fingers crossed.
Lucky me, and the one other alternate, two folks
didn't show up that first night and we got in.
Whew!
Experienced rider or not, your wanted. In return,
professional instructors, teach you how to
ride safe and have fun doing it.
Bikes and helmets are provided, if you don't
have either of your own. All you do need is a
valid M class learners permit, which you receive
when you pass the written portion of the motorcycle
licensing test at your local DMV.
Much to my chagrin, it took me two times to do so..
Talking to the people waiting with me in line the
second time, I learned it wasn't uncommon for it to
take more than once.
That first Friday night after getting all our paper
work checked out, we spent 3 hours going over half
the course manual and watched relevant sections of
a video. Then, the following Sunday afternoon, it
was off to the range, located behind State Police
barracks, for the real deal.

Tomorrow: Sitting On The Bike

A Work Day

It was a drag to have to work Saturday and
miss the last race in the Eastern Seaboard
Series, the Debbie Kohl Memorial Race held
in Trexlertown, PA.
Debbie was a huge supporter of the Special
Olympics, and this race raises money each
year for the cause so dear to her heart.
But I simply couldn't put off starting at
the parts counter any longer.
Vacation and Labor Day had delayed it as it
was, and to ask for the day off would have
not only raised a few eye brows, but might
have caused hard feelings in the very guys
I need to support and train me for the job.
The first Debbie Kohl Memorial event, held
four years ago, was also my 1st race on
skates.
It was a Recreational 5k on the long track,
I wore my K2 fitness boots and it took me
a hard fifteen plus minutes to finish. A
skater on quads beat me. LOL
A lot has happened between then and now :)
This year, I came very close to placing at
Nationals
Even though I didn't, I learned many valuable
lessons that I'll be sure to put to use in my
training this season.
Skating has been such a surprising venue of
growth for me. Much of it having nothing to
do with the act of skating itself.
Opportunities to move past ideas that no longer
work, and to heal old wounds, abound, at least
for me.
Don't know if it works that way for anyone else..
But, I'll take an open door to growth, when, and
wherever, it decides to show up.
It might not always feel good. Usually,in the
beginning it doesn't.
Yet I do not want to stagnate, so grow I must.

Labor Day Labor

Well, it wasn't all labor but my legs
sure thought so by days end.
Eight of us skater folk gathered at my
coaches house Monday morning, and after
a brief delay climbed into two cars and
drove north east to the Delaware Water
Gap.
The weather couldn't have been nicer for
a walk about!
Our goal, to start out at the Dunnfield
Creek parking lot and hike the 3.7 miles
to Sunfish Pond, a glacial remnant of a
far distant era, have lunch, and then
turn around and come back down.
Only one of our number wore boots, the
rest of us wore normal everyday sneakers,
the running type, or the flat footed "Van"
style skateboard shoes.
The sneaker set would all have a tale to
tell by hikes end, and it was a sorry
story of sore toes, and achy ankles.
Till then, we had a gorgeous mix of fair
weather, beautiful wooded scenery, lot's
of laughs, and the challenge of navigating
over the roots and rocks that covered the
majority of the trail coming and going.
Here I'll admit, that when we were on the
move, I looked down at the trail more than
"around", because when I didn't, I paid for
my lapse by stubbing toes and tripping.
Grace on feet I am not!
LOL
Once we got to Sunfish I was surprised at
all the people there ahead of us. And one
naughty young lady, in another group,
decided to go in for a swim even though
it's well known that it's forbidden.
We didn't stay lakeside very long after
eating the lunches we'd brought up in our
various backpacks.
And on the down mountain return, our always
steady, fearless leader lead us over to a
different trail, (green,) that looked, at
least in the beginning, that it didn't see
much use.
The tight confines opened after a mile or
more and eventually took us into the Dunnfield
Creek ravine. This area is really well worth
whatever hike it takes to get there.
Waterfalls and deep clear pools make it a
spot to savor.
Seven hiking miles doesn't sound like much,
but if your not used to it, it is.
Not only were my toes and ankles sore but
my quads wanted to file a complaint all
their own.
This morning I noticed the return of a tiny
bit of bounce in my step going upstairs, but
yesterday I spent a far amount of time at my
desk massaging the soreness out of my sissy
thighs.
:)

Resistance is Futile

Resistance.
That's my issue.
It's what it feels like when I am
trying to do circle drills. It's as
if I am pushing up against a literal
wall.
Against a thick barrier of mental and
physical blankness.
And resistance is what I feel after
each failed attempt.
Because I push hard against the fact
that I don't know how to do them.
And I bruise my own ego.
Truth is, I would be better off just
living with the idea that I can't do
them.
To accept what is and let it go.
But I don't accept what is happening, I
can't accept my failure, because I want
reality to be different, to be something
other than it is, so I get angry.
Too funny that resisting the inside lean
is my major issue with circles.
And as the Borg say, "Resistance is futile".
So, will I ever be able to give in, to let
go?

Lovely

Having a three day weekend is lovely!
Especially since for at least the next year,
I'll be working six days a week.
Starting next Saturday.
That won't seem so bad after working late in
the file room 3-4 days a week as I did for
the last handful of months.
Now on weekdays, I'll be home at five instead
of seven or eight.
We'll see how it goes.

I've been on a mission at home.
Cleaning, organizing, weeding, recycling,
and gathering clothes we no longer wear for
the thrift store.
Must be the cool air.
Reminds me of fall and the winter to come.
Every year I do the same thing. Maybe it's a
animal like nesting instinct. Don't know for
sure, but I do feel prepared after I do a major
clean up.

Thrift Stores.
I love them!
Sometimes you find absolutely nothing useful
and other times you hit a jackpot.
It's a cool form of recycling.
If you don't get icked out wearing previously
worn stuff.
It's always wash well before wearing!
Saturday I dropped 4 bags of our stuff off at
the thrift store in the south end of town, after
an earlier tour of two stores I'd never been to
just west of us in Emmaus.
It was well worth the trip.
Two new Land's End polar fleece jackets for $10-
each. A light weight Horse Mountain rain jacket
for $5-, and a heavy duty pair of over the ankle
boots to take my motorcycle training course in.
$7-.
Week before this I'd bought 5 pairs of perfectly
good jeans for .85 cents each.
And after I recently shipped back a pair of $185.-
jeans, (yes, one hundred and eight-five) for the
owner of the company I work for, (and who knows
why he sent them back, weren't soft enough?), I
was tickled with my thrift.

Indoor practice.
The first of the new season was Saturday afternoon.
And during that 2 hours, my ego had a hissy fit.
Basics.
Circles.
I seem to have a continuing brain malfunction about
them.
Because I have yet, to figure out physically, how to
manage to do them.
It is frustrating to the max!
By mere seconds, one thing I did manage, was to hold
out over the intense desire to take my skates off and
walk out the door, forever.
It was a close call.
Would I let my pride get the better of me?
I'm always shocked when it rears up like that.
Used to be I thought pride was a strength, now I'm
not so sure it is..