Tough Stuff

Hate to think what my right shoulder is going to
feel like in another 15-20 years, but I guess I'll
cross that bridge when I get to it.
All those farm chores..
Carrying buckets of water and endless hay bales,
grooming horse after horse after horse, getting
bucked off so many times I stopped counting.
Then there was that horrible winter in ninety
something when it rained and froze one day on top
of the other.
By myself then, I broke ice all day long.
Trying to get the encapsulated barn doors open,
and hours later, when I finally succeeded, I kept
chopping, in an effort to make channels in the
layers of ice so the rain would go around the barn
and stop flooding the stalls and the sheep shed.
That winter really took a toll on my right shoulder.
Couldn't sleep on it for close to a year, which was
a pain because I'd always been a right "side" sleeper.
Couldn't lift it over my head either.
There is only so much one shoulder can take and I
guess I've abused mine.
Last year, (was it last year?) I separated it in a
corner fall, skating. That made driving hard for a
few weeks.
Last night I fell, bunched in line during a passing
drill. It's been awhile since I've gone down, and I
whacked it a good one again.
Felt like Thor had taken his hammer to it, shoulder
to elbow.
It rang my bell and reverberated for hours.
Made a icky grinding noise when I moved it, and hurt
to use when I drove home.
Must be made out of really tough stuff 'cause it
feels much better this morning.

First League Meet of the season is this Sunday and
I'm uninspired to race, though I do plan on going to
watch.
What happened to the racer woman of a few months ago?
I don't know.

One Off

The tile and registration for the Ninja came in the
mail Saturday.
Woo! Hoo!
My name right there in print = "motorcycle owner".
Sweet!
What's that?
Something looks odd..why it's my first name..the DMV
has added a letter..
Now, I like "L" as much as the next person, but I'd
prefer not to have it slipped in among the few letters
that normally shape my label.
Sigh..
It's going to have to go back.

Sixty

That's how warm it was in the house when I
got up this morning.
Burrr!
Leaving my toasty bed wasn't as hard as I
thought it would be, and for the first time
in many, many months I felt ready to get up
when the alarm went off at 5:10am.
Must have something to do with the full week
end I had off from work :)
Outside temp. shows 30, and the weather guy
just warned of a frost advisory covering our
area.
Thinking of frosty..
Rode thirty miles on the Ninja yesterday.
(was rained out Saturday).
50 degrees at 50mph felt cold and perhaps I
am more of a fair weather rider than I thought.
Going to have to work out my layering.
Looks like I might meet some other Ninja 250
riders in the next weekend or two. No one is
very local, but these guys don't think anything
of putting in several 100 miles a day to go for
a ride.

As Spock Once Said..

"Interesting"..
I learned yesterday that my heart still goes pitter patter
when romance comes knocking.
Hold the train!
Geez Louise!
Where would I find the time and space to include someone
in my life who doesn't "do" anything I do?
Beats me..

Dark & Wet

Replacing the blades on my windshield wipers was
a must do this week. It had been so long since I'd
had to use them for real,(we've had a dry few months)
that I hadn't realized what sad shape they were in.
The new ones are getting a work out and go far in
helping me see where I am going at 7am as I drive
my son to school and then take myself to work.
This is not my favorite time of year.
Summer, how I will miss you..
At first the sound of the rain running though the
gutters by the back door and the smell of wet dog
surprised my senses.
Wet muddy paws? What's that?
Even the cats want in.
Looks like I'll be lucky to get the Ninja out of
the garage and on the road before Sunday, if that.
Daylight savings ends the first Sunday of November,
(God! Christmas is right around the corner :O ) and
on cue my body started prepping for the hibernation
the never comes weeks ago. The primal me has been
kicking in, and I find myself reaching for anything
and everything to eat, 24/7.
Might serve me well if I still lived in a cave, but
I'm a bit behind the times with that one.
Next time ice cream is on sale, I will push my cart
past the frozen desert aisle!
I swear I will..

EBay

Never thought too much about Ebay until I bought the Ninja.
Now for a 2002, my bike is in really good condition. But, a
loose tie down caused her to fall in the back of the truck
taking her to the shop she was going to be sold through, and
that incident caused a 2x3' hole to be created in her upper
fairing. That, and a portion of the seat cover was scratched
and rubbed through to the foam.
It also didn't come with the owners manual, or the small model
specific tool kit most bikes come with, that fits conveniently
under the seat.
So far I've located and "won" a replacement seat and owners
manual, and will know today if I've won the tool kit I need.
I'm loving Ebay!
This reminds me of the time in my life I was focused around
the equine form of transportation.
There was always a piece of equipment I needed, or wanted,
and I spent much time discussing with other equine minded
friends the advantages or disadvantages of this or that, and
spent countless hours scouring tack shops around the county.
Twenty plus years of that and I had one of just about every-
thing related to riding or caring for a horse. In any weather
condition.
Looks like I'm heading down the same road with my little
yellow gas powered pony...
So, if your looking for something, anything, normal stuff
or oddball, it's probably being sold on Ebay.

PS.
Our coach often comes up with new drills to better his
aspiring skaters. His newest one, has us right pushing
the ends, squatting low, left elbow on left knee, with
chin in hand.
It's a killer!
My legs have been cursing like drunken sailors...

3 Months

It occurred to me yesterday while I was mulling
over my apparent lack of interest in racing our
upcoming League Meets, that this time 3 months
ago I was totally engaged, living and breathing
my first Indoor Nationals.
The pinnacle of my chosen sport.
No freaking joke, it feels like the whirl wind
of excitement and drama, that for me was Nationals
2007, took place years ago..

There But For The Grace...

No indoor practice for me last night.
The house behind mine and two to the left
caught fire. When my son had mentioned he
smelled wood burning I didn't think too
much of it.
The neighbor directly behind us often has
little camp fires in his back yard year
round..
It was an old building that had long ago
been converted into 4-5 apartments and flames
could be seen through the west side windows.
Our little street filled with people coming
from God knows where, I didn't recognize
any of them, to see what was going on.
As fire trucks laced the night with sirens
we watched helpless, hoping everyone had
gotten out in time.
Hours later, firemen where still working on
flareups, or more accurately, smoke ups.
Finally I had to go to bed with the lights
from the emergency vehicles illuminating my
bedroom walls.
This morning all the trucks are gone and the
building stands dark and deeply wounded.
Windows broken, interior black, I wonder where
the occupants slept last night..

Time Tells

It tells on you.
Not eating right?
Give it time and the scale will lay it out
for you in numbers.
Not getting enough sleep?
Crankiness, yawning at work, lack of interest
in things that usually grab your attention,
and falling asleep on the drive home from work
are sure signs that you and your pillow are not
spending enough quality time together.
Legs being sore for days after indoor practice
are sure signs I haven't been spending much time
on my skates.
In spite of that fact, and the time I've robbed
from practice and given to my little yellow Ninja,
I haven't completely gone to hell in a hand basket.
Last night we did a fun circle drill, a duck,
duck, goose type thing on wheels. With a decent
sized circle I was able to participate for real
and not just go through the motions.
Ok.
It's true..
Before I got dizzy I "let" Ray, who was chasing,
catch me...
Better to be safe, than sorry..
We did relays too, for the first time since
Nationals, and some of us were rusty with our
timing.
:(
No worries, we will all get back into the swing
of it soon enough.
And I did throw in one decent pass :)
Go me!
Felt comfortable on the floor and even though
my fastest still leaves some thing to be desired,
it doesn't feel bad anymore.
I'm no longer loser slow.

Not Quite

Didn't make my goal of 90 miles on the Ninja
yesterday, but only missed it by a few 10ths.
I'd wanted to get as much pleasure into Sunday
as I could since it was my only day off.
Working Saturday sinks... but with no relief
in sight, (no one in the parts dept. wants to
work Saturdays either), I have to accept a six
day work week for the time being.
58 degrees doesn't sound very cold does it?
In fact, come February that temp. will feel
like a heat wave, but on a motorcycle it's a
tad nippy when the speedo reads 50mph and your
under dressed.
Not only I'm I acquiring experience with each
mile I ride, I'm learning what to wear to keep
from freezing to death!
And, now I know, why smart people wait for the
day to warm up before heading down the road.
And why you see more motorcycles on a autumn
afternoon compared to an autumn morning.
Live and learn.

Working six days, and having a motorcycle, has
taken a bite out of my time, and that in turn
has taken a toll on speed skating.
You could say my thoughts have been else where.
So has my body.
This time of year I usually question why and what
I am doing, and what my goals are.
The days are get shorter because it gets dark
earlier, and I find myself fighting the urge to
hibernate along with the bears..

Rebel With A Cause

And it's not me, it's my son.
When I'm out shopping in town, I'm often asked by
young cashiers if I have a son in High School. They
know him and recognize my face through his, which
they know much better.
My son is a thinker, has a naturally inquiring
mind and is constantly bringing his teachers up
short with questions.
He wants to know why, or why not.
Who, what, where and when aren't questions, they are
part and parcel of the blood that flows through his
veins.
He and I are enough alike that not much surprises me
about what he is interested in, but I was taken a back
recently when he chose not to have his picture taken
for his senior year book.
In fact, as a proud parent, I was disappointed.
You see, I don't have a picture in my senior year book
either. Because I left school in 11th grade and didn't
graduate High School.
And, well, I was looking forward to his being among
the graduating class of 2008.
Proof, that my son made it where I hadn't..
Well, he surprised me last night,with news he felt pretty
good about.
His classmates voted him "Most likely to change the world".
For that he is willing to be in his senior yearbook.
I can only hope he changes the world for the better...

Illusion

Had to laugh!
Riding home on the Ninja Monday, I passed a group
of High School aged girls walking down the opposite
side of a narrow back street in Frenchtown.
Nothing very exciting about that.
The speed limit was 15mph and perhaps I was doing 20.
As I got closer I couldn't help but notice that they
were checking me out.
Huh?
I've never seen that look in a girls eyes aimed in
my direction before !
Poor things..they only saw the bike, the mirrored
helmet, and the black jacket.
When I realized that they were mistaking me for some
hot guy, I turned my head in their direction, which
only intensified their preening. I laughed to myself
and thought of flipping open my visor and waving.
Instead, I let the illusion stand and enjoyed the smile
it put on my face.
I could be their mother, but that's not what they saw.
Why ruin it...

Night Ride

It wasn't intentional. After I put the grocery's away I
told my son I was going to take the Ninja out and headed
for the garage where my little pony is stabled.
The night previous,I'd finally found a helmet that fit,
and even if the graphics were not something I would have
chosen, they were something I could live with.
Scorpions would not have been my 1st, 2nd or even 3rd
choice of helmet decor..
Starting the bike is easy, if I remember to turn the key
to the ON position and not just stick it in the ignition,
which I have been doing. :O
My Kawasaki is cold blooded, and like people who need time
to get going in the morning, she needs time to get her
juices flowing too.
Once warm, I'm finding her ready, willing, and able.
Maneuvering out to the road, from where the garage sits
behind my house, I ride the narrow line of concrete pavers
that makes up my sidewalk.
If I'm not careful, running into the side of my house
is a distinct possibility..
For the first 20 minutes I traveled back roads around
Lehigh's Goodman Athletic Fields, ones I've grown
comfortable on during my past handful of rides.
Then I made my way over to Main Street, out into traffic
and pointed my Ninja in the direction of the rink.
This was to be a practice run, but with out my skates.
Obeying the posted speed limit all went smoothly.
Except for the guys in the huge truck who laid on their
horn when passing on my right as I was making a left
turn.
Did I do something wrong?
Or were they just being idiots?
I'll never know for sure.
What I do know, is what is a small thing car to car, takes
on different meaning when you are on top of a motorcycle.
Anyway, I got to the rink in one piece, without scaring
myself, used the bathroom, then turned around and headed
back home.
It was getting dark and it was a good thing I had my clear
face shield on and not my tinted one.
Headlights worked great, as good as the ones on my car, and
the high beam was even better.
It's not that I plan on doing much riding at night but with
the season changing, daylight is getting shorter. It's
good to have some time under my wheels in that condition.
Riding a motorcycle has given me a new appreciation for
sharing the road with others. Just like riding a bicycle
did.
"Walk a mile in my shoes" or ride a few mile on two wheels,
sharing the road with 4 wheeled vehicles. It will open your
eyes as a driver of a car.
You will never quite understand the complex issues between
both forms of transportation until you do.

71.8

That's not my temp, nor the temperature outside or inside
my office.
No, it's the miles I've personally put on my pony sized
motorcycle.
There's not much else I think about these days, well, I
am engaged in my son's Air Force recruitment goings on.
But it's Ninja this and Ninja that, almost all Ninja all
the time.
I've ridden three times since I got her home and I'm working
on remembering to cancel my turn signals right away and to
be smoother on the throttle.
She's sensitive and despite her diminutive size, she has
better pickup than my car..
Yee Haw!

My Yellow Pony

The Pony Express of the American west comes to mind
when I ride the Ninja 250. She's small, fit's narrowly
yet solidly between my legs, and is quick to react
to input. Ready when you are to crank up the rpm's,
I find her nimble and responsive.
With 60 miles on the trip odometer, we are only just
beginning to get to know each other, but I expect our
relationship to be a strong one.
Weight wise I couldn't have made a better choice.
Slightly over 300lbs dry, I can pick her up myself if
I drop her, which I've already done,much to my chagrin.
That incident took place in a section of rutted gravel
driveway, while I had my feet on the ground and was
standing still.
Of all things!
And before I'd ever even gotten her out on the road
no less :O
Looking back, I realize that I should have taken greater
care with where I stopped. Flat is better than gravel
craters for both you and your bike.
Take my word on that..
Anyway, with helmet, leather jacket and gloves on, with
the bike warmed up and with my friends at my back, I
drove off the stony driveway at "J&L Cycle" and made a
left onto the smooth blacktop of Rt.12.
Less than two miles ahead was the dreaded metal grated
bridge I had to take to cross from N.J. into PA.
Why did it have to be so freaking long?
Bob had a plan if I wussed out at any point and I was
thankful for his practical, down to earth attitude.
He never makes you feel bad for being afraid.
With the knowledge that help was there if I needed it,
I made the dog leg through Frenchtown and headed for
the Delaware River.
The first half really wasn't bad. It was only at the
half way point that the Ninja seemed to wander more
and it was an unnerving sensation.
Ever felt sick in your heart?
That's how that second portion made mine feel..
Careful to keep my right hand and foot off the brakes
till both tires where on solid pavement again, I rode
down the short exit ramp and came to a smooth stop.
On the whole, it hadn't been as big of a deal as I'd
thought it would be. And it's one I need to get used
to. The only way into New Jersey is across the river,
and I want to ride my bike to work this fall.
Fact is, I want to ride it to work by weeks end...

To be continued

Road Trip

As the Beetles sang, "I get by with a little help from
my friends".
And so, it was with the help of mine that I rode my Ninja
home yesterday morning.
Bob and his daughter April drove me to "J&L Cycle", where
Joe, a scruffy looking Harley guy, with a heart of gold,
was waiting for us.
Opening the overhead door, he rolled my little yellow pony
express bike out of the dark of his shop and into the light
of day.
That's the moment I felt like I'd gone from a bike buyer,
to a bike owner.
It was mine.
Mine to ride home, mine to take responsibility for, on the
road and off.

To be continued..