Little Hiatus

Yes, I have been absent from this blog for a while. The real world called and I answered.

Now, there are some things that simply cannot be discussed. There are some things that are far too trivial to be mentioned. And then there are things to write about and discuss and reminisce and ruminate upon. The latter will be fodder for likely the next year. Just to recap my current state of being:

1 - I have three running (for the most part) motorcycles. My primary riding bike is a Harley Davidson 2004 1200cc Sportster Custom, also known as a HD XL1200C. Then there is my first bike, a 2007 Honda Rebel. She has a few mechanical issues but nothing that can't be rectified with my tools and abilities. And finally, there is my 1991 Suzuki VX800; my project bike. Currently the later is having issues with the front carb but she runs.

2 - Still single. Had a few dates but nothing serious or involved ever came of them.

3 - My daughter will soon be leaving to the great mid-west. If all goes well, a year from now she will be in the undergraduate program at University of Iowa studying psychology.

4 - Work is quite throughly filling my days. In today's economy that is a good thing; and I am certainly not complaining.

5 - I now exercise my Second Amendment rights about once every other weekend at an outdoor range not far from where I live.

6 - I won a Kindle reader at a recent company picnic. This thing is amazing!

So... if you fall into any of the following categories, please give me a call: know much about balancing multiple carburetor V-Twin motorcycle engines; know about the University of Iowa; want to go on a date; know anything, or want to know anything about carrier call detail records, rating, phone switches or high-throughput data processing; want to go shooting one weekend; or have reading suggestions.

Oh, since my little Acer Netbook seemed to have run off with someone, I replaced it with a little Dell Mini this evening. Not sure how this will work out; we shall see.

Waystations

6:30 AM. 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Humidity 84%.

Cold blooded Athena rumbles her complaints but knows we must be moving on. Another waystation ahead. Will there be shelter? Will there be dry warmth where the two of us can recover from the elements?

One never knows for sure when the next safe waystation may be. In this cold, harsh world, one must have faith in ones' friends and that the next stop will welcome the chilly, wet, tired rider. When a friend or waystation with open arms is found, they must be remembered, savored and held close to the heart, lest they be lost forever in a sea of mediocraty and ambivalence.

Five Things About Razor

Reading through a "how to write a successful personal blog," article, the topic of new post regularity was mentioned. It went something like this, 'Post regularly, even if you have little to write about.'

One of the other topics was 'what to write when you have nothing to write.' That looked interesting. Right there was a post idea; a top five or ten list about you that no one knows. It shouldn't be a regular post topic and should contain obscure yet not mundane topics or things from your life.

So, here goes. Five things you may or may not know about me, Razor.

1. First Thing I Wanted to Be When I Grew Up: Astronaut.
2. First Motorcycle I Piloted: Little Honda dirt bike when I was thirteen years old. I was riding it in a field and the clutch cable snapped. Had to speed-shift it three miles or so, up and down hills. Quite the challenge.
3. First Computer I Owned: A Timex-Sinclair ZX81. After that, I built my own computer based on the 8080 processor, then moved up to a Tandy MC-10 Micro Color Computer.
4. Things I Did As A Kid to Stay Out Of Trouble: There were plenty of things to keep me out of trouble on the farm. I did the typical farm work, hunting, fishing and climbing trees. Books, short wave radios, computers and electronics also occupied my time.
5. What Am I Thinking About Right Now: Riding my dirty motorcycle to work. What else???
   

Time for More Wrenching

On the same day Athena is christened with her new name, her clutch fails. Ah well. My Sporty isn't immortal like Athena. She is steel and rubber and plastic and aluminum; things of the Earth; and things of the Earth will eventually fail.

So, along with packing, I need to be wrenching. Three bikes and not a single one runs. Vixen is in 300 pieces. Reb has a blown oil seal (that I will be ordering shortly) and now Athena's clutch fails.

Then there comes the July ride situation. There are two rides coming up in July, one to Ely, Nevada and another one to Salt Lake City, Utah. After the Utah ride, I was planning to spend a few days in Colorado. Not so sure now.

Last week discovered Athena needed a new front tire. OK, there's $150 or so. Now she needs a clutch? Another $150 or so. I would truly like to go to Salt Lake City and then Colorado. Cash is tight. We shall see.