Category: Interests

Strangely enough, this is could be a combination of Academic and Professional with a bit of wood working, motorcycle riding and miscellaneous commentary threw in.

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Interests

It’s all about the journey

I realized it’s all about the journey while riding the motorcycle earlier this year.  I’ve said it several times and agreed with it, but it wasn’t until recently that it really hit home.

I was returning home from visiting a friend in South Carolina.  I had a route all planned out and was cruising along enjoying the ride.  I had a purpose.  I was going to head over into the north eastern tip of Georgia (never been there on a motorcycle)  then head north into North Carolina to Deals Gap and  The Tail of the Dragon.

Well, needless to say I made a wrong turn somewhere along the way.  I don’t know when I realized this, but I think it was when I saw the state line for North Carolina.  I started to get a little worried, but the beauty of the scenery, the call of the open road, the wind surrounding me somehow kept me from stressing out.  I thought about it a bit, knew I was heading in the general direction I needed to go and decided to let it all go. *Man, what a feeling*

When I stopped to fuel up, I got out my atlas to plot a new route to my destination.  Along the way I found some beautiful road (64 and 28) that was clean and twisty, met some interesting people in Cashier, North Carolina (the “heartbeat of western North Carolina” the gentleman said with a grin) and thoroughly enjoyed the ride.

Even now, when I’m not on such a long trip, I find motorcycle riding very therapeutic.  When I’m feeling stressed about work, I can hop on the bike, pick a road and after a while the worries just disappear because at some point along the way I remember it’s all about the journey.  The destination will always be there, but it’s how you get there that matters.

Even now as changes are occurring at work it helps me to put things in perspective.  So, as Queen would sing “get on your bikes and ride!”

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Interests

If this is a sign of what’s to come…

… God help us all.

Ok, I just happened across this story and I find it ludicrous that someone would even think of this.  So, here’s the link and my comment about it.

http://www.higheredmorning.com/new-grad-cant-find-job-so-she-sues-college

You have GOT to be kidding me!  Maybe she should try developing a personality and take some responsibility.  As it is, I KNOW I wouldn’t hire her.  She might sue because she wet herself when someone didn’t lead her to the bathroom.  What would be interesting to know is what kind of jobs is she applying for.  I bet they’re all jobs that require years of experience and a degree… well by golly she DESERVES to be handed that job.  God forbid she should actually work up to a position!

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Interests

Horse tits

So, I was heading down to South Carolina on Friday June 12, 2009 on my motorcycle when just outside of Ripley, WV it started to rain.  Now I had raingear, but it was stowed neatly in the backback I had strapped onto the back of the bike and covered with a waterproof sack.  Since I was getting soaked, I decided to pull over after a couple of miles to see if it would pass.

I pulled into a gas station off of I-77, parked under the canopy and went inside for a coffee.  As I stood outside sipping coffee and watching the rain a group of Harleys pulled in from Michigan and a few minutes later a guy with his wife from Zanesville, Ohio pulls in on a Yamaha Venture Royale (if I recall correctly).  I chatted a little and the Harley riders decided they were heading to a local bar for some grub while waiting for the rain to pass.

Bill (the guy from Zanesville) and I chatted for a bit more waiting for the rain to pass.  We discovered we were both headed the same direction as as the rain slowed to a bearable drizzle Bill asked if I wanted to ride along.  Now, since I was headed the same direction and it’s always nice to have someone else along should things go south on a bike, I agreed.  Besides, Bill and his wife seemed like nice enough folks.

We pulled out onto 77 and headed south towards Charlotte, NC.  Now Bill stated that he only rode at about 5MPH over the speed limit which I soon discovered meant 80MPH.  We cruised along, stopping for gas about every hundred miles or so until just north of Charlotte.  At the last stop before we parted, Bill decided he was going to listen to the radio instead of the tape deck on his bike (yep, it had a tape deck).  This, ended up being the cause of our departure.

As we continued on down the road, Bill and I were following a truck hauling a wrecked car on a trailer.  Bill switched lanes to pass the truck as a piece of plastic came flying back the road at me.  It was at this point I thought “CRAP! this guys losing parts off this car and I’m gonna get hit by something” and a split second later thought “Hey, that piece of plastic looked familiar”.  Well, I goose the bike and get past the truck in time to see Bill pulling over to the berm.  I follow suite (somewhat ahead of him) and he pulls up along side and tell me his wife said something fell off the bike.  Hmm… I glance over and sure enough, the plastic cover for his tape deck is gone.  I point it out and he just stares for a couple of seconds then says.

Horse tits!

Yeah, really, that’s what he said.  Now me, I would have said something that sounded really close to that, followed along with several other words that would get bleeped on daytime TV.

Maybe he’s trying to be a good person, not cussing and all.  Maybe he just has an aversion to using stronger language.  I can respect that.  But then why use something that close?  Why not “Donkey Nipples” as ShootMeNow suggested when I told him the story.  Or “poppycock” or any other variety of euphamisms?  My dad has a saying (well, okay, my dad has a whole bunch of sayings) and I don’t think a one of them could be mistaken for a swear word if said fast or around background noise.  And really, in the grander scheme of things, does it really matter?  I suppose not, but if you are going to go to that level of effort to not cuss, why not avoid similar sounding phrases?  Me, I doubt I’ll ever have that level of control…. especially when I got back and found that little plastic cover in pieces all over the four lane.