Motorcycle Ladies

My wife’s birthday was this week. It’s not right that it takes special occasions, like birthdays, for people to step back and contemplate how much someone means to them, but that is human nature. I’m surely guilty of this. I, for the most, part take her for granted, but I’m working on it. It’s a cliche to say that the right woman can make a better man, but in my case that’s definitely true. She loves me unconditionally, supports me when I need it, backs me up (whether I’m right or wrong), and she’ll definitely let me know when I’m being an ass!

 

Why am I bringing this up in a motorcycle blog? Well, it was motorcycles that brought us together (at least it was partially motorcycles). We started dating a little over fifteen years ago and that basically started with her riding as a passenger on my motorcycle. Little did I know how much she’d love it. It really clicked with me one sweltering summer day and all I wanted to do was sit in air conditioning. She visited my house and demanded we go for a ride. Here was a girl who wanted to ride even when I didn’t. I remember telling this to one of my buddies, saying that she might be a keeper.

 

Fifteen years, a motorcycle accident, multiple jobs, and two kids later, we’re still enjoying motorcycles together. Life responsibilities don’t allow us to ride as much as we used to, but rest assured, we still ride. So my advice to all you single guys is to find a girl who really likes to ride. Be careful, because in my experience some may be a bit crazy. If you find a beautiful, sane girl that loves to ride with you, she’s a keeper.

 

“My old man used to tell me, before he left this shitty world, ‘The right woman can make ya and the wrong woman can break ya.’ “ - Marlboro Man in the Motion Picture Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man

Blogging and Responsibility

I got a raise today. Actually, it’s my second raise this year, so I’m making considerably more money than I did last year at this time. Not only did I get a raise, but I was informed at my yearly review that the company I work for is restructuring and I’m going to be promoted when it does. I’m not saying all this to brag. I just want to show the results of my change in attitude toward work this past year.

 

Part of the reason I started this blog three years ago was that I was unhappy with my career. I won’t get into the details, but let’s just say that I was questioning whether I still wanted to be an engineer (my current job). I thought that through years of consistent content that this blog could lead to a career change. While I’d never say that this blog was a waste of time, it did not have that effect. What it did do was give me an outlet to voice my opinions, mostly about motorcycles, but a few other subjects have been discussed as well. I think that this has changed my attitude towards a lot of things positively. One of those things was work. Just having a platform to vent helps immensely.

 

Last year I saw a Joe Rogan Experience podcast which Dr. Jordan Peterson was the guest. I became intrigued by Dr. Peterson and began to listen to his lectures on YouTube. A theme that stuck with me was prioritizing responsibility over rights and happiness. I questioned whether I needed to be happy with my career. I decided to just take my responsibilities more serious instead. If a client emailed me and a group of coworkers, I’d answer instead of waiting for someone else to. I began volunteering for projects instead of waiting to be assigned to one. Next thing you know, I felt content with my job, not happy but content, which is much better than unhappy.

 

This better attitude bled into my family life and even this blog. Things are definitely better all around.

 

“Notice that opportunity lurks where responsibility has been abdicated.” - Dr. Jordan B. Peterson

Moto Fun in Winter?

It’s the second day of the first blizzard of the season. Winter is really here. I had an inkling of hope that I was going to get one more motorcycle ride this year, but Mother Nature decided otherwise. I’ve mentioned it earlier that it has been a pretty disappointing year for riding. Bad weather, work, and some home projects got in way of proper motorcycling time. Something encouraging is happening this winter, however. A good friend of mine has bought a Timbersled conversion kit for his dirt bike.

I believe I’ve described a Timbersled before, but I’ll risk repeating myself. It is a track and ski that replace the front and rear wheel on an off-road motorcycle. These types of kits have been around for quite a while, but Timbersled (who was actually purchased by Polaris) seems to have perfected the system. I’ve considered buying one in the past, but at a price tag of $4000 on top of needing a 400+ cc dirt bike makes it too rich for my blood.

Now why would I be excited that my friend has one? Because I know that he’ll demand that I take this out for a test ride. I know he’ll do this because it’s what he always does when he gets something new and it’s exactly what I do as well. The best thing about purchasing something cool (except experiencing it yourself) is seeing the thrill on your friends’ faces when they test it out. Now, before you decide to lecture me on not letting friends hurt themselves and wreck your new ride, let me assure you that my group of friends are very experienced when it comes to motorcycles, snowmobiles, and ATV’s. In fact if one of them isn’t comfortable riding something, they’ll decline your offer so they won’t wreck your property.

Anyway, I’m pretty stoked to take the dirt bike with the Timbersled kit for a ride!

“Winter is nature's way of saying, up yours.” - Robert Byrne