ImpulsionThe drivellings of a seclusive bald geek living in Cincinnati… |  |
Yep, I am a nerd. I just purchased the M*A*S*H box set online and I can’t want for it to get here.
After trying to stomach many TV sitcoms over the years, there has yet to be a series that still makes me laugh and never gets old like M*A*S*H. … I think I am getting old. 
Excerpt from: M*A*S*H – Episode entitled, “Mail Call”.
Klinger: Got this at mail call today, sir
Blake: what is it?
Klinger: It’s a letter from my mother…
(reads)
"Dear son, "
Blake: (interjecting) you obviously haven’t sent her a recent picture…
Klinger: (continues)
"I hate to bother you in the middle of a war, but I have some terrible news. Your father is very sick. If he knew I was writing to you, he'd be very angry. Fortunately for us, he's in a coma."
Blake: Klinger…
Klinger: Sir please.
(continues reading)
“We know your coronal has a good heart, and surely he’ll let you come home for your father’s funeral ….or his 65th birthday… whichever comes first. I will close this letter now, son of my heart.. because my tears are making the paper soggy and hard to write on. (signed) Your loving, aggravated, broken-hearted, Mother. “
Klinger, aren’t you ashamed of yourself?
Klinger: Yes, sir… I don’t deserve to be in the army.
I worry too much. I am certain, if the world surrounding me is correct, the world is going to end soon.
After all of my years on this planet I have finally succeeded in flooding my over-analytic brain with gallons of bad fuel.
My email box is filled daily with corporate announcements of a failing ecomony. Salaried employees have been encouraged to take unpaid leave to help the bottom line. Fellow employees have been laid off into an uncertain world with little to no employment opportunities. Growth projects are consistently being further scaled back and budgets are being slashed more than usual. The quarterly report shows the economy has beat up our company just as it has done to many others. Any energy mustered at work is quickly blindsided by grim reality.
Outside of work the picture doesn’t look much better. The news media, in what appears to be a determined pursuit to cause mass hysteria, fills its broadcasts with homicides, rapes, car crashes, missing children reports, and endless reminders that the economy will be sending everyone into bankruptcy.
A friend, that runs a local business, tells me often of the worst tidbits of politics and about how our well-oiled tax dollars are being squandered on gear gnashing governmental decisions. All of our freedoms will soon disappear, so it seems.
And for some reason I often find myself gazing wide-eyed at those emails, hovering my finger over the TV remote, and ringing the bell on the door to government demise.
Why? It is because I have led my life in this direction. Yes, but I am, in no way, bombarded with happy faces on a day to day basis.
What happened to living life to the fullest? What happened to joyous conversations? What ever happened to not letting the, “small stuff”, get you down?
I’m not going to give up on my job or my life just because it is getting tough. The struggle has begun to find some happiness. The more brain cycles you use chewing up problems that you cannot solve, the less time you have to enjoy life. This shit has got to stop.
… a wee bit of inspirational talk from some good musicians to get started…
“what consumes your thoughts controls your life”
– Creed
“When the world is running down
You make the best of whats still around.”
– The Police
Wow, another artist found on the tube and Aurgasm… Vocalists amaze me sometimes. When you tear it all down, the human voice is extremely powerful on its own. When you push it to its limits, it can be mind-bogglingly spectacular.
Sweet layering, dubtactular, eloquent lyrics… pretty damn cool.
Well, I’ve finally decided that I need a bigger bike. The SV is agreat all-around bike, but not for a guy like me (big guy). So, anyone know someone who wants an SV?
More here: http://home.fuse.net/java146
Although I am getting over a cold, I decided to ride into work today. The weather was beautiful today and I can finally see the light at the end of that cold and dreary Cincinnati weather tunnel.
The SV650 has been behaving nice these past few months although, due to its torquey little v-twin, it still acts like a cranky bucking bronco at low RPMs. I am not sure I’ll ever get used to having my… umm… well, let’s say, “twig and berries”, rocket toward the damn gas tank every time my hand slips on the throttle. I’m getting too old for that crap.
Anyway, the SV rested calmly in the parking garage as I had a relatively decent day at work. And, at 5 o’clock, when everyone was escaping the building to soak up the 70 degree day, I joined the exodus. I fired up the bike and headed east.
I visited Lunken Airport and smiled from ear to ear as I saw numerous helicopters and small GA aircraft taking to the skies. Oh, I want to be in the air again. And, after reality set in, I headed north on route 32 and landed in Clermont County. I plugged in the famous home of Sporty’s pilot shop, “Clermont County Airport”, into the newly mounted GPS and wound the throttle open. It turns out that there wasn’t much happening up there, but the two Cessnas taxiing their way home brought good memories.
It was on the trip home that I received the shock of the day. The lower end of route 32 spits you onto an east-west four lane bypass called, route 125, otherwise known as, “Beechmont Avenue”. This stretch of 125 borders Lunken airport to the north.
When I made it onto 125 there were about 10 cars within ear shot. Two cars in front of me and three to my 10 o’clock in the lane to my left. All was going well until I spotted the car next to me creep ever closer to the car in front of them. Within in a matter of seconds I got a glimpse of the driver making a brief look in her rear-view mirror, quickly throw on her turn signal and, before I knew it, she was sliding into my lane. My thumb started searching for the button to my feeble little horn, “where is it?”, “what the he..”, … I couldn’t FIND IT! What’s wrong with me?
Well, too late, I quickly matched her slide with a slide of my own, and skirted almost all the way into the shoulder. As I reached the end of my slide I managed to glimpse left only to see a man in the passenger seat wincing as if he was sure that he was about to hear the crunch of metal. I quickly rang out the throttle and that glorious thump of the v-twin shot me forward and back into the lane that I had once been bullied out of. I made some, albeit politically correct, gestures in the air and back at the driver and saw her fall back.
After that I felt an eerie calm for some reason. For the next few miles all I could see were the few images that burned themselves to memory. The female driver getting antsy in her seat; the turn signal light blinking once; the male passengers hands folding up to his face in a defensive posture; her hood as I escaped back into the car-free lane; and that very car in my mirror finally giving me the space I deserved.
Now I am stuck with those images and a wonder of what I should have done differently or what I should do if this were to happen again. Should I chop the throttle and hope that I don’t get rear ended when the SV nose dives? Would it have worked or was there no time for that? How can I instinctively throw my fist into the steering wheel of a car to blow the horn but I can’t seem to move my thumb 1/2 inch inwards while on a bike when a 2 ton vehicle is about to eat me for dinner?
I can’t say that this is the cager versus the motorcyclist. There were definitely mistakes I made that I wouldn’t even make in my car. It’s time for some reflection.
Yep, so many people have them so I thought I would jump on the bandwagon. The picture on the right is from my Flickr account. Click on it, it will probably get you there.
I recently picked up a used Nikon DSLR off of Ebay and I have been using it as an excuse to get away from the mundane tasks of the day to day grind. I’ve found the solitude of my home far too enjoyable lately and, due to the endless cold weather, exploring the outside world on my bike is no longer an option until Spring. I am hoping the camera gives me an excuse to brave the cold and get out of the house.
I have been trolling the photography sites on the net, Flickr and TMBO included, so I am certainly not going to run short of good inspiration. Now I just have to remember to make time to head out to take shots and learn more.
Not really… but they are riding instructors in Japan… Impressive!
I found this video embedded into a post over here: Keep the Rubber Side Down
… Since it is great video, I thought I would also post it here… It has to do with how to fit a helmet and the basics behind helmet design. The MSF basic rider course also covers many of these details. All of which, I think, are very important to know.
I would hate to see any of my friends go down while riding and do irrecoverable damage.
CLOSING THOUGHT: 192 MILES PER HOUR! 9 IMPACTS! CONSCIOUS (holy crap)
WEAR A HELMET!
