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Des Moines, Iowa, United States
My Wife, Son, and I.

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Time away.

   The last couple of weeks, my mother in law and father in law have taken my son for a night/day.  It has been a huge help.  It makes the week go by faster, and I haven't felt as stressed.  This fall I hope to do a little subbing and that will help break up the monotony of the week.  I try to get out and go for bike rides, or take a walk with him and that helps some, but it's alwys nice to know that Grandma and Grandpa are going to have him for a day.
    Today I just want to say thank you for those who offer help at different times.

Monday, June 27, 2011

1000 views.

     I just wanted to say thank you today for taking the time to view my blog.   I really appreciate it.  The weather has gotten better, although there is still some rain forcasted in the future this evening.   My son is still crabby about something, I think he is just tired, he keeps rubbing his eyes.  Hopefully he can get back to normal by the weekend.  Hope all is well with you, and thanks again for checking out my blog.

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Expectations.

     Have you ever noticed how hard it is to meet some peoples expectations.  I once thought that the failure of meeting an expectation was a fault of some kind, however I am beginning to think that is not always the truth.  I have an expectation that I write a little bit on the blog everyday, however when I am away or super busy, writing once a day is an expectation I really can't meet.  Sometimes we also tend to get upset when people can't meet our expectations.  We tend to look down on them and think less of them as a person.  I wonder if that's really fair.
   Today I wish we all take the time to think of the expectations we place on others and the ones we place on ourselves, and realize that God loves us as we are, and will give us the tools and resources necessary to meet his expectations of us, and it is His expectations of us that really matter.

Friday, June 24, 2011

Big Dreams

     Today I was listening to radio after dropping my wife off at work.  There was a person on the radio from Big Dream Gatherings talking about people who were willing to share their big dreams.  It got me to thinking about my own big dreams and how I hoped they would be used in the lives of others.  The speaker asked what would you share with someone about starting on a big dream, and I thought for a minute.
    First of the hardest thing to do is to get started.  We find things come up and we listen to others and our own self in saying hey this can't be done, we worry about our own failures and our own ability, forgetting that others will help or can help along the way.
   Second planning, we sometimes overlook planning and want to rush into a job without knowing how to go about it or get it done.  We lack the ability to communicate effectively with others about our dreams, and we lack the patience to accept and incorporate others thoughts as we go about doing whatever it is we're trying to do.
   Third we often are so easy to give up.  When we struggle we tend to depend on ourselves other then the help of others to get us through. If we'd stick with it and focus on the short goals to help us to get to the big overall goal we'd find value of the help we've received along the way.
   Today I would encourage everyone to dream big, and to share your big dreams with those you trust.  I hope and pray that you would find and have the courage to try to live out your dreams and be an encouragement to your friends, family, and strangers.  

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Sunshiny Days.

      I don't know about you, but it seems like I am getting tired of the gray rainy days.  I'm so thankful that today the sun is out.  Maybe now I can get out of the house and enjoy the day. 
     Yesterday I spent time to run an antenna from the attic down through the house and into our TVs.   My wife and I have decided we don't want or need to pay a lot of money for shows we never watch, but then we did find we missed the news and local information, so hopefully that will work out for us.
    After installing the antenna, I lost a contact in the sink, luckily we got another one ordered.  In fact they just called and said for 6 dollars they could ship it here, however I'm not sure how my wife wanted me to pay for the contact lens, so I think pickup will be the best thing. 
     Anyway, I hope to get some more interesting topics out the door soon, just have been busy with daily life.  Hope you all have a good day, and that the sun will chase those gray clouds away.

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Styles of bikes.

      A few days ago, I mentioned the general stereotypes of people who ride certain types of bikes. There are off road bikes, and on road bikes. Today, I will sum up some of the reasons people ride a particular type of on road bike.
       One type of on road bike is actually an off road bike as well.  This is called a dual sport.  It generally looks like an off road bike, however, it also includes turn signals, horn, and brake lights.  These sit up taller so that they can handle obstacles better.  The seats are narrower to allow the rider more stability.  These bikes get pretty good gas millage and allow a rider to ride both on the street, and off the road when allowable and necessary.
     Next we have cruisers, cruisers generally sit low, allowing most anyone a chance to ride one. They have a classic style.  They tend to be wide sand are great for cruising around town and on the highway.
     Sportbikes are a lot of fun, they are generally built for speed and performance.  Top end models are comparable to modern day high quality sports cars.
     As I finish this blog, my son is riding on his little 4 wheeler seemingly saying "Daddy bikes are fun, but a 4 wheeler is really the way to go!"  He has his sport bike so maybe he's to young for a cruiser and he has yet to learn the fun of riding off road.  No matter what he chooses to do, there's a bike to help him get there.

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Riding gear, who needs riding gear?

     Well today after taking pictures of my son, I thought I would talk a little about riding gear.  Most riders agree you should have pants, jacket, helmet, eye protection, boots, and gloves.  However there's a big degree of differences in these items.
      Pants, most pants will do, some will try to tell you you need specific motorcycle pants, while this is good, normal jeans that are a little longer will work just as well.  They won't protect you necessarily in a crash against road rash, but they will work better then riding in shorts. 
       Jackets, well in the summer they can be hot, even mesh ones, they do provide good protection though, but a long sleeve shirt would work too, but seriously how many people want to ride on a 90 plus degree day in long sleeved anything?
     Helmets, well helmets are the smartest thing to wear.  Most safety classes want you to wear a full faced helmet.  This is great, but they too can be ultra hot if not ventilated well, and on cold days can fog up and be a pain.  Open face helmets are nice in that they provide some good air movement, just be mindful of the bugs. 
    If you don't wear a full faced helmet with eye protection built in, you should wear eye protection.. this keeps bugs and crud from getting in your eyes.  I don't know about you, but i can't see with the eyes God gave me, so I think I should protect what I got.
    Boots, well boots are good, to protect your feet, better then the flip flops flying off at 60 mph.. trust me I've seen it. 
   Gloves, just protect your hands, and give ya killer tan lines.  This again is for road rash.
I could ride like this on a motorcycle in Iowa if I wanted.

   Some states regulate helmets and what you can and can't wear on your motorcycle.  Iowa is one that does not. Here you can see it all on a bike.  Dad driving in his flip flops shorts and no helmet taking his little girl who can barely reach her foot pegs in nothing but a bikini riding down the road in 90 degree weather.  Funny you need a license to ride a motorcycle or drive a car, but anyone can have a kid or a liter depending.  Anyway, hope you have a nice day, stay safe, and I hope you enjoyed my commentary on riding gear.   

Monday, June 20, 2011

To ride or not to ride...

      Well I have to admit I had no clue what I wanted to write about today.  So I am going to go with the hot topic between some friends of mine on Bikerspost.com.  It seems one lady slipped on some gravel and had her bike tip on her.  Now most of us bikers have had that happen to us at one point in time or will.  However because of this her husband wants her to sell her bike, and of course she is very upset about all of this.
     A discussion started to brew on the site about how unfair it was of the husband to demand that she sell the bike.  Of course all of the people on the site have bikes and are pretty avid riders.  Some mentioned men giving up riding for their wife and kids and so on and so on.  However, a consensus of you should do what you want to do and don't let your mate control your life seemed to be reached about the whole ordeal.
    What do you think?  I'd love to hear others thoughts on this whole subject.   Thanks, and again ride safe.

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Human Alarm Clocks and Days Off.

      I have to admit I thought of taking today off from writing.  It's Sunday, Father's Day, the day after my son's B'day party and well just about a quarter to 7:00 in the morning.  Wife and son are still sleeping which is an unusual thing.  Usually our son (the human alarm clock) is up by 5:30-6:00.  My wife gets ready about this time during the week, but doesn't like it so much on the weekends. 
MMMMM  More Cake for Me.  Daddy let me go!!!!!!!!!!!!

      The birthday party went well and our son seemed to really like his gifts and of course the cake. He received some new books, a stuffed puppy,  a 4 wheeler, and a ride on alphabet train.  He loves things he can spin the wheels on and anything that makes noise when you push a button. 
The Green Kawasaki Toys are MINE!!!!!!!!!

     Father's Day plans include getting together with the family for some good lunch today, and pretty much taking it easy.  You really can't go wrong with those plans, and if something comes up you can easily adjust and just go with the flow.
     This Sunday, I hope you find a fresh new start to your week and look back at the enjoyable times from last week.

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Bike Night

     Well I went to another bike night last night, but this time I went with a friend, his brother and his Dad.  The ride was fun, and I have to admit it was the first time I rode in a group for more then a few miles around town.  We saw a lot of Harley's.  I'm starting to think that's mostly what you see at bike shows.  There were some Honda's, Suzuki's, Yamaha's, Triumph's, BMW's and I think there was one Ducati. But by far Harley's made up the biggest amout of bikes at the bike night.  There was live music and food.  So I can't complain there.  My friend and I commented that it was like being at the fair with the various types of people you see out and about.  Over all it was a fun time, but I think the best part was riding there and back along with seeing some rare bikes and um.. did I mention I saw blue Harley's?  Thought I should throw that in for your brother, my friend.
       Today I hope we all enjoy our day and enjoy the ride getting to where ever we're going.

Friday, June 17, 2011

Updates and an Anniversary.


With Daddy at the Zoo looking for the Sheep, OK, OK, it was a Donkey or Lama I can't remember.
     Well I have to admit I took my own advice today and graciously received a new, new testament bible from a friend from church.  At first I didn't know what I was receiving but I said thank you and began to ask what it was. So thankfully I now have a brand new bible to use and mark up as need be with notes etc.  So thank you Scott. 
     My son had a great day at the zoo tomorrow,  but I think if he could say one thing it would be, "Mommy, Daddy, I'm to short in my stroller, I can't see sh..."  yes that's right John... he said sheep.  Anyway, he had a nice time at the zoo, and with opening his presents and filling his mouth with chocolate cake to the point that he looked like a gnome with a black/brown goatee.
This rag doesn't taste nearly as good as cake.

      My friends have an anniversary today and that is what took up my thoughts this morning, aside from cleaning the house for guests this weekend.  I never realized that one, they got married today 5 yrs ago, or that in fact it had been 5 yrs that they had been married.  These are friends, but not friends that we see very often.  I congratulate them on 5 yrs of marriage and the fact that they have 2 great kids that we get updates about occasionally.
      Today I hope we're mindful of friends and family and the important dates that they have.  It's easy to get focused on ourselves and our own dates, but lets be considerate of others in our lives too.  May we all be blessed today and go forward in a happy and joyous mood.  Have a great day and great weekend.

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Unexpected gifts.

     Today is my son's birthday, we already opened a few presents, went out for birthday breakfast (bagel day). I'll tell you more about his birthday tomorrow. But as I watched him with his first birthday I wondered about things.
Micah on his present, Daddy's Motorcycle JK
     How long did it take us to realize and accept presents we're given? My son didn't know how to unwrap the presents we gave him so Mommy and I had to help him. Then after opening the present he didn't know what to do with it. He banged pieces together to make noise and pushed the buttons repeatedly to hear the sounds the toys would make. But I wonder, how long will it take for him to figure out the point of the toy, how it works and what the idea behind the toy is.
     Today I hope we all take the time to figure out what gifts we have received and how we can use them properly to help us in our life.

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Not sure anything can beat Biker Porn

     It seems that my title got quite a few of people to look at my blog yesterday.  I hope they learned a great deal from it.  Anyway, today looks like it will be another rainy day.  Yesterday tricked us, looking like it would rain all day and nothing until late at night.  I guess sometimes you just aren't sure what you're going to get.  Today I just hope that things are better then we expect them to be and that the gray day will disappear to blue skies in your life.

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Biker Porn

      Ok, yeah I know the title makes you wonder, what is he talking about, but I'm borrowing the phrase from Ewan McGregor.  In the book "Long Way Round" Ewan describes his lustful reading of bike magazines and parts catalogs as biker porn.  I think any biker can relate.  Just as anyone who loves a certain hobby can relate.
       The other day I started looking through a parts magazine, one of many in my collection, to try to find the saddle bags I wanted for my bike.  As I thumbed through the magazine, I soon found myself looking at pipes,  windscreens for sport bikes, motorcycle lifts, different polishes and waxes.  What should have taken 4-5 minutes to find turned out to take 30 minutes.  The same is true of any motorcycle magazine. I look at it first, thumbing through it to look at the advertisements and pictures of the latest greatest bikes.  Then I go and read my favorite articles sometimes the commentaries, then usually the product reviews, the articles about some recent ride to who knows where that few bikers have heard of, or if they have they eagerly await to ride to, and then I usually will read about the comparisons between new kinds of bikes. 
       I do have to admit though, I wasn't always interested in biker porn...  although I do wonder if I had a secret yearning for it since youth.  My Dad occasionally, or rather rarely would go into the local dealership and look at different bikes, he used to ride before I was around.  I remember wearing his old motorcycle helmet on my head while riding my bicycle, pretending I was on a bike.  In high school I'd look at cycle world and lust over the sport bikes.  I never really read the articles, I'd just look at the pictures.  When I got older in college a friend had a motorcycle and I thought it was pretty cool.  Then when I was living in Kansas my friends all got bikes, and out there you could ride about yr round and I thought maybe I should look into it. So I started reading magazines and books on how to ride, how to choose a bike, how bikes worked, how to work on bikes, how to build a bike, and the thought just snowballed.
         Luckily I am here today and can say thank you to my dad, my friends, and to the contributors to biker porn :)  you have given me an affordable hobby in which I can meet others that enjoy the same things I do.  You've shown me how similarities can exist in people that can seem very different, and I am appreciative of that fact.
     I hope that today, you take the time to think about your hobbies, and remember what got you interested in them in the first place.  Then I hope you can go about sharing your love for that hobby to others.

Monday, June 13, 2011

Finding the right one.

      I often hear people ask what is the right bike for me.  The answer is simple, which ever bike you feel comfortable on.  Take the time to look at, sit, and if possible ride as many different bikes as possible.  While biggest isn't always the best, the smallest isn't always the right answer either.  Small engined bikes are good for new riders and for city use, but tend to be a little doggy especially if a cruiser on the interstate if you ever ride there.  Mid engined bikes 500-800 cc bikes are good bikes for riders who have some experience and want a good mix of city and highway riding.  The frames are a bit bigger so the average person doesn't look or feel like a clown on them.  900-1300cc bikes again cruisers are about the middle of the line.  They have great power and acceleration and are best for highway use.  1000 cc sport bikes are super fast because the bikes them selves are super light.  You could look at a 2000cc cruiser weight about 700-800 pounds and think whoa that's a big heavy bike, but the power it has is about the same as the 1000cc 300-400 pound sport bike the neighbor kid has.   Then you have your bigger engined cruisers 1400-2000 plus cc's.  These bikes make great bikes, but I really am unsure if they are right for beginners or even average users.  But if you like it and can ride it and feel safe on it, I suppose that's all that matters.
      The same thing can be said of anything in life.  Sometimes the biggest isn't always the best.  New skills take time to develop so a little at a time is better then all at once.  Today I hope we all take the time to enjoy where we're at in our journey and thank God for bringing us here so far.

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Thoughts about professional and college sports

      I don't know about you, but it seems most people prefer college sports to pro sports in the circles I run around in.  The other day I read a news clip about Lebron James and how he wasn't living up to expectations during the finals.  I have to admit that since Michael Jordan left the first time, I haven't really been impressed with the NBA.  It just seems like a bunch of whiny overpaid players playing an exhibition type basketball game.  Now I know the stresses of the job are high and I do believe that these athletes should be paid for their time as entertainers, but I wonder if some of the problems they have aren't a result of their high pay. status, jobs.   While I do realize not every professional player fits into this category, it seems that's all we hear about. 
   I did say I enjoyed college sports more, but at the same time college sports has it's issues too.  While I personally am not a big Auburn or Ohio State Fan, I do wonder about the consequences for allegations and investigations.  If our youth look up to professional and even college athletes, shouldn't these athletes and their parents at least have some decency to acknowledge the truth and realize the consequences for what ever decisions they make?
   I hope that today, we all take the time to be the best men and women that we can be so that our youth can see right from wrong.

Saturday, June 11, 2011

Mundane Saturday

     Today seems like just about any other Saturday, our human alarm clock (our son) woke us up at 5:00.  He usually gets up at 5:00, 5:30, 6:00 depending on his mood.  My wife got him at 5:30 this morning and took him  to the kitchen for breakfast.  I still groggy slept about 5-10 minutes more and then got up and made scrambled eggs with cheese for us.
      After breakfast we decided on what clothes we would wear for our son's birthday pictures today, we decided to use his motorcycle as a prop so we thought that we wouldn't want his clothes to clash in the pictures.  After wrestling to get him dressed we all took a walk before his nap.
      Along the walk we looked at the sky.  Thinking it looks like it could still rain.  I felt the grass which was still damp, and thought well I can mow a little later when it's less wet, or even tomorrow.  When we got home we put our son down for his nap, and he still is protesting it now in his crib.
      So why am I writing about this, it sounds pretty common and pretty boring.  The truth is to me it's not.  It's not every day that all three of us are up and eating breakfast at the same time, or up and going out to do something together.  Yes most people use Saturday's to sleep in and to do what ever their heart pleases, or at least I know I did before I was married.  But before I was married and before I had a son, I was also pretty selfish and pretty lonely too. 
      Today, I hope we all find joy in whatever it is we're doing, wether it be going to visit friends or family, running chores, or whatever the norm is for our Saturday, and I pray that we may see it from a different point of view and realize how blessed we are.

Friday, June 10, 2011

Growing up.

     Yesterday and today I thought about growing up.  My son will be 1 yr old next week and I am realizing he is far different now then when he first was born.  He used to be able to curl up on my chest and fall asleep, now he's lucky if he can curl up on anything he's so big.  He's at a point where he likes to try and walk but often he just gets on his feet and then falls on his rump.
    The other day an older friend from school mentioned a bridge we were all scared of on facebook, and asked if anyone had ever walked across it.  Looking back now, I would never have done it with how high it was and how much I would lose if God forbid a train did come.  As we get older perhaps we gain those insights about the shortness of life and we value the people we have around us more then we do as a youth.
    Today, I hope we remember our past, and we value those around us who have been with us along our journey.

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Storms of life and communication.

     Today as I am typing this, the weather outside is gray cloudy and I hear claps of thunder.  The weather man said that it was going to get stormy today with possible sever storms tonight.  It feels a bit cooler outside though so that is a welcome relief.
     Over the past couple of weeks I have realized the need for family and friends to help us through the storms we face in life.  No one can help though if we don't take the time to communicate our needs and thoughts.  I hope today we all have people we can talk to if needed and that we will lend an ear for those who need it as we all go through life's storms.

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Stay at home Dad's and names of church groups.

Image taken from: http://www.stayathomedads.co.uk/dadshomepicture01ed.gif

     Well good Morning!  Today I just want to say what's on my mind and then move on.  Why is it that many different church get togethers for toddlers or children always say Mom and Tot, or something similar.  Do the churches now think that it is wrong for a Dad to stay home with his children?  I wonder this as I consider going to such an event today.  Will I be looked at strangely since I am obviously not a Mom but I have a tot?  I guess the old addage of try it and see can't fail today.
   My wish today is that any church would be accepting of any parent who chooses to stay home to help raise their own children, and not look down upon those who happen to have the xy chromosome pair instead of the typical xx pairing.

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Family.

      Yesterday, oddly enough, I found myself focused on family.  With the temperatures reching into the high 90's by the afternoon, Micah and I decided we should take our exercise and playing in the park early in the day before it got too hot.  We took a nice 30 minute bicycle ride with Micah in the trailer, and then played on the swing, the wobbly 4 wheeler, the aligator, newt, dinosaur thing, and then once down the small slide for fun.  Later on in the afternoon we took the plastic wadding pool out and splashed around for a bit.  Micah and I both got a little more color and had fun. 
       Earlier in the day we watched Handy Manny's Motorcycle Adventure.  While not the best show to talk about motorcycle maintanence or behavior while on a motorcycle.  The main theme of the show seemed to be family.  Pat the hammer was desperately searching for his own family, failing to recognize the family he had in the other tools, and Handy Manny.  I don't know how the episode ends as we still have about 10 minutes of the video to watch.  It's a cliff hanger for sure.
     Being adopted, I often wondered what my biological family would have been like.  I, at times, have thought, oh, it would have been so much better with my biological family.  Would have beens are so much different then reality though, and the have prevented me, at times, from seeing the joys of the family I have.  I am thankful for my parents, my wife, my son, my relatives and friends.  Today as I start my day with my family, I wish that we all would find joy in the family and friends we have.

Monday, June 6, 2011

Status Update

     I know I have occasionally said this, but thank you!  It's been interesting to see how many visits this blog has received.  I don't totally know how it all works, but it's been interesting to see that I have had visitors from other countries viewing my blog.  I hope that perhaps one day you will post a comment or check an option in the opinion section if you feel comfortable.
   Hard to believe I have been working on this blog for just over a month.  It's had it's challenges, but I hope that in this new month I can continue to write short little bits to let you all in on the little things that are on my mind as my family and I continue on our journey.

Sunday, June 5, 2011

What I learned on Sunday

     Today I finished up my mentoring experience. I can really say I learned many things about coaching and expectations. I also saw how tasks done in the real world sometimes vary greatly from what we ever expect, or have been taught to expect.

     This weekend, I realized I can overcome my own insecurities and realize it's alright to not be "perfect". That's an issue I think I've always faced. When things get hard I often want to throw in the towel and give up. This weekend through encouragement from my wife and my knowledge in what was the right thing to do, I pressed on and made it through.

     I realized that how we say things to people and the way and attitude we use when we say them has a dramatic impact on how they perceive themselves or how they may perceive us. I've also seen how expectations of someone can totally skew and taint the reality of that person. Everyone wants the best for themselves and those they care about, and sometimes we're asked to do things we don't feel prepared to do. The nice thing is that we have others that have been there too, and they can show us how to handle a situation better.

     We all have our faults and strengths. The key is to not let our faults control who we are, and to realize our strengths are often more valuable then our faults. If we press on, our faults hopefully will diminish, but often our faults, can still help us identify with others that are going through the same trials in life, or even similar experiences.

     As the new work week approaches, I hope we all can feel a bit more prepared for what ever challenges may lie ahead in our road of life, realizing that there are others who have faced or will face the same obstacles we have faced and will face. We all can choose to be a help or hindrance to those facing their own obstacles on their own road of life.
 

Saturday, June 4, 2011

Attitude, and being perfect.

     Have you ever noticed how some people always seem to think the sun is shining and others always tend to think the gray clouds will never disappear?  Is it the experiences someone has?  Is it the innate ability of us all to want to rank ourselves compared to others?  I don't know.  I do know how we choose to look at the situation does make a difference.
     While talking to an insurance claim adjuster today something dawned on me.  He said "I talk to 80 year old women who have 1 accident and think it's the end of the world.  I want to say to them lady you're not the norm for the average person."  I wonder if the same could be true for us when we think we have to be perfect.  Reality check, we never will be perfect, no matter how hard we try or wish we would be perfect.  We all make mistakes, and some of us make mistakes and don't even realize it.  Most of us  know when we mess up, we just need to feel comfortable to move on and learn how to do it right, and be given the opportunities to do so.  However sometimes it seems so much that we just want to give up and say I've had it.
    This being said, I hope we can remember Jimmy V's famous words, "Don't give up, don't ever give up!".  I think if we can hold on to that, and the concept and idea behind the trials and struggles of all we go through, maybe, just maybe, we can get a little closer to what ever that "perfect" is we're looking for. So remember... Don't give up, don't ever give up!

Friday, June 3, 2011

First Night.

     Well, tonight I have my first night, with a mentor, training people how to ride motorcycles.  I'm about done training to become a Motorcycle Safety Foundation Rider Coach. I need to complete one Basic Rider class with one mentor and then I can officially apply for my state license. Should be fun and exciting, I know I am looking forward to it.
     Thinking of licenses, I also am trying to get my teaching license renewed in the state of Iowa.  I let it expire after moving back from Kansas, and thinking I didn't want to teach anymore.  I don't believe I want to teach a classroom, but I don't think I would mind subbing.  After subbing a bit though, who knows what I will want to do.
     As I go about my first night teaching people how to ride a motorcycle, I hope I am mindful of the first time I learned how to ride, how to be a rider coach, and how to be a good teacher.  I hope the students are mindful of how to be a good student.  And I hope us all to have open minds to accept the teaching of others in ways that are meant to be beneficial to us.
2011 Iowa Rider Coaches

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Stereotypes and what I ride.

Anakin Skywalker/ Darth Vader
http://s259.photobucket.com/albums/hh291/1starwars111/Star%20Wars/Anakin%20Skywalker/?action=view&current=anakin_darth_vader.jpg

     A friend of mine got a new bike the other day.  He did the usual thing, plastering pics of the bike all shined up and ready for the road on his Facebook.  The interesting thing about Facebook though is that you can read the comments made by people you don't know, who just happen to know your friend.  While reading the few comments above the congrats comment I made to my friend I realized that if you change the type or style of bike you currently own from the type you usually ride all of a sudden it's like you changed over to the dark side of the force....  oh so sorry Anakin, you're now Darth Vader.
     To some bikers it seems like if you ride a cruiser you're old, fat, and lazy, riding around in your lazy boy.  If you choose to ride a sport, you're young, rebellious and a speed demon.  I wonder then what you are if you do happen to ride a V-Max, a Sportster, or a new Diavel.  To me it doesn't matter what I ride, so why should it matter to the people I ride in front of? I just want to get on the bike and go and, of course, love every minute of it.  I don't see the need to stereotype anyone by what they choose to ride.  The fact is they ride, and who can't find that appealing.  Today I hope we all can take the time to think of the general stereotypes we apply to people we don't even know, and take the time to consider that perhaps just maybe they aren't as bad as we often make them out to be.
V-Max
http://www.ralepi.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/2009-Yamaha-VMax-VMX17-Right-Angle1.jpg


Sportster XR1200X
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Diavel
http://www.asphaltandrubber.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/2011-ducati-diavel-carbon-29.jpg

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Sickness and Mountains

     Wow I can't believe it's June 1st already.  Seems like the year is flying by.  I missed the past couple of days on my blog because I was on vacation, and I was ill.  I guess my body wasn't accustomed to the new altitude in Colorado.  Monday I spent time  in Rocky Mountain National Park and Estes Park.  Wow, talk about amazing scenery, not sure I have seen anything else like it in the US.  I was able to add Wyoming as another state I traveled through on Tuesday on our trip back home.  We went through the capital of Cheyenne and well I was amazed that a state would have a capital in a town so small, it has a population of about 50-60 thousand.  Anyway, it's nice to be back home and to be feeling a little bit better.  Hope you all are well and I look forward to sharing a new month with you.  Thanks for all the visits and encouragements.  Ride safe and enjoy the month of June!