Well, I'm home from Austin now. Something terrible happened during my trip. Something that I am so ashamed of that I have to blog about it. I went to last Friday night's Midnight Book Release Party at Barnes and Noble of the sixth Harry Potter book. My friend in Austin claims to not be a fan, but if he's at the bookstore at midnight just so he can have a copy of the book in his hand before the preordered one arrives later the next day, that, my friends, is a fan. Now that I'm done pointing the finger elsewhere so as to get the attention off of myself...
It was embarrassing to be there. The place had hundreds of people there filling out trivia questions so as to win some kind of Harry Potter doodad. There were quite a few dressed in costume with cloaks/robes, broomsticks, wands, and those black round eyeglasses. What's worse, is that the costumes were aweful. Some were wearing cheap graduation gowns for the cloaks and straws with ribbon attatched as wands, or plastic GREEN handled brooms swiped from the kitchen pantry as their witch's broom. It was painful to watch.
For me, the only way to redeem this evening was to buy A Twist of the Wrist about cornering on a motorcycle.
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
Wednesday, July 13, 2005
Something interesting...
http://www.cedarislandpark.com/Models/Rides/DarkFunhouse/RAH749.htm
Apparently "Joy" isn't always a good thing.
Apparently "Joy" isn't always a good thing.
I'm in TEXAS!!!
Hey everybody! I'm in The Great State of Texas!! There are things that I love about Texas, and then there are things that I prefer about my home states. I sometimes have to remind myself that I'm still in the United States because of all the Hispanics I see around here, but that's okay. It feels more weird about that because I'm not on my own turf, so I feel more like I'm no longer in the US. But Texas is still a great place. I feel weird about not having my gun with me. I feel like I don't belong, 'cause you know everyone here has a gun. I'm also afraid that people will think that I'm a yankee because I have a bit of an Atlantan accent, a yankee city. It is REALLY hot here. But it's worth it to put up with the heat to be in such a great state. They just put in an express lane on their death row, so this place can't be all that bad. Anyhow. I got things to do. I'll talk at y'all later.
Tuesday, July 12, 2005
I am SO getting a motorcycle!
Ok, so I finished the motorcycle safety course. And I passed! Considering I didn't even know how to turn on a motorcycle when I got there, I think I did darn good. There was a little bit of classroom time, but it wasn't a focus. The instructors really wanted us to get some good time on the bikes. I used a Honda CB125T for learning purposes. It's a pretty small bike, but it was perfect for my comfort level. There were a couple Nighthawks and a few Suzukis, but I like the one I got, plus, mine was RED.
One of the most difficult things they taught us was the U-turn. They put us in a box about the size of 5 parking spaces and told us to make a figure 8 inside the boundries of the box. I only managed to do that once the whole time I was there. They also taught us how to corner, using the outside/inside/outside method on curves. There were times when I was at a 45 degree angle to the pavement...it rocked. They taught us to swerve quickly. That was fun. They taught us how to come to a quick stop. They taught us other stuff, too, but it's too much to just list.
So...now I can be a safer motorcycle rider. Also I get a discount on insurance and sometimes they say dealerships will give ya a discount if you took the course. All I gotta do to get my endorsement on my license, is to wait for my certificate of successful completion, take that to the DMV, pay them $15 and get my new license! WooHoo!
The class had 12 people, 4 of which, including myself, were women. All passed, but two of the women, the oldest, about 60, and the youngest, about 21/22. Most of the guys were older gentlemen who used to ride years ago and were wanting to get back into riding and wanted a refresher course. It was an interesting mix once you threw in the two instructors. One had really long hair that he banded up in a long pony tail. They were funny. We all teased the chain smokers who kept trying to sneak off for a smoke. We had fun. I really enjoyed my time there. And I'm glad I did it.
One of the most difficult things they taught us was the U-turn. They put us in a box about the size of 5 parking spaces and told us to make a figure 8 inside the boundries of the box. I only managed to do that once the whole time I was there. They also taught us how to corner, using the outside/inside/outside method on curves. There were times when I was at a 45 degree angle to the pavement...it rocked. They taught us to swerve quickly. That was fun. They taught us how to come to a quick stop. They taught us other stuff, too, but it's too much to just list.
So...now I can be a safer motorcycle rider. Also I get a discount on insurance and sometimes they say dealerships will give ya a discount if you took the course. All I gotta do to get my endorsement on my license, is to wait for my certificate of successful completion, take that to the DMV, pay them $15 and get my new license! WooHoo!
The class had 12 people, 4 of which, including myself, were women. All passed, but two of the women, the oldest, about 60, and the youngest, about 21/22. Most of the guys were older gentlemen who used to ride years ago and were wanting to get back into riding and wanted a refresher course. It was an interesting mix once you threw in the two instructors. One had really long hair that he banded up in a long pony tail. They were funny. We all teased the chain smokers who kept trying to sneak off for a smoke. We had fun. I really enjoyed my time there. And I'm glad I did it.
Thursday, July 07, 2005
Upcoming Events:
I got lots of stuff coming up soon. First, oldest sister with her youngin's are coming down so Mommy and Daddy can take off to a baseball game and leave the kiddies with Aunt Joy and Grandmommy. This is Thursday night.
Then Friday night, is the first class of my Motorcycle Fun!! It meets at 6pm, but there is no allowance for tardiness, so I shall be getting there plenty early, knowing my tendencies to be late. Then again Saturday and Sunday from 8am to 6pm.
I'll be spending this weekend at the house in the mountains so as to be closer to the location of the class. I am SO excited. I bought a jacket and gloves for the class. I still need to decide what type of bike I wish to get. I'm leaning towards the Ninja 500 now.
Last, but not least, Tuesday I'm flying out to Austin, TX, with a girlfriend to visit one of our closest guy friends, Aaron. You can find his link in the column to the right. He's in Austin pursuing a dream, and I am extremely proud of him, and look forward to see him again. I've not seen him since I've been back from Colombia.
Well, that's all for now. Everyone, have a nice weekend, 'cause I know I will!
Then Friday night, is the first class of my Motorcycle Fun!! It meets at 6pm, but there is no allowance for tardiness, so I shall be getting there plenty early, knowing my tendencies to be late. Then again Saturday and Sunday from 8am to 6pm.
I'll be spending this weekend at the house in the mountains so as to be closer to the location of the class. I am SO excited. I bought a jacket and gloves for the class. I still need to decide what type of bike I wish to get. I'm leaning towards the Ninja 500 now.
Last, but not least, Tuesday I'm flying out to Austin, TX, with a girlfriend to visit one of our closest guy friends, Aaron. You can find his link in the column to the right. He's in Austin pursuing a dream, and I am extremely proud of him, and look forward to see him again. I've not seen him since I've been back from Colombia.
Well, that's all for now. Everyone, have a nice weekend, 'cause I know I will!
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