The ramblings of mgdavis

[mgdavis]

I'll give that a try after I fill up in the next couple days here. Thanks.

[Wrider]

So... I'm single again, as of three weeks ago. Medium length story. Got lots more free time now, so let me know if you're in the area and want to ride.

On a related note, it sure is strange sleeping alone after 2.5 years of not.

What happened? If ya feel like talking about it... Ya alright? Unfortunately I've never lived with a gf so I don't know what that's like, but I can sure imagine...
Wrider

[AZRider]

So... I'm single again, as of three weeks ago. Medium length story. Got lots more free time now, so let me know if you're in the area and want to ride.

On a related note, it sure is strange sleeping alone after 2.5 years of not.

Well, that sux. She makes you a plate for your tags, then *poof*

[mgdavis]

It was my doing, not hers. Decided that we weren't working, sick of fighting, didn't want to waste my youth, etc. Still sucks quite a bit, we managed to have lots of good times between the fights.

By the by, that work-around to put up my spreadsheet didn't seem to work for me. Any other ideas out there?

[ceemes]

It was my doing, not hers. Decided that we weren't working, sick of fighting, didn't want to waste my youth, etc. Still sucks quite a bit, we managed to have lots of good times between the fights.

By the by, that work-around to put up my spreadsheet didn't seem to work for me. Any other ideas out there?

Try this

1) Open and minimize MS Paint
2) Open your spreadsheet
3) Highlight and copy the cells you want to post
4) Enlarge MS Paint and paste copied cells.
5) Save MS Paint picture as a JPG or GIF
6) Close spreadsheet and paint
7) Upload saved jpg or gif file to Photobucket
Once uploaded, copy IMG link and post it here.

Other then that, email you sheet and I will do it for you if you like.

ceemes

[mgdavis]

Thanks ceemes.

[mgdavis]

Went for another ride around the Hood Canal today before getting called in to work. It was a gorgeous day today, hardly a cloud in the sky. It took almost four hours this time, I got side tracked on a couple new roads.
I rode a ways up HWY 119 by Lake Cushman. It was a very entertaining road, lots of curves. I think I slimmed down my chicken strips a bit, not too much though, as I couldn't see far enough ahead to get really comfortable. On the way back down I stopped and got a couple snapshots of the dam there.
The other side-trip I took was out to Pt. Whitney. I was a bit disappointed, there was a sign that seemed to indicate it was 22 miles, turned out closer to five. The road went past Camp Parsons, a scout camp that I attended a few times when I was younger. That brought back some memories for me.
The only other noteworthy occasion on the trip occurred between Quilcene and HWY 104 on Center Rd, where my GPS says I hit 102 mph during a pass. I didn't really intend to get going that fast. I had been behind a work truck for a bit, traveling a couple mph below the limit of 55. I found a good place to pass, about 1.5 miles of flat and straight. I signaled, downshifted to fifth, and pinned the throttle. I kept my eyes on the road until the pass was completed, then looked down as I was moving back into my lane. The tach was reading about 9,750 rpm, and I think the speedometer was at 120mph or so. At that point I occupied myself with upshifting and slowing down. The wind was actually trying to pull my left foot off the peg at that speed, rather distracting.
Good day, good ride.

[mgdavis]

Also managed to post a solid 61.1 mpg through all of the above antics. Nice.

[mgdavis]

I love living where I live. My ride to work every morning is 10 miles of mostly curvy, up-and-down beach road. In the mornings I get to see the Olympic Mountains and Mt. Rainier while I ride along the water. I've seen five herons along the beach at once, within a couple hundred yards of each other. At night I smell the salt and sun warmed blackberries while I watch the stars overhead. I once had a fox run across the road, only time I've seen one in person.

A small scenic park at the side of the road:



A couple shots of the beach road:



Just before the road drops to the beach:


Shots of the Olympics from the side of the road:



I love Washington summers.

[mgdavis]

One of my coworkers got a 1977 Suzuki GT550 recently. Two stroke triple. Cool bike.

[mgdavis]

I got really bored and decided to rejoin the Myspace collective. I haven't been able to set up the username I want yet, but this link should take you there: Myspace link

[Shorts]

Nice pics. Seeing them took me back to living in WA.

[mgdavis]

On the ride to work today I found out just how invisible I am.
Four way stop light. I was going straight from the left/straight lane, there is also a dedicated right turn lane. Traffic was light. I was stopped behind a Geo Metro at the red light. Just as out light turned green, a middle aged Asian woman in a red Camry pulled up on the cross street, wanting to make a right into the direction I was headed. My light turns, Metro goes left, I go straight, and the woman starts to pull for my lane while looking straight through me. I actually managed to find my horn, she got stopped just before she entered my lane. If I hadn't honked I would have had to get on the brakes hard to stay out of her bumper.

[mgdavis]

I put in paperwork today to cash in 100 hours of paid time off. I should have the V-Strom paid off next month.

Just over 2900 miles on the Strom now. I really need to adjust the chain.

I looked at a Kilimanjaro jacket last week. I wasn't all that impressed with the fit. I do need a warmer, drier jacket. Next month I'll probably wind up getting the Kilimanjaro. I need gloves too. It's getting a bit chilly here, especially when I'm headed home at night.

[mgdavis]

I've got over 10,000 hits on this blog now. I'm really impressed, and just a bit humbled. I guess some of you guys actually like to read my scribblings. Thanks.

[Wrider]

Your scribblings are rather interesting usually! Plus, when I read them I can pretend as though I have a motorcycle too!
Wrider

[mgdavis]

This morning I was reminded that:

Wet roads
+
Sunny skies
=
Eye watering, retina scorching glare off the road.

[mgdavis]

Yesterday I realized that the $800 stick I had mailed off to HSBC a couple weeks ago never got cashed. The due date was the 27th. Crap.
I called the customer service line, managed to find a menu option that took me to a real person. The rep verified that they had not received the payment yet, and that they had assessed a $39 late fee to my account. She basically told me that there was nothing she could do, and if I didn't make at least the $59 minimum payment by the next billing cycle, the 5th, they would send my account to collections.
I was lucky that I caught it when I did. They want $15 to make a payment over the phone, so I drove to my parents house to steal the internet. I signed up for the online service, and made the payment of $59. If I'd waited till today I would have had to pay a fee for expedited payment.
Now I'm hoping that the Postal Service un-loses my stick. I really don't want to go through the process of canceling that stick, especially as my bank would assess me another fee.

I always thought that if you gave your credit card company a heads up, they would work with you. Not so with HSBC. No mercy.

[mgdavis]

Friday I picked up a FirstGear Kilimanjaro 4.0 Jacket in lookatme red. I also bought a pair of Tour Master Polar-Tex gloves.

My first impression of the jacket was, "Wow, that's bulky". It is quite heavy as well. I kind of look like the Michelin Man when I've got it on. All that bulk and weight does make it quite warm, I was comfortable this morning at 48*F.
I do take issue with the sizing of the jacket, I needed a large for the length in the sleeves, but it was cut for someone 20 pounds heavier than I. That leaves some room at the waist for cold air to sneak into, even with the belts cinched tight as they will go. I'm a skinny SOB, so your mileage may vary.
The jacket has a ton of pockets, I've found seven so far. They seem to seal well, so water leakage shouldn't be much of an issue. Accessibility is not great with gloves on, the pockets mostly have zippers with rather small pulls. There are a couple that are secured with velcro alone, those aren't bad to get at.
The jacket liner is cheap compared to the rest of the jacket. It's a zip-up jacket made of fleece, with a few loops to attach it to the jacket. It was very baggy on me, I'm almost inclined to replace it with something that is a bit more functional. The one nice thing I noticed about it was that the sleeves are lined with nylon, making it easier to get into and out of.
The jacket did well when I rode through 20-30 minutes of light rain on the freeway, nothing leaked and the shell repels water rather than absorbing it.
Aside from the cheap liner and limited sizing options this is a nice jacket. It's much warmer than my Fieldsheer jacket, and will serve far better in inclement weather. It has broadened my comfort zone by 5-10*, I anticipate being able to ride comfortably at 40*F now. I paid $270 for it, $100 cheaper than the Darien jacket. I think it's a decent deal for the money.

As for the gloves:
The gloves are fairly warm, they are also quite thick. The padding in the palms is thick enough to make me feel "disconnected" from the bike, I can't feel the controls as well as I like. It's tolerable on the highway, less so in heavy traffic or through town. They are waterproof, apparently due to a plastic liner. These gloves do not breath well. The insides are lined with a micro fleece that sticks quite nicely to damp fingers, making it a chore to get these gloves back on after taking them off for a couple minutes. I don't foresee myself keeping these gloves for more than one season, I'll most likely get nicer ones next year.

[mgdavis]

My user name should now be "mikevstrom".