What did you do today...

[QuietMonkey]

Went from down in the dumps to feeling like my old self again... I headed out to get something done and found myself in a great chat with the right person, followed up with an empathetic and properly good email from a friend who's a bit far away but has the right values in her head and wrote quite succinctly:

Sure sounds like you had a lousy day… but try not to take it too hard.

I get sh** on all the time.

I figure: “this is me, this is who I am – if you don’t like it – there’s the door”

She was right on the money!

I think I'll send her a bottle of wine to thank her. I myself prefer Chocolate Covered Almonds (snicker), but this'll surprise her.

[blues2cruise]

Glad you're feeling better. Life sure does have its ups and downs.

[totalmotorcycle]

Just came back from driving over a 1000 miles around Scotland and the UK. (don't even ask how much that was in gas/petrol at up to $2.50/litre, $10 a gal!)

[QuietMonkey]

Glad you're feeling better. Life sure does have its ups and downs.

That's kind of you to say. Thanks.
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As I found out yesterday, we're not s'pposed to accept candy from strangers, not even verbal candy which might infect my mind (with feelings of well-being, and thoughts that people aren't trying to poison the offered candy -- hey -- they might just be giving me the chocolate covered almonds I was looking for!!) .... but society, friends, family, fears all feed the paranoia machine.... (except at hallowe'en... oh no wait, could be a problem there too --razor blades --- ahh well --- this is just my way just underscoring society's stupid failings with there "by the rules" and "live in fear" approach to life - i think religion has a good part in that too - the wrath of god and all that fear based crap to make people "keep in line" -- so witches, lefty's, etc. beware the wrath of human frailty disguised of religion)

[The Forum says "Soap Box" right?!] (giggle)

anyway - that is sort of like what i was told yesterday... people dont trust that someone is trying to help them out (by lowering gas prices in Mike's case of Scottish driving nirvana) some will always worry that you are siphoning there fuel-tank while pointing out that you are pouring gasoline on the ground instead of in the tank where one could naturally assume you want it (in my case of Scottish thanklessness).

Mike have you thought about riding around Scotland (with a rainsuit of course)??? Just an idea I thought up from somewhere TOTALly spur of the MOment, FORsure UM....... but, i digress...

I hear a Honda CBR250 gets better mileage than my ol' trusty SRX600... 50-60 mpg probably... now where did i read that?? moto or tomo or totalmoto?
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but, sincerely, thanks again Bluesy.

[fireguzzi]

my ol' trusty SRX600...

Oooooh I wanna see pics. I got a srx 250 if ya wanna trade photo's.

[QuietMonkey]

my ol' trusty SRX600...

Oooooh I wanna see pics. I got a srx 250 if ya wanna trade photo's.

Of the few things I do have with me it is pix, and the SRX is among them...

BTW - real good to see you kept the cat. when you did your bro's Subi. rather than the bypass and pollute option. Any time in southern california is enough to make you puke with all the pollution in places.

I knew a guy with about 300hp in his WRX and eventually he realized he was driving like a madman all the time and decided to sell it and invest his cash in keeping his truck and motocross bikes better maintained.

BTW I kept the stock exhaust on my SRX for it's unique styling, but I like quiet bikes for the street since it is so easy to "pee"-off everyone with exhaust notes they by-and-large do not want to hear. I rode the SRX with a little mod for a more pleasing exhaust note (to my ear) but eventually went back to the super quiet thuk-thuk-thuk idling sound of the stocker instead of the bwup-bwup-bwup that i really liked -- i even enjoyed disturbing the police on occassion with big brapping downshifts
-- but not the general public mind you - not intentionally really just a side effect at times.

anyway - enough verbiage --- a pic...

[QuietMonkey]

oh, and I do remember the SRX250 - i think it arrived in 1986 as well or maybe 1987 in Canada.. that is another interesting bike. They went for that sporty styling with white-red paint scheme. Yamaha should release a new one in Canada now since Honda has the CBR125 and CBR250. A new liquid cooled one using the WR250F Motard engine might be pretty sweet. They have a cool YZF125 in other markets now.

The other thing Ive noticed around here is the member with the XR400 Motard... I never new they had made a legit motard version of the XRs. Kinda kool cuz everyone nowadays seems to think of Motards in the vein of newer liquid-cooled converted MX bikes and DRzs.

One more pic... and its even the other side of the bike. It was my fave street bike and I even sold it after University and then regretting the decision found a second one. I am pretty sure these pix are of my second bike... but they were nearly identical other than a small dent on the fuel tank, as I recall.
oh -- there is a small mod to the riders footrest on this one too - this is definitely my second one.

oh, and I rode it almost always without the mirrors because it looked so much better!!! - and i really like to use mirrors, and on a slow bike like this they are even more important --- but I just couldnt have it, and only one cop ever noticed I didnt have them

[JVRR]

Cleaned and unpacked sort of. When I left for Russia it was supposed to be long-term, so I sort of shoved a bunch of stuff in hidden corners, once I got back it turned out that hidden corner of a closet was needed. Still in the process of moving everything where it belongs.

Went for a nice ride and got lots of practice.

Went and got signed up to be an official volunteer for my old Boy Scout Troop.

Petered around on video games but bored of everything I have, and close to being too poor to buy anything new.

Thinking I should be applying for some jobs, but a few vodkas in might not be the best timing . Being unemployed sucks, or underemployed? Maybe worse since getting to be "unemployed," but having to get up early to get to "work" is a really sucky combination .

[totalmotorcycle]

I posted on Facebook, Twitter and Blogger that Total Motorcycle past 3 billion hits thanks to our visitors.

I also posted news today, worked on reducing the amount of ads and more.

[QuietMonkey]

QuietMonkey, just because there are a few bad apples doesnt mean we all are. Heck my friend is helping me with my kitchen project at no cost to me (other than material costs). Then again I have done a lot of electrical work for him and his father-in-law (they couldnt figure out how to wire some 3 way switch's) at no cost to them other than material.

While your friend and you may be an upstanding guy's to each other, ready to throw your efforts into eachothers projects -- which is what friends do (no surprise there) -- I am talking about a little wider scope: helping others when you receive nothing tangible in return, esp. for people who aren't close friends. I am talking about just doing your best at balancing the give and take of big ol' mother earth and what is responsible in the context of humanity + animals + ecosystem + community + earth. And industry and the economy are one of the most ignored, misunderstood, manipulated (i.e. corrupt) components of this system.

Ive been on this terrible "honest and open" streak ever since i turned 3 or 4 years old and so having read a posting the other day that you made regarding the BP Oil spill here: viewtopic.php?f=14&t=37581&start=20

God said humans are more important. Plus I dont eat or drink anything out of the ocean so if it dies I wont be out anything because I am not sustained by any Ocean. Humans are way more important than some duck.

... well, I like how people choose there gods, and with your god at the helm I see alot of "me me me" in there. And really quite amazingly uninformed "me me me" ideals, which is the core of one of our worst vices, self-centeredness. So I really would have to say um, your views regarding this "God" of yours and Humans and Life is pretty good picture of your values in a couple sentences. Your "God" image falls right in line with the "God created man in his own image" spiel that the most self-absorbed and corrupt religious leaders in the world have extolled since they begun wielding there self-righteousness around the world into politics and into George Bush and co.'s pocket book. Many of these religions are all about how they can have a clear conscience while basically raping and pillaging. The ol' "Hey guys let's use God to justifying our actions!" ploy.. uh huh, sure ya, "No one can debate it if God said it! - write that down will ya." is a little old school manipulation that has long since run it's course. People should take responsibilities for there beliefs not pawn it off on the invisible Man.

I think TriumphGirl, who says that she works in O&G even though the industry practices go against her values, and other posters have a much more similar "Life" view to mine than you do - by far. Sometimes there are cases of miscommunication and other times people make there values stated fairly plainly - like you in that post -- and now like me in this one -- so you have a much clearer indication of the core values which they act upon. So thanks for your honesty in that post because as far as how I feel about the Us and Them in the motorcycle industry you are right in there with "Them".

Somedays there are a few more bad apples are on the tree and on other days a few more fall off the tree.