Posted: Tue Aug 22, 2006 5:15 am
Driving by, well you would have gotten to see how comfy your couch was for the next week.... 
what the deal, I enjoy you blog. POST DAMMIT!!!!
j/k but seriously, what's new?
Total Motorcycle Community Forums
25 Years. 425 Million Readers. 54 years of Motorcycle Guides ∙ Reviews ∙ The friendliest motorcycle community on the internet!
https://www.totalmotorcycle.com/BBS/
Confessions of a Commuter
Page 16 of 27
Posted: Fri Sep 01, 2006 10:31 am
Are you dead?
what the deal, I enjoy you blog. POST DAMMIT!!!!
j/k
but seriously, what's new?
what the deal, I enjoy you blog. POST DAMMIT!!!!
j/k but seriously, what's new?
Posted: Fri Sep 01, 2006 11:08 am
Remember he had that epiphany one day and realized his ride wasn't JUST a commuter? Well.....he's probably been out riding like the rest of us should be...!rapidblue wrote:Are you dead?
what the deal, I enjoy you blog. POST DAMMIT!!!!
but seriously, what's new?
Posted: Tue Sep 05, 2006 2:57 am
Tuesday
Miles: 8,954
Mood:
Confession #49- I regret not having purchased the deluxe model.
I'm quite tired. I've been on the road since 5:00 a.m. Drove in from out of town, getting stuck in traffic heading into the city to get home. Then, rode out back into the city to get to work. Total commute: 3 1/2 hours. What a groggy day this will be.
Gas prices are going down. Nearly fifty cents in the last week alone. Yeah, like that's realistic. If oil company profits are so 'thin' compared to other companies that they just had to slowly raise gas prices to almost 3.50 over a matter of months, I doubt they'd have a big enough margin to drop the prices so low so fast. I know what you are going to say, "Oh but Mr Commuter, this that economy market shareholder bla bla"...silence impudent reader! I refuse to discuss whatever opposing opinion you have formed by reading an article on OilIsGood.com or something your college economics 101 professor said, and if you are a professional I will simply choose to ignore your valid opinion for the sake of my carefully crafted superficial ego.
Here's a bit of philosophy for you. When you drive around on a tank of gas, how much is it costing you? One would assume the gas cost you what you paid for it when you last filled up. But wait, what if you never use the gas? Isn't the real cost of the gas what it will cost you to replace it? If I drive 10 miles and fill up when I want, at a low 2.50/gal, isn't the existing gas more valuable then than if I had driven 50 miles and was forced to buy gas at 3.00? What then is the true cost of the gas? Is it based on what the price is when I fill up? Or is it based on the decisions I make? Or is it based on what I paid for the last tank?
Rumors of my demise are greatly exaggerated. I've been having too much fun with my new clock. That's right! I recently purchased a motorcycle clock accessory for my motorcycle from customizing-something.com, and they rushed it First Class to me about a month and a half later. I attached it to the casing of my high-beam switch on my handlebar, and I was thrilled that I could now know the time at all times without taking my hands off the bars.
You could not, however, measure my sheer excitement when I realized that my little clock alters the very fabric of the space time continuum itself!
No, seriously.
I leave for work at the same time every morning. It takes me 25 minutes. On average, this time fluctuates by only 5 minutes, so it may take me 20 or 30 minutes to get to work. This is all dependent on traffic conditions. However as soon as I glued this clock onto my bike, I am now consistently arriving 10 minutes earlier than anticipated!
That's right! My clock, due to some intricate mechanism built within it that was not advertised by the distributor, coupled with the extreme vibration of my single-cylinder motorcycle and a temporal telepathic connection between it and myself, I have managed to slow down time itself. I don't leave earlier, I don't ride faster, but I always arrive earlier.
All this for $19.94 plus shipping. Could you imagine my power if I had purchased the deluxe model?
Miles: 8,954
Mood:
Confession #49- I regret not having purchased the deluxe model.
I'm quite tired. I've been on the road since 5:00 a.m. Drove in from out of town, getting stuck in traffic heading into the city to get home. Then, rode out back into the city to get to work. Total commute: 3 1/2 hours. What a groggy day this will be.
Gas prices are going down. Nearly fifty cents in the last week alone. Yeah, like that's realistic. If oil company profits are so 'thin' compared to other companies that they just had to slowly raise gas prices to almost 3.50 over a matter of months, I doubt they'd have a big enough margin to drop the prices so low so fast. I know what you are going to say, "Oh but Mr Commuter, this that economy market shareholder bla bla"...silence impudent reader! I refuse to discuss whatever opposing opinion you have formed by reading an article on OilIsGood.com or something your college economics 101 professor said, and if you are a professional I will simply choose to ignore your valid opinion for the sake of my carefully crafted superficial ego.
Here's a bit of philosophy for you. When you drive around on a tank of gas, how much is it costing you? One would assume the gas cost you what you paid for it when you last filled up. But wait, what if you never use the gas? Isn't the real cost of the gas what it will cost you to replace it? If I drive 10 miles and fill up when I want, at a low 2.50/gal, isn't the existing gas more valuable then than if I had driven 50 miles and was forced to buy gas at 3.00? What then is the true cost of the gas? Is it based on what the price is when I fill up? Or is it based on the decisions I make? Or is it based on what I paid for the last tank?
Rumors of my demise are greatly exaggerated. I've been having too much fun with my new clock. That's right! I recently purchased a motorcycle clock accessory for my motorcycle from customizing-something.com, and they rushed it First Class to me about a month and a half later. I attached it to the casing of my high-beam switch on my handlebar, and I was thrilled that I could now know the time at all times without taking my hands off the bars.
You could not, however, measure my sheer excitement when I realized that my little clock alters the very fabric of the space time continuum itself!
No, seriously.
I leave for work at the same time every morning. It takes me 25 minutes. On average, this time fluctuates by only 5 minutes, so it may take me 20 or 30 minutes to get to work. This is all dependent on traffic conditions. However as soon as I glued this clock onto my bike, I am now consistently arriving 10 minutes earlier than anticipated!
That's right! My clock, due to some intricate mechanism built within it that was not advertised by the distributor, coupled with the extreme vibration of my single-cylinder motorcycle and a temporal telepathic connection between it and myself, I have managed to slow down time itself. I don't leave earlier, I don't ride faster, but I always arrive earlier.
All this for $19.94 plus shipping. Could you imagine my power if I had purchased the deluxe model?
Posted: Tue Sep 05, 2006 4:16 am
Hmmm...dare we wonder such things? what possible consiquences could that have on our very existence I wonder.....
Posted: Fri Sep 08, 2006 1:13 am
He'll tell us yesterdayNorthernPete wrote:Hmmm...dare we wonder such things? what possible consiquences could that have on our very existence I wonder.....
Posted: Wed Sep 13, 2006 2:48 am
Wednesday
Miles: 9,284
Mood:
Confession #50- I'm going bald.
A chronicle of last night's commute home:
Why is it that every day for the past week it's rained for 15 minutes in the afternoon? 15 minutes, while I'm here on the road. The sun is shining all day, and then as soon as I walk out the door thunder rumbles and it begins to pour. I know as soon as I get home, it's going to stop raining. It always does.
I never noticed how slippery the roads can be when it gets wet. I ride in the rain all the time, but my traction is severely limited today. Perhaps I need a new tire.
These people are all jerks. I mean, not necessarily to me, because I stay clear out of their way. But they are jerks to each other. They cut each other off without using their blinkers, they slam on the gas to prevent anyone from merging in front of them, they scream and wave crude hand signals to each other on a minute-by-minute basis. How can there be so much hatred in these people?
That rain cloud is looking pretty dangerous up ahead. Of course, right over my home, where I'm headed.
I need a haircut.
The cloud is full of lightning. Hmm, what's that? I sudden have a phobia of being struck by lightning. I'm convinced, just now, that one of those bolts is going to strike me down. How strange. I've been riding for the past 3 minutes worried about being struck by lightning. I should make a confession about this.
There's an ambulance, so here I go in front of him. What better place to be struck by lightning than right in front of an ambulance? Makes sense to me.
Oops, I just checked my mirror and he isn't there anymore. Must have gotten off at the last exit. Ah, well.
You know, it's pouring rain and I don't even feel wet. Isn't that something?
It's official, I'm going bald. Yes, once again it is time to change my rear tire. That would account for my lack of traction last night, I suppose. Another $200 down the drain. What gas savings again? It was there a minute ago! I need a beer.
Miles: 9,284
Mood:
Confession #50- I'm going bald.
A chronicle of last night's commute home:
Why is it that every day for the past week it's rained for 15 minutes in the afternoon? 15 minutes, while I'm here on the road. The sun is shining all day, and then as soon as I walk out the door thunder rumbles and it begins to pour. I know as soon as I get home, it's going to stop raining. It always does.
I never noticed how slippery the roads can be when it gets wet. I ride in the rain all the time, but my traction is severely limited today. Perhaps I need a new tire.
These people are all jerks. I mean, not necessarily to me, because I stay clear out of their way. But they are jerks to each other. They cut each other off without using their blinkers, they slam on the gas to prevent anyone from merging in front of them, they scream and wave crude hand signals to each other on a minute-by-minute basis. How can there be so much hatred in these people?
That rain cloud is looking pretty dangerous up ahead. Of course, right over my home, where I'm headed.
I need a haircut.
The cloud is full of lightning. Hmm, what's that? I sudden have a phobia of being struck by lightning. I'm convinced, just now, that one of those bolts is going to strike me down. How strange. I've been riding for the past 3 minutes worried about being struck by lightning. I should make a confession about this.
There's an ambulance, so here I go in front of him. What better place to be struck by lightning than right in front of an ambulance? Makes sense to me.
Oops, I just checked my mirror and he isn't there anymore. Must have gotten off at the last exit. Ah, well.
You know, it's pouring rain and I don't even feel wet. Isn't that something?
It's official, I'm going bald. Yes, once again it is time to change my rear tire. That would account for my lack of traction last night, I suppose. Another $200 down the drain. What gas savings again? It was there a minute ago! I need a beer.
Posted: Thu Sep 14, 2006 5:32 am
Thursday
Miles: 9,315
Mood:
Confession #51- I can't steer my bike with my knee.
My father once told me of his opinion that the automotive brake and gas pedal are dinosaurs from an era where it was technologically impractical to place the controls on the steering wheel. Everything was driven by cable, and drive-by-wire was a twinkle in some garage inventor's eye.
We've come a long way. Now, more by necessity to aid the handicapped, converting just about any modern vehicle to drive-by-wire is as involved as ordering an aftermarket kit from eBay and spending an afternoon with a toolkit. I'm simplifying I'm sure, but isn't it remarkable how we cling to the traditional way of doing things even though a more practical and efficient method is now available?
We're simply more precise with our hands than with our feet. We evolved that way. Our reaction times are faster and controlling a clutch lever is so much more comfortable with your fingers rather than your clunky flat foot. I remember learning to drive a stick shift. I, like many, had most difficulty in learning how to balance the clutch. My left foot just wasn't trained for the task. I could barely get the car moving, let alone shift smoothly. It took many hours of learning, and many weeks later of practicing just to get it right. It took all of 5 minutes to train my hand to do the same task.
Simply, our hands get many more duties requiring precision and dexterity than our feet do.
Those of you snickering in the back rows, please leave the auditorium.
That said, I find riding a motorcycle far more relaxing than driving a car. Shoving my feet all around, press gas, press brake. It would be a simple thing to put the brake and gas on the steering wheel.
What a revelation that would be! Instantly people would be forced to place their hands back on the wheel. No more driving with your knee. That's a good thing. People will be less distracted, more attentive, in greater control of their vehicles.
Accidents will be reduced, lives will be spared, and peace will be had throughout the world.
Just imagine...the outrage from the American public. After all, if Mr Smith's hands are on his steering wheel, how the heck is he supposed to hold his coffee if he's on the phone? Perhaps we should just quietly add a fleet of cars into the market that drive themselves. I'd bet good money that 80% of the people in those cars wouldn't even notice they aren't driving anymore.
Miles: 9,315
Mood:
Confession #51- I can't steer my bike with my knee.
My father once told me of his opinion that the automotive brake and gas pedal are dinosaurs from an era where it was technologically impractical to place the controls on the steering wheel. Everything was driven by cable, and drive-by-wire was a twinkle in some garage inventor's eye.
We've come a long way. Now, more by necessity to aid the handicapped, converting just about any modern vehicle to drive-by-wire is as involved as ordering an aftermarket kit from eBay and spending an afternoon with a toolkit. I'm simplifying I'm sure, but isn't it remarkable how we cling to the traditional way of doing things even though a more practical and efficient method is now available?
We're simply more precise with our hands than with our feet. We evolved that way. Our reaction times are faster and controlling a clutch lever is so much more comfortable with your fingers rather than your clunky flat foot. I remember learning to drive a stick shift. I, like many, had most difficulty in learning how to balance the clutch. My left foot just wasn't trained for the task. I could barely get the car moving, let alone shift smoothly. It took many hours of learning, and many weeks later of practicing just to get it right. It took all of 5 minutes to train my hand to do the same task.
Simply, our hands get many more duties requiring precision and dexterity than our feet do.
Those of you snickering in the back rows, please leave the auditorium.
That said, I find riding a motorcycle far more relaxing than driving a car. Shoving my feet all around, press gas, press brake. It would be a simple thing to put the brake and gas on the steering wheel.
What a revelation that would be! Instantly people would be forced to place their hands back on the wheel. No more driving with your knee. That's a good thing. People will be less distracted, more attentive, in greater control of their vehicles.
Accidents will be reduced, lives will be spared, and peace will be had throughout the world.
Just imagine...the outrage from the American public. After all, if Mr Smith's hands are on his steering wheel, how the heck is he supposed to hold his coffee if he's on the phone? Perhaps we should just quietly add a fleet of cars into the market that drive themselves. I'd bet good money that 80% of the people in those cars wouldn't even notice they aren't driving anymore.
Posted: Fri Sep 15, 2006 3:06 am
Friday
Miles: 9,329
Mood:
Confession #52- I think homeless people are untapped resources.
Ever wonder how many bikes there are compared to cars on the road? Ever wonder if more bikes on the road would make drivers more alert, or save more motorcyclist lives? Have you ever wondered whether the color of your helmet matters?
Me neither.
Frankly, I have more important things to worry about. Like the ever growing number of huge potholes in the roads on my commute to work.
BAM!
At 50mph in the middle of traffic this pothole comes out of nowhere and my front tire dives right into it. Bam, bump, wheeee! Out I go bouncing out of the hole, my pants wetter than they should be, my heart racing, my hands locked in a death grip on the bars trying to keep it steady. And on I go...a split second after I hit the hole, everything is back to its calming smooth single-cylinder vibrating dum-dum-dum roaring motor self. Yay!
The guy next to me is looking at me like I'm nuts. Probably because I'm weaving back and forth in my lane waving a fist screaming "What the &* is wrong with these roads?!?"
Seriously, what is wrong with these roads? That pothole wasn't there yesterday. How is it that we can build 50 story towers that can withstand hurricanes, airplanes that I have a greater chance of being struck by lightning than dying on, and split the atom as easy as we slice our morning toast, but we can't build a freaking road that doesn't fall apart by looking at it?
Do gremlins come out onto the roads in the middle of the night with sledgehammers and a case of Bud and have a road bashing party till 3AM? That pothole wasn't there yesterday and yet now here it is, the size of Brad Pitt's ego.
I have all the potholes on my commute to and from work memorized. You know how? Because as soon as they appear I somehow manage to almost run over every single one of them!
At least the drivers ahead of me could warn me or something. Hit the brake. Swerve...do something other than check your rear-view to see if I'm dead yet. Reminds me of the guy last night in front of me who, instead of swerving, decided to just roll right over a huge piece of tire in the middle of the road. I hope the tire ripped out his brake line, because the tire came flying at me! Avoiding tires on the road is one thing, avoiding projectile tires is another.
Fortunately, as you may have guessed, I have a solution. Homeless people! They are an untapped resource. Why pay work crews to fix the roads at our expense? Just slap some GPS-trackable shock collars on 200 homeless people and send them out on the freeways with a bucket of tar. They aren't doing anything anyway, and they aren't paying taxes so consider this their contribution. And if one of them gets run over fixing the road, there won't be any lawsuits.
Miles: 9,329
Mood:
Confession #52- I think homeless people are untapped resources.
Ever wonder how many bikes there are compared to cars on the road? Ever wonder if more bikes on the road would make drivers more alert, or save more motorcyclist lives? Have you ever wondered whether the color of your helmet matters?
Me neither.
Frankly, I have more important things to worry about. Like the ever growing number of huge potholes in the roads on my commute to work.
BAM!
At 50mph in the middle of traffic this pothole comes out of nowhere and my front tire dives right into it. Bam, bump, wheeee! Out I go bouncing out of the hole, my pants wetter than they should be, my heart racing, my hands locked in a death grip on the bars trying to keep it steady. And on I go...a split second after I hit the hole, everything is back to its calming smooth single-cylinder vibrating dum-dum-dum roaring motor self. Yay!
The guy next to me is looking at me like I'm nuts. Probably because I'm weaving back and forth in my lane waving a fist screaming "What the &* is wrong with these roads?!?"
Seriously, what is wrong with these roads? That pothole wasn't there yesterday. How is it that we can build 50 story towers that can withstand hurricanes, airplanes that I have a greater chance of being struck by lightning than dying on, and split the atom as easy as we slice our morning toast, but we can't build a freaking road that doesn't fall apart by looking at it?
Do gremlins come out onto the roads in the middle of the night with sledgehammers and a case of Bud and have a road bashing party till 3AM? That pothole wasn't there yesterday and yet now here it is, the size of Brad Pitt's ego.
I have all the potholes on my commute to and from work memorized. You know how? Because as soon as they appear I somehow manage to almost run over every single one of them!
At least the drivers ahead of me could warn me or something. Hit the brake. Swerve...do something other than check your rear-view to see if I'm dead yet. Reminds me of the guy last night in front of me who, instead of swerving, decided to just roll right over a huge piece of tire in the middle of the road. I hope the tire ripped out his brake line, because the tire came flying at me! Avoiding tires on the road is one thing, avoiding projectile tires is another.
Fortunately, as you may have guessed, I have a solution. Homeless people! They are an untapped resource. Why pay work crews to fix the roads at our expense? Just slap some GPS-trackable shock collars on 200 homeless people and send them out on the freeways with a bucket of tar. They aren't doing anything anyway, and they aren't paying taxes so consider this their contribution. And if one of them gets run over fixing the road, there won't be any lawsuits.
Posted: Fri Sep 15, 2006 8:26 am
Hmmm......thats actually....a good idea....
damn....
you are wise!
damn....
you are wise!