Delusions of Mediocrity

Stupid modern technomalology, just go here for pics you can actually see...

http://s83.photobucket.com/albums/j307/whoozitz/Lil%20Interceptor/

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j307/whoozitz/th_MyBike2.jpg


She's an '89 Honda VTR 250. Just picked her up (er, had her delivered, that is...) today!


She looks to be a good runner, but she's scuffed up enough that I won't cry (too hard) if I lay her down. Sporty looking, but slow and light enough for a squidly noob like myself.


I'd say some more, but I got some riding to do (very slowly... in a parking lot)!





YAAAAAAAAAY!!!

I had my first riding day today!!

O, ya, I signed up for the free PA basic motorcycle rider course a while back. I woulda made a post about it, but I got pretty miserably sick in the days leading up to the first day of class Friday night (watching videos and reading the MSF book, got through it with the help of MANY cough drops). Blah, blah, blah, yadda, yadda, yadda...


On to the fun stuff! I had my first riding day today!!


The location I picked is on the property of a local Suzuki dealer, so we had our choice of Suzuki GZ250's, blue or black (I was expecting more of a variety, maybe a couple of standards and dual-sports, but eh, I'll take what I can get; anyhoo, the GZ is mechanically the same as the TU250 I've become so enamored with, so I'm pretty happy). I chose black, cuz it's like, way more bitchin'. Yeah.

Started off just getting used to the weight of the bike, rocking it back and forth, leaning it side to side, no motor just yet. Next we fired 'em up and did some exercises to get used to the clutch (more rocking back and forth, but with the forthly rockings somewhat powered), followed by a "powered walk", and after a total of only 15 minutes or so, we were riding, feet up on the pegs.

As the day progressed we did a bunch of little exercises to introduce us to the wonders of shifting, braking and turning. It took longer than I thought it would for my body to get used to the mechanics of operating a motorcycle. I'd already known for some time where the controls are located, but it takes a bit to get your body to work that way after driving cars for so long (on my first two downshifts I hit the shifter before I reached for the clutch, d'oh!). I was a bit wobbly when we started, but after a while things started to sink in and I was able to relax a bit and have more fun; not that I was totally flummoxed early on, I mean, it's not my bike! :) Also, one of the instructors told us that the GZ has a pretty tough transmission, making it an excellent bike for a training center.

As the day went on the drills got more involved and the speeds went up (to a point; I think I hit 20mph for a brief spell), which made things a bit easier. Low speed maneuvering is definitely going to require some practice when I get my own bike, but once you get up to the speed where the bike starts to stabilize it really doesn't take long to get comfortable (at least on a lightweight like the GZ). I was told several times that I was doing great for someone who'd never ridden before, and towards the end of the (more or less) five hour hour day I felt more like a motorcycle rider and less like some squid taking a motorcycle course (not that I'm getting a big head or anything).

Alas, the session came to an end (even if I could've gone longer, we ended up getting a violent storm, mitt hail no less, made the drive home fun!). Now I get to spend the week studying for the written test (I hear it's pretty easy) and plodding through another week of work, wishing it were Sunday, already...



I can not wait for next week!!

http://www.suzukicycles.com/Products/TU250XK9

Me wants! NOW!


Sure, paying $3,500 for a brand new 250 might not be the most practical thing to do (assuming I could find one anywhere near MSRP upon it's introduction), but look at her! She's sooooooo purty! Besides, there is so much potential awesomeness here once I get past my squid phase... Clip-ons, rearsets, shaved fenders, mebbe even a 'lil bikini fairing...

Good god this winter cannot go by quickly enough, ARGH! *head es'plodes*

A little while ago I found out that the only motorcycle tech program recognized by Ducati is located in Florida, which I found rather sucky.

However, I've recently discovered that there's a Walgreen's Distribution Center about 75 miles from the school. Very, very interesting...

That's right, I gots one of them there online journally thingies...


Well, I guess this is the BIG post that all of this has been leading up to. I got hired on full time at Walgreens! --I did mention I was working there part time, didn't I?

Anyhoo, I decided a little while ago that it was time to wade out to the deep end, so I put in an application and then proceeded to harass the HR guy until he gave me an interview. I got a call back the next day (!!, somebody musta put in a good word for me) and was offered a position.

I'll be doing full case picking, second shift (no more early mornings, yay!). Basically I'll be grabbing boxes of product, slapping a shipping tag on 'em and chucking 'em on a conveyor belt that takes them to the shipping lanes (the warehouse is way cool, all kinds of conveyors and forklifts and whatnots...).

I'm scheduled to start on Monday, November 17, but the HR guy may bump it up a week to the 10th.


I am sooo looking forward to that first full time paycheck, hooray for moneys!

So....who wants to buy me this schweet sr500?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Motorcycles___1978-YAMAHA-SR500_W0QQitemZ300235372029QQddnZMotorcyclesQQddiZ2283QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item300235372029&





I'll be your bestest friend forever!!

Things is gettin' good! After a rather depressing lull I've got a new job assignment from Good Shepherd, and this one will actually last more than three days! I'm working at the Walgreens distribution warehouse off of 512, sweepin' floors part time (woo, the excitement!). The maintenance guys want the aisles swept of debris so they don't have to keep replacing the wheels on the bazillions of assorted trucks that run around all day, so this assignment will last as long as I need it--regular income in a low pressure environment, w00t!!


So...... my plan is to hang out at Walgreens until I'm ready for full-time employment. I'm not going to set a time line for this, that never works for me; at some point I'll feel confident enough to do serious job hunting, and knowing that is good enough for me right now (baby steps to self-reliance, baby steps to self reliance...).


Also aiding my overall feelings of grooviness is the fact that I have pinpointed the place where I want to work when this whole rebuilding process is over; Martin Eurosports in sunny Coopersburg, PA. They sell Ducatis, Aprilias and Triumphs (oh, my!), and I cannot think of a better place to win mah breads.


Of course, the motorcycle industry is not a hugantic one, so I have to keep in mind that they might not have any openings when I'm ready to throw my hat into the ring, but that's cool with me. I'm perfectly willing to take whatever job is open at the time, and then periodically harass them. But this is all farther into the future than I normally like to look, so onto the back burner with you, I've got to pay attention to where I'm putting my feet in the here and now.




Further updates as events warrant...

A text convo I had earlier today;


Unfamiliar number: Hey

Me: Hey you, who is this?

Unfamiliar number: Alexis tha one who put dat shit on necos

Me: You got the wrong number, sorry.

Alexis tha one who put dat shit on necos: Den who the hell is dis

Me: Not who you think it is, and that's all that matters.

Alexis tha one who put dat shit on necos: I never to b a bitch i jus said it lik i waz but in not


I decided to let it go at that. I am after all a uniter, not a divider, and I could tell by that last message that I had been quite rude to Alexis tha one who put dat shit on necos.

There's a cookie for anybody who can guess what kind of car this is. :)

Some peoples is buyin' cars, those of us with less scratch have to be a bit more creative.



[IMG]http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j307/whoozitz/MahCar.png[/IMG]



Eh, see my next post.

I was supposed to have a visit with my oncologist today but the garage wouldn't let me out. :/ So now I have to wait another week to get mahself checked out.


As for the garage, one of the springs broke and the door was all cockeyed. I had to beat it into submission with a hammer before I could get it to open, and it looks as though we won't ever be using this particular door again.


WSKJN! WLIUECN OEEIJ:OI :OEIJ EIWUW!!!

Things are picking up for whoozitz. I've started working with a job counselor at Good Shepherd Work Services. We've gone over several possible career paths and have landed in the automotive technician field (with a leaning on my part towards motorcycles). The next time I go in we'll start to sort out where and when I will sign up for classes, though it's already looking like I'll be waiting awhile due to the popularity of these classes. No biggie though, I don't want things to go too fast, too much progress at one time makes my brain itch. :)


On a related note, I've also started transitional employment, through GSWS. The only opening they had available was at a logistics warehouse that offers sporadic work. I've already put in three days, setting up shipments of jam and cake mixes. Unfortunately I came in right at the end of a working period, so I'll be off for a couple of weeks while the warehouse comes up with more work for us. But again, the sporadic nature of this assignment is fine with me since I have to get used to regular work again (I am soooo out of shape).


The cool thing about the transitional employment is that it's low pressure, since everyone I'm working with has one issue or another, so I don't feel like the proverbial sore thumb, trying to fit in with the regular workin' folk.


I guess that's about it for now.

Had a cat scan and my fist follow up with the oncologist since my treatment ended. Everything looks good. The mass on the lymph node has shrunken from 3.1 cm to 0.9 cm. It will never get to zero because of dead and scarred tissue. They'll continue to keep an eye on it to make sure it isn't growing again, so I'll have another cat scan and another visit with the doc in a few months. If the next checkup goes as well as this one did then I'll only have to get tested on a yearly basis.


So, still a bit too early to say I'm done with all of this , but all signs are pointing towards a favorable outcome. Yay!!

Happy belated birthday to mrlich! Hope it was a good one!

I'm not as tired as I was just days ago, and more importantly, I am once again capable of consuming many chocolate covered mini donuts.


Mmmm...donuts...

No more radiation for me! Had my last dose yesterday, so now it's just the occasional checkup to make sure the cancer is all gone.

Yay!

Hooray for Friday!

Hooray for being halfway done with treatments!

No hooray for mein Interweb being slower zen ze dirts, ja? Ja.