Expanding Horizons Continue ( Or, It's Cyclist and Biker ),

Last summer, I discovered the joy of Motor Biking. I rented a little 49cc motor scooter and just fell in love with the feeling of a motor propelling me on two wheels. After so many years and miles, I was letting something else do the work. Within a week, I purchased one of those cheap little Chinese mainland knock-off scooters and realized right away I had been impulsive again as the scooter turned out to be faulty and frail. My neighbor had also just purchased a 49cc scooter, but had done his homework and bought a Honda Metropolitan. Perfect for him as all he does with it is commute to his job as a school principal and back. I believed I needed the same scooter to replace my inferior Popcycle and even tried to do a car deal with one as we thought about purchasing a mini-van to replace our Blazer. Oh, I thought this Honda scooter would end my woes about my purchase of the Popcycle.
November came, and I again made an impulse buy of one of these little Honda scooters much to the chagrin of my wife, but, I assured her, this will fix it, do not you see? Home came the Honda and I managed to give away the crappy Popcycle for $200 to a couple who had another G49 and knew that parts, service and luck were simply not available for these things. They saw the writing on the wall before I did as I really thought a certain businessman would make good on his products of which he did not and escaped town leaving dozens of people with these machines in which no future is in the cards for any of them.
Oh, but now I had my coveted Metro. My bicycling started taking a back seat to the scooter and was touched very little. I had some guilt pangs, but riding the scooter was so enjoyable, I thought it would be OK eventually and things would work out. Little did I know at the start that MY CYCLING was not going to give up, ever.
However, I still was not satisfied with the scooter experience, as the Metro was prone to severe slow downs at the slightest hill or headwind. I tried to accept it as I knew I was stuck with it. I had coveted it so much and really, it wasn' that bad. But each time it bogged down, I seethed.

So early April, I go into Vespa St.Louis to look at armored jackets. BOOM, there it was, a Piaggio BV250, a 250cc, mid size motor scooter. I have to say that my immediate thoughts were to just buy the damn thing on my own and I tried to figure out how I could finance it with a trade in without Rachel knowing until I brought it home. The guys at the dealership were not very helpful at explaining their particular financing system and I had no immediate luck with their recommendations. I have since gotten to know these two guys pretty well as I am now a customer of Vespa St. Louis as well as socially. A gnawing realization told me to just tell Rachel I want the bike and let the chips fall where they may. That night, I just told her. She was at first upset that I would even consider such a thing but then within an hour, she told me that I should just get what I want this time. We of course discussed finances and we had just learned that our daughter Margaret's tuition for school was now going from $4,500 to $0, as her school has become a charter school, so I reasoned that there was the money. Add to that the $1,200 or so I would get for the Metro and it brought the price down on the new Piaggio, a much more versatile motor scooter. She seemed to me to agree and I came away from that conversation planning to go buy it the next day. Which I did, but did not actually tell her I did until the day I was to pick it up.

What followed is not exactly what happened to this guy in the AutoTrader ad, but very similar, as our conversation about the scooter was far from over. I failed to realize that my purchase of this scooter was yet again an impulse buy and since I feared her rejection of it, I snuck it in anyway. But, I have a good scooter, even though I was like a four year old in my rush to get it.

I have put nearly 2,400 miles on it since April 7th. It is so much more powerful and versatile than my last one. I can literally go out of town on this thing and it is what I was looking for since my first test ride last summer. But, and this is really the jist of this post, my bicycling was becoming seriously threatened now as I wanted to be on it all of the time. I proceeded to take four weeks off, making excuses to myself about weather, cold etc., bullshit really when you look at my cycling history and the year-round commuting I have done since the early 1980's.So much time began to pass that I knew getting back on my bike would be painful and frustrating, but I still stayed off. I noticed every other cyclist and thought about what I was in the process of giving up and the discomfort increased. I always wished I were on my bicycle when I was scootering, but I never wished to be on my scooter while cycling. I still stayed off the cycle and feeling worse about it.

On one of our marriage counseling sessions, Rachel mentioned my dilemna and Jane started talking about how I did not really know where to put my scooter in my life and that little Mickey was just confused. Well, that did it. I proceeded to just rip them both as not understanding what it is to have had a passion for an excercize routine with my bicycle for so long and for them to back off from that line. Jane, being the consumate professional that she is, helped me to see the value of the pain and to find a way to do both. I have some guilt attached to this scooter purchase and I have to deal with that and I am. I am making room for it as I feel I can own it now and I HAVE GOTTEN BACK ON MY BICYCLE WITH A NEW APPRECIATION AND UNDERSTANDING. So, I may change the name of my blog to It's Cyclist and Biker !!

I Am Still Here

I am still here and want to get back into my blog maintenance. It may be a journaling substitute or at least an oppurtunity to get stuff out of my crazy brain and out to the universe.

Will post again very soon, I hope ,and I may change the name of this blog or simply start a new one. It is about making room in my life for good habits to go into fruition and maintaining this program of action. I cannot live on past work and past progress.

Nice to still be here.

Just simply a new post !!

Long time , no post. Much has happened since my last post and I have considered just deleting this thing but something tells me to just hold on awhile. My buddy HDT has really gotten into the Youtube thing and doesn't know when he will post again.
I went back to work last November to a part-time job that I really did not know that I wanted. My boss had asked me to come and work there more than once and while sitting in a coffee shop near my house last fall I got another call from her. I went to hear her out that day and ended up agreeing to start work the following week. I only work 15 hours a week but it is the most important job that I have ever had. I work as office manager for a not-for profit kids camp located in south central Missouri. My office is only 2 minutes from my daughters school and I only work the hours they are in school.
I really have enjoyed being away from that truck gig but something was missing that I really could not fully figure out until I started again to contribute financially to my family and my lifestyle, which I admit I did not alter much after quitting last May. Even though we were OK without a paycheck from me, I knew by my discomfort level that I needed to find a paying gig before too long. What I did not know was the extent that I would feel joy and well being when I did go back to work.

Luxury Problems

Have not posted in more than 2 weeks so I just wanted to put something in to remind me why I do this.Often I will start a post only to quit as I don't think that I have anything to say.The key is time and most of my free time comes after my kids are in bed and then I have time to spend with my wife Rachel.And then there's that thing called sleep that we need.My kids are always up by 6:42 a.m.,even if I put them to bed at 10p.m. When they are up,everyone is up.
SO all of my problems are of the luxury nature.All of them,no exceptions. The guys in the picture above knew problems to an extent that I hope I never have to experience.I just finished the audio version of the book 'Flags of Our Fathers' which is the detailed account of the World War II battle for Iwo Jima.This photo was for a long time the most copied photo of all time and may still be.Why Am I posting this about this topic? It simply reminds me that I did not have to experience the horrors of combat at the age of 20.I have to live in a world where human beings still find war necessary even after what men like these sacrificed for.Maybe todays war will lead to some good later.I doubt it this time.I think that we have gone too far.Time will tell,won't it?

Closeted Cigar Smokers

I had my first paid gig as a League Of American Bicyclists Cycling Instructor today.After I quit my truck gig back in May,I started the process of becoming an LCI(League Cycling Instructor).In the spirit of remaining teachable,I took a course in bicycle handling and safety and then did a teaching seminar in Chicago in August,which I passed.I have learned alot on the 25 years I have been an adult cyclist.Much of it by near fatal trial and error type stuff.But I have learned alot in my process of becoming an instructor.I have learned that just because I have much experience with on road,in traffic riding I need to learn how to teach before I can teach.So here I am,getting paid to teach what my passion is.But you see,I have already been paid in many hours and days of self propelled transportation,very good excercise and lots of therapy.I am now just double dipping.My biggest concern now is that I do not want to get so busy with this that I am not there for my daughters and my wife,who is the primary bread winner for our family.Primary?Hell,she's the only one now!!!
Anyway,today after the session was over,I was having lunch with my wife and another student in the class,a retired mental health professional(yes.a shrink.).Also there was the main instructor whom I was assisting.The subject of cigar smoking came up and both the instructor and the shrink started ripping cigar smokers and calling them 'turd burners' and other such things.I finally chimed in by saying"You never know who might be a closeted cigar smoker" and they laughed and the subject was dropped.
So,my cherished readers,I want to take this oppurtunity to come out of the smoking closet and admit that I am a Turd Burner.Yes,me,the newly minted Cycling Instructor.The excercize loving,Century riding mostly healthy guy.I like to smoke cigars.
Now you may want to know how I can smoke cigars and ride my bicycle.It is very simple.I just don't do them at the same time.