2010-03-19

Whether the Weather

Sometimes I am greatly amused by the simplest of things. Today, it's the weather. Yesterday was nice enough to go for a motorcycle ride, while today requires snow tires on the car. But I think what's even more amusing is how much the weather's changed over the course of the day.

In the morning, it was mostly wet. About lunchtime, there was a lot of blowing snow. By the time I got back from lunch, most of the snow had stopped. Now it's merely cloudy with a bit of fog, although the snow is still covering the unpaved surfaces.

Fortunately, no one seems to have taken the opportunity to throw yet more sand on the roads, so when it clears up next week, I may actually brave the roads on my bike.

2010-03-18

Sandy Death

I own a motorcycle. I also live in Colorado. Normally, those two things don't clash. In fact, Colorado has some fantastic roads for motorcycle riding. Most of them are above 8,000 feet, and quite a few of them aren't paved. Fortunately, I have a dual-sport machine, which is more than capable of traveling on dirt roads. Gravel and sand, however, are a different story, and the whole reason I'm writing today.

Despite the nice weather over the last couple days, I've been afraid to pull my bike out of the garage due to the large amount of sand all over the place. Both the city and my employer are very quick to put sand down when it snows, but very very slow to remove it once everything has melted. The parking lot at work is a death trap; even for cars, unless they have knobby off-road tires. The less-traveled roads throughout the city aren't a whole lot better.

I decided to brave a few of the more-traveled roads this evening after work, and was quite happy to discover that a short jaunt through Garden of the Gods was all my bike needed to recover from its long winter nap. Now all I need to know is who I have to kill to get the sand off the roads so I feel safe enough to ride.

2010-03-17

First Thai

I had real Thai food for lunch today. Assuming you don't count instant noodles or the Pad Thai at Noodles & Company, it's the first time I've ever had Thai food.

I had Massaman curry with chicken. The curry was made with coconut milk, and the whole thing topped with a touch of chopped peanut. It was tasty, and not very spicy at all. I plan to reserve final judgment until after it's worked its way through my entire digestive system, but as of right now I think I like it.

2010-03-16

March Madness

No, I'm not talking about the basketball tournament. I'm talking about my schedule. I somehow wound up with no free day or evening until the 24th. My last free evening was the 11th.

Now, while it's true that 12 straight days of something going on might not seem out of the ordinary for some of you, it is incredibly excessive for me. I've been known to feel a bit overwhelmed just by filling up Friday, Saturday, and Sunday in the same weekend.

I'm one of those people who recharges by spending time alone. I need time to myself or I start to get irritable and easily annoyed. Here's to hoping that the short stretches of time between activities will be enough to keep me sane.

2010-03-15

Saving Lights

Now that it's dark on my way to work again, I'm noticing a large proportion of vehicles with their lights off. Sure, the sun's close enough to rising that it's bright enough to see the road… but it's not quite bright enough to see your car. See, the real purpose of a car's lights is not to enable you to see, but to enable others to see you. It's why motorcycles are required by law to have their lights on day or night. It has nothing to do with seeing the road.

So unless the sun is a full diameter above the horizon, keep your lights on. It might allow someone to see you in time to avoid hitting you. And that someone may be me.

2010-03-12

Inquisition Target: My Brain

My brain is a strange place. Odd things wander in and out of it at all hours of the day. Sometimes I contemplate these strange things, and often wonder what others might think of my musings. That's what this place is for, then. A place for me to air my brain droppings.

Should you see something that makes you think, feel free to weigh in. I care not if we share the same opinion; in fact, sometimes a difference of opinion makes the conversation more interesting. I only ask that any comments you make be civil. This is my space, after all, and I have the right to make a few rules.