Motorcycle Class Day 2

Today was day two of the Motorcycle Safety Class. We got to ride today. I couldn't get my hands on a small video camera, but I should have one for next week. I did get this lovely photo of Douchbag. He's sitting on his "work car". Don't you just love his cowboy boots? Hawt! LOL

Well, I've renamed Wimpy. He reminds me of Dudley from Wild Hogs, so that is what I will refer to him as from now on. Dudley didn't do too bad. Dudley was behind me a lot and he really liked to rev his engine. Other than that and coming to a skidding stop at the end of every cycle, he wasn't too bad today.

Douchebag can ride, but he's still annoying. At one point, he is addressing one of the instructors as "Don", I told him that his name is Ben, to which he said, well Don is the other one, to which I said, "You mean BOB?". He then reminded me that he is old.

Three bikes went down. One bike was two of those downers. There are two other women in my class, a mother and daughter. The mother dumped her bike twice. She weighs like 90 pounds wet, so the fact that she kept the bike upright for the majority of the time was commendable on her part. The other bike that went down was mine. In my defense, I just gently laid it down and it was quite graceful. See, I was in the front row in the staging area, we were to immediately cut off our engines when we stopped, it was quite some time before everyone was in. We were told to dismount our bikes and I guess in that length of time, I totally forgot to put the kick stand down. I got a really nice look at Dudley's shoes, since he was to my immediate left. Nothing was hurt on me or the bike.

We then had to watch some more demonstrations then headed back to our bikes to try what we just watched. I get on my bike, look to my left and who do I see? Douchebag! He is on Dudley's bike! Why? Beats me. I guess Douchebag is just used to being in the front and just assumed it was his bike and Dudley is just clueless and went to the first bike that didn't have a rider. Now I KNOW that it was Dudley's bike next to mine because I just smelled his loafers!

Day two was a lot of fun and a very good learning experience. I learned to shift clear up to third gear and shift down. I learned how to come to a quick, controlled stop. I learned how to do a tight figure eight. I learned how to corner. I learned that Grizzly Adams thinks that I look good on a bike because he told me. He asked me what I rode and imagine the look on his face when I told him a Scooter? LOL The most important thing I learned today was to put the freaking kick stand down when dismounting.

I'm looking forward to next week, class and written test on Monday and more riding and riding test on Tuesday. If I pass both tests, I will have my license. Wild Hogs!!

Motorcycle Class Day 1

Today was Day One of my Motorcycle Safety Course. After fretting about where I was going to find boots this time of year, I was overjoyed when my instructor said that high top sneakers are acceptable, as long as they cover your ankles. Score!!

So, every class has a Douchebag and boy do we have one. I don't know if he is just making this shit up or if he really is that stupid and believes his nonsense. In two hours and forty-five minutes, we had to listen to at least a dozen stories like how he was hit by a car that is making a u-turn and while he is on the ground, the driver flips him off. My personal favorite was the one where he is on his motorcycle and comes around a bend and there is a huge LOG in the middle of the road and he "stood the bike up on end and ran over it". Yeah right. If that didn't make the 10 other people in the room all roll their eyes in synchronization, I don't know what will. And before you all start thinking that he was on a dual purpose bike, he was on a Harley. *cough*BULLSHIT*Cough*

Then we have Wimpy. Picture a soft-spoken, college professor type. So smart, but so dumb. We were all assigned questions to look up and we had to read our answers and give the page number so that everyone could highlight the answer. Wimpy just made shit up and it was usually wrong.

They assigned us to tables with people we didn't know. We were to interview a new friend and we had to introduce them to the class. Typical interview questions were: Name, where they were from, riding experience and what they wanted to gain from the class. Wimpy is assigned to a table with Grizzly Adams and Farm Boy. Wimpy interviews Grizzly and Grizzly interviews Wimpy, which leaves Farm Boy to interview himself. Seriously? You couldn't figure out how to do it so everyone interviewed someone else??

I just can't wait for tomorrow. We get on the bikes tomorrow. My money is on either Douchbag or Wimpy to hit the pavement. I plan to have my camera ready. This is turning out to be a very entertaining experience!! Stay tuned....................

We lost a good lady!

Yesterday, I returned home, after working a very long day, excited that I was going to start a five day Stay-Cation. I settled in for the night and checked my email, that is when I got the news. Mary Jane had passed away. Wow, I was speechless.

I met Mary Jane online at a golden retriever forum. She was our mother hen. It was the year that my mother was very ill. Mary Jane was encouraging me to go to Goldstock. At one point, I stated that I didn't think that I had the physical or emotional strength to drive the six hours by myself to get there. Mary Jane would not hear of it. I went and I am so glad I did.

I attended two more Goldstock's after that. Mary Jane was a pivotal figure for our group at all of these events. She planned and organized everything so that we all could make the most out of our time together.

There were days where you would come home from work and there would be a package from her. She was always sending gifts. She sent them when you got a new furbaby. She sent you a memorial gift when you lost one. She sent gifts when they had surgeries. She was just always thinking of others.

Mary Jane, along with Pam, was pivotal in rescuing Travis from the Amish farm. Mary Jane and her husband put up all of the money to spring him until we could fund raise to pay them back. She didn't hesitate, she new this wonderful dog deserved more. It was because of Mary Jane, Pam and Travis that we now have our Golden Friends Rescue group.

In early August, Mary Jane was having some back troubles. When she was at the beach, walking the dogs, she slipped and fell. After that, her back troubles got worse, then she started loosing feeling in her leg. She went in for tests and they found a lesion on her spine. It was cancerous. She had an operation and started receiving therapy. She kept getting worse. She never came home.

I am shocked and saddened that this all happened so fast. I am struggling with questions I have. Why? Why someone good? Why not someone evil? The hardest question I have is why is my mother still alive, when she clearly DOES NOT want to live, yet Mary Jane and my mother in law Nancy, both wanted to live so bad and they were denied. Why? I don't want my mother to die, but she clearly doesn't want to live, she is content to live in a nursing home having others do everything for her. Why?

We lost a great lady yesterday. She has touch so many lives, especially all of the animals that she helped have better lives. I thank her for Travis, he truly is a special creature that would have had a horrible life. We may have lost her, but heaven is a little brighter today. A fiery redhead has joined the ranks and she's keeping her fellow angels in line.

God Speed Mary Jane.