Today, I learned the basics of riding a motorcycle.
My buddy Erik took me out in a field and put me on his 250 Honda dual-sport. It’s such a forgiving bike that it managed to compensate for all but my worst starts, and once I was going, there was no problem keeping it steady, even when I double-shifted from first to third (something I need to work on, it seems).
I rode it back and forth for an hour or two, getting as high as third gear on the little dirt trail. I only managed to scare Erik once as I came around a turn slightly hot, fishtailing just the littlest bit. I thought it was good fun, of course, but he didn’t want to explain to Heather if I ended up on my face.
I would still do the multi-day training course before I actually got the “M” added to my license and started riding on the streets, but man was it fun!
The Wife, afterward, asked “Was it fun, feeling the wind through your hair?” My answer: “Well, I had a helmet on…” “Good answer!”
Tricky woman. 
So here’s the kicker: I’m adopting Erik’s basket case project bike.
Here’s the first load of parts:
Just FYI, I’ve added a listing for the upcoming Rocky Mountain Rollergirl event on Upcoming.org. (You should all sign up and use Andy’s rocking event calendar site.)
I’ve also been in contact with Jayne Manslaughter of the Sugar Kill Gang… This fact alone excites me tremendously.
Meanwhile, The Wife took a kickboxing class last night and loved it, so maybe she’s not as far from rollergirl fame as she thinks…
British Medical Experts Campaign for Long, Pointy Knife Control
The researchers noted that the rate of violent crime in Britain rose nearly 18 percent from 2003 to 2004, and that in the first two weeks of 2005, 15 killings and 16 nonfatal attacks involved stabbings. In an unusual move for a scholarly work, the researchers cited a January headline from The Daily Express, a London tabloid: “Britain is in the grip of knives terror - third of murder victims are now stabbed to death.” Dr. Hern said that “we came up with the idea and tossed it into the pot” to get people talking about crime reduction. “Whether it’s a sensible solution to this problem or not, I’m not sure.”
While I am generally on the more “liberal” side of the gun control issue than some of my friends (because guns scare the boogers out of me), start talking about grinding the tip off my Wüstofs and I’ll start talking about a revolution. Nevermind the knives I own that are actually meant to be considered “weapons”…
This quote succinctly sums up the total amount of silliness, I think:
Peter Hamm, a spokesman for the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, which supports gun control, joked, “Can sharp stick control be far behind?”
Yes, that’s a gun control advocate making fun of the idea of restricting freedoms. Go ahead and bask in that for a while.
The Rocky Mountain Rollergirls are finally getting down to bidness:
Don’t miss our first bout!
July 16, 2005
Bladium Sports Center
The Red Ridin’ Hoods versus The Sugar Kill Gang
Matt tells me the Bladium stinks to high heaven, but I’m not positive that’s going to be enough to dissuade me from persuing my first roller derby experience.
Meanwhile, Matt and I are already daydreaming about being roller derby emcees (since it doesn’t look like our significant others are going to sign up to skate anytime soon… Boo!):
How can I help?
Know a band who’ll work gratis for one of our events or bouts? Got a neighbor who can donate chairs or beer? Have a rich uncle whose company would sponsor the Roller Girls? Wanna be a referee or MC? Feel the burning need to adopt a roller girl? E-mail rmrollergirls@yahoo.com And of course, you can always attend our events!
Matt posted the screaming dad MP3.
That thing captures a hidden aspect of New England culture that is hard for outsiders (like me) to handle in person. With enough distance, however, it’s friggin’ hilarious.
Jeff “Skunk” Baxter, best known for his time with Steely Dan and the Doobie Brothers, is now a counterterrorism consultant.
The guitarist-turned-defense-consultant does regular work for the Department of Defense and the nation’s intelligence community, chairs a congressional advisory board on missile defense, and has lucrative consulting contracts with companies like Science Applications International Corp., Northrop Grumman Corp. and General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. He says he is in increasing demand for his unconventional views of counterterrorism.
“We thought turntables were for playing records until rappers began to use them as instruments, and we thought airplanes were for carrying passengers until terrorists realized they could be used as missiles,” says Mr. Baxter, who sports a ponytail and handlebar mustache. “My big thing is to look at existing technologies and try to see other ways they can be used, which happens in music all the time and happens to be what terrorists are incredibly good at.”
He’s also on the list of Boston University dropouts to go on to fame and fortune — though I doubt the conservative Baxter would care to talk politics with many of the others (Rosie O’Donnel, Jason Alexander, Peewee Herman).
[This list of "notable" BU people is interesting, if incomplete. Lots of hockey players on there, of course.]
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