I'm thinking Beaver and Louise

Greetings people! It's a new year and that means a new adventure. What it really means is it's time to find a new way to injure myself. LOL Honestly, I can't afford to be busting myself up again this year. I'm still dealing with the "gifts" I got from the motorcycle class. Oh yes, it's true. Almost 6 months later and I still have pain and I'm in physical therapy for my rotator cuff and neck. So, I'm going to try to stay away from anything that can cause injury. Last night I hurt myself with a pizza box so maybe I should just try sitting on the couch for an adventure. :)

I've asked for suggestions from people and nothing has interested me so far. My adventure doesn't necessarily have to be a sport or anything like that. A few years ago I did try to learn to play guitar. Notice I said "try." I sucked at that, too. I can play Yankee Doodle and do that awesome riff from Smoke on the Water, though.

This year I need something new. I don't want to buy lots of gear or accessories. I'm accumulating enough of that crap. I have had one idea that I like. The thing is, it's going to require a partner and might be a little more costly than my other adventures. A road trip! Not anything super long or crazy. I do have a destination in mind but it's going to take some planning. I'll have to look more into it and see if it's a possibility.

If you have any suggestions I'd love to hear them. Let me know what you think.

-Beaver

Full Throttle Beaver

Hola people! I told you I would let you know how the motorcycle training went. It started last night, Friday, August 6. It was 3 hours of classroom time. That's a lot when you've been at work all day. We went over the basics of a motorcycle and some safety stuff. I had to pay attention because this is the stuff that shows up on the written test. Considering I knew nothing about motorcycles I was a little worried about being able to retain all that info in just a few days. I will say that I think the handbook, provided by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation, is well done and easy to understand.

Before I go any further I think I'll tell you about the gear required for the course. It's all about safety! Obviously I needed a helmet. Thankfully, I already had one. I also needed boots, gloves and a long sleeve shirt. Depending on where you go gloves can cost a small fortune. I was lucky and got a decent pair at Hudson Cycle for only $25. That's not too bad considering they were basically $40 and up at the Harley Davidson place. I got my boots at the shoe store for $85. These were Harley Davidson brand boots so I figured they'd be okay for riding. I had no long sleeve shirts that were appropriate for this sort of thing so I also had to buy 2 of those. I think that was another $50. I'm not joking when I tell you that all of those things are worth every penny and they are SO important. You'll see why later.

Today, Saturday, was day 2 of training. We immediately started out on the bikes. I was on a Suzuki, GZ 250. Maybe a small bike to an experienced rider but to me it was a monster and it was heavy. I was scared. I've never driven a car with a manual transmission so I was at a bit of a disadvantage. I had some trouble with the clutch. The clutch is used with the left hand. This was a bit of an issue for me because it was my left arm that I broke last year. That arm doesn't have as much strength as it should. I was feeling it. So we did some basic things and then we started riding around. I wasn't very steady and I had a hell of a time coordinating everything. Riding a bike involves using both hands and feet all at the same time. You can't be looking down at what you're doing either. You need to be looking straight ahead. It was not fun. We were moving from exercise to exercise very quickly and I was concerned about that. I felt like I needed more time. At that point I started questioning whether or not I should continue. I told myself I'd give it until lunch and see how I felt then.

Eventually we were all driving around the parking lot in a big circle. I was doing ok and I suddenly realized I was riding a motorcycle. I was only going 10mph but it felt like I was doing about 100. Cool, I was doing it! Then we had to weave between cones. I did ok with this until I passed the last cone. There's a telephone pole near this cone and it's a bit of a distraction. It's hard not to stare at it. You will steer your bike in the direction that you're looking. Well, I was looking at the telephone pole. Do you see where I'm going with this? No, I didn't hit the pole. I thought I was going to hit the pole and I panicked. I'm sorry but in a state of panic it's a little difficult to remember to do something with all 4 limbs. I hit the brakes too hard, locked them up and went down. Yup, I dumped the bike. I was pissed! One of the instructors pulled the bike up so I could get my leg out from under it. I was fine but I was pissed. Then I got frustrated, really frustrated. I don't deal well with that. I messed the bike up so they were going to get me another one. I talked to the instructor and explained my concerns about the class moving at a quicker pace than I was comfortable with. We talked a little and I decided I'd head home. I was a little shaky and knew I wouldn't be able to relax if I got back on a bike. Being relaxed and not all tensed up is important. I signed some paperwork and I headed home. I don't think I would have made it past lunch even if I hadn't crashed. The fatigue in my left arm was causing me some trouble and my arm was shaking. That's not a good thing.

The safety equipment is important because if I hadn't been wearing boots that covered my ankles then my ankle would have been shredded. My head did touch down on the ground but because I was wearing a helmet I didn't smash my skull into the ground. The long sleeve shirt probably saved me from having a scraped up arm with pebbles stuck in it. Something I noticed about my boots that I think is important...the soles were thick and because of this I had a great deal of difficulty feeling the gear shift lever and the rear break pedal. I believe this was a huge part of my problem. If you can't feel it then how do you know you're making contact? You don't. If you ever need to buy riding boots please keep that in mind. I've also been told that having the proper safety gear saved my grandmother once. From what I understand, the leather she was wearing was shredded. Imagine if she'd been riding around in only a t-shirt.

I decided, before I ever fell, that riding a bike might not be for me. I wasn't feeling it. I got the "feeling" when I was on a skateboard but didn't get it when riding the bike. That doesn't mean I'm giving up, and I don't feel as though I failed the course. I didn't complete the course because it was in my best interest, and everybody elses, for me not to. In a few weeks I'll be starting over at a friends house using a quad. I'll start with that and once I'm comfortable with it I'll move up to a dirt bike. Like Mike said, maybe we'll discover that I'm an off road kind of girl. You never know. So, I will learn to ride one of these things but I can't say that I'll go back to try to get my motorcycle license. I learned a lot during the class and I did ride a motorcycle on my own so it wasn't a waste or anything like that. In addition to that, I came home with some parting gifts-a giant bruise on my thigh and on  my shin. I'm pretty sure they're each the size of Texas. Who knows what kind of bruises I'll find in the morning. 

So, it's all good. I learned a lot today and I think I mostly learned that this beaver is a car girl. I was meant to drive a car: 4 wheels, doors, and a comfy seat to lean back and relax in. 

Right now, this banged up beaver is exhausted, but before I go, let me say that I have a great deal of respect for those of you who are able to ride a motorcycle. It's no easy thing and it takes some serious skill to make it happen. 

Until my next adventure...

-Beaver

A little liquid courage should do the trick

Happy day after the 4th of July! The 4th of July may be independence day but it's also a day to drink mass quantities of alcohol, make poor decisions and think you're indestructible. Well, I did none of those things but in the spirit of those things I decided to bring out the skateboard. I figured if I was going to injure myself I'd do it on a day when other people are also injuring themselves so that I might look a little less stupid if I needed a trip to the ER. Know what I mean? 

I talked about the skateboard and talked about it a little more and then decided I needed some help to build up my courage. Yes, I consulted with a very wise soul, Samuel Adams. It was a little like Alice in Wonderland. I drank the magic potion in the bottle and everything fell into place. Ok, maybe not quite as smooth or easy as that. I put on my Van's, threw on an elbow pad to keep my previously broken elbow safe, grabbed the board, a beer and I stood there in the driveway. I was afraid. After a while I put my foot on the board and pushed off. I made Mike stand at the end of the driveway to catch me in case I fell. I would have taken him down with me but at least I wouldn't have been the only one on the ground looking like an idiot, right? Thankfully, I didn't fall. 

I went up and down the driveway a few times and started wishing I had more space. It's hard to get going and really do much when your space is limited. Of course, while I'm doing all this some kid goes flying by on his skateboard. SHOW OFF! He made it look so easy. Not fair! 

So, after about 30 minutes or so I decided to call it quits. I was tired and getting bored with the driveway. I was happy I didn't fall and even more thrilled that I stopped being afraid and gave it another try. Thank you Mr. Adams. Your Summer Ale is magical. I can't give all the credit to Sam Adams. Mike deserves some of the credit, too.

Next month I'll be taking 2 wheels away, adding a seat, and a motor. That's right, I'll be taking the motorcycle rider training course. I'm afraid of falling but I don't think they'll let Sam Adams help me out on this one. Hopefully, I'll have my motorcycle license at the end of the course. I'll let you know how it goes.

-Beaver

Almir Jusovic video

This guy is fearless.

Find more videos like this on Shred or Die

Don't want to be a broken Beaver again

Hola! The nice weather is finally here and I can hear the kids skating by every day. They skate down the street effortlessly, like it's as easy as breathing. I envy them.

A few weeks ago I brought out my skateboard. I was afraid to get on it. I kept hearing the doctor telling me if I break my elbow again I won't be so lucky. It took me a while but I got on the board but didn't go more than 10 feet at a time. I realized it would be safer to sit on the board so I did that and had Mike push me around the driveway. I looked ridiculous, especially with my helmet on, but I didn't care. We had fun.

This past weekend I brought the board out again. I'm not sure why, but I was more afraid this time. I'm so worried about falling that I can't focus on what I'm doing. It's pissing me off but I don't know how to change it. I'm determined to at least be able to skate in a straight line confidently. I don't know how I'm going to get to that point when I can't even get moving. Ugh! It's very frustrating. 

I'd like to spend some time down at the skate park watching but I'm not sure how they kids down there would react to me. The guys I ran into over there at Christmas were older but I'm not sure if everyone would be like that. I dunno...we'll see. 

I'll keep you posted on my progress, if there is any. 

-Beaver

Beaver Update

Happy New Year! Ha, I'm a little late with that one. It's been a while, huh? I really haven't had too much to report as far as skateboarding goes. It's winter and I have no desire to freeze my ass off outside. I did visit the skatepark in Nashua shortly before Christmas. They had what I call the "Ghetto Tree". The kids hung cans, mostly beer cans, from a tree to decorate it. I wish I'd had some battery operated lights to add to it. I stopped by to take a picture of it one afternoon. There were some guys hanging out and I wasn't sure how they'd respond to me being there. They all yelled hi to me and I said "I should have brought my skateboard!" I don't think they really believed I had a skateboard to bring. They were friendly though.

So, it seems I have someone who is eager to teach me to skate. There's a 19 year old guy, that works with Mike, who skates. I guess he's pretty good and he says some of his buddies are semi-pro. I'm not sure what that means exactly but I'm almost certain it means they don't fall and break their arm after skating for 15 minutes. We'll see how that goes once the nice weather gets here.

It's been six months since I broke my arm. It works as it should but it will never be the same. It gives me a problem every now and then, especially when it's going to snow. I put it through quite a workout at work the other day and when I got home I found it necessary to ride the Vicodin wave. Hey, did you catch that part about "work"? I got myself a job in November. Groovy, huh? It was very exciting to get a paycheck again. When I got my first one I actually hugged it. Good stuff!

So, that's where I'm at. I hope you're all doing well and staying warm.

-Beaver

Slacker Beaver

I'm such a slacker! I've been meaning to post something for a few weeks but I've been incredibly lazy. I've also got a new Xbox 360 sitting here and that's sort of contributing to my slacking off.

Anyway...
Good news, my arm is healed and fully functional. The crappy news is I have to wait until about Thanksgiving before I can go running off doing potentially dangerous activities. I was told no skating until I hit the 12 week mark. Twelve weeks falls on November 21. Hopefully I won't also fall on November 21. :)

A few weeks ago, even though it feels like forever, I went to the Mill City Bike, Skate and Music Fest. Not too many people with skateboards which I found disappointing but I was really impressed with the kids on bikes. The BMX stuff usually bores me when I see it on TV. Seeing it in person is a different story. The first few kids who went up that ramp had my eyes all wide, my heart in my throat, a sick feeling in my stomach and the though of OMG call 911 going through my head. There was no need to call 911. They all landed safely and the few times someone fell it wasn't anything to really pay attention to. Those guys were amazing. Speaking of guys...where the hell were the girls? WTF!

If you're interested, I have some photos and videos of the event posted online. Here are the links:
Three videos on youtube can be found on the right side of the page.
Photos are here. I don't know who any of these people are so none of the photos are labeled.

Tony Hawk at Rye Airfield today! How cool is that? Have you seen the new, not yet released, Tony Hawk game? It's called RIDE. Looks pretty cool. The controller for the game is an actual board. Looks kind of cool.

I'm out of things to say and it's going to be a wicked nice day. I'll catch ya later.

-Beaver