Bliss
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The day started out in church, doing some background singing for the kids' choir and a solo of my own. Kinda nice, the place was packed full (always is when the kids take the stand - parents and grandparents all over the place). And solos don't come often when you're a 2nd bass... ;) Then... a quick look towards the sky. Not a single cloud, just a bright shiny thing on the blue backdrop. Back home, don the boots and the jacket, put the helmet on and stroll off to the garage. Quick oil check, tend to the chain for a bit and then away. Some 300 kilometers of small, winding country roads (and a ferry) later, I'm finally back home, and the Honda is back in the garage. It's an ancient (25 years old) CB 400N, so it's not much of a bike, but on those roads it's fun enough. Not a single thought even remotely related to computers or programming for hours. Life is a nice place, sometimes... :-D
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The day started out in church, doing some background singing for the kids' choir and a solo of my own. Kinda nice, the place was packed full (always is when the kids take the stand - parents and grandparents all over the place). And solos don't come often when you're a 2nd bass... ;) Then... a quick look towards the sky. Not a single cloud, just a bright shiny thing on the blue backdrop. Back home, don the boots and the jacket, put the helmet on and stroll off to the garage. Quick oil check, tend to the chain for a bit and then away. Some 300 kilometers of small, winding country roads (and a ferry) later, I'm finally back home, and the Honda is back in the garage. It's an ancient (25 years old) CB 400N, so it's not much of a bike, but on those roads it's fun enough. Not a single thought even remotely related to computers or programming for hours. Life is a nice place, sometimes... :-D
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The day started out in church, doing some background singing for the kids' choir and a solo of my own. Kinda nice, the place was packed full (always is when the kids take the stand - parents and grandparents all over the place). And solos don't come often when you're a 2nd bass... ;) Then... a quick look towards the sky. Not a single cloud, just a bright shiny thing on the blue backdrop. Back home, don the boots and the jacket, put the helmet on and stroll off to the garage. Quick oil check, tend to the chain for a bit and then away. Some 300 kilometers of small, winding country roads (and a ferry) later, I'm finally back home, and the Honda is back in the garage. It's an ancient (25 years old) CB 400N, so it's not much of a bike, but on those roads it's fun enough. Not a single thought even remotely related to computers or programming for hours. Life is a nice place, sometimes... :-D
I can't wait to get off my Gomoto1 125cc and onto something bigger, to hit some open roads. My last bike was an old z750, back in '94 it was even old, and I sold it in '95. I'm treating myself to an out-of-box z750 at the end of this year, but finances are picking up dramatically at the end of June, so I'm going to try and get a second hand 400 - 600 to tide be over until I get my shiny new baby. 1 It's a SA/Chinese CG125 clone. Very nice little low budget bike, only R7k ($1k) brand new, but only good for a short commute.
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The day started out in church, doing some background singing for the kids' choir and a solo of my own. Kinda nice, the place was packed full (always is when the kids take the stand - parents and grandparents all over the place). And solos don't come often when you're a 2nd bass... ;) Then... a quick look towards the sky. Not a single cloud, just a bright shiny thing on the blue backdrop. Back home, don the boots and the jacket, put the helmet on and stroll off to the garage. Quick oil check, tend to the chain for a bit and then away. Some 300 kilometers of small, winding country roads (and a ferry) later, I'm finally back home, and the Honda is back in the garage. It's an ancient (25 years old) CB 400N, so it's not much of a bike, but on those roads it's fun enough. Not a single thought even remotely related to computers or programming for hours. Life is a nice place, sometimes... :-D
Is to take a motorcycle tour across Central and South America. I think it could be awesome. Just need to learn Spanish and Portuguese first.
Need a C# Consultant? I'm available.
Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know. -- Ernest Hemingway -
I can't wait to get off my Gomoto1 125cc and onto something bigger, to hit some open roads. My last bike was an old z750, back in '94 it was even old, and I sold it in '95. I'm treating myself to an out-of-box z750 at the end of this year, but finances are picking up dramatically at the end of June, so I'm going to try and get a second hand 400 - 600 to tide be over until I get my shiny new baby. 1 It's a SA/Chinese CG125 clone. Very nice little low budget bike, only R7k ($1k) brand new, but only good for a short commute.
Similar situation here, I bought the 400 last year to see if it would still be fun after 25 years out of the saddle. It was, so a bigger bike for this season is less than a month away... I'll probably go for something like a 750 or 800 - minimum 600. Definitely second hand - in Sweden (with nine months of winter), bikes don't get much mileage, so even a 15-20 years old bike can be in good shape and reliable enough for longer trips. NOT true of my 400, though - the smaller bikes get beaten up by younger drivers... but it works for sunday trips around the local countryside (with some duct tape here and there). I think I'm looking for something like a Honda VFR or a Ducati ST2 - but may end up with something completely different... :-)
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Is to take a motorcycle tour across Central and South America. I think it could be awesome. Just need to learn Spanish and Portuguese first.
Need a C# Consultant? I'm available.
Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know. -- Ernest HemingwayI've been dreaming about a tour across the US ever since I was 12 and read "Zen and the Art of Maintaining a Motorcycle" for the first time (I must admit that most of the philosophical stuff flew right by me at the time - except the concept of quality, which as steered me ever since - but the biking part touched a nerve even then). The US is exotic enough for a Swede... :-) (can't help feeling a bit like the main character in the book when riding my battered old Honda)
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I've been dreaming about a tour across the US ever since I was 12 and read "Zen and the Art of Maintaining a Motorcycle" for the first time (I must admit that most of the philosophical stuff flew right by me at the time - except the concept of quality, which as steered me ever since - but the biking part touched a nerve even then). The US is exotic enough for a Swede... :-) (can't help feeling a bit like the main character in the book when riding my battered old Honda)
To be perfectly honest, the United States is the perfect country for a motorcycle tour for citizens of the world. You can achieve every climate, different cultures every few hundred miles, weird laws, interesting celebrations, and generally excellent safety and access to services during the entire year. I would say the United States is very exotic. However, having grown-up here, it's kinda been there done that :p (Also, here in the States a heavy accent an excuse about how it is legal in your country can usually get you off with a warning)
Need a C# Consultant? I'm available.
Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know. -- Ernest Hemingway -
Is to take a motorcycle tour across Central and South America. I think it could be awesome. Just need to learn Spanish and Portuguese first.
Need a C# Consultant? I'm available.
Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know. -- Ernest HemingwayYou absolutely must watch Long Way Round[^], and of course its sequel, Long Way Down, but I haven't seen the latter. Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman, and their adventurous cameraman, Claudio von Planta, travel from London to New York by bike. What a series, watch it even if you have never ridden a bike in your life, or even plan to.
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I've been dreaming about a tour across the US ever since I was 12 and read "Zen and the Art of Maintaining a Motorcycle" for the first time (I must admit that most of the philosophical stuff flew right by me at the time - except the concept of quality, which as steered me ever since - but the biking part touched a nerve even then). The US is exotic enough for a Swede... :-) (can't help feeling a bit like the main character in the book when riding my battered old Honda)
PeterTheSwede wrote:
"Zen and the Art of Maintaining a Motorcycle"
"Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance", to give its untranslated title. Would you believe I read that because it featured in the 'recommended reading' list of a first year Computer Science course?
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Similar situation here, I bought the 400 last year to see if it would still be fun after 25 years out of the saddle. It was, so a bigger bike for this season is less than a month away... I'll probably go for something like a 750 or 800 - minimum 600. Definitely second hand - in Sweden (with nine months of winter), bikes don't get much mileage, so even a 15-20 years old bike can be in good shape and reliable enough for longer trips. NOT true of my 400, though - the smaller bikes get beaten up by younger drivers... but it works for sunday trips around the local countryside (with some duct tape here and there). I think I'm looking for something like a Honda VFR or a Ducati ST2 - but may end up with something completely different... :-)
I'm only going for the Kawasaki because I've had one before, although the new one is vastly different to what I had, I would ave to draw lots in the 600 - 750 cc range to pick a 'first' bike. From there I have something of a reference, so after a year or so I take another for a test ride, I can tell whether I prefer it to my 'z' or not.
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I'm only going for the Kawasaki because I've had one before, although the new one is vastly different to what I had, I would ave to draw lots in the 600 - 750 cc range to pick a 'first' bike. From there I have something of a reference, so after a year or so I take another for a test ride, I can tell whether I prefer it to my 'z' or not.
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PeterTheSwede wrote:
"Zen and the Art of Maintaining a Motorcycle"
"Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance", to give its untranslated title. Would you believe I read that because it featured in the 'recommended reading' list of a first year Computer Science course?
Brady Kelly wrote:
"Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance", to give its untranslated title.
Darn. I knew that. It's sitting in my bookshelf (untranslated version). Fingers quick, brain slow... :(
Brady Kelly wrote:
Would you believe I read that because it featured in the 'recommended reading' list of a first year Computer Science course?
It amazes me that teachers can be that clueful, yes. But if I were a CS teacher I'd probably do the same. It has helped me immensely in coping with (and understunding why) users not even wanting to understand what I as a programmer automatically beleive that anyone in front of a computer should see as primal self-preservation to grasp. I find myself refering to it at work more than once a month when discussing that problem with colleagues. Edit: "That problem" = the different perspectives programmers (systems designers) and many users have on technology, respectively.
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The day started out in church, doing some background singing for the kids' choir and a solo of my own. Kinda nice, the place was packed full (always is when the kids take the stand - parents and grandparents all over the place). And solos don't come often when you're a 2nd bass... ;) Then... a quick look towards the sky. Not a single cloud, just a bright shiny thing on the blue backdrop. Back home, don the boots and the jacket, put the helmet on and stroll off to the garage. Quick oil check, tend to the chain for a bit and then away. Some 300 kilometers of small, winding country roads (and a ferry) later, I'm finally back home, and the Honda is back in the garage. It's an ancient (25 years old) CB 400N, so it's not much of a bike, but on those roads it's fun enough. Not a single thought even remotely related to computers or programming for hours. Life is a nice place, sometimes... :-D
Sounds great. You've reminded me of one of my happiest moments. Riding down a road in Norfolk at 7am on a summers morning on my Divy 600 around 3 years ago, not a car in sight - I was so happy I was not even breaking the speed limit of 60mph. Now I'm thinking of getting a bike just for the summer...
Continuous effort - not strength or intelligence - is the key to unlocking our potential.(Winston Churchill)
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Sounds great. You've reminded me of one of my happiest moments. Riding down a road in Norfolk at 7am on a summers morning on my Divy 600 around 3 years ago, not a car in sight - I was so happy I was not even breaking the speed limit of 60mph. Now I'm thinking of getting a bike just for the summer...
Continuous effort - not strength or intelligence - is the key to unlocking our potential.(Winston Churchill)
I've never had the chance to enjoy Britain on two wheels... but whenever I go there and see your roads, I dream of it. You have the same winding roads we have in Sweden, except yours dont get ruined by frost*. The smaller Swedish roads have to be patched almost every year, and there are patches on the patches, and patches on these and so on. Bumps where you least expect it (preferably in curves, for some odd reason)... :-) Sometimes they pour tar and loose grovel on a road for a month or so, letting it patch itself with the help of traffic. NOT so nice to encounter coming out of a curve on a bike... Seeing the British roads with tarmac that looks newly laid even after ten years makes me green with envy... Plus... also due to the absence of frost... the even smaller roads that don't have tarmac in Sweden, do in the UK. Even more fun! *) Possibly mistranslated - the Swedish word "tjäle" means when the actual ground freezes (a foot or so down). Happens each winter and causes movement in the ground, cracking the roads up (except the highways - but that costs several thousands EUR per meter to achieve). I expect it might happen in northern Scotland, but probably not in England - right? EDIT: Fixed the highway cost per meter - was off by a factor of 1000... oops! Still expensive, though...
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I've never had the chance to enjoy Britain on two wheels... but whenever I go there and see your roads, I dream of it. You have the same winding roads we have in Sweden, except yours dont get ruined by frost*. The smaller Swedish roads have to be patched almost every year, and there are patches on the patches, and patches on these and so on. Bumps where you least expect it (preferably in curves, for some odd reason)... :-) Sometimes they pour tar and loose grovel on a road for a month or so, letting it patch itself with the help of traffic. NOT so nice to encounter coming out of a curve on a bike... Seeing the British roads with tarmac that looks newly laid even after ten years makes me green with envy... Plus... also due to the absence of frost... the even smaller roads that don't have tarmac in Sweden, do in the UK. Even more fun! *) Possibly mistranslated - the Swedish word "tjäle" means when the actual ground freezes (a foot or so down). Happens each winter and causes movement in the ground, cracking the roads up (except the highways - but that costs several thousands EUR per meter to achieve). I expect it might happen in northern Scotland, but probably not in England - right? EDIT: Fixed the highway cost per meter - was off by a factor of 1000... oops! Still expensive, though...
Three places I would recommend for riding in the UK are Wales, Scotland and Yorkshire all of which have winding mountainous(well we call them mountainous but they are really hills) roads. The good thing is that you don't get too much gravel on them although all three of these places can be wet in the winter so most of the riding is done in the summer. However I think Sweden must still be fairly spectacular near the coast? If you want to be really crazy then the Isle of Man mad Sunday is one to try - I haven't done it but from what I have heard it is just that mad...(it may even have been stopped - I'm out of touch)
mad = (crazy && !angry && nationality == English)Continuous effort - not strength or intelligence - is the key to unlocking our potential.(Winston Churchill)
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The day started out in church, doing some background singing for the kids' choir and a solo of my own. Kinda nice, the place was packed full (always is when the kids take the stand - parents and grandparents all over the place). And solos don't come often when you're a 2nd bass... ;) Then... a quick look towards the sky. Not a single cloud, just a bright shiny thing on the blue backdrop. Back home, don the boots and the jacket, put the helmet on and stroll off to the garage. Quick oil check, tend to the chain for a bit and then away. Some 300 kilometers of small, winding country roads (and a ferry) later, I'm finally back home, and the Honda is back in the garage. It's an ancient (25 years old) CB 400N, so it's not much of a bike, but on those roads it's fun enough. Not a single thought even remotely related to computers or programming for hours. Life is a nice place, sometimes... :-D
Subtract the motor, add lots more gears, and shorten the distance a tad (down to 50-75 km), and you've got a deal. BTW: It's nice to hear you wear a helmet. I know we lose man-points for wearing one, but it's better to stay alive.
PeterTheSwede wrote:
solos don't come often when you're a 2nd bass...
Tenors are such pansies :laugh:.
Software Zen:
delete this;
Fold With Us![^] -
Three places I would recommend for riding in the UK are Wales, Scotland and Yorkshire all of which have winding mountainous(well we call them mountainous but they are really hills) roads. The good thing is that you don't get too much gravel on them although all three of these places can be wet in the winter so most of the riding is done in the summer. However I think Sweden must still be fairly spectacular near the coast? If you want to be really crazy then the Isle of Man mad Sunday is one to try - I haven't done it but from what I have heard it is just that mad...(it may even have been stopped - I'm out of touch)
mad = (crazy && !angry && nationality == English)Continuous effort - not strength or intelligence - is the key to unlocking our potential.(Winston Churchill)
GuyThiebaut wrote:
Wales, Scotland and Yorkshire
Noted. One of them may even happen this summer... Then again, I spent a month at Framlingham College in my early teens (getting rid of the remaining awkwardness around the English language), and I really did enjoy the countryside in the Suffolk area (which I expect is much like that entire region - at least that's what I envisioned when you mentioned biking in Norfolk).
GuyThiebaut wrote:
However I think Sweden must still be fairly spectacular near the coast?
That would depend - east or west, north or south. The south of Sweden is kind of flat (much like the parts of England I've been to, actually) - the hill/mountain confusion sounded familiar... :-) And I can't say much about the north, as I've not spent much time there. Riding to northern Sweden (about half way) and then into Norway and back south is a project, though. May also happen this summer, or maybe next. I'm told that you can actually ride across the mountains (and they are mountains) without risking life and limb in the southern part of Norway. Not sure about the details yet, though... still researching.
GuyThiebaut wrote:
Isle of Man mad Sunday
That would also be neat... why are there so many interesting things to do and so little time? Oh, and about "mad". Yep, that's how I learned it. We primarily learn British English in school here, although we get taught some differences between it and US English.
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Subtract the motor, add lots more gears, and shorten the distance a tad (down to 50-75 km), and you've got a deal. BTW: It's nice to hear you wear a helmet. I know we lose man-points for wearing one, but it's better to stay alive.
PeterTheSwede wrote:
solos don't come often when you're a 2nd bass...
Tenors are such pansies :laugh:.
Software Zen:
delete this;
Fold With Us![^]Gary R. Wheeler wrote:
Subtract the motor...
50-75 km on a bicycle? OK, I do 10 now and then (24 gears - four times what I have on the Honda) and enjoy it. I did 60 once (on the island of Bornholm) and will never do it again. Collapsed from fatigue half-way and afterwards, I couldn't sit for a week... :-)
Gary R. Wheeler wrote:
It's nice to hear you wear a helmet
Law here. Remember, this is Volvo-land... and being brought up here it's sort of second nature... :-) My leather jacket also has integrated elbow and shoulder protectors, and a huge back protector (weighs a ton or so). The pants are somewhat similar. In Volvo-land, you don't lose man-points for that - you earn moron-points for not wearing it...
Gary R. Wheeler wrote:
Tenors are such pansies
In the words of Teal'c: Indeed.
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I've been dreaming about a tour across the US ever since I was 12 and read "Zen and the Art of Maintaining a Motorcycle" for the first time (I must admit that most of the philosophical stuff flew right by me at the time - except the concept of quality, which as steered me ever since - but the biking part touched a nerve even then). The US is exotic enough for a Swede... :-) (can't help feeling a bit like the main character in the book when riding my battered old Honda)
PeterTheSwede wrote:
The US is exotic enough for a Swede...
its interesting .. to you the US is exotic - to me Europe is exotic. :^) (Im thinking of a whistle-stop tour of Denmark/Sweden in October 2009, on my way to 22 days cycling in France and Belgium, but 3 nights in Denmark and 3 in Stockholm wont even scratch the surface)
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The day started out in church, doing some background singing for the kids' choir and a solo of my own. Kinda nice, the place was packed full (always is when the kids take the stand - parents and grandparents all over the place). And solos don't come often when you're a 2nd bass... ;) Then... a quick look towards the sky. Not a single cloud, just a bright shiny thing on the blue backdrop. Back home, don the boots and the jacket, put the helmet on and stroll off to the garage. Quick oil check, tend to the chain for a bit and then away. Some 300 kilometers of small, winding country roads (and a ferry) later, I'm finally back home, and the Honda is back in the garage. It's an ancient (25 years old) CB 400N, so it's not much of a bike, but on those roads it's fun enough. Not a single thought even remotely related to computers or programming for hours. Life is a nice place, sometimes... :-D