Going Against The Grain

As I mentioned before, I love riding motorcycles. I started out on a little XL 100 dirt bike, as a young fellow.

Then I went through the rebellious twenty-something stage with a CBR 600. That bike was so much fun. I had done all kinds of modifications to make it quicker, as if it really needed it. I won’t get into a discussion of the crazy (translation: stupid) stuff I used to do on that thing. I will only say that it would go zero to 60 in less than four seconds. I never did find the top end speed, but I know for a fact that it would run at least 140 mph. After personally having survived a couple of close calls, and watching my best friend lose his leg in an accident, I decided I wasn’t as invincible as I thought I was, so I decided to hang up my helmet and live to tell the stories on another day.

I stayed off bikes for a couple of years, but the siren song of the open road kept calling my name, so I eventually decided to get back in the saddle. There is just something about the open road and the wind in your face.

I bought my Honda Shadow in Spring 2006. It is much more comfortable and much less powerful, thus reducing the temptation of doing something stupid on it. I’m also a little older, and I (hopefully) have a little better judgment than I used too :-)

I recently saw a motorcycle that I have been totally fascinated by. It is a trike, but it is unlike anything I have ever seen. The third wheel is in the front instead of the rear. It’s called a Spyder Roadster and it is made by Can-Am. Their parent company is Bombardier Recreational Products. They make sea-doos, ski-doos, etc., thus the reason why it looks kinda like a snow machine.

My friends are all giving me a hard time because I would love to have one of these things. They can’t understand why I would want a street legal snow-mobile, without the snow. I can’t really say why I am so fascinated by it, other than to say that I have always been intrigued by odd-ball stuff. I have admiration for those that “go against the grain”.

Here is a Popular Mechanics review:

Now, if I could just convince Ms. Reason that the world would be a better place if there was a Spyder in the garage :-)

Until next time,

-Voice of Reason-

Small towns getting big city problems

Early in this decade, I lived in Atlanta, GA for a few years. For the most part, I loved the big city atmosphere, but the job I had at the time required me to spend quite a bit of time in some of the worst parts of the city. There were always a lot of run down buildings with lots of rather "interesting" characters hanging out on street corners, and there were gang tags everywhere. I never could understand why people would deface buildings in their own neighborhood.

Anyway, to make a long story short, the atmosphere that I worked in was one of the things that led me to make changes to my career path. I ultimately moved back to a small town in northwest NC, pretty close to where I was born and raised. Things I witnessed in those areas of Atlanta led me to appreciate my small town more than I ever did while I was growing up. My small town isn't perfect, but gangs and drugs weren't something that I felt like I had to worry about. Unfortunately, that is changing.

A few weeks ago, I was returning to the house when I noticed this:

It was plastered on one wall of a small business complex that is just down the street. As someone who is used to leaving my car unlocked at night and not worrying about whether the front door is locked while I'm laying on the couch, this came as quite a shock. It is amazing how quickly a person's sense of security can be shattered.

Hopefully, this is just a couple of gang wanna-be's from the local high school, but it worries me that this could be the real deal moving into my town.

What is civilization coming to????

Until next time,

-Voice of Reason-

The heartaches of political discourse

First, let me say that I am not writing this to offend or scold anyone, so please accept my apologies, in advance, if this post crosses any lines. This is more of a "go ahead and get it off your chest" type of post. Since this is "my house", I am gonna go ahead and say what I want to say and get it all out in the open.


Political differences, for some reason, often seem to bring out the worst in people - myself included. I have seen flame wars break out, time and time again, on the various websites that I visit. It usually occurs primarily on sites that are political in nature. In fact, it is expected on those sites. Unfortunately, political differences can also cause heartache on other sites too. One site has always amazed me at their ability to discuss sensitive subjects without getting personal. I have seen numerous topics discussed - up to and including abortion - without personal attacks, which is pretty rare, as far as the Internet goes. Unfortunately, that changed, recently.

As usual, I was a day late, and a dollar short to the conversation. I generally find myself three or four days behind, always trying to catch up on the threads - which, in turn, means that I lurk more than I participate. As a matter of fact, most of the newer folks wouldn't even know who I am because I seldom get a chance to contribute, but that has never stopped me from reading along and enjoying the conversations after the fact. I have truly enjoyed reading the political conversations of the past several weeks, primarily due to the fact that opposing viewpoints were always laid out with reasonable care, which usually prevented differences in opinion from turning into personal attacks. Unfortunately, things rapidly devolved and got pretty nasty on Labor Day weekend. Lines were crossed and nice people were hurt.

After thinking about it for quite a while, I think what disturbed me the most wasn't the initial situation, because we've all said and done things in life that we probably shouldn't have, especially when dealing with things that we feel very strongly about. The thing that I was most dismayed about was the fact that it got unneccessarily personal - very quickly. Quite honestly, the questionable statements appeared to come out of the blue, and they were directed at someone who has always been cheerful and respectful to others, as far as I have seen. I can't understand why there was a lack of voices speaking out and saying, "Hold on a second, let's slow down and take a breath before this gets out of hand." Some folks tried to change the subject in an effort to cool the situation down, but there were only a couple that actually called the foul. To those that did what they could to calm the situation, I am grateful.

SFP - if you happen to read this - I know that you don't know me, as I have never had the opportunity to interact with you, but I would like you to know that I am grateful that I had the opportunity to observe your political point of view. In today's supercharged political world, it is nice to have the opportunity to gain the perspective of others without all the drama that, so often, goes with the conversation. I am truly sorry for what happened.

It has been said before, but I'm gonna say it again - Can't we all just get along????

Until next time,


-Voice of Reason-