Dangerous Business

There comes a time in every man’s life, that he starts to worry that he made a big mistake. Yes… it is true men, don’t try to deny it. I have not come to that point in my life yet, but I was worried I had when I was driving home from Florida.
Now, you might be thinking, “Driving home from Florida? What’s the big deal about that?” — Well, let me tell you. Yes, on this fateful couple of days, I was on a motorcycle. A four hundred mile journey to the northern section of Georgia. Luckily, I was not alone on this journey. My father was also riding his motorcycle, and my mother was in the car following us.

Yes, on this fateful day we got a late start out of Panama City Beach. We had stopped for breakfast, and took longer than we should have. Once we finished up there, we headed on our way. By this time, it was roughly eleven o’clock in the morning. Once we got on the road, it wasn’t long before we stopped for the first time. There’s a motorcycle shop on the outskirts of town that we had made a couple trips to, and we stopped one more time before we left.
Once we left there, about an hour later, we headed on for Columbus. We had decided that we would try to make it there before dark. We didn’t make a whole lot of stops along the way. One or two bathroom breaks, and that was it. Sounds boring, yes?

On one of our bathroom stops, we noticed that the clouds ahead of us were getting really dark. We decided that we should get our rain suits on before we kept going. So we put our suits on, and I went back inside to get a quick drink. While I am waiting in line I hear the weather station come on, but I don’t really think much about it. That is, until I hear the word…. Tornado. That’s right. That was my thought when I heard it too.

We hit the road again, but going slower as the wind is starting to kick up a little bit. I can hear some of you thinking already, “Are you guys idiots?! There’s a tornado out there!!”. Well, to calm your thoughts for now, it wasn’t where we were going. Just knowing it was out there was scary enough, though. — Where was I? Ah yes… We got a few miles down the road, and it started to rain. Not too bad, but enough to get annoying. For the most part, we didn’t have many problems until we got right outside of Columbus right as it was turning dark.

A little advice if you’re ever in Columbus on a motorcycle at night when it’s raining: Don’t.

You know how on some roads they have that patching material that they drizzle on the roads to make it “smoother”? Well, motorcycle tires do not like that stuff very well. When it’s wet, doubly so. Well, in Columbus… they practically paved with the stuff. At least, where the regular car tires go. So that left the middle of the road open for me to drive on. Guess where all the oil surfaces when it rains? Yeah, that’s right. Which left me with a two inch section of road to drive on, with a 4 inch tire. Remember… I am also fighting gusts of wind.

Meanwhile, it’s grown dark and cold. I still have on my tinted face shield. It gets too dark to see, so I have to raise it. It’s raining remember, and the rain is slapping into my face and stinging like a bunch of needles. Not to mention, I don’t even have the protection of my glasses any more. I also still have on my summer gloves, so what’s left of my hands are soaking wet and cold.
But what’s this? — A beacon of hope in the ever growing darkness? A turn signal! I can see the light!

My father turns into a hotel parking lot. At last! Rest for my frozen epidermis! I climb off the motorcycle and prepare for the glorious heat that awaits me in the hotel room. Yesss… I can feel it no—— What do you mean no rooms?

Two hotels later, we finally find room. Even at a hundred dollars a night, it is worth it. I slowly peel off my layers of clothing, worrying that might skin might go with it, and stand in front of the heater. After a few minutes, my phone rings. I slowly reach into my pocket (fingers breaking off in the process) and pull out my phone. A familiar name! My friend Lauren is calling to check up on me. Man, she’s awesome.
I open the phone and am greeted with, “Where have you been?” — Whoa… When did I get married? We talk for a while, and she tells me that she was driving in Atlanta traffic for 7 hours, and had been waiting to talk to me for nearly as long. We talked for a while, and finally got off the phone… I crash into bed, get out my computer, and talk to a few friends for a while. Meanwhile, the rain tries to take the building down.

The next morning, we awake to angry skies. On goes the weather channel, and it’s not looking good. We decide we’re going to make a break for it. We’ll get an early start and beat it out. Mom packs up her stuff and heads for the car. As she is going to breakfast, the skies open up. God didn’t re-nig on the whole flooding the earth thing, did he?
Alright, so we’re not leaving for a little while. We’ll just wait it out… uh-huh.

Knock knock.
Who is it? — There’s no answer.
Who iiiis it? — There’s still no answer.
— Wait, that’s a Weird Al song. We weren’t as fortunate.

Knock knock.
Who is it?
Housekeeping…
We open the door. They have a funny look on their face.
Yeeeah… We need you to get into the stairwell… There’s a tornado headed this way.

Uh-huh… Well, this should be fun.
We headed to the stairwell, and packed in like sardines with the other poor hapless victims, and took pictures on our cell phones. After a while, the staff came around and handed out pillows. They told us that the tornado was fairly close and they would let us know of any updates. Great.
After a while, they came around and told us it was all clear to come out, but it was still raining very hard. We made an executive decision that we would need to stay another day, because we couldn’t ride in the kind of weather that was being thrown at us. So, we paid and went back up to our room.

Fast forward a couple hours… Open the curtains, seeing if the rain has let up yet — Uhm. What’s this? Sunshine? Blue sky? Get the dang car packed, we’re blowing this joint.
We get all geared up, and head downstairs. After taking the covers off the bikes (which are full of water), we head on. How things can change in just a short period of time.

We had relatively no problem, the rest of the way home. We drove about one hundred miles in twilight/dark, but that was about it. Goodness, it felt so good to be home. Never thought my mattress would feel so good.

So, though I was starting to think that this may have been one of “those mistakes” in my life, it was surprisingly not all that bad. There were only a few memorable moments in my trip, that I thought I was going to be hurt pretty badly, so all in all… a good trip.

Gosh, this post was too long.

Tips for the long distance biker:
Though you may look like a smurf, rain gear is your friend.
Tinted face shields are not conducive to night riding.
Work out a signal to let the other riders know when you need to use the bathroom. This can mean the difference between life and death.
When in doubt about needing to stay another night in a hotel, wait in the lobby.
Put on your warm gloves before you need them.
Get earplugs for long distance highway trips.

The following is an account of a trip from the small town of Ellijay, GA to the happenin’ city of Panama City Beach. Some of the following may be unsuitable for minors due to the intensely graphic nature of the crash scene. If you start feeling dizzy or nauseous, please step away from the monitor and take a deep breath. It will be okay.

Our morning started out at roughly 7:00 AM (Eastern time). Slowly we arose and got busy doing the things that people do when going on trips. This however, is no ordinary trip. That’s right… this is a motorcycle road trip. Four hundred miles in one direction, and the temperature was below thirty. Yes, my children… it was cold.

I spent the last few minutes of my warm life, talking on messenger to Rachel. I told her that the plan was to leave at 9:00 AM (Eastern time). Slowly the clock counted down to that dreadful hour. Finally at about 8:30 AM (Eastern time), I shut down the computer. We were almost ready… However, somehow it took us nearly another hour to get out the door (after sweeping and doing those things that my dear mother deems necessary).

9:30 AM
We head out the driveway.
9:36 AM
We pull into the Gilmer County Bank parking lot, and readjust all our gear.
9:45 AM
We pull out of the bank parking lot, and hit the road for Florida!
9:51 AM
We stop again. My hands are freezing, and I have to change gloves.
9:54 AM
We hit the road again…
9:59 AM
We stop yet again. The vents on my helmet are pouring cold air in and hitting my forehead, making my brain and eyes ache.
10:02 AM
We’re off yet again. The wind is bitter cold. Within minutes, all my vital body parts are shutting down. We’re not going to make it.
10:17 AM
My father pulls off in Jasper, Ga. reconfirming my belief that there is a God. We stop for Starbucks coffee, and all is well with the world.
10:45 AM
We finally leave Starbucks, dear sweet Starbucks. We resolve to not stop until Canton.
11:05 AM
We make it to Canton and stop at Motor World to buy better gloves.
11:30 AM
Time to hit the road again. It is decided that we’re not stopping until the other side of Atlanta.
12:30 PM
Passing through downtown Atlanta.
12:58 PM
My balaclava and glasses are causing a bunch on my ear, causing it to hurt tremendously. I try to get dad’s attention, to no avail.
1:15 PM (130 miles)
We finally pull off at an exit, looking for sustenance. We miss our turn and stop in a subdivision. Before dad can make me leave, I shut down the engine and yank off my helmet. My ear is mauled and bleeding… from the feel of it. It however, is just red and sore. After jogging around for a couple minutes to get feeling back in my legs, we decide to head back to our missed turn and get something to eat.

1:25 PM (Content advisory)
I gear back up… but I forgot to put on my glasses. I left them sitting on the “dash” of the bike. We start heading down the road, and as I round a corner they slip off the dash and clatter onto the road. My heart jumps into my chest, and my life flashes before my blind eyes.
I quickly pulled into another subdivision and turned the bike around. Mom followed me, not knowing what was going on. I slowly drove back down the road, looking for them. I saw them and pointed it out to the car behind me, hoping they wouldn’t hit them. Luckily, they didn’t.
As I parked the bike and climbed off, dad pulled in. The car behind him swerved to go around. That’s when I heard it. The sounds of ultimate doom. The bane of my drive to Florida. It was the demolishment of my glasses. I stared in horror as the next car hit it as well, and the lens went flying down the road. This was going to be a very long trip.
Though I have been told to never leave a man behind, I had to turn my back upon my dear friend.
Good bye, you will be sorely missed.

1:36 PM
We arrive at Blimpies for lunch.
2:04 PM
After eating a bag of chips and drinking a Pepsi, I pulled the bike around to get some gas. Dad does the same, at which point a man approaches us. Dad and him get talking, and it turns out that he is from the CMA (Christian Motorcyclist Association). After chatting a little, he prays for us, and we head on our way once more.
3:12 PM (180-190 miles)
Arrived in Columbus rest area. Met a couple riding Harleys, and chatted with them for a little while. Also talked to the grounds keeper at the rest area, who was very interested in mom’s scooter. He asked lots of questions, and thought it
was quite interesting.
3:45 PM
Left rest area.
5:02 PM
We stopped in the “hood” of Eufaula, Alabama for gasoline. Snickered at the signs on the door.
“No shirt — No shoes — Low pants — No service”
6:05 PM
Stopped in Dothan and scarfed down a big mac and coffee. Stomach ache ensued.
6:46 PM (85 miles to go)
Changed shield on helmet to clear (because it was dark), and hit the road again.
7:22 PM (44 miles to go)
Stopped for a while to warm up. Core body temperature had dropped significant amount. Disorientation setting in.
7:40 PM
Headed out again.
8:10 PM (21 miles to go)
Stopped again to warm up. Core body temperature getting quite low. Disorientation getting a little worrisome.
8:32 PM
Headed out once more.
9:04 PM
We arrived in the Panama City outskirts, and stopped for gas. I could not control my hands, and when I could feel them, they would have pain shoot through them.
9:16 PM
Headed out for the last 10 mile leg of our journey.
9:46 PM
We arrive at our destination!! Cold, weary, and sore.
10:00 PM
I take my first walk on the beach in three years. I call my friends to let them know I have arrived safe and sound. Only took twelve hours, when it was supposed to have only been about seven. Overall, it was a really good trip. A good bit colder than I was hoping for, but still a good one for my first long trip.

R.I.P.
Glasses…

Tips for the long distance biker:
Order hot drinks at stops. Ice is not your friend.
Get a mouth guard. Don’t chew on your tongue.
Hug the engine of your following car, whenever you can.
If you don’t have a car, hug the exhaust pipe on your bike.
It is interesting, the amount of heat one can glean from a street light
Don’t worry about looking like a fool doing jumping-jacks in a parking lot. They’ll never see you again.
Don’t irritate the woman in the car behind you. Even if she is your mother.
Downing a Big Mac in less than 30 seconds is not advisable, no matter how hungry you are.
If you wear glasses, get a nerd cord.

Well, I am finally making another blog post after a couple of weeks of absolutely nothing. My life has been slow lately, as you might have guessed from my last entry. I have been spending my time working on XHTML and CSS. It’s been slightly frustrating, but luckily Kyle is there to call me an idiot and put me back on the right track if I mess up.

So, last weekend my buddies and I got together and watched Jurassic Park here at the house. Kyle, Clint and I decided that Rachel had to see it… She wasn’t too keen on the idea, as she doesn’t like scary movies. So, we strapped her down to the couch and pinned her eyelids open. She only jumped out of her skin a couple times.
Of course, that started Kyle and Clint and I on our quote spree, like we usually do. We don’t talk… we quote.

Speaking of movies, today is a great one. I think I might go put it on the netflix “watch now” list and watch it.
Nothing like Bill Murray living the same day over and over again… Man, that would be awesome. Be able to do anything you wanted to, without consequences. What would I do?
If anyone is actually reading this, leave comments with what you would do.

So then this weekend, I went down to Berry College and went hiking for several hours. Then we went swing dancing at the Ford Dining Hall. That was just fantastic, man. I danced the best I have ever danced before, I do believe. I also learned a new move or two, if I can remember them. One of them is a finishing move that makes onlookers gasp every time. It’s awesome making everyone think I dropped my partner from a height of about three feet… onto her back.

Of course I had two Starbuck’s coffees and couldn’t sleep at all. So I wound up skipping church on Sunday. I know, I’m a heathen… especially with dancing all night. Then I even skipped church on Sunday night, because I felt sick. Even this morning, I am still not feeling all peaches and cream. On top of that, my muscles are now killing me from hiking and dancing so much. Weeeee…

So… that’s a quick run down of my last couple weeks. Nothing too exciting, but not bad.

So, I am going swing dancing in Atlanta on Friday night again. It’s been since before Christmas since I last practiced at all. I hope I don’t make a complete fool of myself. Because I think that this time I am going to try dancing with more than just one or two people. I am going to force myself to walk up to a complete stranger and ask to dance. I think I am going crazy.

I should really see if I can find some good looking clothing before I go though. If I remember right, the last time I went in a polo shirt and khakis. If I can swing it, this time I would like to go in something a little dressier. Be it a blazer, or what have you. Of course the shoes might be a problem, but I’ll have to work on it.

If I was really lucky, I could find a fedora or something before Friday. That ain’t gonna happen though, if I had to guess. I keep thinking about going over to the Faith, Hope, and Love across the street and see if they have anything that would work. Since Lord knows I can’t afford anything right now.

Why does every hobby that I pick have to cost so much? Dancing doesn’t cost much after you get into it… but the start up is kinda pricey… Trying to find nice clothes and slag. Sheesh. Of course the horses were really expensive. Be it money, time, blood, sweat, tears… Yeah, I like expensive things.

Alright, so I gave my cell phone number to a guy at work. That was not a smart idea. He’s the type of guy that is always outgoing and all that slag. He has to be talking to someone at all times, I swear.
So here I am at the lumber counter… he’s outside, probably 200 feet from me, and he calls me to chat. Mmm-hmm.

Alright, so he has been trying to convince me to go to Blue Ridge at 6:30 in the morning to work out with him. Uh… I think I am going to pass. He’s been getting on my nerves about it though. I don’t know what to do.
I am not even working out with my best buds lately, because I need to go to the doctor. That will only put him off for so long. After I go see the doc though, he’ll be on me again. Even though I told him I didn’t want to go up there.

He’s also been trying to convince me to go bowling with him. Or at least come “see how real men bowl”. He’s on a league, so he can bowl pretty good. Of course my average of 90 or whatever, is an embarrassment…
That I might do, but I don’t do that very often either.

Anyway… What else can I talk about?
Rachel is off to college now, so home life is going to be slow again. While she was home between being out west and going to school, the Blizzard’s and I went over to her house and watched a movie. Sarah was there too, so that was pretty cool. We wound up staying up and rough housing till about 1:00 in the morning. We probably would have stayed longer but I didn’t want to get them into trouble.

It’s nice that from what it seems… both Sarah and Rachel get along good with Kyle and Clint. Sarah and Kyle just need to stop being so quiet.
Yeah Kyle, I’m talking about you.

So… here at work, things are getting scarier. Slowing down ever more. Even when things seem to be picking up for a moment or two, you realize they were just faking you out.
They have decided to close the doors on Sundays, as they weren’t doing enough business. They finally listened, I can’t believe it!! There are rumors going around that there’s going to be another layoff in a couple weeks though. A separate rumor that it might be someone that has something to do with paint, which would be either Jeff, Paula, or myself. We’ll see how that goes.

Anyway, I really should get back to work. Now that I have typed over 700 words.
And you read them all. Sucker.

I guess it’s time I made an actual update, instead of just posting a little meme. Though I am not sure what to post about. This past week has been pretty boring.
I did go shooting with Earl yesterday, and shot the civilian version of the G36. That’s really been about it though, what can I say?

The regional guy at work is finally gone for a couple months. He left Christmas week and won’t be back until sometime in February, I guess. That’s nice… don’t have to contend with him looking down his nose at me.
Letsee… The managers left today to go to a couple gun shows. I still think they should have taken me along. Aaaaaaand… I guess that’s it.

Jeez, I am dull.

So mom sent me this in an email which she stole from Nikki who stole it from Silver_Nyssa.

Bold the ones you’ve done.
(I bolded and italicized the ones I have done, but they are still a little hard to make out. Hmm)

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke.
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, or platelets
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chicken pox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a mobile phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day

Alas, one more year goes by. It has not been the greatest year, which is a drastic understatement. It’s been tough, full of heartbreak, and turmoil. Arguments and disappointments. I think this is probably the hardest/worst year that I can remember. I can think of a couple good things that have happened, but it’s been overall… just a “blah”.

The couple of good things that did happen, was my friendship with Kyle and Clint got a little better after August. Then in the last couple months, I have gotten to know Sarah and Rachel a bit better. Rachel seems to fit right into my knit of close friends pretty well, too. It’s nice to have another friend that can hang out with the Blizzard’s and myself. It’s been fifteen years, and she’s the first one to be able to do it.

Other than that though, there hasn’t been a whole lot worth mentioning, at least since August… And I don’t remember much before that. August kind of pushed everything else out of my memory, before that.
Though, the Pas De Duex that I did with Nikki was quite awesome. I had a wonderful time doing that.

And I have been working on a film this year. It’s still no better off now than it was at the beginning of last year, but it’s been fun to work on. Other than those few things, that’s been it. Which is quite sad. I don’t know if this next year could be much worse… Though, I don’t want to tempt fate.

Well, I’ll see about making another post later. It’s 6:42, and time to go to work.

I forgot to mention this morning that last night, I finally felt Kyle’s pain. I had a bad dream that involved a gun. No, not like that. It wasn’t me shooting someone.

Anyway, I was standing with someone and a dog or something started running at us. Whatever it was, it was meaning us harm. So, I pulled out my pistol and fired. Nothing… It had jammed. So I ejected the round and fired again… Nothing. Again… Nothing.

Those are great dreams.

Here I am at 11:00, still waiting to go to work. I am not scheduled to go in until noon. I swear they like to waste half of my day, just because they can. I guess I could have gone and gotten a haircut this morning, but I didn’t think about that until just now. It’s just crazy going in so late though. I think I would much rather work open to close a little more and have an extra day off. That would be kickin’ rad.

But no– Here I sit, twiddling my thumbs and thinking about random stuff. I start thinking about the movie script, then randomly wonder how Rachel is doing out in Jackson Hole, then about Sage, back to the script, then about lunch. Will the torture never end? Ah well…

So, my gun permit should be here today. Of course, I fully expect the lady at the probate court really didn’t know what she was talking about. She was a nice bubbly lady, and told me it would be here within 10 days. That might normally be true, however we have several holidays hitting here this week. There’s no telling when it will get here.

This is crazy. I am about to go out of my mind with boredom. I need something… Anything!! None of my regular haunts on the internet have anything new. Mugglenet, Theonering, Daireem, Diablofans… Nothing. It’s a conspiracy, they want me to go mad as well. I knew it.

Anyway, I guess I will go find something for lunch and meander to work a little early.
Talk atcha later, homeslices.

The ancient script of Antioch has reared its ugly head again. Every time I try to smite it, it splits into three more glaring plot holes. It never fails that every time you write something, somewhere else, something falls apart. I really wish that opposite and equal reaction thing didn’t work in scripts. Come on man, I am only five pages into it. Give me a break.

So anyway, I started re-writing it around midnight last night. Stayed up till around three, thinking about the story line. Then this morning Clint sent me a thing to help with the back story. That of course gave me new ideas, which was great… if it wasn’t for a complete re-write. I wound up taking his ideas and starting over again for the fifth time. One of these days, I’ll be happy with it.
I think it might be this time, if I can figure out the beginning… and the middle… oh, and the end.

Okay, so I have a while to go on it before I get anywhere, but it is starting to slowly come together. I’ll keep you updated.

Edit: Kyle made me change “it’s” to “its”. Can I slap him, please? I know he’s correct… but… but…