The Bigs are in town

This is a big week at work. The bigs are all gathered in Berea for some much needed discussions. As such, there is very little time available for much else. It should pay off though. It is amazing how much more can be accomplished when everyone is gathered together instead of spread across the country.

Good Times!

I finally managed to get up to Louisville for a ride with the RCCC. A good time was had by most, if not all. Of course, the rain cleared out right when we were done. The inevitable process of trying to figure out how I can move back to Louisville will now begin to play itself out over the next two weeks. The difference is that this time I rode a bike in Louisville. There is something about getting around that part of the city that is very attractive.

I am looking at dates in early June to host a Berea ride. I thinking of calling it The First Annual Head for the Hills and then drink cheap beer and eat burgers at Andy's House Ride". I am still working on that though as it does not exactly roll off the tongue.

Been feeling pretty good lately

Funny how I don't post much when I have been feeling good. I think there is a pattern here.

Wrecking sucks

It sucks even worse when you are getting old...

I had a slow speed wreck on my Suzuki Bandit last week. The details are not very interesting. Basically, I just fell off with a little help from some front wheel slippage at about 10mph. I broke a few things off of the motorcycle and scratched up some plastic (looks like a naked streetfighter is in my future). But I also dinged myself up a little.

Now, I have to say, that the level of violence I experienced in this wreck was tiny in comparison to several bicycle wrecks I have had. I have wrecked into trees at the bottom of a downhill. I have been over the bars on road and off. I have slid 10 feet across the pavement. I once almost ripped my nose off. And, once, I actually had to force myself not to cry when I landed so incredibly hard on my thigh that I thought I broke the bone (no, I did not force myself not to cry because I thought it was too sissy. I did not because I was by myself, several miles from the road and I was afraid that if I started crying I would just give in and lay there). Each of those times, though, I was back riding the next day.

But, this time, while basically falling down off the motorcycle, I am in pain nearly a week later. I mean, I did not even slide enough on the pavement to fray my wool sweater. Yet, somehow, the road rash on my pinkie is threatening to be infected and my ribs still hurt. Or, to be specific, one rib hurts where is connects to my sternum and my spine. I have had painful ribs before. I have had road rash before. But, usually those involve some tale of glory. You know, something like trying to dive inside on a corner and being forced over. Or hitting a hidden patch of gravel on a logging road after cleaning a jump on a downhill.

Alas, a cool story is not the fate of the 4o and over crowd. We just get pain for little falls.

My latest obsession

You know, I guess some call it research but I prefer to think of it as obsessing. I tend to go a bit overboard with learning about things that interest me. Sometimes it generates practical knowledge, such as when I figure out how to fix something for cheap and sometimes it is useless information, such as politics.

Lately, my main obsession has been learning about my Goldwing. It has followed a pretty typical path. I found a million websites with great information, tried to digest it all and, by now, have narrowed it down to five or six sites that I like. If you think there is a lot of information about bikes on the internet, you should see what there is about Goldwings. It is pretty incredible.

And I am back

I know everyone was waiting for my return...

My last post was such a downer that I feel compelled to post again. Since my last post, I have been to DC to discuss and plan the new position and I am feeling much better about it for a few reasons. I have decided to accept it.

1) If I did not take it, I do not think we would fill it. So I would have ended up with many of the responsibilities but no chance at extra money or the title change. The title change starts Monday but no word on the salary.

2) It really is a good opportunity. The chance to advance does not happen everyday and if they eventually hired someone I could not work with, I would kick myself for not taking it.

3) I make a pretty good living as it is, so I cannot complain too much in the salary department.

4) Four people who I trust said that they would do all the could to get me an additional salary piece. That kind of support, even if ultimately successful, is hard to turn down and awfully inspiring.

So, here we go. The new job officially starts Monday, but the transition started a week or so ago.

Been a while

Since the last time I posted, I bought a new-to-me bike. Not that kind of bike. A 1983 GoldWing Interstate. I have always wanted to try a full blown touring bike and this was a cheap way to check it out. So far, I love it. I rode it around last weekend in 35 degree weather and the fairing kept me well protected from the wind. No complaints from me on that. We shall see if I continue to like it better than my Bandit. The good-wife says I can keep both, but I think I would be more comfortable with just one. The fact that I was able to quickly stow my lunch and my laptop bag in one of the saddlebags this morning is definitely a plus for the GoldWing.

On a less satisfactory note, my boss is transfering to a different department at work. This is no surprise as she has wanted to make a move for a while. The new position is a step toward her ultimate career goal, so it is good for that reason. On the downside, I really like working for her. She is an excellent supervisor. On the downright shitty side, after much back and forth about whether or not we were going to replace her (what with the bad economy and all) the decision was made today to go ahead and replace her. I was invited to do it in the interim with an eye toward moving into it permanently. Why is that shitty? Because about an hour ago, a mass email went out from the COO announcing that all raises not already in the pipeline are put on hold. Boy does that motivate me to take on a significant amount of additional responsibility. Woo-fucking-Hoo! Three new additional direct reports and responsibility for acheiving all of our goals. The best part is that if I do not accept the position, they will hire someone in from the outside who will immediately start making the money that I would not get. So, someone who has no idea of what we do or the inner workings of the day-to-day operations would get paid more than I would. Brilliant! Of course, I would get the pleasure of training this person if I do not take it. Sounds like a real lose-lose opportunity for me. Welcome to the world of shit not making sense.