Pretty Picture

Sorry I haven’t updated for a while. This blog started out as an outlet for thoughts about scooters. Small thoughts. I haven’t had either type much lately. The main purpose of this entry is to post this pretty picture of my motorcycle next to Speedwell Forge Lake. Jeremy requested that I post a picture of the motorcycle. I took this last weekend with my cell phone. That seems like a long time ago.

It was a beautiful Autumn day. You can see it in the picture. I had wanted to ride on a day like that. The ride started with my first experience of a car making a left in front of me. I had been warned it would happen someday. I skidded, but up-righted it. I honked the horn, she kept on going. No harm, no foul. I didn’t make a big deal about it. I rode up to Mt. Gretna. It was beautiful. It justified my decision to get a motorcycle.

Tuesday night was really warm. I went for a long ride, thinking it would probably be the last warm night of the year. The weather was finally changing. And that wouldn’t be all.
That night, I got a mysterious phone message; the recorded sound of a lion roaring. The next morning I discovered my car had been burglarized. I had to deal with the police, the loss of my Sirius radio, and the feelings violation that evoked. The Lion called again that night. More police. The weather turned colder and it has rained for days on end. And it’s dark earlier, which always gets me down.

It’s now Saturday, and one mystery is solved. The Lion, it turns out, was a telemarketer obliquely associated with the issuer of the Yamaha credit card. What the purpose is of harassing potential customers with recorded phone messages, I don’t know. But I did some harassing of my own (to actual humans associated with that credit card) in retaliation after the Lion called again on Thursday and there were no phone calls last night.

Also, all this time I’ve been reading Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. I’ve had an interest before in eastern philosophy and had always meant to read this book. Now that I have a motorcycle that I might actually be able to maintain myself, I thought it would be the right time. I didn’t know what the book was really about. I didn’t know it would include a plot line about mental illness and re-formed memories. Not things I expected to ponder this week. But the combination of everything has me unsettled.

Tonight I have a big dinner with friends planned and, with any luck, the rain will stop and I’ll be able to get back on the bike. I’m looking forward to that.