Drunk Driving is a Sport in Wisconsin!

From MSNBC... I wonder how much the government spent on this study? Whatever it was, I would have been more than happy to write this down for them for half the price. People in Wisconsin drink a lot? No, you're kidding me! And Minnesota too? No way! :)

It's in the 70's Now, Where is My Motorcycle?

For the first spring in recent history, except last year, I do not own a motorcycle. There is something that happens in my pea-sized brain when the snow melts, the sun comes out, and temps rise into the 70's. A love of mine that sits dormant in the winter suddenly comes back into my head and bugs me to death. I start trying to justify how owning a motorcycle could save me money (it won't), how I need a good hobby (there are less expensive ones), how much fun Missy and I would have riding it (we never get any free alone time), and how much my daughters want me to own and keep a motorcycle (well, score one for the kids). Delaney always says she wants me to keep one, that "Daddy only likes motorcycles that are broken". There is some truth to this, I tend to buy bikes that need work, fix them up and ride for a summer, then sell them.

The bike pictured above was my all-time favorite, at least that I owned. It was a 1987 Suzuki Intruder 1400 that I sold in 2005. Oh how I miss that bike. I form a strange love affair with these machines. The Intruder was my favorite to ride and look at.
My 1979 Yamaha 750 Triple was my favorite for the "old school" factor. These were dubbed "Triples" because they were unique in having 3 cylinders. To the best of my knowledge, only the Yamaha XS bikes and the Kawasaki Sceptre ever had 3 cyclinders.

While living and working in Florida in 2004, I bought this 2001 Kawasaki ZX6e Ninja as a theft-recovery bike. It needed a lot of work, which was fine, I had a lot of free time and needed a good hobby. I restored it to almost perfect condition and rode it to work almost every day. It was probably the fastest and best handling bike I ever owned, but only kept it for about 4 months. Because I was so cramped on the bike, I could only ride it about 10-15 miles at a time.

I have owned many other bikes over the years, including a 2001 Harley-Davidson Sportster, Suzuki Katana, another Ninja that I never rode, a Suzuki XS1100, Yamaha Virago. My first bike was a 1987 Suzuki GS450 that I bought new after graduating from high school. I learned to ride on a friends Kawasaki KZ400 when I was 16.

I could go on forever about motorcycles, but would probably drive my wife nuts if I rekindle this hobby. She is not real big on bikes, but hey, opposites attract, right?...

Rough Day?

I have realized that my blog has become way too serious and somewhat of a downer lately. This is not my intent. Sometimes you gotta remind yourself what is really important in life. Everyone is healthy, happy and enjoying the great Wisconsin weather that has finally turned from winter to spring. Birds are chirping, the snow is gone, the grass is turning green, the skies are blue.

And of course, dogs and cats sleep harmoniously on our couch after a hard day of... well, doing absolutely nothing. Life is good.