Hi kids,
Today I'm asking for your input. So, comments are necessary and very welcome.
What is the ONE piece (or maybe two) of gear that you always carry when you ride? That must have, essential piece of something that without, you'd feel almost naked?
For me, after this past year, it is my TomTom Rider GPS. My closest friends and club members have heard me blather on about how clever it is. Yes, I admit to making and taking phone calls, while riding (there is an override that prevents outbound calling, while moving, but it wasn't working that day for some reason) but the bluetooth connectivity is only a part of the "cool" factor.
The real benefit, to me, is the "never lost" functionality of it. Honestly, I could get lost coming home from the grocery store. So, to never to have to worry about that by giving the navigational duties over to "Chad", puts me at ease and allows me to enjoy my riding more.
So, what is it you always carry, that provides the same peace of mind? Is it a tool kit, a favorite pair of goggles or gloves? A face shield cleaner kit?
Please, I want to hear from you so send me an email at: loudrocker@yahoo.com. I promise to collect these recommendations and list them for everyone in a future post. Thanks.
The countdown has begun. I think we have less than six months to go to our departure to Sturgis. That seems like a lot, perhaps to those who ride year-'round, but here in the Northeast, that's almost the length of our whole riding season!
I just purchased a bunch of camping gear from EMS that will get tested (hopefully) soon. I now have a new tent (bought last season) a new Thermarest mattress, pillow and chair/sling device (like Crumpet's) and the requisite compression sack/cover.
With the bike show coming to Boston this weekend, I will be on the lookout for EVERYTHING else I need for this trip. I hope to hear from you before then.
a low, slow wave as we pass,
Joe Rocket
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Social Media
Twitter.com
Check it out. Look for me there as JoeRocket.
It's like chat but can be done from a PC or a phone or both. It's cool.
Find your friends online and stay abreast of what they are doing, at any given moment.
That's all.
Tweet!
PS - Okay, just one more. Check out Plaxo.com too. It works like LinkedIn.
Check it out. Look for me there as JoeRocket.
It's like chat but can be done from a PC or a phone or both. It's cool.
Find your friends online and stay abreast of what they are doing, at any given moment.
That's all.
Tweet!
PS - Okay, just one more. Check out Plaxo.com too. It works like LinkedIn.
Sunday, February 3, 2008
What shape is your shape in?
"I just stopped in, to see what condition my condition was in..."
Here's a great article on fitness for motorcyclists. I'll add that web link again, just to make sure you all get it.
http://www.sportrider.com/features/146_0010_motorcyclist_fitness/index.html
Every year at this time, I drag out this article and read it over, promising myself to do better/ride better by being in better physical shape. Two friends, Jerry S. (see Squid Jerry below) and Kenny B. have both undertaken steps to get in better shape, having lost weight and/or starting fitness regimens not only for riding but for overall good health.
I'm still down 12 pounds but the trend is flat and I need to do more to lose more weight. And, I need to work on overall strength, muscle and cardio training. I know that the Sturgis trip will be a test of fitness and endurance. We plan to ride long hours each day and if I am not ready, I will be tired, sore and dragging ass.
Okay, just this short post today. It's Stupor Bowl Sunday and there is still plenty to do before the first commercial break.
Follow the link, read the article, do the work so you will be prepared to hoist around that heavy bike effortlessly this year and be a better rider. Personally, I plan to be in the best shape possible by July. See you on the road soon.
A low, slow wave,
Joe Rocket
Here's a great article on fitness for motorcyclists. I'll add that web link again, just to make sure you all get it.
http://www.sportrider.com/features/146_0010_motorcyclist_fitness/index.html
Every year at this time, I drag out this article and read it over, promising myself to do better/ride better by being in better physical shape. Two friends, Jerry S. (see Squid Jerry below) and Kenny B. have both undertaken steps to get in better shape, having lost weight and/or starting fitness regimens not only for riding but for overall good health.
I'm still down 12 pounds but the trend is flat and I need to do more to lose more weight. And, I need to work on overall strength, muscle and cardio training. I know that the Sturgis trip will be a test of fitness and endurance. We plan to ride long hours each day and if I am not ready, I will be tired, sore and dragging ass.
Okay, just this short post today. It's Stupor Bowl Sunday and there is still plenty to do before the first commercial break.
Follow the link, read the article, do the work so you will be prepared to hoist around that heavy bike effortlessly this year and be a better rider. Personally, I plan to be in the best shape possible by July. See you on the road soon.
A low, slow wave,
Joe Rocket
Thursday, January 31, 2008
What are we doing???
What are we doing with our lives? How is it that I/we spend most days indoors staring at a computer monitor all day and dealing with bullshit issues? I'm so tired of it all.
In a previous job, I traveled more, moved around the country and region interacting with people and the environment. Now, I'm stuck in a box with little time to escape and feel the sun, wind or air temperature on my face. I miss all that. Yes, there are trade-offs to be sure. Travel delays, security lines, the hassles of post 9/11 America. I'd take all that for the infrequent moments when I'm outdoors, in the real world, or just motoring down the highway.
Maybe that's why motorcycling appeals to me as much as it does. It's not the great (or sometimes not-so great) destinations that we arrive at, it's the feel of the breeze through a partially-opened visor, the sun on my forearms in the summer months, the smell of honeysuckle, rubber and gasoline. It's the lack of walls, PCs, telephones, emails, spreadsheets and PowerPoint presentations. It's the quiet of your own thoughts without the interruption of extraneous distractions.
I'll admit to sometimes medicating myself with music, turning on the tunes for background noise or to kill time on a boring ride. I listen to talk radio most mornings on the way to and from the office, to numb the pain. But increasingly, I find myself switching it off, in disgust, at the sameness of today's rant, or the latest info on Brittany's meltdown. Who cares? Why are we so sheeplike that we willingly accept the pablum on TV and radio. Why am I afraid to listen to my own thoughts?
The truth is, I'm not. They creep in, when I allow, and when I am not overstressed or overburdened with work or other obligations. As I reflect, I think "What am I doing? Why am I living my life this way?" There has to be more. There has to be a greater satisfaction out of one's daily existence and, taken in total, one's life. That little voice I hear (along with the constant ringing) is the roar of dissatisfaction.
According to the Dalai Lama, the Secret to Happiness is to learn to be happy with what you have. How true. We all have so much and yet feel the pressure of our conspicuous-consumption society. Bigger, faster, sexier, Wow! We gotta have it. Mea culpa. But I'm trying. Not to go all Al Gore on ya, but I'm trying to consume less.
I'm a very lucky guy. I have a wonderful family, great friends and good health. We live in an incredible part of the country, with clean air, abundant water, mountains, beaches, little traffic and access to the rest of the world just minutes away. And we squander all that by breathing recycled air in a dank office environment, hunched over an LCD display sending worthless emails for crap we don't really believe in. Gotta pay the bills. Well, my psychic bill is overdue.
This year, I promise to do something more positive with a portion of my time, so I can look back on that accomplishment and know that I did something meaningful. I'm going to join the Surfrider Foundation (http://surfrider.org/) and do some volunteer work to help clean up our beaches and work to improve the water quality. It won't be easy as the nearest chapters are in Portland or Boston, but I'm going to try. Spring will be here soon and our favorite 12-mile strip of coastline will be awash in winter trash, debris and other crap. If you want to help, follow the link, join and donate money to a worthy cause. Or, if you know me, bend my ear and join me for the experience.
Yes, I want to lie on a warm, sunny beach with the smell of the ocean and coconut-scented sunscreeen wafting over me. But before I retire, I need to accomplish something. I need to do something positive so that I can look back on this time and admit to myself that I did more than shuffle papers and make empty promises. I need to rethink the job thing.
I know a lot of you already volunteer for cancer walks, Toys for Tots, Patriot Guard. So many people doing good. And still, there are so many needy people, so many less fortunate, so many causes. Pick one in 2008 and make it your own. Turn off the noise and listen to what your soul tells you is right, and act on it. How are you going to do more this year?
Oh crap, I'm turning into a hippie in my old age! Peace out everyone,
Joe Rocket
In a previous job, I traveled more, moved around the country and region interacting with people and the environment. Now, I'm stuck in a box with little time to escape and feel the sun, wind or air temperature on my face. I miss all that. Yes, there are trade-offs to be sure. Travel delays, security lines, the hassles of post 9/11 America. I'd take all that for the infrequent moments when I'm outdoors, in the real world, or just motoring down the highway.
Maybe that's why motorcycling appeals to me as much as it does. It's not the great (or sometimes not-so great) destinations that we arrive at, it's the feel of the breeze through a partially-opened visor, the sun on my forearms in the summer months, the smell of honeysuckle, rubber and gasoline. It's the lack of walls, PCs, telephones, emails, spreadsheets and PowerPoint presentations. It's the quiet of your own thoughts without the interruption of extraneous distractions.
I'll admit to sometimes medicating myself with music, turning on the tunes for background noise or to kill time on a boring ride. I listen to talk radio most mornings on the way to and from the office, to numb the pain. But increasingly, I find myself switching it off, in disgust, at the sameness of today's rant, or the latest info on Brittany's meltdown. Who cares? Why are we so sheeplike that we willingly accept the pablum on TV and radio. Why am I afraid to listen to my own thoughts?
The truth is, I'm not. They creep in, when I allow, and when I am not overstressed or overburdened with work or other obligations. As I reflect, I think "What am I doing? Why am I living my life this way?" There has to be more. There has to be a greater satisfaction out of one's daily existence and, taken in total, one's life. That little voice I hear (along with the constant ringing) is the roar of dissatisfaction.
According to the Dalai Lama, the Secret to Happiness is to learn to be happy with what you have. How true. We all have so much and yet feel the pressure of our conspicuous-consumption society. Bigger, faster, sexier, Wow! We gotta have it. Mea culpa. But I'm trying. Not to go all Al Gore on ya, but I'm trying to consume less.
I'm a very lucky guy. I have a wonderful family, great friends and good health. We live in an incredible part of the country, with clean air, abundant water, mountains, beaches, little traffic and access to the rest of the world just minutes away. And we squander all that by breathing recycled air in a dank office environment, hunched over an LCD display sending worthless emails for crap we don't really believe in. Gotta pay the bills. Well, my psychic bill is overdue.
This year, I promise to do something more positive with a portion of my time, so I can look back on that accomplishment and know that I did something meaningful. I'm going to join the Surfrider Foundation (http://surfrider.org/) and do some volunteer work to help clean up our beaches and work to improve the water quality. It won't be easy as the nearest chapters are in Portland or Boston, but I'm going to try. Spring will be here soon and our favorite 12-mile strip of coastline will be awash in winter trash, debris and other crap. If you want to help, follow the link, join and donate money to a worthy cause. Or, if you know me, bend my ear and join me for the experience.
Yes, I want to lie on a warm, sunny beach with the smell of the ocean and coconut-scented sunscreeen wafting over me. But before I retire, I need to accomplish something. I need to do something positive so that I can look back on this time and admit to myself that I did more than shuffle papers and make empty promises. I need to rethink the job thing.
I know a lot of you already volunteer for cancer walks, Toys for Tots, Patriot Guard. So many people doing good. And still, there are so many needy people, so many less fortunate, so many causes. Pick one in 2008 and make it your own. Turn off the noise and listen to what your soul tells you is right, and act on it. How are you going to do more this year?
Oh crap, I'm turning into a hippie in my old age! Peace out everyone,
Joe Rocket
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