I decided that my windscreen was more a hazard than helpful, so it is now mouldering in the storage area. 25,000 miles will put a couple few million scratches in an acrylic windscreen and render it mostly translucent, and not very easy to see through. My first ride began with several false starts. First, the wind noise at 20 miles an hour seemed a little obnoxious. Then, not having the 30 mph wind sealed away from my eyeballs turned out to be a bad thing. Little by little I figured out all the little things that had to be dealt with to make riding into the wind bearable. Pleasant, even. I find it quite pleasant, for the most part. There are just a few things that just cannot be gotten around. Traffic in front of me spits teeny little bits of grit up off the road and into my face (or mouth, if I’m grinning). Rain hurts like the dickens. Bugs aren’t as bad as I remember. I’m beginning to think that I may hold off on the new windscreen until winter.
I don’t know what it is. If Georgia is just a horribly depressed and awful place, or if Arizona is just this awesome. Somehow the friendliness and down-to-earthiness of Ohioans has been crossed with west-coast eccentricity and penchant for talking to perfect strangers on the street. I was given a thumbs-up by a lady on the sidewalk as I rode down the main drag of Old Bisbee. Later, while tucking tomatoes and apples into my saddle bags, a nice old man and his wife told me about a friend who got killed on a motorcycle. His wife advised that I watch out for old farts in black Cadillacs. He waved goodbye, got into his enormous black Cadillac and I went home to make dinner.
The produce kicks some serious ass, too. I had some nectarines last week that were sweet and tart had to be eaten over the sink. I was in heaven for five minutes.
The interview went well, I thought. The motorized bicycle outfit is a good deal smaller than I had expected, but it’s in a major growth spurt. I’ll be coming in during a transitional period filled with chaos and upheaval. My job will be to tame the chaos The folks who run this outfit are fun and off-beat. I felt right at home instantly. We’ll know on Tuesday or Wednesday.
I found what looks like a job worth having even though it’s not in my field, or my city, for that matter. It won’t be the first time I’ve commuted 25 miles to work.
My motorcycle arrived. YAY!!!!
I met some really nice people at the Huachuca Mineral & Gem Club. They were thrilled to see a young person show up. I was thrilled to find a room full of people who are nuts about rocks. I may go out and play with them this coming Saturday. There’s a field trip to go dig iron pyrite cubes.
The folks who run this outfit are fun and off-beat. I felt right at home instantly. We’ll know on Tuesday or Wednesday.
