Conga BBQ

This is a little conglomeration that I fixed for Flo about the BBQ and photo shoot. She is sending it into BDB for the paper.

Just want to say thanx to all of those that came by to start us off on the right foot.

Conga III Update

This past weekend my good friend Jenn Geeson and Len Redekopp hosted a Barbeque at the Movie Gallery in Mill Bay. Jenn has ridden in the past two Congas with me, as well as helping organize me and the Conga itself. She went out of her way organizing the BBQ to make it another huge success. When those two get together, they can put on a great event. On Sunday May 23^rd, we managed to raise close to $700.00 selling hot dogs, burgers and Breast Cancer items.

As you can see we had a great time doing it. The sea of pink rolled in slowly on pinked out bikes. The riders themselves were dressed in anything from a neon pink wig and pink bra on the outside of their clothing, to full pink leathers, gloves, and boots. We even had the guys join in wearing pink, from wigs to glasses and leis. The bikes were from mild to wild so to speak. Simple decorating of breast cancer ribbons on the tins and pool noodles wrapped around headlights and taillights to full blown Conga machines, that included flags, magnets, pink crystals stuck to every imaginable place, pink leather in the tassels and even pink sheepskins. We left Jenn in charge of the orders and as usual Len was an awesome cook for the day. They kept up with the orders and everyone was happy with the food, especially the combo burgers which had a wiener sliced in half on top. The rest of this roving band of pink took to the highway to draw in the customers. It was definitely traffic stopping to see this group in pink flagging down traffic. There was also the introduction of a new Conga mascot who became known as Rozilla, that was so entertaining she almost caused a few accidents.

Thanks so much to Jenn and Len for all their hard work! She is way more than just a spirit rider this year!! I would also like to say Thank You to Doug at the Movie Gallery – Mill Bay, for his space and support, Rory from M&M Meats – Duncan, for the burgers and dogs and also Dave from Save On Foods – Westside, for all of the buns. Without you, all of this would have been impossible.

A lot of the Island Riders came out to support this event. The first being the SCRC riding club from Victoria that got the coals going and the BBQ off to a great start. We also had riders stop in from Port Alberni and even from the Mainland. A lot of the gals riding in the Conga this year came out and some of us were meeting for the first time. Everyone got decked out in pink along with their bikes.

We have our very own Conga Photographer from Campbell River that came down for the day, Mike Goodman from MG Digital Art. He took many candid pre Conga shots of us while going about hustling up business and he will be making a DVD with all the pictures and donating a portion to the Conga Cause. After the BBQ, Mike followed the group to Whippletree Junction, known for its false front buildings to do a photo shoot of the Conga Chicks and their rides. With a small shower passing through, we thought it was going to end the chances of some photos, but the sun came back out and we found this great back alley courtyard with a fountain that we all parked in. Each bike in front of a different store. The merchants came outside to see what was going on and loved what we were doing, the riders in pink and the bikes. One merchant spent the rest of the day with us taking her own set of pictures of everything that was going on and another we found out was a Breast Cancer Survivor herself and was so pleased that we were doing what we are. Eventually we thanked Mike for his efforts and the gang said goodbye and split up to head to their own destinations. Mike will be following the Conga as it leaves and stopping at each pick up place on the Island. He will be filming us coming in and leaving and meeting us at the next stop.

Jenn is also putting on the Grand Finale Show and Shine August 14 for when the Conga returns. This will be in Nanaimo at Timberlands Pub. Be sure to mark it on your calendar. We are having live music, food, vendors, 50/50’s, all of the regular categories plus an extra PINK category!! At the end of the day, besides the awards, we will be handing over a cheque to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, BC/Yukon Region. We are still looking for vendors and donations for the show, so if you are interested in being a vendor or have an item to donate for a door prize, please contact Jenn at dragonfyre@shaw.ca.

If Sunday was just a sample of what this girl can pull off, then August 14^th ought to be fantabulous!

Well it has been a hectic week, that's for sure. Started a new course after the rotten one we just finished. Overall for the last course was a 99, did far better on the exam then anticipated. When the teacher called me on Friday evening as requested, I actually broke down in happy tears. I was shocked to score so high cause I was having a hella time getting the words off the tip of my tongue and onto the paper and with everything that had transpired over the course I was not feeling good about writing it. The negativity and bad omens surrounding the projects, the passing of our friend and here we are studying death and dying. This course is better but with the holiday thrown in, we have to make up hours and we have a midterm and major project as well as a final. Well Ive done the midterm but havent started the project (that is next on the agenda) Bust my arse to get it going to hand in on Thursday. We have our final on Friday again but I requested that I write it early and in Duncan so that we can get on a ferry sooner. Well I was hoping for 930/10 maybe but I guess Im going in at 830 now. So much for my morning cram session. Now Im not sure about this trip, cause they are forecasting rain the whole time we are away,and that is not going to make for a happy trip.

The rest of the week was tied up with loose ends being dealt with for the Conga BBQ. Things were falling thru and it was all going to be last minute if it happened at all. Well it all worked out in the end. Everything was lined up to go and it was just a matter of picking everything up and going for it. Saturday morning found Len and I running to Duncan to get the necessities and then decided to take a little ride on the bikes before having to deal with the buns. the plan was for Flo and group to check in the motel, then empty their bags and head down to Vic to meet us so then we could get all of the buns in the bikes and save another trip to Vic in the car. Well 5pm, I get the message that they arent coming so into overdrive I go and manage to get it sorted out. Still ended up in a trip in the car on Sunday morning but at least we werent doing it all on Saturday night. Sunday morning rolls around and into warp speed I go. Have all the veggies to chop up, things to pack, Len making a dash to Vic for the buns and then we have to get the truck loaded with BBQ, tables, food, etc. And wouldnt ya know it but I managed to pull my shoulder lifting the damn Q into the truck. Thankfully I managed to stretch it out and the pain subsided, but I had a feeling I might be feeling it today which I am. We got everything together and off we went to the plaza and to the rest of the group that was there waiting. We got everything set up and wouldnt ya know it but just as Len was about to throw the first of the meat on the 443 group came rolling in for food. Was really great that they all came up to support us and heck they even found Keibler and brought him with them. It was great seeing him as he isnt around enuf these days with all his training he is doing. The day seemed to go in waves, we would have a mad rush and then it would seem to calm and you were caught up and think you were going to get to sit down and then bammmm another wave of people came in. Made for a steady busy day for sure. Flo had arranged for her photographer friend to come down and take pics of the day and after a little photo shoot up at Whippletree. So Mike was around all day taking assorted pics of everything going on. One of the local newspapers came by and did some pics of all us gals, so will have to remember to grab the papers on Wednesday to see whats what. Overall for the day when we shut down around 230, we had sold out on hot dogs and over half the burgers. Between the food and Flos BC goodies we ended up bringing in almost $800. Our quick count was around $760 but Im sure there is a bit more.

we got the BBQ wrapped up and everything loaded back into the truck, Big E went with Len back to our house to unload everything, and us girls raced up to Whippletree for the pics. First Mike did a set of all the bikes together in front of one building then thy went looking for another set of buildings to do individual ones. Well we ended up pulling the bikes right down into the inner courtyard of the place and he did many pics there. Of each bike and rider in front of a different store, then he did a few extra of mine and Lens bike dePinked. We actually had a great reception from the merchants there as well. One of the ladies is a BC survivor and thought it was great what we were up to. Another merchant was out there snapping pictures like crazy of us, our bikes and the whole shenanigans. She kept saying this was the best thing that happened all day. When it was all finished we said good byes. Lady Di, was beelining home hoping to escape the rain and in her mood she was sure to get there quick. She had her so called buddy put a stabilizer on the trike and he put it on the wrong way and wouldnt ya know it but she must have hit a pot hole in the road that cause the forks to go down, fender to come up and now she has a wonderful dent in her fender from this phuk up. Needless to say she was none to happy when she discovered it. The two pink queens were heading north until they got rained on and then were going to hole up somewhere, for all they knew it might only be Duncan. Havent heard anything so who knows how far they actually got. Mir headed south with us and decided she was going to leave hubby Pete to deal with the kids and she was going to stay out and play for awhile. We took the backroads home and we sat around the house and bullshitted, had a few beers and then dinner. When all was done it was time for her to head over the hat and try and hit home before dark. Nice relaxing end to the day. After that, all I know is that the two of us curled up on the couch and watched tv from the back of our eyelids!!!!! Body drained and tired, we were done.

So on to the next week, have to get this project happening, then going to have a final review to work on as well. Thursday night will be busy, packing up and getting the bagger loaded for the morning and try and study some. Friday morning up and at 'em, up to Duncan for an 830 exam and when Im done its straight to a ferry to get outta dodge for the weekend and the festivities in the interior. Should be fun and of course we will get to go by our favorite winery again, with both bikes we should be able to bring home a few bottles. Hehehe.

K thats enuf for now, time to get to work if I want out for a while later on.

The dreaded Project

Writing your own Eulogy Project

Jenn Geeson was born 4 decades ago in Scarborough, Ontario. She was raised in the east end suburbs of Toronto. She attended elementary school in Oshawa, and high school in Whitby. During her childhood she was active in many different sports. In the summer it was primarily soccer that she played and eventually started coaching, and during the winter she played both hockey and ringette. Again she started coaching and refereeing the game of ringette. She spent many late Friday nights going with her step father to play hockey with him and his friends, until he was politely asked to leave his girl at home cause she was making them look bad. After graduating high school and spending a year or so working in Toronto, she moved to British Columbia. She lived mainly on Vancouver Island but also set up roots in both the Interior and the Yukon.

In 1994, Jenn gave birth to her daughter Kaylee and is the world to her. She could not have asked for a better child and even though Jenn is not here with us, Kaylee may just be a twin of her mother. At times Kaylee was the exact opposite of her mother and Jenn couldn’t figure that out, then the baby dragon would emerge and make her momma even prouder. Jenn had 2 special relationships in her life. The first with James (Bull), where after a year together they bought a house and moved to Cobble Hill. At first Jenn fought tooth and nail about having to drive the Malahat daily to get to work, but since then she has daily tried to set the land speed record on her daily commute. After 6 years they went their separate ways, but still remained great friends. Sadly Bull passed away in a bike accident in 2008. It was a hard time for both Jenn and Kaylee, to lose someone so important to them. In 2009, Jenn finally may have found her soul mate. It is just a shame that it took them 15 years to get together. She leaves behind her best friend and true soul mate Len. Although he aided her while going thru school, she sure helped him in all areas. Always keeping him organized, going to work with him and helping with tile and hardwoods or just being his pack mule for the day and carrying over 1000lbs of tile up 3 flights of stairs by hand while he worked. The two of them were inseparable and it wasn’t often that you would see one riding without the other. They were like a well oiled machine and just worked well as a team.

After having her daughter, Jenn realized that she needed to get some training to have a stable job to help raise her daughter. She decided to get her cosmetology license in 1995. She was a hairdresser for over 10 years and for 7 of them she worked in a care facility. She loved working with the seniors. Not only were they a wealth of knowledge and full of stories of days gone by but they all seemed to live vicariously thru Jenn and her antics. They were amazed that she rode a motorcycle to work and many wanted to see it. When she left the care facility, Jenn took an Administration job close to home. She was basically running 3 business and the boss until just 3 short weeks after Bull died, so did her boss in a boating accident. Even with this turn of tragic events, Jenn was able to keep things together both for herself and the businesses that she was asked to take charge of for the time being. Eventually they were closed down and Jenn needed to make another change. She decided to go back to school and take the Community Support Worker Program in the hopes of working with teens with addictions. Well, she graduated with honours from the program and even though she pushed herself harder she was amazed that she maintained the marks that she did. Not too shabby for a dumb biker chick!

Jenn had a very creative side and was always making something. During Kaylees childhood she made many of her clothes and always made her Halloween costumes. She even made matching Christmas dresses for them one year. She had a knack when it came to a sewing machine but also her creativeness was witnessed by the designs she would make in pumpkins every year. For years, she sold her creations to the local Harley dealership. Many times I heard her state that she wished she had not stopped drawing as she was a fine artist as well but life just seemed to get in the way of all the things she would liked to have done. She even went so far as to decorate Len’s bedroom in Harley motive, which all started by painting the walls burnt orange then free handing the Harley logo on the wall above the headboard. During her 20’s and early 30’s she spent a great deal of the summer playing baseball. You wouldn’t know it but Jenn was a long ball off field hitter that stunned most teams. She could send the ball deep right field without batting an eye. She enjoyed camping with the family and did quite a bit of travelling as well. She had been to England, Wales and Scotland when 9 years old, a trip to Mexico at 17 and over the rest of her lifetime the only part of Canada she had not been to was the Maritimes. She has also been to a number of the states on both the east and west coast. In her mid 30’s, she finally fulfilled one of her dreams, by getting her own motorcycle and learning to ride. After a rocky start, she took to it with a vengeance. Even though her bike was smaller, she was determined to keep up with the big dawgs and after only 6 months she was getting rid of her disposable bike and bought her first Harley. Mind you she didn’t keep it long as she wanted something bigger after she had spent so much time “stealing” Lens bike. She loved being out on the big touring bike and being able to ride it like she stole it. (Which she kinda did at times) She always loved stating the fact that when the guys on the same size bike would see her, the looks on their faces were of pure amazement and then she would twist the throttle and out do them. With her new found love of riding also came her generosity in helping and enabling other new women riders and her passion for riding for a cause. She has spent many long hours both organizing and riding for the benefit of Breast Cancer, a cause that was always close to her heart. She has pushed herself on many bike runs, proving to herself that she was capable of anything. She rode into the USA on her own thru rain, snow and sun, on a mission to find a friend and bring them home. She also accomplished what very few would even try and ride over a 1700 kms (1000 miles) in one day.

Jenn was a diamond in the rough but a class act just the same. She might seem hard and bitchy but if you took the chance to get to know her you would find that she was truly the opposite. She had a carpe diem attitude, zest for life and generosity of spirit. If you gave her lemons, somehow she would make lemonade. She wouldn’t take No for an answer, it was always go big, go home and get over it! She was always in the lead somehow and was obviously a born leader, and she worked well under pressure. She was always organized even though she would quote that “it was like herding cats” trying to keep us all in line. She would keep the routes straight (if only in her head) so that we all got to where we were going and she would do this without using a map. Even with all of this she still had a tendency to mother everyone, especially on the road. She would be the first one up and getting everyone coffee, even if she had to ride down the street to find it. I still can’t figure out how she would bring back multiple coffees on her bike. She tackled a career change in midlife, which is a hard thing to do, especially competing with the young 20 year old brains! Yet again it was a competition to her and she had to be out in the lead. There were so many driving characteristics in Jenn. She was sincere, caring, compassionate, thoughtful, loving and you could always count on her to have your back in times of trouble. Her intelligence and spirit are to be admired by all. Jenn was fun and adventurous and there was never a dull moment with her around. Jenn was the hostess with the mostest and always held the best of gatherings big or small. I can see it now, she will be the party coordinator for the big man upstairs!

Jenn was loved by many in all walks of life. She may not have been perfect and will probably not end up as God’s right hand woman, but hey she had other qualities that counted. She shared an enthusiasm for life with her friends that in turn made their lives better for knowing her. Jenn wouldn’t want you to shed a tear but to party on in celebration of her life. So now let’s raise our glasses in her memory and seize the day!

For Bear

Okay, trying to write damn it, just for you!!!!!

Life gets in the way sometimes, and will try and pay more attention to my blog for those that want to read my ramblings. Now that I have my new puter, I can actually bookmark and find my blog again.

Well quick up to speed, been busy as hell, with school, organizing the show n shine and of course riding. Seems that it is now the season and have been out and about somewhere every weekend. Keeps me on the go, which is fine, cause I need to be busy but sometimes I think I just need to relax and take it easy. Think I will try and do that this weekend, nothing major just enjoy the sun, the bike and do a few minor errands in the process.

School is still going awesome! Still raking in the big marks, even though I have no clue how I do it some days. I barely study for the exams, just cram a few hours the morning of and then go for it. My projects have all been coming back 100%. Course prior to the one I just finished was on Mental Disorders and I used Vince as my subject and yep got 100. But then again we all know he is disturbed! This past course took me thru the wringer. Last Monday we started it and she gave the course outline and the projects and I threw on hell of a fuss about doing them. they were so dark and negative and it was just something I didnt agree with. But if I wanted to graduate, I had to suffer thru and find a way to do them. She let me adjust part of one a bit, cause I just didnt have anyway of writing anything on it. Well the first project got me another 100, thanks to the slight adjustment I was able to make. I wrote more about my dads passing and then the second half was my beliefs and she let me be somewhat imaginative and I wrote more about the urban myths that we as riders have surrounding our departed riding friends. She stated on it that it was beautifully written. But then I have been told that I do have a way with words. The second one that we will get back on Monday, we had to write our own eulogy. That was giving me a shit kickin, but thanks to comments from friends on FB, I was able to pull something together to write about. I still wasnt comfortable doing all this, and the whole course my spidie senses were tingling with bad vibes. I just had a feeling that something was going to happen. didnt know when or to who but in the end I was right. I turned the eulogy in a day early at 1 pm and wouldnt ya know 7 hours later we have a friend die on his bike. I hate having these feelings and I hope the hell I dont have anymore for a long while. Needless to say I didnt go to class the next day, as it was all about the last hours of death and dying. Not like I could sit and listen to that. I just took the day to myself and didnt do much of anything.
Oh well all I can say is Im glad its over and we can move on to something more positive hopefully.

On another note, I only have just over 2 months of classes left, and then Im on to my practicum, doesnt seem like it has been that long and Im there already. Look out world here I come!!!

Kay has her learners and she is getting there but it is still kinda scary. She would rather drive with Len then me, and ya know that is fine with me!!!! She hasnt been out in the car much as it is a standard and I havent found a parking lot that is large enuf that she can practice upshifting before I take her on the streets. The truck of course is bigger but besides wandering to the right and heading for the ditch, she is pretty good with it. But the wierd part, ya put her on a 2 lane road she goes right, take her on the highway with 4 lanes and she goes left! I dont get it at all.

Beyond that general stuff, life is just the same up here in the toolies. Seems as though the weather gods are smiling on us finally, which means I guess I have to get off my ass and go wash the bike. Presumably, Im not going to run into anymore rain storms on the way home.

Well there ya are Bear, quick run down to make ya happy, I will try and be more prompt about writing again.

yep slacking again but with reason

Ive had to journal for school but wil get to that later. Like I said when I ended the last entry, the course was kickin my ass. It was on ABA - Applied Behavioural Analysis and Autism. Yep come to the conclusion that I wont be working with the autistic. I dont like the teachings of ABA either. It is similiar to training your dog, but yet it is done with people. We have been having daily quizzes and unless I came to class half stoned on codiene or just about got run off the road by some asshole, I was not doing the best on them. Those 2 days I just didnt shive a git and just rolled with it, instead of actually thinking and reading and trying to make sense of the questions. The shitty part is that the damn quizzes make up for 30% of your overall mark. This had me frazzled as well as thee thoughts of the exam. Had no clue how I was going to keep my mark in the 90s at this rate. Well I got the project done annd focused on memorizing the info for the exam. Ended up getting 100 for my project, thank god cause I was going to need it. Friday rolls around and I am paniced. I had a beer around 10 am just to try and not give a damn with the exam. I had Kay getting ready as I was dropping her off in Langford and we were also meeting Jeremy and Marlena who were going to ride down with us. Gave up memorizing and got ready and Kay and I took the bagger and headed to Mill Bay to meet up with them. We went straight thru to Langford and stopped at Timmies there. Kay walked over to her dads from the mall and when we were done our coffee we headed to town. We were playing things by ear but would hopefully meet up when they were done at the passport office and I with my exam. Well parts of the exam werent so bad and the memory was working but god damn if I sat there beating myself senseless for a couple of the questions. I couldnt think of anything to put down and the teacher wont accept it if you leave it blank. Finally I just said phuk it and scribbled something in, shook my head and left. Worried about what would come on Monday. I went out to the bike and they were there waiting for me, so we headed up to the Ho and had a few while waiting for Len. He took the bike and did his banking then came back. Just after Jer and Marlena headed back to Nanaimo while we hung around a little longer to visit with Sue and Steve. I happened to look at the time and it was just about 430, so I thought I would call to see if the papers were marked and get the news so I would stop stressing over the weekend. I call and my teacher is not answering but the receptionist informs me I forgot to sign my time sheet. Oh shit, give me the gear I got to go back to school or I wont get my cheque. Back I go and sign the form and track down my teacher. Some how I pulled of a 92 and one of my annoying questions, I actually got right! Overall was a 90 for the course. My lowest mark so far and hopefully at all. Yep thats how bad the quizzes were, they took a 100 and a 92 and dropped me to a 90.

On Saturday we rode up to the Timberlands for lunch and hopefully I was going to talk to Carol somemore about the show. She wasnt in but we had a great lunch and quite a few friends were there as well. We heard about a bad accident on the hat but decided that we would loop thru Shawnigan and down to Dranes anyways. Al from Nanaimo came with us, he has the "Lucky" bike. It was a great ride back and forth today but the accident was weighing on our minds, wondering who it might be. Well we found out that night, it wasnt anyone that we did know but they were family to friends of ours. Another tragic loss. Sunday we rode out with the intentions of hitting the Hut in Qualicum. We were picking up riders along the way and we impromptly found a couple extras being Ruth and Crash. We had a nice lazy ride along the backside of Nanaimo and got to Lantzville to pick up Adam when we noticed that Crash's bike was steaming from the oil tank area. Well diagnosis says hes done for the day. The rotten smell we first got a wiff of at Eds was back and that was the regulator. We had to find him a ride home. Well the rest of the ride was over so we all had lunch in Lantzville while waiting for a truck to come and get Crash. When we were done we headed south again and took Jingle pot on the other side of Nan this time. Adam and Ed broke off at the south Cedar exit and the other 3 of us kept heading south. We had a new girl with us from Duncan and she was a little slow and not the best in corners but we took it easy for her. Nice for a change instead of always going hell bent for election like we tend to do. We said our goodbyes at the CVI while Len had another ceaser. Then the 2 of us headed home.

My next 2 week course was all on self care. There are no marks just complete or incomplete. We have one main assignment thru it still with no mark but this is what has stopped me from blogging,cause I was doing it daily for school. We had to write what she calls a stress diary. So thats where my blogging went to. Besides that we had to create an activity and my partner and I ran with the digital scavenger hunt and it turned out great. On that Monday morning there was an impromptu ride for Leannes Aunt from Vic to the accident site. I met the ride at the Malahat Petrocan and rode the rest of the way up with them before heading to school. I was happy to be there to support Leanne and didnt give a shit if I was going to be a bit late for school on this day. Somethings are more important. The whole two weeks were about self care and this just kinda fit in to me. My state of mind and a friends. Over the weekend the weather was questionable. Saturday was kinda shitty so I did homework and Len was doing chores. Sunday we rode to Vic for the swap meet and for me to network for the show. We left there and went to the 6 mile for brunch and to watch the hockey game. Yea, Canada won! From there we were going to ride around the inner harbour then Len changed his mind and decided to stop by Steves to see his garage. I guess I had inspired him with Lens HD bedroom and he decided to do something similiar to his garage. Well damn it is so clean you could eat off the floor. Cleanest garage I have ever seen. The second week we got 2 extra days off. The Wednesday and Friday, which was kinda cool cause it doesnt happen much. Weds. I spent part of getting my diary finished and homework assigments to turn in early on Thursday. Then in the glorious sunshine I headed south to do a few errands and then pick up Ang from work. We were taking her out for her birthday. Len met us at her house and then we went to the Waddling Dog for dinner and drinks. Some more networking ensued for the show n shine with the charity riders and Ron is still trying to sign us up to the group. The rest of the week was the usual, one more day of school, then Len made me help for a while on Friday and then I was off riding and doing errands and enjoying the day. On Saturday we were gone on the bikes for almost 12 hours. We left early and headed to Vic to go on the memorial ride for Martha. We rode to the accident site with the group then followed along the back roads til we got seperated at the petro can. We turned down Hutchinson then carried on along the backroads for the route that Ripper had told me. We werent sure if we were infront or behind them so we just kept going til we got to the end or the route and to our surprise we were ahead, even though we stopped a few times along the way. From there we broke up and 3 of us headed north to Ladysmith to meet up with 3 others. We decided to make the ride to the FBI for lunch as it was a gorgeous day. We had to take it easy as Sheila according to Ricks orders was not allowed to go over 90kms breaking in her bike. We were good Rick! We had a great lunch at the FBI, and managed to aquired a new sticker for Bears helmet! Just the present he needs to help him thru his recovery! The rest of the group headed out after lunch and went to get Rick a new battery, we stayed behind with Flo and the CR group so we could say Hi to Mir when she got to Qualicum. It was another eventful day. When we stopped at Cassidy on the way home, Flo had text me that she was broke down at the side of the road waiting on BCAA.
Sunday sucked weather wise so instead we dropped Kay off for sprig break with her dad and we went out for brunch then groceries. We were going to go and visit the Bear but time got away from us somehow and we didnt make it. Sorry bud!

Monday rolls around and back to school, new course and no exam, but we do get marks on the 3 projects we have to do. I was waivering back and forth all morning wether to ride or not. Len finally told me to SIU and fix the truck(just put gas in it - I have said it was broke for a monthe now) and drive my ass to school. Leave the bike at home as the weather really doesnt know what it is doing. Well just as I was heading to Bamberton a lady on a black sporty passed me going north and I though, see I could make it thru this and have actually already ridden thru worse at Crater Lake. Well wouldnt ya know not ten minutes into class and my phone starts going crazy. It seems that poor woman was hit at the petrocan by my house and of course all are worried sick wondering if it is me. Roadie called to check and I told him that we were fine and please post something so everyone knows. Well he did do this on the forums but not on FB, so my phone kept up all afternoon. It continued as soon as someone did post it on FB and got Flo wound up. Im fine, Im almost home in the truck please post on FB so that others stop worrying. Quitre a hectic day to say the least and my prayers go out to this wwoman that she pulls thru.

As I finish this up, Im still tryinng to decide bike or truck today. It is overcast with threats of liquid sunshine but hell I have been through the monsoons before.

Being lazy blogging

Yep, I have slacked off a little and have blogged for a few weeks. Opps, Ive been busy with other stuff and this kinda slipped my mind.

Well, after the last entry, on Friday we had decided that we would start getting the bikes in order. First up was mine, as it was an easier job and we also want atleast one of them on the road at all times. We had decided that we would run it up to Ladysmith on the Friday afternoon, rain or shine. Well I rode the bagger to school, wrote my exam and then headed back up the hill to wait for Len. He figured he would be done early and if it was raining hard he would ride T up. I got in and switched the bikes around so she was ready to go. I had guesstimated that we would get there somewhere around 430ish and was pretty much right. Len got here and he said lets move it as the rain is starting to come. I ended up riding anyways and besides the assholes that kept cutting him off it wasnt that bad really. We met Ed at the shell station and he followed us up the hill to meet our mechanic. Just in case he wanted to use him sometime, as he is close by. Also gave him Suzies stuff that she left behind from Kays party. Ed headed off and we hung around for a bit more before heading home to relax.

Saturday rolls around and we are just waiting for the call to pick up T and bring the bagger up. Well of course its raining all friggin day and when the call comes Len dont feel much like riding inn the rain. So a whirlwind of phone calls and we get Mike to come over and drive us up with Blue on the back, Len runs and borrows a ramp from Freakshows and then the fun begins. Okay there are alot of hills on the property, we have a ramp (kinda) and the truck, Mike is getting worried about getting the blue monster on the back. Well he was certainly right. Back the truck to the edge of the drive, Len figures he is ridin her up and we are there to catch and guide him. Ya catch! He gets lined up and then goes for it, front tire on truck, rear slides off ramp to the left and is on the edge of the tail gate! Lens trying to hold it, and Mike is givin everything hes got to keep it upright while I scramble around the other side to help lift it enuf to get purchase on the tail gate to throttle it into the truck! Thankfully we finally get it in without any more problems. Off we go to the next fiasco of getting it off and mine on. There is only level ground in LS and therefore a sharper incline to get them on and off the truck. Luck for me I had gone in the house to say hi to Adams wife and use the bathroom, that I came out just in time to push T onto the truck. I dont care how small a ramp it is, I really hate the feeling when your feet are off the ground and you are depending on the guys around to hold you up. I did it enuf times with Mountains bike onto a trailer last summer and it really freaks me out. All is good and the bikes are switched around for the trip home. We decide to stop at the Timberlands for a beer and bite to eat as well as for me to talk to the new owners to see if they would be interested in hosting the show n shine for the Conga. They were great, more then receptive with me and excited about doing it. So it was pretty much a good end to a day, besides me whinnig that T had never been trailored or trucked and that Therapy was going to need Therapy!

Sunday we have to unload her from the truck, well the boys wander around looking for the best place to try and unload her and come up with a plan of action. Its looking a little precarious to me but Len manages to pull it off and gets her off the truck without much incidence. After mMike leaves we decide to take her out for a ride and of course I cant convince him to ride bitch! His excuse is that I have been riding one or the other everyday all winter and that he damn well wants to ride now! So I relocated to the back seat of my own damn bike. We dont go to far as the weather is still looking a little iffy. We head up to Duncan and have a bite to eat at the CVI and to his amazement they have a ceaser menu - a whole list of different types of them. Needless to say he has to try a couple. The first was great made with horseradish and chipolte but the second one he wasnt overly fond of. It was layered with the ceaser at the bottom then lager then guiness beer. He wants to go back and try a few more. We headed home ad relaxed for the rest of the day.

Back to the daily grind, but now Im riding Therapy everyday. Monday was looking a little questionable with the weather but he said by the time I got to school, if rainned on my way home I had enuf miles on the new tires that I would be fine. Sure nuf it did rain on me and fairly hard to boot coming over the hat. No problems though, sure makes a difference whe ya have some traction in the wet. The rest of the week was devoted to finishing up my project for school and the exam on Friday. Thursday night, Len got his bike back and he was so happy to finally have the problem fixed and not just bandaided with vice grips.

On Friday I took the bagger as I had my exam and would be done early and so would Len. So we were going to meet up and either double home or I would drive Mike and the truck home. Head for school, project returned with a 98, pretty confident with the exam, but the teacher has been on a half mark kick with me so who knows. I leave school, head to Shaw to pay the damn bill, then call Len to see where he is at. We decide that I will pick up his cheque for him and meet him at the Tally Ho. So I head off for some smokes and then the cheque before a beer. I get to the store, grab the smokes then head back to the bike to go for his cheque. Well the bike decides it isnt starting and it isnt doing its usual trick when ya hit the starter button. Now its just clicking at me. WTF. I call him and see if he can hear the noise and ask if it is just the battery again. He says yes so fine, I will see if they have rattled loose, if I dont get it started I will call him back. Well Im about to take the seat off and have second thoughts. The last time we did so the bolt that holds the seat screw in fell out the bottom of the fender and it took us an hour to get the friggin thig back in. So gently, I start to take the screw out and breathe a sign of relief when it stays where it is supposed to. I check the battery and everythig seems tight, check fuses and anything I can get to. Nada, still not starting. Well nobody stopped to check if I needed help, two friends drove by thinking it might be me but didnt stop. I sat there for an hour waiting for Len to finish and come help. We boosted it and it started, so he gets geared up and we head to the supply store to get things he needs in the morning. At this point he realizes that the bike isnt charging. Great now what. So he gives me the route he is going to take so I can watch for him and sure enuf he only gets as far as Spencer when it dies completely and he dodges 3 lanes of traffic to limp it off the highway into the gas station. Well its not looking good to find parts for what he thinks it might be so we charge it a bit off the truck and then run it directly to Phoenix. We dont think it is safe to try and get it up the hat in rush hour on a Friday only to have it stall again on him in the worse area. So back to the shop it goes with a very grumpy owner.

Well as with the weekend before we got out for a bit of a ride on Saturday and Sunday we went to Nanoose for the Super Bowl. Well great game, great friends and Lenn walked away with most of the prize money. He won the first and second quarter and also the final. Usually that happens for our hosts but this time the tables turned. Im sure we will get some heckling for it but its all good natured from friends.

Well new week, Im again riding Therapy to school and thats been the only good part of the week. This course is killing me, Im so confused and just cant wrap my head around it. Im hoping that things start to fall into place next week. Len finally got the bike back on Thursday and it wasnt as bad as he was bracing himself for. It was just the stator and after aother 400 paid he got to bring it home while I went to school in the truck.

He was hoping to get out on the bike all weekend but Saturday was pretty shitty so instead he took to putting his stabalizer on. He had a fight with one bolt, isnt it always. But he got it done and just prayed to ride on Sunday. We laid around and had a rest and watched the Canadian womens hockey massacre before heading off to a valentines charity dance. We had a great night out but I really have to get him some new dress clothes. Every time he wears that shirt and his cowboy boots they get drunk! Of atleast thats his excuse. Today we did finally get to ride side by side. We got up and it looked a little gloomy to the south but all I could see was blue to the north. So off we went on a great ride to Coombs to meet up with Lady Di. Had lunch there and headed back home by 430. Gorgeous day, lots of sun and we even got to watch some bunny porn at the "Front" while we waited for our food. Spring must have sprung on valentines day cause even the rabbits were trying to get some in the bar.

Oh well guess we will see what the rest of this week is going to hold for me and school. Len is looking forward to unloading tools and riding the rest of the week til he is done the job.
Hope everyone had a happy Valentines day

Lazy 2 weeks, kinda

Well the past 2 weeks at school were pretty lame. For some reason they figured we needed to learn RCA stuff in taking care of the elderly. I can see a small connection to the point of us working with the disabled that may be confined to a wheelchair or if we were doing home support. The majority of us have no interest in either of these areas. For me, working at the Lodge for 7 years, I already knew the majority of this stuff and I was actually harrassing the instructors. We did 2 days in the class then we were off to do our first aid course. Yep great to have for sure, the again doubled up on the info there agai as I had previously taken a course but it was not to the same level as this one so I had to go. It was tiring, 830 to 500 for 2 days, very monotonous and it was hard to stay awake thru the afternoon. No videos please, will be napping for sure. I also had problems with my knee acting up, everytime I tried to get up or down, it was cracking and popping and aching. Have no idea what I did to it but it is still causing me grief.
Well I made it thru the 2 days of first aid and when it came to 4 pm the second day we did the exam. Well flew thru it, I was done half hour before anyone else and scored , yep you guessed it 95. I wandered out to the Gorge and went to the pub that was there to have a beer and wait for Len to come and pick me up. We had been commuting together as it just made sense especially with me doing a full day.

Friday came around and the poor boy was dog dead tired and he made me come with him that morning to try and help him get the job finished in the hopes that he might get a day off on the weekend. Off we go and here I am with the bum knee helping him with a hardwood floor! Oh joy my knee was more then happy with me. Is it 12 noon yet, can I run? Off I went and I actually dropped the truck off downtown at Steves work. The donut on the exhaust had come off and the truck was louder then Lens harley! I left it with Steve for the afternoon and went back to school for more of this dumb class. Well it was nice we managed to escape early and I was back to get the truck by 330, then off to get Len.

The weekend came and he wanted me to come and help out but K and I had also made plans to go see the grandparental units, as we had not seen them for Xmas or her birthday. So it was easy to get outta that one kinda. Its not raining and its nice out, why dont you ride to work, I will drop off the stuff you need on my way and bring ya lunch. Well that made him feel a whole lot better to get to ride my other bike and get some wind. It wasnt going to be the same on Sunday. Of course he was dog dead tired when he got home but in better humour for having rode. Amazing what 2 wheeled therapy can do for oneself. Sunday of course I was dragged along to help him out and get the job finished. Get the last of the hardwood done and then grout the entry way for him, while he did the stair nosings. Well we got er done but I was in some pain with my knee.

Monday rolls around in the wee hours of the morning to me waking up to the basement door rattling. I have some metal signs on the insides of the doors and of course they rattle when the door is moved. At first I thought someone was trying to get in and disturb the threesome that were slumbering in the basement. I was bout to jab him in the ribs to go and check it out when I mrealized that it was actually the wind, and that the wind had pulled the door open and was flapping to and fro. I attempted to look at the clock to no avail as the power was out. So in the dark, I find my robe and slippers, wander to the kitchen to try and find the flashlight and trudge off to the basement to resecure everything and make sure that the sleeping beauties are undisturbed. I wander my way back upstairs and have a smoke before crawling back to bed. Just as I comfy again and start to doze, hard banging on the bedroom door. Here is Kay with tears running down her face scared to death. Powers out mom, Im hearing strange noises, and its almost dead hour. WTF, oh thats when all the ghosts come out! Damn kid, well ya dont want to sleep with us cause your to old for that so here take the flashlite and go get yer pillows and shyte and sleep in the spare room, you will still hear the wind but not the noises like being in the attic. So off she goes and all is right again to try and sleep. Well got a bit of sleep but not alot, cause I ended up waking up to the wierdest dream, and the funny thing is I still remember it. Hopefully it isnt a premonition cause the outcome isnt a good one. Well the morning was phuked to say the least. Len was suppose to start a new job here in Cobble that day, but we didnt know if they had power. He couldnt get any straight answers outta Rona so off we went to try and find this place and see if they were ready to go and had power. By about 9 all was good and he dropped me off to take my truck and head to Vic to get a friend who was going to be working with him. Power was out everywhere and I was lucky to have enuf gas to get down as the stations were all closed due to the power. Picked up the co worker, back up the hat, dropped off at the job, had a coffee, then came home to find still no power. Checked the time frame, and nope to late to get cleaned up before school. Made a few calls and Shawnigan was fine so off I go to have a shower at Angies before dashing back down the hill again. By the time Im done today, Im going to drop dead too. Thankfully we were still doing this lame course and I didnt have to pay attention, cause the mind wasnt there at all. Early to leave again and back home to try and veg, oh ya still have dinner to deal with. Well dinner was way late as the three of (co worker included) got into the beers and bullshitting. Tuesday wasnt going to be a good day. But boy did I sleep hard that night.

The boys head to work and I eventually drag myself into gear and take the bike to school, well another lame day and Im escaping at 2 pm to head home, almost not worth the drive down. The rest of the week for this course was going to be lame. Things changed and we were going to be doing our hands on test on Weds, then Thursday we were to work on our questionaire if it wasnt done, and Friday was just to come in and drop it off then leave again. Well this is crap, why the hell should I have to spend the money and drive down for nothing, my questioaire is done Tuesday and already handed in. The instructor makes a deal that if the rest of the class agrees to not say anything she will mark me present and I dont have to come in. Kewl, I can have 2 days to help Len at the dairy barn. Well I kinda got caught beinng MIA on Tuesday afternoon as my regular teacher was trying to find me, Weds, I did my test and got the instructors wound up, they wanted to know why the hell they were testing me and I told them they told me to be here. Thursday I went with the plan and stayed home to help Len. I find out Thursday night that our regular teacher took over the class that day and she wanted to know where I was, phuk busted again. And that we also had to come in on Friday to get our new textbook. What a friggin crock, I have to go to Vic to sign out my new book and be marked present the I can leave. Thankfully it was nice enuf to ride or I really would have been pissed for wasting the gas. The whole 2 week course was a joke as far as Im concerned.

So I finish up on Friday and try calling Len, I know he is quitting by 2 today to come to Vic, drop off the coworker and pick up his cheque, do the bank thing and so forth. I cant get ahold of him so I head towards Langford and stop for a beer to see if he calls me. He finally does and I said I would meet him at Ton's so he could take the bike to do his errands. Much easier when you have to go downtown and park. I decide to meet him at the Tally Ho when he is done and have a beer before heading home. Wello we do all this and decide to head up the hill and clean up only to turn around and head back for a birthday party. He knew he finally was getting a day off so he didnt mind blowing off some steam.

Next thing ya know he is talkig bout going to the bike show, well I hadnt even thought of it cause money has been so tight, but he got a decent cheque that day and the barn was going to be another good one so he didnt mind spending the money to go. Up and at it Saturday morning, cept he wouldnt let me go and insure Therapy, I had to ride bitch! Well we all know just how I feel about this and what kinda shitty passenger I am. Cant go yet, I havent had any liquid courage!! Im also dreading the thought of being on the backroads of 0 ave and his damn bike acting up, I really think we should take both but dont want to say anything to jinx it. Well wouldnt ya know after hanging on for dear life all the way to Abby, right at the corner when we turn off 0Ave to head to the Tradex he cant shift. We both instantly thought we lost the vice grips that have been holding everything together since the PA toy run, but thankfully they were still there. This time it was the actual shifter pedal that had come loose. Well that was a joy trying to fix on the side of the road. Stuffing a socket behind, against the engine case and trying to use a foling hammer to pound it back in. Ya right, might as well use a pair of my heels to hammer it in, not to mention the friggin fold up hammer bit into his hand and bled like a SOB. We finally got it together and off we went to the show. The trip along 0Ave is actually quite quick. We were in Delta at highway 10 and I was on the phone to K's dad at 12:55 and we broke down 2 blocks from the tradex at 1:35 so all in all taking that route we were in Abby within 40 minutes, I dont think you would be thru Langley in that amount of time. We spent the afternoon wandering around and checking things out. Mind you the first stop was straight to the beer garden cause after the little breakdown someone needed a beer badly. We were good, only stayed for one, then off we went. Only ran into a few people we knew and nobody really that we cared to socialize with. Where the hell was everyone else that was there!!! We made the loop and when done decided to head off in search of a motel. We were going to head to the same place as last year but thankfully I called first to find out that they were full. So we channged plans and headed to Aldergrove for a room. Must say it was pretty nice and the old girl at the desk was really helpful. She gave us a mini suite for the same price as a standard room, they had a full video selection for you to rent for free and all amenities were right there. We went up and dumped our bag and then went and got some drinks and ordered dinner in. We were thinking about going our dancing but after him working for so long with out a day off and my leg buggig me we decided to just stay in and reelax. We got a movie, we had the laptop, good enuf. Lets just kick back and relax. So we did and we both had a great nights rest for a change.

He spent the morning on the puter, yep farmville, I just laid around watching the idiot box. Just before getting ready to head out with plans of the 11 am ferry, I got on the puter and checked the forums. Shit, we may have to change plans! Roadie had posted that he got a killer deal on tires at Barnes. I gave him a quick call and yep tires were mark at 50% and he got both for his and they were Mettzlers. Well I really need a rear, hence why T is parked, the front we also think is cupped so should get it as well and he will be needing both in another 10,000, and the way I have been riding it, that wont take long. So off we go to Barnes and we lucked out. The 2 racks that were there was down to about a half rack, but we managed to find front and rear wide whitewalls, Mettz for my bike and a rear Mettz for his bike. No I didnt wear the tires home, they shipped them by bus $28 for 3 tires, not bad and we got the 3 of them for bout $400. All in all you could say we got one for free. So definately worth the trip there. Not to mention we got to see Ruthie and her new Fat Boy! We headed off now on a mission for the 1pm. Well it was starting to sprinkle a bit as we hit the ferries and knew we were going to be in for it on the other side. Yep we were. It wasnt to bad along 17 but shit when we headed up the hat it sucked! We werent too wet when we got in and just a little cold. I had called Kay from Spencer road and got her to turn on the hot tub (rain or not we were going in) and in bout 20 minutes open the garage so that we could ride straight in. Good kid, everything was waiting for us. Hung up the wet gear to dry, upstairs hugs and his for her, then beer and the tub to thaw out. Dinner and relax before Monday hits again.

Well back to school again and back to thr regular schedule. We have had almost the whole month with little to nothing to do and now wham we are hit hard. We have homework questions to do each night that are being marked the next day, a mid term this week and final next week plus a project thrown in for good measure. Im feeling a bit overwhelmed. All is in order so far except for part of the project. I have done my questions each night, got my exam review done and the basic info I need to make a final draft for the project done, but I still need to do the final and then work on a power point for the final presentation. I also have so many other things on my agenda I am trying to do and get done I think I need more hours in a day.

Oh well, guess I should finish up babbling away her and get on with some of the other stuff. Till the next entry.