Me and my big boy toys. Is it selfish to want to have certain things, I don’t think so. Some people grow out of it and others, well they work for gaming companies now so as long as they are happy then it’s all good.
There are times when I pass by a store window and think to myself, “that would be cool to have”, 5 minutes later I forget about it and go about my business. Then there are other times when I see something and say, “gotta get that”, a few months later I have it. I had an opportunity a while ago to try a KTM 450 but I passed, I did not want to be liable in case I took a tumble. Actually i didn’t bring my helmet at the time and just didn’t want to use someones wet helmet, ewww!
I have always liked the look of the KTM bikes, those crazy Austrians. I remember saying to myself about four years back that I’ll get myself a KTM Duke 620. I saw somebody with one and thought, wow, I’d love to own that bike. There was something about the bike that got my attention. I didn’t know if it would be comfortable or even that good to ride but I didn’t care. It was rare to see a KTM on the street and I guess for me to own one would make me feel special. But I guess it was not meant to be because I bought myself a Triumph Speed Triple instead.
I knew the Triumph name but who in motorcycling doesn’t and if they don’t then they should get some help or maybe work with that guy at Desjardins Insurance. Anyways, when I went gallivanting about town looking for another motorcycle I never expected to come across the bike I have now. Okay that’s a lie but I never expected to buy it on that same day. I went around and looked and pondered and saw a nice Kawasaki ZRX 1200. It was nice, it looked nice, it had a custom seat and the paint job wasn’t too shabby either. Then I guess fate took over, actually Martin said they had more bikes upstairs so I went up and took a look.
Upon reaching the top of the stairs I saw what would eventually become my blue baby. She sat right in the middle of the other bikes, strategically positioned so that anyone who would glance over would see her first, kinda like that girl wearing a red dress in a sea of black dresses. Yes it was a moment, let me just soak it in. The Triumph badge was there for all to see and when I started her up, the sound from her exhaust just bellowed trouble and I had to have her. Martin knew he had a sale right there, pretty clever setting the bike up like that. We started the paper work 20 minutes later and I picked up the bike 3 days afterwards. I bought the bike in 2007 and have logged in approximately 15000 km’s. I have to admit, the Speed Triple makes anybody look good but the question now is would the KTM have made me look just as good.
It’s that time again Canada! Roll up the rim to win and it looks as though Tim’s has upped the prizes. It used to be 10 cars from what I remember and now it is up to 35. Will this mean more winners or is it just another marketing ploy to get people to buy their coffee in these tough times. Whatever the reason, it seems no matter where you go in Canada you will inevitably see one of the red and yellow cups in someone’s hands. I’ve already bought 3 coffees in the past week and won 3 donuts! I’m trying to aim for the Toyota Venza but it’s not up to me, it’s up to the cup.
Like most of the population I go into work every Monday and finish on the Friday but unlike the majority of the population I enjoy what I do.
I commute in and on occasion will sit in traffic and as I sit there I observe others around me. There is a look of gloom on their faces, not all but most. As I arrive to work, I see people in the building with a look of dread and misery like sheep being corralled into a pen. I learned a while ago that if you are not happy with what you are doing then it may be best to stop. I had a job in the past where the people I worked with were nice but the clients were the biggest pain in the rear, surprisingly I lasted a few years. Then as technology evolved I decided to evolve with it and am happy that I did because the work I am doing now is great, at least I think so.
Some people say that I am lucky to be where I am and I agree, I am lucky but I didn’t get here by twiddling my thumbs and praying. What got me to where I was is good old fashioned “working” and being proactive, leaning towards opportunity and not backing away from it. Yes, there were tough times but that has made me what I am today and yes, I learned from it. I don’t think of work as work anymore, it is instead my place of play and it’s nice to get paid for playing all day and then going home in the end to relax from playing.
Gotta go now, it’s time to play.
Just a small example of some of the things I do. Testing and more testing
Another moto show has come and gone and this year the show seemed more spread out. Overall the show was good, plenty of people as always and the showcase of new bikes was always nice to see. Me and a few friends eventually made our rounds and said hello to the people we know including the staff at Moto Montreal and some of the gang at Ducati. I spoke to Steve from Speed Trix, he was showcasing the Carpe Diem custom that is heading to Daytona, you can check it out on the sidebar marked montreal moto show 2009. Seeing all those bikes made me want to go out and ride but then the reality of winter hit me and knocked me down.
I often take my car into work and sometimes I even park in the garage at work. In the summer I’m riding my motorcycle so I park outside because it’s free. Now on Friday before heading out to the Montreal Motorcycle show one of my colleagues informs me that there was an accident in the garage. Now I didn’t expect it to be a big deal but when we went to check it out the car was indeed damaged. There was damage to the driver’s side and the rear right side, basically enough damage that the car must be written off. It was enough of an impact that the air bag went off and an ambulance had to be called. The one thing we were wondering is how fast this person was going up the ramp to lose control in that 40 ft of space. Not to be disrespectful nor do I want to offend any Honda owners but when I first saw the car all I could think of was that Honda commercial with Jacques Villeneuve, “In every Honda, there is a Honda engine”. Yeah, that’s right, there’s also an idiot.
