Secret Cycle Society

The sweetest ride that anyone can ever ride is driven by moi. It is a 2004 Yamaha Vino 125 scooter.
I have wanted one of these babies since 2002 and the opportunity to get one came up around two years ago. We were expecting out first child and I was driving a 1996 Acura Integra two door and Jamie (my wife) drove a Tacoma. We needed a more practical car so we thought if we sold both of our cars we could use the money to get a scooter for me and a four door car for the family. After a few months of looking I found and bought one. This sweet beast on wheels gets 80 MPG and drives max speed of about 52 MPH. I drive about a hundred miles a week so my gas bill is astronomically less then most drivers, which is one of the main reasons for getting it. Now that you know what I drive, I will get to the point.

This is where you as the reader need to imagine I am talking to you as an anonymous informant relaying sensitive information. You may have noticed the title “Secret Cycle Society,” this is where I reveal a secret that could get me exiled from the cycle world, yet the info must come out. Ok I will whisper it to you, when someone on a motorcycle is riding in the opposite direction as you, they will wave at you. There I said it, I know it may be hard to believe, but it is true. If they don’t wave, they may give you the head nod or something of the sort.

When I first started noticing these gestures from other riders, It felt a little awkward. It is kind of like when someone you don’t know says, “Hi” to you and you return the hi accompanied with a look that says “Do I know you?” or “Why are they talking to me?” Over time I started to realize that riders greet their own. I never thought I would be greeted due to my ride being a scooter (or in other words a poser motorcycle), but I am greeted none the less. Sometimes I think the waves are in jest because of my ride, but I have no way to prove it. Ok, it may not be a secret society but it may be due to the fact that I don’t see them waving at people on horses, unicycles, elephants, bikes, skateboards, or camels.

Now there are some do’s and don’ts I have learned while trying to return the salutation. First of all, I try to avoid the head nod. I can’t see it when the other riders do it half the time, so I figure they can’t see mine. Second, don’t lift your hand up to wave. I did that the first couple of times and hit my mirror on the way up. After hitting the mirror, about a half hour of readjusting goes into putting it back in the right spot. I have found the best way to wave is to keep your thumb and palm connected to the handle bar while jetting my fingers out towards the other rider. By doing this I can keep control of the bike while giving an obvious acknowledgment. Keep in mind that I have learned all this by trial and error as I have been initiated into this secret club of motorcycle riders. This should not be attempted by any vehicle on more than two wheels.

Now remember, keep this information a secret or one of the butchy she-man biker chicks will come and flog me, so mums the word.

Happy Mother's Day

Just what every Mom wants for her special day... The Severed Heads of her children and husband pasted on the Backstreet Boys.

Mom your the "Wo"Man!!!

Why do I bother?

Have you ever tried to give someone information and they start to act like you are trying to sell them something? Maybe I am overreacting (which I normally do), but it seems to me that I can’t give any advice or even volunteer information without the, “Don’t sell me your Amway crap,” look on their face. You know the blank when will this be over look and their response is patterned like this, “Oh, well this is how I do it…” and then they finish off with, “and it works well for me.” Even if what they just said is super retarded and completely lacking common sense, they still stick to how they do their thing.

Here is the situation that kind of sparked these thoughts in my head. I hitched a ride home with a classmate and we were chatting about this, that, and the other. We got on the topic of buying a house and I mentioned how hard it was to buy one without having a good down payment. My classmate said that he puts aside some money every paycheck and has done so for sometime. He has a good amount saved and plans to use it for that down payment we were just talking about. So, this is where I start to volunteer information, or this is where, according to them, my sales pitch starts. I told him that some banks offer savings accounts online. The accounts can be links to your existing checking account at what ever bank you have. Once they are linked the money can be transferred from bank to bank using the web site of the savings account bank. The main reason anybody would want one of these accounts is because many of them offer a 4.50% interest rate. Most banks like B of A and Washington Mutual only offer 0.40% or 0.50% for a savings account. Another sweet thing about these online accounts is that they are liquid, so you still get that great rate. Well, maybe this does sound like a sales pitch, but what do I have to gain from telling anyone about these accounts? Jack squat is what I have to gain. So, I tell my friend all this stuff, with enthusiasm I might add. I got this crappy response, “well I have the money in a 9 month CD at Bank of America earning 1.blah blah and that works well for me.” All I could think of is how stupid he sounded. Let me see, either I could get 1.70% and lock it away for 9 months or I can get 4.50% and move it when ever I want… Hmmm…now that is a hard one.

I am not looking for a praise for my good services. All I would hope for is a, "That is interesting, I might look into that." Is that to much to ask?

This example might not work for everyone, but I hope you get my point. People (including myself at times) are stuck in their own world. Change is hard, especially when it comes to finances, and often people go into auto pilot. It drives me bonkers how some people can't reach out for something better.

I don't know, maybe it’s just me.