day at the races

I'm so glad I've found a good masseuse - I'm going to need her (or a dose of Advil) to deal with the aftermath of living life to the fullest. Friday was the long-awaited IS department extended lunch break at Pole Position Raceway. I felt like I was immersed in the video games I used to watch my brother play - including the wipeouts. I managed to finish the trial run and the qualifier relatively unscathed...just a no bumping sign waved at me after I "maneuvered" out of a jam. Unfortunately that left me with preparation for what happened around the second turn of the actual race. I couldn't get my kart to go in reverse fast enough to correct myself and catch up. I finished a DISMAL last place. The only consolation was running the entire race virtually alone...and my best lap time was actually better than the guy who came in second. Roger (the one from golf, not motorcycles) - ended up winning.

motorcycle bliss - and then life happened

My friend Roger bought a bike a while back and has been teasing me with the prospect of a ride for about 3 weeks.
(Quick aside: this Roger is from Pathway Sales- not the CEO of our company OR the one from golf. There are too many Rogers and too many Matts in this part of the world.)
Back to the bike. It's a gorgeous white Harley with that sound that makes your heart swell into your stomach. Unfortunately it's been raining a lot...and I'm not going to get on a bike with any daredevil that wants to ride in the rain. Finally we had a good day and got out of work early Friday afternoon. The traffic wasn't too bad yet and we had a great run around the lake.
On the way back, about a half mile from the office, the front wheel seemed to shimmy a little and Roger rolled the bike over into the grass of a park by the road.
Roger, what's wrong? I asked, trying not to sound worried - this is a brand new bike!
The clutch, it's not working. Not a good voice either.
That's when I shut up. I don't know the first thing about motorcycle clutches (driving belts, yes, but that's another story). I felt so bad, even though I knew it wasn't my fault. I like to be helpful, but in this situation I felt the best help I could give was to stay out of the way. Roger got the Harley people on the phone and we started walking back to the office. Fortunately, a couple other salesguys from work drove by and gave us a lift - rescuing us from the July evening heat.
It could have been worse, I guess. Roger took the bike to the shop and promised me another ride. And I'm left with bike fever...but I need to buy a new computer first.