i got a motorcycle!

it's insane...and insanely fun...and i think i'm more surprised that i followed through with this than many of my family and friends.

i bought it a couple tuesdays ago, drove around the neighborhood tuesday night, ventured up central expressway wednesday night for dinner...and saturday we loaded up and headed over to highway 1 for a day-long adventure. too much too soon? probably, but what the heck...



it was freaking gorgeous! we started out early enough that there was limited traffic on 17 - which was good, 'cause i wasn't quite comfortable, yet. riding got easier as i relaxed and thought less about what i needed to do (more natural instead of forced). we drove south a bit on highway 1 until i needed a break and some breakfast - minh found an awesome place on his gps - the cadillac cafe. there were already a bunch of bikers there, so it was perfect. (i don't fit in with harley chicks)

we continued down highway 1, stopping every 30-45 minutes to enjoy the scenery or take a break. my bike isn't really made for loooooooong rides, so i get tired and sore and need to rest for 5 minutes. not a big deal along the coast - there's always a view.



we started out around 8am and arrived in Morro Bay around 5:30 - it was perfect. we parked our bikes, checked in and headed downtown to find some dinner. we ended up at a little bar for the whole night - ordering in some pizza. we're friendly folk, so we shared some farmer's market kettle corn, which led to being best friends with everyone in the bar for the night. my favorite guys were a dad & grandpa who flew out from michigan to bike with their son down the coast. the dad had raced Triumphs back in his day, so he was THRILLED that i'd purchased a Triumph. plus, we had our midwest connection. needless to say, it was a night of fun, laughs and pizza. the next morning we actually ran into them on the way out of town and rode for about 20 miles together.



sunday was suuuuuuuuuper foggy and chilly all day - i'd brought the clothes to stay warm, but it wasn't nearly as pretty of a drive (though fog rolling up the hills is somethin' beautiful to see). we stopped at the Hearst Castle for a tour, which was fantastic. we then continued up the coast, making it home around 6:00. i was beat, but what a great weekend!



i learned a lot on this trip - it may have been too much, too soon - but i think it was worth it. we hit traffic, so i learned how to ride in first for a while, i'm better at shifting, can handle a corner and, overall, feel much more comfortable on the thing. granted, it's a bike, so i'll never feel that safe and understand how dangerous it is...but i can also see why people love it. as mccarthy said, it's like i have a vacation in my garage, ready to go at any time!

one of my favorite lessons - bikers wave at each other as they pass. i've joined a friendly little cult and i love it! harley drivers aren't always friendly and only wave to other harleys, but most don't care...the dad & grandpa told me it's just a special two-finger wave when it's harley-harley...everyone else gets the full hand. we decided i should do a pointer-finger wave as a Triumph rider.

i like my new hobby. as a matter of fact, i hope i get to ride again this afternoon.

i can also relate this hobby to golf - i hate putting because it's slow, detailed and hard to do...much like riding in town or in first on a bike - it's slow, harder to control and detailed...but those pieces are oh so important. practice, practice, practice!

paid vacation: day 32-33

the long beach trip was fantastic! got up at the butt-crack of dawn to catch a flight and be down there by 9am. it was still foggy and cold, so we grabbed brunch on a patio until the sun came out. then it was an afternoon of laying on the beach, trying to get tan. (i'm peeling now, so it worked)

tuesday night we caught the Dodgers game - i can check another stadium off the list. the stadium was pretty great - hard to get to and big and old - but the fans were pretty awesome. there weren't many Brewers fans at all - not like the Bay Area when half the fans are there for the "enemy" - but there was some rockin' blue hair and Dodger gear. we even got free blankets for the giveaway! we ended up at Shade in Manhattan Beach for a cocktail and decided to stay there next time...it's got more action than Redondo Beach.

wednesday was a totally chill day layin' on the beach (sun came out at 10am on wednesday)...then a quick walk through Manhattan Beach for lunch. it was completely relaxing, a great getaway and the perfect end to a pretty great paid vacation.

though it would have been fun to go somewhere far away for a couple weeks, i'm glad i got to stick around and relax. i got to know SF quite a bit better, learned some public transportation tricks, kept on coachin' and had a great time doing it.

i finished my third day of work today - and i love it. consulting and it's craziness may just fit my personality to a 't'. we'll seeeeeeeeeeeee...

happy trails, friends! i hope y'all get a paid month of vacation some day soon, too...it was truly awesome. (though it's nice to have a routine again)

paid vacation: day 29-31

what a wacky weekend. (weekends are my least favorite days, 'cause most other people have them off, too)

i went from motorcycle class to pole dancing to Shark watching with a lot of volleyball coaching mixed in.

friday was a beautiful day of gallivanting around as i pleased...until motorcycle school started at 4:45pm. and then i was in class for five hours - it was pretty interesting, as i know nothing about motorcycles - and went pretty quick. i was the second kid done with my test, scoring 49 out of 50! next weekend is the tough part, when we actually get on a bike. (i still don't know how i feel about all this, but knowledge is power)

saturday morning i was up early to get to Sacramento for Regionals. the girls played hard, but had an off day...and we lost a lot. sunday morning we lost some more...but that set us up to win two matches sunday afternoon! i guess it's ok to suck as long as you go out on a high note. ALCiS 14-1's in 2010 was a great group of gals - we had a fantastic time - and it's over. will i coach again? i have no idea...depends where my job is and what i'm doing. kinda crazy.

saturday night was boyfriend's sister's bachelorette party - what a hoot! a few of us were brave enough to go through a pole dancing class...which was quite comical for this white girl whose hips don't move. afterwards, we hit Asia SF. it's a drag queen show that's absolutely fantastic - and the food was pretty good, too! good times were had.

last night i chilled out with boyfriend & his roommate, watched the Sharks, ate some chinese food and crashed.

today has been the most perfect weather day ever! i went for a long run, biked all over SF, stopped by the TCHO chocolate factory to check that out (it's only open during weekdays, so this was my last chance), drove down Highway 1 and stopped at a dog beach to run around a bit, and ran some errands. now i'm gearing up to head to coffee and book club! woot!

tomorrow & wednesday round out my paid vacation with a quick trip to Redondo Beach. i'm looking forward to going "off the grid..."

paid vacation: day 26 - 28

Wicked was awesome!!! it was fun, hilarious and well done. and it was a matinee, so the crowd was small. there was one gal there alone who must be artsy - at intermission and right afterwards, she called a friend and LOUDLY proclaimed how great the show was, how her knees wouldn't stop shaking and she just COULDN'T believe the twists at the end. i was entertained.

wednesday night was spent gallivanting around The Mission...eventually to The House of Prime Rib for dinner. i guess that place has been around for a while and i was craving red meat...it was delicious and a fun experience.

yesterday i dilly-dallied around home and hung out with the dog. i spent the afternoon at a coffee shop in Los Gatos to get out and decided i look forward to working from coffee shops as a consultant. it's just more fun. last night was our last practice of the season, so i got the girls some red velvet bundt cakes they'd earned (from Nothing but Bundt, or something like that).

today is another sunny day in San Jose - i'm riding my bicycle all over, enjoying lunch, frozen yogurt and some errands. tonight is motorcycle school - i'm not so excited about spending my last friday night unemployed in school, but i'm sure it'll be worth it. woot!

my time is drawing to a close...but i've done pretty ok finding fun things to do...

paid vacation: day 22 - 25

fortune cookie: You will be rewarded for your hard work this past month.

hahahahahahahahaha

anyway, 'twas a great weekend in SF! friday i walked around Noe Valley and the Mission with boyfriend's sister all afternoon...then we all met up for dinner/drinks friday night. the afternoon brought perfect weather - we sat in the sun and enjoyed a couple tasty beverages.

saturday we hit up a Ro-Sham-Bo tournament in the afternoon. it was a fundraiser for the boys/girls' club of _____. brilliant, i say! i lost in the first round...twice (they let us buy back in), but it was fun to participate and watch. saturday night boyfriend & i volunteered at the SF Beer Fest. a dude in his condo complex had emailed out, asking for help because his son's preschool throws this beer fest - and i am so glad we decided to go for it. we ended up pouring a couple delicious beers, and became very popular as the rest of the booths shut down and we kept pourin'. what are they gonna do? fire us? needless to say, it was a complete blast.

i forgot to mention that we'd decided to venture out on our bikes on saturday - we cruised a big chunk of SF, going against traffic on accident, cutting cars off, almost getting hit...but biking as safely as possible. SF is hilly, man...my legs got a workout.

sunday was the most perfect day of my paid vacation in SF - absolutely gorgeous. we found a bar with a patio and hung out before thinking about monday (no big deal for me, but...). oh! the bar was named "Nap's," which happens to be my dad's nickname. random fun fact for ya.

yesterday i hung out in SF again - ended up at Fort Funston with boyfriend's dog to watch some waves and run around a bit. we also brewed our second batch of beer...here's hopin'!

today was crappy and rainy, so i turned it into errand/organization day. i have a receipt file, paperwork complete and the internet installed at home.

the fun is still coming! tomorrow afternoon i'm hitting a matinee showing of Wicked in SF with another unemployed friend - the tickets were half price! and next tuesday & wednesday i'll be getting some beach time in down south - JetBlue had a $9 flight to Long Beach and back, so we're taking advantage of the midweek special. $40 flights round trip!!! now, does anyone have a suggestion on where to stay/what to do in Long Beach for a day?

i love not working.

paid vacation: day 20-21

i'm losing track of what day it is, but i think that's a good thing...and i think today is day 21.

yesterday i hiked Mission Peak for the first time, and it was awesome. pretty dang strenuous, so i'm quite sore today...but it was beautiful and a good workout and fun for the dog. he got to run free and chase squirrels like crazy.

that was the excitement of the day - otherwise, i coached and played some awesome volleyball last night. well, i kinda sucked when i played 'cause my legs were DONE, but it was fun, no less.

today i'm chillin' in SF, potentially going for a bike ride around Angel Island. we'll see what happens when i get off this computer...

happy friday! (i figured out what day it is)

paid vacation: day 13 - 19

time flies when you're having fun! (and i want it to slow down, 'cause work does not sound fun)

friday was a fun day of randomness, ending up in the City for some entertainment.

saturday morning i went straight to Reno to coach for the next three days. this tournament is always a good time with the girls, parents and coaches. we played the best we've played in a while and ended up in 23rd place out of 120 teams (right where we started).

monday night i got back home, and spent most of tuesday resting. the highlight of this post is that i hit the Anchor Brewery Tour on tuesday morning with a couple great peeps. there's a 6-week waiting list to get in on this tour, so i was excited to hear there had been cancellations when i called to get in. the tour was pretty cool, i learned a little about brewing beer and tasted some goodness. we grabbed lunch after and i headed to my couch for the afternoon.

i need to start brewing beer. i have all this time on my hands...but when i'm home, i just want to lay on my couch. somehow, i'll find motivation this evening...i have a competition to win!