what i did this weekend

this weekend i took a class (like jay commented recently, i'm a classy guy). the class i took was a motorcycle safety course. it started friday night @ 6 and finished up sunday @ noon. it wasn't through obviously. four and a half hours on friday night, and then from 7 to noon on saturday and sunday. the class was fairly enjoyable, and by the end i felt pretty comfortable on the bike i was riding. the class is for beginners, which i am, and teaches all the necessary skills to be a safe rider. it also tests you on those skills, and if you pass, you don't have to take the driving portion of the dmv test.

in the test portion of the day, there are four sections. each section is graded, and you can miss a total of 20 points and still pass. umm, yeah. i missed 19. which isn't really as bad as it sounds. in the first two sections i was perfect. in the third section i missed 4. but that fourth section, that one almost killed me. well, it would have failed me had i already not done so well. max deduction, 15. basically, it was a turning deal @ speed. you had to get up to a speed, slow using both brakes, enter the turn @ a safe speed. you couldn't go outside of some lines, or decelerate after your initial slow down. well, i did fine, but should have slowed a little more before entering the turn. i got outside of the lines, and in an effort to try and recover, what did i do? decelerate. as soon as i did it i knew i was screwed. but, again, since i had done so well on the previous sections i still managed to pass my test. now i just need to go and take the written test and i'll have my motorcycle certification.

this weekend was my first opportunity to wear what i got with Xmas money. yep, i wore my helmet. i had also bought some gloves, but one of the seams was coming out the first time i wore them, so i went to exchange them. unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, they didn't have my pair in stock. so, i found some others. i'm not as excited about the look, but i actually prefer the overall fit. although i like the new gloves, i was slightly saddened because they're a different company than i had, and i was planning to buy a jacket from the original brand. it's not some sort of obsessive/compulsive deal, but i do like matching brands. but, it's not like the new gloves or the jacket that i wanted had obtrusive labels, etc., so it won't be a huge deal that they're not the same. maybe you noticed i said had wanted. that's right, i bought a jacket while exchanging gloves. while in the shop, i figured i'd look @ coats, mainly to see if the one i wanted was on sale. it wasn't, but it was a lot less than i thought it was. fortunately, heather was there with me, so i asked if it would be cool to shell out for the coat right now (nothing better than coming home after a big purchase and having to explain spending a chunk o' change unexpectedly). she was fine with it, so i found the right size and made it happen. this was actually a little harder than it sounded. i'm sort of in between sizes. one size it too tight with the liner in. but fits well without the liner. the next size up fits good with the liner in, and has a little looseness with it out. so, i went with the larger one, because in cooler months i want to have a liner in, as well as layers underneath. the smaller wouldn't have afforded this (unless i lost some weight, which i'd love to do but there's no guarantee). but, the place i bought it from has an awesome return policy. they'll let you return anything, for any reason, for a year, assuming you don't screw it up. so, if i somehow need that smaller jacket, i can return the old one without any sort of restocking fee and get the newer, proper size.

man, i'm impressed with technology these days. the gloves have kevlar on the palm, carbon fiber on the knuckles for protection. the coat, it's got freakin' titanium in the sleves (forearm, elbow caps, and shoulders). these aren't some wimpy inserts. they're hard core protection. which, i'm happy with because everyone that rides tells me that eventually you will take a spill. at least i'll have protection. the coat is approved to higher, tougher european standards.

so, now i'm only a little ways away from rejoining the world of motor vehicles.

btw, i'm wearing the coat right now. want to break it in a bit so it's comfortable when i ride.

so, that's most of what i did this weekend. i also watched ewoks:the battle for endor with heather, nick, kendall, kasey and potter. and a little bit of football.