Next Year

What are your hopes and plans for 2019?

As we slide out of 2018, I'm happy to turn the page. My year started off right with motorcycle trips and fun events, but headed downward toward the end. Like the stock market, my third-quarter was diminished when health concerns came out of no where. They sapped my natural enthusiasm and kept me away from activities like blogging. I want to reverse that trend and am looking for support. Describe your optimism for next year and maybe your positive attitude will rub off on me.

With conscious effort, I'm putting aside negative concerns and striving to create fun new projects. One is to revive my previous series of blog-interviews with others doing good work online. One blogger -- whom I'm sure you don't know but should -- is hard at work on her interview. She has a passion for something super-cool (vintage makeup) and her expertise on the subject is extraordinary. You'll love learning from her.

Another project I want to pursue is a special photo-shoot of my new custom-made dress. I can't tell you how well this dress fits and looks. Its design and execution were chosen with me in mind and, given that most female clothing is not created for my body, the dress stands out in every aspect. Thank you to Aimee for creating the magnificent dress and to my photographer-friend for offering her expertise in capturing its beauty.

A third thing I'm pondering are new ways to express my femininity. This has been percolating for the past few years. I love buying and wearing pretty clothes but, at the end of the day, it's lonely without friends. I've had a few opportunities to shop and hang out with girlfriends (e.g., Suzanne, Sheila) -- the joy those experiences give me is intense and boundless. I want more of that. I *need* more of that. Somehow, I'll find new ways to get it -- even if I have to show up at your front door. <knock, knock>

How 'bout you? What do you want to do next year?

Merry Christmas!

Run-up To Christmas

This is either the busiest, most pressure-filled weekend of your year or the most enjoyable, depending on how early you did your Christmas shopping and chores. Which is it for you?

For me it's the latter. My cards went out weeks ago, my gifts are bought and wrapped. Everything is done. So I had free time today to do other stuff.

I suppose I'm hard for people to grasp. I did two things today which are incongruous to many. Almost contradictory. But that's my life.

I built a motorcycle shed -- a major pain-in-the-ass. Had to lift heavy wooden boards, use power tools, measure and adjust bulky metal pieces. A manly chore.

Afterward I went inside, took a bath and painted my toenails a pretty fuschia pink. That felt as natural and fun as the other activity. I'm not masculine or feminine; I'm both. I do most things both men and women do. Few cross the border as often as I.

Do you ever do activities associated with the opposite gender? I wondered about this a few days ago when I stumbled onto a cable-TV show on women motorcycle-mechanics. How cool that gals are doing that.

Sports Mishap

I know most of you don't follow professional hockey but here's something interesting even to non-fans.

In the sport, you can score a goal by shooting at the net and having the puck bounce off another player's stick, skate or body. That happens a lot. Pucks travel very fast and, when ricocheting, are hard for a goalie to predict their path.

Two weeks ago, in a NHL game, a player shot the puck. It hit a referee in the nuts -- right in the nuts -- and then bounced off him and dribbled into the net. Is that a goal?

NHL decided it was not. I believe they don't want to encourage players to fire hard objects at the referees' genitals. You can't blame them.

If you're not squeamish -- or male -- the event can be seen on video.

Happy Holidays

The holiday season is upon us which means it's a good time to count our blessings. Looking outside, I see a motorcycle-collection with the exact right number of bikes. One, two, three... perfect!

My babies are nestled in their beds, asleep and dreaming of future trips. That loud noise is from the big one; he snores.

Happy Holidays!

Side-eye

Side-eye is a relatively new expression but the idea behind it is not. The greatest instance of side-eye goes back to this famous photograph from the Sixties of Sophia Loren looking -- and virtually commenting upon -- the dress of Jayne Mansfield.

Sophia, now 84, is still alive. She acted in her last film only five years ago. Do you know her?

Now and Then

The last time I saw my beloved Vulcan 750, Clinton was President. No, the other Clinton.

My bike returned home this week and I'm washing her with loving care. I remember her unique curves and distinctive features, like a pill-shaped air-box and a secret storage compartment built into the seat. I know this bike so intimately; you always pay more attention to your first.

A question pops into my mind -- which of us weathered the past two decades better? Or, more honestly, who looks worse after 20 years? I'm not going to share my thoughts on that but age certainly takes a toll. On all of us, human and machine.

Seeing the sharp contrast of this bike now (showing visible decay) with its past glory makes me look in the mirror and assess the ravages of time on my own body over the past 7,000 days. We both lived, we both waned. Fortunately, we both survived.

How does the you of today compare to the you of twenty years ago?