Nope. I never have ridden a motorcycle. First, my mom would kill me. Second, you only have to spend a few hours in a Spanish city before you realize the crazy driving situation. It's tricky enough in a car, and for that matter, a bit dodgy on foot. A motocicleta? It's better to leave that for someone a bit more daring.
That said, I always wondered what would happen if I rode a bike. Would I be able to control it(and we're not talking about vespas, here, Katie)? Would I be able to work the clutch, the accelerator, the hand brake and the brake pedal? I certainly don't know.
Lately I've been picturing my life as if I were riding a motorcycle for the first time. Basically, I'm unable to stop accelerating, and my hand won't let go of the handle. I'm going so fast that I'm not even on the bike; I'm sort of hanging on with one hand for dear life, legs trailing behind me.
It kind of cracks me up, simply because I'm the one who chose to reenter the profession of repair logistics, knowing full well the craziness that goes with the job. Throw in a language barrier, freezing cold temperatures, several train delays, barmaids named Zena and Isis, and it's easy to see why I signed up. I absolutely love it. I'm sure it will get even better as soon as I can figure out how to use my voice mail on my mobile.
As I left the house this morning, almost leaving said mobile and my wallet behind in the house, I realize that I'm getting older, one year at a time. While that may be the least profound remark I've made in months, what I'm finding is that although the clock is ticking, I keep feeling younger, more like the college sophomore working at a corporation during summer break and inadvertently having a very very brief fling with the office secretary, then inadvertently telling everyone in the office about it. Innocence of youth? Nein, more like plain stupid goofball.
But a nice goofball.
Swashbuckling program manager - that's me (though only with a motorcycle jacket and not the bike itself). Frantically trying to launch a repair program, keep all the balls in the air, and keep the momentum going. This week, my IT guy drove his car into a lorry, and will now be in hospital for the next several weeks. I almost fell off the bus yesterday evening as I was talking on the phone to a colleague in the UK. One of my customer counterparts in Brussels has a techno band, a myspace site, and loads of earrings and tattoos, and she and I like all the same films.
I started this piece to talk about the youth of Arsenal and all the great things that have been happening with the team lately, but suddenly my fingers started typing my thoughts; thus the "Gee, this guy probably should drink a bit less coffee" comment that you might be feeling right about now as you read this.
No worries by me. I've got to go for a smoke and to figure out where they store the extra a4 paper around here.
keep the faith, and feel free to do a bit of swashbuckling
bryan
soundtrack:
Sham 69 - If the Kids are United
New Order - Round and Round
Bigod 20 - The Bog
Front 242 - Welcome to Paradise
I have no idea - Wheels on the Bus
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