Motorcycles

Some things you probably didn’t know about motorcycles.

Motorcycles are seen as fun, death-defying vehicles only a select few seem to have the kahunas (or as some like to assert, the mere ability) to operate. But there’s a lot of misconceptions and downright ignorance that comes with people’s perceptions of motorcyclists and their rides.

One such thing is: riding a motorcycle on a hot day is nothing like riding a convertible. Imagine its stifling hot outside and you hop in your car with the roof folded down and a/c turned on. Between the wind and the cold air from the vents, it’s pleasant and a fun way to cool off (and look cool too). Now imagine jumping on a motorcycle. You wear a helmet because, hey, you’re a responsible driver (and you can’t trust other people on the road anyway) and you take off. The hot air seems to just push against you, rather than pulling off sweat. And each time you stop the motorcycle beneath you radiates heat from the seat because most motorcycles don’t actually have a fan to cool off the engine. Your bike depends on being in motion to cool down. By the end of the ride the inside of your helmet is sticky from sweat, your butt feels roasted, and you feel like you just have a fever in general. It’s not really a good way to cool off, in retrospect.

Another problem motorcyclists face is our rearview mirrors. Those stupid things can rotate just about anywhere (as they are mounted on a ball and socket type joint) and getting them juuuust right is a headache. I’m often trying to adjust them either while riding or when stopped (as I only have one hand free during each activity) and even if I get them right they get bumped later that day and need to be fixed again. I would adjust them before I ride, but having a sport bike I tend to be in a different position when I’m just sitting on my bike than when I’m in motion. And let’s say I’m lucky and actually do have them in the right place – I still can’t see behind me unless I move my elbows.

So normally I just trust my eyes over my mirrors, and swivel my head around like a top. I don’t have any windows or frames to look past, so it’s actually pretty darn effective.

Another thing that drives me crazy is people don’t seem to realize the traction I have with the road is maybe two inches wide. If I need to slam on my brakes, it’s going to take me just as long, if not longer, than a car to actually get stopped. I also have a process I must complete before I can ever even apply the brake. Pull clutch, let go of throttle, and then pull both the hand and push the foot brakes. And then normally either my front or back wheel will start to snake. It’s scary, and I don’t like doing it. So stop cutting me off, cages.

The lack of traction also means I can’t handle gravel. At all. There’s a parking lot at a building off-campus that is completely gravel, and every time I’m on it (normally going an astounding 5 mph, the minimum I can achieve without toppling over) I still skid around like ice on ice.

But a cool part about being a motorcyclist is the camaraderie. Bikers will wave to each other in passing. It’s not like a normal hand in the air and frantically whipping our wrist around. The “wave” is more of a flag where you stick your arm, or finger, out straight while passing the other rider on the road. It’s always the left arm, and we don’t wave perpetually at each other. It’s really a rather short process. I’m not turning, or merging, or being a dick. But it confuses the living hell out of cages, and I find it hilarious.

As a side note: just because you and I are both at the stoplight does not automatically mean I want to race you. I know I can win, which is enough for me, considering I’m on a bright green motorcycle and the cops in town are ticket-happy. So save yourself the fine, because I’m not going to gun it off the line because you revved your engine. This is why I don’t look over at you. And when I salute you, it’s not a “hat’s off” signal. It is a “enjoy the speeding ticket” signal. And trust me; every time someone has tried to race me, they get pulled over. Just don’t do it.

And this is call of attention to those who actually have bikes (or would consider getting one): wear your helmet, and don’t leave it out on your bike. UV rays from the sun will destroy the foam in your helmet, and I can’t count how many people I’ve heard of that crash and realize they’ve been wearing nothing but an eggshell on their head (this is also a very good reason to never buy a used helmet). And it is inevitable that you will crash, so just wear the god damn thing. It’s not even a big deal. If you think it’s too hot outside to wear it, then you don’t need to be riding anyway.

Driver Safety

Driver Safety

It feels like since the accident two and half weeks ago where my roommate was hit by a car that our apartment has heard nothing but constant berating from strangers on pedestrian safety. I’m here to shed a little light on the situation.

My roommate, Jen, left our apartment around 7:45 am.  There’s a popular crosswalk just in front of our apartment, with large flashing beacons that you activate via button each time you cross. Ironically, I even witnessed some workers repaint the crosswalk not a week beforehand. Jen, being conscious of the terrible drivers in our college town, hit the button and checked to her left (with the immediate traffic approaching) and saw it was clear and continued across the road. No cell phone (as one old man tried to accuse her of when he asked about her injuries at an Arby’s), no mp3 player, nothing distracting at all. Jen made it halfway across the street before she saw someone on her right who was not braking (we believe the car had pulled out of the parking lot across the street and that is why Jen  did not see her earlier). The car did not brake nor swerve, and Jen hopped a bit backwards to try and get out of the way. Unfortunately, she wasn’t in time and was hit.

Later, in the police report, the driver said her window was “foggy with dust” (what does that mean?) and didn’t see Jen until she was rolling off the side of her car (even though Jen smashed her entire windshield). Jen will have large scars on her elbow, permanent nerve damage in her knee, and a fear of that crosswalk from now on. The driver never came by to apologize, check on Jen, or any such thing. We haven’t heard from her since that day.

The car flew straight through a normally crowded crosswalk. She didn’t take the time to stop a second and wipe off her windshield. She didn’t check for any lights flashing. There’s even talk she may have been on her phone (texting or otherwise) but this is speculation (witnesses saw her get out of her car with phone in hand). Regardless of what may have been happening in her head, there were many precautions she could have taken to prevent this accident.

When we went to the hospital the nurse immediately tells us how angry she is that pedestrians aren’t safer on the streets (and regales to us how she almost hit some boys on their bikes). The officer writing the report came in for Jen’s statement, then came out to us in the waiting room and told us of a drunken lady walking on a highway who is likely to die soon from a car accident. And he adds defense to why the police in the area have been ticketing jaywalkers, reminding us to be safer crossing the street. We had people stopping by who believed Jen must have been just as at fault as the driver, until they heard the story. The old man at Arby’s asked Jen about her crutches and when she told him about the accident he says, “Did you look both ways?” which Jen responded “Yes.” Then he makes a motion of holding a phone to his ear and says “Were you looking like this?” I walked over and gave him a snarl, and so he finally stepped away from Jen who was a bit flustered that he would assume such stupidity of her. 

And, finally, the big hit to the face was the University newspaper writing about Jen’s accident to promote pedestrian safety. The writer even states he “doesn’t know who is at fault” and it “doesn’t matter”. If it truly didn’t matter, he wouldn’t be assuming Jen was at fault. He wouldn’t have written an entire article about the incident and other ones like it just to push pedestrian safety. He never spoke to Jen, and never had his facts straight. It was the most irresponsible news reporting I’d ever seen. For him to use this accident as a staple of pedestrians being unsafe is a huge insult to Jen, who couldn’t have done much more than she had to keep herself safe.

So I want to make a new suggestion here that may seem crazy but I think it needs to be said. Maybe, now keep with me here, just maybe drivers need to do a little more to be safe in this town. In driver’s ed. we’re taught to do some “pre-flight” checks if you will. Mirrors, windows, seats – they all need to be in their right place and clear. My van at home often gets dirty on the windshield, but I keep a rag in my car to wipe it down. I always make sure I can see before I take off. I’ll be late because I’m waiting for windows to defrost, but hey, I didn’t hit anybody on my way there. I always figure that’s a fair trade off. And understanding the rules of the road is a big thing that seems to be glossed over here in town. Four-way stops never seem to operate how they should in this town, and no one seems to care if they are passing by a busy crosswalk. The town has even lowered speed limits all across the town limits just because so many drivers don’t look. So, you know, hopefully the pedestrians now have time to look.

I seem to be one of very few people on the road that cares that there are others driving. I look two cars in front of me, which will help me brake faster if that car should slam on its brakes. I’m always watching the people next to me and behind me. Sometimes the guy next to me can’t see me, and sometimes the guy behind me is tailgating. Pumping brake lights gently will sometimes warn them to back off, but if not, I’ll move behind him. But maybe I’m a bit too cautious, because you see, I’m on a motorcycle. If I’m in an accident, odds are I will die.

But maybe that’s how we should all be driving. Because we all are gambling with each other’s lives each time check the radio, or don’t wipe our windshield, or aren’t sitting up straight (and can’t reach the brake very well). When we don’t take the time to be a bit more cautious, then we get into the situations where it’s the “other persons fault”. Like the pedestrians.

But one day you will be the “other person”.  Or your child. Or your sibling.

So for once in your life act like you’re the responsible one on the road, and you are the one that needs to look out for others and not just for yourself. 

The Circular Argument

If I were to come to you and say “I found this seed. The label said it was a money tree seed. If we plant it, the branches will bear cash, rather than fruit!” You would immediately use your suspicion, skepticism, and general ability to doubt any wild claim brought to you. We’ve all encountered it. On everyday commercials someone makes a wild claim, saying this herb will cure that disease, or this item has this effect on the body.

So your natural reaction would to ask something like, “I don’t think it’ll grow money. Why would you believe that?”

Now, here’s the baffling part. Your innocent healthy dose of reservation has sent that person into the offense. You have questioned their word! Their mind! Their ability to know something!  And so they argue. But they have a poorly constructed argument.

“Because the label said it would!”

The label said it would grow money, and it will grow money, because it said so on the label. It’s a circular argument, one that no sane person would ever accept. Until we throw a twist in to the mix.

Now it’s a new argument. Same principle, and we’ll see if you catch it.

“The bible is written by God!”

“I don’t think it is. Why would you believe that?”

“Because God said he wrote it. And what God writes is true!”

The bible is true, because it says it’s written by God, and what God writes is true, and so the bible is true.

Some people cannot even conceive that this is a circular argument, making no more evidence for itself than the money tree seed. If I want to prove some statistics are correct, I do research in fields outside those statistics. Citing the statistics are correct because they said they are is not a valid argument. The fragile “god wrote it” argument is so brittle because they have not given evidence from outside the bible that it could be true. And if even one part of that line can be shown to be false, then the whole thing crumbles. If the bible was not written by God, then it is not perfect, and is not true. If the bible is not true, then it was not written by God. If what God writes is false, then the bible is false. Any one of these scenarios breaks the world that is a religion’s foundation.

But we need to recognize these sorts of fallacies, which brings us back to the first thing we did. We used our doubt. Hesitation is not an evil spawn of Satan – it is how we as a species have survived. To this day, we tell our children “Do not believe someone if they say they have something good or fun in their car,” we are asking our children to use skepticism to protect themselves. Even as adults we must use this skill to avoid scams and rip-offs. We know that magnets don’t balance our chi, or that you can suck out toxins through the bottom of your feet. Everyday our ability to doubt fantastic claims (such as previously mentioned commercials) keeps us sharp.

So why in the world would you turn off this ability with some things, especially something that is supposed to be as important as a religion? Or worse yet, why would you want to be a part of something that would tell you to turn it off? If your religion tells you that having reservations is the devil in your ear, or that if you’re having conflicts with facts or morals of your religion to just ignore it; that should be a red flag to get the hell out of there. This is a belief system that is supposed to influence your everyday life and decisions, and is supposed to tell you what the afterlife (and in some religions, prelife) was/is like. If they can’t answer important and difficult questions (and I mean, full and satisfying answers) then you may need to rethink if you have fallen for another scam, or worthless effort.

How much money have you pumped in to your church?

Let me backtrack and clarify “full and satisfying answers”. I’ve asked many religious people, religious leaders, and other people in general some hard questions about a belief system. In my experience they sometimes do have answers to some of my inquiries. But most of the time I get answers that involve long stories that never actually tackle the question at hand, or I’m told to pray about it (I take that as, “go make up an answer”). Don’t get me wrong, if they give me the round-about answer option, I always ask the question again. “So why did God endorse slavery before? You only told me about Martin Luther King. I’m not sure how that correlates here.”  They normally give me an exasperated look, like I just missed the plane over head.  If I had to ask, then I couldn’t conceive an answer myself, so believe it or not – but I do want you to spell it out for me. You’re not Jesus, so please stop attempting parables. You really suck at it. Give me an answer and explanation if you will, not a story that you hope answers my question in some far-off way.

Lack of satisfying answers keeps me away from religions. I often joke that I am the queen of bullshitting. I can write enormously long papers when all the while I’m really saying nothing. It is a handy skill when the teacher is more concerned about length than quality, but it gives me a stunning ability to recognize bullshit when I see it. And you wouldn’t believe how many people talk out of their ass.

I once wrote a very long note in my facebook about historical facts versus the bible. Maybe one day I’ll post it here, but my point is that throughout that loosely written impromptu paper, I sourced just about EVERYTHING I had to say. I even quoted bible verses, and some general Christian leaders. I did my homework, and my facts came from everywhere. I’ve always had a fundamental problem with “praying to God if you are doubting the existence of God” solutions. You don’t ask your church about history lessons any more than you would ask your math professor how to paint (if someone points out that their math professor is an artist I swear… just get the point I’m making). Research what historians say about history, and then you can check that against what your church said had happened. Treat the historians as the accurate source, not your religion.

I have to say though, the whole concept of “proving” religions irks me slightly. In the scientific community, we find facts and then we draw conclusions. In that order. Any instances to the contrary in our past have ended in disaster. To use an old elementary school story: Newton had the fact that the apple fell, then he drew the conclusion of gravity.

Religion on the other hand has this nasty habit of trying to find facts to support their conclusion. They figure the same principle works, but honestly it is only going to end in disaster – I guarantee you.

As Bill Maher said, “Doubt is humble, and that's what man needs to be, considering that human history is just a litany of getting shit dead wrong.”

Maternal Fix

I’ve always had the remarkable ability to remain stone-faced in the event of a mass apocalypse, but this past week it’s been like my brain decided to take a shit break and leave me blubbering like an idiot who can’t remember where her glasses are.

(They’re on my face)

Let’s just say this week has been running off the bi-polar charts (from normal to it’s the gogdamn second coming). First off, the weather has just been a dick. It’s been raining on and off every twenty minutes, and I just can’t take it anymore. My psyche is cracking under the tension of never knowing if I’ll be buried under snow in ten minutes, or broiling alive. And it makes predicting when I can and cannot ride my motorcycle a living nightmare. And worse still when I predict wrong.

Rain hurts. A lot.

Then my classes were taking a cue from the weather and go just as crazy, if not more. The main culprit was my Agriculture Accounting class. Now let me tell you something, the boredom that ensues from this class is so overwhelming that just thinking about it puts me in a state of drooling stupor. My brain just simply cannot function fully when faced with words like “variation equity”. I have a theory that accountants are really a working class of ants that disguises themselves as a human with the sole purpose of creating a brain tumor in the shape of a calculator. (That’s how they get us)

I had a mental break-down in the middle of this normally stupefying class when two hours (on top of an already four hour invested work load) magically disappeared off my USB. IT’S MAGIC. TA-DA. Watch the magic tears magically sprout from my magic face. MAGIC.

Soon as I got my wits about me, and I redid the entire thing, our professor’s wife came in toting donuts. It was like fate was rewarding me for regressing into an elementary school state of mind. Life’s just not fair, I just want to go out to recess, and computer magic is screwing everything up! Now shut up and eat a donut.

So I did.

I then came home and found the incredibly cheap book I’d purchased came in. A-Z of Canine Diseases and Health Problems. It’s like a handy dandy Merck Manual quick reference. (Excuse me, my nerd is showing). This thing made my day, it was like Christmas came early in the form of $4. Yesssss.

But then the final straw happened. All these little frustration had built up over the week, so little in fact that I don’t even recall ANY of them, but they were most definitely there. And finally my package from my mother arrived. I had recently updated my computer to Windows 7 (I’m so hip), but unfortunately I needed to redownload pretty much all of my programs, including Photoshop CS3. And so mom shipped it to me.

Well, to her benefit, photosmart and photoshop do sound a lot alike.

I wasn’t even particularly upset over not having photoshop. I’m an adult, I kept telling myself, and it’s just a program. Inform mom and she’ll send it right away. Not even a deal.

But for some reason, I was just completely devastated, and incredibly inconsolable. The whole week exploded from my eyes like a sprinkler system, and I didn’t even have one thought to grasp on to that could explain my sudden depression. So I did what any other girl in college would do. Turned my pillow into a giant Kleenex and when I calmed down into a hiccupping mess I called my mother and started again.

If I believed in God, I’d tell you now that Mothers were the most perfect thing ever made by this God, and everything else was just by-product. Within just a few minutes she had me calmed, okay with my week, and feeling better than I had in almost a month. The stew of rage that had been bubbling in the recesses of my mind had been drained in an instant.

Why the hell was I crying? Man, I felt stupid. I’m pretty sure my mom has a “make daughter sane” button she just has to reboot every so often, and only she has the ability to do it.

Misconceptions of Agriculture

Perhaps I've gained a sense of loyalty after working with farmers, ranchers and agriculture in general for several years now, but I feel like a few things need to be said. 

It's a really complicated idea, trying to be humane while still running or buying any livestock for food. I'm an enormous advocate of humane treatment of animals, but let me try and lay out the details in a nice summary:

I am a pre-veterinarian major at a university highly involved in Agribusiness. Most of my classes deal with beef and dairy cattle, sheep, goats, and even horses. When farmer's run their business, they are making "business" decisions. If a cow breaks out with BVD, he'll treat, but now that cow cannot be sold for meat for a full month. Normally this isn't a problem, but some treatments that would be better for the cow would mean the cow has "tainted" meat or milk and and product can never be sold. (Same is true of other livestock animals sold for meat). As a business decision, it can never be done. These just aren't family pets, they are the income and lively hood of these people.

BUT keep in mind, a smart and GOOD farmer will run his business humanely. If his animals are low stress, fed high quality and always healthy (i.e. large amount of space and social interaction with other animals) they yield more weight gain, thrive better and tend to taste better overall. Nutritional needs are evaluated every month, and vets are constantly called in if the slightest sniffle is made. It's just good business.

And as a side point, heifers need to be milked. If given the choice, they will walk into a machine several times a day just to be milked. Any mother will tell you how painful it is if that milk just sat there. (I make this point for some people won't drink milk saying it's inhumane in some way.)

I won't get into slaughter houses, but I do know the good ones are done with pressurized bullets. Animal comes in, and next thing it knows it's dead. Never feels pain, or sees it coming. Running the animals through the shute can be stressful if done incorrectly.

A lot of organizations come around farms and wait for days just to snapshot something "cruel" and twist the context of what was happening. Cruel organizations producing livestock aren't as frequent as they are made out to be, because its just poor business to run a company like that at all. Their profit margin is low, and they are weeded out fast. There are regulations in place for farms, and ones ran inhumanely are shut down fairly quickly.

Agriculture takes the brunt end of a lot of misdirected anger. Slaughter houses are not run by farms, silages put off 10x more methane than cows, and good farmers really are looking out for the best for their animals and their families. I'm not saying bad things never happen, but more often than not it's a weighed business decision to send the calf to slaughter, or perhaps they were ignorant and did not know a certain strand of virus was in town. They lost their whole operation, and it's not like they are happy. They WANT their animals healthy.

Now, cruelty to pets or horses (which are considered companion animals more and more) is never tolerated in my mind. There is no justification for it, and should not be forgiven. 

Need some quiet time

I don't know if I just have a headache from so much school work or what, but my patience has been run thin. I'm still trying to figure out some social situations, and I feel like the more I think about it the more disconnected I get.

In the past I've been defensive, and paranoid about what people's intentions are, and while that may have worked in middle school where everyone is rude, snarky and intentionally rude, that way of being became inefficient early in high school. So I moved on to ignoring most everyone, and felt like a point of gossip and ridicule for most people. Late in high school and during my SCC years I switched it up to laid back. This was by far the most pleasant experience I've ever had, but I felt rather blasé about social interactions, and wasn't connecting with anyone.

There must be a balance between emotional attachment and disinterest in the ignorant while feeling a part of the group without being hurt over stupid things being said or done.

Today I looked out the window of my Ag Accounting class and was slightly blinded by the snow covered mountains and it struck me.

The past two weeks I've struggled to look at the stars, to the point of longingly watching the glow-in-the-dark stars on our ceiling with reverence. I breathe in deep on my motorcycle in the outskirts of the town, smelling the farmland and country air. I lingered outside school buildings when it began sprinkling, and sat in silence listening to the fountain in our apartment with a sort of meditation mindset. 

I've been craving nature. Balance and peace of mind. I've been struggling to handle my own emotions and moods, my energy and my mind by overthinking solutions. When all along my body knew exactly what I needed. I need some outdoor activity. I need to go and find peace with myself by not focusing on myself.

I need a hammock in my chaotic life. 

Education at its finest

As some of you know, school has started this week. I've gone through the headache of attending all of my classes at least once, and all I have to say is I will miss spending all my time at the livestock center (however 2/5 classes are there this semester). 

I jumped into Feeds & Nutrition and skipped taking the college algebra and chemistry requirements. I understand chemistry pretty well, considering I've never had a formal education in it, and let's face it - if you can't do algebra, you're an idiot. But it seems like I may be usurped in this decision, for today I will be talking to Dr. Waddoups about going on the graduate school. 

I feel I'm standing at the fork in the road of my life. I've narrowed what I want to do to two options, and I'm having a hard time figuring out if I should choose Brain Path: Veterinary School, or Heart Path: Animal Behavior Doctorate. I've always love animals, and the two subjects I most definitely excel at are animal behavior/handling, and anatomy/physiology. 

My father has always had a love of psychology, and understanding why people do what they do. I think this curiousness has rubbed off on me. Except I love understanding the creatures not speaking to me. It's a bit more of a challenge, and is quickly becoming a more advanced field. We're grasping intangible concepts such as energy, which I describe as body language meets intention. Cesar Millan describes it as your state of being at all times. Are you calm? Are you acting like a leader? Are you frustrated? That's your energy, and your dog reads it all the time. That's what makes them so unique when communicating with us.

Speaking of Cesar, I'm reading "Cesar's Rules" at the moment, and this last chapter I read last night struck a chord with me. I've worked very hard at making Apollo balanced and submission. He's not perfect, he still snaps at Addea, barks at the neighbor's dogs, and gets too excited about certain subjects (i.e. food). But he listens to me at all times, he's very submissive on walks, and understands correction very quickly (oh, I shouldn't jump on you when you're feeding me). But Cesar was regaling a visit with Dr. Ian Dunbar, and how all tricks needed an end. I've always used my energy to release Apollo from a trick, but it's never consistently worked. I've never trained him that after the "sit" trick, there should be a "stand" trick. I felt a humongous "DUH" moment when reading that. Why had I never done that? 

Another important thing Cesar talks about is off leash training. I've never been confident in letting Apollo off leash outside an enclosed area, partly because of my fear that one day he may take off running. He's never shown any indication that he would do this, and I feel like a fool going against my own wisdom (whatever you believe will happen, will) but I think if Apollo's recall or "sit" command was more reliable, I would feel better. Apollo has a bad problem of just looking at me when I tell him to come. I have the bad habit of asking nicely (meekly) and have to work my way up to a commanding "Apollo, come!" until he listens. He always waits for me to be a leader, and I kick myself for not being that at the beginning. 

Another problem I've worked with over the years is asking him to be quiet and calm when a guest arrives. He barks, and jumps, and I've never been consistent with correcting that. One of my main problems is our family has sanctioned off our kitchen and living room as dog zones. It's hard to answer the door and correct the dogs at the same time when we are in separate rooms. It would be nice to place a sign on the door "Dogs in training, please be patient. The door will be answered shortly" Maybe even a "Be calm when entering this house! Don't look, don't touch and no eye contact with dogs!" People may get the wrong idea, our dogs are not aggressive in any way, but if they were in a calm state of mind when entering the house, it helps take away excited energy and makes training the dogs that much easier. The signs would be temporary, because I don't expect everyone who enters our house to conform to an energy that is not natural to them. 

Anyway, these are just some thought I had this morning, and I'm glad to get them off my chest. There's really no use in thinking about what I can do with Apollo right now, he's half the country away. But it's good to have a game plan!