Happy Father’s Day 6/16/2008
He taught me the meaning of honour, of standing by my word, and what I believed in. He taught me that losing gracefully is the mark of a gentleman, and sometimes is better than winning. He taught me how to speak the English language properly, and to respect all languages, and the written word. He sometimes lived his life too safely, refusing to take risks, but taught me that decisions have to considered carefully, and to weigh the implications. He taught me that alcohol is something to be savoured, not to be consumed in excess. He taught me to mind my manners, and to be polite to everyone around me, irrespective of their station in life. He taught me how to calculate the averages for poker and blackjack in my head. He taught me that a man is measured by his name, and the reputation attached to it. He gave me his sense of ethics, and that honest work is always rewarded, though not in the way I might want. He taught me how to play tennis, and gave me a lesson in humiliation and being humble when he whupped my ass in straight sets when he was 70, and I was a young officer candidate.
I carried his coffin and scattered his ashes in the sea a month ago today.
Happy Father’s Day Grandpa.
The time has come… 9/28/2007
..the walrus said, to talk of many things,
of shoes, and ships, and sealing wax,
of cabbages and kings;
And why the sea is boiling hot;
And whether pigs have wings.
From when I started blogging in 2004, to what is currently Hunting the Snark, I have had fun. This blog was sometimes an escape, a place to vent, to put down my memories and stories and experience. To say this blog changed my life would be putting it mildly. But, alas, all things must come to an end, much as we may wish otherwise.
I have stopped and started in here a few times. I left it quiet for some weeks on a couple of intervals. And more and more I have found that I no longer have the time, energy or inclination to maintain this blog. This may change in the future. I may come back, with a motorcycle post or two, or something funny I may have heard or remembered. There are no guarantees on that. But the likelihood of there being regular updates in here would be probably less than zero. I’ll keep the space going, as much as for the record as anything else.
I made some friends through this blog, met many interesting people, both online and in real life. For those who came along for the ride, I thank you. Some others were people I perhaps wished I hadn’t met, but on the whole, it’s mostly been good. I’ve always felt that you can learn something from everyone, even if it’s how not to do something.
Motorcycles will still be a part of me, but my active participation in motorcycle forums will be no more. More time riding and less time talking, would probably be the best way to put it. If anyone feels the need to speak to me on a personal basis, you can send e-mail to desmosedici (at) gmail (dot) com.
As I take my leave of this place, I wish all of you happy trails and safe journeys, and that you may always get what you wish for. Be careful though, because sometimes, you just may get it.
Goodbye Chiq. 6/5/2007
Yesterday, I said goodbye to Valerie, better known in the local blogosphere as Chiq. She chose to end her life, and find out what is in the Great Beyond. She struggled with her inner demons for as long as I had known her, which was all too brief a period of time.
She loved her Macs, her iPods, her food, and her friends. She had a bloody irritating way of saying “so cute!”, and learned never to ride in the truck wearing a tight, short skirt. She enjoyed meeting up with her friends. She was a fairly smart person, although she choose to show this ditzy blonde act to the world.
Thanks for leaving us to pick up the pieces though. I may not ever forgive you for that.
Farewell and godspeed, and may you find your rest and peace of mind which eluded you on this mortal coil.
Reading matter. 4/5/2007
I just got back from lunch in the towers with someone, and realised something when we were sitting down to eat. I’ve had this problem for quite a while, and I guess the time has finally come when I have to do something about it. So we walked into the optician, and I got myself fitted for a pair of reading glasses. They’ll be ready next week.
Guess age is finally catching up with me. I was really surprised at the difference in the clarity of my vision when the optician was testing my eyes. I must have gotten used to it over the years, and compensated to suit.
Now I’m just waiting for the day when I’m going to need bi-focals.
Freedom… 3/18/2007
…can sometimes have a very bitter taste.
Nightmares and Dreamscapes. 3/14/2007
Last night, I was feeling very sleepy. I crawled into bed, feeling a little out of sorts with myself. Maybe the goat had something to do with it. I couldn’t seem to find a comfortable position to sleep in. I was wondering if it might be the insomnia again, and was thinking about getting out of bed, and taking a long ride in the midnight darkness, when quite suddenly, I drifted off.
And then I had a nightmare.
It scared me a little, this dream I had. From what I remember of it, I went hunting.
Not even my usual weapon. But it sufficed for my purposes. I tracked them down, one by one. And I killed them all, a few of them fairly slowly and painfully. I woke up, shuddering and sweating. It was irrational, illogical and didn’t make any sense. What’s in the past, should stay in the past. Although sometimes it surfaces, bubbling up through the oil slick of my psyche. The dream was real enough that I could taste the cordite, smell the fear.
This is when I hate myself. Because the really scary thing is, I know what I’m capable of, and what happened in my nightmare is a thing I can very, very easily do.
The return of the Snark. 1/29/2007
I guess some of you may have noticed that Hunting the Snark was down for a while. I got more than a few e-mails, phone calls, SMSes, and messages asking me what had happened to this site, and more importantly, was it coming back, or would it ever be coming back. Today, I finally caved in to peer pressure. I guess the turning point was both Shaolin Tiger and KY calling me a faggot for taking the down Hunting the Snark.
So, for better, or worse, the Snark is back. Whether or not it gets updated is another issue. I found the 3 weeks without having to think about the Snark quite liberating. As some of my readers who keep blogs will know, blogging can be sometimes a difficult process. The freedom from thinking about what to post, or even having to post anything, was quite nice. I even managed to get some real work done. Well, not really, since someone was distracting me somewhat. But some work was done.
One of the reasons the Snark came down is because I have made several life changing decisions lately. This has kind of left me with little time for real riding, and my only biking time is confined to the daily commute. I still manage to have fun though, since riding a motorcycle always makes everything all right. The fractured foot is healing, and I’m now walking, well, limping really, without the aid of a stick. Unfortunately, an old bug bear of mine has raised its head, an addiction to painkillers. I trying to stay away from them as much as I can, but on some days, the pain gets to be just too much.
Due to changes in my circumstances, and my commitment to someone, the stable is going. Most of the bikes have found good homes, or are otherwise spoken for. The ones that remain are those that are not mine to sell, or have too much sentimental value attached to them for me to readily part with them. I guess the last remaining bike will be the Silver Lady. If someone makes me an offer I cannot refuse, I may let her go. It will break my heart to do so, but needs be as needs must.
In the meantime, I promise a return to regular scheduled programming, and more stuff that’s been going on, in and around my life.
And no more emo shit.
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