(Rambling, pointless post to follow)
Between work, weather and family obligations, my Valk has sadly been collecting a lot of dust lately. Well, I noticed today that I was off work, the spousal unit was out and about, the kiddos were at daycare, and it was sunny and mid 60's outside... Hmmm, little on the cold side, but I've got a brand new motorcycle jacket that needs breaking in, and it's got a thick winter liner, so what the heck, let's go for a ride!
Was a little cold, but not bad. I might have to consider those electric heated riding gear I'm hearing about, I bet with those ya' could easily ride all the way into the dead of winter in the mid, maybe even low 50's!
Nothing really in mind, didn't have time for a REAL ride, but I needed to ride, so off I went! First stop, had to get some gas...
Then I had to decide... Country or city... I'm kinda twisted in that I get a weird pleasure from diving head first into the chaos of the city ALMOST as much as the mind clearing beauty of a nice country drive, so I pointed the bike straight at the heart of the beast that is the Dallas Metromess... Hmmm, destination... Well... Christmas is almost here, and the spousal unit mentioned she likes that awful cinnamon flavored whiskey, so off I went. (One of the few negatives I'll mention about The Republic... We've only partially repealed prohibition. In many parts of the state you still have to take a bit of a trip to get to the nearest liquor store.)
So, went to one of those big fancy new style liquor stores/gourmet food places. This one is in a building that used to be a Toys 'R Us. There's some deeper meaning there, I'm sure.
Got the spousal unit a Christmas present of that awful (But cheap!) stuff she drinks:
And splurged a bit for myself... I'm usually a single malt Scotch guy, but I've always wanted to try the infamous Johnnie Walker Blue Label, and they had a smaller bottle that included 3 other kinds of high-falutin Johnnie Walker flavors for a high price, but one I could stomach, so... Merry Christmas to me!
After that, I was trying to decide between city super-slab or surface streets. The surface streets have a vibe all their own, you can almost feel the city breathing sometimes.
However, today the city seemed to have pneumonia. Ever have one of those days where every light is red, there's a closed intersection with a wreck every mile or two, backed up traffic everywhere, etc? Yeah... I got the hint, and onto the super slab for some triple digit weaving between slow pokes to clear the mind. (Yeah, I'm an idiot, I know it. We all have our vices, that's one of mine.)
Little bit of that and I noticed it was getting on in the afternoon and I hadn't eaten yet. Just then saw a sign for a little place, so I popped in and got some lunch. Cheap too! $6.99 for this whole plate (I wasn't able to eat it all, but I managed to eat most of it!)
As I was finishing up my late lunch is when the spousal unit called and requested I point the bike home for resumption of fatherly duties for the day. Oh well... It was nice while it lasted... And, even though I barely went through a tank of gas, it was enough, and SO badly needed...
Thanks for following along. As I said, pointless rambling thread, but... Ya' ever start composing a thread in your head while riding, 'cause ya' wanna try to capture the essence of the moment, the singularity of absolute clarity, to share with your friends? Yeah... Something like that...
Ride on!
