RE: August 30th, it was evidently my turn to pay karma...
While at various times and during certain rides to locations around the state and country we do wear helmets judiciously, this time we weren't. That said, I'm darn glad we were doing about zero when we went down and that the engine guards did their job. Kept our heads off the pavement, and no flying off the bike over the car.
August 30th, it was evidently my turn to pay karma...
Here's the scoop.
Sooo, after 5 years I finally get the bike accessoried up to what I want it to be, and Amy (Little Bit) and I are out for a nice local ride to enjoy the afternoon.
And, on the way home, about 5 blocks from home, a teenage girl decides to pull out from a stop sign directly in front of me.
I grabbed both brakes and bled off as much speed as I could, and hit her front passenger tire just as I came to a stop.
Unfortunately, it wasn't enough. Bike low-sided in a snap roll, and the next thing we know, Amy and I are down - hard. Neither one of us hit our head, and never lost consciousness, but there was of course, an aftermath.
I knew when I rolled from under the bike that my leg wouldn't support my weight so I stayed down, and Amy sat down next to me. Many witnesses stopped, and we were transported to the hospital.
I broke the fibia at the knee and the tibia in my right leg; Amy's right elbow was broken. No damage to the car at all, so likely I bounced off their front tire rubber.
Lot of minor damage to the bike however; we'll see what the insurance company says about totalling it.
By the time I got to the operating room, blisters appeared on the outside of my knee where the breaks were (I'll let Dr. Mark (or some medical professional here) explain why that happens), so they couldn't pin everything back together. Something about the skin not being able to handle the stress. As a result, they just put on the external appliance to keep the bones locked and stretched into place so the leg doesn't shrink. Once the blisters heal (4 - 6 weeks), then they'll put me under again and run the pins and screws internally like they want to and I'll finally be on the way to healing.
Amy was a little luckier, they pinned her elbow back in place and discharged her. She can't use a can opener right now, and neither of us can lift anything, but we're finally both back at home and trying to help each other as much as we can.
Her mom is helping us out as well as some friends, and even my dentist is making a house call today (has to remove to sutures from my recent change over to dentures).
This appliance is a real pain in the leg, and sure weighs a lot more that I'd like. Painful to walk with a walker, and it runs into everything, of course. Ouch. Haven't had a reall good look at the bike, but have had a couple riders look at it and tell me about the scrapes and other damage to the right side. Engine guards did their job, but likely I caught my leg on it when I went off and the tourque snapped my leg like a toothpick.
So for the next couple months until they think I'll be able to even think about walking, it doesn't look like there'll be a lot of riding (although we are camping in the front room) for us. The dealer is going to pick up the bike and do an estimate for the insurance company, at least.
So I may not be on as much as I have been, since I'm working from home now, and Vicodine and Percoset are our friends for now. I'm sure we'll muddle through somehow; but it will be a while before I'm back to my normal forum attendance.
A lot of us bikers got damaged this year; let's make this the last, ok? Keep your eyes and ears open folks, whether you're driving or riding. And remember when teaching or helping your young drivers that people process positive instructions, like stop or go. They tend not to process negatives like don't (as in don't go). I'm sure any fellow instructors out there can put more of a face on that statement if you're interested.
RE: 1st rv- dumb ? but what is the button by the brake?
Ahh, but do you all remember this?
http://www.volocars.com/galleria_images/570/570_p13_l.jpg
http://www.volocars.com/galleria_images/570/570_p12_l.jpg
Push button radio, push button automatic transmission (after the Teletouch which died with Ford's Edsel), and push button heat/air vent controls (over the radio)...and on the floor? The dimmer switch AND the starter!
1961 Plymouth Savoy in Kansas. According the the site, it's for sale for 8998.00, too.
I remember I had a Ford (pre-Galaxy) with a dash mounted automatic tranny and straight 6.
RE: The criminal mind (or lack thereof)
....a few folks I used to know did this.......
They brought certain products into the states that were frowned on by the authorities. at the time, customs inspectors and certain airport people made very little money. The folks would pick out one who looked approachable, after observing for a while, ofeer that person 3 months salary to let a certain individual through without searching them. Half now, half after successful entry.
The first time through, the individual would be clean, just to test the inspector. If all went well, the guy got his money, the next day the real individual would come through. The inspector got more money. Once a month, the individual would come through, the the product entered, all was well. I cannot recall them ever being stopped. this went on for 3 or 4 years.
I often wondered how Coors beer (a non-union, unpasteurized product) made it through Oregon......he he he
Because I care about all of you so much....
Here's a must-take class for all of your self-defense needs...
http://www.fastclips.com/videos/H3O8PR33nJ44
*P.S.: Moderator; don't ya go ninja-ing anyone that don't need ninja-ing, especially with a Judy chop! OK?
RE: Picture posting thread...anyone into it?
Pretty great photos everyone..You guys had me laughing a few times too...
Did my first model shoot the other day. I met up with a group from flickr called Eugene Strobist http://www.flickr.com/groups/eugenestrobist/ I had a great time and learned so much. Every one there was very helpful to this rookie of flash photography. Here are some of the shots I got, not to bad for my first time..
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3167/2792280077_917cc68d9e.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3100/2790865991_44da41d76d.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3086/2793132660_445c3e8851.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3158/2791714832_e34830d534.jpg
Great shots! Especially the last one shown here. The varying distances of items in the shot, with everything in focus is amazing. You caught a mood, not just a subject.
Something for the MacGuyver's out there....
This should give us all some things to think about....
http://makezine.com/makeshift/
Granted, the first one is solved (bottom of the page), but there are many more to see if you can answer.
Now, do you agree with the answer to #1?
RE: External hard drives
The chance both the internal and external will fail at the same exact time? Since they have separate drivers, separate power supplies, and are located in separate boxes and locations (one could be on the floor and one on the desk), the likelihood is slim to 0.0000000001%. Unless the power goes out. Or both are in an area where a bar magnet (like some have on the front of their vacuum cleaners to pick up paper clips, etc.) or electric motor with a strong magnetic field could affect them.
Wrace, check your private messages....
RE: from a recent e-mail
Mercurichrome (now Merbromin)
Tincture of Iodine
Hooky Bobbing
Orientation (vs. Kindegarten)
Superheterodyne
Lumbago - Lower Back Pain (wonder if it includes Sciatica?)
Castor Oil - Mainly a laxative, but seeds contain ricin (nerve agent) which harms harvesters, and Ex-Lax took over the market. Still used in soaps and other marketables, though.
RE: External hard drives
I have an old internal IDE Maxtor drive from an old Presario desktop that died that I currently have in a Nexxtech drive bay hooked up to my new Pavilion laptop. Once I copy all my photos, documents, and movies off of it, I may use it for backup purposes, or I may use it to transfer files from my old laptop to my new one without having to setup an internal wireless network and file sharing. Plug in the USB, do the copy/paste, unmount and unplug from the old laptop. Plug in the USB to the new laptop, copy/paste, and the delete all the files on the external drive.
As to who was asking about windows registry files....read this: http://www.easydesksoftware.com/regfiles.htm, as which files you need to recover depend on the operating system you are using.
RE: Try to call Walmart and page someone.....nope
And, if you really need to contact someone for an emergency, you simply ask for the floor manager or shift supervisor. They may not be able to page anyone personally, but I'm sure they can find a manager. It's the manager's responsibility to notify their employee in a manner that will not affect customers, safety, or other employees.
BTW, the military can be just as stringent if they so desire. This isn't a new thing that WalMart just thought up. More likely, demanding adherence to pre-existing rules was a result of abuse. Talk to managers if it is imperative you reach an employee. If it is really an emergency, the police will be able to get through anyway.
RE: How do I post pics?
First step is to save those photos online somewhere like flickr.com or one of the other photo sharing sites, and then marking them so they can be accessed by anyone.
Second step is to get the url of the photos you want to share here (right-click on the photo and select property, then copy the address).
Third, start a thread here (or wherever you want to post the pics), click the photo button and paste in the url of the photo there. Repeat for each photo you want to put in here.
Interesting Product for long hauls
If they'll work for bikers and truckers, why not rv'ers?
Just a thought, I may get a pair to try out, since they have a decent return policy. Thought I'd pass on the link for those others who've suffered from numbness and hot spots.
https://ldcomfort.com/index.html
And no, I don't own any stock in the company.
RE: Cats
fickman and others, although live traps and animal control are the best answer, it is not always the most obvious answer. The OP may live in an area like mine, Animal Control is very minimal, ours just do dogs, no cats, just dogs. I have tried for over a year to find someone to take the feral or otherwise, "roaming cats" off my hands after I live trap them. No one local will or can do anything. I have even trapped two cats and had them spayed at my expense, $60.00 a pop, but fewer and fewer Vets will work on them. They say that feral cats carry too many diseases and they need to be eleminated. More than one Vet has told me this. They can and will overrun a place fast if not kept in check........
Try these folks, since they are Arkansas' Cat Rescue organization (well, the one in Hot Springs, anyway). http://www.guardianangelscatclub.org/
