Yep, I'm still out. And so is Eleanor. So who wants to teach me how to...dance?

What a summer...and it's not over yet.

After doing the same, planned cross-country ride to a specific destination every July since 2007 with Eleanor, circumstances kept me here in California through July to focus my attention on other things like my video and photography work and paying my bills. Both of these items are looking positive, and believe me, being able to pay the bills in this economy (with nothing but independent contractor work) is an accomplishment. As much as I wanted to get away, and as painful as it was to miss a yearly event that was very important to me, I know that my time will come again and things will be even better very soon.

Of course somewhere in between all this, a few extra bumps on the road come my way. My car decided to die on the CA-134 East freeway and is out of commission for a little while. That came exactly two weeks after I dropped Eleanor off for some long-awaited maintenance.

Long-awaited is right. Like I'm still waiting.

So here's the update on Eleanor as of this blog post. She's not done yet, and last Thursday (8/14) marks a month since I've dropped her off at the shop. Yes, that means I have not thrown my leg over a two-wheeled vehicle in a month in California, which in Christine speak is quite unusual.

I've spoken to the Service/General Manager and the Office Manager of the dealership, and they're in a major staffing shortage, quoted as being down to "2.5 techs" (two highly-certified techs and an MMI graduate) not to mention that the most senior tech assigned to my bike injured his knee the week I dropped her off, throwing everything else out of whack. The shop is doing what it can to get through the backlog of service and has turned away multiple customers until this is back under control. It's a crappy situation, but what has impressed me is that the shop owns this problem and is not beating around the bush or making excuses. It is what it is.

With that being said, I choose to make lemonade out of my lemons. I will continue to wait for Eleanor. Considering the circumstances, I probably should be quite pissed off. Not to say that I'm not annoyed to be missing the vehicle that contributes to half of my monthly income (and is my pride and joy), but as a person who has worked in the motorcycle industry in multiple dealerships, this is a situation I know all too well. Also, I'll still be riding in the dead of winter when everyone else has to put their motorcycles away, that one season that doesn't exist here.

So here's my point: If you're a motorcycle/watercraft tech or a salesperson who needs a job, Pacific Motorsports in Harbor City IS HIRING. Like now. Visit their website at http://www.pacificyamaha.com/ or call the store. Get hired, go wrench some bikes, kill the service backlog, and help me get Eleanor back on the road again. See where I went there? ;)

But yes, this kind of stuff rekindles my love-hate relationship with cars. Cars are useful, when one has to transport more than one extra passenger or hockey gear. I like cars, as long as other people's cars aren't blocking my way. Since my independent contractor jobs require travel, I'm usually sitting on [insert congested CA freeway here] in a borrowed, air-conditioned cage reaching for a nonexistent clutch while "Bailando" by Enrique Iglesias blares for the umpteenth time in an hour.

Sitting in a cage does give me too much time to think. I guess it's an advantage at this point in time since I'm so focused on the road when I'm on a motorcycle. I can dream a bit, wish a lot, and figure out what mental direction I'm headed in. I have to admit though, that song is pretty catchy, like I imagine myself being whisked across the floor to it. There we go. I should start a new hobby outside of motorcycles and hockey. How about dancing? That'll pass the time and get me outside of my work. Anyone interested in teaching me? Perhaps the footwork will help my goaltending game.

Steering wheel? What the hell is this? Where are my handlebars? I am so not in my element right now.

The 2013 SoCal Holiday Excursion Recap: Flight Delays and Bonus Footage

**This is a recap of my vacation back to Southern California from 12/28/13-1/9/14.**

When I last left this recap, I found myself with a few extra days at home thanks to the first of what is now several winter storms that have hit the Midwest this year. I didn't mind it at all, but my [now former] boss had an issue about the delays and questioned the validity of my flight cancellations to the point that it was stressing me out. Then again, what could I do about flights that I couldn't take? As I stood outside in 59 degrees while tending to a barbecue and overlooking the mystic glow of the Los Angeles skyline, I realized that there were far better things to think about, like how I would be able to finally pick up stakes and leave Ohio once and for all.

It's been real, Ohio. You can go keep your winter.

Four and a half years in the Buckeye State have finally come to an end. I'm packed up and rolling out of here!

For real-time tracking of my whereabouts (if you are oh so curious), visit the "Where Am I?" section of this blog. It'll be a long drive, so feel free to send a few messages my way. The right side of this blog offers a couple methods of contacting me including a direct e-mail message and Google voicemail.

Below is the route I'm taking. Doing this in the middle of the winter and on a bit of a schedule doesn't offer many opportunities for recreation. No worries...more fun times are ahead.

Another Suitcase in Another Hall...and where have I been?

It's nearly the end of June, and I find myself not having posted here to the Two-Wheeled Tourist in a month and a half and up at 4:30AM EST on a Monday. But this time, it's not because I'm on I-71 northbound out of Columbus on 2.5-hour drive to work.

My largest pet rat, Bandit, leapt from the cage onto my husband's face and scurried into the closet. Fortunately Bandit wasn't hurt from the incident, and he was freaked out enough that he actually was fine with us picking him up. Because of that and the fact that it's nearly 80 degrees in the bedroom, I can't sleep. So screw that, I just turned the air on again and I'm blogging.

Here is the rodent in question, my 1.2 lb. giant cuddlebug named Bandit. It's not the first time he's fallen off the cage, but after much practice in the art of freefalling, he really put on the dramatics.

A lot has happened since we last chatted in May, everything from an impending detour in my motorcycle career to preparations for July's Women On Wheels® International Ride-In™ that's happening in Billings, MT, of which I am an event co-chair. Along with a random, debilitating back spasm that had me suffering the worst pain in my life for several hours a few weeks ago, it seems like every day has been a surprise and a half. Some surprises quite nice and others, well, you get the idea.

For starters, it's not a good thing when my boss calls both me and my co-worker into the office, at the same time, on the Tuesday after Memorial Day and he doesn't have drinks and a cake on his desk. After declining sales over a few years, my employer, Premier Cycle Accessories is changing its business direction and shutting down its accessory sales division. As a result, my position will be eliminated first and eventually, both of us will be laid-off as merchandise is liquidated and the lease on the building space ends in September. My demise was scheduled to be much sooner, but with the calendar trickling into July and I'm still headed to work later this morning, my eventual departure has been delayed a little bit.

It's so not fun to make graphics for newsletters that look like this:

Nothing says "depressing" like designing announcements that foreshadow your eventual offing.

Crap. What do I do now? Beside the obvious "look for another job" part, this moment in time has given me an opportunity to take a step back and look at all the things I've accomplished as a professional in the motorcycle industry. For the most part, I've enjoyed the ride so far and would like to continue down this career path. The challenge, however, is finding another awesome company who wants to add me to their team. That may require some possibilities outside of Ohio. And as I continue the battle of acclimating myself to the Midwest, I'm realizing that California may not be the most ideal place at this moment in time. As to whether or not I'll still be living in NE Ohio after the summer, I can't even predict my future that far ahead. More to come on that discussion eventually...

In addition to that, Eleanor finally returned to me after a near 3.5 month stint on injured reserve. To make a long story short, what started out as the bike not starting and a "crankshaft position sensor error" (Error Code 12 for you FJR1300 owners out there) later evolved into exploratory surgery, a trip to the mechanic, a bad starter relay, and a deteriorated fuel line. I'm just glad to have her back again and running just as nice as she did before. As much as I enjoy putting around on Matt's 2008 Piaggio BV250 (which was finally repaired right after Eleanor went down), it's not exactly the same thing.

Dammit, it's good to have you two back in action again, at the same time.

Despite all this, I'm still going on "work-cation" and heading back West to the huge motorcycle-induced party that I've helped plan since August 2012. The next few posts will be a lot less drama and a lot more riding as Eleanor and I travel to our 6th WOW International Ride-In™ together. I'm taking a different approach to the route to reach Billings, MT to seek out new sights and also to remember a dear friend who taught me, through example, that the greatest adventures come from roads less traveled. Stay tuned!

Lastly, if you're wondering about the reference to "Another Suitcase in Another Hall," just watch some Madonna. Good morning, people.

 

[The Bittersweet] SoCal Refresher Course

In the beginning of March, I had the impromptu chance to go home to Southern California for a few days for a job interview. This was a trip I had to keep under wraps until I knew what was going to happen, so if this is the first time you're ever hearing about this, don't feel so bad...I feel better enough to talk about it now.

With the company I was interviewing with paying for the flight, the only thing I had to arrange was lodging and a motorcycle to ride. Fortunately I have an extended family and good friends to help me out. Leaving at 6AM EST on a Thursday with a stopover in Chicago's O'Hare International Airport (which, in ironic fashion, is the only time I've ever arrived there by air), I reached LAX by 9:30AM PST and proceeded to have a nice lunch with my aunt (a.k.a. one of the only biological relations I have that hasn't disowned me yet). After that, it was some relaxing and motorcycle riding before my interview the following day.

This was the first time I've returned to the area in two years (to read about that 2011 adventure, click here), so I did what I could to make the best of it. Here are some photos of the places I still call home.

Video Killed the Hockey Goal Judge: My Stint in the WCHA

For the last two seasons, I have had the privilege of acting as a goal judge for home games for the NCAA Division I women's ice hockey team of The Ohio State University. Here's what it entails:

1. Watch the play.
2. Watch the puck being shot at the net.
3. If the puck completely crosses over the goal line, hit the goal light button and make a bunch spectators happy. And depending on the period, it could either be fans of the home team or the opposing one.
4. If video replay is unable to determine a goal, I get asked via intercom to provide my summary of the play and confirmation of whether or not the puck went in.

Midwest Road Ramblings in Indy and Peoria - Part 2

It usually doesn't take me this long to get a second part to a ride on the blogspace, but I can explain...

So I left my friend's place in Peoria and headed up toward Downer's Grove, IL, a suburb near Chicago. I almost made it in an entire tank but chickened out on the attempt, stopping for fuel in Channahon. I'm glad I did, because with a 6.6 gallon gas tank on Eleanor, filling up with this much gas was a very nice OMG-get-ready-to-slightly-panic moment.

After that little adventure, I found myself at one of the several locations of Total Hockey, a budding chain of hockey stores that actually have a comprehensive selection of gear. Sadly enough, I had to travel this far just to get a pair of hockey referee shorts. I wish there was a store like this in Columbus, OH, but when you have the Columbus Blue Jackets for a minor league team, nobody really takes the sport that seriously.

Back to SoCal - the refesher course.

It's great to be back in Los Angeles.

Leaving the dreariness of 26 degrees and ice in Columbus at 10AM (Eastern Standard Time), I arrived at LAX at 1:30PM (Pacific Standard Time) today and was welcomed with sunny skies and 70 degrees. My friend Victor picked me up from the airport and we found ourselves in nearby Hawthorne waiting for a friend of his to return a phone call. However, that friend didn't call back and I was getting a bit hungry. After six hours in the air and nothing but small snacks and a couple cups of ginger ale to pass the time, I knew exactly where to go for lunch. You guessed it, In-N-Out Burger.

Victor and I visited the In-n-Out on Marine/Inglewood right off the 405 freeway in Redondo Beach.

Just the way I like it: a Double Double and Animal Fries, both covered in gratuitous amounts of grilled onions. I waited to indulge in this deliciousness for over a year! Nom nom nom.

After that, we drove back to Brea (North Orange County) to go see his new apartment and to pick up his motorcycle, which will be my mode of transporation for the week. Here are today's fuel prices in Brea, courtesy of your local Chevron.

I wonder which one of my organs I'll have to donate for a full tank.

These are temps you wouldn't see in Ohio until at least May.

Very familiar surroundings and a sunset I haven't seen in a couple years.
Look closely and you might even see the Downtown LA skyline in the distance.

I've got quite a bit to enjoy and accomplish in the upcoming week. As much fun as it is to go sightseeing, I am also job hunting and some research on possible places to send applications. So far, my findings have seen me looking at a possible opening at Cal State Northridge. I hope to find more inspiration during my stay here. Tomorrow brings motorcycle riding, lunch with my family, and more research!

Dear Ohio, I need a job...

...that actually gives me hours, doesn't treat me like a seasonal worker, and has a wage I can actually live on.

I came to Ohio with hopes of starting anew and possibly finding career opportunities that would suit my interests and talents. At this moment, that's not the case. In a very strange turn of events, I find myself looking back to the Golden State for job positions with any sort of consistency. On a bright note, I get to go back to my home state. The catch? It'll just be me going back while we figure out what to do with living logistics.

After applying to who-knows-how-many positions and not getting any leads locally, I've moved my search to places more familiar and much farther away than where we are. It's a gamble I'm taking with hopes that a new position would offer more experiences in other markets and a steadier income so we can do things that normal people do, like have savings.

More to come soon on these happenings. Regardless of whether I stay or go I do hope for better pay and happier surroundings.