Monday, August 06, 2007
Grass hopping
I am the grasshopper and I will freeze, should a truly harsh Winter ever come my way. That’s the conclusion I came to this weekend as I rode down to pick up my resurfaced backrest pad and passenger pillion. The bike looks great with its new seat and accessories. I will have to get a picture online sometime soon. Thirty years old and I have very little in the way of material worth. My income is above average, but nothing special, I own no home, no land, and have very little desire to purchase either. There is no real reason for me to nest, beyond the investment angle, but housing is such a questionable investment, in the long-term, it’s just not something I am interested in. I am the grasshopper, and I recognize that the ants may be wiser.
It turned out that my trip down to St Pete at 9:30am was to be the start of a relatively long day riding traffic in the unrelenting Florida sunshine. Once everything was bolted back together, I headed North toward Clearwater via Gulf Blvd and the beaches. Had to meet my professor, so that we could work out the terms of the independent study I will be doing this coming term. If I am going to be a functional artist, I have to find a way to be more expressive, so we outlined a course of action that should help get me there. It should coincide very nicely with the painting workshop I have this term.
Speaking of school, the aforementioned professor mentioned that SCAD had posted a job search seeking 12 professors in the St Pete area, which is great news, because that is a strong indicator that their plans to open a St Pete campus are further along than feasibility studies. Doing a Master’s degree there might be realistic after all. This was definitely a big of good news, given my previous thoughts on the matter. I would still like to get away from here, but not having to pick up and move would be a financial relief, as I could continue to finance my education with my current salary, which should allow me the funds I need. Doing my graduate work through SCAD would be ideal, so I’m really hoping it all comes together.
I would end up putting nearly 200 miles on the scooter Saturday, all of it spent riding traffic, and much of that in the Summer sun. By the time I went to Biff Burger’s in St Pete in the evening, I was starting to feel the effects of fatigue. For the first time, I felt the need to buy earplugs (because of the wind, not the exhaust, believe it or not). I will have to write about riding with earplugs some other time, as it changes the experience drastically. Leaving Biff’s, I made a wrong turn and ended up headed Southwest into St Pete, rather than West to the beaches, which had been my original intent. This little sojourn forced me to take the big slab 275 North and cost me an unknown amount of time. I had to take a break on the way, because of fatigue. By the time I rolled into the driveway, it was after 11:00 and I was spent. The new seat and backrest combination are awesome! Without them, there is no way I would have been able to put that many miles on. More and more, an Iron Butt ride to Key West is calling my name…
Being the grasshopper, I might just have to pack up and make a long weekend of it one of these days.
Labels: life, motorcycles, school
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