...which noise offends you most?

As most of you know, I have varied tastes and I am/was a member of many forums. The sharpening related forums were more of a business contact, but I recently decided to learn how better to cook and shop because of my wife's knee surgery. But I did something last night more out of desperation than need. Let me explain.

First, my wife is a teacher, and while she is the kindest spirit I know, she has become sorely unhappy. At first it was just over rowdy kids. Eh, I was rowdy student. However, that transitioned to clueless co-workers, incompetent 'specialists' and finally a 'principal' hired simply because the district wanted to showcase an African American. It seemed a new hostile wrinkle for her. Then I started to notice a parallel problem.

Forums became populated with strife, one bike forum moderator stated that 30% of his board was posers who didn't even own bikes. Finally I had to wade through a constant stream of whiners, or guys who debate simply by parsing minutia, with the culmination of having to contact my attorney over slander. (The admin staff of that board told me she would get right on that...)

Over the past few days I joined another cooking forum. Within three posts I ran into their whiner. Their mod banned him, and wrote me a letter stating that he was a continual problem. But you cannot get a second chance to make a first impression and I was tainted by the incident. That was the last straw.

Last night I made a strong cup of latte' and opened my 'favorites' column. One by one I dispasionately deleted every forum except this board. Every stinkin' one of them. I deleted their e-mails, their personal addresses, their telephone numbers and related info on my cell phones. Every single footprint. None of them would address me this way to my face in a tavern, so none of them get my time on the 'net. You have no idea on the relief I felt in shutting the computer down last night.

Oddly, it felt like taking a good shiit. In truth, it was a cyber-shiit.

I should add one thing.

I don't like people in general. I find the modern world populated with guys who make too many excuses, have lousy work ethics, 'born again' bikers and blatant age-ism. At my age of 61 it's a national disgrace that I can easily out-perform most guys at the gym.

I am troubled here because I feel these guys should get no slack. I'll be a mentor, but I'm not their mother. I find myself giving new guys I meet one chance. Nut up or shut up. I'm disappointed at the vast demographic of America, which unfortunately populate the boards.

Amazing what a few miles can do. Drove 'Spinner' until she screamed for fuel, topped off and climbed back on. I'm home now feeding the Weasel Dogs, and then I shall leave again.

I am now calm. I have always believed that bikers are born, not made. Whenever I get down I go burn some premium, tell the frakken world to kiss my coattails, and before long I'm half-way decent again.

"Shut up and ride." Not just a good idea, it's the law!

Thunder Header 2 into 1... always clears my head.
Ride my bike down to the beach and turn south on PCH, Pacific Coast Highway... (thats the one the world sees when they think of Cali).
Its amazing what that fresh salt air and sound of that thump under my butt can do to readjust the Kill Button on my trigger finger. Here's to all you guys that have "YET" to get that experience, make the trip. Once you've done that the "Whinning" becomes alot less noticeable. I went to the Grand Canyon, looked over the edge and instantly under stood my part in the universe. Enjoy what time you have, just like a flea on a dogs ass.

As I just posted in another thread, I find riding a personal thing--if I do it for all of the right reasons. As a younger man I was in a club. Now? Yikes, I'll bet it's been three years since I shared the road with anyone.

(Last time that happened, I rode 'drag' with about six of the newbie club members as we accidently left the shop together. One frontage road and two turns watching the boys and turned off by myself onto the first slab on-ramp I saw.)

My focus has drastically changed. Not by design, I just need bikes for me, not to show off.