It's been such a confusing week...
...that I don't really know where to begin. Well, as they say, it is always best to start at the beginning. So here I go.
I signed up for my motorcycle safety course on Tuesday. I wanted to sign up because I know these sort of courses fill up fast, especially since you get a card that makes you exempt from the riding part of the license test. I called, expecting to find out when the fall courses would be. Here is the way the conversation went:
Secretary:
Me: Uh yes, I was wondering if I could get any information about the motorcycle safety courses that you teach on your campus. I would like to attend one.
S: Well, we have an opening for the one that starts this Friday. Do you want to sign up?
Me: *pauses as wheels click in head* It starts on Friday?
S: Yes, and the other two days are next Saturday and Sunday, all day. We can register you right now.
Me: ...sure!
So yes, my idea to wait until fall failed miserably. But I figured that would give me more time to ride before I buy my own bike in the fall. I do know *how* to ride, I've just not had the chance to control a bike solo. I've always ridden with someone or been the passenger. This course will let me ride solo and then I get my license voucher. Yay.
Then on Thursday, my fecking car broke down. When I went to go try it out after the staff meeting at work, it roared to life. Or as much as a Mercury Sable can roar to life. It turns out that my car has a very bad case of doing a thing called vapor locking - where basically on a hot day and when I'm low on gas (I was at 1/8th of a tank), the gas that's supposed to cool the fuel pump does not do it's job because air is being sucked in, and the car will not start. So essentially, we did nothing ot my car but changed the way I drive, which is that now I'm not allowed to ever go under a quarter of a tank at the lowest and I have to do some other stuff to be careful with it. We are hoping this is the problem, and my dad's good enough with cars that we're fairly certain it's nothing else. We hope. But in this time, I had a significant conversation with Justin.
Essentially, he's not happy that my car is not reliable and he worries about my safety and would feel better if I had reliable transportation. After losing a two-hour debate via text messages (I must be getting old, no one's ever steam-rolled me like that), I finally agreed to let Justin buy me my first motorcycle.
Hee. My boyfriend really is the kindest, most generous man that I know.
I'd been looking at bikes for a few weeks now, because I was going to buy my own bike come this fall. Here is the bike that I have been looking at. I will be getting the silver-blue one, most likely. I'm going to go try it out today.
I can't believe I'm getting a motorcycle so soon. I'm still stunned.
I thought I'd leave a few pictures of the helmet I bought for my safety test. Justin's going to be helping me buy/going to buy me a new helmet and gear once I get out there on the 21st, but until then I have a servicable helmet which will work well as a helmet for any passengers, since I have some friends who want a ride. >.>
Here's the link for the helmet I'm probably going to get. If you look under Astral-X, I want the Bosch Black Blue one. Sorry I can't give a direct link - joys and sorrows of having flash sites.
Well, I need to get going so I can go check out some apartments and go try out the motorcycle. Hee!