Treason of Words

The road hasn't been without bumps, however. In the process of learning how to ride, I have been banged up more than I have been in quite some time. The day after my adventure in northeast Austin, full of confidence and stupidity, I tried to ride my brother's dual sport motorcycle. That went poorly, as I twisted the throttle and went nowhere fast while the bike flew out from under me, twisting my right knee and breaking its license plate holder. I promised not to touch a bike until the course. After flunking out the first time, I again got on Sean's bike. I did better that time, doing maneuvers in the back yard, until I lowsided onto my right shoulder, which hurt for weeks afterward. Most recently, once again full of confidence, I decided it was time to actually go somewhere on my scooter, as opposed to zipping around the parking lot and about the neighborhood. On my way to pick up IDW's Transformers: Infiltration #2, I panicked in mid-turn and laid my scooter down at a...

Yes, it's been three months since I updated the site, but this update is a doozy. Although it may not look too different, the code underlying these pages is now much cleaner and easier to maintain. Hopefully, that will result in more regular updates. The new transportation regime that I've touched on from time to time in this column is almost a reality. After waiting for the holidays to be over, I bought my essential riding gear and took the MSF (Motorcycle Safety Foundation) BRC (Beginner Riding Course) from Moto Fun. The first time, I did poorly. Very poorly. As in: I got put off the range two hours into practice. The second time around, on a scooter instead of a shifty thing, I did much better, and graduated. I now have an M on my license, which also sports the first new DL photo of me in about 6 years. I've also purchased a bike. Well, a scooter. But what a scooter! It's a Linhai Powermax 260, a medium sized touring scooter about the size of a small conventional mot...