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Rich Macchi, 2010-07-17
May. 9th, 2014 06:45 pmFrom the penultimate SCUL mission we rode together (the last year either of us rode with SCUL).
My second and newest chopper, name of Frek:
I reused as much of the original bike as possible, but it was made of rust and fail. Seriously folks, no matter how you hate your bike, don't leave it out in the New England weather. This one clearly spent several years, untouched and unloved, until it was finally hauled to the curb.
( 'before' pictures )
Work to be done, but it's a really nice ride.
I reused as much of the original bike as possible, but it was made of rust and fail. Seriously folks, no matter how you hate your bike, don't leave it out in the New England weather. This one clearly spent several years, untouched and unloved, until it was finally hauled to the curb.
( 'before' pictures )
Work to be done, but it's a really nice ride.
Saturday night, I went out with scul for the first time in 3 weeks (what with Baitcon and Montreal). We biked to a lovely soiree, laughed at the rain for a couple hours, then headed out again. Except it wasn't done raining. And I was piloting Catastrophe - possibly the biggest, heaviest bike after Cloudbuster. Seriously, I'm a strong biker, but this was near the limit of my abilities when I was fresh and sober, and it only got worse on the return trip, in the rain. ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
doze_e_fish gets several hundred additional awesome points in my estimation for piloting this craft.
Anyway, I wrestled it most of the way home, but coming in the landing pad, I rode over a curb I hadn't noticed (possibly recoverable), into a parking barrier (not recoverable), and twisted my ankle in the ensuing fall.
Today was the first time I actually looked at it. Really. I have a pretty good sense of how things are, and it didn't feel like something that needed a lot of medical attention, just some time off. So yes, it's swollen, and yes, a compression bandage is helping. But no workout today, no skating tomorrow, and hopefully I'll be back on the horse in a few days.
doze_e_fish gets several hundred additional awesome points in my estimation for piloting this craft.Anyway, I wrestled it most of the way home, but coming in the landing pad, I rode over a curb I hadn't noticed (possibly recoverable), into a parking barrier (not recoverable), and twisted my ankle in the ensuing fall.
Today was the first time I actually looked at it. Really. I have a pretty good sense of how things are, and it didn't feel like something that needed a lot of medical attention, just some time off. So yes, it's swollen, and yes, a compression bandage is helping. But no workout today, no skating tomorrow, and hopefully I'll be back on the horse in a few days.
So, what else have I been doing?
I completed my first bike chop ever, christened it, and flew it on its inaugural mission, albeit not without a bit of damage to both ship and pilot.
Meet LDS Moroni. Eventually, it will be covered in reflective runes.
( how it got that way, and what happened next )
I completed my first bike chop ever, christened it, and flew it on its inaugural mission, albeit not without a bit of damage to both ship and pilot.
Meet LDS Moroni. Eventually, it will be covered in reflective runes.
( how it got that way, and what happened next )
scul pilotage
Jul. 20th, 2008 05:49 pmFlew my third mission with SCUL last night, and was knighted as a pilot at the end of it (in front of the Dunkin Donuts at 2am).
The ceremony went something like this:
Skunk: Have you trained this pilot to the best of your abilities in accordance to SCUL policy?
Zombie: Yes.
Skunk: Have you had your fill of changing dirty maggot diapers?
Zombie: Yes.
Skunk: Do you swear that this maggot is ready to become a full-pledged pilot?
Zombie: Yes.
Skunk: Knight your maggot.
Zombie: Do you hereby voluntarily assume for yourself all risks of personal injury or death which might befall you while participating in space travel, including the possibility of being sucked out an airlock?
LD50: Hell yeah!
Zombie: Do you solemnly swear to pledge yourself to adherence to SCUL guidelines, under strict paramilitary command, for the opportunity to seek glorious fortune with the camaraderie of your fellow pilots?
LD50: Hell yeah!
Zombie: Do you solemnly swear to 'bust the funk'?
LD50: Hell yeah!
Zombie: Kneel before SCUL.
Zombie: On behalf of all of SCUL, I hereby knight LD50 to the rank of Pilot.
Zombie: Three cheers for LD50!
I also produced, for the SCUL archives, a variation on my UK bike tour travelogue book, substituting "LD50" for my name, and "$wife" and "$daughter" for their names; and bound said book with red zip-ties. In all seriousness, when I was planning that trip, I found it useful to read other people's accounts/itineraries/etc, so maybe this will be useful to someone else.
The ceremony went something like this:
Skunk: Have you trained this pilot to the best of your abilities in accordance to SCUL policy?
Zombie: Yes.
Skunk: Have you had your fill of changing dirty maggot diapers?
Zombie: Yes.
Skunk: Do you swear that this maggot is ready to become a full-pledged pilot?
Zombie: Yes.
Skunk: Knight your maggot.
Zombie: Do you hereby voluntarily assume for yourself all risks of personal injury or death which might befall you while participating in space travel, including the possibility of being sucked out an airlock?
LD50: Hell yeah!
Zombie: Do you solemnly swear to pledge yourself to adherence to SCUL guidelines, under strict paramilitary command, for the opportunity to seek glorious fortune with the camaraderie of your fellow pilots?
LD50: Hell yeah!
Zombie: Do you solemnly swear to 'bust the funk'?
LD50: Hell yeah!
Zombie: Kneel before SCUL.
Zombie: On behalf of all of SCUL, I hereby knight LD50 to the rank of Pilot.
Zombie: Three cheers for LD50!
I also produced, for the SCUL archives, a variation on my UK bike tour travelogue book, substituting "LD50" for my name, and "$wife" and "$daughter" for their names; and bound said book with red zip-ties. In all seriousness, when I was planning that trip, I found it useful to read other people's accounts/itineraries/etc, so maybe this will be useful to someone else.
weekend: bikes and horses
Jul. 7th, 2008 07:13 pm- Went to Topsfield Fairgrounds for the farmers market, but it wasn't running this week, wtf. Instead was Clint Anderson's Down Under Horsemanship show, kind of like the Parelli event, only smaller. Checking the website would have saved us the time and bother.
+ Picked up some tomato plants at the farmers co-op across the street from the fairgrounds, to replace ones that were killed off by the heat while we were on vacation. So not a complete loss.
+++ Rode my first mission with SCUL. I rode War, a kids bike with a banana seat and BATTERING RAM. It wasn't technically challenging, although I don't think I've been on a single-speed coaster-brake bike since I was a kid. It was fun just riding with the pack of freaks, and I gunned for every pot hole and mud puddle I could find, because I could. Afterwards, I got to try Skylab, one of the tall bikes, which was OMG FUN, but technically challenging; I'll need some practice handling it on the street and in traffic before I'd consider taking it on a mission.
The target of the mission was a carnival in Lexington, which was obscenely muddy, with a barnyard smell, and a dead vibe, being at the end of a week-long run. But we rode the Haunted House ride (cheese-a-rific zombie-tronics), the Freak Out (more axes of acceleration than you really wanted), and the bumper cars (gunning for the tail-gunner).
++ Sunday pony encounter withlyonesse. We did the Two Hour Trail in 1:40, not going especially fast (but not especially slowly). Spotted a 2-pound sulfer shelf mushroom (aka Chicken of the Woods), which I went back later and picked. Them's good eating.
+ Picked up some tomato plants at the farmers co-op across the street from the fairgrounds, to replace ones that were killed off by the heat while we were on vacation. So not a complete loss.
+++ Rode my first mission with SCUL. I rode War, a kids bike with a banana seat and BATTERING RAM. It wasn't technically challenging, although I don't think I've been on a single-speed coaster-brake bike since I was a kid. It was fun just riding with the pack of freaks, and I gunned for every pot hole and mud puddle I could find, because I could. Afterwards, I got to try Skylab, one of the tall bikes, which was OMG FUN, but technically challenging; I'll need some practice handling it on the street and in traffic before I'd consider taking it on a mission.
The target of the mission was a carnival in Lexington, which was obscenely muddy, with a barnyard smell, and a dead vibe, being at the end of a week-long run. But we rode the Haunted House ride (cheese-a-rific zombie-tronics), the Freak Out (more axes of acceleration than you really wanted), and the bumper cars (gunning for the tail-gunner).
++ Sunday pony encounter with
lyonesse. We did the Two Hour Trail in 1:40, not going especially fast (but not especially slowly). Spotted a 2-pound sulfer shelf mushroom (aka Chicken of the Woods), which I went back later and picked. Them's good eating.
