'006

It's been a funny old year... In Lots of ways... Maybe the most significantly life changing one of my adult years to date...

There's been some good moments, but alas my memories of 2006 will be dominated by more than a fair share of hard and sad ones...

And so it's with a new perspective I must look to 2007. A chance to start and rebuild what I believed I already knew about myself and subsequently found to be false, and a chance again to look to the future again positively and with an enlightened vision.

Thanks to each and every one of you that have been there to support me these last 12 months (you know who you are). For your kind words, kind thoughts (not to mention vast quantities of Guinness), and although it might not seem like it at time, I do appreciate one and all of you, thanks.

So, time not to be maudlin about the past, but instead to look to the future... To seize new opportuniy, take risks again with life and with others.

"An optimist stays up until midnight to see the new year in. A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves." - Bill Vaughan

Happy New Boyz and Girls, and thanks, hope you all have good ones and the new year brings not everything you want, but everything you need :o)

Ciao Ciao
Confused From Chicehster
I Blog There4 I Am

Role on '007 :o)

Change... Update...

I have been neglecting my BLOG... I'm going straight to hell I know... ;o)

Needless to say, things are a foot in my World...

Change has brought about distraction from posting, partly because I'm pre-occupied, but mainly because unusually I couldn't think of what to write, nothing was determined in my life, no direction, just confusion...

What's happened... Well, the Company I've worked for the last 11 years has gone into Administration... (Which means its still running, but they're attempting to sell it, if they fail to sell the business or part of it, the Company will close completely...) Not the best Christmas news by any stretch of the imagination...

But, one door shuts, another opens as they say... Champaign and Strawberry garden parties on the banks of the river Cam are a distinct possibility for the future :o)

"Change in Life is inevitable, accept from vending machines" ;o)

So all that's left to say, in case I don't manage another post before the Jesus's Birthday, is Happy Chrismo everyone... :o) Have a good one you lot... :o)

Ciao Ciao
Confused From Chichester
I BLOG There4 I Am

Close your Eyes and Tap your Heels 3 Times!

I've recently been inducted into another world... The world of the fifth dimension! It's a dimension as vast as my credit card limits and as timeless as infinity. It's the middle ground between work and sleep, between science and a Haynes Manual, and it lies between the pit of my fears and the summit of my very limited knowledge. This is the dimension of grease and bruised knuckles. It's the area called the "Oily Zone"... OZ!

Question...? How is possible to make what would seemingly appear a very simple two hour task take fifteen hours to complete? Options:

a) Ask an accountant for something extremely straightforward
or
b) Give me some tools and ask me to service my motorbike

Well, when I say tools I mean after numerous trips to Halfrauds to buy the correct items needed to start the process. It does appear that my previous life philosophy; "the only tool a man could possibly need in his entire life is a big trusty Hammer" isn't quite applicable for motorbike maintenance (a whole plethora of smaller hammers are also required!).

Yep, as the master plan is to take Eloisa round the world, there is a necessity for me to learn how to service her and keep her all ship shape and Bristol fashion during the voyage (apparently there are a distinct lack of Honda motorcycle dealers anywhere in Tibet or Nepal etc. to do it for me). This is something that those who know me will share my trepidation at. Prior to this, the extremes of my personal mechanical skills stretched to adding screen wash to the car, or very occasionally; twice to my recollection; toping up the oil (I usually spend at least ten minuets trying to remember where the bloody boot release lever is!). And now I have to learn how to strip down, service and rebuild a motorbike, and yes I am just a little apprehensive.

Now obviously to start with a certain degree of research is required, a bit like reading a Lonely Planet before entering a strange country, or swotting up on useful foreign phrases, I had to start by learning the correct terminology for various parts ("sticky out bit" isn't in the Haynes manual index anywhere, I know; I checked!), so to start my induction into 'OZ' the Microfesh's for Eloisa were downloaded. These have lots of numbered pretty pictures and a full index, so even I can just about manage to identify parts correctly. This is useful as I've found actually knowing what something is really called and roughly where it is located is of great benefit when reading the service manual, and it has the added bonus of allowing me to buy replacement parts without appearing like a complete buffoon.

And I must add, walking into a motorcycle dealer and quoting a correct part number does add a certain amount of Kudos to the cultivation of my new hardened biker image, well as long as they don't ask any questions back that is.

"Do you want the short armed coated Teflon super duper Tri Axe or the Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah one?"
"Ohhh you choose" (My attempt to Blag it!)
"Well that all depends on what Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah your running because it won't fit otherwise!"
"Ummmm..." (End of Blag, I'm now completely Buggered!)

After acquiring all the parts required for the mini service, which incidentally took weeks to arrive, as one nameless online supplier obviously decided it would be amusing to despatch my very small order in four separate staggered deliveries spaced days apart in a malicious attempt purely to piss me off (OK OK the supplier was WeMoto), it was time to devote a whole Saturday to the task in hand. And so with enthusiasm, naivety and disposable surgical gloves on hand I commenced. (Yes I need Gloves! Oil!!! Ahhh... I'm melting, I'm melting!!!)

Now, I'm not going to bore anyone further with the greasy OZ details, but needless to say my baptism didn't all go to plan! The Haynes manual grades each tasks level of difficulty with one to five spanners, one being easy peasy. I attempted a few one spanner jobs and a couple of two's. Well that was until a one spanner job went horrifically wrong and I had undertake a ten spanner job to try and recify it.. (OK so it was only a three spanners fix but it felt like a ten spanner!).

After hours and hours of cussing, bloodied limbs and frustration the jobs I chosen to undertake eventually came to fruition and the ultimate test of how well I'd understood just what I was doing had arrived, would Eloisa restart? A tall order I believed, as at one point most of the bikes fuel system and radiators were scattered around the garage in various piles! So with baited breath the moment of truth was here...

Yippee, she fired up on her first attempt... :o)))

And even more impressively, as well as not having any bolts, bits or screws left over after completing the reassembly, but also her performance has increased and she running a lot smoother... Releaf, and after a week not being able to ride her, a good long hard fast ride was required :o)

Ohhh... Big thanx to all the Guys and Girls at the XRV.ORG for holding my hand throughout, thanx :o)

I don't think I'm in Kansas anymore!

Ciao Ciao
Confused From Chichester
I BLOG There4 I Am

What Make Suicide Bombers Tick? ;o)

OK I know, cheap gag ;o)

But while I'm on the subject I did laugh last night at the BBC News at 10. Apparently their POD broadcast included an interview with Hamas's oldest Suicide Bomber.

Ummm... Obviously I instantly wondered how many times he'd failed in this task prior to achieving the ripe old age of 64! (OK so maybe it's just me that thought it was amusing :o) )

Have a good weekend folks :o)

Ciao Ciao
Confused From Chichester
I BLOG There4 I Am