Gone Fishin'

Okay, for starters, I'm not going fishing.  I only did that a few times in my life and never seriously.  I remember catching a few sunnies once, but it was total luck because my attention was positively riveted on my girlfriend in her yellow bikini and it was surprising that the sound of my heart beating didn't scare all the fish away.  Gee, I love when memories like these pop up, even if they distract me a bit.

I will be gone, though, for the coming week, taking what will be my last "week off" before I have to start thinking about and planning for the upcoming school year in earnest.  Tomorrow's the first of August and in exactly four weeks from today I'll be lamenting that it's the last day of summer vacation.  My closest friend reminded me even before I leave that I need to concentrate on enjoying my time away instead of acting as if the first day of school is tomorrow.  He knows me so well with my tendency to start getting ready for a funeral before there's even a corpse.  I plan to take his advice to the best of my ability.

I had, in the months that made last winter so dreary, day dreamed about taking the scooter on my trip this time, a trip that's 240 miles one way.  I know that some of the die hard scooterists out there would think nothing of making a trip of this magnitude on a scooter, but as the time to think about it hard and fast came around, I found myself balking once more.  With the amount of stuff I take with me, and a lot of it in the form of rather expensive electronics, I need the space the car provides.  Well, at least that's one of my better excuses.  Closer to the truth is, I'm just afraid of breaking down somewhere.  It's not like the average tow truck operator is going to know where to take a Piaggio scooter for servicing if they pick it up.  And, it's not like I'd be able to get to and from a motel if I needed to spend a night somewhere because the scooter's in the shop.  Then there's my all time scootering nemesis - rain.  It pops up anytime it feels like, even when the National Weather Service and the other weather forecasters are predicting plenty o' sunshine.

Yes, it's obviously an older picture.

If I have a chance to putz with the netbook while I'm away I might pop in to say hello, or at least you might see a new picture down there to the right as the "Latest Webcam Image."  If not, I'll be back next weekend with maybe a picture or two that are worth sharing.  In the mean time, take care of yourselves, and I'll see you soon!