M-Class

That's right. Not D-class, L-class, or learner's permit: I'm m-class certified. As was rightly commented the other day, now all I need is a bike. So, on to step two. I've been ebaying and craigslisting (is that a word, yet? like googling?) for a bike that's within my pick-up range. Oh, and within a grad-school TA's income range. You might be surprised just how many bikes fall within that field. Go ahead, craigslist that shit (I don't care, I'm making it a word). The best part about it all is that a Honda from '78-'88 that was taken care of is a good, solid bike still. Of course, I'm looking to get a cruiser style (think classic Harley look, but not a Harley), something around 500 to 750 cc's, and so far I'm liking what I've heard about Honda. True, I'm just now getting into this, so there'll be a learning curve. I'm hoping that I don't do the bulk of that learning from my own mistakes, but I think I can safely approach this purchase within my limited knowledge. Of course, any suggestions will be appreciated, if you happen to be in the know.

Finally, if you happen to be the DeKalb area, I'm sorry for your misfortune. Oh, but you should really check out this basic riding course. You can try virtually every Friday evening; they start at 6pm in Holmes 506. They do a lottery to fill any vacant position with walk-ins and, so far as I've heard, every weekend they've had at least 5 spots open. The class lasts all weekend, but each student gets their own practice bike and roughly 6 hours saddle time both Saturday and Sunday. By the time the weekend is through, you get a certificate automatically granting m-class license (i.e. without any further tests) when you take it in to the DMV. And, the class is free! I won't say it's an easy skill set to get the hang of, but I doubt anyone reading DW would have any trouble passing the requirements. It was a lot of fun, and as you can tell, I'm pretty much addicted to the idea of motorcycling now. Seriously, I'm going to get my doctorate in philosophy...what else am I going to do (besides go to Nepal) but tour around the country staying on friends' couches (you can only stay on one couch for so long before it's time to start moving on again).

You see things vacationing on a motorcycle in a way that is completely different from any other. In a car you’re always in a compartment, and because you’re used to it you don’t realize that through that car window everything you see is just more TV. You’re a passive observer and it is all moving by you boringly in a frame.

On a cycle the frame is gone. You’re completely in contact with it all. You’re in the scene, not just watching it anymore, and the sense of presence is overwhelming. That concrete whizzing by five inches below your foot is the real thing, the same stuff you walk on, it’s right there, so blurred you can’t focus on it, yet you can put your foot down and touch it anytime, and the whole thing, the whole experience, is never removed from immediate consciousness.

-Robert Pirsig

The Way Things Go...

When I leave you guys alone for about a month, really the only thing that feels comfortable for me to do is give a rundown of my life. And, something tells me, you probably appriciate Jeff's Life Updates more than you do Jeff's Divergent Thoughts. So, without further ado, my life, in 700 words or less:

I finally finished up my Masters degree this past Monday. Many of you probably thought I graduated this past May...and I kinda did. I walked, received my diploma cover, and was technically done with 98% of my requirements for the degree. But I hadn't yet passed my Ethics comprehensive exam. What can I say? I'd never really had any ethics (sic). The only exception was a course in which the professor yelled at me for being a "fucking socialist." Naturally, I'm not really sure that I got much out of that course. But, a good weekend's studying later, I'm fairly sure that I am now finished at NIU.

Ah, and I'm a bouncer. Surprised? Yup, I bounce at a bar in town that is very, very similar to Bruno's in its atmosphere. Thankfully, that also means I don't have to break up too many fights. But it does provide ample opportunity to work on my small-talk skills. Since I'm only around for the summer (and I told them that when getting the job), I've no chance to move up to bartender, but once I get up to Madison I'm fairly sure I'll try and secure a job bartending straight out of the gates. A Monday night bartender, during the summer (which, for DeKalb, means the entire city clears out), makes close to 300 a night. That'd really help that graduate assistant pay actually sustain my lifestyle. True, it'd be stressful, but it'd be during the hours I had free, anyways, and I think it'd be well worth the stress and pain. Now, I just have to land such a job.

I was told the other day how funny it is that I, the soon-to-be professor of philosophy, of all things, is a bouncer. Quite a disparity of images, I suppose. So I've added another one; motorcyclist. NIU offers a free course where you learn all the basics of riding and, at the end, you're m-class driver's license certified. I just finished up the second day of that today, including some practice at bobbing and weaving and cutting tight corners in third gear. It was an amazing time. I got so pumped from this afternoon's practice (on a Honda NightHawk) that I'm fairly sure I'm going to be buying a bike before the year is out. You can imagine it; rolling up to campus with my tweed jacket with the elbow patches on a classic cruising-style bike. And, to add to the picture (though it won't be visible on my right upper shoulder), here's a picture of the tattoo I'm going to be getting when I head home this July. It'll be my first one, and I'm planning on getting it on my right shoulder, where the center of the crescents will essentially be positioned right on the balljoint of my shoulder (facing towards my right side). It'd overlap up top a bit, but at about the size of my closed fist, it would basically be fully visible from a side angle. And don't mind the colors; the actual tattoo would be monochromatic black/gray.

Finally, a last little rant. I have a friend from a very long time ago (highschool) who happens to be on facebook and is pregnant. Without naming names, is it not incredibly disturbing to see a note-update that someone you knew from highschool is dilating? Just an effed-up realization I had this morning.

Hope life is treating you well, 'cause I ain't got no better stories to tell. If anything exciting happens (which, I'll let you know now, is rather unlikely for the next month of living in DeKalb) I'll post again soon. Otherwise...

Namaste'.