I feel stupid for asking this...

[virgil]

 Hey, Allison, sorry my son & I missed you at The Swan but, hey,
not a prob.!
   
 Let's let the test of time  take its toll.....on who does mere talking
and who commits to action: Action speaks louder than words!

  'Nuf said: Keep up your spunk is all our current bantering was about
and I wanted to catch you on "the wave" before the wave receded
so that you would know there is a place for you in all that was
discussed. And inferred....  Vrom needs new leadership, now,
not later! And always, if it wishes to survive!


"History is one god damn thing after another."  -Winston Churchill  :shock:

[Allison]

You guys are awesome.  All of you!  

I re-read my most recent post and realized it sounded rather snarky and stupid... oh well... that's not how I sound in real life, at all...  

Grief is a necessary part of healing.  Some people will never be able to get back on a bike after Julia's accident because it's just too painful.  Some people will be able to do it immediatly, and some it will take longer.

I think of Julia everytime I get on my bike.  I wonder about every biker that rides past me and whether they knew Julia as well.  Then I wonder whether any of them are people I've been talking to on here for the past month and a half.  And then I wonder how many bugs they've eaten during their ride.

I'm definetly not worried about the community itself breaking down (it's hard to break a community that has put down deep, strong roots and is intricatly wound through each and every person here).  My large concern (which is possibly unfounded as I really have no idea) is the hot chicks ride...  My understanding of it is that Julia really was the driving force behind it.  My experience is that sometimes, things take more time on the get-up-and-go part of it(I've tried organizing rides in my Dykes on Bikes crew and good lord it takes forever).  But then again I might be totally wrong.  Anyone want to argue with me?  Who here rides with hot chicks ride?

I need to stop writing such long comments... *face palms*

Oh, and the new Harry Potter book was kick ass (don't worry, I won't ruin it!!!  I'm not a jerk!).  I went to the kidsbooks release party on Friday, and a dude dressed as Hagrid came rolling down in the procession of trucks containing the books, riding a brand new Harley Dove-tail (I never knew there was such a thing as a dove-tail, but he might've said "soft tail"... he was wearing a mask and it was really loud).  It was a gorgeous bike...  and I squeed a lot over it.  And decided to nickname my bike "the Firebolt"... cause I'm a dork.

One last thing...

Hey Julia... thanks for giving mother nature a good kick in the pants and giving us back the sunshine!  

[Paul B]

(side note, I can now open my throttle ALLLL the way as I FINALLY hit the 1600km needed to completely break in my bike last night! Woo).  We need to continue educating the public, new riders and ourselves about the importance of safety and keeping all of our skills in top condition.  

Allison,
Please don't take this personally, but I need to make a point here, and you happen to have put yourself in a position to bring this point out. (Plus; even though I don't know you, you strike me as a person with enough confidence that you will not feel threatened by this.) I think you are a special person, and I'd like very much to meet you one day, but I feel I really need to say this. This is not directed at you, but at all of the riders who like to crack the throttle on our streets:

The comment quoted above uses the words, "safety" yet elevates the status of twisting the throttle to the extreme into the realm of something grand. The sport bikes many of us ride have enough power that they don't need to be opened wide, especially on the street! If yours is a track bike, then all is well, but please do mention that fact when you speak of cranking the throttle wide open. This site is supposed to advocate safe riding, so we need to cultivate a mentality that supports that theory. Too many have died for the thrill of cranking at the throttle. We should be writing more about riding at The Pace, and make that a focus, rather than idolizing brute speed and power. Let's truly advocate safety by changing the way we think, the way we speak, and the way we write. Let's show the world that we really mean it when we say that we are responsible riders. Let's make VROM something to really be proud of!

Oh... and Allison, if you wish to discuss the role of a ride leader and the responsibilities that they take on, just ask. There are several people here who can fill you in on the details.

[Allison]

Hey Paul!  Just to put your mind at rest, I meant I don't have to shift up quite so fast as I'm accelerating.  My continual mind waves of going "if you fall, how much will it hurt?" prevents me from achieving triple diget speeds on city streets.  Hehehe.  I'm too scared to find out how much it REALLY DOES HURT when you crash going 80km/hour... not to mention ICBC will kick my ass for doing so...

I took it on the highway to open it up...  I haven't redlined it yet (I'll wait to do that on the track if I ever make it there) nor do I intend to find out exactly how fast my bike really does go.  I ride a 500, so there is enough power to get me up to speed quite nicely, it's not as insane as the 650 that my friend rides (but he's bigger than me... and a newer rider... and he's already laid it down once while he was learning... silly boy).  Another one of my friends attempts to achieve 3 digits on city streets when we ride together... I end up farrrr  behind because I refuse to go that fast on city streets (the faster you go, the farther/harder you fall!).  There's too many stupid drivers out there not paying attention...

I can't decide whether it's because I'm mature and responsible, or because I'm a total wuss that prevents me from going super fast.  I think it's a little of option a and option b...  Which is fine with me!  and my mother...  

I'm getting a new summer riding jacket today (YAY I CAN FINALLY AFFORD IT) because my current one is a men's jacket that's wayyyyy too big for my shoulders/chest/arms.  Falling hurts (have experience from that one last summer) cause the armour doesn't do what it's supposed to do...  Woo!

[oneearth]

Hi Allison and all,

Your concern is a natural one Allison, and I haven't posted in response to it before because I've been in dialogue with my parents about the cafe.

First of all, if it hasn't been made clear, my parents are not against motorcycles or motorcyclists. Of course, as loving concerned conservative parents, they'd prefer that their daughter not ride a motorcycle. But Julia's free spirit was not to be denied and she did. And inspite of that, they continued to love and support her. Heck, they don't even mind that she's going to be buried in her leathers or that her Busa is going to be present or that a humungous motorcycle procession will be leaving from the Swan!

So, motorcycles and motorcyclists are okay with my parents. A loved one's death is not okay with my parents.

I will say more at the service but let me offer some reassurance that, while I am involved with the Swan, I will not let my sister's legacy fade away. Please tune into the Ocean View Funeral Home channel starting at 10:30am Sunday July 24th.

be well,
Harreson

[virgil]

Hi Harreson, thanks much for taking the time in  your present
busy circumstances to keep us on track !

Am thrilled to read you working behind the scenes to keep all well
on the western front (!)

Will much look forward to your communications at the event Sunday!

"Whereas children are afraid of the dark,
the real tragedy is that men
are afraid of the light!"  - Plato  

[Allison]

Hey Harreson,

Thanks!!  Yah, I stopped by today (I was hoping that the hot chicks ride would be happening, which it didn't, but I went to Squamish anyways) and saw that all the motorcycle stuff was still up.  Loosing a child in any which way sucks....  I don't have children,  but it breaks my heart whenever I hear stories of people losing their children (as a nursing student, I hear a lot of them).  My parents also hate that I ride, but accept it none-the-less as I refuse to not ride.  Sounds like our parentals have that much in common!

I was just a little bit concerned because of the article in the Vancouver Sun, but that has been well cleared up by now, but thank you for putting everyone's fears to rest once and for all!

You're very lucky to have such a kick ass sister... I have a brother and I want to punch him in the face most of the time (while wearing my kevlar knuckled riding gloves)... but I think that's a normal sibling thing...  Maybe we'll grow out of it?

I will be apart of the humongous procession leaving from the Swan that will put any other ride organized this year to shame.  I'm skipping my softball finals to come as I feel that this is a bazillion times more important and I never hesitated in making that decision.  Julia will be proud of the congregation of hundreds (thousands?) of riders.  She would probably be rather embarrassed at the same time too... being like "oh, don't make such a big fuss for me".  Ya think?

After my attempt at joining the Tuesday night girl ride tonight (I got there, no one was there, no one showed up), I think that it's important that we keep these rides going!  Or are the rides just on hold for now and I've missed that somewhere?

You rock, Harreson!

[Cruz'nstyle]

Allison, maybe give it some time and give it some space.  People are hurting, seriously hurting and things may be a little off kilter until there is some closure.  

You seem to be busting at the seams just when Julia's world and the people in her world has come to an abrubt halt.  Your eagerness is awesome for yourself (and others)...but please just give her world some time to heal a bit.

Just be patient ya eager beaver! :-)

Cindy

p.s. i'm not sure if you did, but when you want to ride...even on hot chick night...post it under Events.

[Paul B]

Hey Paul!  Just to put your mind at rest, I meant I don't have to shift up quite so fast as I'm accelerating.  My continual mind waves of going "if you fall, how much will it hurt?" prevents me from achieving triple diget speeds on city streets.  Hehehe.  I'm too scared to find out how much it REALLY DOES HURT when you crash going 80km/hour... not to mention ICBC will kick my ass for doing so...
snip

I can't decide whether it's because I'm mature and responsible, or because I'm a total wuss that prevents me from going super fast.  I think it's a little of option a and option b...  Which is fine with me!  and my mother...  

I'm getting a new summer riding jacket today (YAY I CAN FINALLY AFFORD IT) snip

Thanks for being such a good sport Allison. I hope to meet you this Sunday. Except for an unforseen emergency, I'll be there on my yellow Kawasaki ZX 6R. I just got confirmation today that I get the day off for attending the funeral.
Like I said, my post was not aimed at you in particular, just in the wording of your post. I'm happy that you cleared up any misconceptions, and I do hope that other posters will take the time to think about the message portrayed by the choice of words they use in their posts.

I have to admit that it is sometimes tempting to use that power, and in my younger days, I was enticed to catch up to a sports car that had a good head start on me. It was basically a one-way highway with a bend in it that I forgot about until it was too late. I have no idea how fast I was going, but it took an awful long time to slow down. Unfortunately, the road ran out before I slowed down enough to take the corner and I learned to fly! The jolt was so sudden that I literally jumped out of my boots! How that is possible, I still don't understand, but it happened. I should have been killed, but it was not my time to go yet. I landed on the only patch of grass around and skidded to a stop with only minor scrapes and bruises. That was a real wake-up call!!!! So I say... be scared! You should be. Familiarity breeds contempt, so never get too comfortable. Always ride with a degree of caution, and always well within your comfort zone so that in the event of something unexpected, there is a bit of reserve for maneuvering out of danger. When I was apprenticing as a machinist, I was told to always think that the lathe was going to hurt me, so I needed to always be on guard. I wish I had applied that philosophy to my bike. I was really lucky, and I think I was allowed to live so that I could tell my story and prevent others from being as foolish as I was.

Congratulations on getting a new jacket! That is another area that I am anal about. If it was not for a full-face helmet, I would be missing some of my chin. I firmly believe that if you are going to ride, then wear safety gear. It could save your skin! Just last weekend, I was riding towards Vancouver on Hwy. 99 and some guy goes zipping past me, weaving in and out of traffic that was already flowing at 110 to 120, wearing shorts and a t-shirt! I just shook my head and said a little prayer for him.

[Allison]

My way of dealing with things that upset me is to go riding, because it clears my mind and forces me to concentrate on what is the here and now.  

I'm a nursing student well versed in grief and death and the whole process.  Everyone is totally distraught at Julia's passing, and her memory will be kept alive by the people she touched.  Everyone must grieve how they see fit, in whatever way that suites them.  For me, it's to ride as much as possible, and to encourage and support others.  Everyone is hurt... I purposely skip the front of the VROM page because I can't look at her picture... I want to talk about her with other people who are ready and willing to do the same.  I feel like I'm perpetually digging myself into a hole with this posting too, because I think I keep sounding like I'm an insensitive jerk face...  which I'm not intentionally doing, but you can't hear the tone of my voice...

And yes, I will most definetly be posting it up for next week (I'm going to do that right after I finish this entry)... for those who want to ride, ride we shall... and when we reach Squamish, we shall toast to Julia!

Paul, my new jacket rocks... especially today when the temperature outside is like, 30 degrees!  I picked up the mesh Joe-Rocket one... it is fantabulous.

[virgil]

Hey, Allison, thanks again for the sharing, and the spirit you exhibit:
Don't let some of us get to you!
   
   Speaking again for myself, why I wrote earlier was precisely because "each" grieves differently, and we never will on this
mother earth, either please nor cater to, everybody's individual personality traits (cf. research on MBTI, Lawrence Kolhberg, etc. )
and I read you to be one of those that takes action
rather than passive fleeing
as the medium to recovery and full healing...

   Yet, when we commit to the written word, it is my life experience
that some future Phd. theses will occur on the different way
participants both write and behave, than the spoken word
on the web medium of human interaction, that to-date
in its infancy, exhibits more negative profiling
than community building supportive encouragemental
dialoging...

   May we all heal in time, and may time heal us fully, virgil

[guest]

EDIT - Post Removed by Board Moderator

[Allison]

If you feel this way, then I apologize.  I'm sorry you took what I said in such a way, because I never meant it like that.

[Guest]

EDIT - Post Removed by Board Moderator

[Allison]

btw, flaming me anonymously on a public message board shows a great deal of maturity on your part.  What you said really could've been PMd to me instead.  As a nursing instructor you probably pull your students aside to tell them they're being inappropriate.  You don't start reaming them out in the middle of the class.

This thread has gotten way out of hand and what I am saying is being misinterpreted and apparantly I'm coming across as being insensitive and annoying and it's making me incredibly uneasy.  I'm sorry to anyone I may have inadvertantly offended, for I didn't mean for that to happen.