To Blog or Not To Blog...

So... I stayed away from the world of blogging, much like I've stayed away from the world of track days as they relate to sportbike riding. My philosophy on both was pretty much the same.

I ride on the road and I ride for pleasure... albeit sometimes a little too fast (but never over the speed limit Occifer!!) and I'm aware of the obstacles and challenges that come with it. You never know when you will find roadkill around the next corner, the cavernous potholes left from a winter of snowplows doing their best to keep the roads snow free, children chasing stray balls out onto the road, etc.

This makes me aware of my surroundings, and able to adapt. So here is the philosophy knocking around in my head... if I were to go to the track, I can ride as fast as I want, on a controlled surface, without cars, debris, potholes, or the occassional aforementioned toddler running into the road. Sounds good right? Yes... crazy fast speed and no worries. Turn your brain off and become one with the bike and the road.

Here is the issue... you become numb to the obstacles and you expose yourself drastically when you get back to riding on the everyday streets with the people who either can't drive, don't see bikes, or any of the kabillion things that we've already discussed.

So, blogging... while a great way to put your thoughts to paper (or print for that matter) allowing you to get those feelings, thoughts, and emotions out of your head... also opens you up to other outside influences.

The blog is like the racetrack. No obstacles, controlled environment, do what you want kind of environment without the external influences... there are no contradictions, no debates over delicate subjects, no objections (unless comments are added after the fact).

So, throwing caution to the wind and using this as a therapeutic medium after seeing the positive affect it seems to be having on friends (thanks to Evil Genius) I have decided that I am in need of something in my life to vent said issues before I go crazy.

Is this an attempt to slander those that I know. Hardly!! Anyone that knows me would say that I am a private person, tough to read, and loyal to a fault. If you trust me with the most secret of secrets, you can be 99.9% sure that it will stay with me and go no further. Why 99.9% you say... and not the full monty? I always leave room for error... there are a multitude of things that could happen:

- I'm human. Something might pop out... I'm usually cognisant of this, but it could happen
- The information is going to critically injure someone that I am very close to, and weighed out... one person's safety and well being is greater than the oath of trust
- It turns out to be a lie anyway, and not worthy of protecting... and I like to expose liars for what they are (but not until I have 100% proof by the way)

So, the purpose of the blog, or the exercise of blogging is to clear my own head... knock the cobwebs out of the attic so to speak, and maybe along the line solicit advice from friends who are reading this because they too need some stimuli in their lives other than work, home, sleep, wash, rinse, repeat.

I've been told that I should seek help in the past.. okay, granted it was by bitter ex-girlfriends etc... but maybe they were on to something, or speaking from experience... in any event, I'm not the type of person who is going to lay on a couch with a shrink sitting beside me, glasses perched on the nose, and steno pad in hand asking "How does that make you feel?".

The only way that is happening is if she resembles Danielle Long and is wearing a poet's blouse, schoolgirl kilt, hair pulled back, and librarian glasses, and then... um, I digress.

So, barring the psycho-babble that costs hundreds of dollars per hour, and at the end of the day leaves my mind exhausted and my wallet empty... this may just be the venue to shove a sharp pointy instrument into the side of my head, and let the thoughts dribble out on to "paper", making room for more productive things to take up residency.

Okay, a little too descriptive maybe... but you get the point. So, let's see how this goes, and in future posts feel free to offer your comments, or thoughts, or simply join me on this magic carpet ride as a form of entertainment, a look into the person that is me (as I'm told I'm pretty guarded), or simply an explanation to justify the last time you said "Yeah, I knew he was nuts... now he's just proving it to everyone... finally!"