I woke up at 4am this morning, said, "Hell, No!" and rolled over and went back to sleep. Woke up again at about 6am when the Beast jumped onto the bed and decided to lick my face, but he wanted to snuggle more than he wanted me to get up, so I managed to get another two hours of sleep with a giant warm dog stretched out next to me. Finally did get up about 8am with every intention of going running and then shooting. I run out at the National Guard base, since that's also where the police academy is as well as our training center and shooting range. I like running out at the base because 1)most of the roads are dirt, which is a helluva lot easier on my old knees 2)there are no dogs to chase me or bother me 3) there are no people to bother me or make obnoxious comments (other than cops, and I'm used to them!) 4) there's no traffic to watch out for 5) the scenery is nice--I see deer or other cool wildlife every time I run out there.

However, when I let the dog out I discovered that it was cold and rainy, and since I am not one of those strange people who "just loves" to run in the rain I decided I would do my running and shooting tomorrow morning instead. Went to the gym though--worked legs and then did about an hour of cardio to make up for not running.

I am head over heels in love with my broadband connection. Why did I wait so long??

So, I've decided that I'm going to go through my mid-life crisis a few years early, and instead of buying a sports car, I want to get a motorcycle. To be more specific, I want a motorcycle that looks really cool, i.e. a sport bike. I've been wanting to learn how to ride a motorcycle for many years now, but a couple of months ago I was talking to a co-worker who was saying that the Louisiana Dept. of Education offers basic and advanced classes in motorcycle riding/safety. Cool enough in itself, but it became extremely cool when he told me that the classes were free for law enforcement. That was it--I decided then and there that I was going to learn how to ride and then get one.

Therefore, the next question is: What kind? As I said before, I know I want a sport bike. I also want one that's not too high-powered for my first bike. (I can always trade in on something bigger and better once I get good at it.) I'm of medium height (5'6") so I can probably fit most sport bikes, and I'm willing to spend up to 10 grand, though in truth I'd be more comfy in the 5-7 grand range. Oh, and it has to look really cool. Have I mentioned that yet?

I'm not going to do any actual in-the-showroom shopping until I take the basic class, however I'm doing a fair bit of web-surfing to see what's out there. Hence my increased joy in having broadband--pictures load zoom-pow-fast! If anyone out there has any glowing recommendations or Do-Not-Buy stories, please drop me a line.